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“Not really, I keep running into dead-ends. For a town this small where everyone seems to know everyone else’s business, my victim seems to have lived a double life that no one else knew about.” She blushed at her words, realizing that she could be describing his now-dead wife.
They’d talked about that situation before, but Celia always got the feeling that he wasn’t interested in getting too deep into it. He mostly told her about their life together, how they met, stuff like that. But when it came to the actual murder, though he didn’t shy away from the discussion, she got the feeling that it wasn’t his favorite topic, and she can’t say that she blamed him.
Riley saw the look of unease of her face and the way her body tensed up and guessed correctly where her mind had gone. “Do you want another glass of wine, or do you need to work some more tonight?”
Celia looked at her watch and saw that it was still early. If she were in her own home, she would’ve changed into something more comfortable like the old ratty pajama bottoms and an old college tee, her usual slumming uniform, and settled down to do some work before bed. But being here with Riley, she felt out of her depth.
Riley watched her, hiding the smile that threatened to escape. She runs hot and cold like a damn faucet. Two minutes ago she was giving me shit now she looks like a fawn who’d lost her mama in the woods. “Come ‘ere.” He pulled her into his arms, and she came willingly like it was the most natural thing in the world.
When he holds her like this, everything seems to simple. That nervousness in her tummy that she’d been suffering just a second ago eased as the warmth from his body pressed into hers and seemed to wrap around her like a cocoon. A part of her warned not to get too close too soon, while the rest of her was all for it. No wonder she was a bundle of nerves and confusion; she was fighting an inner war that she wasn’t sure she wanted to win.
“I can see your mind ticking away behind those beautiful eyes of yours, relax detective, everything is going to be perfectly fine. Why don’t you go on up to your new office and get some work done? I’ll be in mine for about an hour or so. Then I’ll meet you in the bedroom. Don’t be too long, because it feels like forever since I’ve been inside you.”
He kissed her lips and walked away while it took her another few seconds to get herself together. “Get a move on detective, time’s a-wasting.” There was a smirk in his voice as if he knew what he was doing to her. Celia shook her head to clear it and followed him up the stairs going to her office, which was a few doors down from his.
The first few minutes in there felt strange. There was too much room and space, more than she was accustomed to. And the view out the window, even in the darkness of night, was spectacular, with stars scattered on the horizon and over the hills that ran along one side of the farm. She thought she heard the whinny of horses as they bedded down for the night.
She wanted to get up from behind the massive desk and do a little booty shake. He’d done this for her, no matter what else comes in the future, she’ll always remember this. No one had ever gone out of their way to be this kind to her. Then again, she didn’t know that many billionaires who could afford the extravagance.
Pushing those thoughts aside, detective Sparks got back to work, looking over the notes she’d taken this evening. Both Amber and Simon seemed sure that Melissa had gone on to another job, and from what Amber had implied, it was a job where she was making more than she did at the club. So why wouldn’t she tell her husband the new job?
Unless it were something, she thought he wouldn’t approve of? Which would be what? He already knew about the stripping, and not that she had anything against a woman doing what was necessary to keep food on her table, but if she felt free to share that part of her life with him, why not this new job?
An escort? Could that be it? Detective Sparks couldn’t see streetwalkers making that much in a town this size or the next one over. In fact, in her estimation, the other woman would’ve had to go a few hours away to the nearest big city to find that kind of clientele, and even then, that was a push.
But escorting would be about the same, wouldn’t it? How many men in the area had that kind of money? According to Gil Melissa had been keeping the same hours as she had at the club, or pretending to. Which meant she would have to have been seeing this person at least twice to three times a week, which adds up to a hell of a lot of money if what she told Amber is true.
