Page 29 of Hold a Candle

Chapter 8

Jamie was outside onthe deck speaking with the security systems installers, a team of four, when Pauley pulled into the driveway beside their van. He smiled and waved her up while still talking.

“What ye have shown me sounds like the way to go,” he replied to Larry, Mo, Curly Joe, and Casey.

The side of the van had an emblem of the popular icons of cartoon caricatures in a burst of animation with the titleBest Party Yetpainted on the side. It was a very popular entertainment business for all types of parties, especially children’s parties.

It was also a front for emergency law enforcement security situations. Jamie would have never known. He’d been wondering if the driver had messed up the address of the party he was supposed to be headed to when he’d pulled into his driveway. Very clever. Even the team didn’t divulge their real names.

“Aye, sir,” replied Larry, who seemed to be the leader of the party. Since they were made up to resemble those icons, all except for Casey, who was the location analyst of the group, they would be forever visible only as the persona they identified with if it ever came into question. Most witnesses were not trained to notice details, just general impressions.

Jamie held out his hand to Pauley as she approached and she let him slip his arm around her waist as he tucked her in. Just where she needed to be; where he could protect her. It felt right.

“I’ll let ye get on with it then,” he nodded to Larry.

“Why don’t ye and yer wife go to breakfast or something,” Casey urged, her curious blue eyes studying Pauley with interest. “We’ll be gone before ye get back.”

Pink stole into Pauley’s cheeks but Jamie didn’t correct the young lass as to his marital status. Instead, he told Casey, “We might just do that under one condition. If Chief Inspector Tannock gave ye any instructions to plant a bug in my house of any kind, or anywhere, ye are to ignore him. All I want is the security system. And tell him I’ll be checking.”

The three men snickered but Casey just grinned and agreed. “Aye, I’ll tell him ye said so, although we have no such orders, sir.”

“Out of curiosity, if I was to pay ye to plant a bug on his doorstep, would ye do it?” Jamie asked.

Casey’s eyes twinkled. Her slim fingers brushed a lock of auburn hair behind her ear as she replied, “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t take civilian jobs, but I know someone who could help ye with that.”

“Aye, I just bet ye do,” Jamie replied with a chuckle.

They all laughed and the crew split into different directions, leaving him alone with Pauley.

“Ye want to get some breakfast then? We’ll have to take yer car since my rides are inside the garage.”

“Ye haven’t eaten yet?” she asked as they headed towards her car.

He nodded. “I have, but have ye?”

“I had two of Elliott’s scones,” she confessed. “But I could do with a cup of coffee.”

He opened her car door and she slid inside. When he got into the other side, he asked. “Where to? Oates?”

She shot him a mischievous grin as she backed out of the driveway. “How about the Hope Barks animal shelter via Starbucks?”

Jamie’s eyebrows lifted. “Do ye have an escaped animal that was picked up?”

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