Weapons of Mass Distraction (27 page)

“So that’s the good and the bad news covered.”

“Actually, that was the good news. The bad news is Carter Simons Junior filed a complaint against you. Apparently, you were caught trespassing on his home property, harassing him.”

“I was not!” I exclaimed.

Maddox raised his eyebrows. “Kind of funny, a guy from Simonstech files a complaint when you were just at that place.” He waited. I waited. Someone had to break the silence, but it wouldn’t be me. It was a technique I perfected during my many years of temping. Eventually, my opponent just told me whatever it was he or she wanted, or gave up. Maddox, however, was a tougher nut to crack. “Fine,” he said, after several long minutes and a no blinking competition that I wasn’t sure who triumphed over. “What were you doing on his property?”

“Taking a wrong turn.”

“Pure coincidence, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

“Didn’t think so. Whatever you’re not telling me… this guy is on my radar now. Would I be a genius if I guessed he was on your interviewee list?”

“No, you’re not a genius; but yes, Solomon and I interviewed him.”

“Assumed as much."

"For what it's worth, Junior is at the top of my list of potential attackers. Did you match the mark on Junior's cufflinks to Lorena's head?" I asked.

"No, because I don't have enough evidence to get a warrant." Maddox sighed as my face fell. "I will ask him where he was last night," he assured me.

"Great. And about the..."

"Listen, don’t worry about the complaint. Nothing will happen. Just do me a favor… don’t go back to Simons’ house and do not approach him.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. At least, I would if I’d done anything, which I haven’t! So… where are you going?” I asked, turning around to shut the trunk, and avoid Maddox’s devilishly handsome grin. He seemed pretty pleased with himself in semi-catching me in trouble while conducting an investigation. It was annoying that Junior filed a complaint, but I should have expected it. It was only a matter of time before Solomon found out. With a sinking feeling, I realized I had to tell him first.

“I have a date.”

I gulped, and blinked. What? Maddox had a date? And he thought I wanted to know about it? “Oh, I…” I stuttered, turning to face him.

“No, I shouldn’t have… I don’t have a date, okay?” Maddox flushed.

“It wouldn’t matter to me if you have a date.”

“Of course not. You have a boyfriend.”

“I have a boyfriend.” I paused, adding, “Solomon.” I don’t know why I felt the need to confirm it there and then, but I did and now it was out there. Talk about awkward moments as we stood there, facing one another. Maddox did a little toe kick to the dirt and I checked around us, for anything that would give me something else to talk about.

“I figured,” said Maddox, eventually, and very, very casually. Another long pause, then, “I have a job interview. The gym was on the way and I saw your car so I thought I’d drop by, just to check in on you.” Maddox looked at his watch. “I can’t be late. I thought you’d want to know your lead came up good.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Thank you.” We stood, still awkwardly, looking at each other, our conversation having grown stilted until Maddox gave a little nod and stepped backwards. He walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door, pausing as he rested his arms on the roof. “I’m happy for you,” he said. “Still wish I hadn’t screwed us up, but I’m happy for you. Solomon’s an interesting guy.”

“He’s one of the good guys.”

“Let’s hope so,” said Maddox as he got into his car. When he drove away, I wondered what the hell that meant and what kind of job Maddox was interviewing for. Maybe he was due a promotion, I decided. He’d been having a good run with his own cases lately. I didn’t have to think about it too long because my cell phone rang, causing me to jump again. I answered it as I got into the driver’s seat. “Hello?”

“Lexi Graves?” asked a woman. “My name is Marnie Vasquez.”

“Lorena’s daughter? I’ve been trying to call you.”

“I know. I got your message. I’m in Montgomery and was hoping we could meet. I’d like to talk to you.”

“Yes. Yes, definitely. Where would you like to meet?”

“My mother’s house. If that’s okay with you?”

“Well… yes, okay. Are you sure you want to meet there?” I asked, hesitantly.

“I have to go there sometime. I really need to talk to you about what happened. To my mother,” she added, as if I could ever erase the awful scene I discovered there. I hadn’t been back and didn’t plan to, but I couldn’t turn her down. I needed to talk to Marnie. “We don’t have to go inside if you don’t want to,” she added, surprisingly tactfully.

“Whatever you’re comfortable with,” I replied, because no matter what I’d seen, I couldn’t imagine anything worse than losing your mother so horrifically.

“Honestly, I’m not that comfortable there either, but I have to go there sometime,” she said again. “I’d like to get it over with. It was my home. It still is, I guess. I’m not staying there. I’m staying with a friend and her family down the street, but I’d like to talk to you privately so I guess the house will do. I’m sorry, I’m rambling. I’m a little…”

“It’s fine. I have an appointment I can’t get out of now, but I’m free after four,” I decided, after factoring in time to talk to the class, then grab some food. I might not get a chance later on. “Is that okay?”

Marnie agreed it was fine and hung up, leaving me with a heavy feeling that our conversation would be very hard.

I made it to the school a few minutes before — not exactly thanking Garrett all the way — I was due to arrive and introduced myself to Chloe’s teacher. She already had the kids assembled on the floor carpet, in a horseshoe shape, and I gathered they’d just finished a story or their discussion time. I wasn’t sure. The kid thing baffled me and awed me. How could one person manage so many of them? I wondered. Wasn’t it similar to herding cats?

The teacher didn’t appear too frazzled as she ushered me to a lumpy armchair at the front. I settled in it and smiled at the hopeful little faces in front of me. I waggled my fingers at my niece and she waved back.

“We’re really, really excited to have Detective Graves here today,” said Mrs. Nguyen. “Isn’t that right, class?” She led a little round of applause and I started to enjoy myself. The kids were all so eager to learn and wait… what? Detective?

“I’m not a detective,” I said.

“Sure you are,” said Mrs. Nguyen.

“No, I’m a private investigator. It’s like a detective, but I don’t have a badge.”

“Do you have a gun?” asked one little boy. “Can I see it?”

“Yes, I do, and no, you can’t. It’s… at the police station.” I didn’t dare explain why.

“So you
are
a detective,” said the little boy’s friend. They nodded to each other.

“No. I’m really not.”

“Can I see your badge?”

“I only have my investigator’s license, but you can see it.” I fished it from my purse and held it out.

“Boooooring,” said the little boy.

“That’s enough, Peter. Okay, settle down everyone. Private Investigator Graves is going to tell us a little bit about her job and how she solves mysteries.” She waved at me to continue as another adult appeared in the open doorway who beckoned her. She mouthed, “five minutes” to me as she edged away, exiting the room before I could protest. I wanted to whimper, “don’t leave me” but hey, how bad could it be? They were only kids and this was supposed to be relaxing. Maybe it would even be fun, I decided, smiling at their eager faces.

“Are you Nancy Drew?” asked the girl who sat next to my niece. She had the cutest bunches on either side of her head and her sleeves were spattered with red… oh, it was paint. Phew!

“No.”

“Is your name Nancy Drew?”

“No,” I sighed, holding up my license. “See here, on my license it says Alexandra Graves, but everyone calls me Lexi.”

“Is too Nancy Drew. You solve mysteries and so does Nancy.”

“Well, yes, I do solve mysteries.”

“Knew it!”

“But I’m not Nancy…”

“Are too.”

“Like I said, I’m…”

“Do you have a TV show?” piped another kid before I could win that argument.

“No, sorry.”

“Nancy Drew has a TV show,” said the little girl.

“See, I’m not…”

“Dog, the Bounty Hunter, has a TV show!” yelled Peter.

“Ahh, well, I’m definitely not a bounty hunter.”

“You suck,” said the shortest kid in the front row, who had a surprisingly loud voice.

“I thought your aunt was Nancy Drew,” sighed the little girl next to Chloe, a fat tear sliding down her cheek. She sniffed and a tear slipped from her other eye. Chloe looked up at me, absolutely appalled. I knew how she felt.

“I thought you were cool,” she whispered.

“Oh, my life!” I sighed as the barrage of disappointment hit me to the tune of a dozen little kids singing Dog’s theme song.

Chapter Seventeen

“How did it go at Chloe’s school?” Lily asked when I joined her. She was parked down the street from Perfect Brides and listening to a local radio station while looking utterly bored. I had to move three candy wrappers, a pair of binoculars, and a water bottle before I could sit on the passenger seat. “Feeling all maternal?”

“No,” I wailed, searching for more candy. I knew Lily had to have more somewhere. She reached over, opened the glove box, and handed me a Twix. “They hated me. They were expecting Nancy Drew and I totally disappointed them. You should have seen their faces. It was like I told them Christmas was canceled.”

“Big whoop. I’m Jewish.”

“Hanukkah, too. And you celebrate Christmas. I’ve seen you.”

“I celebrate anything with gifts.”

“I need sympathy.”

“Ahh…” Lily paused.

“Oh, come on!” I waved the half-eaten candy bar at her.

“To be honest, I’d be disappointed too if I was expecting Nancy Drew and got you instead. You probably ruined Chloe’s life. Have you apologized?”

“No! She’s only little! She knows what I do for a job.” I rested my head in my hands, still chewing. “What do I do?”

“Easy. Get your own TV show!”

“You know I was nearly killed last night. I could have talked about that and terrified them.” I waved my injured arm at Lily. I was lucky. After swallowing two painkillers, it barely hurt, and I could take some satisfaction that the other guy came off a lot worse than I. I would be really satisfied when he was caught.

“They would definitely remember you. I noticed last night you had a really nice manicure. It lasted really well. Not even a chip!”

“That’s what you noticed last night?”

“That, and I remembered I was still pissed you didn’t ask me to come with you to the manicure bar. Oh, and I also noticed that your house is a really good party house. The amount of people in there, the flow… have you feng shui’d it yet?”

“No. I IKEA’d it instead.”

“I thought you got a new plant. So when are we getting manicures?"

“You’re really not going to ask how I am?”

“Nope. You shot the dude and you’re barely hurt. You totally won.”

“You don’t seem very concerned about me nearly succumbing to a mad man.” Just what did one have to do for sympathy around here, I wondered. Or was my life now so crazy that even my best friend didn’t blink an eyelid after hearing a psycho came after me in my own home?

“You’ve succumbed to loads of mad men and you’re still here. Anyway, I doubt this one was mad. Besides, I came over wearing a onesie! In public! How much more concerned can you get?”

“Well… I guess… wait! No! Be more concerned! I’m your best friend.”

“I was concerned!” Lily exclaimed, turning to watch two women as they entered the wedding store. “Right until I got there!”

“So what changed?”

“Apart from you actually being alive? Lexi, you were wearing those PJs. Anyone who’s watched a huge amount of crime TV knows that the killer only goes after the hot girls who wear nothing but matching bras and panties along with full makeup.” She waved a hand at my figure. “You were in no danger. Your hair wasn’t even done.”

“Are you saying my jammies saved my life?”

“That, and we should go shopping. Stat!”

“Until then,” I said, thinking about how far my paycheck would stretch, “are we any further on the wedding dress thefts?”

“Nope. I’ve been watching the place every evening, and so far, nothing. I’ve also been checking in on Sharon, who hasn’t noticed anything either, besides that one woman. She’s still antsy so I said I'd watch over the store this afternoon too. Hey, since I’m stuck here, can you get me a drink and a snack from across the street? I’m hungry and you ate my chocolate.”

“Sure. And I’ll take the next shift,” I told her, feeling simultaneously magnanimous and guilty that I hadn't helped Lily more. “Solomon said I should take it easy for a day or two.”

“Cool. Maybe Jord and I will go out for dinner, Hey, what about the gym?”

“Dead end,” I confirmed. “Well, sort of. There was a little break in the case. I’ll tell you later.” I waved away her money and crossed the street to get Lily her snacks, feeling rather pleased that I volunteered to take over her shift. Truth be told, it wasn’t easy watching the wedding store when I had another case that was growing more confounding by the moment, but maybe a change of scenery could reboot my brain. That Lily managed to put in the surveillance hours already, around her wedding arrangements and running her bar, was commendable. She deserved a night off to hang out with Jord.

I pulled two drinks from the tall refrigerator and grabbed a couple of candy bars, and some chips, moving to the front of the small store. As I reached the stand, the front page of the
Montgomery Gazette
caught my eye. “Oh no,” I groaned, reaching for it. “Damn, damn, damn.”

“You read it, you bought it,” said the little woman behind the counter, fixing me with angry eyes as I scanned the front page.

I pushed over a few bills and hightailed it back to the car. “We’ve been watching the wrong store,” I told Lily as I slid inside. “Another bridal store just got hit in Chester.”