03 - Organized Grime (12 page)

“Gabby,” Parker mumbled.

“Good to see you, too. I need to let you know that something strange is going on, Parker.” I filled him in as we walked toward the black and brass front door.

Parker paused at the stoop. “How’d you get mixed up in all of this, Gabby?”

“Not on purpose! This is the one time I can honestly say it’s not my fault. I didn’t do anything, but some psycho is painting pictures of me and my family and leaving threatening notes for me at various places.”

He stared at me a moment before the edges of his mouth pulled up in a … grin? Really? This was amusing him? He nodded toward the door. “Let me check everything out for you inside. I should have sent the local PD out to do it, but I wanted to do you a favor.”

“Because you’re too good to do menial work like checking out a crime scene for potential criminals?”

The grin slipped. “Yes, that’s exactly what I meant, Gabby. Now that I’m a G-man, I’m above all of this.” He narrowed his eyes. “Of course I didn’t mean that. I just have a lot to do while working this case. I’m new to the FBI and I don’t want to blow it.”

I held up a hand. “Whatever. Let’s just go inside and get this over with.”

He unlocked the door and we stepped out of the cold. I sucked in a breath when I walked inside. What was that oddly-familiar scent? My eyes zeroed in on something on a nearby table. I charged toward it, Parker behind me.

There, stuck between two pictures of Landon Lancaster, was a stick of incense. Just like Sierra’s. I leaned closer. No, this was Sierra’s.  Same brand, same sage scent, same “I love animals” sticker on the bottom. Was this what the person had broken into her apartment to retrieve?

Parker muttered something not-so-nice under his breath.

I looked back at him. “I take it this wasn’t here when the scene was released?”

“Deductive reasoning, Ms. Drew.” He plucked his phone off his belt. “Let me get the evidence response team in here… again.”

Chapter Fifteen

Later that night, I lay in bed, throwing an apple up in the air and catching it as I tried to sort out my thoughts.

Housing development burned down. Developer’s office bombed. Sierra has bomb making manual. Her proximity on the evening of the crimes is unaccounted for due to a change in plans. Said manual is then found at the scene of a stabbing. The man stabbed worked for a solar energy company. Sierra’s brownies are found at the home of a man who’s known for his plaster work in the area. Then Sierra’s incense is found at another stabbing, this time of an award-winning landscaper. Meanwhile, someone has painted pictures of my life and is leaving me cryptic notes.

How did I make sense of all of that? I kept trying to connect all of the dots, but none of them wanted to meet up.

What kind of wannabe detective was I?

I tossed the apple in the air again, but missed it coming down. The fruit dropped right into my eye. “Ouch.” I rubbed the spot and sat up in bed. For revenge, I bit a big chunk out of Gala.

That’s when I heard the rap on the door.

I pulled a sweatshirt on over my tank top and tip-toed to the door. Who was it now? Did I really want to know? Were the feds back with more bad news? Did Henry desperately need a place to stay?

“Gabby, are you awake? It’s Riley.” His voice sounded hushed, like a loud whisper.

I unlocked all of my locks—yeah, I had four of them—and cracked the door, confirmed it was Riley, and then stepped aside. “Come in.”

His eyes glimmered. “I was hoping you might be awake.”

I shrugged, swallowed my last bite of apple, and tossed the fruit into the trashcan. With a thump, it miraculously went inside. “Yeah, I can’t sleep.”

He squeezed my arm as he slid past me and plopped on my couch. “How was your day?”

I sat across from him, crossed my legs and told him about everything from the paintings to the incense and brownies at the crime scene. I’d been anxious to talk to him all day, but his court cases had apparently gone long, and then I’d been in class.

He leaned back on the couch and blinked several times as I finished. “Wow.”

“Yeah, wow is right.”

“No leads?”

I shook my head and plucked a piece of lint from my yoga pants. “Nothing. Nada. Zip.”

He patted my knee, but instead of withdrawing his hand back to himself, left it there. I didn’t complain. “You’ll figure it out, Gabby.”

“Why do you sound so sure?”

“Because you always do. You’re good at being nosy and getting answers.” He shifted his weight and, in doing so, moved his hand back to his lap. I missed it instantly. “By the way, did you talk to the medical examiner anymore about working there?”

“My application is on file and they sound interested.” I shrugged. “You never know. I could be bona fide medical legal death investigator in a few months.”

“I’m proud of you, you know. A lot of people in your shoes would have given up already. You stayed strong, and I admire that.”

“Thanks, Riley. You’ve been a great friend throughout it all.” Don’t blush, Gabby. Don’t blush. What was up with me blushing lately?

Riley didn’t seem to notice, or, if he did, he didn’t make a big deal of it. “What will you do after you graduate? Will you give up the crime scene cleaning?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine myself not doing this. But… I’m not sure. It will all figure itself out.”

“There have been a lot of changes over the past year, huh? You became a Christian, your dad is coming to church, and you’re almost a graduate. Good things are happening.”

I frowned. “Yes, good things.”

“Then why are you frowning?”

I pressed myself into the couch, my muscles tensing. “I’m having a hard time with my dad, thinking he’s a better person. It was easier when I thought he was scum.”

“That’s where forgiveness comes in, Gabby.”

Forgiveness. That word seemed to echo in my head a lot lately. “I know. I’m working on it. It’s easier said than done, however.”

“It will come. Just give yourself time. Remember, though, that when you don’t forgive someone, you let them have power over you and ultimately just hurt yourself.”

I nodded. “You’re right. I just have some work to do, still.”

Riley’s gaze stayed on me until a grin stretched across his face. He pointed to the open newspaper on the table. “You going to see the stage adaption of High School Musical?”

I grabbed the paper to obscure the huge red circle I’d drawn over the ad so I wouldn’t forget about the upcoming performance, and pulled my head back in disgust. “High School Musical? What kind of self-respecting adult watches High School Musical?”

Riley raised his brow.

“What?”

He shook his head, still grinning. “Nothing.”

Why did I have the sneaking suspicion that he knew more than I wanted him to? “Spill it, Rilster.”

His brow lifted higher, along with the corner of his mouth. “Rilster? I like that. Maybe I’ll keep you guessing so I can hear what comes out of your mouth next.”

“I do know how to kill people and clean up afterward so that no one will guess what happened.” I waved a finger at him to emphasize my point.

He chuckled and held his hands in the air. “Okay, okay. I admit it. I can hear you singing the songs from High School Musical all the way in my apartment. ‘We’re All In This Together.’” He did a little musical-like dance move and sang in falsetto.

I scowled and swatted his shoulder.

“What?” he asked in mock innocence.

“You weren’t supposed to hear me.” I repressed my laugh, secretly grateful for the subject change.

“It’s not my fault that your voice sounds amplified, even without a microphone.” He stood and started singing, “You Are the Music in Me,” grinning each step of the way.

I’d had enough. I tackled him. Yep. Tackled him all the way to the ground.

His eyes widened as he hit the floor, but he quickly composed himself. His startling blue eyes met mine and sparkled like alluring ocean water on a hot day. “That’s one mean move you’ve got there, Ms. St. Claire.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to block out our close proximity lest I do something crazy and proclaim my love for him or something. But the musky scent of his aftershave threatened to pull me under. I had to get a grip or I might drown in the moment. I cleared my throat. “I’ve got more where that came from.”

He laughed. “Do you?”

In one motion, he flipped me over so I was the one being pinned. “I have a few moves of my own. I did play football for one lousy year in high school, you know.”

“No, I didn’t know.” I could hardly think about our conversation, though. All I could think about was how close Riley was to me, how I could feel his heartbeat against me, how I could see the startling blue of his eyes.

His smile slipped and he rolled off of me and onto his side. “Gabby, there is something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

Another secret fiancée? Not again. I braced myself. Before I could offer a sharp retort, his lips covered mine and pure electricity zipped up my spine.

I’d dreamed about this day for a long time, but never thought it would actually happen. And the kiss was even more wonderful in reality than it was in my dreams—tender yet passionate, sweet yet urgent.

He pulled back and my lips still tingled—gloriously tingled.

I cleared my throat and rubbed my hand over my mouth. “That’s what you wanted to talk to me about?”

His grin stayed in place, and he leaned closer. “I thought actions might speak louder than words.”

“In this case, I’d agree.” I propped myself up on an elbow. “But nonetheless, words are still needed. What exactly was that about?”

He sat up and his smile disappeared a moment, replaced with a serious expression. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Gabby. Ever since the first time we met, you’ve grabbed at my heart. I just never thought the time was right—until now.”

“It’s because I keep on almost getting killed, isn’t it? You’ve realized you don’t have that much time because it’s me?” There I went again… I just couldn’t let a serious moment be, could I? When in doubt, make a joke. I mentally scolded myself.

He laughed and gently tugged one of my hairs behind my ear. “No… I mean, the almost-getting-killed only reinforces what I feel for you, I suppose. But I’ve just seen you grow so much lately. I’ve seen how much you really do care about people, how you’ve risen above the hand you’ve been dealt and become stronger because of it.”

My heart nearly stopped beating as his words flowed over me. I tried to find something to say—the right thing to say—but Riley kept going, so I let him.

“I knew for sure that I had feelings for you when you planned that funeral for the man who had no family.”

I remembered the service we had for the man—a man whose house I’d been hired to clean. He’d been dead for several days before anyone missed him. That was life as a modern-day hermit, I supposed. But, with no family, I didn’t want him to simply disappear from the earth without so much as a goodbye, so we’d held a wake for him. It had felt good to do something for someone else, even if that person was dead. Everyone deserved a funeral. Everyone. “That was nearly six months ago.”

He nodded. “I know. I didn’t think you were ready for a relationship then.”

And I probably wasn’t. I was too confused about too many things—including God. Plus, Parker and I had just broken up, and Chad had pranced into my life.

“I thought you might slap me if I kissed you.”

“Slap you? Why would I do that?”

“I just never know what to expect from you. Just one more thing to love about you.”

I leaned into him. His arm went around my waist and we sat there a moment. It felt like pure bliss. I inhaled his scent, something I’d done before today, but I’d felt guilty about—like it wasn’t my liberty to take. But now, I felt like I could sit here and absorb everything wonderful thing about him with no guilt. Riley was my … what was he? I didn’t want to read more into this than I should.

“What does this mean for us, Riley?”

“I want to give our relationship a chance, Gabby. I think we’re going to work well together, but I want to date you—and only you. I want to see where this relationship leads.”

“So you’re my boyfriend?” I smiled.

A grin cracked over his face. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

I stood and began singing, “Start of Something New,” being as overly dramatic and cheesy as possible. Riley stood and wrapped his arms around me, effectively cutting me off with a kiss.

And, for once in my life, I didn’t argue.

Chapter Sixteen

Since I didn’t have the chance to stalk—I mean, pay a visit to—Mark Daniels yesterday, doing so was the first thing on my agenda for Tuesday morning.

I dressed respectably in some khakis and a sweater and held my head up high as I strode into the office of Solar Sun Development. I evenly and properly requested to the receptionist that I speak with Mark Daniels. Four minutes and thirty-one seconds later, I was ushered into his office. It almost seemed suspiciously easy.

Mark Daniels wasn’t who I expected. He was well-groomed, in his mid-thirties, and had a million-dollar smile. He had a full head of dark hair and even, kind features that had probably landed him a lot of attention from the ladies.

“Welcome,” he said when I stepped into his office. “Please, have a seat.” He pointed to the plush leather—or was it pleather?—chair across from his desk. Then he laced his fingers together on his desk and stared at me. “What can I do for you, Ms. St. Claire?”

I’d briefly thought about making up a reason to be there. But instead I decided to dive in with the truth and see where that got me.

“Do you know Sierra Nakamura?”

He blinked, but otherwise remained composed. “Who?”

“Sierra Nakamura.”

“The name doesn’t sound familiar. Why do you ask?”

“I know about your colleague who died this past weekend in the supposed home invasion.”

“Terrible tragedy. Home invasions are just a terrible reality, one I’d rather not think about. Were you a friend?”

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know him. But I do know that you requested some of his books, and I want to know why.”