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Chapter Seventeen
Alia couldn’t believe Sloan had given in after his initial outburst. His over-the-top reaction hadn’t affected the others but she’d taken it personally. Now she was stuck with the plan.
She’d be moving into his house in a couple of days, and Kean would be coming with her. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. Fretting over her options, she drove home and noticed what looked to be the same car parked down her street that had been there a number of times.
Yep! It had the exact sticker on the trunk revealing the name of a rental agency. From her front window yesterday, she’d seen a glint from sunlight on glass and her suspicions had risen. When she’d gone out to confront the person, they’d driven away. This time, she’d sneak up on them and get some answers.
Fury driving her actions, she pulled up on the street, parking behind random cars rather than turning into her driveway. Making sure her weapon was visible on her waist, and her badge next to it, she strolled past the vehicle and saw the woman busy with binoculars aimed toward her house.
Backtracking, she snuck up on the driver’s side and blocked the woman’s view. In seconds, she jerked the binoculars away and appeared shocked to see Alia bent over, leaning into her window. She arched away, her expression laughable. Except for Alia; this wasn’t a laughing matter.
“What the hell are you doing?” Blonde, with too much eye makeup, chewing gum and bright pink lipstick smeared on her teeth, the woman’s attitude ramped up to obnoxious in the time it took for Alia to inspect the front passenger seat and look for a weapon.
“Funny thing – that’s what I want to know too. What are you doing on my street, across from my house, spying with those?” Alia pointed at the field glasses the idiot hadn’t tried to hide. The weirdo quickly threw them on the floor as if by putting them out of sight, she could pretend they hadn’t been there in the first place.
“I was checking out the properties on the street, ‘cause, ahh… I’m thinkin’ of buying a house.”
“Ain’t none for sale around here.”
“Yeah, well, I was just looking. No law against that.”
“How about harassment? I’ve seen you spying here before, and that constitutes a criminal act in my book.”
“Your book? What the hell would I care about you for? Get out of my face.” Pushing open the door so it forced Alia to back up, Blondie stepped out of the car.
Alia didn’t care if the female topped her by twenty-five pounds and stood a foot higher in her spike heels. She wanted answers. “You have a license to snoop on me? I can’t imagine Paul hiring someone who isn’t legal.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Suddenly the wiseass noticed Alia’s gun and her face paled.
Raising her hands, she changed her attitude. “Look, I don’t want no trouble. Some guy hired me to watch the gardener; he figures maybe his wife and the dude are getting it on and he wants proof.”
Gardener?“The only place on the street able to afford one of those pretty boys is my next door neighbor. You workin’ for Ralph Graves?”
Eyes narrowed, the woman pretended a deviousness that gave away the truth. “I might be. Not in my best interests to say, not if I want to keep any clients. I’m just doing my job. ”
“You got a card?”
“Why?” Blondie’s gaze became focussed, her act diminishing.
“To prove you are who you say you are.”
Reaching into the open window for her purse, the PI slipped her hand in a back pouch and passed over a white card with one name—Libby—and the name of her firm,Private Lies. A byline,Your secrets are ours!was emblazoned on the front in gold embossed type, and one website address sat alone on the back.
Taking the card, Alia added, “You stay off my property, you hear? Otherwise I’ll get you for trespassing.”
A crafty look appeared and the other nodded. “Yeah, I know. Just trying to make a living. Won’t bother you no more.” Moving faster than Alia would have imagined, the other woman got in her car and, in no time at all, her taillights had turned the corner.
Alia hated having to let Blondie go without questioning her further but she hadn’t really broken any laws, at least none that would stick. Harassment would be thin, not easy to prove.
One thing she did know: Ralph Graves and his wife were in their seventies, and the gardener was their grandson.
***
“Hey, Paul. Libby here. She made me. I had to back off. But the kid and the nanny live with her, and you were right about the street.”
“Only because I was fortunate when old friends of ours said they’d seen Alia running one morning. When they pulled up to talk with her, she disappeared around the corner and by the time they’d turned the car, she was gone. They didn’t know we’d split, and wondered if we had a summer house in Honolulu.”
“Pure bullshit luck that they remembered the exact area.”
