On Deadline & Under Fire

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Would you like to expound on that?”

  “Sure. She pictured you living a life that was full of work and nothing else. She thought she could talk you into coming home – in fact, that’s what she’s probably been focusing on for two years – and then she found out you were actually happy here. It was a blow to her plan … and her ego.”

  “I told her we were together,” Eliot argued. “I told her we were happy.”

  “She couldn’t see it, though, so to her you were making it up.”

  “But … .” Eliot broke off, obviously frustrated. “I don’t understand any of this. I mean … she’s never been an easy woman to spend time with, but her attitude tonight was beyond belief.”

  “She’ll get better.” I was almost positive that was true. “Trust me. She’ll slowly get over this, and while she might never like me, she’ll learn to accept me as part of your life.”

  “How can you be sure of that?”

  “Because if she doesn’t she’ll lose you. I think she realizes that already, which is part of the problem. She doesn’t want it to come down to an ultimatum because she’ll lose.”

  “Hmm.” Eliot pressed his lips to my neck. “When did you get so smart?”

  “I was born that way.”

  “That’s not what your mother says.”

  “Well, she’s as nutty as your mother.”

  “I’m starting to see that.” We lapsed into comfortable silence for a beat, Eliot’s eyes traveling to my computer. “What are you really looking up? That’s clearly not porn.”

  “I was researching the guy who died in the apartment fire.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Grandpa said he used to be a mobster. The stories I found on the internet seem to prove that.”

  “No, why are you researching him when you’re on vacation?”

  “Oh, that.” It was time for some damage control. “I was bored and didn’t want to eavesdrop. Jay Truman was all I had.”

  “Uh-huh.” Eliot didn’t look convinced. “You’re not trying to find a juicy story to focus on so you can head back to work and leave me to deal with my mother myself, are you?”

  “I would never!” I feigned offense. “I can’t believe that you would say that to the woman you love.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Eliot grabbed me around the waist and hauled me to my feet, closing my laptop before he herded me toward the door. “Let’s go to bed.”

  “Where is your mother?”

  “She turned in early. She claims she has jet lag.”

  “It’s only an hour time difference.”

  “Yes, well, she needs time to regroup. You were right on that front.”

  “I’m always right.”

  “You’re modest, too.” Eliot grinned as he flicked off my office light and led me toward the stairs. “I figure if she’s going to bed early, we should, too. We need some quiet time together to bond after a very long day.”

  “I think we’re already bonded.”

  “I have a special type of bonding in mind.”

  “Ah.” I snickered. “Okay, but if your mother catches us I’m making you handle the fallout.”

  “I would expect nothing less.” Eliot hauled me over his shoulder as I giggled, making sure to keep my head away from the stair railing as he descended. “Prepare yourself. I think I’m going to need a lot of comforting.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.”

  “And I’m thankful for it every day.”

  10 Ten

  Maggie was an early riser and she was already drinking coffee in the kitchen when Eliot and I stumbled in the next morning.

  “I see you’re still not a morning person, Eliot.”

  Eliot dragged a hand through his sleep-mussed hair and shrugged as he handed me a mug from the cabinet. “Mornings aren’t our favorite time of day around here.”

  “Eliot does better than me in the morning,” I supplied. “I’m the devil in the morning.”

  “And at night.” Eliot poked my side as he grinned. “And in the afternoon. And during brunch.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I popped a pod in the Keurig and placed my mug under the spout. “What’s for breakfast?”

  “I was thinking pancakes,” Eliot replied as he moved toward the refrigerator. “I bought those Star Wars pancake molds for you and we have fresh blueberries.”

  “That sounds good to me.” I carried my coffee to the table and sat, doing my best to ignore the way Maggie widened her eyes when Eliot headed to the refrigerator rather than joining us.

  “Wait … you’re cooking breakfast?” Maggie’s eyes were hard to read when they landed on Eliot.

  “I am,” Eliot confirmed. “Unless you want to go out. We could go out. There’s a Coney Island a few blocks away if you want.”

  “No, I … pancakes are fine.” Maggie slid me a sidelong look. “You don’t help with breakfast?”

  “Avery is challenged in the kitchen,” Eliot answered for me. “I do most of the cooking.”

  “But … she’s the woman.”

  “Really?” Eliot made a hysterical face as I sipped my coffee. “I’m glad you told me. I never would’ve realized it on my own.”

  “A woman’s place is in the kitchen,” Maggie persisted.

  “Avery’s place is wherever she wants it to be,” Eliot countered while I glared daggers into the back of his mother’s head. She really was on my last nerve and she’d barely eased into her stay.

  “Besides, you don’t want to eat my food,” I offered helpfully. “I’ve never met a meal that I didn’t manage to wreck without direct supervision in the kitchen.”

  “Oh, that’s not true.” Eliot winked to let me know he was teasing. “Last week you surprised me with Star Wars macaroni and cheese in bed, and it was divine.”

  That was true. “I told you it was good.”

  “It was wonderful.” Eliot was adept at mixing ingredients so he barely looked at what he was tossing in the bowl as he focused on his mother. “Do you know what you want to do today?”

  “Oh, well … .” Maggie’s gaze was intense as she glanced between the two of us. I could tell she wanted to push the cooking thing, but after last night’s dustup she took a step back. “I was thinking we could go to the mall. I understand you have a beautiful one with a skywalk.”

  Eliot didn’t look happy at the suggestion. “You want to go shopping?”

  Maggie nodded. “Yes. I think it’s a fun group activity for all of us.”

  Oh, no. That wasn’t going to happen. I like shopping as much as the next person, but there was no way I was going to do it with Maggie. She looked the type to only visit boring stores, and that would definitely ruin my shopping experience.

  “It sounds like you want to go to Somerset Collection,” I noted, forcing my tone to remain calm. “Are you looking for anything in particular?” I had to pick my moment to make my escape.

  “I was looking online last night – this is after I heard the two of you giggling like little girls on the way to your bedroom – and there are several stores I would like to check out,” Maggie explained. “Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware are first on the list.”

  I didn’t miss that those were all home improvement and decorating stores. That probably wasn’t a coincidence. “Well, that sounds nice. Eliot loves those types of stores.”

  “I could take those stores or leave them,” Eliot corrected, his eyes piercing when they snagged with mine. It was as if he sensed I was about to pull a maneuver he wouldn’t like. “Somerset has other stores. They have that Build-A-Bear Workshop.”

  “Build-A-Bear?” Maggie wrinkled her nose. “Isn’t that a place for children to make stuffed animals?”

  “It is,” Eliot confirmed. “Avery made five of them there a few weeks ago. They’re all Star Wars themed. They’re in the basement, in case you’re wondering. The guy who helped her put them together wished her a ton of a fun with her new friends.”

  I knew what he was
trying to do, but it wasn’t going to work. “I have enough new friends.”

  “They have a Lego store, too,” he reminded me. “You said you wanted that Ewok village set. We could get that today. It might actually be a good idea for you to buy something big like that because it will give you something to fixate on when you need a break from … things … during the next few days.”

  I already had something to fixate on: a dead mobster who died in a fire. Who wanted to focus on the Ewok village when you had something like that to look into? “Oh, I thought maybe you might like to spend some time alone with your mother,” I offered helpfully. “She’s barely in town and you guys have yet to bond.”

  Eliot narrowed his eyes. “Yes, well, as nice as that sounds, I don’t want to leave you on your own the entire day. You’re on vacation, after all. You might get bored.”

  “I won’t get bored.” That was true. I already knew exactly what I was going to do, and it was something that would drive Eliot batty if the information somehow slipped. “Your mother wants to spend some private time with you. That was obvious when she mentioned the mall. I think she’d prefer going with you and only you. Isn’t that right, Maggie?”

  I should’ve been offended by how relieved she looked at my suggestion. She was ultimately helping me by being a pain, though, so I merely smiled when hope flared in her eyes.

  “Oh, well, I don’t want to exclude you,” Maggie hedged.

  “You’re not excluding me. I get it. You want some private time with Eliot. The last thing I want is to get in the way of that.”

  “I’m so glad you understand.” This time the smile Maggie flashed wasn’t hesitant or forced. It was real and warm, and it caused me to take pause. “Thank you so much for this. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

  “Don’t mention it.” I got up from the table long enough to grab a can of tomato juice from the refrigerator, cringing when Eliot caught my arm and bent his head low. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  I calmly shook the can. “I’m giving you and your mother a chance to spend quality time together without getting in the way.”

  “I told you last night I want you with me through this.”

  “And I will be with you,” I supplied. “If you need me, you know I’m here. She wants to spend time with you. You saw the look on her face when you mentioned Build-A-Bear Workshop. That is not the sort of outing she has in mind.”

  “Well, she can just get over it.”

  “Or, you two can spend quality time together and that will ease the way for her to start liking me more because she won’t see me as an obstacle,” I countered.

  “I … .” Eliot looked caught. “What are you going to do while we’re gone?”

  I was expecting the question and already had an answer. “I thought I’d stop by Lexie’s yoga studio so I can vent a bit about some of the things your mother said last night – you know, girl stuff – and then probably go to lunch.”

  “You said you weren’t upset about what she said.”

  “And I’m not. Venting helps with that.”

  Eliot sighed. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

  “I do. You guys need to be together – to talk without worrying about hurting my feelings – and she feels as if I’m in the way. It’s good for me to be out of the picture for the day.”

  “Fine.” Eliot shook his head. “I’d better not find out you were digging around about mobsters or anything. I’m warning you now that things will get ugly if that happens.”

  I managed to keep a straight face, but just barely. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Right.” Eliot clearly wasn’t convinced, but he released my arm and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be checking in throughout the day to make sure you’re telling the truth.”

  Ugh. That was annoying. It must’ve been a trait he learned from his mother. “I’m looking forward to it,” I lied. “You’re being suspicious for no reason, though.”

  “I’ve seen your work,” Eliot shot back. “Now take your juice to the table and entertain my mother until the Star Wars pancakes are ready. I think I’ve earned at least five minutes of peace this morning.”

  “Happy to.” I didn’t mean it, but an opening in my schedule that allowed me to breathe away from the harsh glare of parental disapproval was worth putting up with the breakfast from hell. “We’re a great team, huh?”

  Eliot chuckled. “Now I know you’re up to something.”

  “You’re too suspicious for your own good.”

  “When I catch you I’m going to punish you.”

  “Sounds exciting.”

  “I’m glad you approve. Now … go over there. Someone has to entertain my mother.”

  It was a daunting task, but I was up for it. “Do you think I should explain my theory about people who don’t like Star Wars to her? She looks like she needs to hear it.”

  “That’s a fabulous idea.”

  I WENT THROUGH THE trouble to stack yoga pants and a comfortable T-shirt on the table by the front door, waiting until I was sure Eliot was gone and not circling back to check on me before grabbing the clothes and heading out.

  I tossed the stack in the back seat of the car and headed straight for Mount Clemens. I had an idea about who might be able to help me track down information on Jay Truman, and it wasn’t exactly an “inside the box” notion.

  Andre (no last name) didn’t seem surprised when I parked in front of his rundown house. He was a local Mount Clemens man – he looked to be in his mid-twenties but I’d never asked – and he ran a crew who did his bidding and served as protection. I was hesitant to call him a gangbanger, although I was certain the term was appropriate, and instead considered him an industrious and sometimes enigmatic source. We’d met several months earlier when I was chasing a story that circled around a crazed carnival worker (really, is there any other kind?) and we’d been friendly since.

  “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my favorite reporter.” Andre’s grin was sly as I took the open chair to his left, which one of his men vacated right before I sat. “What brings you to my neck of the woods? I thought your boyfriend didn’t want you hanging out with me.”

  “Eliot didn’t say that,” I argued.

  “Really?” Andre cocked an eyebrow. “I seem to remember some creative threats if I didn’t make sure you remained free of trouble in my presence.”

  “You’re not a miracle worker,” I pointed out. “Eliot can’t keep me out of trouble when we’re together, so I don’t know why he expects the impossible from you.”

  “I think he’s worried about you … and since I’ve been around you a few times, I get that.”

  “Yes, well, he has bigger things to worry about than me right now. His mother is in town and staying with us. She forced him to go to Somerset today and he’s really not looking forward to it.”

  “That’s because malls are extensions of corporate America and should be demolished.”

  “If there were no malls I would have absolutely nowhere to build Star Wars bears.”

  Andre furrowed his smooth brow. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “Don’t worry. You’re not missing much if I don’t explain.” I absently patted his wrist as I glanced at the people littering his yard. “What do you guys do when the weather changes? How do you intimidate the neighbors when it’s snowing?”

  “We wear moon boots and leather parkas.”

  “I guess that works.” I rolled my neck until it cracked. “So, I need some information.”

  “I figured that out myself,” Andre acknowledged, amused. “You only come around when you want dirt on other players in the area. Who are you investigating this week?”

  “Jay Truman.”

  Andre blinked several times before shaking his head. “That can’t be his street name.”

  “I have no idea if he has a street name, but I guess it’s possible. He’s the old guy who died in that Chester
field fire a few days ago.”

  “I heard about that.” Andre stroked his chin. “Why are you looking into that? I thought it was an accident.”

  “I have no idea whether it’s been ruled accidental or arson,” I countered. “I’m technically on vacation this week.”

  “Because your boyfriend’s mom is in town?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you’re on vacation, why are you asking about a dead guy?”

  “Ugh. You sound just like Eliot. I can’t turn off my mind simply because I’m on vacation. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “Right. You’re basically saying you’re an obsessive freak.”

  “If that’s the way you want to look at it.” I didn’t have time to argue ridiculous notions. I only had a few hours to delve deeper into this mystery before Eliot would demand I help him entertain his mother. I couldn’t shirk my girlfriend duties twice in one day and get away with it. “I need to know more information about Jay Truman.”

  “That name means absolutely nothing to me.”

  I couldn’t help being disappointed. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. Why would you think I’d know anything about an old guy in an apartment fire?”

  “Because he was reportedly part of mob activity in this area for a long time,” I replied. “He was with Sandusky Sanitation for years. I’m guessing that means he had a lot of enemies.”

  “You’re basing that on watching The Godfather, aren’t you?”

  “And The Sopranos.”

  Andre snorted, genuinely amused. “I guess I should be flattered that you think I know something about mob activity, but that’s an old white man’s game, whereas I tend to run in faster circles.”

  I knew what he wasn’t saying. He didn’t want to own up to it, but even he was leery of the mob. “I still need to find someone who knew him back in the day. I’m at a loss as to where to start.”

  “May I ask why you think this is even a story? I thought it was an accidental fire. That’s what they’ve been saying on the news.”