by Gina LaManna
“Eh, not really interested,” Meg said. “I’ve gotta finish my toe hair removal.”
“But as a former cop, maybe you can help them do their jobs.”
Meg hemmed and hawed, and I could see that I’d piqued her attention. I didn’t really want to be left outside alone with a murder victim and cops, even if they were cops. To me, they were all still strangers, and I longed for a familiar face. Plus, she made one heck of a bodyguard.
“Maybe I’ll stick around. You know, check out the local Tonka talent.” She tiptoed inside the screen door as they parked their cop cars. “I would just need to get rid of this gun real quickly...”
She disappeared inside the house as I walked forward to greet the policemen.
“Evenin’, ma’am,” one of the men said. He shook my hand, his fingers thick as sausages.
“Hello,” I said. “I’m Lacey – I’m the one that called you guys.”
“I’m Officer Pearson.” He had a fairly jolly expression and thick, black hair. An equally thick, handlebar mustache twitched upward in a pleasant smile. The man was round around the waist now, but it looked like there’d been some decent muscle in sight at one point. “You called to report a murder?”
“Yes, I – er, I think so. All I know is that I came outside to grab my pajamas because I forgot them in the car. When I opened the trunk, I found him all crumpled up.”
“Is he still in there?”
“Yeah.”
Officer Pearson scanned over my shoulder. “Could we see him?”
“Oh, sure. Sorry.” I turned and clicked my beeper so the trunk popped open a little bit. “I shut him in there because I didn’t know what to do, and I really don’t like dead bodies. I don’t have a lot of experience with them.”
“Eh, your digestive system gets used to it,” Officer Pearson said. “Anyways, let’s step aside. I have a couple questions to ask you while my partners take a look around.”
Two more cops, these ones blond-haired and medium-sized, poked around a bit before opening the trunk, digging out some crime scene tape and roping the scene off.
“This is the Luzzi property, am I correct?” Officer Pearson led me to the steps, and we sat down. He opened a little notebook and looked expectantly at me.
“Yes. I’m his granddaughter. Mr. Carlos Luzzi let me use the place for the weekend as a getaway. It was supposed to be a vacation. A relaxing thing, and then...” I gestured helplessly towards the poor guy renting space in the back of my car for the night. “It’s been one of those days. My luck has been terrible.”
“I’d venture to say that guy didn’t have a whole ton of luck today, either.” The officer let out a small, dark chuckle, but I didn’t join in. He cleared his throat. “And you just arrived tonight? Who else is here?”
“We pulled in barely a few hours ago. The only other person here is my friend, Meg.” I gestured towards the house behind me. “She’s a former cop herself.”
“Where is she?” he asked.
“She had some, um, business inside. She’ll be out in a minute.”
“Describe the chain of events leading up to your discovery,” Officer Pearson said with a frown.
“Well, we ate dinner here. Chicken. Lots of chicken that we picked up from the grocery store. It was just me and Meg the whole night. She was trying on her knockoff couture when I realized I forgot my pajama bag in the car. Well, technically, Meg moved it on me because she thought it was garbage, which is why I forgot it in the first place. Then I ran out here, popped it open, and bam.”
“Bam,” Officer Pearson chuckled again. “See? You’re already getting used to gallows humor. That’s it then, just you and Meg? Where did you say she is now?”
“She’s attending to her – uh, lady business, but will be back in a minute. She came running when she heard my scream and waited with me.”
As the officer jotted down some notes, I realized my biggest mistake to date. Smacking my forehead with the heel of my hand, I shook my head. “Oh, I almost forgot. There’s three more people here, but I don’t really know them. Completely slipped my mind to mention it because they just got here, too.”
“What do you mean you don’t know them?” Officer Pearson looked rightfully confused.
“I mean exactly what I said. Three strange men just showed up on the doorstep. Pretty odd, actually.”
Officer Pearson’s mouth dropped open. “You have three strange men in this house and a dead man out here, and you just thought to mention them now?”
“Sorry, my brain’s not working all that great,” I said. “And my limbs feel a little bit numb.”
“You must be in shock.”
“No, no.” I stood and waved my hands. “I mean yes, I’m in shock, but that came out wrong. They’re not completely strange—”
“Are they prostitutes?” he asked. “Did you ask them to show up?”
“No...”
“Entertainers?” he pressed.
“No!” I said firmly.
“Strippers?”
“No – listen. My grandmother, Carlos’s wife, invited them up here. I’ve never met them, but apparently she loaned her cabin out to both of us at the same time.” I gestured towards the sprawling place. “So they’re strangers to me, but not to my family. Plus, I don’t think it was them who did this whole thing.”
“Why do you think that?” Now Officer Pearson just looked at me as if I was insane. Then again, maybe I was.
“Well for starters, they just got here, not too long ago. And secondly, Nora invited the Three Musketeers to the cabin because she was trying to play matchmaker. She really wants a great-grandbaby, and she’s doing her best to set me up with a husband. I don’t see how her meddling in my love life translates into one of them putting a body in my vehicle.”
Officer Pearson straightened his shoulders. “I’m confused. You’re single, then?”
“No. I have a boyfriend,” I clarified, rather harshly. “It’s complicated.”
He opened his mouth, and then shut it again. I considered explaining everything, but complicated was enough of an understatement. At the moment, the family ties were a train wreck, plus a tornado, plus an earthquake anomaly.
“I’m going to need to speak to everyone here, individually,” the officer said. “We may have a few more questions for you later, but for now I’ll need to talk to your friend and the three eligible bachelors.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” I stood back and waved him inside. “I’m going to have another glass of wine at the kitchen table. Let me know if you need anything.”
Chapter 9
TWO TO FIVE GLASSES of wine later, I was feeling relaxed enough to ignore most of the weirdness happening around me. That is, until the cops wanted to dredge all that weirdness right back up and talk some more.
“Lacey, can I speak with you for a second?” Officer Pearson stepped into the kitchen, nodding for me to follow him outside. I was slow to stand, so the officer reached over and gently guided me outside by the elbow.
“Why are we outside?” I asked, feeling as if I didn’t have a choice in the matter.
“I want to be real frank with you,” he said, that thick mustache twitching. “I’ve lived in this little town we call Tonka all my life. I like it. I like your grandfather, and I know him well. I’ve even played poker with Carlos on occasion, and he helped my sister’s husband out of a nasty patch awhile back. So I’m asking this in friendly, complete confidence. Why did you call us here tonight?”
“I don’t quite follow your insinuation,” I said. “Can you spell it out for me? There was a dead man. Normal people call the cops.”
Officer Pearson gave a slow nod.
“Oh,” I breathed, feeling my back tighten, and my stomach plummet. “We’re not normal people.”
“Your words, not mine,” the cop said. “Does Mr. Luzzi know about this?”
“Kind of.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m friends with Carlos�
��s head of security—er, his best pal,” I said, ignoring mine and Anthony’s new relationship status for the second time that day, leaving out the boy in boyfriend. “I called and updated him, so I’m assuming he’ll pass the info along to Carlos.”
Officer Pearson looked as if he didn’t quite trust me. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I’d appreciate it if you can let Carlos know that.”
“I’m sorry, of course. I’ll pass along your good intentions.”
“We’ll do an investigation, but what I’m saying is that I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes here. I can tell you’re not being completely honest with me about Carlos, and I’m not sure why – I think you should let him know what’s happening. In fact, tell your grandfather I’ll be in touch,” Officer Pearson gave a head tilt in my direction. “We can figure out how to best proceed for everyone involved.”
“But if someone is killed, shouldn’t you find out who murdered him?” I blurted. I loved my grandfather and I needed my job quite desperately, but I wasn’t a bad person. At least not covering-up-a-murder bad.
“Yes, and we will find the killer.” Officer Pearson shifted, his discomfort showing as his handlebar mustache twitched again. “That’s my point, Lacey. Make sure that your Family’s clean on this one because I can’t sit back and do nothing. I hope you and Carlos truly do have no idea what happened here tonight.”
Everything started to click into place in my head.
The policeman continued, “Our town is known for peace and relaxation. This is the first murder we’ve had in years, and I don’t plan on ruining Tonka’s reputation. Up until now, it’s been a pleasure having Carlos participate in the local community. He brings money to the city and donates handsomely to the church, God bless him. He keeps to himself and mows his lawn. What more can we ask for?”
“I see your point.” In fact, I myself wouldn’t mind a man who donated to the Lacey fund and mowed my lawn. Sounded pretty nice to me. Maybe Anthony liked mowing...
Officer Pearson brought me back to the present as he leaned in, his voice gruff. “But Carlos and us, we had a deal. Make sure he remembers it. Mr. Luzzi can’t be bringing his business here.”
“I understand,” I whispered.
Officer Pearson smiled tightly and guided me from the backyard to the front. “Now, if you need anything, let me know. Do you want me to have a patrol car come by here for the rest of the night?”
“Sure,” I said. “That would make me feel safer, I think. It’ll be hard to sleep knowing what happened here today.”
The officer nodded, but he was interrupted as a Lamborghini as black as the glittering lake sped into the driveway and skidded to a stop. A split second after the car stopped moving, Anthony stepped onto the driveway, blending into the night with his dark hair, dark eyes, and tight black shirt.
In a flash, he found my gaze and strode towards us.
“On second thought,” I turned to Officer Pearson, “I don’t think we’ll be needing that patrol car.”
Chapter 10
“I’M NOT PREPARED FOR you to sleep here,” I said, feeling extremely self-conscious.
“Not a problem for me.” Anthony lay sprawled on my bed looking all too comfortable. He also looked pretty delicious, kind of like the huge piece of tiramisu I’d been dreaming of for weeks, but denying myself due to an upcoming engagement with a tight dress.
In reality, I was more than thrilled Anthony had offered to stay overnight and excited beyond belief at the possibility of stealing some alone time. But the cold, hard truth of the matter was that I hadn’t shaved, showered, or prepared in any way for the fun stuff. I’d thought it was a girls’ weekend, after all.
“I don’t even have pajamas,” I felt immediately lame as I spoke.
“Still not a problem for me.”
“But it’s a little bit of a problem for me.” I crossed the room and perched on the edge of the bed, further away from my man. There was something about being close to Anthony that made my mind shut down, and I needed at least a foot of thinking space. Anthony-the-tiramisu was break-your-diet tempting.
“Why’s that, sugar?” Anthony sat up and gripped my oversized T-shirt so hard he pulled me right up, close and personal.
So much for my space bubble.
The shirt in question didn’t belong to me. Meg had offered up her extra pajamas after mine had been confiscated by the cops. I’d taken her up on it, which in retrospect had been a terrible idea.
I did my best to rock her shirt, but it just wasn’t me. The material was neon pink, sported the letter B combined with the word ITCH across the front in glamorous faux diamonds, and had a low neck that dipped nearly to my belly button. The bottom of the shirt hovered just below my rear end, and though Meg said it was a nighty, the T-shirt most certainly was not. I needed to find pants before I got in trouble.
“Because,” I said, stopping my sentence to watch what Anthony was doing to me. One hand slid under the hem of my shirt and toyed with the thin strap holding my cotton bikini undies together.
“Relax,” Anthony said. “Don’t worry so much.”
Thankfully, before I started mumbling nonsense, Anthony scooped me from below my knees and toppled me onto the bed.
“Hey,” I shrieked, though I couldn’t stop surprised laughter from creeping out. “You touched my butt.”
Anthony rolled me underneath him. He held himself over me, his eyes intently focused on mine. Our faces were so close our breath twirled together in the air, mine coming in rapid, excited bursts. I stared up, pinned under his lithe frame. Anthony was sturdy in a way that said strong, but not body builder, and he carried himself with a grace I envied. Right now, his eyes were pure dark chocolate, as dangerous as I’d ever seen them.
He leaned in, his lips brushing against the sensitive part of my neck just below my ear, and his voice was husky as he whispered, “Just say the words.”
My mind was completely blank. What words? I stumbled for a few phrases and tried for a sentence. “U-uh, ahh. Mm—”
“Sugar, those are not words.” Anthony paused for a moment and focused on my eyes. The way he looked far past my irises and into my soul made me feel as if I was the only girl he’d ever held so close. The intensity of his gaze was almost unnerving.
With a sigh, Anthony rolled over and lay next to me on the bed. His hand, however, didn’t leave my thigh. “You can’t invite me to ‘see your room,’ and then open the door wearing that...that lingerie and not expect me to try something, babe.”
“This is Meg’s old shirt! It’s not lingerie.”
“Well, it shows your butt.”
“It does not.”
“I saw cheek,” he said, hoisting himself up on an elbow, his eyes glimmering with amusement.
The way his eyes sparkled, while his lips quirked up in a smile, melted my heart. A strong part of me wanted to break my Anthony-fast for good. I was pretty sure he could rock my world, since the few times he touched my leg tonight were really enjoyable.
But another part of me wondered if tonight wasn’t the best choice for our first romantic encounter. After all, we were sharing a house with three strange men, my nosy best bud, and a dead body. I didn’t want our relationship to be consummated at the scene of a murder.
“Hey, I know you’ve had a rough day,” Anthony said, his voice gentle as if reading my mind. He leaned in, his fingers trailing lightly through my hair. “I’m just joking with you. Having fun.”
I gave a small smile, my heart full of appreciation. “I didn’t want you to think I’m not interested. It’s just...I want our first time to be special. I don’t want to associate us for the rest of my life with the day I found a body in my car.”
“Stop.” He pressed his lips to my forehead and took a long moment before responding. “I know. I was just trying to distract you from everything you’ve been through, lighten the mood a little. I wasn’t expecting anything.”
“Well, you don’t have to stop having fun,” I said, s
uddenly feeling nervous, as if I’d misread the situation entirely. “I just wanted to be honest.”
Anthony grinned. “For the record, I wouldn’t say no if you changed your mind, but—”
“Now you’re just making me feel bad,” I said. “Stop it.”
“Stop what?” Anthony asked, pulling me in for a long, deep kiss.
“Never mind,” I said, sneaking in a breath. “I forgot what I was talking about.”
“How about you go take a shower and then we talk about what happened,” Anthony said. “It’s not good for you to keep that all cooped up inside.”
“What happened?” I looked confused at him.
Anthony cleared his throat. “The murder. The whole reason I’m here.”
“Oh, that,” I said, blushing. It was incredible how quickly my mind stopped functioning when Anthony began touching me. “Right.”
Anthony ran a hand through his hair, which did nothing to help me regain my train of thought. His biceps tightened with the effort and his locks were just mussed enough to be almost cute. Except that Anthony wasn’t cute – he was scorching. And I’m pretty sure if I ever told him that he looked cute, I probably wouldn’t be dating him for much longer.
“Tell me about what happened,” he said. “Since it doesn’t look like you’re moving towards the shower.”
“You’re really ruining the moment,” I said.
“I’m ruining the moment?” Anthony crooked an eyebrow at me. “What moment? You just told me that nothing was happening here tonight.”
I shook my head, mostly to clear the heat waves shorting out my brain circuits. I was also stalling for time, since I wasn’t particularly in the mood to switch from playful banter to discussing the details of a crime scene.
“Well, I told you the basics,” I said. “I forgot my pajamas in the car, and when I opened the trunk there was a dead guy lying on top of my Target bag.”
