“I agree,” Jonah said. “We’ll need to add a bunch of visuals to our official website so people can compare and contrast Tess’s wholesomeness to her evil deeds.”
“Excellent,” Felix said, continuing to write in his notebook. “I think that’s a wrap on this planning session.” Felix dropped his pen, then glanced up at Jonah. “So, you were telling us about the hours and hours you spent locked in a room with Avery.”
Jonah shook his head. “No, I wasn’t.”
Rocky waggled his brows playfully at Jonah. “Be honest. On a scale of one to ten, with one being only a little and ten being the guy has you by the balls, how fucked are you?”
Jonah heaved a deep sigh and said, “One hundred.”
On Friday, Jonah kept his head down at work to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. Trexler was moderately impressed with the program he and Avery designed, as well as the initial trial runs. The microchip would need to undergo strenuous testing before the agency would deploy it in real time, so that’s where Jonah focused his energy.
Avery stood up and stretched his arms up over his head before bending his upper body to the left and right, stretching his back and abdomen. His untucked dress shirt had risen in the process, giving Jonah a peek at pale flesh that would contrast so nicely against his darker, olive-toned skin. Was that a cinnamon-colored freckle above the waistband of Avery’s pants? Where else did he have freckles? Jonah wanted to lick a path between each one. A grown-up version of connect the dots.
“You need to get up and stretch to get the blood flowing.”
Jonah’s blood was pumping fine and heading straight to his dick. Standing up would not be in his best interest. “I’m good,” he told Avery.
“We’ve been at this for hours, and your brain has been as busy as my fingers,” Avery said, interrupting Jonah’s thoughts before they could get too out of control.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Avery smirked. “There’s smoke coming out of your ears. Maybe you’ll feel better if you get things off your chest. You’ve had a pretty shitty week. Let’s get out of here and get some fresh air and a bite to eat.”
Jonah’s first instinct was to grab a snack and keep working, but he knew Avery was right. “Fine,” he agreed after a few moments. “But no avocados.”
“I have Benadryl in my desk,” Avery grumbled.
“No avocados or no lunch date.” Oh, shit. Why had he called it that? They’d had lunch together dozens of times since Avery started working for him.
Avery quirked a brow but didn’t correct him. In fact, neither of them said anything until they exited the building.
“I took your advice and talked to Rocky and Felix last night about the situation with Earl Ison and Bo Cahill,” Jonah said, breaking the silence.
Avery stopped suddenly and turned to look at Jonah, who was unprepared for the sudden move. He pulled up short, but Jonah’s momentum carried him a few steps forward. He crashed into Avery hard enough to knock the much smaller man off balance. Jonah’s hands snagged Avery’s waist to steady him, and he didn’t immediately let go.
“That was a close call,” Avery said, placing his hand over Jonah’s racing heart.
“Very close.” Jonah knew he should drop his hands and step away, but he gripped Avery a little harder instead. He might not ever get another chance.
“What do they think?” Avery asked.
Jonah just blinked. What were they talking about again? “Who?”
“Rocky and Felix. What do they think about Earl Ison’s case,” Avery said, looking at Jonah like he’d lost his mind.
Avery had wanted to get Jonah’s blood flowing, and by God, it was rushing south in a hurry. Jonah released Avery and stepped back before he made a bigger fool of himself.
“My partners agree that something isn’t adding up, so Felix is going to request a copy of the case file under Georgia’s Open Record Act,” Jonah said, continuing toward Bytes and Brew. “He said he also has contacts in DeKalb County who will hopefully expedite his request.”
Avery fell into step with him. “That’s great, Jonah. What about Marla? How’s she feeling?”
“She hasn’t been home. I called her last night, and she said she and Betty were in Atlanta making peace with some family members. She sounded so tired. I just wanted to drive to Atlanta and bring her back home.”
Jonah hadn’t told Avery that Marla’s illness was the reason he was pushing so hard to investigate Earl’s case. He saw no reason to keep the information from him now. By the time they reached the café, Avery understood why Jonah just couldn’t let things go.
“You’re a great friend, Jonah.”
“I learned the hard way to never take friendships for granted,” he said solemnly. Jonah could tell by Avery’s expression that he wanted to know more, but he didn’t press him.
“Does she plan to return soon?”
“Monday,” Jonah replied. “I hope to have some answers for her by then.”
Until then, Jonah needed to keep busy to stay out of trouble.
Kendall didn’t come home after his shift at The Cockpit on Friday night, so Jonah was stuck at home with no one to distract him from his thoughts. He’d never been good with idle time. On Saturday morning, Jonah went to the hardware store and purchased paint and a few home-remodeling magazines to get ideas for his kitchen. He spent the rest of the day painting his living room a bluish-gray color that reminded him of the sky just before it rained.
On Sunday morning, Jonah and the rest of Savannah Morning News subscribers got a shocking surprise. On the front page were side-by-side photos of Earl Ison and Lola the Ice Queen beneath a heading that read: Who Really Killed the Queen?
Jonah dialed Felix without reading the article.
“Hello,” Felix said groggily into the phone.
“Thanks for the warning.”
“What are you talking about?” Felix asked.
Jonah was too stunned to speak right away.
“Jonah? You still there?”
“I’m here. I’m referring to the exposé you published in the newspaper this morning.”
“What exposé?” Felix asked, sounding almost shrill.
Jonah read the headline to him. “Front page and above the fold.”
“Oh, fuck,” Felix said, sounding truly horrified. “I got the file late last night from my contact in DeKalb. I spent a few hours going over every detail at least three times, then stayed up until after two o’clock this morning typing the article. I sent it to Minerva after the print deadline. Hell, she should’ve been sleeping. I had no idea she’d see it and possibly delay print production to include it. I never intended for it to get published before I had a chance to give you a heads-up. Your aunt is going to kill me.”
Ellie was going to kill him when she learned about Jonah’s involvement.
“I’m so sorry, J.”
“I haven’t read the article yet. Was the information I found about Cahill correct?” Jonah asked.
“Yeah, there’s no way in hell Bo Cahill killed Earl Ison,” Felix replied, then yawned.
“I’ll let you get back to sleep. Call me later when you get up.”
“Will do. Later, J,” Felix said before hanging up.
Jonah read every word in the article twice, not because he learned anything new, but because Felix had irrefutably validated the information Jonah had found. Bo Cahill was arrested on June 10, 1982, for murdering Maurice Vanderwahl and held without bail until his trial. Upon conviction, he was transferred from the county jail to the state facility, where he remained incarcerated until his death thirteen years later. Who really killed Earl Ison on June 12, 1982? With or without GBI backing, Jonah was going to get to the truth.
His phone rang, and Jonah glanced down to see Rocky’s name on the screen. “Hey, man. Did you see Felix’s article?”
“I did. Why didn’t anyone tell me Felix got his hands on the case files?” Rocky asked.
“He didn’t tell me eithe
r. I found out by reading the paper just like you and everyone else,” Jonah said, then shared the excuse Felix gave him for not calling them. Rocky didn’t sound convinced. “Trexler is going to have a stroke, and I won’t be there to witness it.”
Rocky chuckled. “What do you think will happen when you arrive at work tomorrow?”
“Nothing fun. I should’ve at least given my aunt Ellen a warning.”
“You would’ve warned her if Felix hadn’t jumped the gun. I thought we were going to discuss our approach before moving forward,” Rocky said.
“Me too,” Jonah grumbled. “We’ll be sure to bring it up when we talk to Felix. I have a feeling he’s going to want to meet later. Will you be free?”
“I’ll make time. Right now, I’m working on another cheating spouse case. The missus attends a high-dollar yoga class. The owner is this beefcake named Jacque. Dude is built like a bodybuilder. He looks familiar too, but I can’t place where I recognize him from.”
“I’m bored,” Jonah said. “Send me a picture, and I’ll run it through Stella 2.0 here at home. Her facial recognition software might give you the answers you need.”
“Perfect,” Rocky said. “I’ll send them over soon. The missus is on the move again. I gotta go.”
“Talk to you later.”
Jonah puttered around his kitchen until he couldn’t put off making the dreaded phone call another minute.
“Do you know anything about Felix’s article?” Ellen asked, getting straight down to business.
Ellen was the younger sister to his mother, Jane Anne, or Janie to her friends and family. Janie had only been seventeen when Jonah was born, and she was ill-prepared for motherhood—then and now. Many people called her flighty and selfish, but Jonah learned she was just a free spirit, unwilling to be tied down to any one person, including her son. She refused to name his father, so Jonah had no paternal family to speak of. Oscar and Maeve became his guardians, and Jonah was grateful every day that Janie had left him behind when her wanderlust grew too strong for her to ignore.
Ellie was only fifteen years older than Jonah, so she was more like a big sister than an aunt. Ellie and Maeve’s unconditional love more than made up for Oscar’s belligerence and Janie’s indifference. Ellie had always been fearless, placing herself between Oscar and Jonah when the old man was in his darkest moods. Oscar admired that about Ellie, even if he disapproved of everything else about his youngest daughter.
She’d stuck her neck out for him again to help him land an interview with the bureau. How had he repaid her kindness? By allowing her to get caught up in the kind of firestorm that ruins careers.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “Felix hadn’t expected the article to run today, which meant I should’ve had time to prepare you for the shit storm.”
“I’m going to kick his ass the next time I see him,” Ellen groused.
“He’s prepared for it.” Jonah took a deep breath. “As am I.” Then filled her in on the rest.
“First, I am truly sorry to hear about Marla’s cancer diagnosis. I know how much you adore her. There’s nothing wrong with looking into an old case to ensure it was investigated properly either.”
“Are you going to reopen Earl Ison’s investigation?” Jonah asked.
“Of course,” she said.
“Did you know Milton and Morrissey?”
“Yeah,” Ellie replied. “They were getting close to retirement age when I joined the force. Both were absolute pieces of shit, so I’m not at all surprised by the lack of concern for a murdered drag queen. They didn’t like anyone who wasn’t white, straight, and male. I have no problem dragging their names through the mud if I find out they knew about the coercion.” There was noise in the background, and he could hear his aunt’s wife talking. “Sherry has lunch ready,” Ellen said. “You want to come over and eat with us?”
He did, but Jonah knew he would make lousy company. “Nah, but thanks.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll save some gumbo in case you change your mind.” Jonah whimpered and Ellie laughed wickedly. “I assume your podcast will continue investigating?”
“Yes, ma’am. I don’t know how much time Marla has left.”
“I understand and respect where you’re coming from, but please don’t do anything that will prevent us from getting a conviction. I want you to keep me in the loop. Pass along any important information you run across, and do not go public with anything else without my approval. Tell your asshole friend not to run any more articles, and I will guarantee he gets exclusive content once the case is solved. Fair enough?”
Fairer than he deserved. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Love you, J. You know where to find us if you change your mind and want to eat gumbo.”
“Love you too, Ellie.”
He felt much better after talking to her, even though he still felt guilty for the firestorm she faced.
By early afternoon, Kendall returned home, looking so thoroughly fucked that the man barely had the strength to wave as he passed through the house. Jonah snorted and continued looking through the renovation magazines until Rocky’s picture texts came through. Then he laughed until he cried. There was no need for Jonah to run the yoga instructor’s photo through facial recognition software because he knew the man’s identity. He quickly typed a message to Rocky. The yoga instructor is named Randy Dagger. He’s a gay porn star.
Rocky immediately called him. “Ahhhh. That’s where I recognize the stud from. The dude has a monster cock.”
“Mmmhmmm,” Jonah replied. “If your client’s wife is cheating, it isn’t with Jacque.”
Rocky chuckled. “My motto is: if you must hire a PI to find out if your spouse is unfaithful, the answer is most likely yes. But this woman… She takes the kids to school, goes to church, yoga, and various committees for causes she supports. I rarely see her talking to a man. She has lunch with her lady friend and plays tennis at the club.”
“Why are you assuming her affair is with a man?” Jonah asked out of curiosity.
“Oh, hell,” Rocky said slowly. “Why the hell didn’t I consider her lover could be a woman?”
“We’re brainwashed with heteronormative bullshit from birth,” Jonah replied. “Maybe the woman isn’t cheating at all. Surely your clients’ suspicions aren’t always proven correct.”
“They’re right ninety-five percent of the time, which is the reason for my motto,” Rocky teased.
“So, this woman is in the five percent, or she’s having an affair with her lady friend,” Jonah said. “What happens in the locker room at the tennis club, stays in the locker room at the tennis club.”
“You’re right, Jonah. I can feel it in my gut. I’ll need to be creative to catch her in the act.”
“Do you ever feel sleazy?” Jonah asked.
Rocky came back with a quick response. “All the time.”
“It can’t be fun exposing people’s secrets. Maybe she’s in the closet for a reason. What if her husband would sue for custody of the kids, or find ways to keep them away from her? Are you okay if that’s the consequence of your investigation?”
“No,” Rocky said after a long pause. “I’m also not comfortable lying to a client.”
“How are you lying?” Jonah asked. “You’ve just told me you’ve seen no evidence this woman is cheating. How long have you been tailing her?”
Rocky heaved a sigh. “A week.”
“How long does it usually take you to bust a cheater?” Jonah asked.
“A day, maybe two.”
“I think you know what the right answer is, Rocky. You’ve tailed her for a week, and there is no evidence she’s having an affair. Give him back some of his retainer if your conscience bothers you.”
“Fucking Boy Scout,” Rocky groused. “You’re right. I’ll just go home and watch my favorite Randy Dagger videos until Felix the Attention Whore gets his beauty sleep.”
Jonah laughed. “Sounds like a plan. Talk to you later, Rocky.”
“See you, J.”
Jonah wouldn’t call Felix an attention whore as Rocky had, but the reporter didn’t shy away from the spotlight. He certainly had no qualms about going headlong into the fray, and it seemed like he’d done this without consideration to how it impacted Jonah. Rather than let his irritation fester and grow, Jonah decided to stay busy by doing things around the house. Unfortunately, his brain raced despite his best efforts. On the bright side, he had organized closets, clean bathrooms, freshly laundered and ironed clothes for work, and had a fully stocked pantry and refrigerator. He played music, audiobooks, and favorite podcasts, but nothing held his attention for long.
By the time Felix woke from his beauty sleep and called him, Jonah had worked himself into a tangled knot of frustration.
“What happened to us discussing the information in the file before deciding how to proceed?” Jonah asked.
“I know, Jonah. I’m used to working alone and got carried away. It’s a piss-poor excuse, and I’m sorry,” Felix said. Jonah heard the sincerity in his voice. “When I suggested the three of us work together on Sinister in Savannah, I truly meant the three of us had equal roles and stakes in the podcast. This isn’t the Felix Franklin show.”
“You’ve already been there and done that,” Jonah quipped.
Felix laughed. “True, but I sincerely enjoy working with the two of you more than researching and recording podcasts by myself. I just need you guys to give me a bit of a learning curve. I’ll do better. I promise.”
“Fine. Why don’t you guys come over for barbecue tonight, and we can discuss where we go from here.”
“Sounds like an excellent plan. I’m starving,” Felix said.
“Perfect. Now you get to call Rocky and eat crow while you invite him to dinner.”
Felix moaned. “You want me to apologize more than once today?”
“If you truly meant what you said about us being a team, then yes.”
“He’ll take it better from you,” Felix countered.
“Probably, but I’m not the one who owes him an apology.”
“You’re such a fucking Boy Scout, Jonah.”
Ride the Lightning : Sinister in Savannah Book 1 Page 9
