Page 50 of Hold a Candle

Mayhap her Gramma Caulfield had been right after all. Mayhap a loving, kind protector with a firm hand was what she needed all along. “Kudos to ye, Gramma,” she whispered into the air. There was no answer, not that she’d expected one, but when the doorbell rang downstairs, she jumped to get dressed. That would probably be Mica.

The smell of bacon and coffee drifted up her nostrils as she hurried down the stairs and back through the hall to the kitchen. Sure enough, Mica was seated at the table and Jamie was setting another place for him. Jamie’s lean figure in his casual black sweats and white, fitted t-shirt had her sizing up his abs, her eyes strolling over the clearly delineated arm and forearm muscles. Not bad for a fifty plus male. Add the lazy smile he shot her and her heart rate quickened.

“Yer just in time for some breakfast, lass,” he informed her, waving to the table. “I hope ye like broccoli quiche made with Stilton cheese and bacon.”

“I haven’t made that for a while, but I love it,” she replied with fervor. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Aye, ye can get the coffee and cups to the table while I take the quiche out,” he replied, dropping a quick kiss on her lips before heading for the oven.

She nodded her assent and blushed a little when she caught Mica watching them with a huge grin. “Good morning, Mica. I trust ye have some news for us? Did ye make it out to the hatchery?”

“Aye, I do, and I did. But it will keep until we sit down. Thanks for the invitation to breakfast, Jamie,” he added as Jamie sat the steaming quiche on a hot pad in the center of the table.

Mica had already helped himself to the croissants, Pauley noted as she sat the coffee pot on the table. She could see a crumb on the corner of his mouth. He was also reaching for another one with a pound of butter on his fork ready to slather all over it. The man had an appetite that didn’t seem to quit, but his rangy frame never gained an ounce. He and Angus must have the same genes.

“Are ye related to Angus Sangster?” she asked suspiciously, giving him an evil eye.

His eyebrows shot up and his hand stilled in mid-air with the fork and its butter. “Nay, why?”

“Never mind,” she grumped.

Mica shot a side eye at Jamie. “Was it something I said?” He continued to butter his fresh croissant with enthusiasm.

Jamie’s grin of amusement only aggravated Pauley more. “More like something ye ate, lad,” Jamie volunteered. “Angus has a good appetite and a bottomless pit of a stomach. I’m guessing ye remind her of him. Dig in,” he added, spooning himself some quiche onto his plate, then handing the spoon to Mica.

Mica grinned wolfishly. “Did ye get up on the wrong side of the bed, lass? Ye know I enjoy my food, and I need calories to sustain me. I’m no wee laddie here.” He patted his stomach.

Pauley rolled her eyes as she delicately buttered her own croissant. She picked a bacon slice off her fork and pointed at him. “How ye can put away so much food and never gain an ounce is the real mystery,” she complained. “Miley must hire a full time cook to keep up with ye.” She placed the bacon slice inside the croissant and took a bite. Heavenly.

“Actually, I do some of the cooking,” he replied around a mouthful of quiche. “We take turns, depending on our schedules.”

Pauley stared. “Ye cook?”

Mica stared back. “Don’t look so shocked. Jamie cooks too. A lot of men cook. Now, do ye want my recipes or information,” he asked finally, sounding a bit offended.

Pauley snickered but nodded her head. “Information, please. And for the record, my apologies to ye and Jamie both. It’s just that I’m not used to a man cooking for me, so it’s new territory.” She glanced at Jamie. “This quiche smells delicious, by the way.” She dug her fork in and took a bite, then closed her eyes and savored the flavors. “Mm...tastes delicious as well.”

Jamie chuckled. “I’m glad to see ye like it. So, Mica, what news do ye have for us?”

Mica wiped his mouth. “I did get the phone back to Quinn and he gave it to Brodie. Of course, Brodie wasn’t happy, but I could tell the name Kelpie meant something to him. He didn’t tell us, the tight-lipped bugger. He also stopped by Florence’s desk on the way out and she didn’t look very happy at what he told her. Those two have always been thick as thieves. When she saw me watching, she flipped me off and left the station.”

“Ye and Florence weren’t meant to be partners, ye are too much alike,” Pauley commented.

Mica glared at her this time. “What does that mean?”

Pauley was sipping her coffee and swallowed before replying. “Ye never trusted each other, ye are both secretive, and ye didn’t share what ye knew outside of the basics,” she replied honestly. “Much like me and Brodie. He was always going missing and never seemed to be around when I needed him. It’s a wonder we solved any cases together at all. I always thought he had a personal agenda outside of the department.”

“Mayhap his alias existed before he left the department?” Jamie inserted. “He just didn’t share it with ye?”

Mica patted the table twice and pointed to Jamie. “On the money, laddie. I was just getting to that. I asked my CI about Brodie’s Searcy alias, and they confirmed Leonard Searcy had been around for a while. As his alias, he lives near the Dunlaven Market area and would make occasional buys of heroin, meth or whatever from Hope Barks, or street dealers. He’s been around long enough that no one takes special notice of him anymore. My informant assumed he was a gang member, although he laid low most of the time.”

Pauley mused, “If he was exploring the drug scene when we were partners, he was in very dangerous waters being out there alone and not telling me about it. But mayhap he’s playing a long game. Lord knows he’s a stair climber, always has been. If he was onto something, he wouldn’t have been willing to share with me and give up any of the accolades of victory,” she snarked.

“Which could also explain how he ended up on the drug task force after he left here,” Mica added. “If he already had information and an established alias, they probably would have taken him right in.”

“And he had a CI already in place with Luca,” Jamie added. “Luca has been with Hope Barks close to a year, ye said.”

Pauley frowned. “Aye, there is that. So, what did ye find at the hatchery?”

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