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“By shoplifting numerous times?” I looked up at her.
She shook her head and leaned back in her chair. “It isn’t on me or anyone else for that matter to know or understand what someone else is going through. He was and is doing the best that he can, as we all are. Not everyone is as lucky as you to have your best friend be the sheriff’s kid, so they never got into any trouble.”
“All the trouble I got into was Robbie’s fault,” I said with a laugh.
“Whatever. Brody, it might have been years since I have seen you, but I know when you’re looking for something. What are you looking for by asking me these questions, and why are you really here?” she asked.
“So much for small talk,” I said.
“Talking about murder is small talk? Wow, you really have been out of Aurora for too long,” she said.
“Okay, you got me. When Eric went public about Lauren’s death and finding her killer, it got a lot of traction. He was desperate to get some answers, another clue, and Sean, who is in charge of the case at his security firm, thought it was a last-ditch effort. We got a lot of calls; I mean a lot. People wanted to cash in on the reward even if they didn’t have anything. Luckily, that died out pretty quickly, but we still were getting people coming forward with useless information.”
“You think what I have for you is useless?”
“No, I don’t. Sean is worried, and while Eric seems like a strong guy, he loved his sister. He hasn’t been the same since she died, and he needs to bring her killer to justice. I just wanted to come here so I could give him any reassurance that we could. To show to him what I already know, that you aren’t trying to scam us.”
“Scam you? I agonized over even talking to Amber. Do you think it was easy for me to be shot down by my boss? To be told that I was being gullible and a bleeding heart? She told me I needed to stop believing everything that everyone told me or I wouldn’t last a month. What he said seemed credible. It was why I went to Amber. She was the one who told me to come talk to you. I would have been fine just giving her the information and never seeing you. Do you think it was easy coming and seeing you after all these years? I didn’t do this lightly, and for you, you of all people, to come here and say that is insulting.”
“I get it, and I agree with you. I just need to give all the information to Eric and Sean. They are the ones who need reassurance, not me.”
“Then they should have come to see me, not you.”
“There was concern you were only looking for a payday. We thought you would be more receptive to me than them. I guess I was wrong on that.”
Zoey ignored my comment and said, “Mr. Blackwell and I had never met before he came into this office. It was only by happenstance that he even talked to me and not someone else. I’m not in on some con or trying to get money out of you. I’m working with little to no pay here; money doesn’t matter to me.”
“I know. You never cared about that. Neither did your parents. I came here because I wanted to hear your side of the story and to see you,” I said and put my hand on top of hers.
She looked down at our hands and took a slow breath. I felt the heat when I touched her, and as my eyes locked on hers, I could tell she felt it too. She quickly moved her hand away and leaned back in her chair.
“No, you came here to interrogate me. Were you hoping to find some holes in my story, in what I was saying? Were you hoping that I would tell you that it was all game? It isn’t. If you don't believe me, then you can leave right now.”
“I don’t want to leave,” I began. I wanted to tell her I never wanted to leave her, but I didn’t. “I believe you; I have always believed you. I’m on your side. Sean had concerns, and I am protective of my friend. I didn’t want him to get his hopes up if this was just a scam. It’s why I’m here.
“This file gives me all of that. I can go back to Eric and Sean and say this is legitimate, and Sean can start pursuing this. We never released how Lauren was killed. The fact that Blackwell knew makes him seem more legitimate than most. The date of his arrest lines up with the date that Denton was arrested. Also, something that we didn’t release or tell anyone. We haven’t told anyone but a few close people that we suspect that Denton was the one who killed Lauren.”
“I got that impression by how you all looked at me when I said his name. I’m not some con artist trying to get your money. I’m a person who is trying to help you. I hope I did. Is there anything else that you need from me? Any more questions and insults you want to throw at me?”
She looked angry, but she also looked sexy. She had been so shy, almost intimidated, when she had come into the bar the night before. It didn’t remind me of the girl I had known when we were growing up. It was good to see she was still there; it just took some coaxing for her to come out. I could see how much she cared about what she did and how she was looked at by other people or by me. I had been convinced she hadn’t been trying to swindle us, and the more I talked to her and saw how she was, the more convinced I was.
I didn’t want her to think that I was trying to insult her, but I had to be sure. I didn’t want to have any doubt in my mind when I went back and told Eric what I had found. I didn’t have any more questions; she had answered them all and then some. I didn’t want the time with us to end, so I asked her the one question I had wanted to ask since the moment I saw her again.
“There is only one more question. Will you have dinner with me?”
Chapter 8
Zoey
I wasn’t sure why I agreed to have dinner with Brody. He had either ignored me or been dismissive to me since I had walked into his bar. It would have been smarter for me to just tell him no and kick him out of the office. But he had looked so sincere when he said he wanted to go to dinner, and I thought it would be nice to talk to someone who knew about home. I told myself if my mother found out I had seen Brody and didn’t catch up with him, then I would be in trouble.
It was all those reasons why I agreed. It had nothing to do with the fact that I had wanted to or hoped he might explain the comment he made about wanting me. We had been friends when we were younger, but as soon as we had gone into high school, he had gotten involved with the track team and gotten a new group of friends. His popularity had grown while mine did not. Our friendship faded over the years. I knew he was going to join the Navy out of high school, but I hadn’t heard he had gotten out. I honestly had no idea what he was doing until I had read about him and his friends’ bar on the news.
As soon as he left, Perla came to my office and wanted to know all about him, why he was there, how I knew him, and if he was single. The woman had never talked to me, much less acknowledged my existence before that day. I told her he was there about a case, and I didn’t know about his relationship status.
I could have told her he was going on a date with me, but it would have only caused her to spend more time asking me questions. I wasn’t sure what I would even tell her. I had no idea if Brody was seeing anyone, if he was in a relationship. He hadn’t been a guy who would ask a woman out if he was, but he might have changed since I had seen him.
Alice would be beyond excited if I told her, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to make a bigger deal about it than it was. It was just two old friends catching up, nothing more. I didn’t allow myself to think about his parting comment by the cab because he had never brought it back up. I didn’t think about how his hand had felt on top of mine or how his eyes had lingered over my body. It didn’t matter; it couldn’t.
