Bylines & Skylines (An Avery Shaw Mystery Book 9)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I can’t wait,” Eliot muttered, dragging a restless hand through his hair. “Thank you for saving me, Trouble.”

  “It’s your own fault for not being meaner,” I said, snagging the sheet of paper from his hand. “Is this today’s schedule?”

  “Yes, and you need to ask before taking things,” Eliot said, yanking the paper away from me. “This is private.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please may I see it, Mr. Security Man? Please? Please?” I made small barking sounds, earning a few curious stares from passersby as Eliot snorted. “I’ll be your love slave forever.”

  “And just for that you can see it,” Eliot said, passing the schedule back to me. “I’m not going to forget you offered that either.”

  “I knew the second I said it that I was going to regret it,” I said, scanning the list. My eyes lit up when I saw something utterly dreadful. “It says here that the makers of Paranormal Delights are here and they’re doing a special outdoor activity in the quad.”

  Eliot’s face was blank. “What is Paranormal Delights?”

  “That’s that horrible horror movie we saw about three months ago,” I replied. “Don’t you remember? We left halfway through so we could feel each other up in the car.”

  Eliot smirked. “We left because the movie was horrible. Feeling each other up in the car was just an added bonus. I remember the movie now, though. It was one of those shaky camera ones where there are absolutely no scares and terrible acting.”

  “Precisely.” I couldn’t help but feel a little smug.

  “Why does that excite you?” Eliot asked. “You hated that movie.”

  “Yes, but I’m not technically on convention duty today,” I replied. “Marvin is otherwise engaged, so Fish sent Duncan here to assist me. I have to question the workers about Kristen Reardon, and that means I get to assign Duncan to specific events.”

  “And you’re sending him to that one because it sucks,” Eliot surmised, grinning. “You’re evil sometimes.”

  “Yes, well, he sucks balls, so we’re even,” I said. “I don’t even know where he is. He should be here already.”

  “He’s coming,” Eliot said, inclining his chin toward the parking lot. Duncan’s shoulders were squared as he headed in our direction. “He’s still a douche, huh?”

  “I think it’s genetic,” I said, smirking at the memory of Champagne’s words. “By the way, I noticed you didn’t want to look at Champagne’s genetic gifts. I’m proud of you.”

  “I wouldn’t be,” Eliot said. “She’s insipid. I like my women snarky and smart.”

  “And with a real name,” I added. “Who names their kid Champagne?”

  “Hey, if someone named their kid Apple, anything is possible,” Eliot said. “As for the rest of it, well, I have no interest in anyone’s genetic gifts but yours.”

  “Oh, so sweet.” I pinched his chin. “I might believe that more if you didn’t let me walk out of the house this morning with a sock stuck to my shirt.”

  “You finally saw that, huh? I didn’t want to risk getting on your bad side first thing in the morning. You can be deadly before you’ve had your morning dose of caffeine.”

  “You’re so full of crap.”

  “I wanted to see how long it took you to notice,” Eliot conceded. “Was it before you made it to the office?”

  “I only noticed after Fish pointed it out.”

  “You’re just not good early in the morning,” Eliot teased, a fake smile replacing the real one when Duncan made his appearance known. “Duncan.”

  “Eliot.” Duncan made an annoyed face when he caught sight of my boyfriend. “What are you doing here? Are you afraid Avery can’t be trusted not to stalk someone in a situation like this?”

  “I’m running security,” Eliot replied. “I trust Avery to act in a respectful way wherever she goes.”

  “You took it too far,” I said dryly.

  “Yeah. I guess you’re not the only one who does that,” Eliot said, rubbing his nose against my cheek. “I find it cute when you do it.”

  “Ugh. You guys are gross,” Duncan complained. “What do you want me to cover? I can’t stand around here watching this one second longer.”

  “I want you to cover the Paranormal Delights event,” I replied, keeping my tone even despite the fact that I wanted to crow. “It’s a very popular horror movie, and they’re doing a big demonstration in an hour out on the quad.”

  “Sounds fun.” Duncan had obviously never seen the movie. “I’ll just interview people for color before that.”

  “That sounds great,” I said. “Have fun.”

  “I get it,” Duncan said. He wasn’t nearly as stupid as Champagne. “You want some time alone to fondle your friend.”

  “Oh, we don’t fondle in public,” Eliot said. “I might kiss her, though.”

  “Gross.”

  “And then, when you irritate her, I might pop you one just to get another kiss,” Eliot added.

  Duncan scowled. “You guys really are jerkwads. You know that, right?”

  “We live for it,” Eliot said, smiling as he watched Duncan stalk away. “He’s just a … .”

  “Asshat,” I finished. “He knows it. Everyone knows it.”

  “Why did you get stuck with him?” Eliot asked. “Where’s Marvin? He’s a pain, too, but at least he’s entertaining.”

  “Jake is hosting a news conference at the sheriff’s department, so he’s covering that,” I answered. “It was just another way for Jake to try mess with my plans for world media domination.”

  “I don’t know if that’s true,” Eliot said. “Jake is here. Are you sure there’s a conference?”

  I stilled. Jake is here? “Where?”

  “I’m not sure, but he’s in the building,” Eliot said. “If he’s hosting a news conference, someone else is in charge.”

  Well, that was certainly interesting. “I have to go.”

  “Somehow I figured that,” Eliot said. “Find me for lunch … and stay out of trouble.”

  “I’ll find you for lunch,” I offered.

  “And stay out of trouble,” Eliot repeated.

  “Of course. What trouble could I possibly find?”

  “I’m not going to answer that.”

  That was probably for the best.

  IT TOOK me about fifteen minutes to find Jake. The convention was packed with guests and since the real stars – the big-name ones from geekdoms past and present – were on hand, the lines were long.

  Because of my special pass I didn’t have to wait in any lines. Of course, since I was working, I couldn’t ogle the Star Trek peeps appropriately and could only give them a passing glance (or ten) as I searched for the sheriff.

  When I finally caught sight of him, Jake stood next to three scantily-clad convention workers. I didn’t recognize one of the costumes, but one of the women was dressed as an alien from Avatar. Even though she kept moving her breasts to give Jake a better view, she wasn’t overtly irksome. Quite frankly, Jake needed a little fun in his life because Cara was dragging him down. No, the irritation factor was all wrapped up in the third woman. She was dressed in Princess Leia’s slave costume from Return of the Jedi and I honestly worried my head would implode given the way Jake stared at her.

  What is wrong with me? I couldn’t refrain from chiding myself. It was none of my business who Jake wanted to … did he just look down her top?

  I pushed my way between the women, using my hip to edge out the Leia wannabe, and fixed Jake with a tight smile. “Sheriff Farrell.”

  “Ms. Shaw,” Jake drawled, looking me up and down. “You look tired.”

  “I had a late night.”

  “So did I,” Jake said. “I had to field angry phone calls from the television stations because you had a head start on everyone.”

  Was he really blaming me for that? I told him I was going to do it. He was there when Marvin gave me the heads-up. “So?”

  “So they’re angry,” Jake said,
his three fans understandably curious as they glanced between us. They clearly understood something was happening, though they had no idea what. “They think I’m giving you special treatment.”

  “Why would you give her special treatment?” The Avatar woman asked. “Do you know her?”

  “That’s why he greeted me by name,” I said.

  “I didn’t give her special treatment,” Jake said, keeping his tone even as he smiled. “She just somehow manages to make it look like that.”

  “Oh,” the Star Wars slut said, knowingly bobbing her head. “She’s a cheater.”

  “I am not a cheater,” I snapped. “You saw how I got that information. I didn’t do anything underhanded.”

  “You always do something underhanded,” Jake shot back, his world-famous patience wearing thin. “Always!”

  The three women had the good sense to take a step back. They sensed things slipping into uncomfortable territory and wisely opted to take themselves out of the equation.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said. “You’re treating me as if I did, though, and I don’t like it. It’s not my fault you’re feeling … whatever it is that you’re feeling.”

  “And how am I feeling?”

  How did I even get into this conversation? How did I let it happen? I came over here to ask him why he wasn’t at the conference and to suss out whether he was playing a game. Instead, the Princess Leia character completely unhinged me, and I had no idea why. Okay, I know why. I still don’t like it … or accept it.

  “Forget I said that,” I said finally, hoping to find a graceful way out of the conversation. “I didn’t mean to push you. It’s not fair, and it’s not right.”

  “It’s definitely not fair,” Jake agreed. “As for what’s right … what are you even doing here? Why aren’t you at the news conference?”

  “It’s funny. I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

  “Derrick is handling the conference,” Jake explained. “Since this convention is such a big deal for the county, I figured it was more important that I be here. We have to make people feel safe, and like it or not, I’m the face of security in this county.”

  “I generally like it,” I said, opting for honesty. “I always feel safe around you … except when you’re threatening to kill me.”

  Jake finally cracked a smile, albeit a small one. “Thank you for that. Why are you here, though?”

  “I figured you wouldn’t hand out new information at the conference and that it was just a way to ensure that the other media folks knew I wasn’t getting special treatment,” I replied. “I came here instead because I figure the answers are here. Her body was here. She worked here. I’m guessing she was killed here, although you’re keeping that information to yourself. What I need is here. That’s why Marvin is at the conference and I’m here.”

  “And I have to be here because of the importance of the event,” Jake said. “I’m sure Marvin will handle the story with aplomb.”

  Now he was just messing with me. “What is with your attitude?”

  “What is with your attitude?” Jake challenged. “I was just standing here and you picked a fight. Eliot told me you were cranky today. I guess he wasn’t kidding.”

  Now he and Eliot were talking about me behind my back? I hate that. “I’m not cranky,” I countered. “I’m just … Fish made me bring Duncan and it’s throwing me off.”

  “Okay,” Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck. His expression softened, but I couldn’t be sure he believed me. “Duncan is a jerk, so I get that. You had a look on your face when I saw you, though, and I don’t think it had anything to do with Duncan.”

  “I did not.” Yeah, that sounded weak even to my own ears. I decided to try again. “I was just distracted by all of the blue paint.”

  “Are you sure that’s it?”

  I nodded. “I’m sure.”

  “Okay,” Jake said. “I won’t be answering any questions about the murder, just so you know. I will give you a blanket statement on the safety of the event, but it’s the same statement I’m giving everyone else.”

  “I don’t need you to figure out what’s going on,” I gritted out, my stomach twisting. He knew something else was going on. Heck, I knew it, too. I couldn’t even admit to myself what it was, though. I didn’t want to deal with it. “I’ll be fine on my own.”

  “You always are,” Jake said. “You’re not on your own now, though. You’re with Eliot. You’re moving in together.”

  What was that supposed to mean? “This again?”

  “It’s none of my business,” Jake said, holding up his hands. “I just … can’t seem to wrap my brain around it and I hate myself because I feel as if I’m ruining this for you.”

  He’s always honest about his feelings. It’s annoying. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter. I’m sorry if I upset you.”

  “I’m sorry if I upset you.”

  “Why would you upset me?”

  Jake shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s just the feeling I got.”

  In truth, he didn’t upset me. It was that stupid Princess Leia and the way he looked at her. I could never admit that, though. “Well, I’ll see you around.”

  “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”

  14

  Fourteen

  “So she had blond hair and was a lesbian, huh?”

  I was irritated after my brief exchange with Jake, but I had a job to do and I was happy to focus on it. Unfortunately, everyone I conversed with described Kristen Reardon differently. One said she was short, another tall. She was on the ground when I saw her, but I would put her at medium height for a woman. Some thought she was blond and others brunette. One man thought she had a shaved head and multiple tattoos. Some people described her as sexually promiscuous while others explained she was frigid, and one even thought she might be transitioning, although he couldn’t be sure if it was into a man or a woman, and he seemed to be excited – and perversely turned on – either way.

  The only thing I was completely sure about was that no one seemed to actually know Kristen. The entire thing made absolutely no sense.

  “She was definitely a lesbian,” the guy dressed as Thor said, his cheap flaxen wig making me want to yank it off of his head. “I heard she made out with the girl who brings grog at one of those fantasy displays.”

  “What’s grog?”

  “It’s just cheap beer.”

  “Why don’t you call it that?”

  “Because people won’t pay seven bucks for a glass of cheap beer.”

  He had a point. “Okay. Thanks.” I kept my smile in place until I was sure he was gone and then unleashed an eyeroll so heavy it almost toppled me to the ground. I decided to recover with a blueberry slush and sat near the Star Trek exhibit to enjoy it as I scanned the crowd.

  I was bothered. There was no other way to put it. A woman was brutally killed – probably at this very location, although Jake wasn’t sharing on that front – yet no one seemed to care. As far as I could tell, the convention workers formed small cliques and anyone outside those cliques was beyond their realm of consideration.

  The convention workers were separated from the big stars. They had people in costumes for photo opportunities and to put on small skits, but the stars had their own handlers and interacted as little as possible with the salaried employees. I had to believe that was not something out of the ordinary for just this convention. If it was out of the ordinary, the stars would act weird, and they seemed to be in their own little world. Most were happy to interact with fans, but others seemed to think they were above it, clearly showing up only because they were paid to do so.

  I sucked on my slush as I considered how Kristen died. Strangulation is a way to kill up close, personal. That meant Kristen probably knew her assailant. The odds of it being someone associated with the college seemed slim, but I couldn’t rule that out. The murderer didn’t understand how hard it was to strangle someone. That’s why he or she stabbed he
r through the throat to finish her off. Perhaps things got out of hand and once the killer already strangled her there was no choice but to finish the job. Or perhaps it was a stranger and I was overreaching.

  There were just too many possibilities to wrap my head around.

  I was halfway through with my slush when something of interest caught my eye. Eliot and Jake stood on the far side of the room, purposely closing themselves off from prying ears, and they appeared to be in deep conversation. Jake related something to Eliot that caused Eliot to fire back with big hand gestures. They weren’t exactly friendly, but they’d made huge inroads of late and were trying to repair a friendship they’d lost years ago when they served together in the military.

  As much as my ego would like to believe Eliot and Jake were constantly sparring over me, it wasn’t true. They had other things between them. For some reason, though, I believed whatever they were arguing about now – and it clearly looked like a vehement disagreement – revolved around me.

  I like to complain about gossip as much as the next person, but I enjoy partaking in it. That’s why I couldn’t stop myself from moving closer in an attempt to eavesdrop. Given the thick crowd and abundance of costumed people, though, closing the distance while hiding myself wasn’t exactly easy. At any moment I knew something could draw Jake or Eliot’s attention and I’d be caught. Of course, that didn’t stop me from continuing my quest.

  “I’m not saying that,” Jake said once I was finally close enough to hear them. “It was just … weird.”

  I knew what he was talking about without even racking my brain. He was relating his run-in with me to Eliot. What a snitch. I mean … really. I was overwhelmed with the desperate need to kick him.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Eliot said, his tone grim. “I’ll handle it.”

  “You’ll handle it?” Jake didn’t look convinced. “How are you going to handle it?”

  “I said I would handle it,” Eliot shot back. “Don’t concern yourself with how. I’ll get it done.”

  “Forgive me if I don’t readily jump on the Avery Shaw ‘Eliot can do no wrong’ bandwagon,” Jake deadpanned. “I need more information than that.”