Command Indecision (Lexi Graves Mysteries)

by Camilla Chafer

  Solomon laughed. "What are you doing later?" he said.

  I frowned again. "Working."

  "You don't have to work every minute of the day."

  I knew that, but right now, it was helping. Work kept me occupied. Plus, what else could I do? I didn't want to head back to my apartment for the remainder of the weekend in case Maddox showed up. If I hung out with my family, they would want to know what happened behind the bare bones I'd already thrown them about my relationship demise; and I wasn't up for that either. I could get Lily to go out with me, but I was still having tequila flashbacks. With sad finality, I decided the Fort Charles apartment was going to have to keep me for a Saturday night.

  Solomon continued, "You need to clear your head. Living and breathing a case isn't healthy. I don’t expect you to be on the clock constantly."

  "But a man is in prison for a crime he might not have committed."

  "He's not going anywhere," said Solomon. "I'm banning you from reading files tonight. No note-making either."

  "Can we talk about it?" I asked, stopping when I realized maybe Solomon wasn't planning on being around tonight. He didn't say we had to be on base over the weekend. Maybe he did have something else to do, somewhere else to be.

  "No. No talking about the case."

  "Shame. I just had a brilliant idea."

  "Do you?"

  I shook my head. "Sorry, no. Might read a book or watch TV," I decided.

  "Want to go see a movie?"

  "What's on?"

  "No idea. We'll go by the Metroplex after dinner and find out."

  "Cool."

  In the women's bathroom at the Metroplex, I called Lily. "I need to ask you something," I told her. I wedged the phone between my shoulder and ear while I washed up, the mirror reflecting my every movement.

  "Shoot."

  "It's complicated."

  "Is it dirty?"

  "No!"

  "Shame."

  "So, I was working this afternoon, then we went to dinner because we were hungry, and now we're at the Metroplex."

  "What're you going to see?" Lily interrupted.

  "Uh, some action flick."

  "Is it that one with The Rock? Jord and I went to see it. It was awesome. I’ve totally got the dribble reflex under control now."

  "I don't know. Maybe. Does The Rock take his shirt off? No wait, that's not what I wanted to know. Am I on a date?" I asked.

  "Of course not. Who're you with?"

  I exhaled in relief. "Solomon."

  Lily snorted. "You're on a date."

  "You just said I wasn't!"

  "That was before I knew you were with Solomon. Did he say the word, date?"

  "No. He just said he was hungry, so we went to eat; then he asked me what I was doing later and I said working, and he suggested the movies. Is this still a date?" I finished, reaching for a paper towel to dry my hands.

  "Yep."

  "Crap. I just thought he was being nice."

  "Why would he be nice to you?" Lily pointed out, not particularly helpfully.

  "Because I work for him?" I squeaked.

  Lily sighed. "Does he take the other guys to dinner and a movie?"

  "No." I stared at my reflection, smoothing my hair slightly before pulling out a tube of lip gloss. "He gave Fletcher a pen with ‘Solomon Agency’ printed on it." I glossed, then puckered my lips and blew a kiss at the mirror.

  "Nice. Can I have one?"

  "I'll see if we have anymore." I was silent for a moment. "What do I do?"

  "Kiss. Him."

  "No, can't do that. He kissed me yesterday, and it was really good. It was purely professional though. It was work. Honest. If I kiss him, I'll give him the wrong idea and I’m in mourning, Lily. Mourning. Over my dead relationship,” I added, when she didn’t ask over what.

  "Doubt that." Lily squealed suddenly and I lifted the phone from my ear to let the piercing shriek ring around the bathroom. She ignored mourning. Probably didn’t have the right outfit. "He. Kissed. You," she breathed. "Was it good?"

  I watched my reflection raise a shoulder and drop it. My cheeks flushed. I squeezed my eyes closed. "He was pretending to be my husband." It sounded lame, even to my ears. No one pretended to kiss like that.

  "Is he good at pretending?"

  "Yeah."

  "Are you wearing a ring?"

  I didn't even need to check. It felt like a pound weight on my finger. "Yep."

  "You're not just on a date, honey. You're on date night with your husband."

  "Jeez."

  "Have fun on your daaaaa-te," Lily sang, giggling as she hung up.

  I smoothed my hair again, glad I looked good. Maybe it was just dinner and a movie with a friend. A male friend. A male friend who was my boss. Who liked to kiss me.

  I was definitely over thinking it.

  I was still over thinking it right through the movie, on the walk to the parking lot, and as I got into his Lexus. I over thought it all the way back to Fort Charles until I fell asleep in the small apartment’s sole bedroom.

  Alone.

  And you know what? It was a pretty nice night, whatever it was.

  Chapter Nine

  The apartment was quiet by the time I peeled myself out of bed the following morning. I dressed quickly and opened the bedroom door, calling, "Solomon?"

  Silence greeted me.

  "Solomon?" I tried again, as I went into the bathroom. Empty. His toothbrush was damp and the razor had moved. I backed out and crossed the room to the kitchen. A piece of notepaper was propped against an empty mug by the hot coffee pot. I scanned it quickly, admiring the tight loops of his neat handwriting. Gone to see Tate. Back later. JS.

  I don't know how Solomon got to talk to Nathaniel Tate in the base jail, but I did expect him to come back buzzed, perhaps with a clue. At the very least, with some answers as to why Tate wasn't protesting his innocence to anyone who would listen. Tate was an odd puzzle piece. There was nothing to indicate any violence or murderous intent from him towards Jillian. Even Jillian’s colleagues seemed puzzled over his arrest, from what little they told me. Every bit of knowledge I had about people charged with murder—admittedly, most of it gleaned from reruns of Diagnosis Murder—was that everyone protested their innocence, regardless of whether they committed the crime or not.

  "Total washout," said Solomon as he appeared in the doorway of the kitchen just as I made light work of a cheese and pickle sandwich. With my elbows leaning on the counter, I took a bite. At the sound of his voice, I jumped, nearly knocking the glass I'd just pulled from the cabinet onto the floor.

  "What did he have to say?" I asked, pushing the glass further onto the counter, before swallowing the last bite.

  Solomon gave me an eye roll along with a little shake of his head. "Most of the time, he sat there staring at the wall."

  "Didn't you tell him who you were?"

  "Not with the guard there. I did tell him Mitch didn't think he did it. He looked at me, then went right back to staring at the wall."

  "Huh. Did he even say he was innocent?"

  "Not in so many words, but I do think Mitch is right. I don't think he did it." Solomon opened the refrigerator, stared inside, then back at my plate. "What did you have?"

  "Cheese sandwich with pickle. Want me to make you one?"

  "Please." Solomon stepped out of the way while I set to work at a fast clip, mostly to hold back the mild disgust at my domestication in our faux-marriage. Could I imagine doing this for Solomon every day? For real? Heat crept into my cheeks as I imagined sharing a bed with Solomon. Every. Single. Day. Forever. Gulp. "I played the most pertinent angles," he continued, without noticing my internal dilemma. "Life in jail. No parole. His survival rate in there. Then, when that didn’t work, I told him to think of her parents. It was only when I implied that Jillian turned him down and he got nasty that he said he would never hurt a hair on her head."

  "That sounds like an 'I'm innocent' to me." I slapped the bread to
gether, cut it, and handed the plate to Solomon.

  "Yeah. He asked if her family was okay. Asked after the sister."

  "Do we know if he knows Roxanne well?" I asked, then realized that was a stupid question. I flapped a hand dismissively before Solomon could point out my error. "Of course he does. He dated Jillian. They probably met."

  "I'd like to speak to her, or, at least, you should real soon. Tate clammed up again after that. I've got Fletcher watching the Connors' place. Maybe Jillian confided something in her. I hear sisters do that."

  I grimaced. Some sisters did that. Mostly, if I wanted to confide in someone, it was Lily or Garrett. I don't think I ever confided in Serena about anything; though, come to think, she did confide in me about her husband recently. Even more bizarrely, she'd taken my advice to start her own business so she could work from home and be a full time mother to baby Victoria. Perhaps Serena and I had a better relationship than I thought. Something to ponder.

  "Do you have sisters and brothers?" I asked. It occurred to me not long ago that I didn't know a lot about Solomon; far less than he knew about me anyway. When it came down to it, I suspected he probably had quite the file on me.

  "One sister, one brother," he told me. “Both younger.”

  "Do they live in Montgomery?"

  "No."

  "Your parents?"

  "No."

  I frowned. "How come you moved here?"

  "I lived in Montgomery when I was a kid. Always liked it."

  "Ah." I couldn't imagine Solomon as a kid, tearing around on his bike, skinning his knees and turning in history papers. I was pretty much certain he'd been grown in a laboratory, emerging into the world as a man, ready for anything. He was too cool, calm, and self-assured to be anything but a man of action. I wondered if I would get any hits on him in any yearbooks, but if he left as a kid, maybe not. That was probably a good thing. I didn't want to stalk him. Plus, I probably had better things to do if I put my mind to it. Like getting Lily to stalk him.

  "How come you never moved away?" he asked me.

  I shrugged. "I did, briefly, when I signed up for the Army. I’m the youngest of five, and there wasn't enough money for me to go away to a really good school, so I went to a local college. Plus, there's my family. I can't imagine not being around them. I guess I like it in Montgomery," I finished, wondering if it sounded lame. Maybe if I'd been fiercely ambitious, it would have been different. I never really had a great wanderlust; and I really couldn’t imagine life without my family closeby.

  "It's good to have solid roots."

  "Yeah?"

  "Yeah."

  "That why you bought a house here?"

  "Partly," he replied, but didn't elaborate. "Listen, I have some work to do this afternoon. I don't see much doing around the base, so you're off the hook."

  "Awesome to the latter, and you need to get out more to the former."

  “That so?” Solomon smiled, his eyes sparkling, but he didn't deny it. He stepped closer, pushed his plate onto the counter and looked down at me. His chest rose and fell as he lifted a hand to caress my hair. He slid his hand down to rest against my cheek as he closed the space between us. His head dipped. My mouth parted slightly.

  Then my damn phone rang.

  "I should get that," I said.

  "Probably," said Solomon, his mouth, mere millimeters from mine. The phone stopped ringing. "Or not."

  "Or not," I repeated softly, momentarily dazed, as his other hand landed lightly on my shoulder, stroking down my arm, then transferring to my hip.

  The phone rang again, the shrill tone making me jump.

  This was not a good idea.

  Pretending to be something more in public was one thing, getting friendly in the apartment, alone, was another. There would be nothing fake about that. I snatched up my phone and glanced at the screen. "My sister," I explained, taking a step back, then another. I didn't know if it was a better plan to answer or worse. It certainly offered fewer possibilities of angst-ridden confessions to Lily later.

  "Hey," I mumbled into the phone.

  "Hello, Lexi. I need your help," came Serena’s succinct voice.

  “Help” was not what I expected to hear from my sister, who is basically Superwoman. Lately, however, she's been having a rough time. After suspecting her husband of cheating, she sicced me on his case. It didn't take me long to get some nasty, incriminating photographs. Even though I felt pretty rotten about handing them over, Serena assured me it wasn't my fault that Ted Whitman the Third was a lying rat bastard. Divorce proceedings were currently underway and Ted wasn't exactly being reasonable from the few things Serena mentioned.

  I stepped into the living room, the kitchen suddenly too small for Solomon and me, especially with the lingering expectation of a terrific kiss. "I'm not in Montgomery right now, but I'll help if I can."

  "I think I need some security, like something for the house. An alarm, maybe. Ted came round last night, yelling and banging on the door," she explained, huffing in exasperation.

  "What did he want?"

  "The house. Preferably, without me in it."

  I sighed. "You didn't open the door, did you?"

  "No. But I called the police after he threw a brick through the window," she replied very matter-of-factly.

  "He did what?" I screeched. Across the room, Solomon looked up and raised one eyebrow in question.

  "The police officer who came over said they couldn't do anything as I didn't actually see him throw it, and he'd already gone by the time they turned up, but I'm kinda of worried. Do you think an alarm is a good idea?"

  I figured Serena was more than worried because she didn't ask questions or opinions, she just told people what to do. This cautious, worried Serena was abnormal.

  "Yes," I agreed. "It is. But you don't have to stay there if he's scaring you. Take Victoria and stay with Mom and Dad, or get my spare keys from Lily. You can stay at my place."

  "I can't leave. My lawyer says it will look like I've abandoned the house and then Ted can move in and change the locks."

  "Shit. Okay. Um, I'll call someone at the office and ask them to come over."

  "Can you do it today?" Serena's voice was small and wobbly.

  "I'll do it now."

  "Thanks, Lexi."

  "Anytime. Blow a raspberry on Victoria from me." I hung up and pulled a cross face.

  "I'm not sure which question I want to ask first," said Solomon.

  "Pick one."

  "Victoria?"

  Oh, was he ever going to be disappointed by my answer! "My baby niece. Serena's getting divorced and her husband came over and caused trouble last night. She sounded scared. I said I'd ask someone at the office to stop by…" I paused. "Uh, that is okay, isn't it?"

  Solomon nodded, his eyes dark. "Tell whomever you speak to that they can put in an alarm system and that I okayed it."

  "Thanks." I picked up my phone and scrolled for the office number. Then, just in case Solomon thought I was asking for a freebie, I added, "Serena will pay."

  "Get the system installed and we'll bill her at cost later." Solomon turned away to rinse his plate. After shutting off the faucet, he crossed the room and pulled his laptop from its case, powering it up.

  I smiled and dialed. If Serena couldn't afford the alarm on top of her lawyer fees, I knew my family would be good for it. The Graves looked after their own.

  Delgado picked up. He's a hard man, the kind you see in an alley and run the other way before he steals your shoes and wallet. Not that Delgado would do that. As far as I could tell, he was an honorable man with a long career on the good side. He just looks like a thug. "Hey. I have a job for you," I told him.

  "Oh, you do, do you?" I could imagine Delgado kicking back in his chair and raising his eyebrows. Being at the bottom of the totem pole meant I didn't give orders in the office and Delgado knew it, although everyone had been nicer to me since proving my chops. I was even thinking about bringing the cute skirts back into
play.

  "It's more of a favor, but it is urgent. Solomon said I could ask."

  "Shoot."

  Color me surprised. I must have caught Delgado in a good mood. Note to self: find out how that happened and how to replicate it. I explained my sister's position quickly and what she needed, adding that it was with Solomon's approval. When I was finished, there was silence. Perhaps I'd pushed my luck? "Is that okay?" I asked, waiting for the rebuff.

  "Yeah. It just makes me mad that guys turn into asshats and blame it on their women." Delgado’s voice was heavy with loathing. Sore point?

  "Uh..."

  "I'll get my stuff and put her system in today," he added gruffly.

  "Thanks," I said and Delgado hung up. I turned to Solomon. "Delgado is going to play hero."

  Solomon barely glanced up. "Good for him."

  "Yeah." I dropped into the armchair and picked up my book, putting a little space between us. After a while, Solomon went over to the kitchen and when he returned, it was to place a coffee cup in front of me, the sweet scent of vanilla hanging in the air around us. He didn't say a word as he started to tap the keys. That was fine by me. Companionable silence was just fine.

  I called Serena back that evening to find out if Delgado had done his job. Not that I was checking up on him so much, but the Ted thing creeped me out. My soon to be ex-brother-in-law was an asshole, but I'd never have put him down for common violence, especially since he was a lawyer, and well, should have known better. It didn’t strike me as a coincidence that he’d left the scene rather than getting caught. Knowing him, he’d probably say Serena did it herself out of spite.

  But even worse, I seethed at the idea he could have hurt my baby niece. What if she had been in the room when the brick flew through the window? I shuddered. I couldn’t bear thinking about it.

  When Serena picked up the phone, there was the sound of laughter in the background rather than the quiet I expected.

  "Sounds like you're having fun," I said, puzzled.

  "I am." I could hear the smile in her voice.

  "Did Delgado fit the security system?"

  "He did. It's great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Every window and door is alarmed and wired to the Solomon Agency. I can't believe he got it done so fast. He was just telling me all about a security detail he did in Panama when you called. You never said he was so funny, Lexi!"