Textual Relations

by Jamie Lee Scott

  I whimpered. “I can’t.” I pointed to my ankle.

  CHAPTER 19

  I can’t say that Nick was the world’s greatest nurse, but he sure tried.

  It was decided that Lola would go home with Charles, and I’d get a ride to the hospital from Nick. How my car eventually got home, I have no idea.

  The sun had risen on a new day when Nick finally made it back to the hospital to pick me up. I’d broken my ankle, but not too badly, just a chip off the medial malleolus. Or, as the doctor explained, the boney bump on the inside of my ankle.

  Instead of taking me home, he brought me to his house, where he’d already set up his guest bedroom for my stay. He and Charles had been to my house to pick up some clean clothes, and anything “personal” I might need. After depositing me in bed he left the room and came back with a tray bearing a huge box of donuts (glazed, and cake with sprinkles, my favorite) and a Starbucks peppermint/white chocolate latte, which he sat it on the middle of the bed.

  He carefully lay on the bed beside me and handed me the latte. “I heard donuts and coffee have amazing healing powers.”

  I was starving, but not for food. I wanted to know what transpired while I was at the hospital.

  “Can you tell me a story while I eat?”

  Nick shook his head, but said, “Bridget had been at William’s house that day. Crissy had left her backpack there, and she’d gone back to get it.”

  “The Twilight backpack?”

  “Actually, it was Hello Kitty. When William didn’t answer the door, she figured he was at work. She had a key and let herself in.”

  Listening to Nick’s words, I could almost have said them for him. What came next hurt worse than my ankle.

  “Just as she grabbed for the backpack, she heard a noise down the hall and went to check, since she thought no one was home. She said the worst thing she expected was to catch her husband having sex with another woman.”

  I swallowed hard, and put down my donut.

  “What she saw was William in the process of trying to rape Tiffany.”

  My bite of donut was starting to come up. Nick took my hand and held it tight.

  “William was on top of Tiffany, with his pants around his ankles. Tiffany was crying and struggling to get out from under him. Bridget said before she knew what she was doing, she’d grabbed a crystal archery trophy he kept on his dresser and smashed in his head.”

  I wanted to say, “Good for her,” but I kept my mouth shut.

  “When William rolled off Tiffany, the girl scrambled out of the room. She went to the bathroom to throw up. That’s what the mess was.”

  “So she got away without being raped?”

  “Yes, but she’ll need counseling.” Nick sounded sad.

  “Counseling is a good thing.”

  “Absolutely.” He took a donut and took a huge bite. Swallowing, he continued. “When Bridget saw the rage in William’s face, she knew he was going to attack her, so she just kept bludgeoning him. She said she had no idea how many times she’d hit him before she remembered Tiffany.”

  “Was she still in the bathroom?”

  “She was gone. That’s when Bridget panicked. She searched the house, but couldn’t find her. When she went outside, she saw the girl walk into Leonard’s house.”

  I sat straight up in bed. “That fucker. I knew he had something to do with this all along.”

  “It was his idea to keep the girl, since she was the only witness. He and Bridget took Tiffany to the candle barn.”

  My head was ready to explode with rage. “That’s kidnapping.”

  “The plan was just to keep her until she calmed down, so they could explain that Bridget was using self-defense when she killed William. Basically, they all panicked.” Nick picked up my latte and took a long sip.

  “Why did they keep her?”

  “The girl was more terrified of what was going to happen when her parents found out than she was of the murder. She begged them to keep her longer, so her parents would be relieved and not pissed.”

  I was skeptical. “And you believe that?”

  “It’s not for me to decide. It’s for the courts.” Nick chewed on the half of a glazed donut he’d stuffed in his mouth.

  “Courts? So what are the charges?” Curiously, I’d had it in my mind that there would be no charges.

  Relieved to know that everyone was okay, I could feel the pain meds kicking in, and my eyelids grew heavy. I heard Nick say something about second-degree murder, or a plea or something, and I vaguely remembered hearing the words accessory and kidnapping.

  Not sure if I was loopy from the pain meds, or the night without sleep, but as I drifted off, I thought I heard Nick say something about staying with him for at least a few days, until I was better.

  When I came to, there was some sort of party going on in Nick’s house. Still a bit groggy, I could only hear muffled words and familiar voices. Not one to be left out of a party, I grabbed the cane Nick had put next to the bed in case I had to go to the bathroom, and hobbled into the dining room.

  Finally, Nick had gotten someone to open a bottle of wine. Several bottles, in fact.

  Jackie was the first to see me. “It’s about time you join us.”

  “What’s going on?” I looked around to see Catey, Corey, Gemma, Charles, Piper and Nick, too.

  Charles raised his glass in a toast. “We’re celebrating a new day!”

  Piper pushed Charles aside. “I got my permanent assignment.” She looked over at Nick, who was toasting with a bottle of Pellegrino. “Nick is going to be my partner for good.”

  Nick took a swig of the sparkling water, “Or for as long as she can stand me.”

  Some things just feel better than painkillers. Knowing that Nick’s female partner had absolutely no interest in him was one of them.

  Nick came over to me, and offered his arm to help me walk to the barstool. “And someone else is getting a new partner, too.”

  Gemma stuck her hand in my face. “See.” She flashed me a two-carat diamond engagement ring. “I’m getting married.”

  My heart swelled. I knew that for all of Gemma’s teasing and flirting, she wanted to settle down. It was finally happening. I realized I’d never been introduced to her boyfriend, nor did I know she had one.

  “I’m so happy for you,” I slurred. “But I didn’t even know you were serious.”

  “Honey, if a multimillionaire from Dubai wants to marry me, I don’t have to be serious.” Gemma danced like a racehorse going to the starting gate.

  “Before you set a date, let me sober up, so we can talk.” Even in my drug-induced haze, I knew this couldn’t be good.

  Jackie leaned over and whispered, “Just let her be happy for the moment.”

  I nodded.

  “You missed most of the party, but we still have a little something left.” Charles held a glass of wine out to me, then switched hands just as I reached out and handed me a bottle of sparkling water. “No drugs and alcohol. Very bad.”

  I didn’t even grab for the bottle, but I wanted to take it from Charles and hit him across the head with it. But he was just being Charles.

  Everyone migrated to the living room, where there was ample seating. Catey and Corey were entertaining themselves, texting on their phones. So as long as there was soda and snacks, they were good.

  Jackie sat next to me. I leaned over and asked, “Did Anna ever call Catey?”

  “Actually, Anna and Crissy are staying with us for a few days, while Bridget and Stephanie get their affairs in order.” Jackie looked across at Catey, who seemed oblivious.

  “That’s interesting.”

  “They’re best friends. Anna explained everything to Catey. She also told her that she’s going to be starting therapy sessions next week. Catey has offered to go with Anna as moral support.”

  What a thoughtful kid Catey was. “Now that’s a good friend.” Then I thought about Tiffany and asked, “Have you heard anything about Tiffany?�
��

  “Nothing. I drove by her parents’ home, but all the drapes were drawn, and there wasn’t even a car in the driveway. They picked her up last night, and from what Piper said, it was a tearful reunion. I hope they’re understanding about what happened. Piper told me what she said when you found her.”

  “Once again, I’m reminded how hard it is to be a parent.” There was an aching, but it was in my heart, not my ankle.

  “And they just let anyone who is willing to have sex have them.” Jackie shook her head. This was a soapbox we’d been on many times.

  Nick approached and leaned in close. “Come on, you need to go back to bed.” He wrapped his arms around my middle and pulled me up from the couch.

  Damn if his muscles didn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy. I was hoping this was the beginning of the “one day at a time” thing he’d mentioned before.

  “Sorry people, but Mimi needs her rest. I can’t have her sleeping in my guest room forever. I’m a bachelor, you know. Puts a mighty big cramp in my style to have a chick living in my house.” Nick winked at me.

  As I stood there, everyone came over to give me a hug. When Charles hugged me, I asked, “So, was he really going to Paris?”

  Charles stood back and looked at me, then at Nick and said, “Why would you even care?” Then he kissed me on the cheek and said his goodbyes. Just before he got to the door, he said, “I think I heard him say something about bringing home real champagne.”

  I tried not to let it show, but inside, I smiled.

  When Catey came to hug me, there were tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry about all of this, Aunt Mimi.” She hugged me tight.

  I patted her hair and said, “If it hadn’t been for you, we may never have found Tiffany.”

  She wouldn’t look me in the eye. “I guess.”

  “Just remember this for the next time you meet some cute guy online. Promise?”

  “Promise.” She sounded so young.

  Nick bent down and scooped me up. “It’s easier than having you lean on me.”

  Once we were back in the guest bedroom, I asked, “Why was everyone here at your house?”

  “One showed up to see how you were doing, then like some sort of freak magnetic energy field, they all showed up.” He leaned over and deposited me in the bed. “This is not how I pictured you in my bed all these months.”

  He kissed me on the forehead, then handed me a glass of water and another pain pill.

  I tossed the pill to the back of my mouth and drank the entire glass. Then settled in for a nap.

  Nick sat beside me on the bed. “Want some company until you fall asleep?”

  I tried not to grin, but I’m sure I looked like a schoolgirl with a crush. “Sure.”

  Nick kicked off his shoes, went around to the other side of the bed and climbed under the covers.

  As I drifted off to sleep, I swear I heard him say, “One day at a time, Mimi.” Then he kissed me softly on the cheek.

  And now…

  AN EXCERPT FROM Death of a Sales Rep

  CHAPTER 1

  Sometimes the best parts of life are the times you get to screw with another person’s head. It’s not so great when someone is fucking with yours, but whoever said life was fair? So cliché, but then I spy on cheating spouses--and cheats in general--for a living. My life is a cliché.

  I start most every day by heading to work at the detective agency I own. I started Gotcha Detective Agency a few years back, when my life fell apart and I needed something to keep me focused on living. If you believe the hype, I’m living the American dream. I own my own business, my own house, and I have a dog. And according to the insurance company, I also have a husband. Dominic, my husband, died a few years ago, but since the body was never recovered from the wreckage of the plane, the insurance company still considers me to be married. I don’t wear my wedding ring anymore, mostly because it leaves a tan line, and I don’t want my target on a decoy job to know I’m married.

  As I eased into my parking space, I looked up to see one of my business partners waiting. Lola, my Doberman, saw him too, and leapt out of the car in record speed.

  “You ready to go?” Charles asked, as he opened my door and petted Lola simultaneously.

  I’m Mimi Capurro, and Charles Parks is my right hand man. And to be honest, he’s my left hand, and many times he’s my feet too. That is, when he’s not tripping me up like this morning.

  “Baby, I was born ready.” Actually, I had no idea what the hell Charles was talking about. “But can you remind me exactly what I was born ready for?”

  I followed Charles up the back stairs and into the kitchen, Lola between us. Gotcha’s offices are in an old Victorian house that used to be the offices of Dominic’s produce brokerage business. Most of the rooms have been converted to offices, but we kept the kitchen and the two luxurious bathrooms too.

  I knew he wasn’t planning a day at the agency, as he wore burnt umber pants rolled at the ankles, and an untucked cream V-neck tee. Not his normal “fop” work attire. His tan sneakers squeaked on the hardwood floor as he straightened and cleaned the room. I knew he was mad. Just as Lola grabbed a mouthful of food when she was scolded, Charles cleaned when pissed off.

  “I’ll ask again, ready for what?” I snatched the coffee cup from Charles’ hand.

  “San Francisco,” he snapped.

  San Francisco? Then the light bulb went on. San Francisco! I cleaned and rinsed the coffee cup while facing the sink, so Charles couldn’t see the panic on my face. “Well, crap, you’d think with as much as you’ve babbled on about it, I’d have remembered. Are you sure it’s this weekend?”

  I had promised to go to San Francisco to support Charles’ friend, Anthony DeLuca, at his first trade show. Anthony made a highly sought after line of voodoo dolls. I know, right? It’s amazing how many people bought his high-end voodoo toy.

  Anthony had recently fired his sales rep and was now selling the dolls himself. In the six years he’d been manufacturing the dolls, he’d never had to design a booth and sell for himself. He’d always had sales reps, but after one greedy rep filed a suit against him for firing her, he decided he’d be in charge of his own fate. Funny enough, his business soared. Turned out, Anthony wasn’t the only person who didn’t care for the sales rep’s pushy ways.

  “So your bag is packed?” Before I could answer, Charles added, “I’ll just go out and get it for you.”

  “I have my overnight bag in my car. Besides, I probably won’t be staying the night. I don’t have a sitter for Lola.”

  I always kept an overnight bag handy, for stakeouts, and whatever else might come up. Not that anything else ever did come up. The bag held a couple of changes of clothes, that little black dress for every occasion, a week’s worth of underwear, flats, athletic shoes, and pumps, and all of the toiletries and makeup a girl might need in any situation. You never know…

  “Jackie will be here to get her,” he looked at his watch, “in about an hour.”

  Jackie Bacarrin was one of my detectives, and my best friend. One of the last cases I’d worked on involved her daughter, Catey. It was a true lesson in paying attention to who your children were interacting with online.

  “What?” Charles had once again taken over my life. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated it when I wanted him there, but this was all about him now. “Okay, San Francisco aside, we have an important conference call this morning,” I said, as I wiped out the coffee cup and poured coffee into it.

  Charles whipped out his phone and looked at the calendar. “Oh, shit, the Hewes Chemical Management account. That conference call is today?” He headed to the front of the building.

  If we could land the Hewes Chemical account, we could put a huge notch in our belt. Hewes was one of the largest corporate accounts we’d ever had the chance to land. Usually, with corporations, it’s a case of workman’s comp or disability fraud, but this one was about much more. Not that we could go around bragging about the case, c
onfidentiality and all, but we’d be able to refer to it without names. It’d look good on a business resume.

  “Nine o’clock, dear,” I said, as I trailed him.

  “Just one more thing about San Francisco, then I’ll drop it until after the meeting.” Charles looked over his shoulder at me.

  I resigned myself. “What?”

  “I invited Nick to come help out.”

  Now that stopped me in my tracks. In a million years I’d never have guessed.

  Not once, in all the chatter about the trip to San Francisco, did Charles mention he’d invited him. It pissed me off that the sound of Nick’s name had my heart nearly pounding through my chest. Part of me was excited as hell that he’d be there, but it’d been weeks since we’d talked, and the other part of me dreaded seeing him.

  Nick Christianson and I had been taking it one day at a time since the last case we’d been thrown together on. I knew down to my core that I wanted it to be more, but I wasn’t going to wear my heart on my sleeve just to have it ripped to shreds again. I didn’t think I could handle that. It seemed that one day at a time kept turning into two days, then two weeks to the point where we didn’t have time for each other.

  “Charles, can I talk to you for a minute?” I called after him.

  The pompous ass completely ignored me. I wanted to know why on earth he’d ask Nick to come along. It wasn’t like Charles and Nick were friends. Sure, they’d done business together. Nick was a cop and Charles did freelance work for the police, so their paths crossed. Charles’ skills as a computer forensics tech were renowned, and the Salinas Police Department seemed to be using his services more often. Even the drug dealers and gangs had gotten into the digital age, and Charles was there to thwart them whenever possible.

  What miffed me the most was that Charles hadn’t told me he’d been in touch with Nick. He usually loved to rub that stuff in my face.

  Nick’s one of the Salinas Police Department’s homicide detectives. He also happened to be my old college fling. Until earlier this year, when we were reunited on a murder case, I hadn’t seen him in--um--a couple of years. (Whew, I almost dated myself.)