Perfect Paige

by Ines Saint

  When her eyes met his, they were clear and empty. “Glenn and the kids will be here in about five.”

  Alex nodded once. She looked at the suitcase he was rolling behind him. “You want Glenn to see you moving in?”

  “That’s right.” At least she could put one and one together. “Did Boyd explain what you should say and how you should act?”

  * * *

  Actually, Boyd hardly got a word in when he’d been allowed to come inside Paige’s place. “Don’t worry. I know exactly what to do. But you need to know what to do when it comes to my kids. I call all the shots there.”

  What Paige really wanted to say was, “This is how we’re going to play this, Special Agent Butthole,” and then read him the riot act. But that would get in the way of the first part of her plan, which was to throw him completely off balance. It was obvious he was used to being very much in control. Step two would be to get him to question his current assessments and techniques. Step three would be to renegotiate. He needed to rescind his threats and offer incentives instead. A guarantee that the FBI wouldn’t indict Glenn on the journal if it was found in time would go a long way in motivating her to help.

  Agent Hooke’s expression didn’t reveal a thing. It was like a mask. “Not a problem. How do you want to handle them?”

  She smiled a vacuous smile, sweetened her voice to a degree that annoyed even her, and said, “When Glenn leaves, I’ll introduce the kids to you, because that’s what I would normally do with any neighbor. Of course, I will later explain to them that although you’re a new neighbor, there’s still stranger danger because we don’t know you.”

  His mouth twitched a little when she said the words “stranger danger.” How ridiculous did she have to be before the mask cracked and he really let his contempt show? Before she could turn the tables on him and prove to him how daft he was? “Now, help me decide how googly my eyes should be when I look at you,” she said, careful to make herself appear as sincere as possible without looking like a cartoon.

  “Er, excuse me?” he asked. Crack. Keeping her face straight would be a challenge.

  She got up and walked over to him. “I mean, should I look at you like this?” She looked up at him with a dopey, smitten expression on her face. “Or like this?” This time she studied him a quick moment, as if she was taken aback by his good looks, before quickly looking away, as if looking at him made her nervous.

  His mask was repaired. He studied her for a long moment before saying, “The second one,” in a dry tone. Finally, he was on to her. Or so he thought.

  She widened her eyes. “The ‘surprised by instant lust’ look?” She nodded once and gave him a thumbs-up. “Got it.” And though he didn’t look worried at all, she patted his arm and said, “Don’t look so worried. Yes, you’re a good-looking fellow. But I’m grieving the end of my marriage and so I’m only pretending instant lust. You should be worried about my grandmother and her friends. They might try to cop a few feels, like this.” She gently squeezed the arm she’d been patting and looked into his eyes.

  Crack. His pupils dilated a fraction, and his eyebrows shot up. Paige let go and turned around before he could see her grin. For that one moment, she breathed a little easier. She hadn’t felt that kind of mischievous fun in years. Her sisters would laugh when she told them. As unnecessary and humiliating as it was to have them interrupt their lives for her, it was already doing her good to have them home.

  “I thought Boyd would have told you that I didn’t agree to that part of your grandmother’s plan. I only wanted to be close enough to do a thorough investigation in a short period of time, and to gain your cooperation because you knew Glenn best,” he said to her back. “But I’m relieved you’re okay with physical contact. We also want to make Glenn nervous, and that could help.”

  Paige’s back stiffened, but only for a moment. So, he was on to her already? Good. She thought fast before turning to face him, and made sure to adopt the worried look he was surely expecting. “I don’t want the kids getting the wrong idea, so no hanky-panky when they’re around. But when they’re out of sight, and you have information that Glenn is near, feel free to make Glenn as crazy as you want to.” She pretended to look like a woman scorned. “That’ll make him see what he gave up.” She got close enough to whisper in his ear, “So don’t worry, I’ll be using you, too, Special Agent Hooke.” The last words were the only true words she’d spoken.

  She stepped back. His eyes met hers and something in them sparked. It was a challenge if she’d ever seen one.

  Challenge accepted.

  * * *

  Alex was not liking where this was going. Twice now, he’d gotten the feeling that he wasn’t completely in control. Right now, it was because of the woman standing in front of him. He didn’t know what to make of her. Because she was playing games with him, and that didn’t fit in with his idea of Paige Galloway. And he certainly didn’t know what to make of the way his body had reacted to her touch. A woman he could barely stand should not be turning him on.

  Had she fooled Glenn, too? Making him think she’d be the perfect wife, only to make him so crazy he’d resorted to white-collar crime to get away from both her and his father?

  No, he wouldn’t pin that on her. That had been Glenn’s choice, though women could always be a driving factor into madness.

  But Paige was trying to throw him off balance. She was up to something, and he’d have to play her game to figure out what it was. Something in her voice had smacked of defiance when she’d told him she’d be using him, too.

  Joyless, they’d called him. Maybe it was time for a little fun, all in the name of working a case. Nothing could be better. He cleared his face of all expression, folded his arms, and sent her a quick, serious glance. “As long as you don’t get carried away, Mrs. Galloway.”

  Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but she took a step back, and looked him up and down appreciatively. “Tight shirt. Good move. It shows off your muscles.” She ran a finger down the front of his shirt. “Ruby’s right. Seeing you with your shirt off will drive Glenn nuts.”

  Alex breathed in and out, angry that he couldn’t seem to keep his body under control. This was Perfect Paige. A real-live version of a paper doll, and he’d never reacted to a doll. Not even when he was a pubescent adolescent. “Good. We want to trigger a precipitating event.” In Glenn. Not him, he wished he could remind her.

  “A precipitating event. That sounds about right. Just wait till the kids are upstairs, ’kay?”

  She kept gaining the upper hand. He wouldn’t allow it. “How about instead of playing games, you answer a few questions, Mrs. Galloway.”

  Her eyes flashed. “Try me.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her, but proceeded to grill her about Sunday, April twenty-six . . . and got nothing new for his troubles. All she could remember was that Glenn had stayed in Sherry’s kitchen, agitated and texting a lot, but that it had been normal for him to do that. That evening, she hadn’t even known he’d been gone.

  “Is that all you wanted? To recycle another agent’s questions? Here’s some advice: You should try asking intelligent questions. They might yield some actual intelligence.”

  Before he could answer, the sound of a car slowing down reached their ears, and she jumped back, her expression cleared of the challenge that had been animating it. “They’re here,” she whispered. And for the first time since he’d met her, he caught a glimpse of something real: She looked as if she felt trapped.

  Alex didn’t turn around. He began fixing the mailbox by pulling it back into place with the same crowbar Sherry had used. A car stopped. Doors opened. “Hi, Mom!” a high-pitched voice called. Alex couldn’t tell if it was male or female.

  “Hey, kiddos, how was the first day of school?” came Paige’s muffled voice.

  “We’re not babies,” another voice declared. “But it was good. I already knew most of the kids from the park!”

  “Me, too!” squeaked the first voice.
“I’m in Bailey’s class! And the teacher is nice.”

  Relief poured over Paige as she listened to the kids’ enthusiasm. Everyone kept telling her kids were resilient, but the past months had held too many changes for the kids to be able to keep up. She’d been especially worried about their first day at a new school. But it was true that they’d been able to meet many kids around town before school had started.

  “Who’s that? House falling apart already?” Glenn scoffed when he caught sight of Alex Hooke fixing the mailbox. Soon, Alex would turn, and Glenn would react.

  It was time to get the kids to say good-bye and go inside. “Guess what? Aunt Gracie is waiting upstairs with a surprise!” Paige turned to the kids. A kitten was waiting for them. Paige had adopted it in case the kids had a bad day and missed their old school, so they’d at least have something to look forward to at home.

  “A surprise!”

  “What is it?”

  “Give Dad a hug good-bye first,” Paige instructed.

  “’Bye, Dad!”

  “See you on Friday after school. Be ready by three.”

  * * *

  The kids darted past Alex, but he caught their cursory glances. No doubt they also thought he was a handyman. He turned then, and Glenn’s face went from normal, to pale, to flushed in seconds. “What the hell are you doing here?” he hissed, taking a step forward.

  Paige put a hand to his chest, as if to stop him, though Alex knew Glenn had no intention of starting a fight that he couldn’t win, and that would lead to an arrest. “You know Agent Hooke. Grandma Sherry rented him the apartment across from mine,” she said, keeping explanations at a minimum, as Boyd had no doubt instructed her to do.

  “What?” Glenn spat.

  Neither Alex nor Paige said a thing.

  “What are you up to?” He got into Paige’s face, his voice low and menacing. Alex was next to Paige in an instant, and Glenn backed off, but the tension coming from his body told him that Glenn was so angry, he was about ready to snap.

  “He told Grandma Sherry he wants to help me and the kids by helping you, and this is the best way,” Paige calmly explained.

  “And she believed him! Do you believe him?” Glenn was still talking to Paige, but he was no longer looking at her. He was glaring at Alex, looking as if he was about to pounce.

  She glanced back, as if to make sure the kids were out of sight and earshot. “You threw a grenade into our marriage the minute after you were charged. You left me. For Jasmine. Now I don’t know who or what to believe anymore.” That hadn’t been rehearsed, but it was a good idea. It would get Glenn to believe that Paige was vulnerable and mad enough to turn on him.

  “Jasmine?” Glenn adopted a confused, exasperated tone. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, or what they’re filling your head with, but you need to be reasonable, Paige!”

  “They filled my head with actual pictures, Glenn. Graphic ones.” It amazed him that she kept her cool. The thought that he had underestimated her crept in, but it was not the time to examine it.

  “This is a private conversation,” Glenn ground out at Alex. “Leave.”

  Alex stepped in front of Paige, partially shielding her.

  Glenn’s entire being stiffened to the point that his knuckles went white, his neck veins were bulging, and his jaw was clenched so hard, the muscles around his mouth twitched. He was livid, but he had accepted there was no way to release the anger. His eyes met and held Paige’s, as if Alex was no longer there. “All Agent Hooke wants to do is to use you and the kids to try to get to me—and you’re in on it. It’s your way of getting back at me. Moving the guy who wants to put me in jail right next door. Some mom you are. Worse than your own.”

  Before anyone could blink, Paige’s hand went up and she slapped Glenn across the face. She gave him one last, hard look before turning and stalking inside.

  Alex watched as Glenn’s hand flew to his stone-white face. He turned to Alex, looking as if he’d kill him if he thought he had a chance. “Stay away from my kids, or you’ll live to regret it. You’re a nobody. Don’t forget that.”

  Was that the best Glenn could do? Seriously? But it wouldn’t do to antagonize him. His goal was clear. “Just tell me where the lab journal is, Glenn, and I’ll move out tonight.”

  Glenn stared at him for a good long moment before giving his head a subtle nod and smirking, as if he knew something Alex didn’t. With that, he left. It was Glenn’s equivalent of having the last word. It was also the first time he hadn’t denied taking the journal, and that last look was meant to all but declare that they wouldn’t find it. He’d been mad enough to allow himself to slip, just enough to antagonize Alex, or to throw him off, but not enough to give himself away. Still, it told him something, and it wasn’t a bad start. Identifying a suspect’s emotional triggers was more art than science, especially when it came to white-collar criminals, and finding the right scenario in which to employ those triggers effectively required knowledge about the suspect and some creativity. Ruby, Rosa, and Sherry’s plan had provided a near-perfect scenario, and for that, he was thankful.

  The moment Glenn was gone, Alex finished fixing the mailbox before going upstairs to review the security footage he’d collected. Watching it told him two things. One, Glenn had taken pains to look down the entire time, and careful viewing showed he’d been carrying something thick under his windbreaker until 7 p.m. Whatever he was carrying was thicker than a journal, so he could have been carrying more than one thing. Two, he was seen coming from the north part of town—without the extra bulk—an hour later. Alex now had to piece together where Glenn had been during that hour.

  It was a nice, late summer day and he went out to the small balcony overlooking the yard and sat in the shadows, to think some more. Paige, Gracie, and the kids were in the yard playing with the kitten Paige had gotten for the kids. Their chatter and laughter hadn’t distracted him before, but it kept him from thinking now that he could see what they were doing.

  “What’s that noise?” Tyler asked.

  Paige studied him a moment, as if she couldn’t believe he didn’t know what the sound was. “It’s a vacuum cleaner.”

  “I know, but how come I can hear it?”

  “Because the weather is nice, and people have their windows open.”

  “Is that why I can hear them yelling all the time?” Riley asked, her snark a nearly perfect imitation of her dad’s. “We never used to hear anyone yelling in Hidden Bend.”

  Paige’s voice didn’t lose its chirp. “That’s because they close their windows so nobody can hear them. Not as many people here care what others think. They all know most people yell every once in a while.”

  “So people over there yelled, too?” Tyler turned from the kitten to look at his mom.

  “I’m sure they did.”

  “You never did,” he said.

  Gracie took over. “Well, maybe she should have. Good moms are human, too, whether they want to admit it or not.” She didn’t look over at Paige as she said this, but Paige glared at her back.

  “Grandma Muffy says mom’s a try-hard,” Riley said next.

  Hope came out then. “Well, Grandma Muffy has a stupid name.”

  “Hope!” Paige scolded.

  The kids giggled, though Riley felt the need to say, “She’s not stupid.”

  “Of course she’s not,” Gracie was quick to say, while shooting Hope a warning glance.

  “I didn’t say she was stupid. I said she had a stupid name.”

  “That’s not nice,” Tyler said, but it was obvious that, like most kids, he was enjoying the irreverence.

  Hope sighed before conceding, “You’re right. It isn’t. And she’s your grandmother, so I shouldn’t say that.” But she didn’t look contrite.

  Alex couldn’t help but smile, but his smile left when he looked over at Paige. She began picking at the grass, as if she were far away, looking, for that one moment, alone and defeated.

  Ale
x got up and went inside. Part of him wanted to believe it was another act, that she somehow knew he was watching and wanted him to feel bad for her. He picked up a complicated case file, to get his mind away from the woman who all of a sudden was occupying one too many of his thoughts.

  Chapter 5

  Alex couldn’t sleep, and it was pointless to keep trying. Sleeping in a new bed had never been easy for him. He liked sinking, faceup, into his lumpy-in-all-the-right-places mattress. It took years to get a mattress just right. But his too-soft mattress was only one part of what was bugging him.

  After months of studying both Glenn and Paige, and being so sure he had her pegged, he now didn’t know what to make of Paige Galloway. The fact was, she was sharper than he’d given her credit for. It was clear he’d have to get her to trust him. But after treating her like a necessary inconvenience and threatening her, it wouldn’t be easy. Experience with sources and informants had taught him there was only one way. Give a little; get a little.

  He went to the desk to begin reviewing everything he knew about her and his interactions with her up to that point, when a commotion outside the window had him shooting up and reaching for his gun. The streetlights didn’t quite illuminate the backyard, and it was a cloudy night, but there was just enough moonlight to make out a figure, clad in white, sprinting across the backyard. And she was being chased. By Sherry and Paige.

  A second later, he was completely dumbfounded for the first time in, well, ever. Paige Galloway grunted as deeply and as loudly as any football player he’d ever heard before leaping and tackling the white-clad figure. Sherry looked up. Alex moved away from the window and made his way out the door and down the stairs. By the time he was outside, both the white-clad woman and Sherry had disappeared. Only Paige was still there.

  “What’s going on?” he demanded.

  Before she could answer, a scared and excited voice from up above began an impressive, nonstop barrage, “Mom! You tackled Bessie White! Weren’t you scared? I heard noises, but when I went to get you, so you’d finally believe me, you weren’t there, and then I heard stuff outside the window, and you and Bessie and Grandma were there. But where is she? Did she disappear? Will she come back?” By then, Tyler was standing in front of them,