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he was. “Hey, it’s me,” I said into his machine. Then I did a quick outline of finding the money missing from the soccer account and told him I was going to see Vance in the morning to get an investigation started. Hanging up, I stared at the phone for a minute. Had he taken his mother somewhere?
    And what did his mother think of me?
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    The morning brought rain. Fat drops beat down on the windshield of my T-bird as I headed to the sheriff’s station on my way to work. Gabe hadn’t called me back last night, which probably meant he was okay with what I was doing.
    At least, that was the theory I was going with this morning.
    To the beat of the rain, I planned what I’d say to Detective Vance. Something like, I have a client with direct knowledge of Chad Tuggle embezzling from SCOLE. Yeah, that sounded . . . I snapped my head around to look through the rain at the doughnut shop on the edge of the Stater Bros. shopping center.
    There was a green Ford Taurus covered in antennas. Detective Vance’s car.
    I pulled the T-bird into the double-yellow center divider and put my left blinker on. Vance was at the doughnut shop. This would be so much easier than trying to get him at the sheriff’s station. When the traffic cleared, I turned in and parked my car next to the green Taurus.
    I got out, pulled the hood of my long black raincoat up, and dashed for the door. Inside the doughnut shop was warm and yeasty.
    Vance sat at the four-topped table made with twin rectangles hooked together and four chairs set into the unit. He had his little red notebook in front of him and a tired frown on his face.
    When he looked up and saw me, his frown deepened. “Shaw. Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse.”
    Not exactly the opening I was hoping for. “Morning, Vance. What are you doing here?” He had a large coffee but no doughnuts.
    â€œIt’s a doughnut shop, I’m a cop. Where else would I be?”
    Slipping off my raincoat, I made a face at him. “Get up on the wrong side of the bed, Vance?” Without an invitation, I tossed my coat on the chair closest to the window overlooking the street and sat down across from him. The smell of all those lovely doughnuts made my mouth water. I detected the scent of chocolate swirling above the yeast smell. What could one little chocolate buttermilk doughnut hurt? I looked down. I had on low-cut jeans and a tight red top with gathers at the bust line. One doughnut and I’d have a roll over the top of my jeans. Damn.
    Vance snapped his notebook shut, picked up his coffee, and leaned back in the seat to study me.
    I tried not to squirm and studied Vance right back. His sun-god looks were a little wilted. His close-cut sandy blond hair lay flat. No dimples decorated his square face, and his swimmer shoulders were slumped as if he were tired. I thought about asking him if he were all right, then decided to just get it over with. “I have something to ask you.”
    â€œReally?” He pulled the lid off his coffee and drank a good quarter of the large cup.
    â€œI have this client.”
    His gaze met mine over the rim of his cup. “A dating service client?”
    â€œNot exactly,” I said, eyeing his coffee and thinking I should get some. “Anyway, she has information on her ex-husband. We know it’s true, but we don’t have any evidence. I need you to start an investigation.”
    â€œYou working for the sheriff’s office now? Giving orders?”
    Lord, he was in a bad mood. “Look, Vance, this is serious. This guy has been embezzling money from the Soccer Club of Lake Elsinore. It’s called SCOLE for short. That means he’s stealing money from all the parents who pay fees for their kids to play. It’s not right.”
    Vance snapped forward in his chair and thumped his coffee down. “That right? And who is this client of yours?”
    â€œUh, that’s