by Sarah Blair
“We need to focus if you want to find out who killed your fiancée.” She pulled her hand away. “What happened with the koalas a few days before Peyton died?”
“Oh, um. She was attacked. Here at the zoo. She was visiting to plan for the gala and a couple of them just went nuts. It was weird. Koalas are usually so docile.” He shrugged. “They had to put them down. Peyton was devastated.”
“Did they have rabies?” she asked.
“The test came back negative. They were afraid Peyton was going to need treatment.”
“Was anyone else attacked?”
“A couple employees, I think? Peyton was too upset to talk about it. She really loved Cotton and Candy.” He waved his hand. “The koalas.”
Sidney chewed on the inside of her jaw while she mulled over the new information. “Is there anyone here tonight who didn’t get along with Peyton? Anyone who might have wanted to hurt her?”
“No, of course not. Everybody loved Payton. She didn’t have any enemies.” His eyes got shiny. “That’s why none of this makes any fucking sense!”
“We’ll figure it out. Okay? It’s going to be fine.” Sidney patted his arm, and he grabbed her for a hug. In the heels, she was taller by an inch. He buried his face against her neck and shuddered.
Williams stuck his head out of the tent and threw his hands up in a what the fuck gesture.
“It’s okay, Hutch. It’s going to be fine.” She patted his back.
Hutch let out a choked sob, smearing snot on her neck. Sidney flailed a desperate motion back to Williams. He ducked back into the tent and intercepted someone, but Sidney couldn’t see who it was.
“Hey, we gotta get back inside.” She peeled Hutch off of her.
A woman blasted right past Williams, heading straight for them. Eyes sharp.
“Teddy! What are you doing out here? It’s nearly time for your speech.” Hutch’s mom, Bambi, took note of his wet eyes and rounded on Sidney. “What the hell did you do to him?”
“Mom, it’s okay. It’s just Sidney. Remember?” Hutch intercepted her. “She’s trying to help. She knows the truth. She believes me.”
“Shh! I thought you agreed not to bring up that nonsense anymore.” She reached into her clutch and placed a pill in her son’s palm. “Go inside and settle yourself down. You’re never going to make it through your speech like this.”
“But, Mom. She’s a paranormal detective. She knows—”
“Not another word. Do you hear me? There are real detectives here, and they’re watching every single move you make.” Bambi pointed her finger in his face. “You keep your mouth shut. I will not let you go to jail.”
“But Mom—”
“Jesus Christ, Teddy! Go!” She screeched.
Hutch went inside, and his mother turned her venom on Sidney. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”
Sidney’s mind raced, though she did her best to keep her face blank and her answer neutral.
“Supporting the animals,” she said. “It’s the least I can do to honor Peyton’s memory.”
“I’m not interested in your games. Filling Teddy’s head with outrageous ideas? Monsters? How dare you.” Bambi fumbled with her clutch and took out another pill.
“Your son came to me for help,” Sidney reminded her. “I know he didn’t kill Peyton. Right now, you and I are the only ones who believe that. I can get to the bottom of this, but you have to trust me. We need to stick together.”
Sidney held her ground even as Bambi brought her face uncomfortably close. “You stay the hell away from my family.”
Mrs. Hutchison stormed back inside. The unspent surge of adrenaline left Sidney unsteady on her heels. A long low whistle came from the tent and Williams slipped out to join her.
“Wow. Lake.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, staving off the frigid night air. “Not gonna lie, I thought you were chasing unicorns here, but Momzilla’s definitely going on the list of suspects. Also, her name is Bambi?”
“Yeah, and she might have claws, but not the kind that killed Peyton.” Sidney shivered.
“There’s no way that woman would hesitate to scratch your eyes out, dude.” They went back inside. Sidney kept shivering, even after the propane heaters chased the cold away.
“A couple of koalas here at the zoo attacked Peyton a few days before she died. Hutch said they were acting weird. Maybe someone wanted her dead and tried to use the koalas to do it first?”
“And when it didn’t work, they sent in a giant were-koala to finish her off?” Williams asked.
Sidney scrunched her nose, realizing how feeble her theory sounded.
“It’s a place to start.” Williams nudged her. “We have to pursue all possibilities, right?”
“Yeah. I think we should split up and mingle. See what else we can find out.” She scanned the tent searching for the next person to question. Her gaze landed on a man near the front entrance. His tux was a little too tight and out of date. He was staring right at her while Hutch’s dad spoke to him. “Meet you at the other end of the tent?”
Williams snatched up a canapé from a passing tray and saluted her before shoving it in his mouth. “On it, Chief.”
Thirteen
“So. Becks Burkes.” Mitch rotated his coffee cup between his fingers. “Really?”
“Green’s not your color.” Becks swirled her teabag around in her cup. The rock on her finger looked just as heavy as the one grinding in his stomach. “Washes you out.”
“I’m not jealous.”
She tapped the wooden stir stick on her bottom lip, pinning him down with her omniscient gaze. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“Okay, maybe I’m pissed at the timing. Now that I’m finally—” He grumbled, turning to the window to focus on a swarm of evening commuters flooding into the street when the light changed. He directed his attention back to Becks, watching the way she removed her teabag, so precise and practiced. “Does he like tea, too?”
“Now that you’re finally free, you mean.” She dried her fingers on her napkin. “You can’t even say it, can you?”
Mitch scrunched up his forehead in his best Mel Cooley impression. “If I say it, it makes me a bad person.”
“You’re allowed to be human, Mitch.” Becks sighed and took pity on him. “Chuck doesn’t do caffeine. Swears by wheatgrass. He’s got one of those blenders that eviscerates anything you put in it.”
“Well, there you go.” He shrugged. “Lawn clippings are not food. And I can’t be with anyone who doesn’t appreciate the magical powers of an eviscerated coffee bean. So, we never would have worked anyway.”
That got him a smile. It wasn’t satisfying the way he’d hoped it would be. Instead it made his throat close up.
“Seriously, though.” He picked at a hangnail on the edge of his thumb. “Why didn’t we work?”
“You really want to do a post mortem on our relationship?”
“My wife died last night. It’s a theme for me today. Humor me.”
“The fact you’ve been divorced three years, and you’re still calling her your wife might be a good place to start.” She stared at him and sighed. “You need to feel needed. I couldn’t give you that.”
“That’s why I like you so much. You don’t need anything. It was easy to be with you. No strings.”
“Exactly.” She waved her hand. “You wanted an escape. A distraction. It wasn’t me you wanted. I could have been anyone.”
“That’s not true.”
“I’m not here to argue.” It was a warning.
“I’m sorry I ever made you feel that way. That’s not how I thought of you at all.” He played with his own stir stick. “I thought the divorce would make it easier to move on. And it didn’t.”
“Because you still felt responsible. She still needed you.” Becks watched him carefully with those deep gray eyes. “And now she doesn’t.”
“Fuck.” He shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut as tears scalded his vision.
Becks squeezed his hand and he struggled to breathe. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“Nobody does.” She squeezed tighter. “But you can. You will. One step at a time.”
“Yeah.” He squeezed her hand back. “Yeah.”
She let him loose and sat back. “How’s work?”
“Heh.” She always knew when to redirect and he was grateful for it. How was he ever going to find anyone else who would know him like this? He wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. “Work is fine. It’s good.”
Her lips twitched and she held him tightly under her gaze while he squirmed.
“One of my agents wants to get out in the field.” He sighed. “She’s young and impetuous, and smart, and eager. It scares the hell out of me. I know what’s coming for her and she doesn’t deserve to live a life mired up in the ugliness of this world like I did. You know what it’s like. If you could do it all over again, would you?”
“It’s not about me. This is her choice,” she said simply. “If she wants it so bad, if she’s good at it, why not let her go for it?”
“Because she’s been through enough already. The darkness found her once, and I couldn’t fix it. I need to—” He caught himself and smiled bitterly at the realization. “I need to keep her safe.”
“Mitch?” A shadow of worry edged into the corners of her eyes.
“Hmm.”
“You’re not talking about the Lake girl, are you?”
He crossed his arms over his chest and that was all the answer she needed before she launched into him.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she reeled. “What the hell were you thinking, hiring her in the first place? Do you know what an outrageous breach of—”
He held up his hand. “It wasn’t my choice. My employer insisted.”
“Does your employer know about your connection?”
“I believe that’s why he asked me to bring her onto the team.” He wished he’d thought to bring some antacids. Damnit, now he was on the defense. “What difference does it make?”
“You know well and good that case nearly pulled you apart at the seams. And now she’s under your goddamned nose every day?” Her words lowered in volume as she spoke until they ended up a near silent rumble. She was an angry cat, spitting at him. “I knew you were into self-loathing, but Jesus Christ, Mitch!”
He knew she was only mad because she cared. Yet, he still couldn’t stop the words from slipping out of his mouth. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you got married and you don’t have to watch this train-wreck anymore.”
“Fuck you.” She put on her coat and stalked out the door.
He thought about just staying there but his body wouldn’t let him. He left their cups and dashed out into the early evening right behind her. “Damn it, Becks. Wait!”
She doubled her pace and he caught up to her at the crosswalk, snatching her back as a cab blew past. His face was inches from hers, and her chest heaved with her angry breaths. He ran his fingers over the loose strands of hair framing her face. She was so raw and beautiful.
“Stop,” he begged. “Stop all of it. Leave him. Marry me. We’ll go to Thailand and sell hats to tourists and make love on the beach every day.”
She shut her eyes and rested her forehead against his jaw. “Sex on the beach isn’t as fun as it sounds. Sand gets everywhere.”
“Then we’ll go to Paris, Rome, Monte fucking Carlo. I don’t care.” His lips touched the edge of her hair and he wanted to kiss her so bad. “Run away with me, Becks. God, please. Take me away from this.”
Her lips met his and they jostled as the crowd moved around them. He kissed her back. Harder, deeper, mining for a spark that simply wasn’t there. No fireworks. No drowning. He opened his eyes to find hers filled with tears.
“Promise me you’ll stop worrying about everyone else and take care of yourself, okay?” She swallowed hard and gave him a brave smile as she wiped her lipstick from his mouth. “You’re a good person and you deserve that.”
“Becks . . . .”
“Good luck, Mitch.” The light changed again and she slipped through the crowd to the other side of the street.
Mitch stayed where he was and watched her go.
Fourteen
“Enjoying yourself tonight?” A voice came low in Sidney’s ear.
She spun to find Hutch’s dad at her side. Sidney quelled the beating of her heart and feigned a casual eye roll. “You know how these things are.”
“So, you did go with blue.” He glanced down at her.
Sidney’s mind was so focused on the case, it took her brain a second to bounce back to their earlier conversation. “Prada wasn’t available last minute.”
His eyes sparkled like the champagne he sipped, then the bubbles faded and he stared out into the crowd.
“I’m sorry about my wife. I hope she didn’t say anything too vicious. She and Teddy are taking this all—” His shoulders sagged. “Well, they always had a particular connection I never got to share. I thought it would be easier once he was older, but she got her claws in him and never let go.”
“She was jealous of Peyton?” Sidney asked.
His eyes crinkled in a wince. “I wouldn’t say that. But I think she’s afraid of losing him.”
Back in school, Hutch’s parents had always been traveling, but so had most of the other parents. Though, none of them called to check in as often as Hutch’s mom. Sidney had always been secretly envious that she cared so much. She spotted Bambi in the crowd. She was smiling as she spoke with another woman. Her hand curled tightly around Hutch’s bicep. Sidney’s pulse skipped.
“This whole situation has been difficult for all of us.” When Sidney turned her attention back to Trip, he was staring at the banner of Peyton over the stage.
“Of course.” The champagne churned in Sidney’s stomach.
“I’m glad you’re here for us, Sidney.” Trip rested his hand on her bare shoulder. “Teddy only ever said good things about you. Especially after that Christmas at the chalet.”
Sidney flushed and focused on her drink. Responses flew through her brain, and she tried to pick one that wouldn’t give too much away. “I never met Peyton, but it’s clear he loved her. It’s hard enough to deal with losing someone you love, but it’s even worse thinking about the violence she suffered.”
Trip leaned in, speaking into Sidney’s ear in an urgent whisper. “Just between us, I’m worried, Sidney. He hasn’t been himself. He needs his friends more than ever right now.”
Bambi marched toward them, eyes blazing. Sidney stepped back, and Trip’s fingers slid down her arm to squeeze her hand in a gesture of confirmation before he moved to intercept his wife.
“Your attention is in high demand tonight.” Someone else joined her.
Sidney jumped and turned to find the man in the ill-fitting tux. He offered his hand. “Detective Larry Manners, NYPD. And you are?”
“Sidney Lake.” She gripped his hand firmly, with confidence. Heart pounding even harder now.
His eyebrows shot up. “Lake Industries, Lake?”
“Yes, that one.” Sidney got a bad taste in the back of her throat the way she always did when the subject of her grandfather’s company arose.
“I see.” The detective bobbed his head. “And how do you know the Hutchisons?”
The pieces of the evening all fell together and Sidney put herself in the detective’s gumshoes, working out exactly what she would think if she’d seen anyone else behaving the way she was behaving that night; suspicious.
Shit. Now she had to figure out how to keep the detective’s attention and also gather her own information from him about the case. She’d never imagined herself as a tight-rope trapeze artist, yet, here she was.
“Hutch and I were at school together. A long time ago.” Sidney gazed up at the banner of Peyton. “It’s terrible what he did to his fiancée.”
“What makes you think he did it?” Manners asked.
“True crime nerd
.” Sidney raised her hand. “It’s always the husband.”
“Let me guess, you got your degree in Criminology from Murderino University?” Manners said. “Couldn’t have been the husband. They weren’t married yet.”
Sidney bit back a retort. His off-hand quip stung harder than she wanted to admit. Except, she wasn’t twelve anymore, and this wasn’t about her parents. If she was going to be a decent investigator, she had to stay focused. Objective.
“If not him, then who?” she asked. “Have you got any other suspects?”
“Did he ever exhibit any violent behavior at school?” The detective bypassed her question. “Get into trouble at all?”
Sidney smiled. “We could stand here and avoid each other’s inquiries all night, Detective.”
He tilted his head to the side, and his cool reticence melted a little. “Okay. I’ll play. It’s a real short list. No forced entry to the place, and barely a handful of people had a key. Your turn.”
“But who?”
“I am not obliged to comment on an ongoing investigation.” He droned the rehearsed line. “Your turn, Ms. Lake.”
“Hutch was a model student at school,” Sidney answered. “Everybody loved him.”
“Including you?”
Sidney shook her head, thankful the lights were low and he probably wouldn’t notice the flush across her skin. Lesson number two of fieldwork: get a better poker face. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”
“Sure. Were you close with the victim?” he asked.
“I never even met her,” Sidney told him. “Any chance it could have been someone from here at the zoo?”
“No motive. And back to the point of entry problem; nobody here had a key.”
“Money is always a motive. And there’s millions here tonight.” Sidney shrugged. “Not to mention, a house key’s simple enough to copy, isn’t it? If Peyton was involved closely enough with the animals to get attacked, any of the employees here could have slipped out and had a copy made and returned it without her knowing.”
The Detective watched her with a shrewd gaze, and she held her breath, wondering if she’d revealed too much about what she’d seen in the autopsy report. The last thing she wanted to do was get Tom in trouble.