Rebecca was worried that Elliot would turn around and leave when he saw her alone with Aaron, so she sent him a quick message.
Jen and Scott not coming. Please show anyway.
Hoping he wouldn’t be too angry, she took a deep breath. Her heart seemed to be beating twice as hard as normal, but she plastered a smile on her face and opened the door. “Hi, Aaron,” she said in a voice pitched only slightly higher than usual. “Are you ready to go?”
Aaron placed his hands on the doorframe and leaned in to get a good look at her. “I knew you’d be stunning all dressed up,” he drawled. His eyes roamed over her body, pausing too long at parts she’d rather he not notice. She tugged the hem of her dress down, thinking that the next time Cassie chose something for her she’d make sure it was long enough. “I think I’m going to enjoy our night out very, very much.” His eyes glittered as he held the door open for her. When he placed his hand just below the small of her back to guide her to his car, she almost shivered in revulsion.
Fortunately, Aaron wasn’t in a talkative mood on the way into the city, but his hand on the gearshift grazed her bare knee whenever he shifted. He glanced at her the second time it happened, a sly smile on his face. “Are you sure you want to go out tonight?” he asked, taking a corner a little too fast. “We could just go back to your place and… entertain ourselves if you’d prefer.”
Rebecca tried not to inch away from his fingers too obviously. “No, I’d rather go out. Did Jeff tell you last night that I’d invited a friend or two to come?”
Aaron frowned, and the accelerator inched even higher. “No, he didn’t.” His words were clipped and angry. “When did you call?”
She opened her mouth to tell him that he’d called her, not the other way around, but thought better of it. “You were at a party, and your buddy picked up your phone. I’m sorry; he told me he’d pass on the message.”
He screeched to a halt and threw the keys at the valet attendant. “Whatever. Let’s get inside before all these ‘friends’ of yours descend on us.”
Rebecca let him pull her, none too gently, inside the crowded club and to a table hidden in a corner. She checked her phone while Aaron called a waiter to their table. There was no text from Jen, but she was surprised to see that Elisa had left her a voice mail. She wondered why Elisa was calling her. She didn’t know her sister even had her phone number.
She was about to listen to it when Aaron grabbed her wrist. “I ordered you a glass of wine,” he informed her, jerking his head at the waiter. Rebecca caught the man’s eye and mouthed, “Ginger ale, please,” when Aaron turned his head to look into the crowded room. She wondered if he was looking for someone, and hoped fervently that Adrianna wouldn’t materialize. She didn’t think she could handle both of them at the same time.
“What did you order for yourself?” she asked quickly. Hadn’t Jeff the frat boy told her that Aaron couldn’t hold his liquor? Maybe, if she was really sly, she could get him talking before Detective Patterson came.
“A beer. I didn’t think you’d want one.”
Rebecca made a face. “Heck, no. I don’t see how you can drink the stuff. It even smells gross.”
Aaron started to laugh. “Maybe you’ll like it when you try a decent brew.”
She shook her head. “I doubt it.”
The waiter set a wine glass in front of Rebecca a few minutes later. Hadn’t the waiter got the message that she wasn’t drinking tonight? When she looked at him accusingly, he winked at her and gave Aaron a beer. She relaxed against the back of the chair. With any luck, the only person who’d be losing some of their inhibitions would be Aaron.
She spotted Elliot as soon as he entered the room. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed her companion and rolled his eyes. He came to their table slowly and sat next to Rebecca, his face set. “I thought Jen was coming,” he said, looking at Aaron with distaste. “I’d hate to be the third wheel.”
“Yeah, well, you are, Elliot. Get lost.” Aaron sat up and folded his arms across his chest. Rebecca wished she could tell how much of his beer was left.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming message, and Elliot grabbed it out of her hand. He read the text quickly before giving it back to her. “I guess Patterson’s on his way,” he said, smiling at Aaron with false sincerity. “I guess I won’t be the only one intruding in half an hour or so.”
“How many guys did you invite?” Aaron asked her, ignoring Elliot as best as he could. “You must be more adventuresome than I thought. The librarian image you portray is very convincing.” He leered at her. Elliot’s jaw tightened in response, and Aaron laughed.
Elliot turned to Rebecca abruptly. “Since when did you start drinking?” Elliot’s voice was accusing, and he lifted her glass to sniff its contents. His eyes widened, and he looked at her in surprise. “This isn’t–” He yelped when she jabbed her heel into his foot, but he stopped talking and put the glass down. Rebecca tried not to sigh in relief.
Elliot stared hard at her before he got up and announced that he was going to find his own drink. A few seconds after, he’d disappeared and her phone buzzed again. This time the message was from Elliot. She hid the phone under the table and opened it.
What’s going on? Where are Jen and Scott? And who’s Patterson?
Rebecca glanced up at Aaron. He was staring moodily into his can and swirling the contents around. From the sound of the sloshing inside, it was nearly empty.
I can’t explain right now. I told Jen and Scott to stay home. Too dangerous.
What?!
Rebecca cursed herself for typing that last part. It was harder than she thought keeping two conversations going at the same time.
Never mind. Please don’t antagonize him, and tell the waiter to bring another beer. I think Aaron needs one.
Elliot emerged from the corner on the other side of the room and sat at a table behind Aaron. He looked furious, but at least he’d done as she’d asked. The waiter grinned at her when he brought their menus and another beer for Aaron, who didn’t seem surprised to see it.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Aaron said after they’d placed their orders. “Is something wrong? You’re usually much more talkative.”
“I’m sorry; I was thinking about something a friend told me the other day. We could talk if you’d like.”
Aaron seemed to think about this for a minute longer than necessary. She hoped he was feeling the effects of the alcohol. “Tell me about your father,” he told her. “From what I’ve heard, he’s a very unusual sort of man.”
I bet you’ve heard all sorts of things about him, Rebecca thought to herself. She smiled brightly and did her best Cassie impression, chattering away about her childhood. She glanced at the door every few seconds, wondering what was taking the detective so long. He’d better not be stuck in traffic.
Their dinners, and another drink, arrived halfway through one of her stories. She was glad for the excuse to stop talking; surely Aaron wasn’t interested in her childhood.
No, he’s interested in finding out if William has enough intelligence to figure out what’s been going on under his very nose.
She kept her head bent over her plate for most of the meal and listened to Aaron, who seemed to be rambling about the party he’d attended the night before. She glanced up at him. He was a little more relaxed than he had been at the beginning of their date, but she wasn’t sure if that was because he was drunk or because Elliot was no longer annoying him. She looked behind Aaron and groaned silently when she saw Elliot’s empty table.
“Will you excuse me for a minute?” she asked in her sweetest Cassie voice. “I need to powder my nose.”
Aaron waved her away and signaled for another drink. Breathing deeply, she walked out of the room in search of Elliot.
She found him near the front door. He was staring out into the darkness, his hands in his pockets. He turned to her when she spoke his name.
“I don’t suppose you came to tell me why you aske
d me here tonight.” It wasn’t a question.
Rebecca sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. The noise in the building was starting to give her a headache. “Not now,” she admitted. “Why did you leave?”
He gave a bark of laughter. “I was sick of seeing you flirt with another man. He doesn’t seem all that dangerous, by the way,” he went on conversationally. “Creepy and annoying, but not dangerous.”
Rebecca’s eyes flashed. She hadn’t liked seeing him flirt with Nicole, either, but this was not the time to discuss his past love interests. “Elliot, please. I need you to stay.”
He looked straight into her eyes. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t go out that door right now.”
Rebecca could think of any number of reasons, none of which she could go into right then. “Can’t you just trust me?”
“You keep saying that.” He rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled loudly. “Fine, I’ll come back. But you’ve got to give me a minute. I’m starting to feel nauseous.”
Rebecca stood on her toes and hugged him fiercely. “Thank you,” she breathed in his ear, her cheek touching his. She turned her head and kissed him lingeringly on the cheek. He caught his breath and looked at her with wide, startled eyes. She left him staring at her retreating back, his hands hanging limply at his sides.
When she sat back down across from Aaron, he was smiling pleasantly and playing with his spoon. “I’m glad you’re back,” he said. “I was beginning to feel lonely.”
“There was a long line for the bathroom,” she told him.
“Stinks to be a woman.”
Rebecca cracked a smile. “You got that right.”
Rebecca’s phone vibrated in her hand.
Patterson here. I’m at the table behind the suspect. Try to get him to talk.
She glanced up to see the detective hunched over a pad of paper. He appeared to be taking notes.
Why is it always up to the woman? Rebecca wondered before looking at Aaron again. He hadn’t seemed to notice their lapse in conversation. And since when am I, Rebecca Done, girl detective? She’d hated Nancy Drew as a child. It all seemed to fall into place too easily, and there was always a handsome boyfriend to fish her out when things got too hot.
Her handsome boyfriend well, that was a term she was still working on was glowering at her across the room, not looking like he was in the mood for fishing at all.
She thought for a moment. What would be the best way to get him started without seeming obvious? “I’ve been thinking recently about going on a trip. What do you think of Tahiti? I need to talk to someone who’s been there recently, but I don’t know anyone.”
Aaron’s eyes lit up. “I took Adrianna to Tahiti for our honeymoon not too long ago,” he informed her. “It was beautiful. Of course, we didn’t see much more than the hotel room.”
Rebecca clapped her hand over her mouth and tried not to gag. No wonder he’d been late for their trip to Gino’s. He’d been busy with his wife.
Patterson messaged: Keep going; you’re doing great. Take a deep breath and think happy thoughts, then get back to work.
Rebecca rolled her eyes.
What, am I having a baby?
Patterson didn’t text her back.
“How did you afford a trip to Tahiti? I imagine it’s pretty expensive.”
Aaron leaned back in his chair, making it impossible for anyone to sit across from Patterson. “I borrowed a bit of money from someone.”
“That was very clever of you.”
Aaron smiled, satisfied with himself. “I didn’t exactly tell them I was borrowing it. That’s what makes the whole plan so great. I don’t have to pay the money back.”
Maybe not right away, Rebecca thought with satisfaction. “Aren’t you worried about getting caught?”
Aaron laughed loudly at this. “Are you kidding? The guy’s a total basket case. He wouldn’t notice if I’d moved into his upstairs bedroom.”
Rebecca closed her eyes, praying to the god that watches over negligent fathers that that hadn’t actually happened. “So what else did you buy with the money you borrowed from him?”
He picked at the sleeve of his shirt and grinned. “Everything, baby. A car, swanky clothes, an engagement ring, you name it.”
That was ironic in a sick sort of way, Rebecca mused. William had bought the ring that tied Adrianna to another man, all the while thinking that he had a chance with her. She hoped he never figured that out. “That must have been a lot of money.”
Aaron looked surprised at the question. “Well, I’ve been doing it for several years, ever since you left for college. It was very convenient of you to leave when you did.” He stopped talking to gulp down the rest of his drink. “I ran through my inheritance faster than I thought, and William was so handy. Loaded and stupid at the same time. It was ridiculously easy to do. And then I met you in Michigan, and I knew that I had to keep you quiet. It didn’t hurt that you’re hot.”
Blinking in surprise, Rebecca couldn’t think of a response to that. Had he really said that out loud? He must be more drunk than she thought; either that or he was beyond caring what she thought of him. Assuming, of course, that he’d cared to begin with.
She looked around the room, hoping no one but Detective Patterson was hearing this part of the confession. A person lurking in the shadows caught her attention, and she smiled involuntarily when she recognized Elliot. He was too far away to hear what they were saying, but he stood there and glared at Aaron like he could skin him and feed him to the pigs for breakfast.
She shook her head at him and turned her attention back to Aaron. “I don’t imagine Adrianna was too excited when you asked me out.”
Aaron rested his hands on the back of his head and smiled. “No, she was pretty irritated. I told her I’d make sure she got some love, and all she had to do was flirt with William and walk around scantily dressed. She didn’t like it, but she did what she was told.”
As much as she wished to deny it, Rebecca was drawn in by his tale. “But why? Why would she let her husband chase after some other girl?”
Aaron’s smile was smug. “I kept her very happy.”
Rebecca started when her phone buzzed again.
Get back on task, Miss Done. Ask him about Scott.
You know, you could be a little more helpful here. I don’t have a whole lot of experience in interrogation.
Patterson looked at her over Aaron’s shoulder and shook his head once.
Keep going.
I can’t believe this is happening, Rebecca thought with disbelief. When I got up this morning the last thing I thought I’d be doing today was appear in some sort of bad detective show. Shouldn’t there be dark music playing in the background? “I was surprised to run into you on Mackinac Island,” she said, trying to sound like the memory didn’t make her sick to her stomach. “Was that just a coincidence, or did you plan to save my flat tire?”
“It was all planned, honey. I knew you were hanging out with that reporter, and when you disappeared with him, I knew I had to keep an eye on the two of you. I followed you to the airport and got on the next flight to Pellston. The tire, though, was an accident. At least that time.”
“What do you mean?” Rebecca asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew where he was going.
“I may have helped along your incident on the expressway a couple of weeks ago.” Aaron grinned at his own brilliance. “And I was really grateful to your banking buddy for calling when he did. It made it much easier to track him down.”
Rebecca stared at him, revulsion written clearly all over her face. He didn’t notice, though, and went on talking. “I left for Chicago that afternoon and found him at work the next day. I would have finished him off, too, but he moved at the last second and my shot was wide.” His face clouded momentarily. “I really should do a better job next time. I would have checked to make sure he was dead, but I thought I heard a noise outside the office after the gun went off and I panicked. I figur
ed he was a goner; there was all that blood, and he was on the floor…”
For the first time Rebecca was glad Scott couldn’t stand the sight of his own blood. She swallowed. “And what were your plans for me?”
Aaron leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of their small table. He looked very sober. “I told Adrianna I wouldn’t sleep with you. We even argued about it, back before Faye’s stupid garden party. But after all the trouble I’ve gone through, I think I deserve a little reward.” His slow smile made her shudder. “I say we go back to your place and finish this conversation where there aren’t as many witnesses. Don’t you agree?”
Rebecca froze and shook her head mutely. The reek of alcohol on his breath made her want to gag and she swallowed hard.
“Now, now, Miss Done. You know you want to.” He was so close that she could see a faint scar between his eyes. “You wouldn’t protest after I’d finished you.” Then he smashed his lips onto hers.
She was so shocked that she couldn’t move for several seconds. Then she jerked away and shoved at his chest hard enough to make him fall back onto his chair, where Patterson jumped to his feet and started to read Aaron his rights. She wiped her mouth with shaky fingers. “Thanks,” she mumbled to the detective as he handcuffed Aaron, wishing she had mouthwash to get rid of his taste.
When she looked back into Elliot’s corner, he was gone.
***
It was several hours past midnight when Patterson showed her out of the police station. “Thank you for your statement, Miss Done. I’ll let you know if we need anything else.” The smile she gave him felt more like a grimace.
She walked into the parking lot before she remembered that she didn’t have a car. Elliot was supposed to be her ride home. Instead, she called Jen.
“You’re where?” Jen shrieked when Rebecca told her where to pick her up. “Hold on; I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
She sat on the sidewalk, her legs stretched out on the street in front of her, and waited. Had that really just happened? She had a whole new respect for Nancy Drew; she vowed to check out all the books from the library her next free weekend.
The Ex's Confession Page 31