3 Bad Guys Get Caught Read online

  Bad Guys Get Caught

  (Book Three of the Janet Maple Series)

  By

  Marie Astor

  Bad Guys Get Caught

  Copyright ©Marie Astor 2013

  Excerpt from This Tangled Thing Called Love Copyright 2012 Marie Astor

  Excerpt from Chasing Justice Copyright 2013 Danielle Stewart, used with permission

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art by Ginny Gallagher

  Website: www.marieastor.com

  Facebook: Author Marie Astor

  Twitter: @marieastor

  Table of Contents

  Introduction from Baxter, the cute dog on the cover

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20 (Two Months Later)

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  About Marie Astor:

  Excerpt from This Tangled Thing Called Love

  Excerpt from Chasing Justice by Danielle Stewart

  Introduction from Baxter, the cute dog on the cover

  Hi there, I noticed you looking at the cover so I thought I’d introduce myself.

  My name is Baxter. I’m the Jack Russell Terrier on the cover. What’s that you said? Cute? Why, thank you for the compliment although I personally prefer handsome.

  Are you asking me if this book is about Jack Russell Terriers?

  No, it isn’t. It’s a mix of romance and suspense.

  Am I the narrator?

  Now you’re really flattering me. No, I’m not, but I’m certainly part of the book. When I was asked to model for the cover, I simply couldn’t refuse.

  You’d like to know more about the book?

  I’m happy to tell you. Let’s see, Bad Guys Get Caught is book three in the Janet Maple Series and it’s about, well, it’s about catching the bad guys! But then it already says that in the title… Sorry, let me try again. The main characters are Janet Maple and Dennis Walker. They are white collar crime investigators and their job is to track down crooks and all kinds of bad people, the real sleazy types.

  I’ve been with Janet since I was a little puppy. She takes great care of me: makes sure I eat a great diet (although I wish she’d slip in a treat now and then), takes me on long walks, and lets me jump on the couch as much as I want. Janet works a lot, and when she’s real busy she asks our neighbor, Mrs. Chapman to watch me. Mrs. Chapman likes to play the piano and sing, and I like to sing along. We even preformed together at the local community center and received a standing ovation, but enough about me.

  Dennis Walker is Janet’s work partner and her boyfriend. For a while the two of them couldn’t figure out how they felt about each other, but they finally saw sense. Janet had kissed her share of frogs. There was that Alex Kingsley character, and I didn’t like him one bit. You can read all about how I tore up his trousers in book two, Catching the Bad Guys. Alex is history now, and I’m glad that Janet is with Dennis. I knew Dennis was a good sort when I first met him. I’ve got a nose for that kind of thing. He always brings me a Milk Bone—the man’s got class!

  What’s that I hear? Oh yes, the sound of the key turning the front door lock. It must be Janet and Dennis. Well, it’s been nice chatting with ya, but now I must be off. I hope Dennis brought me a Milk Bone! See ya on the pages of Bad Guys Get Caught!

  Chapter 1

  Janet Maple carefully cracked four eggs over the bacon in the frying pan. Dennis liked his eggs sunny side up and she intended to deliver. Not that Dennis asked her to make breakfast for him. More often than not he insisted on manning the stove. Breakfast was his specialty; he made killer pancakes. Cooking for him gave her a certain kind of pleasure; the pleasure that sent her heart fluttering with the knowledge that Dennis Walker was her man.

  If someone were to tell her a few months ago that Dennis would be sleeping in her bed this very moment, she would have never believed it. A part of her still found it hard to believe that he was there now, his head resting peacefully on her pillow, his face looking ever so handsome. The best part was the reason for Dennis’s deep sleep: their passionate lovemaking the night before and the night before, and the night before then … Yes, Dennis Walker was her man, and he was also her work partner. Today was Saturday, which meant that they could forget about work and have the entire weekend to themselves. Well, with the exception of Janet’s Jack Russell Terrier, Baxter, who was now impatiently growling at his empty bowl.

  “Here you go, Baxter.” Janet filled Baxter’s bowl. “Eat up.”

  Baxter sniffed at his food and barked, as he lifted his nose in the direction of the stove.

  Janet shook her head. “Bacon is bad for you. Now, eat your food.”

  “Mmm, smells delicious.” Dennis wrapped his arms around Janet’s waist.

  “I didn’t hear you get up.”

  “That’s because I can be very quiet when I want to be. In case you’ve forgotten, I am an undercover investigator.”

  “A white collar crime investigator,” Janet could not resist making the correction. “In case you’ve forgotten so am I, but I don’t go around sneaking up on my boyfriend.” She savored the word; calling Dennis Walker her boyfriend never failed to bring a smile to her face.

  “Hmm, you snuck up on me last night with that little lacy number you were wearing. That was quite unexpected and very pleasant,” Dennis added, tugging at Janet’s robe.

  “I’m glad you liked it,” said Janet, thinking that her impromptu trip to Macy’s lingerie department had paid off. She playfully pushed Dennis’s hand away. “Your breakfast will get cold.”

  “I could have you for breakfast instead,” he murmured, kissing her neck.

  “I slaved over those eggs all morning,” she teased him. “You can have me for dessert.”

  “In that case …”

  Janet placed the larger portion of the eggs on Dennis’s plate and handed it to him. “Do you want coffee?”

  “Yes, please. Milk and sugar.”

  “I know,” she whispered. Maybe in a few months this novelty would wear off, but right now she still delighted in knowing Dennis’s coffee preference.

  “You said you weren’t hungry?” Janet eyed Dennis’s plate, which became almost empty by the time she poured the coffee.

  “What can I say? I’ve always been a fast eater. Got it from my old man; he always said that those who worked fast, ate fast. I don’t necessarily agree with that now, but at twelve I wanted to please him and the habit stuck.” Dennis was not one to talk about himself, and whenever he offered these little bits of information, Janet felt like she was getting one step closer to him. “Besides, did anyone ever tell you that you are an incredible cook?” Dennis added.

  “Yes.” Janet beamed. “You tel
l me that every time I make breakfast for you.”

  “That’s because you’re great at it, but then there are lots of much more important things that you’re great at. If you take my meaning,” Dennis added huskily.

  “Yes, like what?”

  “Finish your breakfast and I’ll tell you.”

  Janet caught Dennis’s glance wandering to the opening in her robe. “I think I already know what you have in mind.”

  “Good, then I won’t have to waste any time on unnecessary explanations. Eat up.”

  “I’m done.” Janet pushed her plate away. The prospect of making love to Dennis was a lot more appetizing. Besides, there were other benefits as well. Replacing food with sex did wonders for your body. She had already dropped five pounds without making any changes in her diet other than occasionally replacing meals with sex. What girl, even with the most perfect body, wouldn’t be delighted by such news?

  “You call that done?” Dennis eyed her barely touched plate.

  “I’m not that hungry.”

  “I can’t risk you being malnourished,” said Dennis, picking up a fork and scooping some eggs onto it. “Open up.”

  Janet did as she was told. The eggs were good, even if she said so herself. Perhaps she would finish her breakfast after all.

  “Good.” Dennis grabbed a piece of bacon and brought it to her lips. “Take a bite.” Just then Dennis’s cell phone rang.

  “You should get it. It might be important.”

  “Right now nothing is more important to me than feeding my girlfriend.” Dennis lifted a forkful of eggs to Janet’s mouth. Before Janet had the chance to take a bite, her landline began to ring.

  “Somebody is being real insistent. Let it go to voicemail.” Dennis shrugged.

  The answering machine turned on. “Janet? I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday. This is Ham Kirk. I was wondering if Dennis is there with you. Something important has come up—”

  Janet sighed. “You’d better get it.”

  “I guess so.” Dennis rose from his chair and reached for the phone.

  It had been a little over six months since Dennis and Janet started working for Ham Kirk. Ham used to be their boss when both of them worked for the Treasury Investigations Department. At the Treasury, their specialty had been busting white collar crimes. The job had been rewarding, but there had been too much red tape, so when Ham offered them to work for his own agency, they both loved the idea; no red tape and, best of all, a twenty percent raise.

  Janet wondered what kind of an assignment prompted Ham to call on a Saturday. They had been busy at the agency, but Ham had a firm rule about work-free weekends, so what was it that made him break his rule? She did not have to wonder for long, as Dennis had hung up the phone after speaking with Ham for only a few minutes.

  “So, what did Ham say?” Janet asked after Dennis failed to produce any details about the conversation.

  Dennis frowned. “Not much. He wants us to meet him at the office.”

  “Right now?”

  “He said it’s really important.”

  “Then we should go. Did he at least give you an idea what it’s about?”

  “No. He said it was too important to discuss over the phone.”

  “Hmm, that’s not like Ham to be so cryptic,” Janet paused.

  “You’d better go get dressed,” said Dennis. “I’m going to clean up.”

  “You are the best.” Janet planted a kiss on Dennis’s lips.

  “Careful babe, or we’ll be late for our meeting with Ham,” Dennis whispered after their kiss turned out to be much longer than Janet had intended.

  “You’ve got a point. Wouldn’t want to disappoint our boss, but that doesn’t mean that you should be deprived of a little preview,” Janet whispered. She pulled away from Dennis and headed into the bedroom, playfully swinging her hips.

  “You’re a tease, Janet Maple,” Dennis called after her. “Just wait until I get my hands on you tonight.”

  Relishing Dennis’s threat, Janet surveyed her closet for suitable attire for their meeting with Ham. It was work, but it was also the weekend, and she wanted to look at least somewhat sexy. She settled on a knit wrap dress of electric blue, pairing it with black pumps and a pair of gold hoop earrings.

  When she returned to the kitchen she found that not only had Dennis cleared away the table, but he was also already dressed. “Well, that was quicker than usual,” Dennis remarked, eyeing her. “Nice dress, by the way.”

  “How did you manage to—”

  “Clean the table and get dressed while you dolled yourself up?” Dennis finished the question for her. “I told you, I’m fast.”

  “Race you to the elevator!” Janet grabbed her purse and rushed for the door. She hurriedly pushed the elevator button. The elevator door opened just as Dennis appeared in hallway.

  “Do you want me to lock your apartment door or are you going to leave without me?” he called out.

  “Damn, I forgot that part. Lock it up; I’ll wait,” Janet called back.

  A few moments later Dennis joined her in the elevator. “Were you really going to leave without me?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into a long, passionate kiss.

  “You know I wasn’t,” Janet gasped. “Whatever it is Ham wants from us this morning, it’d better be important,” she added.

  Luckily, there was a cab about to unload a passenger right by the curb of Janet’s building. Dennis used the pretext of gallantry to nix the claim of the man a few paces away from them who had been about to lunge for the same cab and held the door open for the elderly lady exiting the cab. Janet instantly recognized her neighbor, Mrs. Chapman.

  “Dennis, how nice to see you!” Mrs. Chapman leaned on Dennis’s hand. “It’s so nice to know that there are still chivalrous young men out there. You hold on to him, Janet,” she added.

  “Oh, don’t you worry. I don’t plan on letting go of him,” Janet assured her.

  “Young people in love!” Mrs. Chapman exclaimed, dabbing her eyes.

  Janet felt Dennis’s hand graze her behind as he ushered her into the car. She threw him a playful glace. Too bad they had to go into the office.

  A fifteen-minute cab ride later, Dennis and Janet were approaching the headquarters of Ham Kirk’s private intelligence agency. Although “headquarters” was probably too grand a word; the agency occupied a suite of four rooms in a nondescript building located on one of the side streets that ran like a maze in downtown Manhattan. There was no gleaming sign announcing its presence in the building lobby, but only a small listing in the table of building offices that read Kirk & Associates.

  “Janet, Dennis, thank you so much for coming to see me on such a short notice,” Ham Kirk greeted them.

  “It’s no problem, Ham. We’re always glad to help,” Dennis replied for both of them.

  Yes, we are, Janet thought, even when we’d rather be doing other things, like having hot, passionate sex. She felt herself blushing from her own thoughts. What was wrong with her? It was all Dennis’s fault; his hot body and dirty mind turned her into a horny, wild creature she barely recognized as herself. “How can we help, Ham?” Janet asked, willing her thoughts into submission.

  “Please, have a seat.” Ham pointed at the chairs facing his desk. “I have some really exciting news.”

  “We’re listening, Ham,” said Dennis. “What is it that you need us to do?”

  “I’ve just received a contract for vetting a future candidate for the New York senator seat. The party wants us to do a thorough background check before his candidacy is officially announced and the campaign begins.”

  “Doesn’t the party have its people to do this kind of work?” Dennis asked.

  “I don’t have much confidence in the bozos that are doing background checks for the government. As you might have guessed, I am not alone in my opinion or we wouldn’t be getting so much work in this little agency of ours. Remember the scandal with the previous candida
te? We really need to put our best foot forward on this. The party management has made it clear that they can’t afford another blow-up.”

  “With all due respect, Ham, we weren’t the ones vetting their previous candidate.”

  Ham nodded, smiling by way of answer.

  “You can count on us, Ham,” Janet assured him. Since they started working for Ham’s agency, Janet and Dennis had conducted several background investigations on candidates for various political posts. These assignments were always top secret and were carried out at the request of government agencies where Ham had many friends who trusted his skill, discretion, and expertise.

  “If we do a good job on this, we could become the party’s agency of choice for these types of assignments. Time is of the essence. If there are unsavory things to be found, the party senior management wants to be notified immediately—”

  “So that if we find something that’s not kosher, they could keep it in the family,” Dennis cut in.

  “Exactly.” Ham nodded.

  “I got it, sir,” Dennis replied matter-of-factly. “First things first; we’ll need his name.”

  “Julius Libby,” Ham pronounced the name with distaste.

  “Sounds like you dislike the fellow already,” said Dennis.

  “I dislike all politicians,” Ham replied. “I’ve never met one who didn’t have skeletons in his closet. The only question is how bad the skeletons are, and that I will leave up to you and Janet to find out. You’ll find all the information that you need in this file.” Ham handed Dennis a manila folder.

  “We’ll start working on it right away, sir,” Dennis assured Ham, putting the folder under his arm.

  “I appreciate it, Dennis. He’s been told to expect your call.”

  “You told him that we’ll be doing a background check on him?” Dennis asked.

  “I didn’t say I told him that. The party management did. They are sticklers for protocol; all new candidates are vetted and are to be notified of the vetting process.”

  “Forgive my impertinence, Ham, but tipping him off seems to defeat the purpose. If he knows that we’ll be looking into his affairs, he’ll have time to conceal things— provided that there are things to find, of course,” Dennis added hastily.