New Media & Old Grudges

by Amanda M. Lee

Eliot gripped my hand harder and slid his eyes to me. His protective stance made me realize I was acting like a weenie and I immediately dropped his hand. I’d never acted like a weenie. That simply wasn’t who I wanted to be. “Ask your questions,” I ordered.

  Eliot’s lips curved as he drew his hand back. He looked amused — and maybe a little proud.

  “Fine.” Stephenson was all business as he clicked his pen and pulled out a small notebook. “Where were you last evening between the hours of nine and eleven?”

  That was a much smaller window than Jake had indicated. That meant they’d already narrowed things down.

  “You can answer that,” Brian offered. “This once. If he asks again, don’t answer.”

  I understood why Brian wanted us to answer only once. Stephenson would try to elicit various answers by asking the question in multiple ways in an attempt to trip us up. I was familiar with the game. “We were home.”

  “And my understanding is that you live in the Twenty-Three Mile and Card Road area, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did you do at home?”

  I frowned. “Do you want a play-by-play?”

  “Yes.”

  I glanced at Eliot, who gave me an encouraging nod. “We changed into comfortable clothes. Eliot has flannel pants. Now that it’s colder we both wear long pants to sleep in because ... well, just because. I opted for a pair of fuzzy Star Wars pants. They’re not exactly romantic, but Eliot doesn’t seem to care.”

  Eliot chuckled lightly.

  “Then we had some hot chocolate and watched a little television. He got caught up on Sports Center, which I find boring, so I got out my Nintendo Switch and played a game.”

  “Which game?” Stephenson asked, feigning politeness.

  “That would be LEGO Jurassic World. I’ve been obsessed with getting it up to one hundred percent for months.”

  “How close are you?”

  “Ninety-seven percent.”

  “Please continue.”

  I glanced at Brian, confused, but he only nodded. He didn’t appear bothered by the video game question. “We had a few snacks.”

  “And what did those snacks consist of?”

  “Potato chips ... and cheesecake ... oh, and these amazing things I got at Randazzo’s. They’re called dirt cups and they’re filled with chocolate mousse, cookie crumbs, and gummy worms. They’re huge and they give me a sugar buzz like you wouldn’t believe.”

  “And is that something you do regularly?” Stephenson asked. “The sugar buzz. Do you often get hopped up on sugar right before bed?”

  I knew what he was insinuating. He was about to be disappointed. “Who doesn’t? I need the rush to play video games. We have a new kitten, too. Rocky. I also like to irritate Eliot until he chases me into the bedroom to work off the rest of the energy. Then I crash hard and wake up refreshed and ready to do it all over again.”

  “I see.” Stephenson pursed his lips. “So ... your alibi is that you two were together all evening. That’s convenient.”

  “What else is it supposed to be?” Eliot challenged, his eyes flashing. “No, I’m serious.” He shrugged off Brian’s pointed stare and kept his focus on Stephenson. “We live together. We share the same bed every night. We go home together, watch television together, climb into bed together, wake up together and then have breakfast together. Stop acting as if that’s strange when it’s what all couples do.”

  “I don’t spend that much time with my wife,” Stephenson argued.

  “Perhaps your wife isn’t as stimulating as Avery.”

  Now it was my turn to smirk. “Oh, that’s sweet.”

  Eliot winked at me and then fell silent under Brian’s watchful gaze. He obviously didn’t like the interplay.

  “My problem with your answer is that there’s no way to prove it,” Stephenson argued. “I’m sure you can see my dilemma. After what happened to Mr. Ludington — and in front of multiple witnesses who recorded the fight — you must understand why you’re on top of our interview list.”

  That was a polite way of saying he had no interest in looking beyond us. “It’s not our job to do your job for you,” I countered. “If you need help finding suspects, may I suggest working your way through every tier of the Macomb County government? There was no politician — big or small — who Tad didn’t irritate.”

  “Yes, Mr. Ludington has quite the reputation,” Stephenson agreed. “Most of that reputation is based on his interactions with you. Why do you think he reacted so negatively to your presence?”

  “He’s allergic to wit and charm.” The answer simply rolled off my tongue and when I looked to Brian to see if I’d made a mistake he simply smiled. Perhaps he liked The Avery Show as much as everyone else in my life.

  “Is that what you really think?” Stephenson asked blandly. He was clearly devoid of personality. I already knew that from our prior interactions.

  “You would have to ask Tad. I have no opinion on the matter.”

  “You don’t have an opinion? I’m ... shocked. Don’t you always have an opinion?”

  “Only about certain things. If you want my opinion about LEGO games, for example, the past few have been real disappointments. It’s too bad, because they were on quite a roll. If you want my opinion on why Tad does the things he does, there’s nothing I can do for you. He’s not exactly known for confiding in me, something I encourage because he’s a complete and total tool.”

  “I see.” Stephenson used a flat tone that grated. I was certain it was by design, but I refused to react. “When did you find out about Mr. Ludington’s shooting?”

  “Don’t answer that,” Brian interjected. He knew how we found out. Eliot had briefly laid it all out for him when he’d arrived. “It’s not material to this case.”

  “Oh, no?” Stephenson cocked an eyebrow. “I think it’s very material. If they found out while they were at his house shooting him, that’s something I’d like to know.”

  “Oh, if that’s what you’re worried about, I can put you at ease,” I offered. “Not only were we not at Tad’s house last night, that’s definitely not how we found out he’d been shot.”

  “Great.” Stephenson went back to focusing on his notebook. “Can you tell me about your relationship with Mr. Ludington?”

  “Ms. Shaw will not be going into that,” Brian countered quickly. “If you want information about their past, you may speak to Mr. Ludington.”

  “I would, but he’s in a medically induced coma. He can’t really talk right now.”

  For some reason the news made me inexplicably sad. As much as I hated Tad — and there could be sonnets written about that, quite frankly — I didn’t like the thought of him being hooked to machines and struggling for his life. I much preferred picturing him fleeing from me after I suckered him into another round of embarrassing himself in public.

  “Well, I guess you’ll have to wait,” Brian said briskly. “If that’s all, I believe my clients have work to do.”

  “That’s not all.” For the first time, Stephenson lost his cool. He was clearly annoyed with the tone of the interview. “I’m nowhere near done with them.”

  “You are unless you plan to take them into custody.”

  My heart lodged in my throat at the words, but I kept my face impassive.

  “Do you really want to take that stand?” Stephenson was haughty. “I have no problem taking your clients in. How does that sound?”

  “Do what you want.” Eliot shot me a warning look when I started to open my mouth. “If you charge us it will only come back to bite you. I think you already know that.”

  “And why would I know that?”

  “Because all you have to do to prove that we were in the house all night is call our security provider. I set the alarm when we got home. We never turned it off the entire night. That means we didn’t leave our house.”

  “I ... .” Stephenson worked his jaw. He obviously hadn’t considered that avenue. “That doesn’
t mean you didn’t leave,” he said finally. “That simply means you found a way to fool the security company. You are a security expert after all.”

  “Whatever.” Eliot made a face when he heard the bell in the store jangle. It was followed quickly by excited exclamations from Mario. “Now what?” He started to stand, but Stephenson shot him a dark look.

  “We’re not done with our interview.”

  Brian immediately started shaking his head. “No, we’re done. This interview is over.”

  “That’s a shame,” a new voice announced, strolling into the room. It belonged to an absurdly handsome man in his late thirties or early forties — it was hard to tell — who took over the opening between the office and the store. “I haven’t even begun questioning you yet and it’s already over.”

  “Who are you?” Stephenson demanded.

  “This is Logan Jacobs,” Jake announced, striding in behind the man. “He’s an investigator with the state police.”

  My stomach twisted. Crap on a cracker, this wasn’t good.

  “I’ll be taking over the investigation,” Jacobs announced.

  Nope. Definitely not good.

  9 Nine

  Jacobs had one of those smiles meant to look friendly but which hid a wealth of dark emotions. I’d met his type before and I was instantly on alert.

  “Well, I figured this was coming,” Brian said, darting his eyes to Eliot. “We talked about this.”

  Eliot nodded. “We did.” He briefly focused on Jake, almost as if conveying an apology, and then turned to Jacobs. “We’re done answering questions.”

  “I see.” Jacobs’ smile never wavered as he focused on me. “So, you’re the famous Avery Shaw. I expected you’d be taller.”

  “I like to fly under the radar,” I offered.

  “Cute.” He pursed his lips and regarded Eliot. “Does he speak for you, too?”

  I hesitated and then nodded. “I don’t think it’s smart for us to talk to you. Sorry.” I wasn’t really sorry. It was more that I sensed a challenge. As someone who likes to win, a battle of wits with the state police was always high on my list of amusements. I had to play it smart this time around, though. Eliot and Jake might kill me otherwise.

  “That’s too bad.” Without invitation, Jacobs edged himself into the room and lodged his hip on the corner of Eliot’s desk. He was essentially boxing out Barnes and Stephenson, who looked flabbergasted ... and ticked off.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” Stephenson barked, hopping to his feet.

  Jacobs was calm. “I should think the meaning is clear. This is now my case.”

  “But ... .” Stephenson’s rage was palpable as he swiveled to face Jake. “How could you let this happen?”

  Jake appeared calm, but I could see the anger bubbling beneath the surface. Only people who truly knew him would recognize it. “There’s nothing I can do about it. The edict came down from the state twenty minutes ago. I didn’t know until Trooper Jacobs showed up.”

  “The case has been officially passed to me.” Jacobs’ smile was smug. “I’ll take whatever notes you’ve accumulated.”

  “Excuse me?” Stephenson was beside himself. “There’s no way I’m giving you my notes.”

  “You will and you’ll shut up about it,” Jake snapped. “This is already uncomfortable for everybody involved. There’s nothing we can do but accept it ... so that’s what you’re going to do.”

  “But ... .”

  “No!” Jake practically exploded, his world-famous temper — which he’d spent years getting under control — on full display. “Just do it.”

  “Thank you, sheriff,” Brian drawled. “I appreciate you handling your men with such ... restraint.” He almost looked amused as his eyes drifted back to me. “Is he always this way?”

  “You’ll have to ask him.” Suddenly, I was completely uninterested in this conversation. “Actually, it’s getting to be about that time.” I looked to Eliot. “You promised to buy me lunch.”

  Even though he’d done nothing of the sort, Eliot didn’t miss a beat as he nodded. “That’s right. You didn’t say if you wanted Thai or coneys.”

  What a ridiculous question. “What do you think?”

  “Coneys it is.” He held out his hand to take mine and slid around Jacobs. “You guys can show yourselves out.” He paused in front of his attorney. “I’ll call you in a few hours.”

  Brian nodded. “Have a good lunch.”

  “You’re leaving?” Jacobs didn’t move from his spot, but his gaze turned speculative. “I don’t understand. We haven’t even begun discussing your part in the attack on Tad Ludington.”

  I gritted my teeth to contain my temper. Now was not the time to be ... well ... me.

  “We had no part in shooting Tad Ludington.” Eliot put his hand to the small of my back and prodded me forward. Unfortunately, Jake was standing in my way and he looked frozen in place. “If you want to talk about Ludington, discuss it with our attorney. We’re done answering questions.”

  I held Jake’s gaze for a long moment. There were things I wanted to say to him, but now wasn’t the time.

  “Do you want to know why this case was handed over to me?” Jacobs asked.

  “Not really,” Eliot replied. “Come on, Avery. I’ll get you some of that chocolate cake you love, too.”

  Now that was something I could get worked up about. “Awesome.”

  “I was assigned to this case because no less than three complaints were filed in less than two hours from those closest to Ludington. They seemed to think the sheriff’s department can’t be impartial. What do you make of that?”

  “That you live a very boring life if you only garnered three complaints,” I answered. “I don’t consider it a successful day unless I’ve ticked off at least ten people.”

  “Yes, you have a certain reputation,” Jacobs agreed. “Part of that reputation is your close personal relationship with Sheriff Farrell. Tell me, Mr. Kane, how do you feel about your girlfriend spending so much time with her ex-boyfriend?”

  “I think it’s funny,” Eliot replied. “Jake and I know each other from our military days. His relationship with Avery dates back to childhood. She knows exactly what buttons to push to agitate him. That’s always funny.”

  “You like it when your girlfriend pushes the buttons of others?”

  “Yup. She’s absolutely hilarious.”

  “Even if it’s an ex-boyfriend?”

  “Jake and Avery are friends. I’m not insecure about that.”

  “My understanding is that your girlfriend also had a relationship with the victim. How do you feel about that?”

  I made a face. “Did you have to bring that up? It’s so gross. I think I was going through a bout of temporary insanity.”

  Jacobs’ gaze never left Eliot’s face. “It seems your girlfriend gets around. My understanding of the timeline is that she broke up with the sheriff to date the victim. You’re simply the latest in a line of people to fall under her spell.”

  “Hey!” I was officially offended. “He’s not the latest in a line of anything.”

  “It’s okay,” Eliot reassured me. “He’s trying to get a rise out of you. Don’t let him.”

  That was easier said than done. I was absolutely furious, which meant I was already considering ways to torture this man.

  “It would be better for the two of you if you talked to me,” Jacobs called out as we headed for the door.

  “Somehow I doubt that,” Eliot replied over his shoulder. “Mario, you’re in charge for the rest of the afternoon.”

  My cousin nodded. He seemed to sense now wasn’t the time for one of his trademark quips. “Cool.”

  Jacobs followed us. “You’re hurting nobody but yourselves. If you’re innocent, you have nothing to hide.”

  Eliot opened his mouth to respond, but Mario beat him to it. Apparently my cousin wasn’t afraid of pushing the wrong buttons after all.

  “I’ll talk to you.”
>
  Jacobs looked at him with some interest. “Really? Do you know anything about your boss’s movements last night?”

  “I do. He’s sick. He told me all about the dirty things he did with Avery. But that’s not what I want to talk to you about. Did you know that the term ‘playing doctor’ was a euphemism for sex? I Googled it today, and let me tell you something, there’s some kinky crap out there.”

  Jacobs looked confused. “And you want me to remove it or something?”

  “No. I want you to help me find more. You’re a cop. You’re supposed to know how to find the really dirty stuff on the internet. I’ve got this idea about creating a database. I’ll pay you as soon as it’s up and running.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “That’s a fabulous idea. You boys have fun now.”

  ELIOT TOLD ME TO “GO NUTS” WHEN ordering lunch. We planned to take it home so we could talk without risking people eavesdropping. That turned out to be a good idea. I heard two women sitting in a nearby booth whispering.

  There was “That’s the woman who shot the guy running for the county board” and “I think it was the guy, because he was on the news threatening him.” I didn’t want to listen further. I ordered four coney dogs, a large serving of chili fries, and two pieces of cake. Eliot arched an eyebrow and then placed the same order. By the time we spread out our greasy offerings on the coffee table at home we had so much food I knew I would have to change into looser pants.

  “I know you’re upset,” he started as I sat on the floor. Rocky immediately hopped on my lap. It wasn’t that he thought I would be more likely to share my food as much as he recognized I was a messy eater and some chili was likely to drop to a place he could access it.

  “I’m not upset.” I didn’t meet his steady gaze. “I’m just ... thinking.”

  “You’re upset,” he countered. “Maybe we should talk about what’s bothering you most.”

  That sounded rational ... and like something I didn’t want to do. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Like what?”

  I shrugged. “They’re making another Halloween movie. I liked the last one, and it’s the same team. That will be fun.”