On Deadline & Under Fire Read online

  Eliot didn’t give me a chance to finish. “You’re looking into that apartment fire, aren’t you? You’re on vacation, don’t even know if there’s anything nefarious going on there, and yet you’re chasing that story because you’ve got a bee up your butt.”

  “I don’t have anything up my butt.”

  “The rest is true.”

  “The rest is ... not important,” I said finally, shaking my head. “I wanted to check something, so I stopped at the clerk’s office. That’s when I found out about the memo Tad sent out to everyone, and I felt the need to focus on that.”

  “That memo does sound funny,” Jake hedged. “It’s too bad you lost it during the fight. I would’ve loved to see it.”

  I snorted. “I didn’t lose it.”

  “You told Ludington you lost it.”

  “Well, he’s an idiot who’ll fall for anything. It’s in my back pocket.”

  “Let’s see.” Jake snapped his fingers to get me to hand it over. “I’m dying to see what he wrote.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Will you give it back?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes you like to mess with me. I’ll let you see it, but I want you to remember that Tad will be so embarrassed by the story I write that he will cry like a little girl. And that’s good for all of us.”

  Jake heaved out a long-suffering sigh. He knew me well. There were times I drove him crazy, but there were also times he enjoyed my antics. I wasn’t sure which scenario we were dealing with here.

  “Just give it to me,” Jake instructed, unfolding the sheet of paper when I passed it over. His eyes immediately lit with amusement as he started reading. “‘Some heroes are super and some are merely special. Tad Ludington is the superhero of the people.’”

  “Yeah, they’re basically ridiculous propaganda statements,” I acknowledged. “I’m still going to write a story on them.”

  “I can’t wait.” Jake kept smiling as he read. “As for what Eliot said about the apartment complex fire, why are you so fixated on that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “C’mon.”

  “I honestly have no idea why I’m so fixated on it. There’s something off about what happened. I’m merely the curious sort.”

  “You’re on vacation,” Jake reminded me. “I don’t understand why you’re so hell-bent on finding answers when it’s not your story.”

  Well, that was a low blow. “I covered the initial fire. That means it technically is my story.”

  “You covered it when you were on vacation,” Eliot argued. “You went out for groceries, let them spoil in the back of your car, and became obsessed with this fire. I’m used to you doing weird stuff, but even I don’t understand this little side journey into craziness.”

  “I’m not crazy.”

  “You’re ... something.”

  “I’m not crazy,” I repeated, my temper threatening to make an appearance. Starting an argument in the middle of our favorite diner in front of witnesses, including his mother, who was eager to give him a reason to split from me so he could return home — seemed a terrible idea. “I’m simply curious about a few of the things I’ve uncovered.”

  “And what have you uncovered?” Jake asked. He gave all appearances that he was calm, barely interested in the topic, but I read a subtle shift in his demeanor. It made me think I was on to something ... which was probably not the reaction he was looking for.

  “What have you uncovered?” I shot back.

  “You first.”

  I’m not a big fan of information trading games but I decided to take a shot all the same. “Jay Truman did not live on the floor where he was found. He lived a floor up, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense for him to be wandering around the wrong floor if he was trying to escape a fire.”

  “Wait ... you’re talking about the guy who was overwhelmed by smoke, right?” Lauren interjected. “My understanding is that he was older. He might have been confused by what was happening. You never know how people will react in certain situations. If he was confused because of the smoke ... well, it’s possible he had no idea where he was.”

  “I don’t believe that’s the case here,” I countered. Her theory might have held true for other people, but Jay Truman wasn’t a “normal” guy. “Jay Truman was a mobster.”

  Eliot choked on his iced tea as Jake’s eyes widened.

  “A mobster?” Eliot snickered. “I thought you were kidding when you mentioned that the first time around.”

  “I never kid when it comes to mobsters.”

  “I really don’t think you should use that word,” Eliot cautioned. “You don’t quite have the knack for it. When you say ‘mobster,’ I picture that bad movie you occasionally make me watch with Christian Slater and Patrick Dempsey.”

  “Mobsters.”

  “Don’t keep saying it because you think you’ll wear me down,” Eliot chided. “I don’t think you can carry off the word without sounding ridiculous.”

  “No, that was the name of the movie. Mobsters.” I worked overtime to keep from blowing up. “But the movie has nothing to do with anything.”

  “I’ll say.” Eliot’s expression was hard to read. It was almost as if he was trying to peer into my soul to see what I was thinking. “There was nothing realistic about that movie.”

  “It had hot guys. Why look beyond that?”

  “Fair enough.” Eliot held up his hands in surrender. “I’m simply pointing out that you using the word ‘mobster’ seems a bit surreal.”

  Jake remained silent — seemingly interested and yet not volunteering information — and I instantly knew I was right.

  “You’re looking at Jay Truman’s death as a murder, aren’t you?”

  Realizing I was intently staring, Jake recovered and started shaking his head. “Why would you assume that? We haven’t even pinned down a cause of the fire.”

  “That was a total evasion,” I complained.

  “I have to concur with Avery,” Lauren said. “That wasn’t your best attempt at dodging a question.”

  “Oh, good grief.” Jake pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. You’re on vacation, Avery. You’re not supposed to be focusing on stuff like this. You’re supposed to be spending your time with your boyfriend’s mother.”

  “I have no intention of dissuading Avery from doing her work,” Maggie said hurriedly. “Eliot has made it quite clear that it’s very important to her. I don’t want to infringe on her job. I mean ... they’re probably not having kids and Eliot is fine with her having a dangerous job. It’s not my place to say anything to the contrary.”

  I recognized right away that Maggie was parroting Eliot’s words from an earlier disagreement and had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at Eliot’s scowl.

  “Mother ... .”

  “Eliot made it sound as if Avery would go crazy if she wasn’t allowed to do whatever she wanted,” Maggie continued, “as if she’ll become mentally deranged if she can’t be a reporter for very little money.”

  Jake stared at Maggie for a long beat, his expression thoughtful. “I think it’s wise that Eliot understands Avery and gives her the support she needs,” he said finally. “Avery is unique. She can’t stop herself from digging in while chasing a story. She’s dogged ... and a bit annoying.”

  I liked his statement until the last part. “I’m never annoying.”

  Jake ignored me. “The thing is, Eliot is good for Avery because he doesn’t try to change her. He has her best interests at heart and loves her for who she is. Avery feels the same about him. I think most parents would be excited at the prospect of their son finding someone who gives that to him.

  Instead of having the grace to be abashed, Maggie shot Jake a withering look. “She was brawling on the street.”

  “Hey! That wasn’t entirely my fault,” I argued. “Tad took it to a juvenile level.”

  “Yes
, and I’m sure he did that with no help from you,” Eliot said dryly. “As for the rest, Mom, we’ve talked about this. If you don’t like Avery’s job, that’s fine. You don’t have to. As for the kid thing, I am not having this discussion again.”

  Lauren caught my gaze and I could see the amusement she desperately tried to hide. She was obviously enjoying herself.

  “Avery is like a big kid herself,” Jake offered. “Eliot doesn’t need another kid to look after.”

  Eliot grinned. “That’s how I see it.”

  “You’re all ridiculous,” Maggie muttered, shaking her head as she stared at the table. I wanted to distance myself from the argument, so I turned back to Jake. “I told you what I know. Now I want to know what you have.”

  Jake played innocent. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I will tell Lauren embarrassing stories about our childhood if you don’t spill.”

  Jake shifted on his seat. “I’m not embarrassed about my past.”

  “Really? What about what happened in the dugout during the tornado?”

  “Don’t you dare.” Jake extended a finger in warning. “I will make you pay if you tell that story.”

  “Then tell me what I want to hear,” I ordered, refusing to back down. “What do you know?”

  Jake was resigned when he dragged a hand through his messy bird’s nest hair. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

  “I’m on vacation.”

  “And this is off the record,” Jake added.

  “Fine.” I was practically salivating. “What do you have?”

  “Jay Truman died from a blow to the head,” Jake said. “His death wasn’t an accident.”

  “I knew it!” I crowed, practically giddy with victory as I poked Eliot’s side. “I was right. When are you going to realize I’m always right?”

  Eliot’s irritation spilled over and landed on me. “Don’t push it.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I would deal with him later. I could think of fifty different ways to punish him for his disbelief ... and they were all fun and naughty. “Who do you think killed him?”

  “I don’t know,” Jake replied. “We uncovered the same information you did. He had ties to organized crime groups long ago. I have no idea what he had his fingers in recently.”

  “What are these ties you’re talking about?” Eliot asked.

  “Sandusky Sanitation,” I supplied. “He ran it for a bit before it was bought out by another company.”

  “They were notorious, weren’t they?” Eliot asked. “I didn’t grow up in the area, but I’ve heard about Sandusky Sanitation. Supposedly bodies went missing left and right thanks to them.”

  “That’s the rumor,” Jake confirmed. “Proving it isn’t exactly easy.” His eyes were searching when they met mine. “What else did you find?”

  I thought about owning up to visiting the speakeasy, but immediately discarded the idea. Jake would shut it down, and if I needed further information I’d be fresh out of luck. I needed to tell him something, but it couldn’t be anything that would tip Eliot to exactly how far I’d managed to dig in three short days.

  “I know that he urinated in bottles and threw it on people in the parking lot,” I said. “I also know that he threw bread on people so the seagulls would swarm and attack.”

  “What?” Maggie’s face turned red. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, geez, this guy sounds like a real prince,” Eliot laughed. “Where did you hear those stories?”

  “The neighbors told me. They’re surprisingly chatty.”

  “And is that where you were when I was at the airport picking up my mother?”

  Well, crap on a cracker! I walked right into that one. “I told you about stopping by the apartment complex,” I lied, opting to turn the tables on Eliot.

  “You did not.”

  “I did so.”

  “You did not.”

  “You must be losing your mind because I totally did.”

  Eliot rolled his eyes as he slung his arm over my shoulder and leaned closer. “You didn’t and we both know it, but I don’t want to argue.”

  “That’s good. I don’t want to argue either.”

  “None of us are going to argue,” Jake instructed. “As for Jay Truman, I don’t know what to tell you. If you weren’t on vacation I’d bet you could dig up some meaty stuff on this one. It’s not your story, though. As it stands, we’re still investigating.”

  “You have to give me something,” I pressed. “I told you what I had. It’s only fair.”

  Jake pursed his lips. “You’re on vacation.”

  “Tell me or I’ll take Lauren to lunch and explain about the time we got expelled from school for stealing that car.”

  Lauren’s eyes widened. “You stole a car?”

  “No.” Jake shook his head, firm. “I did not steal a car.”

  “He only ‘kind of’ stole a car,” I corrected with air quotes. “It’s a great story. Jake comes off looking really good in it.”

  “Fine,” Jake barked, his eyes on fire. “I will tell you something to shut you up.”

  I smiled, happy in a battle well won. “Great. What do you have?”

  “The owner of the apartment complex, one Jim Bridges, has gone missing.”

  I stilled. That wasn’t the sort of information I expected. “Seriously?”

  Jake stared at me. “Seriously.”

  “What do you make of that?”

  “Nothing so far. He lived in the building and he might have relocated to a place he didn’t share. Your guess is as good as mine, but it doesn’t feel right to me.”

  Definitely not. There was something strange going on, and maybe more than I’d initially thought. “Well, like you said, I’m on vacation. It’s nothing more than interesting gossip.”

  “Yeah, right,” Eliot and Jake said in unison, causing me to frown.

  “I’m being honest. I’m enjoying my vacation and don’t miss work at all.”

  “You are the worst liar ever, Trouble.” Eliot kissed my forehead. “I’ll be watching you for the rest of the week. You’d better start preparing now.”

  Uh-oh. That didn’t sound good. I would have to come up with a plan to distract him, and fast.

  15 Fifteen

  I thought the most difficult portion of lunch was behind us until Maggie decided to delve into something a bit deeper ... and more uncomfortable for everyone.

  “I’m confused by the relationships here.”

  I wiped the corners of my mouth with my napkin and pushed my plate away while hoping that Eliot would either distract her or shut her down.

  “What do you mean?” Eliot asked, grabbing the lone remaining french fry from my plate and popping it into his mouth. “What relationships?”

  “Well, for starters, Avery seems to have a relationship with Jake.”

  Uh-oh. There was no way this could end well.

  “They grew up together,” Eliot explained, choosing his words carefully. “They were kids in the same town.”

  “That’s all?” Maggie arched an eyebrow, unconvinced. “It seems like more than that. There’s a closeness between them that seems somehow bigger than what you’re describing.”

  Oh, well, now she was just causing problems to be a pain. I was looking forward to family dinner because she reminded me so much of my mother that I thought there was a legitimate chance the world would end when the devils met each other. That would be too much evil energy for one room to contain and the Earth would explode.

  “Avery and I dated when we were kids,” Jake supplied. “We were tight when we were younger, dated when we were teenagers and then broke up around the time we went to college.”

  “I see.” Maggie’s tone told me she didn’t see. She was clearly about to make things worse, if that was even possible. “And what about you and Eliot?”

  “What about Eliot and me?” Jake asked blankly. “I can guarantee we never dated.”

  “Definite
ly not,” Eliot agreed.

  “Only because there would be too much hair product in your master bathroom,” I teased.

  Eliot poked my side. “Don’t make things worse. This is already going off the rails.”

  He was right. Still, I was notorious for making things worse, so I didn’t see why I should break my streak now. “Are you sure? I can start pulling hair and then run. It might be better than what’s coming.”

  “I’m sure.” Eliot squeezed my knee under the table. He looked more resigned than upset. “As for Jake and me, we served together overseas.”

  Maggie knit her eyebrows. “You mean ... when you were in the military?”

  “Yes.” Eliot nodded. “We were in the same unit.”

  “Were you friends?”

  “We were ... comrades.” Eliot was clearly uncomfortable with the question as he shifted in his chair and stared blankly at the wall behind Jake’s head.

  “We were friends,” Jake added, taking me by surprise with his fortitude. “It wasn’t always easy and there were short tempers for a time, but we were fairly close. I considered him my brother when I was over there. I trusted him with my life.”

  “So ... were you friends before Eliot and Avery got together?” Maggie was having trouble puzzling it all out. “Did you introduce them because you thought they would be good together?”

  “Absolutely not.” Jake immediately started shaking his head, catching himself when it was already too late. “I mean ... no. Avery and Eliot met on their own.”

  “And it doesn’t bother you that they’re together?”

  Jake was put off by the question. “Is it getting hot in here?”

  I risked a glance at Lauren and found her watching the exchange with overt curiosity. I had to intercede and halt this conversation before it started causing damage to a relationship that wasn’t yet strong enough to survive an explosion.

  “Eliot and I already told you how we met,” I reminded her, adopting a measured tone that didn’t fit the tightness in my chest. “I visited his store because I needed a gun, and things grew from there.”

  “A gun that he had to be crazy to sell you,” Jake groused.

  “Hey! Have I shot anyone with that gun?”