[Avery Shaw 11.0] Unwritten & Underwater

by Amanda M. Lee

  If looks could actually kill, Jake would’ve struck me dead with one scowl. “You’re a menace.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  NO ONE STOPPED me when I let myself into the aquarium. It remained closed to the public. I had a feeling that was due to public relations issues. The county was scrambling to salvage the opening now that a dead body had been found on the premises. That would be difficult, but not impossible, to overcome.

  One of the keys to not being questioned about your presence in a spot where you’re not allowed is attitude. If you pretend you’re supposed to be there, the majority of people who are there legitimately simply assume you know what you’re doing. Even on my bad days I have attitude enough to fake it for ninety-five percent of the population.

  I was counting on that getting me through today.

  I wanted to question the workers, but I figured a walk through the building first couldn’t hurt. Of course, the first place I headed was the stingray room. They were quite entertaining when they weren’t flapping around a body. The rest of the room was clean and put back together, which signified the rescheduled opening would happen soon.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  I shifted a glance over my shoulder, a lie on my tongue, but the woman who stood in the doorway didn’t look the type to fall for my usual line of crap. That was disheartening.

  “I belong to a cult of stingray worshippers,” I volunteered. “We believe if we stare at them long enough our souls will become one.” That sounded convincing, right? I’ve found that if your first plan doesn’t go as you expect it’s better to let people believe you’re crazy. They’ll give you a wide berth, which allows easy escape.

  “Do you expect me to believe that?” The woman had a no-nonsense air about her, and even though she wore a tailored suit it didn’t look uncomfortable or overbearing.

  “It was worth a shot.” I rolled my neck as I stood. “I was just shopping at the mall and saw the door open. I wanted to see the aquarium – it’s all over the news, after all – and I didn’t think anyone would notice.”

  The woman’s lips curved. “That was a better lie, but I still don’t believe it. Do you want to know why?”

  “I’m hanging on your every word.”

  She snorted, seemingly amused. “You’re Avery Shaw. I know you found the body here the day we were supposed to open. I also know you’re close friends with Sheriff Farrell, dating the guy going through the security feeds while fixing the camera system, and a general pain in the behind for just about everyone else in the county.”

  Oh, well, whoops. “Would you believe me if I told you that I’m an Avery Shaw impersonator?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Then I guess I’m out of lies.” I held my hands palms up and shrugged. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I have no idea who you are.”

  “That’s because I’m relatively new to the Macomb County politics carnival. I’m Lauren Strode.”

  I stilled, myriad horror movie scenes flashing through my mind. “Lauren Strode?”

  She nodded.

  “Are you serious?” I was a little bit excited. I couldn’t help myself. “Has anyone ever pointed out that the main heroine in the Halloween movies is named Laurie Strode?”

  “No. Never.” Lauren’s face was blank, but there was a bit of twinkle to her eyes.

  “I’m guessing you’ve heard that more than once, huh?” I felt mildly chagrined. “It’s kind of like when people ask me if I’ve seen the Star Wars movies. This is after they’ve seen me wearing a Star Wars shirt … or hoodie … or shoes. You probably find it annoying.”

  “Pretty much.” Lauren grinned as she leaned her hip against the stingray pool. “I’m in charge of public relations for the aquarium.”

  “Really?” I perked up. “That means you handled the party plans for the opening, right?”

  “Actually, we hired an outside individual to do that.”

  “Yeah, Cara Carpenter. She’s the woman who died.”

  “I know that.” Lauren tilted her head to the side, her brown hair dipping below her shoulder. “I heard you found her.”

  “I was with two other people, but … yeah, I was there.”

  “Sheriff Farrell and Eliot Kane.”

  “You clearly know both of them.”

  “I haven’t had occasion to meet Sheriff Farrell yet, but I’ve seen him at a few events,” Lauren said. “I met Mr. Kane when he was here yesterday doing some work. He seems … nice.”

  I couldn’t decide if Lauren meant “nice” like he’s hot and I want to lick him, or he’s “nice” like he should cut his hair and wear a suit. “He is nice.”

  “He’s very fond of you. He must’ve brought up your name a good five times during the twenty-minute conversation we engaged in.”

  “I pay him to do that.” I mustered a grin. “It’s like Can’t Buy Me Love.” I realized Lauren probably wouldn’t recognize a vague eighties movie reference so I expanded. “That’s a movie with Patrick Dempsey. He pays someone to be his girlfriend.”

  “I’m familiar with the movie.”

  I couldn’t help being impressed. “Most people wouldn’t get that reference.”

  “I’m not most people. I happen to love bad movies … even horror flicks with masked serial killers.”

  “Did you know they used a William Shatner mask for the first movie?”

  “I did. Did you know that Jason didn’t put on his iconic hockey mask until the third Friday the 13th movie?”

  I bobbed my head. I couldn’t help but like the woman, even though she was in a position to bust me. “I did. I love Friday the 13th movies … even the bad ones.”

  “They’re like Star Trek movies,” Lauren noted. “The even-numbered ones are good. The odd-numbered ones are terrible.”

  Now I really liked her. “You’re a fountain of useless information, just like me.”

  “I like movies.” Lauren flicked her eyes to the stingrays. “May I ask what you’re doing in here?”

  “I just wanted to look around. I actually came to the aquarium to question people regarding Cara’s movements in the days before we found her in the pool. How much time did you spend with her?”

  “Enough to know that she was good at her job but a bit distracted,” Lauren replied.

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning that she was a very ‘by-the-book’ individual,” Lauren explained. “She wanted finger sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies. When I said I thought marine-shaped cookies and gummy sharks were a better idea she wasn’t pleased with my suggestions.”

  “Those gummy sharks were awesome. You made a good choice there.”

  “I’m rather fond of them myself.”

  “You obviously won,” I pointed out. “All of the food was themed. You even had crab salad sandwiches, although I never got a chance to sample them before the whole discovering the dead body thing brought down the party.”

  “I did get my way, but only because I hired Cara,” Lauren supplied. “She wasn’t happy about it – and there were times I considered replacing her – but ultimately I didn’t.”

  “Did you hire her because of her ties to Jake?”

  “When I asked around about party planners, hers was the first name that came up,” Lauren said. “I figured she had to be trustworthy if she was dating the sheriff. Of course, I found out not long after that she was no longer dating the sheriff – and the gossip was thick over that breakup, let me tell you – but the contracts were already signed.”

  “How often did you meet with her?”

  “We spoke in person about four or five times over the past month, but most of our conversations were over the phone.”

  “Did she confide in you at all?” It was a long shot, but Lauren seemed to be a straight shooter. I was hopeful she had important information. “Did she talk about the attorney she was dating at all?”

  “She seemed much more int
erested in asking questions about Sheriff Farrell,” Lauren answered. “We had a lot of politicians and county workers come through the doors while we were finishing up construction. She asked anyone who lent an ear what Jake was up to.”

  “Did she like the answers?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” Lauren said. “I do remember one particular day when she almost had a meltdown because someone mentioned they saw the sheriff with another woman.”

  “Who?”

  “You.”

  “Oh.” I scratched my cheek, weary. “Yeah. Cara and I weren’t exactly friends.”

  “I figured that out on my own.” Lauren’s smile was playful. “You’re one of the top gossip topics when it comes to county folks, you know? I feel as if I know you even though we’ve just met. That’s a little weird, huh?”

  “My reputation is legendary,” I offered. “Sometimes it’s a gift. Sometimes it’s a curse.”

  “And right now?”

  I shrugged. “It doesn’t feel so bad right now. Regarding Cara, though, she died during the overnight hours before the opening. It was the middle of the night. Can you think of any reason she would’ve been in here?”

  “I don’t know what answer you want to hear, but I guess maybe she wanted to make sure everything was set up before the opening,” Lauren said. “She was very worried about what other people thought of her, and she wanted this event to go well.”

  “That’s probably because she knew Jake would be here,” I mused. “We saw her Sunday, but it didn’t go well. I’m guessing she wanted to put a better memory in his head because they weren’t in a good place after what happened.”

  “I don’t know if that’s the case, but if you believe it you’re probably right.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I’m always right, and I recognize it in others.”

  Okay, now I really liked her. Something occurred to me, and even though it was the wrong time to consider something like this, I couldn’t stop myself. “You’re not married, are you?” I looked at her ring finger for confirmation.

  Lauren was taken aback by the question. “Not last time I checked.”

  “No boyfriend? No stalkerish tendencies? Do you cry at chick flick movies?”

  “I only watch chick flicks when I have PMS,” Lauren replied. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I also don’t swing your way. I thought you were with Eliot Kane.”

  I realized what she was implying and made a face. “I don’t roll that way either. I was considering you for someone else.”

  “Oh, really?” Lauren arched an eyebrow, amused. “Who would that be?”

  All I could do was smile. “How do you feel about cops?”

  21 Twenty-One

  I tirelessly questioned the aquarium workers – with Lauren’s help and guidance – for most of the day. Lauren offered to buy me lunch at the food court so we could get to know one another during a break. I found her knowledge of pop culture and acerbic tongue welcome. She reminded me of me. Kind of.

  I definitely liked her.

  “I’m not coming home right away,” I announced when Eliot picked up his phone as I left the mall. “I have something else I want to do.”

  Eliot seemed distracted. I heard him occasionally saying something to someone else, even though he tried to cover the phone to block the second voice. “What are you going to do?”

  He clearly wasn’t focused on me. “I’m going to join the circus.”

  “Okay. Make sure you text me when you get there and when you leave.”

  Yeah, he definitely wasn’t listening. “Are you talking to Fawn?” I couldn’t help being suspicious.

  The question was enough to snap Eliot back to reality. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Oh, you know I hate it when you do that,” I grumbled. “If you answer a question with a question it means you’re guilty.”

  “The only thing I’m guilty of is loving you.” Eliot’s voice was full of faux sugar, but I wasn’t an idiot.

  “I’m going wine tasting tonight,” I announced, shifting gears. “I just thought you should know.”

  “You’re going wine tasting?” Eliot’s full attention was back on our conversation “May I ask why? With the amount of drinking you did last night I’d think that alcohol of any kind would be off the table for a few days.”

  “Oh, I’m not tasting the wine. You know how I feel about wine.”

  Eliot chuckled. “Yes, it tastes like grapes got together and cried because they had to make something that tastes so terrible. You’ve told me several times.”

  “And I’m glad you didn’t forget. The thing is, Cara was part of a wine-tasting club. I almost forgot about it. That woman who lived next door to her told me. I checked Cara’s schedule thing that was on her desk while I was in her office, and the tasting she went to every week is tonight. So … I’m going.”

  “Is this the neighbor who said you have thick thighs?”

  “I won’t dignify that with an answer.”

  “I happen to love your thighs.” Eliot sounded as if he was enjoying himself far too much.

  “Did Fawn hear you say that? If so, and she ever mentions thick thighs in front of me, I’m going to kick her so hard her mother will feel it. Then I’m going to do something terrible to you. I don’t know what yet, but I gave revenge fantasies a great deal of thought when I was angry with you yesterday. I have some good ideas.”

  Eliot sobered. “She didn’t hear it.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “She … won’t say anything.”

  “You’d better hope she doesn’t.” I fought to tamp down my irritation. “So, I’m going to the wine tasting to see if I can find the women Cara hung with. The neighbor said they were Cara’s closest friends.”

  “That sounds like a good idea, but I don’t want you going alone,” Eliot said. “I don’t think it’s safe. What if she ticked off one of those women and she killed Cara?”

  “I think I can handle a crazy woman in mom jeans.” If I couldn’t, there really wouldn’t be any reason to live.

  “Still, I don’t think you should go alone,” Eliot pressed. “I’ll go with you.”

  That sounded like a terrible idea. “I am not taking you to an event populated predominantly by women and letting them see you while they’re getting drunk. They’ll be all over you.”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet.” Eliot sounded torn, amusement and worry warring for top billing in his busy brain. “I know you’re trying to put on a brave face and you don’t want me cramping your style, but I don’t want you to get in trouble. So I would really appreciate it if you could take someone with you.”

  He sounded so reasonable I couldn’t deny him. “Fine.” I blew out a sigh as I racked my brain. “My options for wingmen are limited tonight.”

  Eliot wasn’t about to let it go. “What about Carly?”

  “She’s pregnant. Taking her to a wine tasting is like taking a vegetarian to a steakhouse. It’s just mean.”

  “Ah, well, I hadn’t considered that.” I could practically see Eliot’s mind working over the phone. “What about Lexie?”

  “I’m mad at her for bringing that moron to our pool.”

  “Yes, but you’ll make up with her eventually. And even though I find her irritating, Lexie is always solid in a fight.”

  “I’ll consider it.” I chewed my bottom lip. “I was actually thinking I might take someone else, too. Someone who claims he loves wine and knows something about it.”

  “Who is that?”

  “A fine wine connoisseur.”

  “Who?” Eliot was naturally suspicious when I didn’t immediately supply a name.

  “Marvin.”

  Instead of responding with shock and awe, Eliot barked out a grating laugh. “The only kind of wine he’s a connoisseur of is the stuff that comes in boxes.”

  “He still knows more about wine than I do.”

  “So you’re going to take him and Lexie?” />
  “That’s the plan.”

  “I’m fine with that,” Eliot said after a beat. “They’re both troublemakers when they want to be, but they’re good backup. I have some more work tonight. If you get drunk, call me. I’ll figure out a way to pick you up.”

  “Oh, I’m not getting drunk.” The mere thought caused my stomach to revolt. “I’m swearing off alcohol and guys who tell their employees about their girlfriend’s thick thighs.”

  Eliot sighed, resigned. He knew I wasn’t about to let it go, but now was hardly the time for a fight. “Just text me when you get there. I want you to keep in touch.”

  “My thick thighs are always touching.”

  “Oh, geez. You’re giving me a headache.”

  My work here was done.

  “OKAY, I’M IN charge,” Marvin announced two hours later as we walked through the front door of the kitschy winery and scanned the patrons. I was right. The room was packed with members of the female persuasion, only a handful of men joining the fun. In fact, as far as I could tell, Marvin was one of only three men in attendance.

  “I’ll make sure you don’t drink anything disgusting,” Marvin added. “I’m the king of wine.”

  “Huh. I’m the queen of whine,” I said, grinning as Marvin frowned. “We’re quite the pair.”

  “I want to hate you, but I can’t because you invited me to this really cool event,” Marvin said. “I can’t believe I didn’t know they did wine tastings here.”

  “I can’t believe people pay to sip wine and then spit it in a metal bowl,” Carly said, moving up to my left. Carly was at Lexie’s yoga studio when I called, and insisted on joining the group. She claimed that ever since she got pregnant we left her out of things – which was probably true, but she was growing a human being in her gut, and not in a fun way like Alien – so I had no choice but to invite her. “What a waste of good wine.”

  “I don’t even like wine,” Lexie offered, her expression serene. She knew I was irritated that she arranged for Carly to come, but pretended she didn’t notice the dark glares I lobbed in her direction. It’s not that I don’t like Carly, mind you. She’s my best friend. But a pregnant woman is going to stand out at a wine tasting, and that’s the last thing I needed. “So how does this work?”