That was not what I was expecting. “It’s Thursday. There’s no football on Thursday.”
“Um, Little Miss Know-It-All, there most certainly is football on Thursdays.” He tapped the end of my nose. “I didn’t think you’d care because you’ll be out breaking the law with Lexie.”
“Technically, I don’t think I’m going to be breaking the law.”
“Are you planning on illegally trespassing on the secretary’s property to spy?”
Oh, well, when he phrased it like that ... . “I believe I’m done talking about this for the day.” Changing the subject seemed a good bet. “I’m going to leave my laptop in your office. Is that okay?”
He nodded. “I actually like it because it guarantees I’ll see you again.”
“Ha, ha.”
He sobered as he smoothed my hair. “You’re going to be careful, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Okay. We’ll have a quick dinner, pretend I don’t know that you’re going to be doing wacky stuff, and you’ll text me if you get in trouble. That’s the deal.”
“You’re going to be drinking beer at the bar.”
“There’s always Uber.”
I pictured Eliot riding to my rescue in an Uber car and grinned. “That would be awesome.”
“I know, right?”
WE WENT TO THE CONEY FOR dinner. Lexie was complaining about eating alone so I invited her to join us, which put Eliot in a foul mood.
“I absolutely hate it when you two unite for an excursion,” he announced, popping an onion ring into his mouth. “You both lack common sense when egging the other one on.”
“I think you’re exaggerating,” I argued. “Lexie and I have been taking care of ourselves for a really long time. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah, well ... .” He pursed his lips and shifted his gaze to the courthouse. “The protests look to be letting up.”
“They do,” I agreed. “Savage is still inside, though.”
Eliot cocked an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”
“Jared is flirting with one of the clerks,” I replied, referring to my favorite photographer (which wasn’t saying much because the entire bunch was full of petulant whiners). “He wanted an excuse to hang around and ask her out after hours so I asked him to watch Savage and tell me when he leaves.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m playing a hunch.”
Lexie made a face. “I thought you said that guy was gay,” she prompted. “Why is he picking up women if he’s gay?”
“I have no idea. I’m still convinced he’s gay. It seems important to him to prove to people that he’s not for some reason. Perhaps he’ll never come out of the closet.”
“That makes me feel sorry for him.”
“Me, too.” I tapped Eliot’s knuckles. “You’re not going to talk about what I’ve been doing with Jake, right?”
He cast me a sidelong look that was full of vitriol. “Do I ever spread your private business around to others?”
“Two weeks ago you told Jake I like to sing to myself in the bathroom while shaving my legs. That was fairly private.”
“That was funny.”
I didn’t remember it being funny. “Listen ... .”
“No, you listen.” He wagged a finger in my face. “I’m the best boyfriend in the world where you’re concerned. I don’t want to listen to any of your nonsense.”
He was the best boyfriend in the world. I hated that he was so much better at this cohabitation thing than me. “Fine. Truce.” I held up my hands in capitulation.
“No truce. You apologize.”
Ugh. “I’m sorry.”
“And kiss me. Right here.” He tapped his cheek, his lips quirking. He was clearly enjoying this far too much.
“You’re pushing it,” I muttered, although I leaned close and kissed his cheek. “Be good tonight. Don’t let the football hussies turn your head.”
He tilted his head to stare into my eyes. “I’m completely devoted to a woman who is about to knowingly break the law with her cousin ... a woman who has shown shockingly bad judgment over the years to the point I got shot.”
I didn’t like being reminded of that. “We’re not going to get shot.”
“I hope not. If someone pulls out a gun, though, use Lexie as a human shield.”
“Hey!” Lexie was offended. “You barely got shot that night ... and it’s not my fault you were hurt. I didn’t even know she was going to bring you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Eliot slid his arm around my shoulders. “Try not to get arrested. They might not let me post bail if I’ve been drinking.”
I PUT OFF LEAVING DOWNTOWN Mount Clemens until Jared texted that Savage was on the move. Lexie, who was anticipating a backyard spy mission, was understandably confused.
“And we’re hiding in the parking garage because?” She glanced around the mostly-empty space with trepidation. “Nothing good ever happens in a parking garage, by the way. You know that, right?”
“We’re waiting for Bart Savage,” I replied, my eyes planted on the man in question’s vehicle. I had to call my contact at the Secretary of State to get his license plate number, just to be on the safe side, but I was certain we were waiting in the right place. “He’s leaving the building now.”
“Why was he there so much later than everyone else?”
“He was meeting with his lawyers.” A hint of movement caused my heart to flutter. “Get down,” I ordered, keeping my voice low as I slouched in my seat. Lexie followed suit, but she grumbled the entire time under her breath.
“At a certain point we’re going to be too old for this,” she muttered. “You realize that, right?”
“I’ll never be too old for this.” I meant it. “Be quiet. I don’t want him looking over here.”
We lapsed into silence as Bart trudged into the garage, keys clutched in his hand. He looked downtrodden, as if things weren’t going his way. I had trouble mustering any sympathy for him but he almost appeared to be shrinking in stature by the hour.
“That’s the Barracuda?” Lexie asked as she peered over the dashboard, unimpressed. “He’s not very ... fun.”
“He’s a normal guy,” I said. “He talks big, but I’m not even sure he believes his own hype.” Something occurred to me. “Do you think it’s possible for a guy to go on the radio and play a part? I mean ... it’s acting, right? It’s just a different form of acting.”
“I’ve never given it much thought,” Lexie admitted. “I guess it makes sense. He’s selling a brand. It’s like me and the yoga studio. I like working out and stretching as much as the next person but I’m not into all that namaste stuff. It gets irritating after five minutes.”
I bit back a laugh. “I bet.”
Savage climbed in his car and fired up the engine. “We’re going to follow him.”
“I figured that’s why we were hiding in the parking garage,” Lexie said dryly. “Where do you think he’s going?”
I had a hunch. “I guess we’ll find out.”
SURE ENOUGH, BART PARKED A BLOCK from Ally’s house twenty minutes later. I didn’t turn the final corner when following him, instead keeping close to a line of trees that blocked me from view.
“Do you know where we’re at?” Lexie asked, glancing around the neighborhood with mild interest.
I nodded. “The third secretary lives right over there.” I pointed for emphasis. “Look at him. He’s going to sneak into Ally’s yard the same way I did.”
“And what way is that?”
“Through the neighbor’s property.” I pulled to the side of the road and killed the engine. “Come on. We’re going to follow him.”
Skeptical, Lexie rolled her eyes to the sky. “It’s not dark yet.”
“It’s not,” I agreed. “It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t think anyone is smart enough to realize what he’s doing. It will be fine.”
Lexie didn’t offer further argument as we clim
bed out of the car. I could just make out Savage’s furtive form as he darted through the same yards I’d navigated earlier in the day. We hurried to catch up, but he was already approaching the back door of the house when we reached the chain-link fence.
I pressed my finger to my lips to warn Lexie to be quiet — a move that obviously annoyed her because she rolled her eyes — and crouched down to hide. Savage rapped on the screen door quickly, and Ally appeared in the opening right away. She didn’t look surprised to see him.
“You’re late,” she chided, fumbling with the lock. She looked to have showered and changed her clothes from the last time I saw her, although the shadows made it hard to pull any specifics from her features.
“I had to talk to my lawyers,” Savage replied. “They’re being pains in my behind, quite frankly. I don’t know why I hired them.”
“I thought you hired them because they were the best.”
“Oh, right.” Savage disappeared into the house, leaving me to ponder exactly what was going on. The couple — or rumored couple, to be more precise — didn’t exactly act as if they were happy to see one another. They weren’t unhappy either.
“Is that all you needed?” Lexie asked, hopeful.
I shook my head. “No. Come on.” I carefully stood and grabbed the top of the fence so I could vault over. Lexie stopped me quickly with a tug on my hoodie. “What?”
“There’s no way I can climb over that.” She was businesslike. “I’m too short to even get my leg up there.”
I often forget that she’s a good seven inches shorter than me. “Come on,” I grumbled, moving toward her. “I’ll help you over.”
“Why can’t I just wait here while you jump the fence?” she whined. “I don’t know what you think you’ll see, but I doubt you’ll be over there very long.”
She had a point, which was annoying. “Fine. Stay here.” I took another look around the neighborhood to make sure no one was watching and then hopped over the fence with little effort. Once on the other side, I waved at Lexie before heading toward the house.
I was careful when making my approach, treading lightly as I drew closer. I purposely steered away from the sliding glass doors and instead moved to the side of the house so I could look through the windows. I was hoping to find an empty bedroom with a clear view of the living room so I could watch from afar. Instead, the first window I approached showed hints of vigorous movement inside.
My first instinct was to duck, which I did. I pressed my back against the house and held my breath. I expected to see a face appear in the window, drawn by my movement. Instead, I picked up a rhythmic sound that I recognized right away.
After a full minute of crouching, I disgustedly pushed away from the wall and frowned as I stared into the window. The sun was setting on the other side of the house so I was drenched in shadows, which made seeing what was going on inside all the easier. As for bearing witness to the unfortunate acts occurring on Ally’s bed, I watched long enough to make sure I wasn’t mistaking the action for something else — the only other thing it could’ve possibly been was a bout of wrestling — and then I eagerly cut away from the house and headed back to the fence. Lexie was waiting for me, disinterested, when I arrived.
“We can go,” I said dully as I reached for the top of the fence.
“Did you find everything you need?” Lexie asked, scrambling to her feet.
“I found ... everything,” I muttered, shaking my head. “And I do mean everything.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Let’s just say that the affair is ongoing and leave it at that.” I landed on her side of the fence with a thud, making a face when I felt a small twinge in my knee. “Ugh. It wasn’t even worth it to climb the fence.” I rubbed the sore area. “This has not been my night. I should’ve stayed behind and watched football with Eliot and Jake.”
“Screw Eliot and Jake.” Lexie’s eyes flashed. “I want to know what you saw at the house. Were the secretary and the radio dude really having sex?”
“Either that or they’re preparing auditions for the WWE.”
“But ... I thought the secretary was one of the people who accused him of rape.”
“She is.”
“Why would she be having sex with him if she thinks he’s a rapist?”
That was a good question. I had another. “Why would he be going out of his way to spend time with her if she falsely accused him of rape?”
Lexie rubbed her forehead, thoughtful. “Maybe he’s trying to convince her to change her story.”
“I guess that’s a possibility. The thing is, if you were raped by someone, would you allow him to visit your house and have sex with you after the fact?”
“Not everyone reacts the same way,” Lexie pointed out. “Perhaps she’s simply afraid and doesn’t want to give him reason to get violent with her.”
“Maybe.” I wasn’t convinced. “She didn’t seem afraid of him. In fact, she seemed snippy. I can’t see her reacting that way if she was truly living in fear.”
“That’s a good point.” Lexie’s eyes were thoughtful when they landed on the house. “If she made it up, why would he be hanging around with her? That seems like the last thing he’d want to do.”
“Maybe he wants to discredit her,” I theorized. “Maybe she was in love with him, he dumped her, she pressed charges and he came back because he wants to show she’s a nut or something.”
“That seems like a lot of work for payback.”
“It does,” I agreed. “I don’t know what to think of it. I just ... it’s weird.”
“It’s definitely weird,” Lexie agreed, her shoulders hopping when the light at the neighboring house popped on. “We should get out of here before we’re caught.”
“Yeah.” We fell into step with one another as we trudged toward the street. “Well, I wouldn’t call this a wasted trip, but it didn’t exactly end as I expected. I thought maybe Savage was going to pick a fight with Ally because he was terrorizing her, or even beg because he’s getting desperate. The sex was ... unexpected.”
“I’m sad I missed it.” Lexie adopted a whimsical expression. “No, seriously. I love watching other people do it.”
I knew better than asking, yet I did all the same. “Why?”
“Because it makes me feel better about myself. I look way better naked than almost ninety percent of the population.”
“It’s good that you have such healthy self-esteem.”
“I know, right?” Lexie beamed. “Maybe we should go back so I can get a quick peek.”
“Absolutely not. You had your chance.”
“You’re mean tonight.”
“And you’re a moron.”
She was quiet for a moment, but in typical Lexie fashion she couldn’t let it go. “I bet you’re meaner than I am moronic.”
“Just ... stop talking.”
“See?”
“I can’t wait for this night to be over.”
19 Nineteen
Eliot and Jake were in a booth when I tracked them down at the bar. Eliot raised an eyebrow when he saw me, immediately making room next to him. I didn’t miss the way the two women at the bar — both clutching beers and staring hard at the handsome sheriff and security guru — registered disappointment when I joined the party.
“How was your night?” Eliot asked.
“Interesting,” was all I said. I couldn’t exactly go into detail in front of Jake.
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I did. I think.”
Ever suspicious, Jake sipped his beer as he regarded me. “Eliot said you were on a secret mission tonight. I couldn’t decide if that was a girl thing or a work thing.”
“What’s a girl thing?” I asked, hoping to change the topic. “Are we talking pillow fights or shopping excursions for tampons?”
Jake scowled. “I hate it when you say things like that. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“I believe that’s the p
oint,” Eliot said dryly, polishing off his beer as his hand moved to the back of my neck. “You seem tense. Do you want to go home?”
I eyed him for a long beat. “You’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk. I’m ... pleasantly buzzed.”
“You can’t drive.”
“I can’t,” he agreed. “We could leave my truck here and you could drive home. Or you could have a few and we could Uber home.”
“Or I could have a few and we could just sleep in the apartment above your shop,” I pointed out. “We kept a few items of clothing there just in case – and it’s convenient.”
“There is that,” he agreed, his expression hard to read. “You seem ... sad.”
“I’m not sad.” That was true. Grossed out, confused and out of my depth were better descriptions. “I’m fine. It was simply an odd evening.”
“I can tell you two want a private discussion,” Jake said, scooching to slide out of the booth. “I’ll give you a bit of time.”
“You don’t have to go,” I protested. “It’s not even halftime yet.”
“I’m not leaving. I’m grabbing more beers from the bar and letting you two gossip.”
“We don’t gossip,” Eliot complained. “I’m far too manly to gossip.”
“Way to come to my defense,” I deadpanned.
“You gossip,” Eliot countered. “He was right about you.”
Jake chuckled. “I’m going to hit the bathroom and grab three beers. Try to get through your deeply interesting conversation before I get back. I’m guessing whatever you’ve been doing is illegal, Avery. You’d better hope a report on you doesn’t cross my desk tomorrow morning.”
There was no way that would happen. “I think I’ll manage to survive.”
Eliot calmly rubbed at the tension I carried at the base of my neck until Jake was gone and then he asked the obvious question. “Did you get your answers?”
“Actually, I got more questions.” I glanced around to make sure nobody in the nearby booths was eavesdropping and then told him about my night. “I really don’t understand it. Would you go out of your way to see me if I accused you of rape?”
Above the Fold & Below the Belt (An Avery Shaw Mystery Book 14) Page 18
