Weddings Can Be Murder (23 page)

Ben frowned. “We’re looking at four suspects.”

“All the guys working on the wedding?” she asked.

He nodded. “Is there anything you can remember about any of them that may help us?”

Katie sighed. “I never met any of them, except the DJ the other day. I either hired them over the phone or dealt with assistants. At the florist, I was working with…I think her name was Sarah. And I only met Todd Sweet’s assistant.”

Then Katie remembered her initial reaction to Will Reed, the DJ, when she showed up at his house yesterday. “This may be nothing, but I kind of got the creeps from the DJ when I was there. He made some flirty remark and the music he was playing made me think about the phone calls I’d received with the music.”

“We’re looking at him real close.” Ben glanced at
Katie’s purse hanging on the chair. “We’re going to have to confiscate your phone. Just in case someone calls.”

Feeling as if the conversation was winding down, she asked, “Tami mentioned something about my going over to your dad’s place. Do you think…I mean, do I really need to do that?”

Ben leaned back in his chair. “If I said no, my brother would kill me.” He sighed. “Carl’s determined to keep you safe. And he was adamant about you going to Dad’s.”

Katie didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. But the questions ran like kittens chasing butterflies in her mind. Did that mean he cared? Did it mean he would be at his dad’s when she got there? Did it excuse him for not…not at least kissing her good-bye this morning?

“And honestly,” Ben continued. “I think it would be best. Besides, my dad is looking forward to seeing you.”

Tami met Katie in the hall. Ben had insisted Katie ride with her to the police station in case the killer knew her car. “I’m sorry you had to wait,” Katie said.

“It was nothing.” Tami held up a romance novel. “I brought my book. I hope my husband wasn’t too hard on you?”

“No.” Katie smiled. “Ben seems like a nice guy. And in spite of how it looked this morning, I’m not interested in him.”

Tami laughed and dropped her book into her purse. “I have orders to take you to Dad’s house. However, I’ve got to pick up Ben junior from school, and thought we could grab a bite to eat.”

“Sounds great. I’m sorry for…messing up your day.”

“Actually, it’s nice to get out of the house. We just moved, and all I’ve done is pack or unpack for weeks.”

They went first to pick up Ben junior from kindergarten. Katie was able to spot him right away. She probably
would even have been able to pick him out if she hadn’t seen his photograph.

“He really looks like his dad and uncle,” she said as the boy carrying a Batman backpack came running toward the car.

“And he’s just like his dad.” Pride rang in Tami’s voice.

Ben junior, aka Benny, crawled into the backseat, chattering so fast Katie could hardly understand.

“Calm down,” his mom said. “And say hello to Miss Katie. She’s…a friend of Uncle Carl.”

Benny buckled himself in, then looked over at her. “Are you my uncle’s new girlfriend?”

Okay, nothing like being put on the spot by a five-year-old.

“Benny, it’s not polite to…to ask questions.”

“Sorry.” Benny bounced in his seat. “Amy used to be his girlfriend. I used to catch them kissing all the time. But she left and when he went to find her he got shot.”

“
Benny
.” Warning rang in Tami’s voice.

Katie glanced at Tami, wishing she’d explain. But no explanation came.

Tami rolled her eyes. “Kids.”

Over lunch, Katie and Tami discussed safe topics—Katie’s job, Tami’s new house—while Benny played in the restaurant’s indoor playground.

“So, do your parents live in town?” Tami asked.

Katie picked up her tea. She hated explaining it and went for the short version. “My parents have passed away.”

“Oh,” Tami said. “They have you late in life?”

Katie relented and told the long version. The pity in Tami’s expression reminded Katie of a similar look this morning.

“I’m sorry,” Tami said, and then came the dreaded silence.

Katie bit her lip to keep from asking if there was something Tami wasn’t telling her about Carl. Maybe even ask
her about Carl’s old girlfriend, and about his getting shot. But those things Carl needed to tell her. Right?

If he chose to tell her. Or maybe he wouldn’t. Like he hadn’t chosen to say good-bye this morning. Every few minutes, Katie reminded herself that she’d entered into this fling with Carl knowing it wouldn’t last.

However, Katie didn’t know how to do flings. She’d had four serious boyfriends in her life, and they had all started out the way normal relationships should: two people getting to know each other, learning about each other’s lives, learning to care about each other, and then falling into bed. Katie wondered where she might find some information on the proper etiquette for flings. Maybe in flings, men weren’t expected to speak to their lovers on the morning after.

Katie felt her face flush with both embarrassment and—okay, she’d admit it—anger. At the police station, she’d expected Carl to call. Just to say hello or something.

“I’m sorry I brought your parents up,” Tami said.

Realizing Tammy was reading something into Katie’s silence, she looked back at Ben. “He’s so cute.”

“You want kids?” Tami began stacking the dishes.

“Two.” Katie spoke on automatic. “A boy and a girl. Two years apart. In a house with green shutters, out in the suburbs.”

“And a white picket fence.” Tami laughed.

Katie grinned. It hit her again, how mismatched she and Carl were. Everything she wanted, Carl called crazy.

Tami’s phone rang and she glanced at Katie as she spoke. Katie’s stomach clenched, and in spite of her last thought having been that her night with Carl had been a big, huge mistake, the idea that it might be him had her heart singing with joy.

“I stopped off to get Benny.” Tami frowned. “We’re having lunch. I didn’t know I had to get permission.” Tami hung up.

Katie waited for her to say the call had been from Ben.
Because if it had been Carl, he would have asked to speak to her, right? Tami didn’t offer the information, so Katie put her head on the chopping block and asked, “Ben?”

The look of pity jumped back into Tami’s eyes again. “Carl. He’s pissed that I didn’t take you straight to Dad’s.”

Was he waiting for her? “Is he there?”

Tami blinked. “No. He said he’d spoken with Dad.”

Thirty minutes later, they knocked on Mr. Hades’ apartment door. Mr. Hades answered with what Katie thought of as a come-on-in smile.

“Come on in,” he said.

Had she called the situation right or what? Now, if she could just figure out what name to call his son. Oh, a few were coming to mind. But Rays didn’t use that kind of language. Unless it was really worthy. And she hadn’t yet figured out if this was worthy.

“
Mi casa es su casa
,” Hades senior said. Then he picked up Benny and gave him a whirl. “How’s my favorite grandson?”

“I’m your only grandson.” Benny laughed.

“Dang, you’re smart.” Mr. Hades turned back to Katie. “Put your things in the extra bedroom. I changed the sheets.”

Sheets
? Did that mean…
Deep breath
. So, she wasn’t here just for the afternoon? Which meant Carl didn’t want her staying at his place. He was…dumping her. Katie tried not to react to the pain slicing at her heart. Tried. But from the way Tami looked at her, Katie figured she’d failed miserably.

“She didn’t bring her things, Dad,” Tami said, frowning.

“We can run and get them later. Or Carl can bring them by.”

Carl was really dumping her. Welcome to the one-night-stand club. Or better said, welcome to the Poked List, a voice whispered in her head. Maybe the situation was worthy of some bad language, after all.

Why had he done this? Had she said something, done something wrong last night? Of course, how was she to know? She didn’t know the fling rules—the let-me-screw-you-a-few-times-and-that’s-all-I-want rules. Oh, God, she’d been such a fool.

“Nice place.” Katie pretended to look around. Then her gaze caught on all the framed pictures of Carl and his brother. His face, his gorgeous fucking face stared at her. Just like that, she knew she couldn’t do this. Couldn’t stay here.

She faced Tami. “I really need to get back to my car.”

 Carl pulled into the florist’s parking lot. Today, he’d gone to talk to Mr. Sweet at Sweet’s Bakery and hadn’t found him home. He’d interviewed Mr. Sweet’s neighbors and got the usual
he’s a nice, quiet neighbor
crap.

He’d also spoken to the neighbors of the photographer, Mel Grimes, who’d been equally glowing. Maybe too glowing. Which upped Carl’s suspicion of the photographer. According to the old lady who lived next door to Grimes, the guy never brought home women and never dated.

Carl remembered the nude photographs displayed on the man’s wall. Something told him that the man who’d taken those pictures had a sexual interest in women. And if he had a sexual interest in women, why didn’t he date? Then again, Carl had himself gone thirteen months without dating. Maybe Grimes had his reasons.

Next Carl had paid a visit to Will Reed’s neighbors, and they’d had less than glorious things to say about the DJ. Supposedly, he was loud, always bringing home different girls, and had the neighborhood association on his ass for running a business out of his home. Nevertheless, none of the information made him more likely to be a serial killer.

But then Carl walked into his neighbor’s yard and peeped over the fence. And he’d be damned if he didn’t
see a few gas cans sitting beside the garage. It might not be enough to get a warrant, but it gave Carl a reason to look at the guy a little harder.

The neighbors of Edwards, the florist with the attitude, were thrilled to share their opinions. Apparently, before he’d gotten his last divorce, he’d banged up his ex-wife. While domestic violence tendencies didn’t necessarily go hand in hand with serial killing, Carl’s gut said that here was their guy.

And that’s why he was at the florist’s. He’d made an appointment with Mr. Edwards’s assistant.

As he got out of his GTO, his brother’s official sedan pulled into the lot. Carl hurried over to him.

“Is your cell phone broke?” He’d left three messages wanting to know if Katie had been able to identify Mr. Edwards. “What happened this morning?”

Ben clicked the lock on his car. “Katie picked out Mr. Edwards, but then said she wasn’t sure. I’ve got Joe Lyon coming in to see if he can give us a positive ID.”

Carl flinched at the mention of Joe Lyon’s name. Last night he’d wanted to ask Katie how the man had taken the news of being dumped. But talking about her ex didn’t blend with having sex. Not that Carl had forgotten how Lyon had eyed the blonde at the police station the morning Red and he were questioned. And after spending last night with Red, Carl didn’t get how any man would cheat on her. When you had the best, why look further?

Then, to complicate his already-complicated emotions, the idea of her having slept with Lyon, of possibly washing dishes with that guy, had put Carl in a dandy of a mood.

“How was Katie?” Carl’s chest spasmed just saying her name.

Ben frowned. “You should have told us that she didn’t know you were sending her to Dad’s. Tami’s going to shoot your ass.”

Carl squeezed his aching shoulder. “I deserve to be shot. I screwed up. I…I slept with her.”

Ben leaned against his car. “Well, from the way she grabbed my ass this morning, I’d say it was a mutual decision.”

Carl frowned. “What?”

“I’m telling you, she’s got a thing for me.” Ben laughed. “Seems our butts are almost identical—so said my wife right after she caught Red feeling me up in the kitchen.”

Carl didn’t see the humor. He could imagine how Katie felt when she woke up and he hadn’t been there. But wasn’t it best to stop it now? “I don’t have a fucking clue why I let it happen.”

Ben grinned. “Oh, I could tell you that. She’s hot.”

Carl eyed his brother’s smile. “And you’re married.”

“Married but not dead. Not that I would trade in Tami, mind you. I’m just saying I know why you went for it.”

“It was wrong. Katie’s not like that. I was a fucking bastard to…to let it happen.”

“So you decided to be a bigger bastard and leave without telling her, and then to dump her on Dad without telling her.”

“I’m going to speak to her. I just…I didn’t know what to say. I figure I’ll see her at Dad’s to night.”

“And tell her what?” Ben asked.

“Tell her the truth. That I’m no good for her.”

“And why are you not good for her?” Ben crossed his arms.

“You know who I am.”

“I know that you got your heart broken a year ago. That you got yourself shot trying to protect Amy even after she left your ass. So, are you telling me you still love Amy?”

“No!” And it was true. He didn’t love Amy, not anymore.

“So what’s so bad about dating Red?”

Carl squeezed his shoulder again. “I told you, she’s not my type. For God’s sake, she watches
The Brady Bunch
. She’s the marrying kind, the I-want-a-couple-of-kids kind.”

“And you didn’t ask Amy to marry you?”

Carl stared at his brother. “How did you know about that?”

“You told me that night you got drunk off your ass.”

Carl shook his head. “The point is that I should have never gotten involved with Amy. But Katie’s…she’s innocent. She’s not the kind you screw and walk away from.”

“Then why walk away?” Ben arched an eyebrow.

“Because I’d end up hurting her. I’m not a total bastard.”

“What? You don’t think you can keep your dick in your pants?”

“No, that’s not it,” Carl answered.

“Then what is it? What is it with you and decent women? Are you so afraid of marriage that you only date unfit gals? But, wait, even that didn’t work, because you fell for Amy, even when…when she wasn’t the marrying kind.”

“I’m not afraid. I’m selfish.” And in some ways it was the truth. “I like making myself happy, not worrying about making someone else happy.” Being emotionally responsible for someone was a bad thing, especially when you sucked at it.