HORSES AND HEROIN (Romantic Mystery) (29 page)

She paused, unable to speak. His voice was calm but the icy blue eyes that drilled into her face left her sputtering. “I, um—”

“Eve is her friend.” Scott broke the silence. “Naturally Eve wants to know where Joey is, why he left the school. And Megan wants to help.”

“Ah,” Garrett’s attention swung back to Scott, “so that explains why Joey and Eve were always together. So this is all because of the Eve girl...” His words trailed off, and he took a thoughtful sip of coffee. “I doubt the police even talked to her. Guess that’s the reason I’m supposed to pay more attention to these little school flings.”

Little school flings.
Megan pressed her arms closer to her sides, wondering if Garrett knew how much his words hurt.

“No problem.” Scott gave Megan’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be talking to Eve later today. I’m hoping she can give us a better picture of Joey. Right now, it’s murky.”

“Well, we didn’t have a PI on it before.” Garrett gestured at the discs. “Let me know if you need anything else. Perhaps you’ll catch Joey in time to pay Rex’s vet bill.”

Megan set her mug down on the granite counter, the sound loud in the quiet kitchen. “Are you sure it was Joey you saw that night?” she asked.

“Without a doubt,” Garrett said. He pushed his mug away and scraped his stool back. “Don’t drop the course, Megan. It’s not necessary. And I want to thank you for finding a home for Rambo. And for visiting my dog. He ate all his food this morning, and the cast is coming off in four weeks.” He gestured at the front door and raised an eyebrow. “Walk me out, Scott?”

Megan remained at the counter, sipping her coffee while the two men walked down the hall. Their voices lingered, but not by the front door, and she realized Scott was showing Garrett the new office. They were laughing about something.

She rinsed the breakfast dishes and placed them in the dishwasher, the mundane tasks easing her annoyance. Garrett had made some pointed remarks about Scott’s old girlfriend—sometime she’d have to drum up the nerve to ask Scott about Amanda—and Garrett’s comment about flings had definitely been disparaging. However, the bond between the two men was obvious.

She didn’t have a single friend like that. Her school buddies had vanished after the drug bust, and she’d chosen to be a loner at university.

Scott seemed to think she was a hermit, and okay, perhaps she was. But she intended to change that. She would definitely keep in touch with Eve and Tami, and there might possibly be a baby in her world, and everything was going to be different. Maybe she’d even get a dog, and hopefully she’d keep seeing Scott, and she was going to work harder at relationships.

She was so distracted by all the new possibilities, she didn’t realize Scott had returned to the kitchen.

“Sorry about that, sweetheart.” His hand looped around her hip, and he brushed a kiss over the top of her head. “Garrett can be a bit of a pain. But aside from his big mouth, he only wants to help.”

“We should have been more discreet,” she said. Garrett had tried to mask his reaction, but his displeasure had been obvious. He’d actually looked stunned to see Scott holding her hand. Or was it her presence in Scott’s villa so early in the morning?

“And we probably shouldn’t have said anything about looking for Joey,” she adding, fighting a prick of unease.

“Garrett’s already helped by bringing the DVDs,” Scott said, his gaze lingering on her mouth. “I could tell you were interested in watching those.”

She nodded, shaking off her concern. Scott was right. Garrett didn’t seem to mind their relationship, only the hassle it caused. And it was worth telling Garrett that they were searching for Joey if only to get the video.

She slid her hands beneath Scott’s shirt, rather surprised she still needed to touch him. It was amazing some lucky woman hadn’t snagged him, but she was just grateful he wasn’t married. Obviously he’d been close to the altar and something had happened. Something he didn’t want to talk about.

He was silent for a moment, simply holding her close. “About what Garrett said...” He cleared his throat. “Amanda was my fiancée. She died of a heroin overdose.”

She instinctively reached for his hand.

“I tried to help.” His voice sounded rusty. “I was a cop then. You’d think I could have helped…but I didn’t do enough.”

The pain in his voice made her ache. “Sometimes people don’t want help,” she said. There was nothing worse than watching a loved one self-destruct. Feeling helpless. Twice Joey had left rehab. The third time he’d stayed.

“She sold her engagement ring,” Scott said. “Sold everything. Nothing mattered but her next fix. She died on the street.” He had a distant look in his eyes but still held her hand. “After that, it was too hard to deal with druggies in the alley. They weren’t faceless anymore.”

“And that’s why you left the police force?” A lump constricted her throat. “I’m sorry, Scott.”

“Private work lets me choose my own jobs. Avoid the ones I hate.”

“So my asking you to look for Joey…a possible drug dealer. That’s why Garrett was so surprised.” She pressed her head against his chest and winced.

“He realizes now how important you are to me,” Scott said.

Her emotions swirled—pain and empathy but also joy. She was important. Scott wasn’t going to leave. He wasn’t the type to bolt. Everything would be fine. Her breath leaked in a soft sigh of surrender. “You’re important to me too,” she whispered.

“Good,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to be in this alone.” They stood silent for a moment, his arms wrapped around her, hands still clasped. “It’s not just any girl I fold clothes for,” he added after another minute, or perhaps ten. Her chest was bursting with such happiness, time seemed immeasurable.

She glanced up, savoring their closeness, the comfortable silence that said so much. “You folded my clothes?”

“Yeah.” His hand slipped under her hair, caressing the back of her neck. “And there were some very interesting items.”

“Probably Tami’s.” She tried to look bored but the idea of his big hands sliding over her underwear made her breath quicken.

“Really? I could have sworn that black lace was a perfect fit.” His voice lowered and his fingers were doing such erotic things. She shivered and glanced toward his bedroom. He could turn her on faster than any man she’d ever known, but they certainly weren’t going to find Joey by jumping back into bed.

“Guess we should get to work.” She slipped from his arms, scooped the discs off the counter and walked into the den. “What are we looking for?”

She slid the first disc into the slot and clicked the remote.

“Not sure,” Scott said, following her into the room. “But we definitely can’t start watching yet.”

Images of hopeful students flashed on the screen, and she didn’t want to press the pause button. Despite her protests, she wasn’t a hundred percent positive Joey had been clean. But if she saw his face, she’d know. His eyes had always been a dead giveaway.

“Why can’t we start?” she asked, studying the TV. “Oh look, this must be the first time the class broke from the gate. I don’t see him though.” She sat on the sofa, leaning forward and watching intently

“Megan.”

Something in his voice made her swing around.

“How do you know what Joey looks like?” he asked.

She stared into Scott’s narrowed eyes, appalled at her mistake. There were grad pictures in the cafeteria but certainly none of Joey, and Scott hadn’t shown her any files yet. How would she know what he looked like?

“I saw his picture on Facebook.” She gave a weak smile. “They were a little grainy, so if you have a better one it would sure help.”

“I see. Anywhere else you’ve seen him?” His eyes had turned a gunmetal gray and he looked scarily imposing, a stark contrast to her tender lover.

“Yes.” She copied his crisp tone. “His picture is on Eve’s phone.”

He looked at her for a long moment then jabbed his thumb at the screen. “Pause the TV. Get his file from the office, some pads and a couple pens.” His voice softened. “We need a good picture, Megan. We need something in front of us.”

She pressed the pause button and rose, avoiding his eyes. Walked down the hall and into the new office.

It looked very professional. He must have been working this morning while she slept. A detailed map of the Baja peninsula now hung on one wall. The Baja Tinda was circled in red. And the little town where Joey had apparently quit was also marked.

Another map showed Southern California and Joey’s last known permanent residence—her family home. She stepped closer to the wall, studying the notations. The ranch looked closer to the ocean than it actually was and the road appeared much straighter. She’d loved that place, at least until her father grew tired of being a dad. Her mother always claimed it wasn’t Megan’s fault, but she knew differently. He’d left three days after her brush with the law.

She plucked the file from the table and slowly opened it. Joey’s face grinned back. Her hands trembled. She couldn’t remember when the picture was taken, or how Scott had obtained it, but Joey’s grin was as confident as ever. He would have been a daring jockey.

She dragged a loving finger over his cheek, staring at him with a well of longing. The hair on her neck prickled. She turned. Scott stood in the doorway.

“Looks like a cocky kid,” Scott said, his intent gaze not leaving her face. “Most dealers are.”

“As are most jockeys, farriers and cops,” she said. She closed the file and stared at the maps, trying to blanket her emotions. “This looks great. I really like the maps.” She turned to him with a cautious nod. Even though his comments about Joey ripped at her heart, she was appreciative. And soon he’d discover Joey was innocent. “It looks like the big investigations they show on CSI,” she added.

An amused smile softened his face. “Exactly the look I was going for,” he said.

***

Despite the blurry video, it was an enjoyable morning.

Megan blew out a contented sigh as Scott adjusted her head against his shoulder and jotted down another notation. She’d given up hope of finding footage of Joey and now concentrated on exploring the sculpted ridges of Scott’s chest. It was lovely, just hanging out. “So this is what you meant about relaxing on the sofa and watching TV,” she said.

“This doesn’t compare to watching football, sweetheart, but we have to start somewhere.” He brushed her forehead with a kiss. “Besides, you can learn a lot about racing. Watch how the rider on the inside gets her horse up on the rail. She’s patient, waiting for an opening. Then two jumps and she caught Jake and Miguel.”

“Miguel looks taller than the other riders. Heavier too.” She hadn’t noticed how different he looked in the saddle. She’d been too busy handling her own horse.

“Yeah, that’s one of my questions for Garrett,” Scott said. “The school has restrictions on height and weight, but it doesn’t seem to apply to foreign students. Not to Miguel anyway. He’s certainly an aggressive rider. Looks like he’s shutting down the hole. Jesus!”

Megan jerked in horror as the horse on the inside abruptly flipped over the rail. Someone hollered. The screen turned black. Scott grabbed the remote, jabbed to rewind, and they both leaned forward on the sofa.

“Son of a bitch,” Scott said, after watching the second replay. “He deliberately put that girl through the rail.”

Megan stared in shock, her nails curved so tightly into her palms they could have drawn blood. It had been blatant. Miguel had glanced over his left shoulder, must have seen the girl gunning for the hole, but had guided Jake to the left and forced the streaking horse into the rail.

“But that’s reckless riding,” she said, horrified that Eve had to gallop with someone as dangerous as Miguel. “They’d kick him out for that… Wouldn’t the school kick him out for that?” Her gaze clung to Scott’s face.

“One would hope,” he said.

***

Megan piled the stack of clean clothes on her bed as Tami reached past and grabbed her jeans.

“Thanks for washing my stuff. I’m going to wear these this afternoon. Miguel is taking me for a drive.” Her smile turned sheepish. “That is, if you let me borrow your truck.”

“I thought you didn’t like the noisy muffler?” Megan teased.

“We’re getting used to it. And today I want to cheer him up. We’re going someplace where we can really be alone.” Tami tugged on her tight jeans, her eyes glinting with anticipation. “How’s the studly professor?”

Megan shrugged but guessed her eyes sparkled every bit as much as Tami’s.

“That good, huh.” Tami smiled back but her expression turned wistful. “It’s going to be horrible when our men leave.”

“Why?” Megan asked. “Where’s Miguel going?”

“Back to the Baja Tinda.  He’s driving down with Ramon and the horses.”

“Aw, Tami. I didn’t know. That’s tough.” Megan’s hands stilled over the shirts she was folding. It was also very odd. Miguel hadn’t been at the school long, had only arrived after her first week. It didn’t seem possible that he’d completed any modules that would count toward graduation.

“How many more courses does he need?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” Tami scowled and flopped onto the bed. “But he hasn’t said anything more about my job in Mexico. He was in a really bad mood this morning, especially since Lydia made him scrub water buckets.”

Megan laughed and resumed folding her shirts. She was beginning to like Lydia. Some people let Miguel do anything he wanted, but Lydia wasn’t swayed by the fact that his father owned the Baja Tinda.

“It wasn’t fair.” Tami’s voice turned petulant and she clearly didn’t appreciate Megan’s amusement. “It was Peter’s turn to water, but Rambo kicked one of the grooms when they tried to oil his hooves and Lydia asked Peter to take over. So then she made Miguel do Peter’s job. She wants Rambo all gussied up because his old owner is adopting him. But now they’re short a horse for the trailer, and Miguel is mad.” Tami wrinkled her nose. “He’s no fun when he’s mad.”

“But if Rambo isn’t any use to the Baja Tinda, why does Miguel even care?” Megan asked. “He’s already refused to ride him.”