The Wages of Cin (Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries Book 4) (4 page)

“Cin,” he called, walking after me.

I turned around and gave him my full, distracted attention.

“I didn’t mean to push you into this date.  I didn’t realize that you, well, you haven’t been out there in a while.  You always seem to be in the company of guys.”

“A priest, married coppers, and my ex-husband don’t count.”

“Too bad that Michael’s a priest, I think you’d make a good couple,” Harry said.

“Don’t.”

“I mean, he’s handsome and wealthy. You could do worse.”

“He’s a priest, and that’s that.”

“Guess so.”

Harry walked away and left me with Father Michael on my mind.  One of the last private conversations I had with Michael actually involved Harry.  It wasn’t long after Michael confessed, high on painkillers, that he loved me. He said, "You and I could be a spectacular team. I could give up the collar, and we could kick some serious butt out there in the world.  But it would mean leaving Harry."

“Oh, Harry,” I said softly.  “You’re killing me.”  I shut the door and leaned against it.  It wouldn’t do any good to let Harry know that he had inadvertently majorly cock-blocked me while saving my soul at the same time.

I backed the BMW Z3 Roadster into a space in the guest lot behind the auditorium.  I checked my makeup twice before leaving the car.  I had chosen an outfit more for ease and comfort than for rock-concert chic.  I wore a flowing sundress over a pair of footless tights.  The green print made the most of my hair.  If it was my hair that attracted Sidney in the first place, I might as well take advantage.  I dismissed any thought of dressing youthful, picking up on his comment about Elijah’s ex dressing like her daughter.  The south Florida wind blew the dress about my legs, and I was glad I went with the tights, just in case it picked the hem up and over my hips.  The guard at the gate had a VIP badge waiting for me.  He asked that I wear it so it could be seen, so I pulled the lanyard over my head and let the large plasticized card dangle below my bust.

I stepped around a puddle, careful not to get my sandal-encased feet wet.  The vibrant toenail polish had been an afterthought.  I wanted to be subtle, but the call of the concert pulled me into the nail salon and left me at the mercy of some rather energetic technicians.  Harry and Alex had already left by the time I arrived home, so I didn’t have to face the scrutiny of my son and the ever-critical Harry.

I was directed to the stage by a security guard.  I decided to climb the stairs so I could see if Sidney was still in the sound booth.

“Santa Maria, if it isn’t a vision,” Manuel Rodriguez said, approaching me.

I fought down my band crush and smiled.  “I’m looking for…”

“Me obviously,” he said.

“Um, no.”

“Elijah’s in the band suite.”

“Actually, I’m looking for Sidney.”

“Son of a bitch, Stoneridge?” he asked, confused.

“Quit flirting with my mother,” Alex said, coming to my rescue.  He walked up, pulling his sweat-soaked tee up over his stomach.  “Mom, Sidney’s changing. He said for you to wait for him here.”

Manuel looked at Alex and then at me and back again.  “You had him as a teenager, didn’t you?”

“Cut it out. You’re embarrassing my mother, dude.”

“Life isn’t fair.  How the hell did Stonebridge manage to score…”  He looked at Alex’s outraged face and edited, “How did he meet you first?”

“Yesterday,” I managed, not sure if I was supposed to answer him or not.  “I met him when Harry and I were checking out the scene of Simon’s accident.”

“You’re the lady detective?  I wouldn’t have cast you in that role.”

“She’s not only a detective but a musician,” Alex said proudly.  “Also, a terror with a knife, so I’d watch yourself.”

“Damn.”

Sidney’s arrival stopped any further conversation.  The thin man had chosen a pair of light green cargo shorts with a brown tee covered by a green-and-brown-patterned, open, short-sleeved shirt.  His hair was wet.  I suspected he had hastily washed it in the sink.  He looked at me and smiled.  He nodded to Manuel and shook hands with Alex.

“I’m watching you, dude,” Alex teased.

“Shall we go?” he asked.

“Please,” I said, trying not to let my nerves show.

We walked over to the lot.  He stopped when he found his large paneled van blocked in.

“My car’s unblocked over there. Why don’t we use it?”  I pointed out the BMW.

“I’m dreaming.  Not only am I in the company of a beautiful woman, but one with a bimmer too.”

“Sidney, would you like to drive it?”

“Ah, no, you see, I’m very distracted right now, and I might crash it.”

“Alright, but you’re going to have to give me directions, ’cause I have no idea where we’re going.”

He nodded and followed me to the car.

My blue topaz baby wasn’t new, but it’d been very well cared for.  I loved the car; I loved driving the car; and I loved the looks I got from other drivers when I drove it.  I guess it’s more than a car to me.

Sidney opened the door for me before moving quickly around the car and getting in.

“Top up or down?” I asked.

He turned and looked at me so quickly.  I think he thought I said something else.  I pointed up to the ceiling.

“Down, I want to leave this place in style and let all the losers see who I’m leaving with,” he said and secured his seatbelt.

I laughed.  This guy was either good for my ego or half-blind.  Either way, Sidney Stoneridge had made me feel beautiful.  It was difficult to talk with the top down, but Sidney shouted directions, and soon we were pulling into the lot of an Intracoastal Waterway floating restaurant called the Crab Shack.

“The place is kind of a dive, but the food and service are great,” he said, opening my car door.  I stood up and tried to unknot my windblown curls.  “Let me,” he said.

I stood still, and he worked from the back around to my face.  He unwound a curl and pushed it behind my ear.  I looked at him, his face inches from mine.  Butterflies invaded my stomach.  He leaned in, and I received a tender kiss on my lips.  I responded and kissed him back.  He pulled away, and I opened my eyes.

“Whoa,” he said.  “Do you always tip your hairdressers like this?”

“Makes me quite popular at the salon,” I said to lighten the mood.

“Cin, I feel like a teenager,” he admitted.  “I had rehearsed all these clever things to say, and right now, all I can think is how good that kiss felt.”

“I think it rates in the top ten of the all-time best kisses.”

“I’m moving up the charts, cool.”  He grabbed my hand.  “Come on, let’s get crabs.  Wait, no…”

“I like crab,” I said, rescuing him from explaining the STD faux pas.

“Sidney,” the cute blonde hostess greeted my date.  “We have your table ready.”

“Vicki, this is Cin Fin-Lathen, my date.  Cin, this is my cousin Vicki. She owns this floating piece of crap.”

“You’re lucky I’m letting you on the Shack after last time,” Vicki said, collecting two menus.

“Sounds like a good story,” I said, following the bouncy blonde.

“The poor dear was in the middle of his first round of chemo, and well, he lost his meal during the lunch rush,” she sympathized.  “But you didn’t have to say ‘watch the shrimp’ on your way out, mister,” she said, turning around and placing a manicured nail on Sidney’s chest.

Sidney held up his hands.  “Guilty.  I promise you, I will keep my dinner down, but I can’t speak for Cin here.”

“I have great digestion,” I said quickly, avoiding Vicki’s scrutiny.

She nodded and pulled out a chair at a table, at which I noticed extra care had been taken to make it look special.  Sidney’s cousin was doing her part to make his first date with me as good as she could make it.

She handed me a menu, but I declined.  “I think I’ll let you make that decision for me.”

She asked, “Any allergies?”

“None.”

“Good.”

“I’ll take a menu,” Sidney said.

“You know the menu forwards and backwards,” she pointed out.

“Still, I think I need something to hold on to,” he said.

“I’m going to start you
two
out with Barney’s special, Thai grilled shrimp,” she said.  “Can I get your drink orders?”

I thought about ordering the obligatory white wine, but I needed courage, so I ordered, “A Manhattan on the rocks.”

Vicki nodded and then looked at her cousin.

“Beer, whatever’s on tap.  I’ve got a concert tonight,” he explained to her.

She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder tenderly.  “So glad you’re back at it, Sid.”

I had a feeling she wasn’t talking about the concert.

“Manhattan?  That’s an old man’s drink,” he observed.

“And my
old man
was the first one to serve me one. After my first sip, I was hooked for life.”

“Are we talking Daddy or ex?”

“My father.  He uses cheap whiskey, but there’s nothing like it.  Glad you broke the
ex
ice.  Have you always been single?”

“Never made it to the altar.  Two close calls.  One ex?”

“Yes, divorced, and with the exception that we still share the house, he’s pretty much just a memory at this point.”

“Good… Wait, that sounded bad.”

“No, it sounded fine.”

Vicki arrived with our drinks.  She pulled up a chair and sat down.  “How’s it going?”

“Honestly! Go away, Vicki. I’m not doing too bad,” Sidney said.

Vicki raised an eyebrow.  She turned to me.  “The chef is going to make a special crab linguini. It’s not on the menu.  I’ve had it, and I think it’s great.  Of course, you’re going to have to navigate the noodles.  Consider this a test by noodle.”

I laughed.  “I’m a slurper, so I guess I’ll fail.  It sounds marvelous though.”

She smiled.

“Vicki, how do you expect me to make small talk if you’re sitting here?” Sidney asked.

“How’s he doing?”

“Fine.  We’ve covered exes, and I think we’re moving on to deeper subjects,” I said.

Vicki smiled, got up and returned the chair to the other table.

“She’s a piece of work, but she means well.  I called her today, asking where I should take you.  She insisted we come here, so if I bombed, she could beat you up.”

“Well, you better not bomb. I’m not sure I can take her,” I warned.

“She’s a scrapper, used to beat me up when we were kids.  I come from a close family.  My mother and Vicki’s mother are sisters.”

We talked about siblings, parents and my children before we moved on to music.  We had just started on how we got into music when our shrimp arrived.  Vicki placed the plates before us and left without a word.

“Do you think she’s mad at us?” I teased.

“Too early to tell,” he said.

I took a bite of the appetizer and nodded my appreciation.

“Do you play an instrument?” I asked after I swallowed.

Sidney grinned.  “I used to play piano but was nothing great.  I love mixing music though.  I had this great mentor who cut his teeth in Motown.  He took me under his wing, and soon I was ready to leave the nest.  I used to follow the big groups from venue to venue, but when I got ill, I kept to south Florida.”

“There are a lot of opportunities here for a good sound engineer,” I said.

“I’m surviving.  Speaking of surviving, Cin, I want you to know that I have a rare blood cancer.  I’ve been in remission for a year now, but there’s no guarantee.”

“I appreciate you being honest with me.  Let’s take it one date at a time,” I suggested.

He reached across the table and asked, “Is there going to a second date?”

“Most certainly,” I said.  “I don’t know my schedule yet.  This investigation is just starting, but I’ll make time for you, I promise.”

He squeezed my hand and sat back down.  “I hope that didn’t look too desperate.  It’s just that I like you. I
really
like you, Cin.”

“I like you too, Sidney.”

“I understand I have competition.”

My mind went in a whirl.  Did Harry talk to Sidney?  Does he know about Father Michael? Can this guy read minds?  Hell, I’d better ask.  “I don’t understand.”

“I heard you went to dinner with Elijah,” he said.  “I wouldn’t have poached on him, but I had already called you when I found out.”

“That was just business, Sidney.  I had a good time, but no chemistry.”

Sidney brightened up.  “Most girls go for the rocker.”

“I’m not most girls.”

Sidney picked up his beer.  “Here’s to Cin, a woman with interesting tastes.”

I raised my glass and giggled.

“Tell me about Harry.”

“I guess he’s my partner in our fly-by-night consultant business.”  I went on to give Sidney a brief explanation of our meeting and the serial killer case.  He asked questions and seemed to really be interested in what I was saying.  “You’re a great listener, Sidney.”

“Part of my job, darlin’.  Good ears.”

The dinner went too quickly.  Soon I was refusing dessert, and Sidney was escorting me to the door.  I stopped to thank Vicki.  She seemed pleased that we enjoyed our time at the Crab Shack.

I handed my keys to Sidney.  He smiled and took them from me.  He drove to a small outdoor mall.  There we walked, hand in hand, while window shopping.  We stopped at an outdoor café and ordered coffees and sat down.

“How did you get involved with Elijah Broadhurst?” I asked, suddenly remembering why I was with Sidney in the first place.

“I did a few concerts for him in the old days.  He wanted to independently produce his comeback record, so we worked out a deal.  Hopefully, it will be a success.”

I noticed that this wasn’t the information he had given me yesterday, but I decided to let it go.  “Will you follow him on tour?”

“I’d like to.  Most of the larger venues have their own sound engineers, and I haven’t really thought that far ahead.  You see, Ely’s Coming
is an unlucky band.”