The Ideal Man

FOUR

Ellie’s home was a sparsely furnished studio apartment a block west of Cranston and Glenwood. Just five miles from the hospital, it was an easy commute. Her apartment was on the second floor of a redbrick building that sat between two similar structures on a quiet, tree-lined street. Built in the 1940s, it still maintained some of the charm of a bygone era when even the smallest apartments were constructed with high ceilings and intricate moldings. For a studio, it was large and spacious, but it didn’t offer much of a view. Her living room window overlooked the Dumpsters in the back alley.

There wasn’t anything luxurious about the place, but it was home, and she was comfortable there. Each tenant needed a key to get into the front door of the building, and there were strong dead-bolt locks and peepholes on all the apartment doors. The super had keys to each apartment and each dead bolt, which meant he could walk into any apartment anytime, so without asking permission, her father had installed a second dead bolt that only she had the key to unlock.

If anyone were to ask her to describe her home, she could do it with one word: safe. Or better yet, two words: minimalistic and safe. Almost everything in the apartment was the uninteresting yet soothing color of cream. The walls, the down-filled, oversize sofa she’d purchased for forty dollars from a pampered housewife in Chesterfield who had grown tired of it just six months after she had bought it, the oversize chair she’d thrown in for free, the drapes, the blinds-all cream. The only break in Ellie’s furniture color scheme came from a swivel chair a friend had given her. It was beige.

There were hardwood floors throughout, which was one of the reasons she had rented the place. The faded and worn-out floors were in desperate need of refinishing, but Ellie loved them because she felt the flaws gave them a lovely patina. They were also much easier than carpet to keep clean.

She did try to give her place a little personality. She bought a couple of brightly colored pillows from Macy’s midnight madness sale, and she thought they added a little cheer. She would have loved to have covered the walls with beautiful contemporary paintings, but she couldn’t afford them. She shopped at Goodwill, not Neiman Marcus.

The desk she had purchased from Goodwill had cost only fifteen dollars. One leg was considerably shorter than the other three, but a brick she found when she took the trash out was the exact size needed to balance the desk perfectly. She also purchased a pretty red lacquered tray for two dollars that was only slightly chipped on two corners, and a seriously battered coffee table that cost seven dollars. Added up, she spent less than a hundred dollars to furnish the living room and twice that much to have the sofa and chair cleaned.

She had no dining room, which was just as well since she had no dining room furniture. A wide, arched doorway separated the living room from the bedroom. Ellie splurged and bought a gorgeous dark cherry, queen-size sleigh bed and a new mattress and box springs. The bed took up most of the space in the tiny alcove disguised as a bedroom and faced the front door, and since it was the first thing a guest saw when he or she walked inside, Ellie decided to blow her budget on a beautiful duvet, a down comforter, and designer sheets. She found a sale and saved 60 percent on the bedding, including four pillows. Ellie thought it humorous that, because of the sale, the only color left on the shelf was cream. The bed did look gorgeous, though, and she loved slipping between the soft cotton sheets.

The bathroom was surprisingly large, but the galley kitchen was so narrow, only one adult could work in it. Ellie had to stand to one side of the burners to open the oven door. The appliances were new when she moved in, and there was enough counter space to suit her needs.

Max had told Ellie to stay home, and she planned to do just that after she stopped at Whole Foods to get groceries. She was in the mood for stir-fry with chicken and mounds of vegetables. Just thinking about food made her stomach grumble, and no wonder, she hadn’t eaten anything since the PowerBar and orange juice she’d inhaled at breakfast.

She ended up with three large bags of groceries. She emptied the contents onto her kitchen counter and reached for an apple to eat while she checked her answering machine for messages. There were only two, neither of which required quick attention. Ellie hadn’t wanted to spend money on a landline, but her father had insisted. He didn’t trust cell phones. What if the charge was low and she got into trouble? How could she call for help? Ellie let her father win the argument because she wanted to give him peace of mind.

After she checked the time, she showered, blew her hair dry, and put on a pair of faded jeans, a pink T-shirt, and flip-flops. She even took the time to dab on some perfume and add a little lip gloss before starting dinner. She made enough for six meals, munching on salad while she worked. The two agents arrived just as she finished eating.

Ellie silently lectured herself on the way to the door. Okay, you’re not a teenager, she reminded herself. This time she was going to take it all in stride or, rather, take him in stride. No heart palpitations, no breathlessness, just an ordinary “Hi, how are you doing?” Normal, she thought. She was going for normal.

The best-laid plans…

She opened the door, and boom, her heart started pounding. It really was the most amazing thing, having absolutely no control over her physical response to him.

His expression didn’t give her a hint as to what he was thinking, yet she was certain he wasn’t having the same crazy, heart-pounding reaction to her. But then, why would he? If she weren’t a potential witness, he probably wouldn’t have given her the time of day.

“Something smells good,” Max remarked as he walked past her.

“I just made stir-fry.”

“Yeah, that smells good, too.”

Ben heard the comment and rolled his eyes as he followed Max into the apartment.

When Max turned around, Ben was staring at Ellie, spellbound. Ben shook his head and shot an accusatory look at Max, who responded with a satisfied grin. Maybe he should have told Ben about her, but seeing the expression on his partner’s face was priceless. Ellie looked amazing with her hair down around her shoulders. The snug jeans and T-shirt hugged her slender body and long legs and showed the curves that had been hidden by the scrubs. The woman was just about perfect.

He glanced around her apartment and liked that, too. It was simply furnished, but there were a couple of bright touches that made it feel warm. He smiled when he spotted the brick wedged under one of the legs of the desk. A couple of packing boxes sat in the corner, and neat piles of papers were stacked on the desk and a chair.

Ellie shut the door and automatically flipped both dead bolts. She offered her hand as Ben MacBride introduced himself. He wasn’t as tall or as muscular as Max, but he had an athletic build and a nice smile that instantly put her at ease.

Ben turned back to Max and shook his head.

“What?” Max said.

“You could have mentioned…”

“Mentioned what?” he asked innocently.

Ben decided to be blunt. “That she was frickin’ beautiful.” He quickly turned to Ellie to add, “You remind me of my wife. She’s beautiful. At least I think she’s still beautiful.”

Ellie gave him a quizzical look. “You don’t know?”

“Every time I see her, she’s in the bathroom throwing up. But, yeah, I’m sure she’s still beautiful.”

She laughed. “She’s pregnant.”

He nodded. “Yes. Man, it does smell good in here.”

“Stir-fry,” she repeated. “There’s plenty left, and it’s still hot. Would you like-”

She didn’t bother to finish her question because both Max and Ben were already in her kitchen. Max looked for plates as Ben sampled a piece of chicken. While they devoured every bit of the stir-fry, Ellie straightened up her living room. Her desk was covered with stacks of papers, and there was another stack on the swivel chair that she needed to go through and decide to either shred or pack for storage. She quickly moved the papers from the chair to form another stack on top of the desk. It looked a bit precarious, but as long as no one bumped the desk, the papers should stay put.

The two agents set their empty plates in the sink and joined her. When they were standing in her living room, the small area seemed even smaller. Ellie went to the sofa and sat down. Ben took the swivel chair and turned it to face her.

“Thanks, Ellie,” he said. “The food was great. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she replied.

Max moved around the room as though he were inspecting it. He seemed uptight, unlike the man she had met earlier who appeared to be so relaxed.

“Is there something you need, Agent Daniels?” she asked.

“Max,” he reminded her. “No, I just noticed you don’t have anything on your walls.”

“No, I don’t.”

“How come?”

“Everything I like is too expensive, and I don’t want to put up posters. I had enough of those in college.”

“So you’re poor,” Ben said.

She laughed. “Yes.”

“I thought doctors made a lot of money.” Max made the comment.

“Some do,” she agreed. “But, like many of my colleagues, I have substantial student loans.”

“Don’t they pay you at that hospital?” Max snapped the question.

“Yes, they do.”

“Must not be much.”

“No, it isn’t.”

He slowly circled her living room, acting like a caged animal searching for a way out. Ellie had the feeling he was angry about something and trying to keep it in check.

“What about photos? I know you have family. Don’t you like them?” Max asked, frowning.

“I like some of them, and, yes, I do have photos. They’re packed away.”

“Why are they packed away?” he demanded.

“I’m finished at St. Vincent’s Hospital on Tuesday.”

The rapid-fire questions continued until she began to feel like a suspect, not a witness. Irritated, she started to answer just as rapidly.

“Those boxes in the corner by the window have been sitting there a long time. There’s dust on top of them. Why is that?”

“I’m a bad housekeeper,” she said with a straight face.

“You never unpacked them?” He made the question sound like an accusation.

“No, I never did.”

“Why not?”

“I like to be ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“Ready to pick up and leave at a moment’s notice,” she snapped back.

“Where are you going?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

He stopped pacing and was now standing over her, making her extremely nervous. How could she have ever thought he was relaxed? She was beginning to think she should confess something just to get him to stop interrogating her.

Ben was watching the exchange, astounded by Max’s aggressive behavior. Had he been alone with his partner, he would have asked him what in God’s name was wrong with him. He was acting as though he were about to pounce on her.

“You must have some idea where you’d like to go,” Max challenged.

“No, I don’t,” she answered sharply. “Is there any other personal information you need?”

Seeing Ellie’s indignation and suddenly realizing he’d sounded as though he were grilling her, he said, “I guess I’m not very good at small talk.”

That was small talk?

“No kidding,” Ben drawled.

Max could see the scowl deepening on Ellie’s face, and he could almost feel the fire flashing from her eyes. He would have laughed had she not looked so annoyed. When he’d first met her, his opinion of her had been rather indifferent. Of course, he’d noticed that she was a beautiful, sexy woman he would love to take to bed. Nothing unusual about that. But then he’d watched how great she was with Sean Goodman. She was so calm and reassuring as she worked on him. Maybe it was all part of her job, but her kindness seemed genuine. Then, when she went back to the hospital to perform Sean’s surgery, Max’s impression of her expanded. Not only did he want to go to bed with her, he admired her as well. And when she gave him a little attitude in the stairwell and let him see her sense of humor, he realized he actually liked her… and wanted her. Nothing unusual about that.

He saw everything in a different light, however, when he’d checked into her background. Not quite everything, he qualified. He wanted her in bed-that didn’t change-but he was filled with an overwhelming need to protect her. After reading her file, which was only a small portion of what she had gone through, Max felt great empathy for her. She had been powerless back then, with no control over what happened to her. He knew all about that, and that was why he wanted to help as much as he could. Ellie had been through enough. She didn’t need more heartache. And if she testified…

Max didn’t respond to Ellie’s question. Instead, he surprised her by sitting down next to her on the sofa. He was so close, if she moved, she’d be glued to him. Ellie was confused. What was he doing? There was a perfectly good overstuffed chair he could have taken, and yet he chose the sofa. What did that mean? Ellie didn’t know how to react. Should she move away? She didn’t want to, but should she? Just as she was questioning his motives, Max took a digital recorder out of his pocket. Oh. Now she understood. He had to sit next to her so that the recorder could pick up the conversation. Bummer.

“Ben, are you ready to get started?” Max asked.

“Sure,” he replied. “I’m the less experienced agent,” he explained to Ellie. “By eleven months.” He turned in the swivel chair and accidentally knocked the desk, starting an avalanche of papers to the floor.

Ellie rushed to help pick up. “It’s a mess, I know, but I haven’t had time to go through everything. Most of it can probably be thrown away.”

“I’ve got this, Ellie. Go sit.” He scooped up several papers, straightened them, and made a pile against the wall. “They can stay on the floor, right?”

She smiled. “Right.”

Max grabbed another stack of papers that was headed to the floor and put a heavy anatomy book on top to keep them from falling again.

“What’s this?” Ben held up several sheets that had been stapled together.

“What is it?” Max asked.

“Restraining order.”

“Yeah?” Glancing at Ellie, Max walked around the desk and took the papers from Ben. Just as he expected, they were orders against Evan Patterson. He quickly flipped through them and handed them back to Ben.

Ben looked over the documents while Ellie remained silent, hoping he wouldn’t read through them.

“Who is Evan Patterson?”

“Oh, those papers are old,” she said.

“Uh-huh,” Ben agreed. “Who is he?”

She had the feeling changing the subject wasn’t going to work. Ben was FBI, which meant he was trained to get people to answer questions, but she wished he’d leave this alone. The subject of Evan Patterson was very difficult for her to talk about or even think about. She wanted the nightmare to stay in the past.

Ellie settled back on the sofa and pulled a pillow onto her lap. “I went to Sacred Heart High School for two years. He was there.”

“Did he leave high school, or did you?” Ben asked, curious.

“I was the first to leave… it was a long time ago.”

Ben glanced at Max, knowing that he had also picked up on Ellie’s reticence.

“Where did you go after that?” Ben asked, thinking she had either transferred to another high school or perhaps been homeschooled to get away from Patterson.

Ellie hesitated before answering. “I was in college.”

Ben tilted the chair back. He could see her embarrassment.

“So you’re smart, huh?”

She smiled. “And poor.”

“But real smart?” Ben asked.

“Prod,” Max said. “Chief of surgery calls her Prod.” He turned to her. “That’s short for prodigy, isn’t it?”

She didn’t look happy that he had shared that information.

“Just one more question. Where’s Evan Patterson now?” Ben asked.

“I don’t know. If he was to come back to Winston Falls where my family lives, my father would let me know.” She lifted the pillow and squeezed it to her chest.

Max could tell she hated talking about Patterson. That was obvious. “I’ll find out where he is now,” he said.

Frowning, she asked, “Why? Why would you do that?”

Because I know what he did to you, he thought. “It will give you a little peace of mind knowing exactly where he is, won’t it?” he asked.

“Yes, of course, but…”

“But what?”

“My father has friends in the FBI. Neither one of them could find Patterson. Why do you think you can? Do you think you’re better at it than they are?”

Did she realize she was repeating the same question the chief of surgery had asked her?

He decided to answer in kind. “Absolutely. I am better.”

She suddenly got it. “You’re as arrogant as I am.”

“When it comes to the job, yeah, I am.” He continued to stare into her gorgeous eyes as he asked, “Do you want me to find him or not?”

“Yes, please, but…” She started to say something more then changed her mind. “Thank you.”

“Hold on,” Ben began. “Catch me up. Did Patterson just decide to leave your hometown, or did something happen?”

She sighed. And here she thought the conversation was finished. “Yes, something happened, and he was committed to the Stockton Institute, for a time anyway.”

“What’s the Stockton Institute?”

Max answered. “A state-run facility for the criminally insane. Patterson attacked her, damn near killed her. Read the reports. That will answer some of your questions.”

Ellie frowned at Max when she said, “You knew all about Patterson before Ben saw the restraining order, didn’t you?” Before he could answer, she continued, “Of course, you did. My God, it’s only been what? Four? Five hours since we met?”

“Longer than that.”

“How did you get all that information so quickly?”

“It’s in your file.”

Her hand went to her throat. “For anyone to read?” She sounded appalled.

“No, not for just anyone.” Then, frowning, he asked, “What did you mean, Patterson went to Stockton for a time?”

“That wasn’t in the file?” she asked.

“No. Now tell me.” He sounded as though he were grilling her again.

“Patterson’s family is very wealthy, and they were able to get him transferred to a private facility. And guess what? Eventually he was given weekend passes to go home.”

“After he tried to kill you?” Ben asked.

Oh God, she was going to have to dredge it all up again. She took a deep breath. “After Patterson left me for dead… actually, I was told he thought he had killed me…”

“Yes?” Ben urged when she hesitated. His tone was softer this time.

“He ran, and the police and FBI couldn’t find him right away. So my father, with the help of the two FBI agents who had become friends, decided I needed to go into hiding.”

Max filled in the blanks for Ben. “The son of a bitch had been terrorizing her for over a year. He’d even grabbed her a couple of times, but she was able to get away. He wasn’t going to give up until he killed her.”

Ellie continued. “As soon as I was ready to leave the hospital, my father drove me here. One of his friends introduced him to a couple, the Wheatleys. They took me in. They’re both teachers and very kind people. They had no children of their own, and they opened their home to me.” For the first time since the topic had come up, she smiled. “They didn’t know what to do with me.”

She didn’t expound, and neither Ben nor Max pressed.

“They took good care of me,” she said. “I stayed with them while I finished college and all the way through medical school and part of residency.”

“And you’re finishing your residency now,” Ben concluded.

“No, I’ve already finished my residency. Now I’m finishing my fellowship in trauma. Are we done talking about Patterson?”

Ben nodded. “Almost. One last question, and we’ll move on. Just tell me, when did Patterson get released?”

“He’s been in and out for the past ten years. About six months ago, my father heard he’d gotten out and vanished. The attorneys were supposed to keep watch, and so were my father’s friends, but none of them were informed of his release. It was by chance that my father heard about him.” She clasped her hands together emphatically and said, “Now I’m done talking about this. You’re here to interview me about the shooting, remember? So why don’t you get to it.”

Max nodded to Ben, who pulled his chair closer to the coffee table and said, “Okay, let’s start. Go ahead and turn the recorder on, Max.”

Ben stated the date, time, location, and the names of the people in the room for the recorder, then asked, “Dr. Sullivan, did you see Agent Sean Goodman get shot?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Tell us what happened from the time you left the hospital. It’s my understanding you were going for a run. Isn’t that right? Why don’t you start there.”

Now that the subject of Patterson was off the table, Ellie could take a deep breath without feeling as though her chest was trying to crush her. She tried to be as accurate as possible as she told what she had seen, and then she patiently answered a myriad of questions. She didn’t have as much trouble describing the man who shot Agent Goodman as she did the strange woman, but she stressed that she didn’t think she would be able to point either of them out in a courtroom.

“He looked directly at me, but he had sunglasses on. I could see the sweat on his face. The sunglasses slipped down his nose, and I saw his eyes, but only for a second, then he swung the gun around, and I dropped to the ground.”

“Describe him for me,” Ben requested.

“He was around six feet tall. He wore a brown windbreaker and black pants.”

“And the woman?”

“She was dressed all in black. Black slacks, black top. She was shorter than he was, around five seven, and I’d guess her weight to be about one hundred thirty.”

“What else did you notice about her?”

“She was freaky looking. She was wearing a black wig, but it was askew. And her eyes didn’t look real.”

“What do you mean, not real?”

“They sort of… glowed. Definitely contacts,” she added quickly so he wouldn’t think she was nuts. “It all happened so fast, and they had their heads turned away from me most of the time.”

Ben calmly led her through more questions. He seemed laidback about it all, but Ellie was certain it was all an act to put her at ease. She knew from past experience that when a policeman or federal agent was harmed, the city went into lockdown mode until the culprit or culprits were apprehended. Sean Goodman was not only a friend, he was also a fellow agent. Taking it all in stride? Not possible.

“What about Agent Goodman? He saw them,” she said.

Ben nodded. “Yes, he did.”

“Sean saw a man and a woman moving fast toward the street. We’re not sure if he saw their faces before he was shot, and like you said, they obviously tried to change their appearance,” Max explained.

“If he had gotten closer…,” Ben began.

Ellie shook her head, stopping him. “Had he gotten closer, the bullet would have done a lot more damage, especially if he was hit in the chest. Those wounds are… messy.”

“Why wasn’t he wearing a vest?” Ben asked Max. “Do you know?”

“He was supposed to stay in the van, but the second he got out, he should have put the vest on. Farber and Stanley had taken their vests off,” he added. “They thought it was all over. Maybe Sean thought that, too.”

“Yeah, maybe he did,” Ben allowed.

“What about those kids who ran into the street to flag down the ambulance? They must have seen the couple running away,” Ellie said.

“They didn’t see their faces.” Max sounded irritated again.

“There were people all over the park. Could someone else have gotten a better-”

“We’ve checked,” he barked and turned the recorder off.

She frowned at him. “Are you always this grumpy?”

Surprised by her question, he repeated, “Grumpy?”

“Yeah, he is kind of grumpy today,” Ben interjected.

“The hell I am.”

Laughing, Ellie moved the pillow out of her way and stood. “I’m getting a Diet Coke. You two want anything?”

“Sure, I’ll take a Coke,” Ben said.

She turned to Max. “I shouldn’t have called you grumpy. You’ve had a bad day. Your friend was shot, and from what you’ve told me, the plan to apprehend these people fell apart.” She headed toward the kitchen and added, “So it’s okay to be grumpy.”

“Yeah, he’s usually real cheery.” Ben laughed as he told the lie. His cell phone vibrated, and he quickly read the text.

“Hey, Ellie, could I ask you a medical question?”

She peeked around the corner. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

“What does it mean when a pregnant woman has all the symptoms of indigestion?”

She thought he was joking until he looked up from his text, and she saw the concern in his eyes.

“It means she has indigestion.”

He wasn’t convinced. He read his wife’s symptoms aloud, told Ellie that she was four months along, and that she had miscarried their first child at exactly four months.

Ellie reached for her cell phone. “What’s her name?”

“Addison.”

“Give me her cell phone number.”

Leaning against the doorway she began to text, her thumbs tapping out her message with lightning speed.

Ben was impressed. “You’re fast.”

She smiled. “I’ve been doing this for a while.”

Ellie gave Ben’s wife suggestions to help with the indigestion and ended the message by telling Addison she could text her with other questions when she needed to.

“Thanks,” Ben said when she had finished. “She worries.”

Ellie gave him her cell phone number. “If you have concerns, you can text me, too.”

When Ellie returned with the Cokes, she handed one to Ben and took her seat next to Max.

“Will Sean get into trouble because he didn’t wear his vest?”

Max answered. “He did get into trouble. He got shot, remember?”

That wasn’t what she meant, but she didn’t pursue the matter.

Max turned the recorder back on. “Ben, do you have any other questions you want to ask Ellie?”

“No, I think we’re done for now,” he replied. “You’re going to be around, though, aren’t you? You aren’t taking off for Europe?”

“Did you forget the ‘I’m poor’ part of the interview?” she asked.

He laughed. “Right. So no Europe.”

“I will be going to Winston Falls for a wedding next week, but until then I’ll be here, and you can always get me on my cell phone.”

Once again, Max hit the button to turn the recorder off just as Ben asked, “Where is Winston Falls?’

“South Carolina.”

“Ellie’s family lives there. It’s her hometown,” Max volunteered.

“How often do you get back home?”

“Not often.”

“Are you going anywhere after the wedding?”

“No, I’ll come back here… for a while.”

“I guess we’re finished,” Max announced and started to stand. Ellie put her hand on his knee to stop him.

“Now it’s my turn to ask questions,” she told him.

“That’s not how it works,” he replied.

She ignored his comment. “Why were they in the park?”

Ben answered her. “The FBI has been following them since the last case didn’t make it to court, and when we heard about the buy, we set a trap. Max and I wanted in on it.”

“What was the buy? Drugs?”

“Weapons,” he said. “Very sophisticated weapons.”

Before she could ask him another question, his cell phone rang. He saw who was calling and said, “I’ve got to take this.”

He disappeared into her kitchen for some privacy before he answered his phone. Ellie turned to Max, realized then that her hand was still resting on his leg, and pulled back. “What did he mean, the last case didn’t make it to court?”

“Witnesses couldn’t testify.”

“Couldn’t or wouldn’t.”

“Couldn’t.”

She didn’t push him to explain, but said, “What went wrong in the park?”

“A lot of things.”

It was as much as he was going to tell her, she realized after waiting several seconds. She tried another question. “Ben said the FBI has been following them, so you know who they are?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

When he didn’t immediately answer, she gave him a good nudge with her foot. He was so surprised, he smiled. “Did you just kick a federal agent?”

“No, I nudged a federal agent. I’m getting ready to kick.”

“Calvin and Erika Landry.”

“Now, was that so hard?”

He laughed and she was happy to see the tension ease from his face for a second.

“I’ve never heard of them,” she said.

“I didn’t think you had. They don’t usually do business here. We’ve had other dealings with them. Fact is, we’ve been chasing them for some time. We knew about the deal that was going down at the park, and we were hoping we could catch them in the act. Unfortunately, they got away before anyone could identify them. That’s why eyewitnesses to the shooting are so important. Too many agents have been working on this for too long.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you live in St. Louis? I’m just curious about who’s involved in this case,” she hastened to add so he wouldn’t think she was being too personal.

Max stood, slipped the recorder into his pocket, and said, “For the past six years I’ve lived in Honolulu.”

She didn’t know why she was so bummed out by the news, but she was. She hardly knew the man, and he definitely was all wrong for her. Yet there was just something about him… The truth was, she had never had such an immediate attraction to any other man before, not even her ex-fiancé, though she’d be loath to admit it.

It was all so confusing. She didn’t want a relationship with Max, but she wanted the possibility of one? She wasn’t making any sense.

Her brain chemistry was all messed up, she decided, and that was why her physical reaction to him was so intense. That was it exactly. Her endorphins were going haywire. Sleep deprivation was probably one reason for the imbalance, and being a workaholic with no social outlets was probably another.

There was one other theory: She was crazy, just plain crazy.

Ben finished his call and was leaning against the door frame, drinking his Diet Coke. He pulled away when Max said, “Let’s go.”

“Is Ellie going on the witness list?” he asked.

Max shook his head. “Agent Hughes is running this, remember? If Ellie’s name goes on that list, you know what will happen.”

“Yeah, but you and I could stop it.”

“From Honolulu? Not possible.”

Stop what, Ellie wondered. She waited for Max or Ben to explain, but neither did.

“I’m telling you Hughes will want-”

Max cut him off. “I said no.” He walked to the door and unbolted the locks.

Ben turned to put his drink on the kitchen counter and headed to the door that Max was holding open.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful,” Ellie said, a bit puzzled by their brusque departure.

“It’s okay.” Max started to pull the door closed but stopped abruptly. He stood for a second as though weighing his thoughts before saying, “Are there any good restaurants around here?”

“If you like Italian, you should go to the Hill. There’s a great restaurant called the Trellis. You’ll love it. It’s casual dress. You’ll see everything from suits to shorts.”

“Okay. I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow night.”

He shut the door before she had time to react.

“Wait… what?”