Bylines & Skylines (An Avery Shaw Mystery Book 9) (21 page)

“
O
h
, geez. Look at this place.”

Carly wrinkled her nose and scanned the crowd as we walked through the front door of the convention center.

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked, already annoyed. She complained the entire drive, insisting repeatedly that she wasn’t going to wear a costume. I had no intention of asking her to wear a costume. I wouldn’t do that in public anyway. That’s a private thing.

“There are people dressed like worms,” Carly whispered, pointing. “Is that a sex thing? Please tell me that’s not a sex thing.”

“Those aren’t worms,” Lexie said. “They’re those face-hugging monsters from the
Alien
movies.”

“And they’re not people either,” I added. “They’re props.”

“How did you know that?” Carly asked Lexie, legitimately impressed.

“Yeah. How did you know that?”

Lexie shrugged. “You had the video collection at your house when I was living with you for those few months, Avery. I watched them when you were out with Eliot one night.”

“Good, huh?”

Lexie shrugged. “They were okay. I think I liked the second one best.”

“
Alien
has the unique distinction of switching genres midway through the series,” I said, putting my vast knowledge of all things geeky on display. “The first movie was horror. The second movie was science fiction.”

“You say that as if it’s supposed to mean something to me,” Carly said, annoyed. “Where is the chick flick section?”

I frowned. “This is a comic book convention. Chick flicks aren’t allowed. People would throw rotten tomatoes and garbage.”

“That’s depressing.”

No, depressing is the fact that I chose a best friend who hates science fiction. “Seriously, I can’t even look at you. Once that kid is old enough to recognize entertainment, I’ll be in charge of introducing books and movies.”

Carly snorted. “Like I’m going to let that happen! You’ll show the baby
Jaws
and
Friday the 13
^th
movies.”

“Those are classics.”

“And they’re also bloody and terrifying,” Carly pointed out. “I think one of the reasons you’re such a warped adult is because your parents let you watch too many horror movies at a young age.”

“They didn’t let me. I did what I wanted.”

“Is there a difference?”

“I think you should spend more time with my mother,” I announced, switching tactics. “The older you get the more you remind me of her.”

“That is a horrible thing to say,” Carly snapped. “We used to make fun of her behind her back when we were in college.”

“And I stand by my statement.”

“You suck sometimes,” Carly complained, moving away from me. “Where are the funnel cakes?”

“Screw the funnel cakes,” Lexie interjected. “Where are the hot movie stars?”

“The movie stars are in the back room,” I replied. “They only allow so many people back there at a time. They want to make sure no one gets drunk or lit and licks a celebrity.”

“What celebrities are here?” Carly asked. “Ooh … is George Clooney here? I would totally lick him … or at least delay eating my funnel cake to spend five minutes talking with him.”

“No, George Clooney isn’t here,” I said, tugging on my limited patience. “It’s mostly stars from
Star Trek
,
Game of Thrones
,
The Walking Dead
,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
… you know, stuff like that.”

“I don’t know anyone who was on those shows,” Carly complained.

“You like Andrew Lincoln,” I argued. “He’s on
The Walking Dead,
but he was also in
Love Actually
.”

“Oh, yay!” Carly clapped her hands. “Where is he?”

“He’s not here.”

“Now you’re just messing with me,” Carly complained. “I want to see a star.”

“There’s a guy from
Dr. Who
.” I pointed.

“I want to see a star I recognize,” Carly clarified.

I had no idea who fit that bill. “We’ll find someone,” I said. “Let’s get you that funnel cake first. I’m worried you’re going to Hulk out and rip someone’s head off if we don’t sugar you up quick.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Carly said, happily falling into step next to me as I led her toward the food booths. “Ooh. What is that?”

I followed her finger and scowled. “That’s the
Twilight
exhibit. We’re not going over there.”

“Are any of the
Twilight
stars here?”

“Just some guy who played wolf number three or something.”

“Oh, well, that’s disappointing,” Carly said.

“No, what’s disappointing is I’ve never been able to force you to watch
Star Wars
yet you willingly watch
Twilight
. That’s an embarrassment I’ll never recover from.”

“You’re wearing a shirt that says ‘Talk Wookie to Me,’” Carly pointed out.

“So?”

“If anyone should be embarrassed, it’s me.”

“Do you want to fight? I’ll hit you even though you’re pregnant,” I threatened.

“Okay, let’s not do that,” Lexie said, pushing between us. “No one wants to see a pregnant woman get hit.”

“Speak for yourself.” A guy dressed as Ironman, tilted his head in our direction. “I’d love to see someone hit a pregnant chick.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Well, I think you’re going to be disappointed.”

“Bummer.”

I made a face and gave Ironman a wide berth, not stopping until I found a booth that sold funnel cakes. Carly was excited when she saw the workers making one and she gleefully skipped toward the window.

“Wow,” I muttered. “Her hormones are swinging wildly these days, huh?”

Lexie raised her eyebrows. “What’s your excuse?”

“What?”

“You’re all over the place and you don’t have hormones to use as an excuse,” she said. “By the way, your best friend is pregnant and you’ve spent the entire week falling over yourself to hang out with science fiction nerds. You should show her with a bit of attention.”

Did my formerly addicted cousin just call out my behavior? “Hey, it’s been a busy week. I’m sorry I can’t be there for her every complaint and whim.”

“You don’t have to be there for her every complaint and whim,” Lexie said. “You merely have to be there when she’s feeling tired and upset.”

“And when is that?”

“Every single day,” Lexie replied, not missing a beat. “She’s carrying a baby. She’s actually creating human life. Do you know how terrifying that is? Of course you don’t. You’re a big baby yourself. It might behoove you to spend some time doting on her instead of expecting her to drop everything for you.”

Was she right? Was I being selfish? Oh, who needs that? I was almost killed by Jason Voorhees. I have my own set of troubles. “I’ll consider it.”

“Do that.” Lexie crossed her arms over her chest. “Is Eliot here today?”

“He’s running the camera security.”

“Hopefully we’ll run into him.”

I was actually hoping for the opposite, but I didn’t want to tell her that. “Yeah. That would be great.”

We lapsed into silence and it was anything but comfortable. Finally, I couldn’t take the tension any longer.

“Since when do you use words like ‘behoove’?”

“Since I’ve been reading a lot of books and trying to better myself,” Lexie replied. “You should try it some time.”

That did it. “Why are you riding me?”

“I’m not riding you, Avery,” Lexie replied. “I think you’re a good person and you do the best you can. I also think you have tunnel vision. Carly has been in my shop four days in a row just hoping to run into you. That’s on you.”

“She could’ve called me.”

“She didn’t want to bother you because she knows this comic book stuff is your version of Heaven,” Lexie explained. “You should’ve paid attention to what was happening. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think you do these things on purpose. I also think you’re dealing with a lot of your own stuff. Carly would make a good sounding board for that.

“The trick is, you have to listen to her problems, too,” she continued. “That’s how a friendship works. It’s not all about you.”

“I don’t make it all about me.”

“You have for the past two weeks,” Lexie said. “I know your life is shifting and it’s making you freak out a little bit, but you’re not the only person in the world. You have to remember that even when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Other people have problems, too.”

“Since when did you turn into a fortune cookie?”

“I’m not telling you how to live your life,” Lexie said. “I’m just telling you that the way you’ve been treating Carly is unacceptable. I think the real problem is that you already know that.”

Deep down I feared she was right. “I’ll fix it.”

“You do that,” Lexie said, smirking. “I can’t wait to watch you do it.”

“
S
O
… UM
… I’m here for you.”

Carly, a hunk of funnel cake in her hand as she munched and dropped crumbs on the front of her shirt, widened her eyes as she stared at me. “What?”

She asked the question with a mouthful of partially-chewed food on display, but I did my best to ignore it. I exchanged a quick glance with Lexie before tugging my shirt down. “I’m here for you.”

“Yeah, I heard you the first time,” Carly said. “Why are you saying that?”

I rubbed the palm of my hand against my cheek and shrugged. “It’s come to my attention that I haven’t been a very good friend and I’ve been neglecting you. I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”

“Okay.” Carly looked confused. “Who told you I feel neglected?”

I jerked my thumb in Lexie’s direction. “She did … and she was mean when she said it.”

Carly snorted, taking me completely by surprise. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t feel particularly neglected. I knew I wasn’t going to see you this week. This is Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day all rolled into one for you. I don’t feel neglected.”

I pursed my lips as I cast a sidelong look in Lexie’s direction. She was suddenly infatuated with the lights on the
Battlestar Galactica
display. “But … .”

“She was only messing with you,” Carly said. “We had a bet that you wouldn’t know how long we went without talking, and I said you wouldn’t even realize it was days, and she said you would realize it and I wasn’t giving you enough credit. She manipulated you to make sure things fell in her direction. I’m not paying off on that bet, by the way. You’ll have to come up with twenty bucks somewhere else.”

I swiveled and extended a finger in Lexie’s direction. “You guilted me.”

“I learned from the best,” Lexie said. “Honestly, I can’t believe you fell for it. I didn’t expect that at all. You’re getting soft in your old age.”

“I’m going to wipe the floor with you later,” I warned. “If I didn’t think we would get kicked out for fighting, I would take you out right now.”

Lexie didn’t look worried in the least. “Bring it on.”

“Oh, I’m going to bring it on,” I muttered, rolling my neck until it cracked. “I cannot believe you did that to me. I’ve already had a bad twenty-four hours. Getting off on my distress is just … totally mean. It’s like you’re purposely hurting my feelings in an effort to make me feel bad … or maybe even cry.”

“I’m sorry,” Lexie said, her face going pale. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“And that’s why you’re not ready to play with the big dogs,” I said, smirking. “Never give up the power position when you have it. You had it. I just took it. Bite me.”

“You really are an awful person,” Lexie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I meant what I said, though. You need to spend more time worrying about Carly and her delicate condition than yourself.”

I turned my eyes to my best friend, who had powdered sugar on her face and an empty plate. She didn’t exactly look delicate. “Did you eat that entire thing?”

“The baby was hungry.”

“The baby is the size of caterpillar,” I said. “You just ate enough to crush the caterpillar.”

“Don’t give me crap,” Carly snapped. “I’m trying to eat healthy but the baby wants sugar. What am I supposed to do?”

“Eat the sugar in moderation,” I replied. “There’s no reason to eat an entire funnel cake. Share it next time. That way you won’t feel guilty.”

Carly made a face. “I don’t feel guilty. I’m growing a life. You told us on the way over that Eliot fed you two ice cream cones the day you got attacked. Do you feel guilty about that?”

“I bled all over the pavement,” I pointed out. “I needed the calories to sustain myself.”

“You had a scrape on your knee,” Carly countered. “It’s not as if you got shot and almost bled out.”

“You don’t know,” I challenged. “It was a very upsetting incident. Duncan was covered in goo … and he wouldn’t stop screaming … and I could’ve died.”

“Unless it was all a prank and you overreacted.”

The more she said things like that, the more I began to wonder if it was true. “It wasn’t a prank. It was real.”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself,” Carly said. “Do you want to know what I think?”

“Not particularly.”

“I think you’re looking for attention because it distracts you from thinking about finding a house,” Carly volunteered. “I think it makes things easier for you because a manufactured problem is better than a real one.”

“Oh, yeah? Do you want to know what I think?”

“Nope.”

“I think … .” I didn’t get a chance to finish because someone barreled into Carly from behind, shoving her in my direction. Because she’s so small – she barely weighed a hundred pounds before she got pregnant and she didn’t weigh much more than that now – she flew through the air like a rag doll.

I instinctively reached out and caught her, groaning when my wounded knee absorbed the bulk of the added weight, most of which came from her heavy purse as it whacked my hip. Carly’s eyes were wide and full of confusion when we collided. I made sure she was on her feet before taking on the person who pushed her. It was only when I smoothed my shirt and opened my mouth to let loose with a righteous diatribe that I realized I was dealing with another freak in a mask … and this one had a knife, too.

“What the hell?”