by Loyd, Sandy
“He’s got doubts. And it hurts.”
Her eyes filled with unwanted tears and she quickly wiped them away, not wanting the crowd across the canal to see them. She felt Crystal’s hand over hers as she gave a reassuring squeeze.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?”
Claire smiled through her tears and nodded.
“Now maybe you can understand why I’d just as soon not get involved with Jimbo again. But you shouldn’t feel that way. Jason’s tough, but he’s different. He’ll come around.”
“It’s too late for that. I never should’ve seduced him.”
Crystal gave her a shocked look. “Jason? You seduced him? Are we talking about the same guy?”
“Maybe a little mutual seduction went on.” If Claire hadn’t felt so miserable, her smile would have been more genuine at the disbelief in Crystal’s voice. “But that’s not the point.”
“Mutual seduction or not, Jason’s picky, and he’s not one to make love lightly.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Claire’s smile vanished altogether. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to trust him again. The cost is too high. And it hurts too much.”
“I think we’re going to need that other bag of brownies.” Crystal heaved a heavy sigh and bit into the chocolate square.
Chapter 44
Jason and Jimbo pulled into his driveway. The two hadn’t made it to the front door before Elise’s car came to a complete stop behind Jason’s. Amelia and Chloe jumped out at the same time and ran up to Jason, each wrapping their arms around his waist.
“Hey, pumpkins. How was the week?” He hugged them back and gave each a kiss.
“We missed you,” Amelia said.
“Not as much as I missed you.”
Jason glanced up to see Elise make a graceful exit from her car. As always, she looked as if she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine with every detail attended to, down to the color of her nails matching her lipstick. She was a beautiful woman, but there was a severity about her he noted as she got closer.
He nodded. “Elise. You look good.”
Elise gave him a half nod, making eye contact first with him and then Jimbo.
Jason turned back to the girls and after tousling each head, he said, “Why don’t you two go on upstairs. I’ll be there in a little bit. Uncle Jim and I need to talk to your mom. Okay?”
“Okay,” the girls agreed in unison before scampering inside.
“What’s so important you had to speak to me in person?” Elise asked in a bored tone.
Normally that tone bothered Jason, but today it only amused him.
“Carl Carter,” he said, turning back to her after the front door closed behind the girls. When he smiled, the woman actually blushed. She definitely wasn’t expecting the question.
“Carl’s dead. I saw it on the news the other night,” Elise said, her voice slightly flustered. Then her smile hardened as she recovered. “Obviously your attorney’s been talking.”
“Think I’d never find out?” Jason snorted. “If not, then you haven’t learned much. Things always come back to haunt you.”
“Did you ask me here to give a lecture? If so, you forget. I no longer have to listen to them.”
“You’re right.” And he no longer had to give them. His smile grew into a wide grin. A sense of freedom he never thought to possess encompassed him. “I’m defending the wife, and I need to ask you about your relationship with the victim. Let’s go inside. I have a lot of questions, and it may take a while.”
Elise shrugged. “Sure. Only I don’t see what good it will do.”
Once inside his house, she glanced around and rolled her eyes. “Nice place,” she murmured. “Interesting décor.”
“I like it,” Jason answered, catching up with her while Jimbo, sporting an amused grin, stayed a few feet behind.
As they moved through the living room, Jason caught her horror-filled look after spotting his sofa. Her reaction annoyed him. Although the idea of forcing her to sit on something so ugly had a certain appeal, he couldn’t bring himself to be that cruel. Instead, he led her into the dining room.
Jason made a mental note. Get rid of the eyesore and buy something new, especially now that Claire’s in the picture. Maybe they could go shopping for sofas together.
“Why are you questioning me?” Elise asked, interrupting his thoughts while making herself comfortable on one of the dining room chairs.
After sitting, Jimbo pulled a pen and notebook from his pocket, making a quick note before he focused his attention on Elise.
“According to notes from an investigation Mr. O’Malley was conducting regarding Carl, you were seen going into his hotel room.” Jason had purposely sat across from Elise in order to gauge her expressions while they talked. “Care to tell me about that visit?”
“Since when do you call Jimbo Mr. O’Malley?” Elise practically purred, her smile as fake as a Gucci knockoff. “Also, you’ll have to be more specific on the visits. My memory, you know.”
“Okay. Tell me about your visit on Wednesday, June twenty-third, the day Carter died.” Ignoring her sarcasm, Jason flipped through the report Jimbo had prepared in advance, and then pierced her with an intense look. “That specific enough? You were seen entering Carl’s room at 2:45 p.m. and leaving two hours later.”
“You want a blow-by-blow description?”
“I’m not interested in all the seedy details. I only want to know if Carl was alive when you left.”
“Of course he was alive, though I sucked most of the life out of him.”
“Was that the last time you had any contact with him?”
“Physical contact?”
Jason nodded and paid no attention to her amused smile. If Elise thought she could be a chigger under his skin, as Jimbo would say, she could think again. He was well past caring about her sexual exploits.
“Yes,” she said, answering his question about physical contact. “But we talked on the telephone later that evening, had phone sex.” She was still goading him, he realized, when she caught his eye and said without shrinking, “He was an amazing lover. Something I’ve lacked over the years.”
Jason wanted to laugh but refrained, keeping his face expressionless. “Anything else unusual about the phone call once you finished?”
“It’s really none of your business.”
“Given it may have been the last time anyone heard from him before he was killed, I’m betting the police will want to know. So you’re better off formulating an answer now.”
“Always thinking like a lawyer, aren’t you?” she said, the words spoken with derision.
“Comes in handy.” He finally did show all his teeth. “You might even appreciate having an ex with that skill when the press learns of your involvement. They’re sure to latch onto the love-triangle angle. Has the potential to get a little ugly. You should seriously consider retaining your own lawyer.”
When she shifted in her seat, he smiled inside. His comments had rattled her. “Now that you fully understand the position you’re in, tell me more about your phone call.”
No mistaking her reaction, he thought, observing that overconfident grin fade to concern. His stayed in place, and got even wider.
“We made plans to meet again on Friday,” Elise said. “He was in very good spirits when I talked to him, and very much alive when I hung up.”
“Why not spend the night with him?”
“You forget I had to pick up the girls from the sitter.”
“Okay. What time did you talk to him?”
“About eight,” she offered. “I hung up a half hour later.”
“From your home line?”
“No. A cell phone, one he gave me. I still have it.”
“Can I take a look at it?” Jimbo asked, interrupting Jason’s next question.
“Sure.” Elise nodded, glancing at the PI. “But I don’t have it with me.”
“I’ll come by to pick it up.” Jimbo flashed a lazy smile. “I’ll call befor
ehand.”
“No problem.”
“Why a burner phone?”
Elise turned to Jason and shrugged. “He was always careful about using untraceable phones, for all the good it did him. He told me about his divorce. We consoled each other.” She broke off and stared at a distant point before saying, “But there is one thing that struck me as odd. We traded phones that afternoon.”
“That is odd,” Jimbo said as he looked up from the note he was writing. “Did he offer any reason why?”
When she shook her head, the PI asked, “Do you know offhand if he was seeing anyone else?”
“I kept him pretty occupied, so no. I never suspected another woman.” She snorted. “Of course, I heard all about what that conniving bitch did.”
“Conniving bitch?”
“Crystal Grayson.” Elise spoke the name as if it were decomposing flesh.
“She does play a little rough. Probably why she’s such an effective divorce attorney.” Jimbo waited a heartbeat. “And you never suspected another woman?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
He continued writing in his notebook, ignoring her.
When it was clear Jimbo had no more questions, Jason asked, “What did you do after the phone call?”
“Played a board game with the girls. We all went to bed around ten. I read for a couple of hours.”
“Okay. What about Friday?”
“He wasn’t in the room when I got there, so I left.”
“Why didn’t you contact the police?”
Her shoulder lifted carelessly. “I assumed he went back to his wife, and figured I’d hear from him sooner than later.”
“That didn’t bother you?” It could easily be her motive, Jason reasoned.
Her shrill laugh hurt his ears.
“He was a skilled lover, but no longer had the earning potential I require in a husband. Just so you know, he did offer.”
So much for motive. “Why didn’t you go to the police when you heard about his death in the news?”
“And do what? Give them a reason to suspect me? I’m not that stupid. There’s no proof I was ever there.”
The hard line of Jason’s mouth softened into a curl as his eyebrow quirked. “Now there’s where you’re wrong. I have proof, and soon, so will Deputy Snyder, the investigator in charge.”
Jason asked a few more questions, ignoring her posture of bristling outrage over his statement. He stood when it was obvious they’d get no more useful information.
“I guess that does it. Thanks for coming,” he said, and as she walked out, one thought remained.
How had he ever stayed married to her for so long?
• • •
Jason turned to Jimbo once the sound of the front door closing filled the silence. “This whole thing keeps getting more interesting.”
“Too bad the guy’s dead. He and Elise seem like a perfect couple.”
“They do, don’t they? Maybe she killed him. She had opportunity. Once the girls went to sleep.”
“Where’s her motive?”
“Good point.” Jason sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “I suppose we’d better run this information by Snyder. He’s not going to like the fact that we kept it from him for so long. Could charge us with obstruction.”
“How? My files are confidential. Elise was seen leaving the hotel room on the day of the murder. We investigated, just like he’s doing. Can’t help it if we dug a little deeper, learned they were having an affair.”
Jason nodded. “I’ll call him to give him a heads-up.” He reached for his cell phone.
Jimbo walked up behind him just as he hung up from leaving a message for the deputy.
“He’s off duty until tomorrow morning.” Jason started for his fridge. “Want a beer?” When his friend nodded, he pulled one out. “I’m calling for pizza too. You going to stick around and help me paint?” He handed the beer to Jimbo before opening a bottle of wine and pouring a glass.
“I’d much rather see Crystal than spend the evening working next to your sorry ass.”
“You read my mind.”
Jason wasn’t offended. He’d much rather see Claire. Remembering the way she’d left his car earlier, he sighed and took a lengthy swallow of wine. He had some serious groveling to do. Might as well get to it.
“Let’s give them a call and see if we can scare up some company.”
Jimbo frowned and shook his head. “They’re not gonna want to come over here.”
“Sure they will.” When Jimbo’s expressions said no way, he asked, “Why not?”
“How’d you leave things with Claire? Did you give her that cold, distant look you used to give Elise?”
The noise coming from the back of his throat could only be called a disbelieving snort. “I don’t have a cold, distant look.”
“Wanna bet? You can be a son of a bitch when that moral outrage of yours gets going.”
“Let’s drop it. Your Dr. Phil impersonation’s getting old.”
Jimbo grunted. “Consider it payback for the free labor.”
Refusing to rise to his verbal bait, Jason ignored the comment. “Just to prove you wrong, I’m calling her.” He grabbed the phone and punched in Claire’s number.
After the second ring, a woman’s voice answered with, “Hello?”
“Claire?”
“No. She’s busy. Jason? That you?”
“Hello, Crystal.” He smiled into the phone. “Where’s Claire.”
“Why? Are your ears burning? We’ve been man bashing.”
“Ouch.” Jason cringed. “We’re doing pizza. Got the girls. We could make it a party. I need to make amends.”
“You got that right.” She broke off and Jason held his breath, not sure his peace offering would be accepted. He relaxed his shoulders when she said, “I’m game. Might be good for Claire to get out of the house. The press is outside, so we’re kind of stuck.”
“Jimbo’s here. He can drive my car into Claire’s garage, and you guys hide in it when he leaves.” He gave his friend a smug look. “That is, if you don’t mind seeing him. He thinks you’re avoiding him.”
“Total BS. Jimbo knows avoidance isn’t my style.”
“Good, I’m sure he’ll be relieved. He’s leaving now, so be ready to open the garage. He’ll call as he’s driving up.” Jason hung up and glanced over at Jimbo, grinning. “What?” he asked when the investigator gave him a dirty look.
“I’m picking them up?”
Jason laughed.
“And if I don’t want to?”
“Won’t cut it. You’re dying to, so just go. Bring ’em back. Take my car to throw off the reporters. I’ll order while you’re gone.” As he headed for the staircase, Jason threw him the keys. “I gotta check on the girls. What do you want on your pizza?”
“Surprise me,” Jimbo shouted on his way out the front door.
Chapter 45
Claire narrowed her gaze on her twin as Crystal laughed and said, “The cavalry’s on its way,” as she hung up the phone.
“What do you mean? What cavalry?”
“R & O.” When her eyebrows rose higher, Crystal added, “Roberts and O’Malley. They’re coming to our rescue.”
“Here? They’re coming here? With all those reporters camped out?” Alarmed, Claire shot back, “Jason’s the last person I want to see right now.”
“Chill, will you? Jason invited us for pizza. You’ll get to meet his girls.”
If Crystal thought that would convince her, it did the opposite. Meeting Jason’s girls now wouldn’t be wise. What if she liked them? Oh God. She had a pretty good idea she would, so it would mean one more thing to get over. Getting over Jason was hard enough.
“You go. I’ll stay here.”
“And do what? Wallow? I don’t think so.”
Noting the determination in her twin’s eye, Claire groaned.
Crystal grabbed her hand and practically dragged her toward the bedroom. A
t the closet, she halted and flipped through garments. After yanking an outfit off the hanger, she threw it at her.
“That’ll do.”
“I’m not going.” Holding the new green silk pants and halter top she’d bought with the original idea of enticing Jason, Claire stomped her foot. “And I’m not wearing this. Not tonight when Jason’s kids are there.”
“Yes, you are. Now, change.” Crystal entered her bathroom and started rifling through her cosmetics. “He’s your lawyer, and you need to confront him sooner or later. Trust me, sooner’s better. This way I can be there to give moral support.”
“I can’t,” Claire whispered, still clutching the green silk. “I’d feel funny wearing this.”
“You want a little revenge for the way he treated you this afternoon or not?” Crystal went searching for another outfit.
“I’m not that gutsy. I can’t be like you.”
“Yes, you can.” Crystal handed her some skinny jeans and another green silk blouse, this one a more modest short-sleeved version. “It’s all in your attitude.” She patted the bench in front of the vanity. “I’ll help. We’ll make him rue the day he ever doubted you. Leave him wanting.”
“You really think I can?” Claire complied because some little part deep inside her wasn’t averse to the idea. She smiled when she caught Crystal’s devilish expression in the mirror.
Grinning back, her twin winked. “Trust me.”
Famous last words. She hoped Crystal knew what she was doing.
• • •
Just as Crystal was finishing Claire’s makeup, Claire’s cell phone rang.
“Hit the garage door,” she heard in Jimbo’s smooth voice. “I’m driving up now.”
Claire did as he asked, then stood at the inner door to the garage and waited until the silver Mercedes pulled in. When it did, she quickly hit the button to shut out the nosy reporters.
“They think I’m your lawyer,” he said, once out of the car. “Hopefully, they won’t pay too much attention when I leave.”
Claire sensed Crystal’s presence and watched Jimbo’s gaze go beyond her shoulder. Interesting that he zeroed right in on Crystal, even though Claire was dressed to subtly maim the opposite sex, including makeup and shoes. Few had ever been able to tell them apart, especially when she looked more like Crystal than Crystal did at this moment.
