Blazing Summer (Darling Investigations Book 2)

by Denise Grover Swank

  Teddy’s bedroom door opened, and he did a double take when he saw me.

  “Dixie’s in the bathroom,” I whispered.

  He wore a grave expression. “How is she?”

  “She doesn’t remember anything, even texting me. I’ve convinced her to pee in a mason jar to test for date-rape drugs.”

  His face paled. “You think she was raped?”

  “Honestly, Teddy, I have no idea what happened to her, but she swears she didn’t drink anything or take any drugs, so something happened. I’d feel better if we tested her pee to be safe. I just need to figure out a lab to send it to.”

  His shock had faded, and anger was taking its place. “I know somebody in the county crime lab. I’ll see if she’ll run it for me.”

  I lifted my eyebrows. “She?”

  He groaned. “Don’t you start matchmakin’ too. I get enough of it from Dixie.” He leaned closer. “Delores is fortysomething and happily married with three kids. And she was friends with Momma. She’s one of the few people who continued to check on me after the ruckus died down.”

  Just one more reminder that I’d let my cousins down. While I was off sulking because my momma had finally revealed her true colors, Dixie was alone in juvenile detention suffocating from guilt, and Teddy was stuck here at the farm, dealing with the gossips, our surly grandmother, and the loss of his family in a matter of days.

  I lifted my hands. “Sorry. It’s just that most people don’t know a crime lab tech well enough to get them to run a drug test off the record. Platonically, anyway.”

  He kept infuriatingly silent.

  The bathroom door opened, and Dixie stood in the doorway, holding a mason jar half-full of pee. “Teddy . . .”

  “How are you feelin’, Dix?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry I freaked you two out, but I’m fine.”

  “Don’t worry about freakin’ us out,” he said. “We just want you to be safe. What do you remember?”

  She pushed out a breath. “I already told Summer, and I don’t have time to get into it again now. I need to get ready for work. We’ll talk about it tonight.”

  Teddy looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he held out his hand. “Give me the pee, and you do what you need to do.”

  She handed it over, her cheeks slightly pink, then went into her room and shut the door.

  “Keep an eye on her today, okay?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  Dixie was quiet on the drive into town, staring out the window and lost in thought, but she jerked upright when her phone dinged. After a few taps on her screen, she went still.

  My chest tightened. Had word gotten out about last night? “What’s on Maybelline’s Facebook page now?”

  “It’s not the Facebook page. I have a Google alert set up for your name.”

  I used to have one set up several years ago, but my signature Gotcha! pose had been turned into a meme, and I’d decided enough was enough. “I’m scared to ask what it is.”

  “Oh my . . .” She glanced up at me. “There’s a video on TMZ.”

  My heart stopped. “Of what?”

  “Yesterday morning. When Connor showed up in the office.”

  I resisted the urge to grab the phone from her, worried I’d run the car off the road. “Did someone passing by the office take a video?”

  She looked up. “No. Someone in the office.”

  “Who?”

  “Based on the angle of the video, one of the new people.” She paused. “Do you want to see it?”

  “No.” I had no desire to watch my tirade. “What’s the headline?”

  “‘A Not So Happy Reunion?’”

  “I would complain about this to Lauren, but I suspect she instigated the whole thing, including the leak. People are going to want to see me and Connor butt heads. Which means I can’t blow my top again.”

  She smirked. “Good luck with that.”

  “No kidding.”

  Dixie tapped on her phone. “I figure I better check the Facebook page.”

  I pulled into a parking space in front of the abandoned train depot with ten minutes to spare. Maybe I could even walk down to the coffee shop and get a latte.

  “There’s something on here.”

  “What now?” I said with a groan, but then I saw Dixie’s hand begin to shake. “Dixie, what is it?”

  Her face lifted. “There was a fire last night.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “Where?”

  “April Jean’s trailer.” Her chin began to tremble. “Arson.”

  I tried to hold my anxiety at bay. “Poor April Jean.”

  “Yeah,” Dixie said, but something seemed off.

  “Dixie?”

  She glanced up at me. “April Jean was at the party last night.” She looked like she’d seen a ghost. “And you said I smelled like smoke.”

  There was no denying it was all suspicious and strange—Dixie had been upset to hear about April Jean and Trent yesterday, and now April Jean’s trailer was gone—but I was convinced my cousin was innocent of any wrongdoing. She was the last person who’d start a fire after her parents’ deaths. I had to put her at ease. “So? It’s just a coincidence.”

  “Summer . . .” She reeked of fear. “What if I started that fire?”

  “That’s ridiculous. When I found you, you could barely get to your feet. How could you have started a fire? And April Jean’s trailer is a good ten miles from the lake, where you were waiting for me. Without a car, I might add. How would you get to April Jean’s and then out to the lake?”

  “How did I get out to the lake, period?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, but I plan to find out.” I was starting to think someone had intentionally set her up. I turned to face her. “You can’t tell anyone about blacking out last night.”

  She hung her head. “Why would I tell anyone that?”

  “Even Luke.”

  “Why?” Her breathing became shallow, and her gaze shot up to meet mine. “You think I did it.”

  I grabbed her hand and squeezed tight. “I think no such thing. I believe you are perfectly innocent, but I can’t help but wonder if someone is setting you up. How many times have you blacked out since your parents died?”

  “Never before last night.”

  “That’s right. That seems like a huge coincidence, doesn’t it?”

  Some of her color started to return. “It also seems like a huge coincidence that I blacked out and set the fire in the barn . . . and then blacked out after having an argument with April Jean, and what do you know, her trailer caught on fire.”

  “You had an argument with her?”

  She gave me a dry look. “Changing your mind about my innocence?”

  “No. I’m thinking it encouraged the person to go through with this. That it maybe gave them an alibi.”

  “Summer, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I need to talk to Luke.”

  “No, you don’t. Promise me you won’t call him.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I don’t believe you. You’re datin’ him! He’s my friend.”

  “And he was your friend the first time, but that fact didn’t stop him from arresting you.”

  “Either you trust him or you don’t, Summer.”

  And there was the rub. I was less than twenty-four hours into my official second chance with Luke, and I was not only keeping secrets from him, but I was doing so because I didn’t trust him to keep my cousin safe.

  “Dixie. Let’s just find out more information before you tell Luke anything about last night.”

  “But it’s his job to investigate things like this.”

  “And it’s our jobs too.”

  Her eyes widened. “You want this to be your big case.”

  “Maybe . . . ?” It was a risk, a huge one, but I’d never believed in anything more than I believed in Dixie’s innocence. Was I willing to bet her life on it?

  “What if you find out I’m guilty, Summer? What
then?”

  “But you’re not guilty. That’s why I want to do this.”

  “Because you don’t trust Luke.”

  “I do trust him, but this is your life, Dixie. When it comes to you, I’m not willing to take chances. Not again.”

  “Why are you doin’ this?” she asked. “Is it because you feel guilty for not bein’ here before?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know. I just know I love you, and I want to keep you safe.”

  “Which makes you just like Teddy, treatin’ me like a child.” She opened the door and got out.

  I hurried after her. “Dixie.”

  She ignored me, but I blocked the door. “I want to investigate this, but only with your blessing.”

  “Well, thanks for askin’,” she said in a snotty tone.

  I gasped. “You think I’m trying to control you?”

  Tears filled her eyes, and she covered her face with her hands. “No. I’m sorry.” She dropped her hands and gave me a pleading look. “I’m scared, Summer. I’m scared I did something bad.”

  “I know you are, so that’s why I’m askin’ you to wait to go to Luke until we have more information about what really happened. At least until the results of the test come back. Please.”

  She glanced out into the street, and a single tear streaked down her cheek. “Okay.”

  I pulled her into a hug. “Trust me, Dix. I’ll sort this out.”

  I only hoped I could keep my promise.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “You two have a spat, then kiss and make up?” Lauren asked as we walked through the door.

  “What does it matter?” I asked. “You’ll just spin it however you want.”

  She laughed. “That must mean you saw TMZ.”

  Dixie took several steps toward her. “There’s a special place in hell for people like you.”

  Lauren smirked. “Since you’re a murderer three times over, maybe I’ll see you there.”

  Dixie froze, but I was pissed as all get-out. “You’ve crossed the line, Lauren.”

  “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve barely even touched it.”

  I couldn’t let her get so much as a whiff of what had happened to Dixie last night. The best way to handle this was to change the topic.

  I glanced around the much bigger space, surprised that Lauren hadn’t decorated this place like she had the smaller office. While they’d cleaned it up, the walls sported peeling paint and a cracked-tile floor. There were three desks spread out on the left side. One of them was the desk they’d shoved into my office space, and I suspected the other two came from Walmart up in Eufaula, or more likely a yard sale. The right side had folding tables set up against the wall with several chairs and computers, presumably for the editors who would show up today to go through yesterday’s footage. Stacked around the tables were the equipment cases for the cameras and sound gear.

  Bill, Tony, and Chuck stood by the back wall, all three wearing scowls. Karen and the new people didn’t look any happier. Maybe they’d already had a butt chewing or two from Lauren.

  “Where’s Connor?” I asked.

  “He’ll be along shortly. Why don’t you girls get miked up then have a seat? Oh, and Summer? I’m glad to see you’re wearing a dress again today.” She winked. “It gives you a softer look.”

  I knew it wasn’t a compliment.

  She’d insisted that I wear dresses during the last season, so she probably thought I was following her orders. In reality, I’d worn a dress because I planned to have a chat with Trent and everyone else who’d attended the party, and I might have to use my womanly wiles to get the men to talk.

  Chuck gritted his teeth as he hooked up our mikes. “The sooner we can get out of here, the better,” he said under his breath as he attached the clip to my collar.

  “I hear you.”

  “I have a question,” Dixie called as she sat in a chair that was too low for her desk. “You don’t expect me to work for Connor, do you? I’m Summer’s assistant, not his.”

  “Well, funny you should mention that,” Lauren said, then her face lit up. “Oh, hold that thought. Connor’s here. Chuck, why don’t you go outside and get him wired up out there, then we’ll have him walk in on camera. Dixie, there’s a sort of script on your desk. Look it over and try to stick to it as closely as possible without resorting to reading it.”

  A few minutes later, Chuck gave them a thumbs-up and walked back inside, while Connor remained on the sidewalk.

  Bill held up a clapboard and called, “Action.”

  The two new camerawomen were both filming as Connor walked through the door with a shirt in his hand.

  “Good morning, ladies. Which one of you wants to get these blackberry stains out of my shirt?”

  Dixie let out a harsh laugh. “Not on your life.”

  “Summer?”

  “I’ll take care of your shirt, Connor,” I said with a sweet smile.

  His eyes widened, and he faltered, clearly caught off guard by my response. He quickly recovered, then sidled over with a huge grin. “Good to see you got your hair under control today.” Then he tossed his shirt on my desk and headed for his own. “We’ve got a busy schedule, ladies. I hope you’re ready to put in some serious hours. This isn’t like last season. We’re going to get into some nitty-gritty cases.”

  “Nitty-gritty?” I asked with a patronizing grin.

  “You know Summer brought down a killer, right?” Dixie asked in an incredulous voice. “A drug-dealing, murdering, dirty cop. Single-handedly.”

  Connor sat down and shrugged with a bored expression. “Eh . . .”

  I just smiled at him like he was an imbecile. It wasn’t hard.

  Dixie folded her hands on the desk and gave him a blank stare. “Connor, you have three appointments today, and Summer, you have an appointment with Sylvia Rush at ten. She thinks an alligator is eating her chickens.”

  My appointment couldn’t be on Lauren’s script because Dixie had set it up the day before. I needed to play along. I made sure my smile was as genuine as possible. “Thanks, Dixie. I can’t wait.”

  Connor gave me a blank look. Obviously he’d expected a more antagonistic attitude from me, which was why I was bound and determined not to give him one. No Summer-Butler-flies-off-the-handle headlines for me, thank you very much. I didn’t need to cut Connor down publicly in order to beat him.

  Lauren called, “Cut,” and Connor went back outside so we could film his entrance again—this scene nearly identical to the last one. I expected Lauren to run it a third time, but she was obviously bored. I wouldn’t be surprised if this tame entrance scene ended up on the cutting-room floor.

  “Can we go now?” I asked, drumming my fingers on my desk. “We have some actual work to do.”

  “So you’re really taking the alligator case?” Lauren asked with a smirk.

  “That’s right,” I said. “But from now on, I’ll conduct my interviews in the real Darling Investigations office.”

  Lauren waved toward the door. “Have at it.”

  “We’re done here?” I asked in surprise.

  “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  It was, but she’d agreed much too easily. She was clearly up to something.

  I picked up the shirt Connor had tossed at me, and Lauren gave me a confused expression.

  “I said I’d take care of it,” I said, the shirt fisted in my left hand. “I’d hate to break my word.” Then I headed for the door, taking deep, cleansing breaths and trying to figure out what horrors she was planning next.

  I tossed the stupid shirt on the front seat of the truck, then rolled down the windows and waited inside while Bill, Tony, and Chuck packed up their equipment and loaded it into the back of my truck.

  Dixie climbed in and curled her upper lip when she saw the stained shirt next to her. “Are you seriously going to clean Connor’s shirt?”

  “Not a chance in hell.” I gave her an ornery grin. “I said I’d take care of it. I ne
ver said what I’d do with it.”

  Bill banged the back of the truck when the equipment was all loaded, and we drove the block and a half back to our real office. All the parking spots were full, so I stopped parallel to a car in front of our office, making sure there were no cars behind me.

  Dixie looked pale and clutched her lower abdomen. “I need to use the restroom. Those eggs Meemaw made went straight through me. I may not be done in time to help.”

  “Okay,” I said, worried as she hopped out and practically ran to the office. Dixie unlocked the front door while the guys unloaded the equipment from the back.

  I heard a rap on the side of my truck the same moment I felt someone’s hot breath on the side of my face. “I’m going to need your license and registration, ma’am.”

  I yelped and jumped in my seat, then turned to see a police officer glaring at me. He was young, with dark hair, and sunglasses covered his eyes. Smirking, he lifted his glasses to the top of his head. There were only three police officers in this whole town, so it wasn’t hard to figure out this was Elijah Sterling, especially since he looked so much like his father. “Can I ask why?”

  “You’re double-parked, ma’am.”

  “Uh . . . no, I’m not. My engine is still running, and I’m behind the wheel. I’m only letting them off with the equipment so they don’t have to lug it down the block.”

  “I’m still going to have to see your license and registration, ma’am.”

  “Would you please stop calling me ma’am?” I said, sounding defensive. “I’m about two minutes older than you.”

  A car pulled up behind me and honked.

  Officer Sterling grinned, but it wasn’t friendly. “I’m going to have to ask you to park around the corner. I saw several parking spaces over there only a few moments ago.”

  The car behind me honked again, and I lifted my hand in an apologetic wave before driving to the intersection and turning right. I pulled into a parking space and dug in the glove compartment for the paperwork, then retrieved my license from my wallet. Officer Sterling—who had been parked on Main Street in front of the office—pulled his police cruiser up next to my truck. When he approached my window, I handed him my paperwork.