Harper tapped the auditorium photo. “Send this one to me.” He recited his number and Lara quickly sent the files to his iCom.
The detective stared at her for a long moment. “You’re the prettiest suspect I’ve interviewed in a long time.”
“Does that line ever work for you?”
He laughed. “I like you, Lara. Will you have dinner with me?”
“Thanks, but I’ve already eaten.”
“Will you join me anyway? Have a drink and keep me company while I eat? I have a long night of work ahead.”
She remembered what that was like. Sitting in the conference room at the department looking through bank statements and phone records until two in the morning. Eating cold Chinese food by herself while she worked. He seemed like a good man.
“Why not? It’ll be a relief to get out of this room for a while.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“I can’t leave the property without permission, so how about the restaurant downstairs?”
“Is it fancy? I’m not dressed for anything upscale.”
Lara laughed and pushed off the couch. “They cater to Gauntlet contestants and tourists. I doubt they have a dress code.”
“You haven’t eaten there?”
“No.” She had no intention of explaining her dietary peculiarities. “I’ll meet you down there in ten minutes.”
Lara changed out of her camera-happy competition clothes and into a pair of faded jeans. She put on a snug sleeveless blouse that she almost hadn’t packed. Slipping on some earrings, she chided herself for acting like she had a date and changed her mind about going. She picked up her iCom to text him, then reversed her decision, thinking it couldn’t hurt to have the detective on her side. Lara slipped on a pair of sandals and touched the ankle monitor. Maybe she could convince him to let her off surveillance.
The hostess led her to a cozy corner table. Detective Harper had put away his Dock and ordered a beer. An unexpected surge of pleasure filled her body. She hadn’t sat down to dinner with a man since Ben had been killed. She’d had a brief thing with her chiropractor a few years back, but that had been meaningless sex just to keep her from exploding. This dinner was meaningless too, Lara reminded herself. Just filling some time with an attractive man…who happened to be detective. Why were they always cops?
He stood when she arrived. “Lara.”
She loved the way he said her name, drawing out the first vowel like a caress.
He looked relieved to see her. “For a minute, I thought you had changed your mind.”
“For a minute, I thought I had too.” Lara smiled and sat.
“What can I get you to drink?”
She almost never drank alcohol and tomorrow was possibly the most important day of her life. “A glass of red wine, please.” A couple of sips, she told herself. To help her sleep. With no body fat and no solid food in her stomach, an entire glass would go straight to her head.
“I’m having a steak sandwich. What about you?”
“Just the wine. I already ate.”
“Okay.” He signaled their server and placed the order.
When the waitress was gone, he took a long drink of beer, then blurted out, “I’m jealous that you’re in the Gauntlet. Anybody who works out and considers themselves reasonably intelligent has a fantasy about competing in the contest…and winning.”
“I suspect that’s true. I was fascinated after watching it the first year and I started training immediately.”
“You must be incredibly dedicated. I know you beat out five firemen from Oregon to win the spot.”
“I can be a little obsessive.”
“I assume you know you were only one of twelve women in the competition.” Harper sipped his beer, then continued. “Eight were eliminated in the Challenge and so far, you’re the only one to make it out of the Puzzle. I’m betting you’ll be the first woman to survive the hand-to-hand tournament too.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence. I’ll be the smallest and oldest person to enter the Battle stage. I’m a little worried.” Lara hadn’t admitted that even to herself, and she didn’t know why she’d told Harper. The Battle was the only part of the Gauntlet that had a live audience. Hundreds of wealthy people paid a premium to watch the contestants go one-on-one with a variety of nonlethal weapons.
“Size and youth won’t win this,” Harper said, touching the back of her hand. “Speed and agility are more important in both the Battle and the Obstacle. After that, your self-discipline and determination will get you through the Marathon.”
Lara smiled. “Thank you. I feel better.” She sipped her wine. “But I probably shouldn’t drink much of this. I need to be at my peak tomorrow.”
“You need to stop worrying. You’ll be great.” He leaned forward. “I hated having to arrest you. It was one of the worst moments on the job for me. Right after one of the best moments, meeting you in person. I’ve been following your blog for a year.”
Stunned, Lara could only ask, “Why me?”
“Because you’re a pretty ex-cop and I always root for the underdog.”
She burst out laughing. “The odds against me are shrinking. I’m not such a long shot anymore.”
Jason and another contestant followed a server to a nearby table. When Jason spotted her, he rushed over. “Did you hear about Jodie Hansen in the Puzzle?”
Lara’s stomach knotted in dread.
“She beat your time by sixteen seconds.”
The news was crushing and Lara swore out loud. Now she wouldn’t earn the 50 extra points for winning the phase. She mentally played back her performance in the Puzzle and kicked herself for wasting time on the obvious. It had cost her the win. But she wouldn’t let Jason see her agonize. “It’s not over yet. I still plan to win both of my rounds in the Battle.” She sounded more confident than she felt.
“But you can’t win the overall contest without those 50 Puzzle points.” Jason looked happy. “Unless you also win the Marathon.” He clearly believed that wouldn’t happen and Lara suspected he was right.
Harper spoke up. “She can win. If Texas loses his first round in the Battle, Lara has a shot.”
“That won’t happen.” Jason shook his head. “I’ll let you get back to your drinks. I thought you’d want to know.”
“He’s a jackass,” Lara whispered after he left.
“Yep. I could see that before he opened his mouth.” Harper grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Don’t let it worry you. I still think you can win this if the voters keep giving you 20 or more popularity points for every phase.”
Their server stepped up with the food and wine. “I hear they posted the lineup for the Battle tomorrow.”
“Who am I up against and what time?” Lara had to know.
The server grimaced. “Sam Duggar from Texas at noon.”
A heavy silence followed. Crap on a stick. Sam was six-feet-two and over two hundred pounds. Her next thought was that someone, possibly both the commissioner and the director, wanted her out of the competition. Her arrest had been a liability, and Morton probably wished he’d never met her. Aside from keeping him from bleeding to death, Lara mused.
Finally, Detective Harper said, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
For the next hour, Lara put the Texas giant and the mysterious shooter out of her mind and simply enjoyed the company of a charming man. At one point, she caught herself checking to see if he wore a wedding
ring. He didn’t. She figured he was likely divorced. Law enforcement was hard on family life, which was part the reason she’d never married or had kids. It was time to ask. “Is your family here in D.C.?”
“I’m a widower and my daughter lives in Portland.”
“Oregon?”
“Yep. We’re both rooting for you. She’ll finish her two-year degree next year and hopes to get a job with the new AmGo facility.” He grinned. “No pressure.”
“Have you ever visited the state?”
“Once. What about you? Any family?”
Lara shook her head. “I was married to the job for sixteen years and my only brother died.”