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He shakes his head. “No wife, either. I never got that lucky,” he chuckles dryly, then nods at the far end of the hallway. “I’m gonna grab a bite to eat from the fridge. You can join me, if you want. Charlene had sub sandwiches delivered earlier this morning.”
“Thanks but I think I’ll finish this wall first. You go ahead, though.”
Once I’m alone again, I go over the entire conversation in my head, picking up on the subtlest of signals, trying to understandmore about Toby and Charlene. They have an interesting dynamic—they seem intimate, yet their language when referring to one another is always placid and neutral, like a typical boss and employee relationship. But the looks he gives her are often warm and soft, and in return she slips him a delicate smile, just enough to get his eyes shining for a moment.
I think he’s got feelings for her, which makes his demeanor toward me all the more curious. He likes to flirt with me, though I never engage. This is the second time he has asked me out. I’ve yet to pull the boyfriend card on him, but I will if I have to. Or maybe I should just let him buy me dinner. Maybe it would be a good opportunity to get him to open up more about Charlene. Like Helen once told me—a drunken man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.
At the same time, I’m thinking there’s another way for me to test the situation. If Kellan and the guys have an intimate knowledge of Charlene Maddox, then they would definitely know about this house and who it belongs to. Perhaps I need to turn things up a notch, if only to precipitate a clear answer.
I take my phone out and text Kellan, kindly asking him to pick me up after I finish work. I blame it on my car, though Fallon will surely have it checked and figure out there’s nothing wrong with it. But hopefully by then, I will know more.
Sure, babe. Give me the address and I’ll be down there at six, Kellan texts back.
I send him the address. A minute later the little check mark appears indicating the message has been read, but he doesn’t respond. Anxiety takes over and I wonder if he recognized the address. If not, perhaps he doesn’t have such an intimate knowledge of Charlene, after all.
The minutes go by in heavy silence as I continue to work. I lose track of time until a hard knock on the front door has me jumping out of my skin. I stand up, wide-eyed and surprised, and I see Toby darting past the bathroom. I hear the front door open and Kellan’s agitated voice.
“Where is she?” he asks.
My heart’s thumping all of a sudden. What’s happening? I check my watch and see that it’s only noon. Kellan wasn’t supposed to be here until six. I suddenly realize that he definitely knows this address. It makes my stomach churn as I brace myself for the incoming fallout. I’ve poked the hornet’s nest, and now I must face what’s coming, so I put on a cool face and walk out of the bathroom.
“Where’s who?” Toby shoots back.
His shoulders look broader than usual, his large frame loaded with tension. He blocks my view of Kellan, but I still catch a glimpse of him in the doorway. He’s trying to get in, and the fact that he’s in his sheriff’s uniform doesn’t seem to faze Toby in the least. I find that curious.
“Avery!” Kellan shouts.
“I’m here,” I reply as casually as I can, though I’m literally shaking on the inside.
“Come on. We’re leaving,” he says as soon as he sees me.
I’m confused. “Excuse me? I’m not done. You said you were picking me up at six.”
“You know this guy?” Toby looks back at me, apprehension drawing deep shadows across his face.
My cheeks burn hot as I give him an awkward smile. “Toby, this is my boyfriend, Kellan.”
“You’re dating the Sheriff of Lincoln County?” Toby asks with clear surprise, but I can’t tell if he’s annoyed or amused as his gaze bounces back and forth between Kellan and me.
“Who the hell are you?” Kellan asks him.
“None of your concern,” Toby firmly shoots back. Whoa, where is that attitude coming from? What the hell did I start, and how do I end it before somebody gets arrested or worse? The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I get closer, eager to diffuse the tension sooner rather than too late.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” I step in, making sure I’ve got my phone and keys in my overall pockets. Everything else can stay until I get back to the job tomorrow. Getting Kellan out of there is pretty much all I can think of. “I’ll see you in the morning, Toby.”
Toby doesn’t seem too happy with my statement, however. “Are you sure, Avery? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay, I promise,” I say to him, doing my damned best to ignore Kellan’s furious breathing and pitch-black glower as he watches us. “I think my man and I need to have a conversation, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?” Toby asks again.
“She’s sure,” Kellan hisses as he grabs my arm.
I’m stunned as he not-so-gingerly yanks me out of the house and over to his car—the marked department vehicle ostentatiously parked outside and blocking my old Citroen in the driveway. “Kellan, what the hell?” I manage, but he doesn’t even look at me until we’re both in his car and moving away from Charlene’shouse.
The seconds roll by in unbreathable silence as I study his profile and notice the muscle furiously ticking in his jaw, his hands gripping the wheel so tightly that his knuckles are white, the angry look in his green eyes casting shadows everywhere he looks.
“Dammit, Kellan, what was that about?” I croak, breaking into a cold sweat. “You pulled me out of a job, and you were rude to Toby.”
