“You’re one of the few who believes that, which is why I like you.” I leaned back in the chair and stretched my legs out in front of me. “So … did you hear about the body found in the river this morning?”
Andre arched an eyebrow as he mimicked my pose. He gave the impression he was calm and relaxed, but I could tell he was interested. “I might have heard a bit of buzz.”
“And what did you hear?”
“I heard that someone died and the sheriff was down at the river by the city park to fish him out. It must be someone big if the sheriff was down there.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You don’t know anything.”
Andre balked. “I know you down here asking questions so you think it must have something to do with us. I’m anxious to get a name because Big Willy from two blocks over hasn’t been heard from in two days, and if he’s dead … well … that’ll change things.”
I had no idea how and I wasn’t really interested in why. “It’s not Big Willy, although that is an awesome name. It’s much better than Andre without a last name.”
Andre scowled. “Will you let that go? I have no idea why you’re so freaked out by the fact that I don’t go by a last name.”
“It’s all kinds of stupid,” I shot back. “You act as if you’re Elvira or something, but you’re no Elvira.”
Andre furrowed his brow, his dark skin gleaming beneath the sun. He was handsome in a Straight Outta Compton way, but I knew better than to relax too much in his presence. He was always nice and helpful to me, but I couldn’t delude myself into thinking he was that way with everyone.
“Who is Elvira?”
“Oh, I don’t even know why I spend time with you.” I made a face. “You’ve got a phone. Google it sometime. We don’t have time for it now. Eliot is expecting me in town for an update, and he gets weird when I’m not where I say I’m going to be.”
“Yeah, he seems a little protective,” Andre agreed. “He’s kind of an intense dude.”
That was interesting. I slid my eyes to Andre. “Has he ever said anything to you? I warned him about coming down on you. If he’s said something … .”
Andre held up his hand to silence me. “He’s never said much, but he’s made his feelings known about you hanging around this neighborhood.”
“What did he say?”
“If something happens to you on my watch he’ll kill me.”
That was a rather blunt response. “Do you believe him?”
Andre nodded. “He’s not the type to say something he don’t mean.”
“No. I guess not.”
“It’s okay. I don’t want anything to happen to you either.”
“Oh, that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.” I poked his side even though I knew it was probably considered rude, and leaned back so I could absorb some of the sun. “As for the body, his name was Terry Brucker, and he was a political aide for Tad Ludington.”
“That dude you hate?”
“I hate a lot of dudes.”
“That dude you really hate?”
“That’s the one.” I nodded in confirmation. “I’m not sure how Brucker died yet. Jake wasn’t talking this morning. It could be an accident, but … it doesn’t feel that way.”
“It definitely wasn’t an accident,” Andre said. “I had no idea who died, but I know that whoever it was had a bullet hole in his back. That’s what Anita said, anyway.” He inclined his chin in the direction of the woman I’d noticed earlier. “She works at the diner over by the hospital and heard some of the emergency peeps talking.”
Hmm. That was interesting. “Do they know how long he was in the water?”
“They said sometime last night,” Anita answered, her eyes dark as they locked with mine. “Now you have your information and you can go.”
I didn’t bother to hide my smirk as I glanced to Andre. “She likes you, huh? She’s worried that I’m going to somehow steal you from her.”
“I ain’t worried about you one little bit,” Anita fired back. “You ain’t worth worrying about.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I waved her off. “I have my own man. I’m not interested in yours.”
“You should be so lucky as to get with my man,” Anita snapped.
“Wow.” I grinned at Andre. “You know how to pick them, don’t you?”
Andre shrugged. “I go for looks over substance. Your man went for substance over looks.”
“Oh, that’s sweet. I … wait a second.” I made a face. “Are you saying I’m not cute? I’ll have you know that I’m freaking adorable when I want to be.”
Andre snorted. “I find you adorable all the time. But that dude you hang out with made it very clear that I’m never supposed to find you attractive. And he terrifies me.”
I’d witnessed Eliot in action a time or two. “I can see that.”
“He cares for you and seems to think it’s funny that you got a big mouth,” Andre added. “With that mouth of yours, you need a terrifying dude to have your back.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I offered up a half-hearted wave as I stood. “If you hear anything, you know where to find me.”
“Are you hoping to take down that dude you hate with this story?”
That was an interesting question. “I want to know who killed him … and why. If Tad goes down in the process, I’m fine with that.”
Andre’s gaze was speculative. “You know, you kind of terrifying, too, when you want to be.”
I didn’t bother to hide my smile. “That’s the way I roll.”
ELIOT STOOD BEHIND THE counter in his pawnshop when I walked through the front door thirty minutes later, another twenty minutes of conversation with Andre fueling my busy mind. He was focused on a ledger and didn’t look up, but that didn’t stop me from launching into a diatribe all the same.
“The parking situation is stupid.”
“Hey, Trouble.” Eliot’s voice was even. “I was about to send a search party out for you.”
I stilled. “Why?”
“Because I heard about the body this morning. That the dead guy is Tad Ludington’s aide. I thought for sure you were off kicking him until he retaliated, and I was worried he stuffed you in the trunk of a car or something.”
“Oh, that’s kind of sweet.” I grinned as I leaned over the counter and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ve had a busy morning.”
Eliot wrenched his eyes from the ledger and focused on me. “Do I even want to know?”
“I don’t know. Let’s find out.”
Eliot heaved a sigh. “I already know you talked to Jake this morning because he called.”
“He called?” That didn’t sound good. “What did he say?”
“He said that you were eager to go after Tad and mentioned pulling his divorce documents. He thought that I might want to keep an eye on you because he’s worried you’ll push Tad to the breaking point given the fact that the election is so close.”
I flicked my eyes to the backroom when the door opened to allow Eliot’s salesclerk Fawn – no, that’s her real name and it’s just as stupid as it sounds – to stroll into the room. She wore a low-cut top that left nothing but nipples to the imagination, and the look she shot Eliot was one of pure adoration.
“I found the antique humidor you were looking for.” Fawn handed the item in question to Eliot. “It’s really beautiful. You have wonderful taste.”
“Thank you.” Eliot kept his eyes on me. “I don’t want you chasing Ludington around and poking him until he pokes back, Avery. I think we need to talk about this.”
Fawn pushed out her bottom lip when she realized Eliot wasn’t going to pay attention to her. “At least you have wonderful taste in some things,” she muttered.
I snorted as I rested my elbows on the glass counter. “Did you hear that? She thinks your taste is lacking when it comes to me.”
Fawn balked. “I didn’t say that.”
“You did, too,” I shot back. “You’re completely transp
arent. I’m not an idiot, and I know what you’re doing.”
“Eliot, do you hear the way she’s talking to me?” Fawn adopted a whiny tone that made me want to punch her in the face. “I can’t believe you’re letting her verbally abuse me in this manner.”
“She’s not verbally abusing you,” Eliot shot back. “Trust me. If she decides to verbally abuse you, you’ll know it because the locusts will start descending.”
“Yeah.” I smirked as I tapped my fingers on the glass case. “Now, as much fun as it is to talk to you, Fawn, I need to talk to Eliot for a few minutes. I’m on a bit of a timetable.”
Fawn’s expression darkened. “I can’t believe he warned me to respect you when you show no respect for me.”
“Yes. The mere fact that he did that keeps me up at night,” I drawled. I made small shooing motions with my fingers. “I’m not joking. I have things to do and messing with you isn’t on the list.”
Fawn turned a pair of piteous eyes on her boss. “Eliot, she’s being mean.”
“This is not her being mean,” Eliot shot back, his temper flaring. “This is her being impatient. Now, Fawn, we’ve talked about this. You’re either going to coexist with Avery or … you’re going to go. I’m not backing off on that.”
Fawn was upset. “Well. I guess I’ll go over there and dust the shelves or something since I’m not needed here.”
Eliot forced a smile. “That would be great.” He waited until Fawn moved to the other side of the showroom – her unhappiness on full display – before speaking again. “As for you, I’m not going to lie. I’m worried that you could push Ludington to the point of no return.”
“I’m not worried about Tad in the least,” I countered. “He’s not the type to murder someone. He doesn’t have it in him.”
“If pushed far enough anyone is capable of murder,” Eliot argued. “You have a certain ability to derange people that makes me nervous.”
“And yet I’ve survived until now,” I pointed out. “Don’t worry. I’ve got everything under control.”
Eliot muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t quite make out. I was fairly certain I heard the phrase “going to be the death of me,” but I pushed it out of my mind. I had more important things to focus on.
“So, I stopped and talked to Andre … .”
“Oh, geez.” Eliot slapped his hand to his forehead. “I’ve warned you about hanging out with that guy. He’s dangerous … and I think he’s killed more than a few people in his day.”
I’d guessed the same myself but that didn’t mean I was going to back down. “He likes me. It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine, but … you’re in one piece so I’ll let it go until we’re alone tonight.”
That sounded potentially kinky. “And what are you going to do then?”
“Lock you in the closet until you promise to behave.”
“Yeah, we’ll talk about sex games later.” I flashed a flirty smile that I knew Eliot would return and would drive Fawn away in the process. “Anyway, Andre says that he can’t see anyone from their side of the street killing Brucker because there’s too much law enforcement presence thanks to the festival. He thinks whoever did it was from our side of Gratiot.”
“How did Brucker die?” Eliot asked. “Jake said he wasn’t releasing cause of death yet.”
“He’s not, but one of Andre’s girlfriends is a waitress at a diner by the hospital and she overheard the paramedics say that he was shot in the back.”
Eliot’s eyebrows winged up. “So he was murdered.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why?”
“No, but I stopped in at Tad’s campaign office and talked to a volunteer. She hates him, by the way, but was forced to be there for credit in her political science class. Tad has been sexually harassing her.”
“Is that true or did you make that up?”
“I don’t make things up.”
“Two days ago you told me you thought the neighbor was spying on us in the pool and it turned out to be a solar lantern.”
“That was a mistake, not a lie.”
“Well, I want to make sure you don’t make any mistakes on this one,” Eliot clarified. “Do you think the girl is telling the truth?”
I cocked my head to the side, considering. “Definitely,” I said after a beat. “She hates him and Tad treats her like an idiot because she’s female. He said only males could understand his election plan. She’s extremely annoyed. I don’t blame her.”
“So what’s your next step?”
That was a good question. “I have to run to the office and talk to Fish. I’m guessing the sheriff’s department will issue a news release, and I need to get everything organized so I can come up with a firm plan on where to look.”
“Okay. Keep in touch and be safe.” Eliot leaned forward and gave me a kiss as Fawn made a disgusted sound in the background. “Don’t do anything stupid, Avery. If you need someone to go with you to question people, you know where to find me.”
“That’s sweet.” I patted his arm. “I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t want to interfere with your independence, but I want you safe. If you have doubts, call me. I’ll drop everything and help without pressing you on the details. That’s how worried I am.”
It was a nice offer. “It’s going to be okay. I have everything under control. Trust me.”
“Ugh. Those words strike fear in my heart.”
I smirked. “It’s going to be a fun couple of days.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”
7 Seven
The Monitor newsroom was quiet when I entered. Marvin worked afternoons and hadn’t yet arrived for his shift and most of my co-workers were out scrounging up stories. That allowed me to approach Fish with plenty of attitude, which was exactly how I liked to tackle him when I was working on a big story.
“Terry Brucker was murdered,” I announced, leaning over the side of his cubicle wall and glancing at the open bag of peanuts he was munching. “Where did you get those?”
Fish gave me a sidelong look. “The grocery store and, no, you can’t have any.”
“Did I ask?”
“No, but you generally don’t ask. You take … and give nothing back but headaches.”
Oh, well, good. He was in a great frame of mind. “Did the sheriff’s department send a news release?”
“Yes, but they didn’t mention murder.” Fish rummaged through the stack of printed pages on his desk and handed me the one I wanted. “They said it was a suspicious death, but the investigation was ongoing. How do you know he was murdered?”
I told him about my visit with Andre, doing my best to position my body so I didn’t have to look at my office nemesis Duncan Marlow, whose upturned snout was clear indication he was showing interest in our conversation. When I was done, Fish made a tsking sound with his tongue as he shook his head.
“You shouldn’t be hanging out with those guys. You could get yourself in trouble.”
“I don’t think Avery cares about being in trouble,” Duncan offered as he loitered near the fax machine. “In fact, I think she likes the idea of trouble because she’s demented and obnoxious.”
That was rich coming from him. “Don’t you have a Civil War reenactment to dress up for?” I challenged. “Last time I checked, you weren’t a part of this conversation.”
Duncan closed the remaining distance, a haughty look on his face. “I am part of this conversation because I’m part of the election coverage team.”
That was news to me. “Since when?”
Duncan looked hopefully to Fish. “Since now.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Fish. “You failed to mention that when we talked this morning.”
“That’s because it wasn’t a done deal.” Fish uncomfortably shifted in his chair. “It’s still not a done deal. Duncan merely suggested that he might be of help because we have such a busy weekend in front of us.
”
I was instantly suspicious. Duncan never volunteered to work weekends. Technically I didn’t either, of course, but because I knew it was a necessary evil at times – and the stories were often legendary – I occasionally fancied myself a selfless human being. That didn’t mean I was going to open my arms and accept Duncan onto the election team without putting up a fight.
“I think it’s a bad idea,” I supplied. “Duncan should stay in the office and do … whatever it is he normally does. We don’t need him on the election team.”
Fish kept his face impassive. “And why do you believe that?”
“Because he’s a pain in the butt and I don’t want to deal with him.” What? There was no reason to lie. Fish knew the truth; he was merely testing me. I wasn’t about to break my streak and suck up now. “Make him clean the bathrooms or something. That’s where his talents are best utilized.”
“Oh, ho, ho.” Duncan let loose a hateful expression. “That’s so funny I forgot to laugh.”
“And that comeback is so old I just looked over my shoulder because I thought my grandfather was in the room,” I said. “If you don’t mind, we’re having a discussion … and it doesn’t involve you. That means you should go someplace else.”
Duncan wasn’t about to back down. “I am part of this discussion. Tell her, Fish.”
“Yeah, tell me, Fish,” I drawled, meeting my boss’s gaze with overt disdain. “Tell me how you’re going to risk our very important election coverage – on a seat that could change the balance of power on the county board – and allow Duncan to mess with potential success.”
“Hey! I understand everything there is to understand about this election,” Duncan shot back. “I’m an asset.”
“Take out the E and the T and you’ve got that right.”
It took Duncan a moment to grasp what I said. “Listen here, you little jerk, I happen to … .” Whatever he was about to say died on his lips because Fish picked that moment to raise his hand to silence us both.
“I don’t think this is the time for one of your petty arguments,” Fish intoned. “We have an important election in front of us and we can’t afford to screw up.”
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