"Who's Cole?"

"The big guy at the end of the bar with the leather jacket and tattoos. He's one of the few locals we have. Works as a carpenter and did a few jobs for us when we first opened. He's been here every night since."

"Thanks," I said, and slid off my stool.

"Careful now, he doesn't mix well with strangers," were her departing words, but I kept walking.

Taking a deep breath, I plastered on a smile, shook my spiky hair out, and sashayed over to this Cole character. "Hey there, big guy. Come here often?"

"Seriously?" He looked at me as though I had three heads. He was intimidating as h.e.l.l with his five o'clock shadow, buzz cut, and muscles to spare. No wonder he sat alone. His look said step back or die.

"Lame, I know. Sorry. I don't do the whole bar scene."

"Then why are you here?"

I snorted. I tended to do that when I was nervous. "To practice my karaoke, of course. I can sing, you know."

"If your songs are anything like your pickup lines, you'd better keep practicing." He sipped his longneck.

"Like you could do better?" I challenged him, hoping to get him to sing like a canary in more ways than one. Besides, I was good, darnit.

His eyes were orbs of steel, but I didn't so much as flinch. He grunted, stood up without a word, and then climbed the stage and took the mic from the man who was singing. The man scurried off the stage without a single protest.

The big guy opened his mouth, and I fell off my stool. The most amazing voice poured out of his vocal cords as he crooned a beautiful love song, staring off into s.p.a.ce. It was like he was in his own world, singing to someone specific who wasn't there to hear it anymore. Pain and sorrow flashed across his face for the briefest of moments.

I sucked in a breath.

When the song ended, he turned back into the unapproachable intimidating beast at the end of the bar. He took his seat and chugged his beer once more, ignoring the roar of applause and requests for more from the crowd.

"That was incredible," I said in awe.

He jerked his head at me. "Your turn."

"Oh, I don't think so. How am I supposed to follow that?"

"Doesn't matter. You said you were better. Prove it."

"But-"

"Look, you've got b.a.l.l.s. We both know this isn't your scene. You're obviously here to ask me something." He stared me down, but I didn't deny it. "If you want answers, then sing. It's as simple as that. Unless you're chicken . . ."

"I'm gonna make you eat those words," I grumbled.

His eyes twinkled and lips wobbled as though trying not to laugh. "You can try."

I marched up onstage and grabbed the mic from some other guy, who grabbed it back and yelled, "Hey."

Cole stood up, growled with clenched fists, and suddenly the mic was back in my hands. I saluted Cole with it, told the woman what song I wanted, and then closed my eyes and began to sing a beautiful love song like Cole had. I poured all I had into that song and really felt the emotion. The song ended, and I felt really good . . .

Until I opened my eyes!

The entire room was speechless. Mouths gone slack, ears plugged, painful facial expressions, and no clapping to be had. I felt my face flood with heat and bit my lip, handing the mic back to the man, who refused it as if it was now tainted.

"Oh, come on, I wasn't that bad," I said.

"No, Tink, you were worse," came a deep voice that never failed to rattle my insides. "Care to tell me what the h.e.l.l you're doing?"

16.

"No, pal." Cole surged to his ma.s.sive feet and barked. "The question is, just what the h.e.l.l do you think you're doing? I suggest you get your hands off my woman now before I remove them permanently."

"Your woman?" Detective Stone and I sputtered simultaneously, and then we stared at each other.

Cole shot me a knowing wink and nodded his head slightly.

"That's right, you heard the man," I said, yanking my wrist out of Mitch's hand and sliding my palm into Cole the Carpenter's meaty paw. I smiled up at him and fluttered my lashes.

He looked down at me and raised a thick brow much like the detective would have.

Ugh. What was it with these herculean men?

Mitch started laughing from deep in his chest, which wasn't as large as Cole's but was impressive just the same, I had to admit. "You expect me to believe you and Sasquatch here are an item? Since when?"

"Watch it, buddy." Cole took a step toward Mitch.

I put my arms around the big guy's waist since it was all I could reach. "Now now, honey. Just ignore him. He's just a big hairy ape."

"No, you watch it," Mitch said back to Cole, ignoring me as he put his hands on his hips making his gun clearly visible. "Do you know who I am?"

"I know who you are, Detective, but I don't really care. No one treats a lady like that." The carpenter's arm draped over me, and I could barely breathe from his hug.

"Easy there, big fella. This lady must have air," I wheezed, patting his tree trunk of an arm until he lifted it slightly.

"Trust me, she's not a lady, she's a pain in my"-Cole's warning glare caused the detective to change course midsentence-"unmentionables. Now step aside. I'm taking her in for obstruction of justice."

"Whaaat?" I shrieked, stepping out from under Cole's humongous arm. "You're the one who is obstructing justice. I was just about to . . . to . . ." Oh shoot, I hadn't meant to say that much.

Both men paused, looked at me, and then crossed their arms and waited.

Finally, Sasquatch turned to Detective Stone and said, "She's all yours, pal. She's more trouble than she's worth."

"You have no idea," Detective Stone said, and then proceeded to hoist me over his shoulder and haul me out of the bar, much to the delight of the patrons based on all the hoots and hollers.

I could feel his muscles bunch and flex beneath me as he marched across the snow-packed parking lot. He smelled fresh and clean and manly. I shut off my senses and focused on how mad I was as he tossed me unceremoniously in his car and practically did a donut, he was driving so fast out of the parking lot.

"But my rental," I wailed, staring back through the tinted window.

"I'll send someone back for it." He looked straight ahead, not hesitating in the least.

"Where are you taking me?" I whined.

"Like I said, I'm taking you in." His face showed no emotion, the rat. "Maybe locking you up would do you some good."

"You can't be serious," I yelled. "You are not taking me back to the station again. I won't allow it. And you have no grounds to lock me up." I yanked on the door handle, but the door wouldn't open.

"I tried things your way, but you never called me back," he pointed out in a calm, irritating manner, as though he were talking to a child. "I meant it when I said we needed to talk. Maybe doing things my way will get some results."

"I want a lawyer." I set my jaw and ground my teeth.

"Fine." He paused, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment as he dropped the bomb. "I'll call your mother."

I gasped, and a satisfied smirk settled over his face.

"I'm sure she'd love to know what you were doing with Sasquatch in the Song Bird as much as I would." He looked back at the road. "Last I checked with her, she said you told her you had a meeting with me tonight to discuss the case." He jerked his head to the side. "Basically I'm just following your wishes."

"My wishes do not involve metal bars and a key," I spat out sarcastically.

"Did Sasquatch know that? He looked like the kind of guy who was into metal."

"Ha, ha. You really have no clue what you interrupted. I was on the verge of something big, but you had to go and ruin it."

"No you weren't, and no I didn't. h.e.l.l, I saved your scrawny behind."

Finally, a bit of emotion. "I highly doubt that." I snorted. "It's more like I saved your big ole behind from getting pummeled. If you hadn't noticed, that guy was huge."

"Bigger doesn't always mean better, babe." I opened my mouth to give him another scathing comeback, but he cut me off. "If you would have called me back, we could have avoided all this." He clenched his teeth, and a muscle in his jaw right below his jagged scar pulsed. "Quit being so d.a.m.n stubborn and independent, Tink. We're supposed to be working together."

"Exactly!" I threw up my hands in frustration. "But someone kept me out of the loop. You left me no choice but to venture out on my own."

"And you leave me no choice now," he said, back to being calm and in control. "You're a danger to yourself and to others." He hesitated and chewed the inside of his cheek as though trying not to laugh. "I heard you sing."

"Oh, you make me so mad, you overgrown arrogant . . . t.u.r.d."

"t.u.r.d?" A deep V formed on his forehead. "That's the best you've got?"

I crossed my arms and looked out the window, refusing to let him bait me anymore. The man made me want to pluck every black hair out of his oversized head.

Finally he said, "Okay, fine. I won't lock you up in jail if you agree to talk to me."

I made him wait for several minutes, and then I jerked a shoulder. "Fine. Where?"

"My place."

"Oh, joy." House arrest with Grump-o-liscious . . . hot but ornery as h.e.l.l.

"Take it or leave it, Tink. I don't trust your place." He shuddered. "You've got backup."

"Someday, you're going to appreciate that backup."

"Maybe in another lifetime."

"That can be arranged," I couldn't help adding.

His eyes cut to mine. All he said was, "Don't even think about it, or I'll haunt your dreams." He pointed his finger at me.

The scary thing was, as much as I hated it, he already did.

"It's time to pony up and come clean, Tink. It's the only way we're going to solve this case. Why were you at the Song Bird tonight?" Mitch asked, handing me hot chocolate and taking the chair across from the couch this time.

Still, it was a little too close for comfort. The last time I'd been inside his apartment, we'd drunk hot chocolate and coffee, creating a mocha kiss I'd never forget. I squirmed, adjusting his tiger fleece over my legs.

I finally started talking. "Fine. Anything to get this night over with. After I bugged Pendleton's car, I-"

"You what?" Detective Stone's hand paused halfway to his slightly parted lips.

"You gonna let me finish or not?" I waited all calm and patient-like. Hey, I could play this game, too.

"I can't believe you went through my stuff. I was wondering where that went," he grumbled and then took a sip of his coffee. "Go on." He waved his hand and sat back. "I can't wait to hear the rest."

"As I was saying, after I bugged Pendleton's car, I placed a nanny cam in the office of the library."

"Wait." He wrinkled his forehead. "I don't have a nanny cam."

"I know." I wrinkled my nose at him. "This one was all mine."

"Where the h.e.l.l did you get it from?"

"Morty."

He gaped at me. "Your cat?" He cursed. "What else can that thing do?"

I held up a hand. "You don't want to know. Anyway, we don't have time for that."

I rubbed my hands together and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I tried to remember everything I'd discovered. "Okay, so we already know Pendleton, Gladys, and Carolyn are working together to make the library deal go through. Pendleton wants that bookstore bad, and Gladys wants the hotel to be her national landmark. I thought Carolyn wanted money to pay for her Home Shopping Network addiction, but now I'm not so sure anymore."

"Why do you say that?" He studied me as though seeing me in a whole new light. Good, maybe he'd finally realize I had something to offer in solving this case.

"I'm pretty sure Lucinda is the mystery woman who is a hard nut to crack. She doubled her gift to the library and swayed the vote toward keeping the library in return. Then there's Holly Smith. She snagged the new librarian position, so you'd think Carolyn would be furious with her, right?"

"Makes sense to me."

"Then why did my nanny cam show all three together, locked in the office, talking about something almost being over and everything being okay? Holly voted the way Lucinda wanted her to in favor of keeping the library open." I sat back and finished my hot chocolate. "I swear Carolyn is working with them on something, but what and why, I don't know."