Bylines & Skylines (An Avery Shaw Mystery Book 9) (16 page)

“Yes, well, I’ll consider it,” Jake said, helping Eliot ease me through the cars.

“Does anyone care about me?” Duncan asked, furious. “Where are the clothes you promised?”

“I dropped them as I was running,” Eliot replied. “Since you couldn’t help Avery, I have no intention of helping you find them. You’re on your own.”

“I did help Avery. I called for aid.”

“You’re a putz,” Eliot shot back. “You stay away from her – and me, for that matter – for the rest of the day. I don’t even want to see you.”

“That goes double for me,” I said, sticking my tongue out for good measure as Jake and Eliot helped me toward the building. “I also double up on you being a putz.”

“I hate you,” Duncan hissed.

“I believe there’s a fan club meeting every Thursday and there are a ton of people there who agree with you,” I said. “Maybe you can be the treasurer or something.”

What? It never hurts to kick people when they’re down, especially when they’re tools and you have a sheriff and security stud backing you up. Yes, I’m a terrible person. I’m fine with it, though.

“
T
hat hurts
!”

“Stop being a baby.”

“You’re being a baby.”

“I will gag you both if you don’t knock that off,” Eliot warned, walking into the small office located at the front of the convention center, his arms laden with first aid supplies. “Why are you fighting?”

Jake shrugged as he straightened. He’d been poking my knee for what felt like forever. “I’m keyed up. I like to fight when I’m keyed up.”

“You have that in common with her,” Eliot said, flashing a small smile as he unloaded the supplies on the counter where I sat. “Do you feel okay otherwise, Trouble? You’re positive nothing is broken, right?”

“I’m just banged up,” I replied. “There’s no reason to freak out.”

“I’m not freaking out.”

“Well, I’m not freaking out.”

“I’m freaking out a little,” Jake admitted, tugging a frustrated hand through his hair. “Why were you attacked?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. Some people simply don’t like me. I know it boggles the mind, but there it is.”

Despite himself, Jake smirked. “It’s definitely mind boggling,” he said. “What were you doing right before this happened, though?”

“Talking to Duncan,” I said. “He was covered in green goo and complaining like a woman with constant PMS, and then Eliot came up and offered to help and we agreed to meet in the parking lot.”

“How did Duncan end up covered in green goo?”

“I think it was karma.”

“Yes, that would be nice,” Jake drawled. “How did he really end up covered in goo?”

“I made him cover the
Paranormal Delights
event out in the courtyard,” I answered. “I figured it would be messy. Eliot and I tried to watch the movie in theaters a couple of months ago, but it was terrible. It was one of those shaky-camera affairs that make absolutely no sense. I mean … if you’re being chased by murderous ghosts that cover you in slime, why would you pick up a camera to film it?”

Jake was dumbfounded. “Do you have a point?”

“Always.”

“What is it?”

“She’s just saying that she wasn’t doing anything,” Eliot supplied. “You’ve known her long enough to recognize that she rambles when she’s nervous. Keep up.”

“Oh, so sorry,” Jake said, pressing his hand to the spot above his heart. “I’m not sure how this ended up being about me, but … .”

“It’s not about you,” I said, cutting him off. “I was just explaining that I wasn’t doing anything right before the attack. Even I’m shocked. I laughed at Duncan being covered in goo – and just for the record, the movie explained that the goo built up over time because the ghosts were sexually repressed, so it’s like ghost sex goo – and I talked to Eliot. That’s all I did.”

“There has to be more to the story,” Jake argued. “Wait … is there really such a thing as ghost sex goo?”

“Probably not.”

“I’m going to say definitely not,” Eliot said, spraying antiseptic onto a gauze pad. “That does make the entire thing funnier, though. I’m sure you’re going to have a field day with that when you get back to the office.”

“Yeah, I’m going to beat that dead ghost until there’s nothing left to beat. Wait … that sounded kind of sexual and gross, didn’t it?”

“Yes, but it was still funny,” Eliot said, carefully pressing the pad to my knee and cringing when I sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I gritted out.

“It hurts now, but I bet it’s going to be worse tomorrow,” Eliot said. “It’s not okay, but we have to do it.”

“I understand.”

Jake shook his head as he studied us. “You guys have a unique relationship,” he said after a beat. “You really do get her. You get her more than I ever did.”

My heart went out to Jake. He almost looked lost, which was upsetting because he’s the most self-assured man I know. “Eliot is a saint when he wants to be.”

“He has to be to put up with you,” Jake said, shaking himself out of his reverie and flicking my nose. “I’ll handle the scrapes on your arm over here. You need to tell us what happened in the parking lot.”

“I don’t really know what happened,” I admitted, closing my eyes as Eliot pressed the pad into my knee with more force. “We were just walking … and Duncan was ranting and raving like a madman … and then I saw something out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to look, he was already on top of me.

“It took me a moment to realize what was happening,” I continued. “I didn’t get it. I saw the Jason mask and the knife, but in my head it wasn’t cause for alarm because this is a comic book convention. I just thought it was an excited fan.”

“That’s probably what he was banking on,” Jake said, dabbing antiseptic on my arm. “That’s why he didn’t stand out and still managed to hide his identity.”

“Yeah, well, Jason is my favorite movie killer,” I said. “It was kind of awesome.”

“I wonder if that was on purpose,” Eliot mused, switching out pads before returning to his ministrations on my knee.

“What do you mean?” Jake asked.

“Maybe someone knew Jason was her favorite and that would be the easiest way to distract her,” Eliot said. “Have you told anyone about your
Friday the 13
^th
love?”

I pondered the question and then shook my head. “I didn’t see any
Friday the 13
^th
stuff inside. I did mention liking
The Ring
and looked at the sequel display, but that’s it. Otherwise I’ve been geeking out over the
Star Trek
and
Star Wars
stuff.”

“That sounds about right,” Eliot said. “Still, if we’re to believe someone purposely dressed like Jason, then we have to believe that it’s someone who knows you. I’m not sure I’m willing to suspend disbelief and go that far. It makes no sense for someone to track you down here and go after you.”

“It could just be a coincidence,” Jake offered. “Maybe whoever it is just got lucky. What were you doing before you saw Duncan covered in goo, Avery?”

“Eavesdropping on you.”

Jake snorted. “Well, at least you admit it,” he said. “You did other things today, though. I saw you talking to people. Were you interviewing them about the convention or Kristen Reardon?”

“Both. I would say the questions were mostly weighted toward Kristen, though.”

“Did anyone act strangely?”

I shook my head. “Everyone seemed open to answering questions but no one really knew her,” I replied. “I got different answers for every question, and some people didn’t even know who she was because their descriptions didn’t match.”

“Yeah. We’ve been running into brick walls there, too.” I knew Jake was mostly talking to himself so I didn’t press him. “You must’ve set someone off, though. They clearly didn’t like you asking questions.”

“I have no idea,” I said. “I’ve been interviewing people for hours and I would estimate I’ve talked to at least fifty people.”

“And we don’t know it’s someone she talked to,” Eliot added. “Someone else could’ve mentioned she was asking questions. There’s no limit to suspects here.”

“You’ve got that right,” Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay. Let’s get her bundled up and watch the security video. We’ll see if that leads to anything good.”

“Don’t forget my ice cream,” I said. “I’m injured. I need ice cream to make me feel better.”

“I won’t forget your ice cream,” Eliot said, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Oh, I might gag,” Jake muttered.

I ignored him. “I’m glad I’m okay, too. I still want ice cream.”

Eliot blew out a sigh. “I’m on it. Chocolate?”

“Blue Moon.”

“Of course,” Eliot said. “I’ll get the ice cream and then we’ll watch a video.”

“That’s my idea of fun.”

“
T
HERE
I am
.”

I licked my ice cream cone and watched Eliot maneuver through the parking lot video feed.

“There you are,” Jake agreed, smirking when he got a gander at Duncan’s big hand gestures. “What is he complaining about?”

“Eliot.”

“What did I do?” Eliot asked. “I was buying him clothes. By the way, I got him a shirt with Wonder Woman’s bathing suit on it … you know the ones that make it look as if you’re dressing in a costume? I thought that would make you happy.”

“Oh, you’re so good to me,” I cooed. In truth, my knee was tightening up and I was starting to feel the effects of my fall. I was exhausted but didn’t want to admit the only thing I wanted to do was lie down.

“You two make me want to puke,” Jake complained.

“That’s because you’re not getting any,” I supplied. “I suggest going for the chick in the blue paint. She had a nice body. If you touch that Princess Leia, though, I’ll kick you in your special place.”

Eliot snorted as he rubbed the back of my neck. “Calm down, Tiger. Jake can pick his own partners. Although I do agree it’s a little rude if he ruins your
Star Wars
reign.”

“Can someone explain that to me?” Jake asked. “Why is it okay to sleep with the
Avatar
chick – not that I’m going to, mind you – but not the
Star Wars
chick?”

“Because when you think of
Star Wars
, you should be thinking of Avery,” Eliot supplied. “It’s almost a betrayal to do it with Princess Leia. Also, from a personal standpoint, I don’t want you thinking of Avery when you do it.”

Jake frowned. “You know I did it with her first, don’t you?”

Now it was Eliot’s turn to scowl. “Don’t remind me.”

“Let’s not talk about this,” I suggested. “I don’t think it’s good for any of us. It makes us tense.”

“You make me tense,” Jake shot back.

“I think we’re all tense,” Eliot said. “For the record, though, I think we need to get this out there. Jake, I know you’re upset about us moving in together, but … .”

“I have to live with it,” Jake finished. “If we’re being honest, though, it’s not that I’m upset about you moving in together. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not thrilled with it, but that’s not it. I just … didn’t see my life going this way.

“When we were kids, I honestly thought I was going to marry her,” he continued. “I thought we would have kids and live a quiet life. Now, as an adult, I realize that was never going to happen. She can’t be quiet.”

“And I don’t want kids,” I added.

Jake narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going to have kids?”

I shook my head. “I don’t like them. They always have sticky hands and I don’t want them touching my stuff. I’m not sharing my toys.”

Jake shifted his eyes to Eliot. “Did you know that?”

“We’ve discussed it,” Eliot confirmed. “I’m fine with it. I kind of already knew before she mentioned it, though.”

“And that’s why you guys work,” Jake said. “Avery and I never would’ve worked. I’m not screwed up enough to believe that. It still kills me to see you living the dream I thought I wanted for such a long time.”

“Listen, living with her isn’t a dream,” Eliot said. “I’ve essentially been doing it for months. She’s a pig and I have to pick up after her. She’s also grouchy in the morning and a television Nazi. I never get to watch what I want to watch. That’s why I’m building a man cave. You’re welcome to visit the man cave, of course, but don’t delude yourself into believing life with her is easy.”

“Oh, trust me, I don’t believe that for a second,” Jake said. “I know it’s hard. I’ve watched you. It’s just … you make it look fun.”

Eliot almost looked sympathetic. “It is fun. Despite everything, she’s so much fun I almost can’t handle it.”

“Do you want to know what I think?” I interjected.

“Not really,” Jake replied, turning back to the computer monitor. “Start the footage again.”

“I’m going to tell you anyway.” I plowed on, unperturbed. “I don’t think it’s that you want to have fun with me – although I am a catch. I think it’s that you’re miserable with Cara. You need to dump her.”

“I know,” Jake said. “I just … I have this horrible thought in the back of my head that she’s not going to go quietly. Every time I gear up to end things I get this horrible flash of her causing a scene and I back off. I created this mess, but I feel powerless to fix it.”

“Oh,” Eliot said, realization dawning. “That’s why you’re still with her. No offense, man, but I couldn’t figure that out. She’s hot, but she’s a real pill.”

“She’s not hot,” I scoffed. “I’m hot.”

“You’re definitely hot,” Eliot said, shaking his head. “Eat your ice cream to cool off.”

“Do you really think she’ll make a scene or something?” I asked, curious despite myself. “Do you think she’ll turn into one of those crazy stalker women we see on television?”

“I don’t know,” Jake replied. “I know it won’t end well, though. Her nose is so far out of joint where Avery is concerned … I’m worried she’ll start trouble for all of us. Then whatever crap falls on you will be my fault.”

“We can take the crap,” Eliot said. “You’re the one who can’t take it. It’s eating you alive and making you think you want this.” He gestured to me. “You don’t want this. It’s not pretty in the morning, man. This morning she was so messed up she went to work with a sock on her shirt and couldn’t find the shoe rack.”

“Hey!”

Eliot clapped his hand over my mouth. “Life is too short to be unhappy, Jake,” he said. “You can be happy with someone else. Not my someone else, mind you, but there are a ton of women out there who could make you happy. Stop selling yourself short because you’re worried about fallout. Anyone willing to take on Avery Shaw in a public shaming contest is in for a rude awakening. Avery will crush Cara if it comes to that.”

I puffed out my chest and nodded, finally slapping Eliot’s hand away so I could pop the remains of my cone into my mouth. “I’ll make her cry.”

Jake smirked. “Let’s just see how things go first, shall we? Thank you for that, though. It means a lot.”

“We’re all navigating a tough path here,” Eliot said. “I’m not giving up Avery, but I would like to find some common ground. She’s going to be unhappy if there’s a line drawn in the sand here. That’s the last thing I want.”

“I don’t want that either,” Jake said. “I need to think over a few things. Until then, we’ll just keep things calm.”