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“It is. If you’d like to place me under house arrest, I’ll bring my cuffs.”
A laugh bubbled up, and she barely managed to tamp it down. “Conrad,” she said, meaning to sound stern. Instead, she rasped.
So did he. “Yes, Jane?”
“I…” She licked dry lips. “Thank you. For everything you did today.”
“My pleasure.” He paused before asking, “Did you find anything while secretly investigating?”
“Maybe. I’ll share when I’m ready.”
“Fair enough. Now get some sleep. That’s an order.”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
“I like the sound of that.”
She chuckled again.They hung up, and she sighed, missing him already. That wasn’t
good. Not good at all.
Despite boulder-heavy eyelids, she set the laptop on the coffee table and repositioned on the floor, sitting cross-legged as she opened the file Lucy had sent. Reading the conversations between Tony and his client should provide the perfect distraction. After that, she would draft her questions for Hagger. Then and only then would she grab a few minutes of shuteye before beginning her day. Except, the words soon blurred together and darkness came…
* * *
For the secondday in a row, a harried knock woke Jane. She jolted upright and blinked rapidly. What–why–what?
She sat cross-legged at her coffee table. Plucking a pen from her cheek, she checked the time on her phone. 6:00 a.m. Dang! She should have been up an hour ago, preparing for rounds.
Another series of knocking started up. Bones creaked and muscles protested as she stood. Rubbing her lower back, she shuffled to the front door.
Oh, wow. Morning sunlight proved bright as she peered through the peephole. Trick. But why—never mind. Beau’s text. Right. Jane wasn’t doing rounds today. Trick had taken over for Beau, who wasn’t finished being mysterious.
She opened up, hinges creaking, and welcomed the imposing man inside her living room. He was burly and broad-shouldered, with wavy brown hair, a stubborn chin and the kindest, most adorably ruthless brown eyes.
As soon as he entered, Rolex shot around the corner, leaped, and scratched Trick’s arm, leaving two deep punctures and accompanying claw marks before he darted away. His signature move.
Trick didn’t seem the least bit bothered when blood welled. “Beau told me to hand these over first thing.” He thrust a thick white envelope her way. “He said he’d save you the time of having to print them yourself.”
Curious, she tore open the outer paper and discovered photos of Tony’s body. A little squeal of excitement left her, and she rose on her tiptoes to pat Trick’s stubbled cheek. “Thank you, thank you!”
For the barest moment, her guest eyed her as if she were a bug under a microscope. “I think you’re the only woman alive who thrills over images of a corpse.”
Well, it sounded like he didn’t know the right women. Hmm. Perhaps she should set him up on a date. He and, say, Lucy could triple with her and Conrad, Beau and Eunice Parks. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, of course.
“Are you single, Trick? Lucas? Trick?” she asked. “Also, I’d love to hear your idea of the perfect mate.”
He blinked at her, his mouth opening and closing. A common occurrence in her presence nowadays. His eyes narrowed. “First, I prefer Trick. Second, Beau warned me this might happen.”
“I’ll take that as a no, and you’re open to anyone of my choosing.” Excellent. Think of it! An investigatoranda matchmaker. Jane might be the first of her kind. “Oh! Before I forget. You were the one who checked tickets and IDs at the door. Do you recognize this man?”
She scrambled around until she found the photo of Goatee, then held it up like a prize.
“Oh yeah,” Trick said. “He had a ticket with the name Chris P. Bacon. After refusing to show me his ID, he bounced. He must have snuck back in.”
Interesting. Jane had seen the awful name on the list and assumed Mr. Bacon had the worst parents in the world. The fact that he’d refused to hand over his ID… Had he purchased the ticket under a fake name because he’d planned to murder another guest all along? When Plan A failed, he’d resorted to Plan B, sneaking in?
“You wait here while I make us some coffee,” she said. “If you share what secret activities Beau has been up to lately, I’ll whip you up a nice breakfast, too. All the fixings. Homemade biscuits and sausage gravy. Chicken fried steak with a fried egg topper. Buttermilk pancakes with a frosted butter glaze.”
