Bylines & Skylines (An Avery Shaw Mystery Book 9) (17 page)

“That sounds good,” Eliot said.

“Let’s watch the video.”

“Let’s,” Eliot said, shifting his eyes to me. “Do you want to see yourself on television?”

I shook my head. “They say the camera adds ten pounds.”

“Well, I’m sure you look fine.”

“I don’t really care about that,” I said. “If I have to see it, though, I need more ice cream.”

Eliot scowled, annoyed. “Seriously?”

I shrugged. “I’m injured.”

“You are so much work,” Eliot grumbled, grabbing the dirty napkins from my hand. “I just … do you want more Blue Moon?”

“I would like bubblegum ice cream this time, my sexy nurse.”

“Keep milking it,” Eliot warned. “I’ll make you pay later.”

We both knew that was a lie. “I look forward to it.”

“You guys really are made for each other,” Jake said, rolling his eyes. “It’s frightening.”

“Don’t I know it,” Eliot said. “Just imagine what it’s like to deal with when bedhead and no caffeine are involved.”

“Terrifying.”

I was pretty sure I’d just been insulted. Of course, I was too sugared up to care.

“
O
h
, I’m dying. I’m dying!”

Eliot was calm as he rubbed the back of my head the next morning. I, on the other hand, felt as if my entire body was on fire.

“Lie still.”

“You lie still,” I snapped. “I’m dying.”

“You’re so very dramatic sometimes I can’t take it,” Eliot said, although his eyes were full of sympathy when they locked with mine. “If you calm yourself, I’ll rub your back.”

“What if I can’t calm myself?”

“Then I’ll still rub your back.”

“That’s not much of an offer then, is it?”

Eliot shrugged. “I’m a softie for a woman in despair. What can I say?”

“I have no idea what you can say, but I need you to rub me.”

Eliot was gentle when he rolled me, being careful to make me as comfortable as possible before settling on my rear end and digging his fingers into my back. I moaned at the feeling, burying my face in the pillow as he chuckled.

“Other than being stiff, does anything hurt that shouldn’t?” Eliot asked, genuinely concerned.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Making my way around the convention today won’t be easy, but I’ll work it out.”

“Oh, you’re not going to work.”

I stiffened. “Yes, I am.”

“No, you’re not,” Eliot said, his voice firm. “You’re doing nothing of the sort. You’re sticking close to the house all day.”

“Eliot, I have a job to do.” Wow! That sounded whiny even to me. I changed my tone, hoping I sounded pragmatic rather than desperate. “You can’t keep me from going to work.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” Eliot said, matching his tone to mine. It almost sounded as if he was mocking me. “You conked out at six o’clock last night. I called Fish not long after and told him what happened. He was surprised because you didn’t mention anything when you called in your story. That’s on me because I should’ve been watching you. It’s fixed now, though. We both agreed there was no way you could work today. You have a sick day … so you might as well enjoy it.”

He dug his fingers in again, eliciting a groan even as my temper threatened to explode. “That’s not your place.”

“No, it’s not,” Eliot agreed. “I feel bad for doing it.”

“Then call him back and tell him you were mistaken.”

“I don’t feel that bad,” Eliot said. “I’m not looking to fight with you, but because I have you in a position where you can’t move unless I let you, I’m willing to go at it.”

“That would be sexier if you weren’t acting like a Neanderthal.”

“I’m not trying to act like a Neanderthal,” Eliot countered. “I’m trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need protection,” I countered, furious. “I need to do my job. We have a murder and I’m running out of time to solve it.”

“You do realize that you’re not a police officer, right?”

“Duh.”

Eliot ignored my tone and moved his fingers to my shoulder blades, causing my fury to split. One half was angry and wanted to beat him. The other was enjoyed the nirvana his talented fingers brought me. “You’re not a detective either.”

“I know that,” I sputtered. “That doesn’t mean I can’t solve this.”

“There’s a difference between can’t and shouldn’t,” Eliot said. “You shouldn’t be involved in solving this. Your only job is to cover it.”

“Fine. Then you have to call Fish and tell him I’m covering it.”

“I’m not going to do that, Avery,” Eliot said. “You’re injured and can’t walk. If someone comes after you again … .” He left the rest of the ominous sentence hanging, but we both knew where he was going.

“No one will come after me,” I argued. “That was just a fluke.”

“It was an odd fluke.”

“Yes, and I’m perfectly fine,” I said. “I’m better than fine. I’m … amazing.”

Eliot snickered as he continued to massage me. “Those noises you’re making are usually a turn-on, but today they’re a turn-off because I know you’re in a lot of pain. You can’t outrun someone if they come after you, so you’re not working.”

In my head I knew he was doing what he thought was right. In my evil, black heart, though, I wanted to kick him in the soft stuff. “Eliot, you’re not the boss of me. I have a job to do and I’m going to do it.”

“You’re sick today.”

“I’m not sick!”

“I don’t want to yell at you, but I’ll do it,” Eliot warned. “You were lucky yesterday. In fact, you were very lucky that Duncan is such a pansy I thought it was a woman screaming when I hit the parking lot. I didn’t realize you were the one in trouble until I got there.”

“Yeah, he should be ashamed to screech like that,” I said. “Jamie Lee Curtis would be proud … and looking in his underwear to see if there was a mistake at birth.”

“Dammit!” Eliot chortled despite himself. “Avery, you cannot make your way around that convention center. You need a day to get back on your feet. Fish agreed. He’s sending Duncan to the convention to cover events and Marvin is handling the murder. The story is still yours. I made sure he was aware of that. You need twenty-four hours to recuperate.”

“But … it’s mine.”

“And it will still be yours tomorrow.”

“What if Marvin solves it when I’m not looking?” I was stubborn. There was no getting around that. I knew that Eliot was correct and that hobbling around the convention center would be difficult. I also knew I didn’t want to cede my power.

“He won’t solve it without you,” Eliot said, his tone gentle. “You heard Jake yesterday. They’re nowhere on it. It’s going to be okay. You’ll have plenty of time to smoke everyone else. We have until Monday. That’s when they break everything down and leave. It’s just going to have to wait for another day.”

I licked my lips as he continued to massage me. He was purposely wearing down my defenses. “Fine,” I said, opting for a different tactic. “I’ll stay here in bed all day. Does that make you happy?”

“Yes.” I thought Eliot would be surprised by my capitulation, but he appeared to readily accept it.

“Well, great,” I said. “You have to rub me for another ten minutes before you leave for work, though.”

“I’ll rub you for another half hour and make sure you have breakfast before I go,” Eliot said.

“Even better.”

Eliot leaned over and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I’m really proud of you for realizing you were in the wrong and doing things my way. That’s real growth.”

Guilt formed a hard ball in the pit of my stomach. I was already working out another plan to get my way. I had no intention of telling him about it, though. “Thank you.”

“Yes, you’re my good girl,” Eliot said, purposely pushing his fingers as far into my lower back as possible. “And, because I love you so much, I also arranged for a … caregiver … to sit with you all day.”

Son of a … does he not trust me at all? “You got me a babysitter?”

I couldn’t see Eliot’s grin, but I could almost feel it emanating from his stupid face. “I got you a caregiver,” Eliot clarified. “I figured you needed someone close to make sure you didn’t get distracted and accidentally find yourself at the convention center before you realized what was happening.”

Well, this just bites the big one. “And who is that?” Something occurred to me. He said it was someone close. That had to mean it was my cousin Lexie. No matter what she promised Eliot, I knew she would come through for me. “Is it Lexie?” A new plan started to form.

“Oh, no,” Eliot said, causing my soaring hope to crash and burn just off the runway. “You can manipulate Lexie into doing just about anything. I needed someone I could rely on, someone who values money over whatever you might offer them.”

“And who is that?”

“You’re going to be entertained all afternoon,” Eliot said. “You’ll love my choice … eventually. Trust me.”

Trust was the furthest thing from my mind. I was going to make him pay.

“
W
HAT’S UP
,
Buttercup?”

I glowered at my cousin Mario as he strode into the living room an hour later. He was dressed down in denim shorts and a T-shirt, and he exchanged a high-five with Eliot before focusing on me.

“She’s grumpy in the morning,” Eliot said. “She’s also ticked off because I went behind her back and secured the day off. I wouldn’t push her too far.”

“I’m well aware of her penchant for theatrics,” Mario said. “We’re sprung from the same gene pool, after all.”

“Yes, well, she’s going to be at her manipulative best today,” Eliot said. “I’m not paying you the agreed upon fee until I return tonight and find her in this exact spot. If she leaves … I’ll know.”

Mario wasn’t one to balk under pressure, but he couldn’t stop himself from swallowing hard when he saw the serious look on Eliot’s face. “She can’t manipulate me, man. I’m immune to it.”

“That’s why you’re here instead of Lexie,” Eliot said, dropping a kiss on top of my head. “I’ll be back to pick you up for dinner. Don’t forget to shower later. Your mother will pitch a fit if she sees you looking like that.”

Dinner? I searched my brain. The days kept melding together. “Is it family dinner night?”

“It is,” Eliot replied. “I can tell you’re really looking forward to it.”

“Yes. I’m thrilled.”

“It’s going to be a big night,” Eliot said. “Prepare yourself.”

“It’s going to be a horrendous night because my mother is going to take one look at me and figure I did something to deserve a good beatdown.”

Eliot wrinkled his nose. “She’s not going to think I beat you down, is she?”

“Probably not,” I conceded. “She’d applaud if you wanted to do it, though.”

“See, that right there is an exaggeration,” Eliot said, extending a finger. “Your mother doesn’t want you harmed.”

“Just maimed.”

“Yeah. Your head is in a really good place right now. See if you can cheer her up while I’m gone, Mario.”

My cousin, who was balding, in his early twenties and resembled a video game character, saluted. “I’m on it, boss.”

“Your whole family is odd sometimes,” Eliot muttered. “Remember, you’re not getting paid if she slips past you. Watch her every move.”

“That’s going to make going to the bathroom interesting, but I’ll blindfold her or something.”

I made a face and mimed retching. “I’ll never forgive you for this.”

“You will,” Eliot countered. “I won’t be able to concentrate unless I know someone is watching you. This is the best I could do on short notice.”

“I’m going to make you pay.”

Eliot smirked. “I’m actually looking forward to that. Be good while I’m gone. Don’t torture Mario too much.”

“No promises.”

“We’ll be fine, boss,” Mario said. “Trust me.”

“You’re only here because I can’t trust her,” Eliot said. “Both of you need to behave.”

I waited until I was sure Eliot was gone – and hadn’t simply circled around the block to spy on us – before shifting my attention to Mario. He looked uneasy. “So, how much is he paying you?”

“I’m not allowed to tell you that,” Mario replied. “He said if you offered me double he would triple it. He said if you offered me more than that and I did what you wanted he would beat me up. I’m more afraid of him than I am of you.”

“That just shows how stupid you really are.”

“Oh, come on, Avery,” Mario whined. “Can’t we have a relaxing day? I’ll play video games with you.”

There was a thought. It wasn’t one I was willing to entertain, but on a different day I might take him up on the offer. “I have another idea,” I said, digging beneath the blanket I sat under and producing several sheets of paper. “We’re going to do this.”

Mario narrowed his eyes. “What is that?”

“This is a list of all the workers associated with the convention,” I replied. “We’re going to run them through Eliot’s computer. He has a search engine on there and it does full background checks. We’re going to run all of these people.”

Mario licked his lips. “Video games sound more fun.”

“They do, don’t they? We’re not having fun, though. A woman was murdered. We have to find the murderer. If Eliot thinks he can lock me up in this house and stifle my creativity, well, he has another thing coming.”

“The way you said that was almost chilling,” Mario said, gulping. “How do you even know what to look for on Eliot’s computer?”

“I’ve seen him use it before.”

“How do you know he didn’t take it with him?”

“Because he has two computers and he took the lighter one to the convention center,” I replied. “The one here is bigger.”

“Well, they do say bigger is better,” Mario said, puffing out his chest. “That’s what I tell all the women I meet at the bar.”

“Yeah? How has that been working out for you?”

“Not great.”

“I didn’t think so,” I said. “Eliot’s computer is in the closet in my bedroom. Get it.”

Mario balked at the order. “Where did you even get that list? Does Eliot know you have it?”

“I got it from the folder he left on the counter while he was in the shower,” I answered, seeing no reason to lie. Eliot would find out what I did eventually. I wasn’t going to hide it from him. In fact, I was fairly proud of my ingenuity. He thought he outsmarted me. It turns out, I outsmarted him. “We’re going through every name on this list.”

“How many names?”

“More than two hundred.”

Mario made a face. “No way. I’m not doing that.”

“You’re doing it,” I said. “If you don’t, I’m calling your father and telling him that you’ve been stealing chicken strips from his shed to fund your food truck with Grandpa.”

Mario and his father had been locked in a battle of wills for months. My uncle wanted Mario to be more responsible and take classes that didn’t revolve around interpretive dance at the community college. Mario only wanted to have fun. That’s where my grandfather came in. He didn’t believe anyone should be held to anyone else’s rules. He was part of the reason I was such a rampant pain in the ass.

“How did you know that?” Mario asked, horrified. “Did Grandpa tell? That was supposed to be our secret. Who told on us?”

“You just did,” I replied. “I was playing a hunch. Now get the computer. We have a lot of work to do before dinner.”

“But … .”

“Do it,” I ordered. “Your dad isn’t going to be happy if he hears you’ve been stealing from him.”