Dead on Arrival (21 page)
“How sad,” I muttered.
Jagger looked at me.
“I know. I know. I can't do my job if I feel sorry for the criminals.”
“Yep. No matter how nice they appear, how interesting or sad their lives are, or how beautiful they are. They are still criminals.”
My forehead wrinkled. “Beautiful?”
His hold tightened. “Oh, I had a case wrap up yesterday. Real looker. Real con artist.”
“He was?”
“She was. You saw us at dinner the other night. Remember?”
Airbrush Lady!
Jagger hadn't been on a date, but was working another case. Oh, how Jagger-like.
And apparently oh how Pauline-like to suspect a guy be bowled over by a pretty face.
Guess I'd forgotten this was Jagger I was talking about.
“Interesting. But, in Buzz's case, I do feel sorry that a life was so wasted because two people made a mistake.”
Jagger made some kind of guttural sound. “A big mistake.”
It was disgusting to think about yet sad too. Pansy and Payne were products of their environment. Sky had told us that the two grew up without any friends or other family around. They'd pretty much been ostracized by all the kids because they looked so much alike and were so weird to boot.
Without any choice, they were kinda thrown together. Almost molded into one. Twins had special bonds, but these two were something very different.
It seemed as if they were going to make a go of TLC once they'd inherited it, but that's when Buzz, who'd apparently trained as an EMT just to get the job, came back into their lives with his plan for revenge and money. Buzz had probably lived away from Hope Valley but came back when he saw the big news about them inheriting TLC. Pansy had felt guilty and hired him but wouldn't let him live with her. Thus the housekeeper “mommy.”
I wondered if Buzz's clumsy behavior was fake, but Sky assured me the guy couldn't fake all that had happened to him. He just drew problems to himself.
And these last ones were doozies.
Sky had insisted that he really did love Pansy, and it wasn't just an affair. She'd always presented herself as asexual, which she had been after she and Payne had conceived Buzz. But he'd gotten her to open her heart just a bitâ¦then it was too late.
Jagger suddenly tugged at my arm. I looked up to see we'd landed at Saint Greg's. Sky, who would be fine, was taken off, and we flew back to TLC.
When the helicopter set down, I got up and stepped out. ER Dano stood by the helipad waiting. The police must have called him. I felt something touch my back.
A gentle nudge fromâ¦Jagger.
At first, a thread of disappointment spread throughout me. He had pushed me forward. Then, it didn't take long for me to find my way into Dano's arms.
He held me for a few minutes, and over his shoulder I could see Jagger standing thereâ¦and, in that moment, that horrible moment, I realized he
hadn't
nudged me forward at allâ¦.
Connect with us for information on new titles and authors from Diversion Books, free excerpts, special promotions, contests, and more:
