Extra! Extra! Dead All About It

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Yes, well, you’re not in her position. Devon doesn’t strike me as the sort of woman who would leave notes on windshields.”

  He sounded agitated. This wouldn’t end well for me. I was certain of that. “Maybe it was someone else … like Duncan.” His name popped into my head. “Maybe he’s upset because he doesn’t get to be a member of the election team.”

  The look Eliot shot me was withering. “Are you trying to irritate me?”

  “No.” I honestly wasn’t. I wanted to make him feel better, but I was terrible at it. “I don’t know what to do for you.”

  Eliot blinked three times, slowly, and then licked his lips. “You stay right there. I’ll come collect you.”

  The conversational shift threw me for a loop, and I could only stare at the door he slammed shut before hurrying to my side of the truck and opening my door.

  “Come on.” Eliot gestured for me to hop down while his eyes busily tracked the quiet street.

  If I still lived in Roseville, people would be out drinking on their front porches and setting off fireworks because – well, because that’s what people in Roseville do. I’ve never understood the fireworks thing.

  In this new neighborhood, however, the second the sun sets everyone flees inside and it’s quiet. No one sets off fireworks in this subdivision unless it’s the Fourth of July, and even then they’re dignified and stop shooting them off at midnight. It was a very polite – and boring – neighborhood.

  “It’ll be okay, Eliot.” I was surprised when he grabbed me by the waist and shoved me in front of him, prodding me toward the door as he scanned the trees on the east side of our yard. It was only after he shoved me through the front door, killed the internal light so he could stare out without incurring a glare, and essentially forgot I was with him that I realized what was truly going on. “You just used your body as a human shield.”

  “What?” Eliot didn’t glance over his shoulder, instead staring out the front door.

  Oh, there was no way I was going to let him get away with that. “You used your body as a human shield,” I repeated. “You actually thought someone might have followed us home, hid in the bushes and would try to shoot me, so you covered me so you’d get shot instead.”

  Eliot slowly, very deliberately, turned to face me. “So what?”

  “So … that’s … .” I couldn’t find the appropriate words.

  “Don’t even think about picking a fight,” Eliot warned, stalking toward the kitchen. “I’m not in the mood to fight.”

  I watched him, two emotions warring for supremacy as he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and twisted off the top while pinning me with a challenging look. I wasn’t sure how to tackle this. It was out of my wheelhouse, so to speak. Still, Eliot looked so worried I couldn’t ignore it, even though that was my initial inclination.

  “We don’t know that whoever left that note is dangerous,” I started.

  “No, we don’t.” Eliot’s voice was flat. “We do know that whoever left that note followed us from Macomb to Oakland County and then waited in the dark until we went inside to leave a note.”

  “It wasn’t a very scary note … and all the words were spelled correctly.”

  Eliot’s face was blank. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “It’s far more likely that someone willing to attack wouldn’t take the time to spell everything correctly. In this day and age, with all the texting and stuff, most people don’t know how to spell. This individual clearly bucks that mold. It fills me with … hope.”

  Eliot narrowed his dark eyes. “Are you trying to be funny?”

  “Is it working?”

  “No.”

  I should’ve seen that coming. I sighed. “What do you want me to do, Eliot?”

  “I don’t know. I’m curious why you’re not freaked out about being followed.”

  “Because this is hardly the first threatening note I’ve ever gotten. In fact, if you remember correctly, when I first met you it was because I was receiving threatening notes. That didn’t turn out so bad.”

  Eliot’s lips quirked. “No, it didn’t. You were afraid enough to get a gun back then, though. I remember the look on your face when you entered my store.”

  “That was sexual attraction. I took one look at you and wanted to see you naked.”

  “It was more than that.”

  “I guess, but it wasn’t solely fear,” I argued. “I didn’t even want to get a gun, but Derrick kept going on and on about protecting myself. I’m not sorry I bought that gun because I met you, but it’s not as if I’ve ever used it.

  “As for this,” I continued, “I refuse to be afraid because some moron is skulking around in the bushes trying to frighten me. I mean … we don’t know if it’s a kid or Tad. It could be anyone, and that means I might not really be in danger.”

  Eliot was sincere. “I want you to be careful, though. For some reason – and I’m not sure how to explain it – I have this big brick of dread in the pit of my stomach and it makes me unbelievably nervous. I can’t help worrying that you’re going to find trouble.”

  “I probably will find trouble, but that doesn’t mean I’m in danger. That simply means that I’ll most likely cause Tad to cork off and threaten me. That’s hardly new.”

  “I know, but I can’t shake the fear. You’re not going to be able to make me do it, so don’t bother trying. It’s simply something I have to get through.”

  “I guess that’s fair.” I absently scratched at my cheek. “I don’t want you spending all your time worrying about me. I’ll feel guilty and take it out on you if you do.”

  Eliot snorted before taking a swig of his beer. “Only you would assuage your guilt by punishing me.”

  “Yes, well, I’m multifaceted weird.”

  “You are.” Eliot drained the rest of the beer and put the empty bottle on the counter before opening his arms. I wordlessly stepped to him, smiling as he tightened his arms around me. “I’m going to be helping you on this case if I feel it’s necessary.”

  “Okay. Does that mean you’re going to be watching me all day tomorrow?”

  “No. I’m golfing in the morning. I want you to promise not to go to the festival without me if you can help it.”

  That was an interesting caveat. If you can help it. I could drive a truck sideways through that opening. “I promise. I hope to avoid the festival all day tomorrow if I can. The politicians are holding all their rallies Sunday, so that’s when I want to go. I don’t even think most of them are going to be down there tomorrow. I heard through the grapevine they’re all having private donor dinners at restaurants and country clubs.”

  “So you’ll stick close to home tomorrow?” Eliot’s expression reflected relief and suspicion.

  “Yes. That’s the plan. I have to be downtown on Sunday, though. I won’t be able to get out of it.”

  “We’ll handle Sunday on Sunday.” Eliot pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “For now, I think we should go to bed so you can make me feel better.”

  I snorted. “That sounds … convenient.”

  “I promise it will be convenient for both of us.” Eliot slung an arm over my shoulders, pulling up short when we were on the other side of the room. “Speaking of that gun, I don’t remember seeing it when we moved. You didn’t give it to me for the gun safe.”

  “I didn’t know you wanted it for the gun safe.”

  “Where is it?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I put it in a Star Wars cookie jar or something. I can’t remember.”

  Eliot balked. “You don’t remember where you put your gun?”

  “I didn’t know I was supposed to remember where I put it.”

  “Oh, geez.” Eliot slapped a hand to his forehead. “You’re going to be the death of me. I just know it.”

  I offered up my best flirty wink. “What a way to go, huh?”

  Eliot scowled. “You drive me crazy.”

  “Right bac
k at you.”

  “THIS IS A NICE house.”

  Because it made Eliot happy – and also allowed me to be lazy – I invited Lauren to the house the next morning. She brought her laptop, and I put on my best “I’m a good hostess” face while giving her a tour.

  “We like it,” I said, watching as Lauren set up her laptop in the kitchen. “We’ve only been here a few weeks, so we’re still unpacking and decorating.”

  “Is that something you do together?”

  I shrugged. “It’s something we’re working on. Our tastes don’t exactly mesh. In truth, I eventually ceded the house to Eliot so he can decorate it, and he’s given me the basement for all my Star Wars stuff.”

  “Yes, I saw all your Star Wars stuff during the tour,” Lauren said, grinning. “It’s pretty cool … if not a little bit juvenile.”

  “There’s nothing juvenile about Star Wars. It’s not like it’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or something.”

  “I stand corrected.” Lauren bobbed her head in thanks when I shoved a soda in front of her. “So you and Eliot are living together, but not married, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “Does what bother me?”

  “That he would rather live with you than marry you?”

  The question caught me off guard, although I don’t know why. It was a perfectly legitimate question, yet it surprised me coming from Lauren. I shrugged. “I haven’t given it much thought. I don’t think we’re ready to get married.”

  “But you’re not ruling it out, right?”

  “I don’t know.” I tilted my head to the side, considering. “I guess not. I’m not sure either one of us is the marrying type. I’m perfectly happy with the way things are.”

  Lauren gave me a long look. “Do you want to know what’s weird? I think you’re telling me the truth.”

  “Why wouldn’t I tell you the truth? I only lie to my mother.”

  “Oh, honey, we all lie to our mothers.” Lauren waved off the joke and grinned. “As for you and Eliot, there’s something interesting about the way you interact. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s intriguing.”

  “You’ve only seen us together once,” I pointed out.

  “That’s not quite true. I saw you together at the aquarium one day. It was only for a minute, but you seemed deep in conversation. I also saw him around without you – this was mostly before we met – and I found him interesting even then.”

  My jealous nature came out. “How interesting?”

  Lauren chuckled. “Not that interesting. I knew he was taken. I found it interesting that every woman there tried to get his attention, but he was only interested if they brought drinks or food, and then he immediately dismissed them.”

  “He’s a very food-oriented person,” I agreed. “That sort of thing always piques his interest.”

  “At the time I thought he might be gay or something, which would explain why he wasn’t interested in twenty-something girls with push-up bras and breathy voices. Then I heard he had a girlfriend and your name came up.”

  I couldn’t help being smug. “Yes, I’m infamous in certain circles.”

  “You certainly are. In some circles you’re considered the Devil. Not a devil, mind you, but the Devil. People are certain you’re the antichrist come home to roost.”

  “I can see that.” The charge didn’t bother me. “I’m sure you heard stories before we met. Did I live up to the hype?”

  Lauren shrugged. “Yes and no.”

  My smile slipped. “I didn’t live up to the hype?”

  “I expected an immature brat who wanted to take over the universe. I got a sometimes-immature adult who puts on a good show and knows how to get what she wants.”

  “I’m fine being immature,” I noted. “People use it as an insult, but I never think of it that way. Maturity isn’t some virtue. I don’t care for my tombstone to read, ‘Here lies Avery Shaw, she was really mature.’”

  Lauren giggled. “No. I can see that.”

  “Plus, being immature helps me get my way a lot of the time … and who doesn’t like getting their way?”

  “Good point.” Lauren rubbed the back of her neck, thoughtful. “Still, when I heard that everyone’s resident heartthrob at the aquarium was dating you, I figured there had to be a catch.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “A catch?”

  “Yeah, like maybe you were really good in bed or maybe you had something on him and forced him to date you. I’m not joking about everyone being in love with him. He’s a got a certain … quality, I guess would be the right word … that draws people in.”

  I let my mind drift back to when we’d met – when he sold me the gun – and nodded without hesitation. “He certainly has a quality,” I agreed.

  “Then one day I saw you two together. You were apparently bribing him with doughnuts or something.”

  I snickered. “I often bribe him with doughnuts … and ice cream.”

  “I watched you even though it was invasive.”

  “Was this before or after we met?”

  “After. The day I met you I thought you were funny but potentially crazy. I thought you might get me in trouble. I knew that you would use me to get information, and I felt the need to be on my toes because I didn’t want to be bamboozled.”

  “Good word.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So, did I bamboozle you?”

  Lauren shook her head. “You were honest about your intentions. After that I thought you were bright, but driven. I figured you did nothing but focus on work and that you probably didn’t care about anything else.”

  “I do enjoy my work.”

  “Yes, but you also care about other things. I realized that when I saw you with Eliot. The two of you sat on the floor outside the stingray touch tank. I remember thinking, ‘They look good together.’ I didn’t simply believe that because you’re both attractive.

  “I remember thinking it because he never moved his eyes from your face while you were talking, and you actually seemed to listen to him when he explained something to you,” she continued. “I wondered if you were incapable of listening to someone else when I first met you, and then I saw you with him and realized it wasn’t that you were incapable of listening, it was more that you believed few people deserved to be listened to.”

  She wasn’t wrong. “So it was my interaction with Eliot that made you realize I was completely awesome, huh?”

  Lauren snorted. “It was your interaction with Eliot that made me realize you were more than what anyone thought you were. I’d heard a lot of stories about you, but not one of them turned out to be true. Er, well, that’s probably not the way to phrase it. I’m sure a lot of the stories were true. That doesn’t mean they were complete, and you’re too complicated to explain with one story.”

  “Huh.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Is this your elaborate way of saying you’re not going to help?”

  “No, I’m going to help. I’m just warning you that I recognize how you operate and I refuse to let you manipulate me. If you ask me to do something I don’t want to do, I won’t give in and do it simply because you try to bully me.”

  I offered up a wide grin. “I knew I was going to like you right from the start.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Lauren waved off the compliment. “Let’s get to work and see what we can track down, okay? I’m as interested in this case as you are now that I know you might be able to change the outcome of the county commission election.”

  “I’m not out to change it,” I clarified. “I’m simply out to dig up the truth.”

  “I think you want to believe that, but it’s a big, fat lie.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip. “I’m starting to like you less than I did when you first got here.”

  “You’ll live.”

  Crap. She really was just like me.

  16 Sixteen

  The search proved fruitless, and my agitation was palp
able by the time Eliot returned home with lunch. He pulled up short when he realized Lauren was still hanging around, and his eyes widened when they hopped to me.

  “You look a little crazy, Trouble.”

  Lauren barked out a laugh, genuinely amused. “She’s upset because we can’t find the numbers anywhere.”

  “What numbers?” Jake asked, swinging into the room.

  My shoulders instantly stiffened and I shot Lauren a warning look. She clearly didn’t need to be told that Jake wasn’t “in the know” when it came to the packet, so she shut her laptop and affixed a pretty smile to her face.

  “Hello.”

  Jake shifted from one foot to the other as his gaze bounced between faces. “What are you up to?”

  I decided to go on the offensive. “That’s a horrible thing to say … especially after you completely screwed me over yesterday.”

  Jake was affronted. “I did not screw you over. I gave you the information the same time I gave everyone the information.”

  “And you don’t think that’s screwing me over?”

  Lauren let loose with an uncomfortable trill. “I should probably get going.”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” I ordered, extending a finger. “We’re not done.”

  “Done doing what exactly?” Jake pressed.

  “We’re women and it’s a weekend,” I answered. “When hanging out, women do stereotypical stuff like shampoo each other’s hair and have pillow fights.”

  “Yes,” Lauren drawled. “We were just about to start the pillow fight.”

  “You probably shouldn’t say things like that in front of me,” Eliot warned, setting the carryout bag on the counter. “You might excite me.”

  “Every man in the world would be turned on by that prospect,” I said dryly.

  “So true.” Eliot blew me an exaggerated kiss. “We brought plenty of food, Lauren. You should eat with us.”

  “That wasn’t much of an invitation,” Lauren pointed out.

  “It wasn’t meant to be an invitation. That’s how I beg. If you stay, Avery is less likely to kill Jake.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on that,” I warned, my eyes narrowing as I glared at the sheriff. “Did you tell me you were golfing with Jake? I don’t remember you telling me that.”