Faux Pas

by Shannon Esposito

  ‘Even if your friend did have something to do with it?’

  My chest tightened but I nodded. I had faith in Ira. ‘Yes.’

  Devon was silent for a moment as he stared at something in the corner of the office. When he spoke, his voice was quiet … unsure. ‘I understand you want to help your friend, Elle. But what you’re askin’ … It’s really a job for the police.’

  It seemed like he wanted to help me, he just needed some convincing. ‘But, you know Clearwater police are busy with their own crimes off island. We’re kind of on our own here on Moon Key so who better to look into Celeste’s death than the people who knew her? Oh!’ I jumped up, suddenly remembering what was in my glove box. ‘I have something to show you. Be right back.’

  I was breathless by the time I returned from the car and handed him the crushed Botox bottle. His fingers brushed mine as he took it, sending a tingling sensation through my body. I involuntarily checked his hand for a wedding ring, relieved beyond reason there wasn’t one. Maybe deciding to swear off men had caused some damage to my hormones.

  ‘I found this under my tire in the Pampered Pup parking garage. Celeste had a parking space there just a short distance away from mine.’ I began to pace back and forth in front of his desk, to think but also to keep from looking at him and short-circuiting my brain. ‘What if someone attacked Celeste when she got out of her car after her visit with Ira and injected her with this Botox, killing her and framing Ira?’

  I pivoted on my heels to face him and caught his gaze on my legs. And … the self-consciousness was back. Tucking a stray wave of hair behind my ear, I slid back on to the chair. ‘Tell me what you’re thinking. Please.’

  He shifted his gaze to the two dogs that had curled up side by side on the rug, then shook his head and turned back to me. He still held the crushed bottle in his hand. ‘There are a lot of issues with that … theory. Someone would’ve had to know Celeste, know her schedule and that she was coming from Dr Craft’s office. And why would someone go to all the trouble to frame Dr Craft? Seems to me there’s easier ways to kill someone if that’s your intention. It’s an interesting puzzle to be sure. If, in fact, she was murdered.’ He paused then rubbed his chin roughly. ‘But, to be perfectly honest, I’ve never investigated a homicide other than … well—’ his face paled noticeably – ‘anyway, mostly my clients just want to catch a spouse cheatin’ or catch someone in insurance fraud.’ He smiled then, but somehow it only enhanced the pain now burning like a cold, blue fire in his eyes. I wondered what could cause a man to look like that. Did he lose someone? ‘But, if indeed someone took her life and my limited experience doesn’t bother you, which I’ll of course take into consideration by discounting my rate … I’m in.’

  ‘You are?’ I didn’t realize it, but I had already prepared myself for rejection. Him agreeing to help took me completely by surprise.

  He chuckled and his expression shifted to amusement. ‘Well, we shouldn’t start our relationship on a note of doubt, Elle. I’m a man of my word.’

  He was teasing me. I tried to fight off the blush by ignoring that fact. ‘Right.’ I sat up straighter. ‘Right. Good then. Where do we start?’

  ‘Well.’ He pushed himself up from his chair and slowly stalked around the front of his desk. With a deep exhale, he leaned against it and crossed his arms and ankles. Once again, I had to fight to keep my attention on his words. ‘I’ll start with a call to the Clearwater medical examiner’s office to see if they’ve found cause of death. Maybe it was natural causes, and you won’t need my services. But, if you do, first thing I’ll need you to show me is where the body was found. Also, I’ll need to figure out what Celeste did in the last twenty-four hours, where she went, who she was with. I have a copy of her usual schedule, so if anything is out of the ordinary, I’ll know.’

  ‘And what can I do in the meantime?’

  ‘You can start by setting up a meeting for me with Dr Craft so I can hear his side of things, especially if he knew Celeste was planning a lawsuit.’ He reached behind him on the desk and then held out a card. ‘One thing, Elle. If I find any evidence that Dr Craft did in fact have something to do with her death, I’ll not be coverin’ it up. Clear?’

  ‘Yes. I wouldn’t ask you to.’ I stood, covered the ground between us in a few strides and took the card from his hand. It was plain black with ‘Devon Burke PI’ and a phone number on it in block silver letters. When I looked up, he was watching me with that intensity again, his eyes full of questions.

  I pulled my own gaze out of his grip by looking down at the card. ‘Thank you, Mr Burke. For agreeing to help.’

  ‘Devon, please.’ His expression had grown serious as he held my gaze.

  ‘Devon.’ I was fighting to pull myself away from him. Did the man possess supernatural gravity? I had to get out of there so I could think straight. ‘Thank you, Devon. I’ll call you after I talk to Ira.’ I broke our eye contact and looked at our dogs curled up together. ‘You don’t see many mutts on Moon Key.’ When I realized how rude that sounded I jerked my gaze back to Devon. ‘I mean, he’s a beautiful dog. It’s just most people here buy designer dogs … purebreds. He really is lovely.’ The heat was crawling back up my neck.

  The dimple appeared beside the corner of Devon’s mouth as he smirked again. ‘You don’t see many women who get easily flustered here either.’

  I couldn’t help but laugh then. ‘Touché.’ Time to go. ‘Come on, Buddha. Say goodbye to your new friend.’

  SIX

  During the short drive back to the Pampered Pup, I called Hope to tell her about my meeting with Devon Burke. The sky was a pure blue with a smattering of wispy clouds like pale commas hanging in mid-air. Thin palm trees lined the perfectly paved main road around the island. The sun blazed down on us like it intended to fry us for lunch. I blamed this for my current agitated state.

  ‘He wants to get together with you and Ira. Do you think Ira will cooperate?’

  ‘I don’t know, Elle. You know how he feels about private investigators. He’s had nothing but bad experiences with them.’ Hope sounded exhausted. I waited for her to think. ‘I have an idea! We’re going to the Thirtieth Annual Pause for Paws charity auction Saturday night. I didn’t want to go, but Ira says we need to keep our lives normal right now. Why don’t you bring this PI there as your date? That way Ira has to talk to him.’

  ‘My date?!’ My heartbeat picked up along with a flood of anxiety. ‘I … I can’t ask him to be my date, Hope.’

  ‘Why not? It’s a perfect solution. Getting them together to talk without making a big deal about a meeting and also, it’s for a good cause. It’s settled. I’ll get you two tickets.’ I started to protest, but she cut me off. ‘Nope. This time it’s to help Ira. You’re not turning me down.’

  I groaned. She’d been trying to get me to go to this event for the past two years. But, at fifteen hundred dollars a ticket, I couldn’t afford it, and I had refused to let her pay for my ticket. ‘I don’t know, Hope.’

  I pulled into the parking garage, barely noticing the speed bumps that always rattled my teeth and made me fear for my old car becoming a pile of parts right there on the spot. I couldn’t just ask a man like Devon Burke to be my date. That would be like throwing myself at him. I needed an excuse Hope would understand. ‘I don’t have anything to wear.’

  ‘That’s not a problem. We’re the same size in dresses. Come over tonight and you can raid my closet. I’ve gotta go. See you around sevenish.’

  ‘Hope?’ She had hung up. I pulled into my parking space and stared at Buddha. ‘She hung up. How am I supposed to call Devon and ask him to be my date?’ Buddha’s brown eyes watched me intently. Then he licked my elbow. I sighed. ‘You’re right. I have to remember it’s not an actual date. It would just be to get him in the same room with Ira. OK. I can do this.’

  I pulled the black card out of my bag and dialed the number.

  ‘Devon Burke.’

  The sound of his voice m
ade my heart skip. I closed my eyes and tried to make my voice sound calmer and more confident than I felt. ‘Devon, it’s me, Elle.’

  ‘Missed me already have you?’

  ‘No! I mean, no that’s not why I’m calling.’ I clamped my mouth shut as I heard his low chuckle. I had to stop entertaining him with my nervousness. ‘I just spoke with Hope and she thinks it would be a good idea to meet them at the Thirtieth Annual Pause for Paws charity auction this Saturday night. Ira’s not a fan of private investigators so she didn’t want to make a big deal out of the meeting with you. She said she can get us tickets. What do you think?’

  Silence ticked by for an uncomfortably long time. I bit my lip to keep from blurting out how this definitely would not be a date. I was definitely not asking him out on a date.

  ‘OK. It’s a date. Where and what time should I pick you up?’

  Did he just say, ‘It’s a date?’ Just answer him, Elle. ‘Eight o’clock at the Pampered Pup?’

  ‘Fine. See you then.’

  Groaning, I let Buddha out of the car and we made our way to the elevator. There were so many emotions running through me, I couldn’t tell if I was excited or horrified. I hadn’t found myself attracted to anyone in ten years, let alone this flustered by someone. How was I supposed to spend an evening next to this man without making a complete fool of myself?

  ‘OK, try this one.’ Hope emerged from her mall-sized closet holding a glass of white wine in one hand and a sea-foam green beaded gown in the other. ‘It’ll bring out those sinfully beautiful green eyes of yours.’

  I rolled said eyes. I was perched on her bed with my own half-empty glass of wine and a pile of discarded gowns around me. Sliding off with a sigh, I took the gown from her and held it up in front of her full-length mirror. I was completely over trying on dresses and had decided showing up naked would be preferable to trying on one more. ‘It looks like it’ll be too tight.’

  ‘Stop whining. And it’s form fitting. Try it. Last one, I promise.’

  I shot her a look of doubt and then resignation. ‘Fine.’ I sat my glass down on the edge of her dresser and then unzipped the back of the dress, being careful not to catch any of the delicate beading in the zipper.

  ‘So what’s he like?’ Hope plopped on the bed and watched as I slid the weighty dress over my head.

  ‘Who?’ I managed through the heavy fabric over my face.

  ‘Your date.’ I freed my head and shot her an annoyed look in the mirror. She laughed. ‘Fine. What’s your non-date date like?’

  ‘He’s …’ Gorgeous. Charming. Dangerous. ‘I don’t know. Just a guy.’

  ‘Whoa!’ Hope slid off the bed and sauntered over to stand behind me. ‘Elle, are you blushing? This guy is hot, isn’t he? Like Hayden Sykes hot?’

  Hayden Sykes was the guy in our high school every girl wanted. Devon was way hotter. I glanced at my face in the mirror. Crap. I was furiously blushing. But … wow. I let my gaze fall. This dress was amazing. It fit me like a glove, accentuating my yoga-induced tight core and curved hips. And I had cleavage. It was a miracle dress.

  ‘Holy sweet mother of pearl, Elle. That is the dress!’ She swept my layered, auburn waves into a quick up-do and held them above my head. ‘Just look at your eyes. I told you it would bring out those green cat-eyes of yours. Perfect. You’ll knock his socks off.’

  ‘That’s not why we’re doing this.’ I shook my head as she completely ignored my protest and went to dig around in her jewelry, mumbling about having the perfect earrings. Sometimes I wished she didn’t know me so well.

  SEVEN

  Luckily, Rita had no problem with me staying in a suite with Buddha until I found a place. She had a tough exterior, but was a softie at heart. So, Saturday night I stood out in front of the Pampered Pup in the green, beaded gown; my hair piled into a sophisticated updo and studded with tiny emerald pins courtesy of Hope’s hairdresser. The nude strappy shoes Hope had paired with the dress were higher than I was used to, so I implored to the universe’s sense of empathy to help me stay upright tonight.

  I was also trying not to touch my face. The women at the spa had been instructed by Hope – who had surprised me and prepaid for everything – to give me a full makeover. An order they really took to heart. I was treated to a makeover that involved plucking my brows, curling my eyelashes, lining my lips and eyes and applying various containers of color and powders to my face until I didn’t even recognize myself. My usual beauty routine involved two items: soap and sunscreen, which, upon hearing this, sent my make-up artist into a tizzy. I was given tiny sample packs of cleanser, toner and moisturizer with an admonishment to stop using soap.

  It was as I stood there – blinking furiously to keep from rubbing at my eyes, which itched from the heavy layers of mascara – that a black Jeep suddenly whipped around the fountain and pulled up to a stop. Devon and I stared at each other. Feeling a bit like Cinderella must have felt when seeing her magical coach for the first time, I approached the Jeep’s passenger door.

  ‘Hang on.’ Devon slid out and came around to open the door for me. Dressed in a well-fitting black tux, his face shaved smooth and smelling like man heaven, he grinned down at me. ‘You look beautiful.’

  My gaze followed the words from his mouth. Being so close, I could see a tiny scar on his upper lip. I fought the urge to reach up and touch it. Instead I cocked an eyebrow and let my eyes meet his. ‘You look surprised.’

  His smile widened as he opened the door for me to climb in. ‘Stunned is more like it.’ He held out a hand to help me up into the Jeep. ‘Oh, hope you don’t mind the top off. Sorry, I didn’t think about your hair being blown about.’

  This made me laugh. ‘No, it’s fine.’ I slid my hand in his and stepped up as graceful as the unfamiliar shoes would allow. ‘I prefer the open air.’ I actually was grateful. I already felt overheated in his presence. I didn’t need to be shut in a tight space with him. As he hopped back up into the driver’s seat, I thought about his comment. Wait a minute … Stunned? Did he say stunned? Good grief. I must have looked like a hot mess when we met in his office.

  Devon navigated the short fifteen-minute drive to the Country Club Resort at a speed of twenty-five miles an hour. I presumed to keep my hair from ‘being blown about’. It was fine with me, though. I wasn’t in any hurry to get there. The warm summer air and stars twinkling above made me sigh with gratitude. I felt little tendrils of my expensive updo being pulled free by the breeze but I didn’t care.

  Devon cleared his throat. ‘So, what is it you do at the Pampered Pup, Elle?’

  I turned to him and studied his profile. Even shaved smooth, his strong, square jaw just screamed ‘rugged’. Self-consciously, I adjusted the spaghetti strap on Hope’s gown. I realized I’d been dreading this question. This is where I wished I had some fancy job with some fancy degree that would impress him.

  Mustering enough fake confidence as I could, I answered. ‘I teach doga classes, mainly. And help out around the spa when needed. It’s sort of a family environment there.’

  He stopped at a red light and met my eyes. There was no judgment, only curiosity. I felt the rest of the world fade around me. His gaze had real power. It pulled me into him and cracked me open at the same time. I felt vulnerable and a bit terrified.

  ‘What’s doga?’ It was asked as a simple question, no snark, which I appreciated.

  Feeling more at ease, I said, ‘It’s yoga but my clients bring their dogs to class with them. Yoga’s not just for people, you know.’ I let myself smile, really smile because his attention was making me giddy, like I’d already had a few glasses of wine.

  His gaze fell to my mouth as he grinned. ‘No. I didn’t know.’

  A golf cart shaped like a Mercedes tapped what sounded like a clown horn behind us. Devon’s eyes went to the rear-view mirror and he held up a hand in apology, resuming the drive.

  ‘So, what made you get into the private investigating business?’ I asked.

 
I shifted in my seat to face him because the silence had suddenly grown heavy. I watched as he gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. I wanted to reach out and take his hand, caress it and release whatever tension had just consumed him by my question. Instead, I waited.

  ‘My parents had a winter place here. My mum fell in love with this little sandbar. I think it was the privacy afforded her here.’ His lip twitched and he sighed. ‘Five years ago, they were involved in a boating accident. They were both thrown from the boat and drowned.’

  ‘Oh god, Devon, I’m so sorry.’ I felt terrible for asking.

  ‘Thank you. There’s a fella in prison for it. Supposedly a drunk boater. His sentence is almost up, so he’ll be free to do as he pleases while my parents …’ His voice trailed off.

  ‘What do you mean supposedly?’ I asked. ‘You don’t think he was drunk?’

  He glanced at me. ‘Well, he may well have been drinkin’ but it was no accident.’

  I saw the pain in his tight-set jaw. I felt both surprised at his belief his parents were murdered and empathetic at how horrible losing both parents like that must be. ‘Are you saying you think someone … killed them on purpose?’

  He nodded slowly. ‘I was working as a travel photographer so I was in Laos when it happened. I dropped everything and came here. There are just some things that don’t add up. This fella who rammed their boat, he’s got ties to Dublin. Too much of a coincidence for me, especially considering some of the things going on with my da’s business right before their death. Plus, witnesses say there was another boat that left the scene, but the driver who was charged denied it. I got Clearwater PD to open an investigation and tried to help out as much as I could. There just wasn’t any evidence from the scene to suggest anything other than an accident. So I went through the two-year program to become a PI, hoping it would give me more access to information. It’s helped me make some connections.’ He sighed. ‘Anyway, my parents were my first case.’ He glanced at me and shrugged. ‘Unsolved so far.’