04 - Shock and Awesome

by Camilla Chafer

  Jord and Lily entered and my mother set the potatoes aside — on my lap — so she could fuss over Lily and sneak a stroke or two on her non-protruding belly. Nearing the end of her first trimester, Lily was the object of Graves' excitement. It wasn't that we just wanted another baby in the family — I had a bunch of nieces and nephews already — but getting Lily as an actual member of our clan, and not just an honorary one. The baby was the icing on the cake.

  On Jord’s and Lily's heels came Daniel and Alice with their children, Ben and Rachel, in tow, both kids eager to tell my parents about school and the general injustice of siblings, like none of us knew anything about that.

  Delgado and Serena walked in thirty minutes later. It didn't surprise me that Delgado wore his standard leather jacket and black jeans, paired with a striped blue shirt that my mother took pains to admire. I was just relieved the undercover homeless gig was over. What did surprise me was Serena didn't bound in with her usual over-the-top style. Instead of attempting to bulldoze her way to the center of conversation, she simply greeted everyone pleasantly as she fought to hold a giggling, wriggling, Victoria in her arms. I blew a raspberry at Victoria from behind my sister's back and Victoria blew one back before wriggling some more. With one powerful kick from her legs, and one equally powerful “Parp!” she launched herself at Delgado who caught her with barely a blink. She nestled in his arms and reached for his earlobe, stroking it between her tiny thumb and forefinger. I think Delgado blissed out.

  "Thought you said he was scary," said Lily quietly.

  "He is. But not anymore. He's losing it."

  "Heard that," said Delgado, staring at Victoria as she beamed her gummy smile at him. "Don't close your eyes when you go to sleep later."

  "Back to scary," I mock whispered to Lily.

  "Don't worry," she told me, linking arms. "This room is full of police officers who heard that."

  "Yeah," I told Delgado. "You'll never get away with it."

  He gave me a smile that said, "Watch me" before relaxing as he looked around at the many assembled Graves with a mix of wonder and appreciation. It occurred to me that I couldn’t remember if Delgado ever mentioned his family. I wasn't even sure he had one. That was okay though; we Graves liked to collect strays and keep them forever. Plus, also in Delgado's favor, he had the Victoria seal of approval, and who could say no to that kind of recommendation?

  By the time Garrett arrived with his wife, surly teenage son, and two younger kids, Lily and I had set the table, and my mother was putting out the food. My dad busied himself pouring drinks, which, given that seventeen of us were squashed around the table, was no mean feat. A retirement career as a barman was calling him. Unfortunately, he was too busy trying to get out of adult education classes with my mother to actually take up a second career.

  As we ate, the conversation never once abated. If anything, it just got louder and more garbled as we simultaneously ate and yelled at each other. Even Delgado relaxed into the chaos. Watching him with my sister, I had to wonder if he was going to be my future brother-in-law and... I liked the idea. I would never have guessed he’d be the kind of man Serena would go for, but I was glad to be wrong. He may have been the absolute opposite of her ex-husband, but he was one hundred percent better for her. Also, he'd have to be on my team at the office. I wondered how Solomon would like that. And then I wondered what Solomon was doing. Was he with the beautiful woman right now? Was Maddox with Blake? Ugh. I shoved all thoughts of both of them from my head.

  Of course, that, and seeing my sister so happy, and my brothers, too, with their families, was a reminder of my own single status. Would the day ever come when it was natural for me to arrive at a family dinner with a husband and children in tow? For the first time in my life, I felt a niggling pain deep in my chest. No, it wasn't pain: it was want. I wanted what they had.

  Not that I was desperate, but I wanted a family too someday. A someday that wasn't too far away. I just didn't know with whom.

  My mother gained our attention by clapping loudly and at length. That was surprising in itself because she could be pretty vocal, having raised five children, and Irish ones at that. She flapped her hands about and waited expectantly. I stole a look at the blank expressions around me with relief. Oh good, I totally didn't miss something. Mom flapped her hands again.

  "What's she doing?" asked Jord to no one in particular.

  "It's her latest hobby," said Dad, reaching for the gravy and drowning his plate.

  "What is it?" asked Garrett. "Mime origami?"

  "Shadow puppetry?" suggested Lily.

  "Some form of dance?" asked Serena. "Like belly dancing, but with hands. Hand dancing?"

  Mom rolled her eyes and moved her hands slowly.

  "I think she's making a butterfly," said my niece, Chloe, linking her fingers together and making them flap.

  "Or spiders," added her brother, Sam. He linked his hands together and crawled them over to her plate. Chloe squealed and thumped him on the shoulder. No one chastised her. We all thought spiders were gross.

  "Maybe she's going to be a hand model," suggested Delgado, getting in on the act. In his arms, Victoria snored softly. I was pretty certain she had no intention of ever letting him go. She just loved scary dude cuddles. I hated to think what kind of adult she would grow up to be. On the plus side, the whole of Montgomery would be looking out for her. Finally, someone else in the family would be arriving home in a police car. It was about time someone bore my mantle.

  "Ugh," said Mom. "I'm learning American sign language. It's a very useful way to communicate."

  "I know sign language," said Sam, flipping the finger at the entire table.

  "Oh, God," said his mother, Traci, as she folded his finger back into his palm and tucked the offending hand under the table. She turned to Garrett. "I blame you."

  "You taught him the 'F' word!" rebounded Garrett.

  "Not deliberately!"

  "Jesus!" said Sam. "Parents!"

  "And now my grandson's blaspheming!" said Mom. I bet she was thinking of a few choice signs for us all. She sighed and carried on. "I thought I'd try something new."

  "What about Krav Maga? And survival skills?" I asked, remembering the last new classes my mother tried dragging me to. In the case of the latter, I was bullied into it after my mother gloated that her gift of an army knife saved my life. We ended up doing a practical assessment in Fairmount Park and it was... interesting. Sign language sounded — no pun intended — much safer.

  Mom shrugged and circled her finger around her ear. "Some of the Krav Maga folk were crazy. I just thought I'd try something new. You should come too, Lexi. Maybe you'll meet someone. A man," Mom added loudly, just in case I, and everyone else, didn't catch her point.

  Typical. "I'm too busy. I have a big case, and besides, I'm meeting lots of new people."

  Delgado snorted. I guess he heard about the incident. It looked like I had to close this case if I were to redeem myself in the eyes of my colleague-slash-future-brother-in-law. Again. So much for him being on my team.

  "You can do it, Lexi," said Serena, smiling at me and not in a patronizing way. "Whatever case you're working, I know you'll crack it."

  Just as I was about to thank her for her support, Dad raised his glass. "Or die trying," he said.

  Charming.

  Chapter Nine

  According to Solomon’s text message the next day, Ben Rafferty insisted on picking me up from my “home” for our early evening date.

  “I don't think so. What if he kills me?” I texted by return.

  “Eyes on you the whole time,” sent Solomon.

  “Whose?”

  “Mine. Open the package. Wear it tonight. Return tomorrow.”

  What package? I shivered, got out of bed, and opened the door, wondering what I would find inside a small padded envelope with my name on it. Not a dress. Boo-hoo.

  Over coffee, I opened the envelope to find a gorgeous bracelet that sparkled in the late
morning sun. It sure tempted me and I wasn't even a thief. Throughout the afternoon, I re-read Ben's file. I looked through his photos a few times and wondered what he'd be like in person, as well as what he expected of me. Not knowing where we were going for dinner, mid-afternoon, I pulled on a black dress and kitten-heeled patent pumps, adding the Chanel watch, earrings, and a gold pendant ready for the evening. I fastened the borrowed diamond bracelet on last.

  Downstairs, Jack's boxes were all gone, but Lily was home and ready to do my hair, teasing and setting it while telling me the latest news of the bar and how her builders managed to cut through a section of pipe work and flood the place only that morning.

  I dropped Lily off at the bar, waiting as she kissed the Ferrari goodbye, and drove to Chilton just as the rush hour began to pick up. By the time I got there, I had precisely thirty minutes to poke around my new "home" and get used to the space so my deep cover looked natural. After all, this was where Ben thought I lived, so I'd better act like it. Parking the Ferrari outside, I took a long look around for Solomon's car, but it was missing and his house appeared empty. Not that it mattered; he would turn up, ready for watching over me like a guardian angel.

  Solomon's neighbors' home was gorgeously decorated, like it was lifted from the pages of a magazine. I dropped the keys onto the hall console and slipped off my shoes, feeling quite at home as I moved around the elegant house. Everything was just right and discreetly expensive. If I had to live here for real, I wouldn't object. However, I would probably remove the tiny video cameras Solomon and the crew had installed around the house, the live feeds of which were streaming straight to the bank of screens Solomon told me he set up in his spare bedroom. Not that he invited me in to see it. The niggling anxiety in the pit of my stomach couldn't help feed the wonder that maybe, just maybe, Solomon's beautiful house guest had something to do with my lack of invite.

  Was she watching me poke around this house? I wondered. Did she know that not so long ago, I'd been more to Solomon than just an employee? And did she care? Biggest question: when did Solomon have a chance to meet her? As far as I was aware, he was no social butterfly. He worked, worked, and worked some more. Did he know her before he met me? Before we shared intimate moments? Or was he so bowled over by her beauty that she used it to her advantage and moved in on my...

  "Whoa!" I said to the empty pristine, black granite and oak kitchen. "Don't go there!" Solomon was most definitely not my man.

  Before I could analyze my thought processes any further, the doorbell rang, sending chimes tinkling through the house. I took my time walking to the door, after stepping into my patent leather black pumps, smoothing my hair, and giving my reflection an appreciative look. I looked damn fine and I wasn't even being vain. My hair hung loose and glossy about my shoulders, the mid-lengths in a gentle curl that looked natural and not like it took Lily forty minutes and a truckload of swearing at the heated brush. My dress was short, black, and perfectly fitted; and, on this occasion, from my own closet. I did, however, borrow the diamond ear studs from my sister, and Solomon, clearly calling in a favor with the bracelet. I didn't know from whom or where, but I could tell the diamonds was the real deal. Like the house, it was discreet, classy, and very expensive. I bet it cost more than a year's salary. Maybe even two.

  My cell phone trilled so I plucked it from my purse. The text was from Solomon. “Stop preening and answer the door,” it read. Jerk. He didn't even issue a compliment. I'd obviously paled into insignificance next to his supermodel girlfriend, I thought, pouting sulkily in the mirror. I turned in the general vicinity of the nearest camera, stuck out my tongue, and prepared to answer the door, remembering to stand straight, with my shoulders back.

  My date-slash-suspect-number-three was even better than his photographs. By “better,” I mean my tongue flopped out of my mouth and licked the door frame before I rolled it back up. He was hot. Hottie McHoterson hot. Tall, athletic. Dark brown hair, short on top. Clean-shaven with a strong, square jaw and the most mesmerizing brown eyes. He smelled delicious. If there were a catalog of men I could date, I would pick him first, no problem.

  "Wow," he said, casting an appreciative glance from my top to my toes. "Looks like I struck the big time."

  A blush crept over my cheeks. Now that was a comment I liked hearing. I hoped Solomon was taking notes, not that it would do me any good. Come to think of it, I don't even know why I thought about him so much. And now was most definitely not the time. Hello, Hottie!

  "Great to meet you," I said, holding out my hand. Ben took it in his, leaning closer, and kissing me on the cheek. Then I died and went to heaven. Not really. Actually, we got into the back of his chauffeur-driver town car and went to dinner.

  Ben chose Riverside for our date, a very fancy fish restaurant that, funnily enough, was located next to a river. So, it wasn't a marina with yachts bobbing on soft waves, but the owners had plenty of boating memorabilia. Lifejackets and oars decorated the white walls along with a large, black and white photo triptych of a catamaran leaping waves.

  "Which interests you most? Sailing or art?" Ben asked as we were led past a cluster of other diners to our window table.

  "Art," I said, because I excelled at looking at stuff. "You?"

  "Sailing's my passion," Ben admitted as he took his chair opposite mine. "I have a yacht that I like to take out when the weather is good."

  "Is it moored locally? Well, not locally since we're not exactly close to the sea but..." I struggled for the words.

  "New York. I keep an apartment in Manhattan."

  "So what pulled you away from Manhattan and the yacht to Montgomery? Aren't we a little sleepy for you?"

  "Not hardly. I find Montgomery a very refreshing town; plus, it's close enough to Boston if I want some city life. I feel I can relax here. Is that what drew you here too?"

  I shook my head. "I grew up here."

  "In Chilton?"

  "No. I moved there recently." Yeah, like an hour ago. Ben smiled politely at that and didn't probe any further. Instead, he looked up as the waiter approached with the wine menu, and browsed it for a moment. "Shall we have white?" he asked. "Any preference?"

  "Why don't you order after we've chosen our meals?" I suggested. "Wine says a lot about a man." Okay, so I made that up. Really, it said a lot about this woman. It said I didn't know much about ordering wine and I was pretty certain the wine stashed in my apartment's kitchen wouldn't meet Ben's expectations. It was a lot closer to an "Oops, my paycheck ran out" budget than my fake heiress status; but then, how did I know if Ben wasn't a fraud too?

  With such a handsome, attractive man giving me interest, it was at times, a little hard to remember why I was there: to catch him out in a lie, if not entice him to commit a crime. He was in no way an actual date because even if he were bonafide, I wasn't. Yet as we talked, I found myself liking him, his easy personality, the way he could turn anything into humor, along with the casual comments he made about his life and hopes. Even the indiscreet moments where we swapped stories of our worst dates (I left out David's) were funny. As he insisted on taking care of the bill, then escorting me hand-in-hand to the waiting car, I found myself hoping he wasn't the guy we were looking for. Yet, all the attributes I found so attractive about him were all the ones that would gain him the confidence of any healthy woman.

  "Allow me," said Ben, exiting the car first and extending his hand. I took it, allowing him to help me out of the car. My heel caught the curb and I stumbled into him, pressing my hands against his firm chest. I looked up, my heart beating faster as he dipped his head. Instead of setting me to rights, his lips landed softly on mine with the most delicate kiss. When he stepped away, I was breathless. "Good night, Lexi. Until we meet again." He disappeared into the town car and blew me a kiss, speeding away as I stood on the sidewalk watching him leave.

  "Get a grip," I told myself, "It was just a kiss." I gave myself a mental shake before turning to walk up the steps of the house, and letting mys
elf in. Almost as soon as I entered, my cell phone rang.

  "Debrief," said Solomon.

  "Okay, Snappy. I was just gathering my thoughts."

  Solomon breathed. I held the phone with my shoulder and head cocked to one side while I undid the wire under my dress and pulled it out. I wound it up and put it in its little pouch.

  "He was nice," I said finally. "You heard everything he asked me. Very attentive, interested, polite. The perfect gentleman. Almost too perfect."

  "How did he compare to Lord Camberwell?"

  "Both definitely extracted enough information from me to make some kind of judgment on whether I was a good target. Justin was a bit pushier. Ben held back a little, I think. I doubt it was due to lack of confidence. Something else, maybe, but I can't put my finger on it. He left me with a good impression. A better one than Justin."