By that time, I’d been too preoccupied with singing along to my favorite hits from the 80s. “Eternal Flame,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” and “How Will I Know.” Speaking of “How Will I Know,” Riley had to love me, because he’d gone along with it. Any sane person would have asked me to turn the radio down and not to sing so loud.
I’d only switched to My Fair Lady in the last twenty minutes. I’d waited to see if Riley made the connection between the movie and my feelings about this trip, but he gave no indication he did.
Right now, we were stuck on the side of the mountain with nothing but time to kill. I suppose I could mention the job situation now.
“So, Riley. There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you—”
A car zoomed down the road toward us. Riley waved them down. Of course, my mind, being what it was, imagined Riley flagging down a serial killer. Maybe that’s what too many brushes with death did to a person.
A pale blue Mercedes pulled to a stop by us. The passenger side window came down, and a man with gelled blond hair and a pressed white shirt came into sight.
“Everything okay—?” A smile suddenly cracked his face. “Riley Thomas? I can’t believe it. Is that you, man?”
The tension suddenly left Riley’s shoulders. He reached for the man’s outstretched hand and did some kind of exaggerated handshake. “Derek Waters! Am I ever glad to see you.”
A chorus of other voices sounded in the car. The best I could make out, there was one other man driving in the front seat, and one woman in the back. As more windows came down, I spotted highlighted hair, fake tans, and expensive clothes.
Just how I imagined Riley’s old friends.
Riley looked back at me. “Gabby, come here. There are some people I want you to meet.”
I forced on a smile, one I’d been practicing ever since Riley invited me on the trip. I stepped forward, trying to look regal and graceful instead of like someone who’d grown up on the wrong side of the tracks. “Everyone, this is my fiancée Gabby St. Claire. Gabby, this is, well … everyone!”
I pulled a hair behind my ear and offered a small wave. They politely reciprocated. Thankfully, their attention quickly turned from me back to Riley.
“What happened?” Derek—the one in the front passenger’s seat—pointed to Riley’s car. “That’s messed up!”
“Just a little accident. These mountain roads are crazy, and I don’t have a cell phone signal out here to boot.”
“Glad you’re both okay. I know a great malpractice attorney, if you need one.” Derek grinned.
Riley laughed. “I’m sure you do.”
Derek nodded toward the backseat. “We can give you a ride. Hop in!”
“Great.” Riley tugged me forward. I saw the cramped quarters inside that car and put the brakes on. There was no room for both of us. And I was pretty sure my deodorant was nearly depleted after that car ride. That was not the impression I wanted to make with Riley’s friends. No. Way.
“You go ahead,” I insisted as Riley started to climb in.
He paused, raised his head, and brought his eyebrows together. “What?”
I pointed to the car. “We’re both not going to fit. You should go.”
He stood, an incredulous look on his face. “That’s ridiculous. I can’t leave you here.”
I shook my head, acting tougher than I felt. “I’ll be fine.”
He looked flabbergasted. “On the side of a mountain road by yourself? I don’t think so. What kind of fiancé would I be if I left you here?”
I shrugged. “I’ve survived worse. You just get there, check in, and call a tow truck. I’ll only be here for what? Thirty minutes max?”
He shook his head. “I seriously can’t do that.”
“I insist. They’re your friends. You should totally catch up with them.” I dropped my voice and muttered, “Please.”
A moment of uncertainly crossed his features. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Positive.”
He hesitated another moment, stared at me, and finally nodded. Then he kissed my cheek and climbed into the car, amidst the laughter and chatter of his friends. Two minutes later, they pulled away, reminding me of college fraternity brothers driving off to a wild party. I sighed and leaned against the car.
I’d gotten myself out of one awkward situation. But how was I going to survive a whole week of this?
***
An hour later, a tow truck pulled up. A middle-aged man with a brittle reddish-brown beard hopped out, grunted a few times, and examined the car. Finally, he hitched Riley’s sedan and threw his thumb over his shoulder, motioning for me to climb into the cab of his truck.
I ignored the stench of old fast food and auto exhaust, resisting the urge to give the man some tips on how he could get those grease stains from his upholstered seats. I did have a few tricks up my sleeve from all of my years as a crime scene cleaner. What worked on blood would work on automotive fluids also.
“Lots of accidents on this road,” the driver mumbled, rubbing his beard before putting the truck into drive and rumbling down the road.
“I can see why.” I glanced over at the steep drop only mere feet away. Riley and I had been lucky. Very lucky.
“Those new fangled GPS units,” he enunciated each letter of “GPS” with the emphasis of someone spitting, “always lead people this way. There’s an easier route. A few miles longer but much safer.” He shrugged. “At least this road keeps me in business.”
“You have a lot of accidents down this way, huh?”
“At least a few a week. And since we’re the only tow company in the county, I can’t say I mind. As long as no one gets hurt, mind you.”
“Of course.”
Silence stretched for a moment. As the truck bumped down the road, I reviewed what Riley had told me about his friends.
Derek Waters was a malpractice attorney now living in Boston. Apparently, he was also the king of TV commercials advertising his law firm. Based on the stories Riley told me about him, I’d already nicknamed him Derek “Playboy” Waters.
Jackie Harrington was an assistant D.A. in Georgia, came from old money, and loved jelly beans. She was the sweet one of the group, always smiling and laughing.
Jackie was bringing her boyfriend with her. No one knew his name yet or anything else about him.
Lillian Berkhead was a divorce lawyer who was also known as a shark in the courtroom and a cougar in the dating game. She was only a part of the group because she and Jackie had been best friends. Riley had even mumbled something about “Ice Queen” in one of our conversations.
Jack Lemur was the quiet member of the group. He was a financial attorney, married with two kids. His family wasn’t taking this trip with him. Riley had warned me that he had a tendency to double-dip, which meant his new name, in my book at least, was “Jack the Dipper.”
Then there was Lane Rosenblum. He was a tax lawyer in Washington D.C. He was also the newest addition to their group, only joining the rest of them during their senior year after transferring from some school out West.
Apparently, most of the gang hadn’t seen each other for nearly six years since they graduated from law school and entered the real world.
“So, you from this area?” I remembered there was someone in the vehicle with me and turned to better face Grizzly Adams.
The tow truck driver grunted and shrugged. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“Seems … ” I glanced at the mountainside as it blurred by the window. “ … pretty.”
“This fancy resort you’re going to employs nearly seventy percent of the county. There aren’t many opportunities for other people.”
“At least there are opportunities.” I tried to sound optimistic. Based on the scowl the tow truck driver gave me, he didn’t appreciate my insight.
I went back into quiet mode. Which meant I went back to thinking about Riley’s friends and just how the social dynamic this weekend would play out.
Aside from Riley’s parents, I’d only met one other person from his past life, and that was his ex-fiancée Veronica Laskin. She’d been thin, beautiful, and rich. She’d come from a family of wealth and power.
How Riley had ended up with me was a mystery that I just didn’t understand sometimes. But I wasn’t complaining. As the song “Bless the Broken Road” said, hard times could often lead us into the arms of the person we were meant to be with.
Except when they didn’t.
A huge, historic-looking building appeared out the front window. And when I said huge, I meant huge. Its exterior was all red brick. Massive columns stood probably six stories high. It was bigger than the White House. Bigger than my high school. Maybe even bigger than my local mall.
Lush green grass stretched in front of the circular drive. A pond with a gazebo was to one side. Old, grand homes could be seen lining the surrounding streets. A fancy golf course teased behind the building.
The tow truck stopped. I hadn’t even stepped out when Riley appeared by my side. His hand grasped mine. “You okay?”
“Of course. I’m fine. You think I’m going to let a mountain road defeat me?”
“If a mob boss can’t defeat you, then I don’t know what I was thinking.” A hint of a smile pulled at his lips, even though I knew he was worried about me.
The tow truck driver grunted beside us. “You should probably unload your bags unless you want me to take them with me to the repair shop.” He nodded toward Riley’s car as he extended Riley’s no-frills key chain. I’d recently added a flip-flop and crime scene tape lanyard to mine.
“You need to call your insurance company?” the driver continued.
Riley took his keys and stepped toward his mangled mess of a car. “I only have liability. Calling them won’t do me any good.”
No sooner had Riley opened the trunk than did a swarm of uniformed men surround the car and begin pulling luggage from it. I stepped in to help.
“Let them get it, Gabby,” Riley whispered.
I grabbed my suitcase. “That’s ridiculous. I can help.” I placed my luggage on the little brass cart beside me, which caused one of the valets to scowl.
Riley leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Gabby, really. Let them do their job. You can just relax.”
Relaxing was not something I was good at. “But, I’m perfectly capable of—”
I stopped talking as Riley shook his head and shoved some bills into the valet’s hand. That’s when I resigned myself to step back and relinquish my control of the situation. There were worse things than being waited on hand and foot.
A moment later, Riley had his arm around my waist and was leading me inside. There was no going back now. We climbed extravagant, stately steps and stepped into one of the fanciest lobbies I’d ever seen.
When I was a kid, my mom had made me dresses that mimicked the ones from the movie Annie. So, it only seemed appropriate as I stepped onto the rich marble floors of the building that I mumbled, “I think I’m going to like it here.”
Yes, I was like the Little Orphan Annie stepping into Daddy Warbuck’s mansion—a person coming from nothing stepping into extravagance like I’d never known or dreamed of. The only thing that would make it more perfect was if the entire staff burst out into song and dance.
I paused for a moment, half expecting it to happen, before releasing my breath and resisting my urge to tap dance. That was a good thing because I couldn’t tap dance.
We only made it two steps when a scruffy-looking man in a flannel shirt came running through the front door. There was something urgent, maybe slightly crazy, in his eyes.
“You’re Riley?” His voice sounded breathless, frantic.
“That’s right.” Riley nodded.
“I recognized you from the picture Jackie has on her bookshelf. Have you seen her since you arrived?”
Riley shook his head. “No, we just walked in, though. Why?”
“She’s missing.” Panic laced the man’s voice.
Riley’s hands went to his hips. “What do you mean missing? How long has it been since you saw her?”
The man ran a hand through his unruly, thick brown hair. “Three hours. She took a hike. She was supposed to be back by now.”
“Maybe she ran into someone she knows?” I suggested
The man shook his head. “No, something’s happened to her. I’m sure of it. She’s in trouble.”
“Trouble trouble?” I asked. My pulse sped.
The man’s eyes met mine. “Yeah, trouble trouble. You’ve got to help me find her.”
I glanced at Riley. So much for acting like a normal couple.
And so much for minding my own business too, for that matter.
CHAPTER 3
“Jackie!” I yelled. I stood at the edge of a massive boulder. Below me was a streaming river that made my head spin for a moment. Still, I didn’t move. There was something I kind of liked about living on the edge.
Riley grabbed my hand and tugged me back. “Careful.”
“Always.” I grinned.
The rest of Riley’s friends had been gathered, and we’d divided up into groups to search for Jackie. The man who’d run inside to find us was Clint, Jackie’s boyfriend, apparently. Riley and I had decided to take one of the longer trails that looped around the resort’s property. Summer was in full bloom around us with vibrant green leaves filling out the oak and maple trees. The sky overhead was a brilliant blue and the air felt crisp.
Maybe I would like it here.
I expected Riley to urge me down the trail again, but instead he pulled me forward and wrapped his arms around me.
I raised my face, realizing that Riley was one of the nicest views around here, and he had a lot to compete with. “What are you doing?”
“I told you I had all week to tell you how pretty you were. I wanted to take my first opportunity now.” The pupils of his eyes swirled with emotion that made my stomach burn.
I was one lucky girl. I told myself that all the time because it was true. Riley was the man of my dreams. “You’re making me blush.”
“I want to make you blush for a long time.” He lowered his head, and his lips came down on mine. When he pulled away, he brushed a hair out of my face. “I love you, Gabby.”
I let my head rest on his chest for a moment, comforted by the sound of his steady heartbeat. Steady … that’s what Riley was. I needed that characteristic in my life. “I love you, too, Riley.”
He stepped back but kept his fingers intertwined with mine. “We should keep looking, huh?”
“You don’t seem worried.” Which was strange. It wasn’t that Riley worried a lot; it was simply that he had a heart for justice and helping those in need, which was just one more reason we were so perfect together.
He’d just opened his own law firm several months ago, and he only took cases that were socially driven. He’d given up a job as a hotshot prosecutor in L.A. and decided to follow his dreams of making the world a better place instead. That said a lot about him.
He shrugged. “I guess I’m worried. It’s just that Jackie has always had a habit of not thinking things through very well. I suspect she got distracted by something. Maybe she went off on a different trail. Maybe she lost track of time. I don’t know.”
I tried to compute what he was saying as we started down the trail again. “Can people in law school afford not to think things through?”
“Jackie’s always been a bit spacey.”
“But she’s an assistant district attorney.”
Riley shrugged. “I don’t know what to say. I realize this won’t sound very nice, but we were all a little surprised that she actually made it through law school. I don’t think being a lawyer was ever her dream. It was more of her mom’s plan for her life.”
“Do you have a picture of her? It helps me to put a face to the name.”
He pulled out his phone, swept his fingers over the screen, and then showed me a picture. Jacki
e Harrington looked an awful lot like a young Jackie Kennedy. She had the same bobbed brown hair and petite build. Only Jackie Harrington had a slight sparkle in her eyes, a sparkle that belied her otherwise sophisticated demeanor.
“Pretty,” I mumbled. My gaze scanned the area around me, looking for a sign of something out of place. “Her boyfriend looked awfully upset. Beside himself, for that matter.”
Riley helped me over a tree that had fallen in our path. “He did.”
“You said you’d never met him before?” I landed with a thump on the rocky ground below.
“No, he wasn’t in school with us. I think they’ve been dating a year or so. Not really sure. I know from a couple of posts she’s put on her social media sites that her mom doesn’t really approve of the relationship.”
“Why?”
“Jackie comes from old money. Her boyfriend … well, he’s a construction worker. Sure, he has big plans to start his own company one day, but he hasn’t yet. Jackie’s mom doesn’t think he’s good enough for her.”
I liked Jackie’s boyfriend already. This was great. There was at least one person here I could relate with. But the rest of the people, the ones who came from old money? I had no idea what to do with them.
We continued to walk. My mind wandered to my last trip to the mountains. It had been a long time. I wasn’t exactly a world-traveler kind of girl. No, my family’s idea of a vacation when I was growing up was heading to the beach for a day. Once, my dad had set up a tent in our backyard, and my brother and I had spent the night there, eating gummy worms until our stomachs hurt and telling scary stories with a flashlight. Tim had probably been too young to stay outside without any adults, but we’d made out just fine. I smiled at the memory.
The last time I’d been to Virginia’s mountains, my dad had brought me. I’d probably only been seven. It was one of the few times in my childhood that I could remember my dad being sober. After one of his friends died of a heart attack before reaching 40, my dad had been determined for two whole weeks to turn his life around, so he’d quit drinking and tried to be the father he’d always wanted to be. Those two weeks had been great, and I remember as a little girl I’d prayed they wouldn’t just be a phase. I wanted a family like those happy ones I’d seen on TV.
Christy Barritt - Squeaky Clean 04 - Dirty Deeds Page 2
