Part 19 (1/2)
”That still doesn't explain why you were at the Song Bird with Sasquatch,” Mitch grumbled, setting his empty cup on the coffee table between us.
I gaped at him in shock and then threw his words back at him with pleasure. ”You're jealous.”
His look pierced through me straight to my core. ”Am not,” he returned the favor, and we stared each other down.
”Whatever.” I looked away first, feeling suddenly warm and kicking off his tiger fleece. ”Anyway, Holly said she'd heard Amanda met with Pendleton at the Song Bird before she died. And Sasquatch, whose real name is Cole by the way, sang a love song that was so touching. You could tell he was really sad. He's a local. I think he might have overheard Amanda and Pendleton's conversation.” I beamed, thoroughly proud of myself, thinking, Top that, Grump-a-dump!
”Wrong.” Mitch looked bored.
”Excuse me?” I sputtered.
”I said you're wrong, Tink. W-r-o-n-g.” He punctuated each word as though I really were a dunce. ”I didn't tell you about Lucinda earlier because I didn't have all my facts yet, but it appears you won't stop causing trouble until I come clean.”
”It appears that way, doesn't it?” I sat patiently, hands folded in my lap, fluttering my lashes and waiting.
He rolled his eyes. ”Lucinda Griswold and Holly Smith are cops,” he said point-blank, and it was like getting hit with a bullet to the chest.
I reeled back. ”Crazy Detective say what?”
”You heard me. That's why I said not to worry about Lucinda, that she was fine. When you saw us laughing and talking so easily at Smokey Jo's, it was because we were reminiscing about my old department in the city. We know a lot of the same people even though Griswold and Smith are FBI.”
”No way!”
”Yes way.” He made a funny face and a set of air quotes. ”I'm not sure what they are doing here, but I am sure they want to keep it undercover.”
”So that's why Holly gave me a back-off look. I really don't know what she wanted me to back off on, though. And Carolyn must be working on the inside with them. But I still don't get something.”
”Really? Seems to me you know everything.”
”Funny.” I smirked. ”Seriously, though, what was up with the librarian meeting Pendleton at that karaoke bar? That doesn't make any sense.”
”My guess is the FBI knew you planted the nanny cam, and so they sent you on a wild-goose chase to throw you off.”
I gasped. ”Oh my G.o.d, Lucinda did look straight at the camera at one point.” I wrinkled my brow. ”But what about Cole? He is a local, and he certainly looked sad. Maybe he was sad to hear Amanda was murdered when he possibly could have stopped it if he'd gone to the police.”
”He should be sad. That's Cole West. Why do you think he hangs out at the Song Bird instead of Smokey Jo's?”
”I was wondering that myself.”
”His wife died in a motorcycle accident a year ago, and he was the driver. Hasn't driven one since, and he pretty much keeps to himself these days. Local bars just remind him of what he lost.”
”Oh, poor guy.” My heart went out to him. ”Well, I feel like a total idiot.”
”Don't,” the detective stated matter-of-factly. ”You probably gave him more entertainment than he's had in a long time. I can't believe you took the stage and sang like that.”
”Like what? I love karaoke.”
”Were we in the same room? You had to have heard and seen the reaction from the crowd. Trust me, Tink. Karaoke does not love you.”
”You're all crazy.” I refused to believe I was that bad. I had ears.
”If you say so,” he responded, then added half under his breath, ”but I'd get my hearing checked if I were you.”
”Whatever.” I shook off my irritation with him and focused. ”What do we do now?”
”We figure out what Lucinda and Holly don't want us to know.”
”Sounds like a plan, partner. So are we good now?”
His eyes met mine and held. ”Yeah. We're more than good.”
My stomach flipped. There was a world of meaning in that one sentence. The question was, what was I prepared to do about it?
Turned out I didn't have to worry about it. Mitch's cell phone went off. He answered, gave me a sharp look, and then said, ”I'll be there in a minute.” He stood.
”No, we'll be there,” I pointed out, standing as well.
”No, I'll take you home, and then I'll be there. Grab your coat.”
”But you said we were good.” I grabbed my coat and joined him by the door. ”What's up, partner?”
He slipped his jacket back on and grabbed his gun. ”You're going to follow me if I take you home, aren't you?”
”Now you're catching on.” I patted his chest.
”Fine, let's go, you pain in my unmentionables. But you're staying in the car.” He harrumphed and opened the door. ”Pendleton got pulled over for a speeding ticket as he was headed out of town. He freaked out, took the officer hostage, and is spouting off something about a conspiracy and big brother watching him.” He gave me a pointed look.
I bit my lip. ”You think it had anything to do with him finding the bug I planted?”
”Gee, not at all. I repeat, let's go before you cause any more trouble.”
He didn't have to ask me twice. I jogged to his car and climbed inside as he locked up his apartment and joined me in seconds.
When we arrived at the scene on the side of the road, Lucinda Griswold III and Holly Smith were already there, looking nothing like a rich socialite and mousy library manager. They were fully armed and ready to rock and roll as they used their car as a s.h.i.+eld from Pendleton.
”Stay put,” Mitch barked at me as he got out of the car.
Of course I followed him.
”What's the status?” Mitch asked as he arrived by their sides in the standoff and then growled when he spotted me. He shoved me down behind the car and pointed a warning finger in my face.
I nodded and crossed my heart in a signal promising I would behave. Too bad he didn't see the other fingers crossed behind my back. I was desperate enough to do anything at this point if it meant solving this blasted case.
”Pendleton was making a run for it,” Lucinda said.
”Why? Didn't he just get stopped for a speeding violation?” I asked, feeling vulnerable and wis.h.i.+ng I'd bought that handgun from Eddy right about now.