Buried Leads (An Avery Shaw Mystery)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “A woman does not leave her husband,” Steve countered. “I am the head of this house and what I say goes.”

  I sucked in a breath. Uh-oh.

  “The head of the house,” Marnie laughed. “You’re barely third in line.”

  Steve opened the door wider and stepped out onto the porch to bar Marnie from going any farther. I saw Derrick tense beside me. Crap.

  Eliot took a step forward, and Steve and his brother were suddenly focused on him. He does make an imposing sight.

  “Why don’t we just talk about this?” I could tell he wasn’t exactly interested in getting in a brawl. At least not yet.

  “Why don’t you go home and braid your hair,” Steve countered. His brother high-fived him for his cleverness. Sometimes I wonder if their mother and father were also brother and sister.

  “What is it with this family and my hair?” Eliot turned to me.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I like it.”

  The truth was, I found it sexy as hell. I didn’t think now was the time to tell him that, though.

  “Can you two stop flirting with each other and focus on the present,” Derrick snapped.

  I still wasn’t sure what the big deal was. It’s not like Steve and his brother were some immovable, trained military force.

  Eliot seemed to read my mind. “They’re not the only ones,” he said. “There are at least two more people in the house.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Someone keeps peeking out from that side window,” he gestured toward the picture window that was shrouded in curtains. “And someone is pacing in front of that upstairs window.”

  Whoops. I hadn’t noticed that.

  “So much for your vaunted powers of observation,” Derrick scoffed.

  Eliot turned to Derrick. “Are you armed?”

  “No. Are you?”

  “No.”

  “Nothing in your car?”

  “I didn’t think I would need anything. This was just supposed to be a simple family dinner.” Eliot seemed calm, but I could tell that his muscles were tensed and ready for action.

  “Nothing is ever simple with Avery,” Derrick reminded him.

  “I should realize that at this point,” Eliot ceded.

  “How did this become my fault?”

  Everyone turned their attention back to the front porch. Steve was regarding Derrick and Eliot, while steadfastly trying to ignore my mom and Marnie. That wasn’t going to win him any points.

  “You don’t have any jurisdiction here,” Steve reminded Derrick.

  “If I feel that anyone’s life is in danger, I do,” Derrick countered.

  I had noticed that Eliot was slipping away from both of us and making his way towards the front of the house. I wanted to follow him – but something told me that was a bad idea. I merely watched as he disappeared around the front of the house. Thankfully, Steve’s attention was still fixed on Derrick.

  “If you don’t want anyone to get hurt, then you’ll leave,” Steve growled.

  “Just let us get her clothes,” Derrick suggested.

  “No.”

  I focused my gaze on Steve’s brother, who was still standing inside the kitchen – on the other side of the open door. I saw his attention turn to something inside of the house, and he walked away from the door. Eliot.

  Derrick must have realized what was going on, too, because he was determined to keep Steve’s attention on him. He took five steps forward, moving in front of his mom and my mom, and squaring himself in front of Steve. Steve wasn’t a big guy, but Derrick is fairly miniscule for a man. He’s only 5’5” tall – and Steve had almost six inches on him.

  “Steve, let’s not make this an ugly scene.”

  “It’s too late for that,” Steve scoffed. He turned to see if his brother was still standing behind him. The look of shock that washed over his face when he saw Eliot step into the doorway would have been comical in any other situation. “How did you get in my house? Where are my brothers?”

  “They’re taking a nap,” Eliot said smoothly. God, he’s so hot.

  Steve made a move to attack Eliot, but Eliot didn’t look worried. He easily sidestepped him, grabbing Steve’s arm and twisting it behind his back. “Settle down, Otis,” he admonished.

  Steve cried out in pain, trying to twist out of Eliot’s iron grip. It was a fruitless fight. Derrick moved forward to Eliot’s side. “You didn’t kill anyone, did you?”

  “No. They’re all sitting in the living room.”

  “Sitting?”

  “You’d be surprised how quickly some people will just do what they’re told,” Eliot countered.

  After taking in the scene in front of us for a full minute, my mom turned to me. “He’s handy to have around.”

  She turned back to Eliot and flashed him the first warm smile I’d seen her direct his way since she’d met him.

  “I told you they would like me,” Eliot smiled in my direction.

  “They still don’t like your hair,” I shot back.

  “You leave that boy alone,” my mom admonished me. “His hair is beautiful. You should learn to be less judgmental.”

  What the hell?

  Ten

  Surprisingly, things went fairly smoothly after Eliot managed to defuse the situation with the mere threat of violence – and his really large biceps. He didn’t actually say he would hurt them, but I noticed that Steve’s brothers were watching him warily from their spot on the couch for the rest of the afternoon. I doubted he sweet talked them, but he was silent on whatever motivation he had provided for their sudden compromising behavior.

  It didn’t take too long to load Sally’s stuff in the van – although moving furniture through the restaurant did prove troublesome when Eliot and Derrick started arguing about the best way to navigate the narrow hallway that led upstairs.

  After a solid four hours of work, though, the job was complete and Eliot and I were on our way back to the city. The ride was actually fairly quiet – especially given the afternoon’s excitement. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Well, my mom likes you now.”

  “Does that make me less attractive to you?”

  “Why would you ask that?”

  “I get the feeling that you get off on driving your mom crazy. If she likes me, that’s one less thing you can needle her with.”

  He had a point.

  “You’re still attractive,” I assured him. “I just wish you would have taken your shirt off so she could see your tattoos.”

  “Next time,” Eliot promised.

  I hadn’t brought up the fact that he’d referred to himself as my boyfriend. I figured it wasn’t necessary. I wasn’t exactly looking to date anyone else – and he seemed relatively content with the fact that I wasn’t boring. That was good enough for me right now.

  When we got to my house, I was surprised to see a lone figure sitting on the front porch. As we pulled into the driveway, I could make out the small frame of my cousin, Lexie.

  “Guess she’s out of rehab,” Eliot grimaced.

  “Don’t give her a hard time,” I warned him.

  “Fine,” he said shortly.

  We exited his truck and I walked over to Lexie. She was standing by the time I got to her. “Did they let you out, or are there people in uniforms looking for you because you escaped?”

  I was going for levity, but it actually turned out to be a more serious question than I initially envisioned.

  “I completed my full thirty days,” Lexie said dismissively. She didn’t look very happy for a woman that had just finished an important milestone in her life.

  “How do you feel?” I asked cautiously.

  “Fine,” she said noncommittally. A worrisome thought rushed through my mind. I had a feeling that Lexie’s sudden sobriety wasn’t going to be long lived – especially if I couldn’t get her focused on something else pretty quickly.

  “What are you doing here?” Eliot asked. />
  “I need a place to stay,” Lexie answered shortly. “Can I sleep on your couch until I find a place?”

  “Sure,” I answered. I never could say no to her. At least if she was staying here I’d be able to control some of what she did. Crap, that is something my mom would think.

  I heard Eliot clear his throat beside me. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything. He just gave me a worried glance instead.

  “Are you dating him now?” Lexie gestured to Eliot as she slipped a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. It had gotten longer. In fact, it looked like she needed a good trim.

  “Yes,” I said truthfully.

  At 4’11” tall, Lexie was slight. She glanced up at Eliot’s face and regarded him for a moment. “If you don’t want me to stay here, I won’t.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You’re obviously having sex. I don’t want to crimp your style.”

  “How am I obviously having sex?”

  “You look a lot more relaxed than the last time I saw you,” Lexie said simply.

  “The last time you saw me we were almost blown up because one of your friends brought a nitrous tank to a gun fight,” I reminded her.

  “And I was shot,” Eliot added.

  I gave him a sidelong look. He really wasn’t helping matters. He must have sensed that, so he took a step back. “I guess I’ll leave you two to catch up,” he said finally. He didn’t look thrilled with the prospect.

  “That’s probably a good idea,” I said.

  I followed him over to his truck. Things were suddenly awkward. “Thanks for all your help,” I said lamely.

  Eliot smirked. He kissed me quickly, wrapping his arms around me for a second and then pulling away. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said. He climbed into his truck and then turned back to me. “If something happens, call me right away.”

  “What do you think is going to happen?”

  “With her around? Anything is possible.”

  “We’ll be fine,” I promised him. I actually didn’t know what he was so worried about. The odds of something exploding again were relatively long – especially since the last incident was barely a month old.

  I led Lexie into the house. She was unusually quiet – even for her. When we got inside, she helped herself to a pop in the refrigerator and plopped down on the couch with a dramatic sigh.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “What isn’t wrong?”

  I waited for her to continue. The whole family is dramatic, but Lexie could win an Academy Award.

  “I have no serious boyfriend. No job. No prospects of any kind. I have a GED. My mom acts like she’s proud I went to rehab, but I know she’s really disappointed in the whole thing. Derrick won’t even talk to me. And now I’m sleeping on your couch and infringing on the only sex you’ve had in years.”

  “It won’t be forever,” I prodded, ignoring her sex comment. Actually, I figured three weeks would be my absolute limit. “What do you want to do?”

  “I want to be a soap opera actress, but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” she said bitterly.

  I could see her point. “Why don’t you aim lower – just to start.”

  “Like what?”

  “I was at Starbucks the other day and they’re looking for a barista.” She had worked for Starbucks several times over the past few years. I figured she probably wouldn’t have a hard time getting rehired.

  “Yeah,” she sighed. “That’s probably a good idea.” She didn’t sound too thrilled at the prospect. I didn’t blame her.

  “Just do it until you get back on your feet. Then we’ll think of something else.”

  Lexie nodded and stared at the television as I flipped it on and turned it to Soap Net. We both love General Hospital. There is nothing a good dose of Luke, Laura and their extravagant adventures can’t fix.

  “I’m glad Genie Francis came back,” Lexie said finally. “The show hasn’t been the same without her.”

  “Me, too.”

  We lapsed into silence a few minutes. I could tell Lexie was mulling something over in her mind. I could only hope it was something reasonable, and not like the time when she decided that she wanted to run away from home and join the circus because she thought she could be freak on the sideshow circuit because she was so short.

  “I’ve always wanted to teach yoga,” she said finally.

  “Have you ever taken a yoga class?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” She looked incredulous.

  “I just think you have to actually know the right positions to be able to teach them,” I said calmly.

  “So, I’ll take a class.”

  “I think you have to be a certified instructor to be able to teach,” I said. Talking to Lexie is like talking to a toddler, I swear.

  “How hard can it be to become a certified instructor?”

  I had no idea. Lexie had the attention span of a gnat, though, so I doubted she would be able to complete even the basic courses – let alone the advanced. Plus, it’s not exactly like anyone in our family can be called overtly athletic. Watching The Biggest Loser is usually enough of a workout for me.

  “Why don’t you get a job at Starbucks, take a class and then see how that goes?”

  “Of course,” Lexie scoffed. “I’m not an idiot.”

  Lexie and I spent the rest of the afternoon watching television and talking about rehab. She said it actually wasn’t that bad after the first week. “Once I went through detox it was fine,” she said.

  “What did you do all day?” My only knowledge of rehab came from what I’d seen in television and movies. I wasn’t sure how true it really was.

  “It wasn’t a state run hole, so it was actually pretty nice,” Lexie said. “We had classes inside in the morning and afternoon meditation outside. We were close to the lake, so it was really pretty there.”

  That didn’t sound like the Lexie I knew and loved.

  “Plus, there were a lot of hot guys there,” Lexie amended.

  That sounded like the Lexie I had grown up with.

  “I met one really cool guy,” she continued. “His name is Raymond. He is really hot.”

  Lexie had spent the fast five years dating black guys. I figured rehab hadn’t changed her sexual proclivities. “Is he black?”

  “Why does that matter? You’re really racist, you know.”

  “I’m not racist,” I protested. “The last white guy you dated was in high school.” She’d went through a Hispanic phase when she was living in Florida for two years after high school. Since then, though, she not only dated black men, but she actually thought she was black at certain times.

  “He’s not black. He’s Dominican.”

  “How long is he in rehab?”

  “Another two weeks. When he gets out, we’re going to get a place together. I’m supposed to start looking.”

  “You barely know him,” I started to argue. I bit my lower lip. I didn’t really know why I was arguing with her. Lexie was proficient at the school of hard knocks. She had to learn every lesson the hard way. Plus, if she stuck to her schedule, that would mean she would be out of my house in two weeks. What? I’m not selfish. I really want what’s best for her – and me.

  “Sometimes you just know when you meet your soul mate,” Lexie said.

  Whatever. I decided to change tactics.

  “Where are you going to look for a place at?”

  “The city,” Lexie said simply. “I can’t stand living in the suburbs.”

  “So, let me get this straight,” I said. “You’re going to get a job at Starbucks, learn to be a yoga instructor, move to Detroit with a guy you just met in rehab and live happily ever after?”

  “Pretty much.”

  That sounded like a marvelous idea.

  Eleven

  Lexie and I managed to refrain from heavy discussions for the rest of the night. I think that was a welcome development for both of us – since we weren’t nec
essarily on the same wavelength as far as her job prospects went.

  When I excused myself to retire for the night, I noticed that my cell phone was ringing. I recognized Eliot’s phone number and picked it up immediately.

  “How are things going?”

  “They’re fine,” I lied.

  “Really? Are they really fine or do you just not want to tell me I was right?”

  Both. “They’re really fine.”

  “What’s her plan?”

  Don’t answer that. “She’s going to look for a job at Starbucks Monday.”

  “Is she qualified to work there?”

  “She’s worked there before,” I replied.

  Eliot was quiet for a minute. “Did you lock up your valuables before you went to sleep?”

  “You need to learn to lay off her,” I admonished him. “She’s nowhere near as bad as you seem to think?”

  Eliot apparently didn’t want to start a fight, so he changed the subject. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  “We’re getting up early and going to breakfast,” I said. “Then I have no idea what we’re doing the rest of the afternoon. Why?”

  “What’s your idea of early?”

  “I don’t know, 11 a.m.”

  “You know that’s actually the middle of the afternoon for some people,” Eliot chuckled.

  “Not anyone I hang around with.”

  Eliot ignored me. “You want to have dinner tomorrow and see a movie? We both have to be up early Monday morning, so I was thinking we could see like a 3 p.m. movie and then go to dinner.”

  “That sounds good to me,” I started. Then I remembered Lexie. “What about Lexie?”

  “What about her?”

  “What is she going to do?”

  “Polish her people skills?”

  “You’re not funny.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be,” Eliot challenged.

  “I don’t want to abandon her.” Of course, for all I knew she had plans to visit her new boyfriend. I opened my bedroom door and called out to Lexie. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  “You mean after breakfast?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m going back out to the rehab.”

  “You’re going to see your new boyfriend?”