Hope to Lie (DeSantos Book 2)

by A. R. Case

  He leaned over and Chris could smell the booze on his breath. “So, you’re not fucking her?”

  “You have issues,” Chris answered, smiling with his teeth. He’d said it low enough he doubted Dylan could hear it. Sure enough, the bassist didn’t take offense.

  “She’s crazy, you know. Never shuts up. Cries in her sleep and freaks out if you try to touch her. It’s creepy. I’m glad to be done with her.”

  The song ended, and Alexis hopped off stage. A few high fives were exchanged, and another singer took the stage. He had a strip of red hair, just on the top of his head, but shaved bald on the sides.

  Alexis was bouncing when she re-joined the group. Chris stood up to tuck her next to him, sandwiching her between Jay and himself. Bill stayed on stage and Dylan and Jay left to join him soon after.

  They played a cover song Chris knew well. The line-up on stage switched over again, and the three musicians adapted their songs to match what the newcomers knew.

  “I’ve never seen you here. What gives?” Alexis moved close but kept a small amount of room between them.

  “I needed to find you.”

  “Needed?” She smirked.

  “Yeah, cops want to talk to you.”

  Her face dropped from a smile into stone. “No fucking way.” She made to stand up, but Chris put a hand on her arm, trapping her.

  “Give me a minute, okay?”

  “No. No cops.”

  “It’s nothing bad, trust me.”

  Her eyebrow went up. “I have never known anything good to come from dealing with the cops. You’re shit out of luck.”

  She shook off his arm but was trapped by Dylan returning to the table.

  “That guy’s good. I think we’ll give him an audition.”

  “You’re not fucking serious about replacing me.”

  “Fuck if I’m not, Alexis. I’m tired of the bullshit.”

  “Jay and Bill get a vote.” The two men she’d just mentioned returned to the table, further trapping her and Chris in the booth.

  “My gear, my call. Face it, Alexis, you don’t belong in a cover band.”

  “That’s what I’ve been telling you for a long fucking time.” She replied.

  Bill looked down, but Jay answered. “You’d go farther without us.”

  Alexis’s mouth opened and closed.

  “See? You know this is the way it goes.” Dylan got up to leave, both of his band mates got up with him.

  “Wait, Jay? Can I crash at your place tonight?” Her voice sounded strained.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Sorry.”

  There was quiet for a minute or two while the band on stage changed personnel yet again.

  Alexis was rooted at the table.

  “You need a place to stay?” Chris sipped at the drink he’d been nursing.

  She looked at him through the corner of her eye.

  “Maybe.”

  “Make you a deal, you come to the police station with me on Monday and let them know you were with me Friday night, and I’ll let you stay at my place tonight and tomorrow. That way you can get back on your feet and figure things out.” He tacked on one more thing. “They just need to know where I was Friday. That’s it. Promise.”

  “Why do they need to know where you were?”

  “Doesn’t matter.” He kept eye contact but took a deeper sip of his drink.

  “The beach house?”

  “I have a condo in Ventnor City.”

  “Is it on a bus line?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve never ridden a bus.”

  Alexis frowned. “Tell me you have separate bedrooms?”

  “I have two bedrooms. So yeah.”

  “Two nights? No strings, except for Monday?”

  “Absolutely no strings, except Monday.”

  She was quiet for a long time. A few songs passed and Dylan was playing again. He stumbled but caught himself.

  “Does he always get drunk?” Chris asked.

  “Yes.” Alexis stood up. “Deal. Let’s go, sign boy.”

  ~~~~~~~

  After a short argument in the parking lot, Chris carried a makeshift backpack instead of the monster duffel bag through the lobby. Alexis had managed to bunch most of her things into a large long-sleeved T-shirt, and an even larger threadbare hoodie. The sleeves were turned inside out and threaded through the neck opening, then tied to the bottom of each garment where the hem was ripped in such a way it actually worked. They stayed closed if you didn’t jostle them too much. It looked like she’d done this before.

  No one was in the lobby or the common room, so Chris made it to the fourth floor without running into any of his neighbors. His luck ran out when they got off the elevator. Mrs. Weldon was taking her ancient Maltese-Poodle mix out for his nightly walk. She looked at Alexis’s blue hair, the duffel that was as big as Alexis, Chris, then the small bag in his hand, and arched an eyebrow. She’d been witness to the meltdown this afternoon. Chris pretended to ignore her. Alexis, on the other hand, couldn’t ignore either.

  “What a wonderful dog! May I?” She made a petting motion.

  “Of course, he loves people.”

  Alexis promptly dropped down on her knees and got right at the tiny dog’s level to shower him with affection. It started with petting but became cuddling and even a kiss or two on the white, curly fur. The dog ate it up and the little fluffy tail whacked Chris’s leg a million times. Mrs. Weldon stage whispered to Chris, “I like this one much better than your usual lady friend.”

  Dog properly greeted and petted, Alexis got back up and thanked the woman for the pleasure.

  “Any time, dear. Keep this one in line. He’s much too handsome for his own good.”

  The beeping from the door being open gave Chris an escape. He made certain she and the dog were safely in before letting go of the door.

  “What a cutie. I love dogs.”

  “I know a few you might not like.”

  She made a noise of disbelief. “It’s not the dog, it’s the owner.”

  “You ever meet a rottweiler guarding its territory late at night?”

  “Aww, big sweeties. They’re just protecting their owners. I think they’re awesome.”

  Chris led her to his condo door. “Hmmn.”

  “Do you know of Rotties like that?”

  “I own two.”

  “In the apartment?” She sounded excited.

  “No, I keep them at the shop. They guard the grounds. And it’s a condo, even though it looks like an apartment.”

  “And during the day, where do they stay?”

  “I let them sleep in my office.”

  “See? Big softies. Who takes care of them on weekends like this?”

  “The weekend guards check on them.”

  He got the door open and led her into the great room. This was his favorite part of coming home at night. The lights of the city spread out just under his balcony, interrupted with the reflection of marina lights on the inlet the building overlooked. His view was due south, so the glare from the casinos was non-existent. Just block after block of houses and businesses, with the ocean lining the left, and the bay lining the right. The small barrier islands and wildlife management area were mostly dark, with a few lights near the roads, and the ocean and larger areas of water were black with tiny lights where boats traveled. He didn’t close the blinds often and didn’t care if someone looked in. Most of the buildings nearby were three stories at most. Their rooftops were the only thing he could see. The taller buildings along the main north/south avenues were far enough away he figured they wouldn’t see much. Not that he walked around naked, but maybe he’d have to give up the view while Alexis was here so she’d be comfortable.

  “Wow. nice view.” She set down her bag and walked to the sliding
doors that opened to the twenty-foot balcony. He joined her, not bothering to turn on the lights. “You can see all the way to Ocean City.”

  “I don’t think it’s that far, but maybe.” The storm from last night was long past and left a wake of clear skies behind it. However, the warmth from the ocean created light fog farther south. He pointed. “You see where Ventnor Avenue bends to the left, then harder right? That’s close to where we were last night.”

  “Cool.”

  She turned from the view. The lights from the city cast a small glow into the living room. The darker sections of blue in her hair blended into shadow. Like last night, her face was the one bright spot in the darkness. He wanted to lean into its glow.

  “Where’s my room?” She asked.

  Spell broken, Chris rubbed his neck. “I’ll warn you, it’s a mess. I kind of turned it into an office.”

  He led her down a short hallway. “Bathroom is to the right, here.” He flipped on the switch. “I have one off my room, so this one is all yours. I never use this one. Well, almost never.” He turned to the other side of the hall. “Your room.” He flipped on the light there and cringed. His desk was overflowing with unfiled papers, and the bed for guests was covered with the paperwork he was sorting for taxes. “Sorry about this. Was getting ready for fourth quarter taxes.”

  “Fourth quarter taxes?”

  “I pay estimated taxes quarterly so it’s not such a hit annually.”

  “You pay taxes four times a year?”

  He nodded.

  “I so don’t want to be an adult like you.”

  He looked down at her makeshift suitcase.

  “Point taken.”

  “I’ll get these out of the way.” He stacked some of the piles next to the computer, then took invoices and receipts and stuffed them into the basket on top of his desk.

  “You know, maybe I should sleep on the couch.”

  There were still at least eight piles left. He had one stack in his hands and was debating whether he should start another stack on the floor or shift one of the piles he’d just moved on the desk again to make room. “You sure that’s okay?”

  “I think it would be safest. I’m liable to trip on something in here and mess up everything for you.”

  Chris gave up searching for a place to put the pile in his hands and put it on the bed. “I’ll get some blankets for you.” He motioned for her to leave first, then opened a bi-fold closet in the hallway to get blankets and a sheet. Alexis set her belongings next to the L-shaped couch. “Kitchen is over here and the ends of the sofa recline.” He demonstrated one side for her.

  “It’s fine. I’ve slept in worse places. In fact, I think this is one of the nicest places I’ve stayed in, aside from last night. That was nice. No, I think that was the nicest, even with no heat. But I like heat. Heat is good.”

  “No strings, Alexa. I meant that.”

  “I was rambling, wasn’t I?”

  Instead of answering, he nodded. “It’s just temporary. I’ll get the office cleaned out and move the desk to the living room tomorrow, and you’ll have a door with a lock.”

  “I don’t need a lock. I trust you.”

  “Well, just in case you don’t, or you forget where you are, it will be there.” He turned to go to his room for the night.

  “Are you human? You’re not like a pod person or something?”

  Chris stopped in his tracks. “You haven’t been around very many nice guys, have you?”

  “Counting you, maybe two.”

  “Not so certain you should be including me in your count, but like I promised, no strings.”

  Chapter 6 — Verify

  Monday

  “You never did tell me why the Longport police want to talk to me,” Alexis asked. She’d been singing along with the car stereo, but the song had changed.

  Chris finished the turn he was making before answering. “I did. They just want to verify I was where I said I was.”

  “But don’t you have like receipts or something from the rental?”

  “That doesn’t prove I was there.”

  “Oh. I supposed not,” Alexis said.

  “Just tell them the truth.”

  She stared at him until he glanced her way.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Have you listened to me at all?”

  “You tell the truth…”

  “Go on,” she prompted.

  “Okay, sometimes you embellish and outright lie, but not when it’s important. Like when we were talking Saturday morning.”

  “You don’t get it, do you?”

  “Get what?”

  Instead of answering, she crossed her arms.

  “You know, I can’t read minds.”

  Alexis snorted but stayed quiet.

  “What don’t I get? Help me out here.”

  “The reason I told you those things.”

  “Okay, and?”

  “And what?” she asked.

  The lot for the police station was on the right. Chris turned in. “Whatever. Just, please tell the truth.”

  She started coughing.

  He glanced at her. “You okay?”

  “I’m allergic to police stations.” Her voice twisted up.

  “They make antihistamines for that.” He patted his jacket pocket.

  She threw a side-eye at him.

  “It’s called the truth.”

  She rolled her eyes. Her glare followed him as he got out of the car and circled around to open her car door. But she couldn’t hide the grin threatening her frown.

  Right before they went in, she stopped him. “I tell the truth when I trust people.”

  Detective Katz joined them in the lobby. “Hi, thanks for coming down, Chris. Is your lawyer here?”

  “He’s out of town, but his partner texted before she left. She’ll be here in about ten minutes.”

  “This your friend?” The detective pointed at Alexis.

  Alexis, who’d been pacing the lobby since Chris let the person at the desk know they were here to see the detective, stopped abruptly. Chris glanced at her to see what was on her face. Amazingly enough, it was wiped clean and broke into a smile as she introduced herself. She stuck out a hand, and all the earlier nervousness disappeared.

  They were escorted to a break room, not an interrogation room. Chris was sent out to wait for the lawyer. It was a bit longer than ten minutes. She showed up right as Alexis was escorted out of the break room.

  “Thanks for coming down, Alexis.” Katz was shaking her hand again. She joined Chris and the attorney. The latter pulled the detective aside and asked a couple of questions. Seemingly satisfied, she returned with a smile. “Easiest three hundred I’ve made lately. Chris, it’s all good. You’re free to go.”

  “They don’t want to question me too?”

  “Nope, Miss Canens, we’ll need an address from you, in case there’s a need to follow up.”

  She rattled off an address that sounded familiar to Chris. Everyone shook hands again. He concentrated on getting her out in the lot next to his Mercedes, and the fact he’d taken a day off for nothing.

  That’s when it hit Chris why the address sounded familiar. “You gave them the address for the Cave?”

  “Sure, why not? I live there.”

  “You work there, or play music there, I guess. It’s not the same thing.”

  “No big. I’ll live there now. You going to drop me off once we get my things?”

  “Listen, if you lied about your home address it…and no, I’m not going to drop you off there. It’s probably not even open right now.”

  “It opens for cleaning at two and the bartenders all know me. I help out once in a while.”

  “How long have you been homeless?”

  “I’m
not homeless.” She crossed her arms.

  “Where do you live?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Seriously, Alexis, you can’t say you live at the bar.”

  “I don’t, usually. Besides, up until Friday, I was staying at Dylan’s.” She made a face when she said his name. Then she tried the door handle, but it was locked. The car chirped, which made her jump back.

  “And before that?” Chris hit the button on the remote alarm to disable it, then moved in to block her from the door.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Where’d you stay before Dylan’s?” He opened the car door for her.

  She tossed her hand around. “Again, none of your business, but I was crashing with a friend. Her kids were too loud in the morning.”

  “Have you paid rent anywhere in the last year?” he asked after getting in the car.

  “What’s that got to do with anything? And yes, for fuck’s sake, I paid Dylan’s last month. The rat bastard drank his half. So glad to be done with that shit.”

  “Was your name on the receipt?”

  She buckled her seat belt in answer.

  “It wasn’t, was it?”

  “So, why did they need to know if I stayed at the house on Friday? You fingered for a crime?”

  “No, they were just checking a lead. You heard my attorney.”

  “Why do you need an attorney?”

  “Everyone should have one.”

  “You must be really rich to afford to take off work, then pay an attorney to come all the way down here for nothing. What gives, Chris?”

  “What did they ask you?”

  “Oh, so trying to get my side to see if the answers jive with yours? You know, maybe if you’d told me what this was all about, it would have helped.”

  “No. The truth is all that was needed.”

  “So what part has to do with your coat?”

  He braked harder than he was supposed to for the red light. The car rocked. He let off the brake to creep forward to just behind the line. “What did they ask about my coat?”

  “My coat. I got if off a felon, or something, in a bar bet. He didn’t think I could down a whole pitcher of beer, and still hit high A, and I won. That was four years ago, and I don’t think he’ll be back for it.”