“Oh, you’re such a pushover,” I teased.
“I am.” Eliot inclined his head to the bag sitting on the table by the front door.
I didn’t have to be told twice. I was full of glee and excitement when I hit the next room, practically gliding to the front table. Before I could look inside the bag, though, my eyes fell on the packet of papers I’d found outside the restaurant. The stack stuck out of my purse at an odd angle. I’d forgotten about the discovery given Eliot’s petulant mood the night before … and then the naked ice cream romp to make up for it … but now I had time to look through it. More importantly, I had time to look inside the bag.
I grabbed the papers with my right hand and the bag with my left and carried both back to the kitchen. Eliot arched an eyebrow as he flipped pancakes and watched me toss the packet on the counter before focusing on the bag.
“What is that?”
I shrugged. “You bought it. Are you saying you don’t remember?”
Eliot made a face. “Not that. Those papers.”
“Oh. I found that when we left the restaurant last night. I want to look through it.”
“Yeah, you’re the only person I know who actually collects garbage while leaving an expensive restaurant.”
“You make it sound as if I went Dumpster diving and came up with dinner or something.” I reached into the gift bag and pulled out a T-shirt. “That’s clearly a stack of documents that someone took the time to print. That means it has to be important.”
“Only in your world.” Eliot pursed his lips as he watched me unfold the T-shirt and stare at the words on the front. “For some reason, I thought you had to have that.”
I read the words out loud. “I’m a simple woman. I like Star Wars and maybe three people.” I barked out a laugh. “Where did you find this?”
“Some guy had a bunch of T-shirts for the festival and I saw that one in the stack when I was walking downtown after lunch. I offered him extra for the shirt and he gave it to me. I thought you had to have it.”
“It’s perfect.”
“I thought you might want to wear it to the office and mess with Fish.”
It was a simple statement and yet it struck me all the same. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“No, really, thank you.” I licked my lips as I met his gaze. “Not everyone would buy something like this for me. In fact, this is the sort of shirt that would make my mother’s head spin as if she were in The Exorcist.”
Eliot shifted from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable with my serious gaze. “Avery, it’s just a shirt.”
“It’s more than that. It’s a shirt that sums up my attitude in twelve words. You’re the only person I know – and we’re talking about people I’ve known my entire life – who gets me. I just … thank you.”
“Oh, and you thought I was the schmaltzy one earlier.” Eliot smirked as he leaned over the counter. “Give me a kiss.” He tapped his cheek and smirked. “Come on. I think I deserve a kiss.”
I rolled my eyes, but it was only for form’s sake. I planted a wet kiss on his cheek and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Eliot was somber when he pulled back. “There was no way I could let that shirt go once I saw it. I knew you had to have it.”
“Still, you get me. It freaks me out sometimes because I thought no one would ever get me.”
“Yes, I get you … to both my sorrow and delight.” Eliot’s grin was impish when I scorched him with a look. “You’re not an easy person to understand, Trouble. You’re all over the place, and sometimes I think you talk because you like the sound of your own voice.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“You make me laugh,” he continued. “You make me happy. You never give me grief about wanting to play video games or hang out. You’re comfortable being you, and that allows me to relax when it’s time to be me.”
“And yet you still don’t trust me to pick who I question,” I pointed out.
“Don’t push me on that. The schmaltz goes only so far.”
“Good to know.”
Eliot grinned. “I never expected us to end up here. That day you walked into my store I thought you were odd and intriguing and I knew I wanted to get to know you better. I still didn’t think we’d end up here.”
“Do you regret that?”
“Are you searching for a compliment?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I don’t regret one second of it.” Eliot shuffled around the island corner to close the distance between us. “I know we’re both about to overload on the mushy stuff, but I’m going to finish it with one more little bit of romantic schmaltz.
“I didn’t see you coming, but I’m glad you smacked me over the head with your attitude and dragged me out of my comfort zone,” he continued. “I know I make jokes about you brightening my world, but there’s truth in those words. You’ve made my life much more entertaining.”
“I … don’t know what to say to that.” My cheeks burned. “You’ve made my life better, too.”
“I know.” Eliot was back to being playful. “Your life was boring without me. Mine wasn’t complete without you. Sometimes things work out exactly as they’re supposed to work out.”
“They do,” I agreed, bobbing my head. “For example, my day is going to be awesome because I have a new shirt and it’s going to drive Fish insane.”
Eliot chuckled. “Yes, well, that’s why I bought it.”
I grabbed his hand before he could wander too far away. “I know I’m not always good with words … .”
“I think your problem is that you’re too fast on your feet.”
I offered up a rueful smile. “I know I’m not always good with the romantic words,” I corrected. “That doesn’t mean I don’t love you … or feel them. I just don’t always know how to express myself.”
“I know. I’m fine with that.” Eliot pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Now, I believe that should be the end of the mush for the morning because we’re both at our limit.”
“I agree.” I moved the shirt to the end of the counter. I would change into it before work, but for now I had the packet of papers to study. “I want to see if this stack of goodies gives me another story to work on today.”
Eliot made a dubious face. “I still maintain that’s the equivalent of Dumpster diving for information. You don’t find it weird that you didn’t hesitate to grab those papers and take them with you?”
“Nope.” I focused on the top page, which was ripped halfway down. “Someone cared enough to print them out and then shove them under a bush.”
“Shove them?” Eliot tilted his head to the side. “What makes you think someone shoved them there?”
“Because they were wedged beneath the branches. If someone dropped them and they blew around, they would’ve been scattered. They weren’t stapled together. They were merely stacked and then shoved. That means they were purposely placed under that bush.”
Eliot worked his mouth, but no sound came out.
“What?” I dragged my eyes from the document. “You look perplexed.”
“I am. Your mind is a wonder.”
“I’ve been telling you that since the day we met.”
Eliot snickered. “I never would’ve thought of that. I’m not the type of guy who picks up discarded papers from a bush.”
“Well, this might be nothing.” I turned back to the documents, furrowing my brow when I read the first several lines. “Of course, it could also be something important.”
Eliot picked up on the shift in my demeanor. “What did you find?”
“I’m not sure, but these are campaign finance documents.”
“What do they say?”
“It’s a summarized list of donations without names.” My mind churned. “It’s a lot of money. I mean … a lot of money.”
“Do you think it has something to do with Tad?”
That was
an interesting question. “It could. He was complaining to Jake that Brucker had his campaign election plan on him the last time Tad talked to him. I thought it was weird that he was so worked up about a campaign strategy plan that he probably had saved to his desktop.”
“You think it was something else?”
“I never thought it was simply a campaign strategy. The thing is, there’re no names associated with the documents. There’s not even a list of donors, just an itemized statement featuring the amount of money taken in.”
“Can you find out who those documents belong to without knowing the donor names?”
“I don’t know. I’m good, but I don’t know if I’m that good.”
“Something tells me you’ll figure out a way to find out exactly who those documents belong to.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re like a shark that smells blood in the water when things like this pop up. You were already circling. Now you’re looking for a way to go in for the kill. You’ll find it.”
“You know, it turns me on when you talk about sharks that way. It makes me all … tingly inside.”
“I thought we were done with the mushy talk.”
“That was sex talk, not mushy talk.”
“Ah, well, in that case … .” Eliot’s eyes gleamed as my phone dinged. “Do you want to forego pancakes and go back to bed?”
“Will you take offense if I say I want the pancakes?”
Eliot chuckled as he shook his head. “No. Will you keep me updated on what you find out today? I’m genuinely interested now, and not simply because I’m worried about you.”
“Absolutely. I might need your help to track down information.”
“I’m always happy to be of service.”
That’s exactly what I was counting on.
10 Ten
The text message was from Fish. The sheriff’s department was holding a news conference on Terry Brucker, which meant my morning would be spent playing verbal games with Derrick and Jake. I was fine with that. I needed answers – and more importantly, confirmation – so a stop at the sheriff’s department was inevitable.
I changed into my new shirt, gave Eliot an enthusiastic kiss and then collected the campaign documents before hopping in my car. I’d need to figure out a way to dig and find which candidate they belonged to. The obvious choice was Tad, but I knew better than assuming anything of the sort. I also had no idea if the documents were important, because without donor names all I really had was a list of numbers.
Someone managed to collect a lot of money – especially considering we were dealing with a county commission seat rather than something with real power – so I had no idea what to do with my find.
I parked in the lot near the sheriff’s department’s front door and pointed my attention toward the protective bubble at the side of the lobby upon entering. I recognized one of the deputies behind the bulletproof glass – Justin Denewith – and pasted a bright smile on my face as I approached.
“I’m here for the news conference.”
Denewith barely looked old enough to be a deputy – Homecoming king seemed a better title for his features – and the look he graced me with was hard to read. “Which news conference?”
He was either trying to irritate me or really was that stupid. “Do you have more than one?”
Denewith shrugged. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you.”
I wasn’t a popular figure at the sheriff’s department. It was common knowledge that Derrick was my cousin and Jake a former boyfriend I remained close with, but that didn’t mean the other deputies fell over themselves to acquiesce to my demands. In fact, more often than not, they preferred seeing how far they could push me before I melted down.
“Fine. I’ll discuss it with Jake. Can you buzz me into the back?”
“I need to see some identification.”
Oh, now he was just messing with me. “And why is that?”
“Because this is a government building and identification is required for entrance.”
That was a steaming load of crap. “Fine.” I dug in my purse and retrieved my license, holding it up against the glass shielding so Denewith could study it. “Happy?”
“I’m not sure that looks like you.”
“And I’m not sure you’re old enough to be here, but it’s really none of my business.”
Denewith’s grating smile slipped. “I’m twenty-three.”
“Wow. Someone call AARP.”
“I don’t believe that photo looks like you, and I was ordered to check photos for everyone entering the building. I’m afraid I can’t help you.”
Hmm. That was an interesting tidbit. “Are you saying that there’s been some sort of mishap with someone getting in the building? I mean, that’s the only reason I can think that you would change procedure out of the blue like this. That seems like something that The Monitor’s readers might be interested in.”
Denewith balked, realizing too late what he insinuated. “I didn’t say anything of the sort! You’d better not print that. I’ll sue if you do.”
“Can I quote you on that?” I kept my expression neutral. “Our readers love it when deputies threaten to sue us, because they think it means that information is being buried. There’s nothing our readers like better than a good conspiracy theory.”
Denewith’s face drained of color. “I’m not letting you back.”
“We’ll see about that.” I made a big show of digging in my purse until I found my cell phone. I stared at the screen for a long moment, ultimately opting to try Derrick first. There was always a chance he would leave me to suffer on my own, but I had enough dirt on him from our childhood to force the issue.
To my surprise, Derrick immediately came to the front lobby. He fixed Denewith with a dark glare as he propped open the door.
“I believe we talked about this,” Derrick growled.
Denewith visibly shrank in the face of Derrick’s annoyance. “Her photo doesn’t look like her face.”
“But both are absolutely breathtaking,” I offered.
Derrick switched his glare to me. “Don’t mess with the bubble deputies. You know they don’t get your sense of humor.”
“That’s their loss.”
“I don’t often get it either.” Derrick waited until I was in the hallway that led to the media conference room before speaking again. “I’m surprised you showed up.”
“Why? This is my story.”
“Yeah, but you seem keen to avoid talking about Devon’s shower and now you’re forced to do just that.”
Oh, well, crap. I didn’t think of that. “I don’t have time to talk about a shower,” I said. “I have a very busy day in front of me.”
“And yet the news conference doesn’t start for twenty minutes. To me, that seems to indicate you have time.”
Double crap. I was resigned as I followed Derrick to his office. I could’ve run – I was supposed to be an adult, but I wasn’t above it – but I knew there was no place to hide, so I faced my fate with maturity.
“Baby showers are stupid.”
Derrick’s face remained impassive as he took the chair behind his desk. “Why do you think I’m not going?”
“Well, if you’re not going, why do you think I want to go?”
“I never said you wanted to. I said you have to go.”
“I don’t have to do anything. You’ve known me long enough to realize that.”
Derrick wasn’t moved by my verbal workaround. “You’re going.”
“I’m not.”
“You are, and you’re taking Lexie. I’m putting my foot down.”
I tried to swallow my derisive snort … and failed. “I can’t force Lexie to do something she doesn’t want to do, and she’s even less excited by this baby shower than I am. Besides, she’s your sister. She’s only my cousin. She’s more likely to listen to you.”
Derrick was incredulous. “In what world?”
“She never listens to me. She looks up to you, which is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard because you’re an idiot.”
I could’ve taken offense at the insult but I was still riding high from the gooey schmaltzfest I enjoyed with Eliot over breakfast. “I have it on good authority that I’m a genius.”
“You can’t be the authority on your own intelligence.”
“I wasn’t talking about me.”
Derrick furrowed his brow. “Eliot can’t be your source either because you have sex with him. He’s not going to risk you cutting off the … you know … by admitting you’re a moron.”
“That shows what you know.” I adopted a haughty tone. “Eliot has called me an idiot on more than one occasion.”
“And that’s why they’re so happy together,” a voice said from the open doorway.
I found Jake watching us. He appeared to be enjoying the show, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled with his behavior from the previous day so I had no intention of letting him and Derrick gang up on me. “There you are.”
Jake smirked as he entered the room and took the chair to my left. “Here I am.”
“You’re on my list.”
“And what list would that be?”
“The list of people I want to kick in the nuts.”
“So ... no females?”
“Oh, they’re there. I just want to punch them in the boob rather than kick them. They have their own separate list.”
“Good to know.” If Jake was bothered by my animosity, he didn’t show it. “How was your night?”
Oh, if he thought that was going to work, he had another think coming. “It was entertaining. Eliot and I went to dinner with Marvin – he’s having woman trouble again – and then we played video games and ate ice cream.”
“That sounds rather … domestic.”
“We were naked.”
Jake made a face. “That was an overshare. I didn’t need to hear that.”
“Yes, well, I don’t feel sorry for making you suffer,” I shot back. “I called you yesterday. You never called back.”
Extra! Extra! Dead All About It (An Avery Shaw Mystery Book 12) Page 10