Page 6 of To Catch a Latte Thick as Thieves

Fisher couldn’t help but smile. She was a charmer. Her skin felt soft and warm beneath his fingers. He squeezed her arm before letting her go.

“Thank you, Fisher,” she said.

“My pleasure,” he said and meant it.

“So, how does she look?”

Fisher squinted across the desk at his partner. Look? She looked great. A spray of freckles, a mane of wild red hair and a contagious laugh... Oh, yeah, she looked just fine.

“Fish?” Brian Phillips, Fisher’s partner, waved his hand in front of his face. “You in there?”

He shook his head, trying to dislodge Annie’s image. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“So.” Brian leaned back in his chair. “How does she look?”

“She’s a redhead,” he said.

“Uh-oh,” Brian said. “You don’t mix well with redheads. Remember the one in Tucson who we nabbed for check fraud. She kicked you in the...”

“I remember,” Fisher interrupted with a wince. “Annie’s not like that.”

“Annie is it?” Brian asked. “Better watch it, Special Agent McCoy, you know you’re not supposed to become personally involved with your suspects.”

“We’re not sure she’s a suspect,” he protested.

Brian sat up straight all humor wiped from his face. “Yes, she is. Someone at The Coffee Break is laundering huge amounts of dirty money through a secondary account. She’s the owner, so she’s the chief suspect. The criminals using her services are some very nasty thugs. Don’t underestimate her.”

“Come on,” Fisher snapped, annoyed. “I’ve been with the Bureau for more than ten years. I’m not about to let some dizzy redhead bring me down.”

“Be sure you don’t,” Brian warned and then teased, “Unless, of course, it’s part of your cover.”

“Shut up,” Fisher chided him. “Or I’ll tell Susan about the Cayman Islands.”

“What? I went to bed at nine o’clock every night...alone.”

“Yeah, well, that might not be the way I tell it,” Fisher said.

“Go ahead. My wife knows better than to believe you,” Brian dared him.

“She always was too smart for her own good,” Fisher acknowledged. “That’s why I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“Why she married you.”

“Love,” Brian sighed and put a hand over his heart. “Well, that and my big...”

“McCoy. Phillips. I need an update on Operation Coffee Break. What have you uncovered so far?” Paul Van Buren strode toward their desks.

“Well, I almost had Brian to his shorts,” Fisher answered dryly.

“What?” Van Buren frowned. He was a no-nonsense guy who wore responsibility like a well-cut suit. He’d been with the FBI for over thirty years. He was tough but fair and despite his lack of humor, there wasn’t a man in his service who didn’t respect him.

“Nothing,” Brian interrupted, eyeballing Fisher from behind his wire rims.

“Have you established yourself on the premises, McCoy?” Van Buren asked.

“Moved in yesterday,” he confirmed.