Change of Heart (28 page)

Lanny snorted. “My little brother doesn’t single out girls. He goes out with a group of them at a time. At halftime in football games the cheerleaders climb on him. How many of them do you hold up at one time?”

In answer, Shamus turned the drawing pad around. It was a picture of him standing up with four cute little cheerleaders hanging on to him. Two had a foot at his waist, holding his hands as they leaned far out to the side. A pyramid of two girls stood on his shoulders.

Chelsea laughed. “I’d like to see that.”

“See what?” Eli asked from the doorway. He had showered and was freshly shaved and dressed.

“How’s your mom?” Chelsea asked, letting him know she knew he hadn’t been sleeping.

“Great. She sends her love to you.”

Chelsea was annoyed that he was his usual cool, remote self after the night they’d spent together. But when the others looked away, his eyes changed to so hot the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She started to leave the table but Eli turned away to fill a plate with Pilar’s pancakes. He sat down between the two women.

“Anything going on that I should know about?”

Lanny spoke first. “Your girlfriend has been quizzing us about Grace Ridgeway and her daughter. I think Scully is going to be collateral damage. So what’s up about them? If Grace is in any kind of trouble, our family will help.”

“There will be no problems,” Eli said between bites. “I turned everything over to my dad, and he’s going to look into the papers we found and . . .” Eli shrugged. “That’s it. I thought maybe we could all go out on a boat today. I have some relatives who are really good on the water so I’ve spent quite a bit of time with boats and we— What?!”

Everyone was staring at him. Pilar, Lanny, Chelsea, and even Shamus were all looking at him as though they couldn’t believe what he was saying.

“Let me guess,” Chelsea said. “You get us all on a boat, then you suddenly remember that you forgot your sunscreen and you . . . What? You swim away? How good a swimmer have you become since I last saw you?”

Eli filled his mouth and didn’t answer.

“None of the agents can beat him in a pool in the training sessions,” Pilar said.

Eli gave her a look of disgust. “Traitor!” he mumbled.

Lanny was frowning as he looked from Eli to Pilar. “Is there anything between you two besides work?”

“No!” Eli and Pilar said in unison.

Shamus gave a little laugh at their tone.

Chelsea stood up. “I think I’m going to stay here today and do nothing. Maybe I’ll take a nap. Pilar, I bet there’s a lot of work Eli needs to do, so maybe you two could drive up to DC for the day.” She gave an exaggerated yawn. “Yeah, a nap would be lovely.” She started to leave the room.

Eli caught her hand and motioned for her to sit back down. “Okay, no boat, no nap.”

“What about saving the world?” Chelsea asked.

“That’s been put on hold too.” Eli couldn’t help a small smile.

“So what
are
we going to do today, Great Leader?” Chelsea asked.

“Anyone wanta tell me what’s going on?” Lanny asked.

“Pilar will,” Eli said. He was looking at Chelsea. “What’s in your mind?”

Chelsea looked at her nails. “I need a manicure and I thought I’d do a little shopping. Not much, just some.”

Eli looked at her. “You’re planning to buy Abby a prom dress, aren’t you?”

“Possibly,” Chelsea said and looked at Lanny. “Where can I go shopping?”

“There’s a big outlet mall in Williamsburg.”

“Sounds good,” Chelsea said and again started to get up, but again Eli caught her hand.

“You can’t get involved in this. I’m concerned about . . . about some things.”

Chelsea sat back down. “What have you found out?”

Eli gave a glance at Lanny, then Shamus. His eyes told Chelsea that he couldn’t speak in front of them.

But she wasn’t buying it. She had no doubt that if at all possible Eli would exclude her from everything. She looked him in the eyes. “Remember when we were kids and every time you thought there was danger you tried to exclude me? It didn’t work then and it’s not going to work now.”

Eli glared back at her. “You want to buy her a dress so she can go out with Axel, don’t you?”

“Did I miss something?” Lanny asked Pilar. “Who is Axel?”

“My guess is that he’s Chelsea’s high school football player.” She didn’t take her eyes off Chelsea and Eli, who were glaring at each other like dogs ready to attack.

“You’re not going to stop me,” Chelsea said, her teeth clenched. “Whoever Abby goes with, she deserves to look good.”

“And where has your beauty taken you? Heard from your polo player yet?”

“No, but when I do, I’ll let him know how glad I am to see him.”

“I think . . .” Lanny began as he stood up.

“Yeah, we should go,” Pilar said, and they both looked pointedly at Shamus, who hadn’t moved.

The boy was tapping on his cell phone. Within seconds, he handed the phone to Chelsea.

She was still glaring at Eli, her eyes angry, and she had to read the phone twice before she saw it. She looked at Shamus. “Is this real?”

Shamus gave a nod, then stood up and closed his sketchpad.

“Thanks a lot,” Chelsea said and returned his phone to him. “I’ll get dressed and . . .” When she looked at Eli, the anger returned to her face.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he growled at her. “Because if it has to do with this case, I’m not going to allow you to—”

“Allow me?
Allow
me?!”

Lanny got Pilar and Shamus out of the house quickly.

Inside, Chelsea, still glaring at Eli, said, “Are they gone?”

“Yeah.” His shoulders relaxed. “Are there any more pancakes? And what was on the kid’s phone?”

“A couple of them are on the stove, and it was the Twitter Road on the phone. Shamus—that darling child—asked somebody where Abby was going to be today and was told that her mom is dropping her and Scully off at the outlet mall at eleven. Poor kid is to pick out her dress with the help of a computer geek.”

Eli was looking out the window at the car parked in front. Shamus was in the backseat, while Lanny and Pilar were quietly talking by the front.

Smiling, Shamus raised his hand in farewell. “The kid knows our fight was an act to get rid of them.”

“I think Pilar does too, but she wants time alone with Lanny. She’s talking about moving here.”

“So you said. The truth is that I think you should stay here today. I bet you can get your nails done here in Edilean.”

“I’m sure I could. Then
you
could help nerdy Scully with Abby’s prom dress. Actually, it might be worth it to see what you two would come up with. My guess would be a lacy collar and little ruffles on the cuffs of the long sleeves. And of course a floor-length skirt.”

“I think that sounds great.”

“If you’re a Sister Wife. Come on, let’s get dressed and go to the mall.”

Eli was on the couch with his laptop, pretending to read what the general had sent him, while he waited for Chelsea to get dressed. This morning it hadn’t been easy to act unconcerned when he’d found out Pilar had told Chelsea that he wasn’t sleeping. But the second Chelsea was out of the room, Eli had started making calls. He wanted to know how serious all this with Orin Peterson was.

First he called Frank. So far, there was no word about the papers. The shredded documents were still being put together on the computers.

Next he talked to his mother. She’d met her first husband—Eli refused to call Leslie Harcourt his
father—in Edilean and she might know something.

Miranda was a wealth of information. She’d not kept in touch with anyone in Edilean, but she had read every story in the news about the small town.

“A few years ago there was a major scandal in town. A man ended up getting killed and there were arrests. It had to do with some old paintings.” Miranda took a breath. “The important part of all this is that a man named Mike Newcomb is a law enforcement agent and he handled it all. He lives in Edilean. You think he knows what you do for a living?”

On his end of the phone, Eli smiled. Mike ran the gym where he worked out, and he’d always felt that there was more to him than just owning a gym. But Mike had never even hinted about himself—
another thing Eli liked. “Mike is good friends with the local sheriff so, yeah, I’m sure he knows all about what I do.”

“Good!” Miranda said. “I don’t want you to be alone.” She paused. “How are you and Chelsea?”

“Great,” Eli said, but then let out his breath. There was no use lying to his mother. She’d know. “She’s not going to stay with me, if that’s what you want to know.”

“Have you asked her to?”

“She’d laugh in my face. She checks her email every few minutes and is always disappointed that her polo-player boyfriend hasn’t contacted her.”

“In that case, I’m glad you didn’t outright ask her. I know how much you love Chelsea, but—”

“Mom, talking about this is embarrassing.”

“I know it is, but remember that I’m the one who held you while you cried after she left. And I’m the one who has seen the way you’ve tracked her over the years. And I coined the phrase NC, meaning Not Chelsea, for all those poor girls who never stood a chance with you. And I—”

“All right!” Eli said. “I get it. What’s your point?”

“As much as I love her, Chelsea isn’t as clear in her purpose in life as you are. If you tell her you want her to settle down with you—”

“She’ll run. Or jump on the back of her Venezuelan polo player’s horse and ride away.”

“If I remember correctly, you’re rather good on a horse. Like your dad.”

“Mom, please. This is a different time. Women today don’t go for men on black stallions.”

“You think not?” Miranda didn’t give her son time to reply. “My advice is that you shouldn’t make things too easy for Chelsea. Think of it as one of your software games. If the warrior could walk straight to the princess, neither would want the other.”

“I don’t think computer games and black horses have anything to do with real life.”

“Are you sure about that? Absolutely and totally
sure
?”

“When it comes to Chelsea, I’m not sure of anything. I have to go. Pilar’s got some guy here who Chelsea says is a three. I, unfortunately, am a one.”

Miranda laughed. “I don’t know exactly what that means, but I can guess. I think I’ll call Chelsea’s mother and have a chat.”

“I’d rather you didn’t do that,” Eli said. “Chelsea can make up her own mind about what she wants.”

“I’m sure she can, but I’d lose my motherhood badge if I didn’t interfere.”

Eli laughed. “That won’t happen. I really do have to go. I—”

“I know. You have forty-some calls to make for your job. What happened to your taking some time off?”

“After Chelsea leaves, I think I’ll double my schedule. Tell the kids I love them and to try to behave.”

“I will,” Miranda said. “Eli, dearest, remember that Chelsea likes a challenge.”

“I never forget it,” he said and clicked off.

By the time he left the bedroom, Chelsea had found out some about Grace and her daughter. Eli was glad of that. Maybe if Chelsea focused on the kids she wouldn’t ask so much about Orin and the contents of the papers.

After Chelsea went upstairs to get dressed, Eli called Mike Newcomb. All Eli had to say was that he needed some help and Mike agreed immediately. Eli couldn’t help thinking what an odd place Edilean was that big secrets were being kept. Eli told Mike that he needed to find out about the suicide of Gilbert Ridgeway.

Mike didn’t ask questions, just said he’d get on it right away.

By the time Chelsea came downstairs, Eli had everything in place. She had on jeans and a big white shirt, her hair hanging down around her shoulders, and she looked great.

“Are you sure you want to go shopping with some giggly teenagers?” he asked, suggestion in his voice.

When she sat down on the couch beside him, he closed his laptop. “What have you heard?” she asked.

“Nothing. The papers we stole haven’t shown anything yet. It’s entirely possible that Orin is innocent.”

“Except for being a lying, cheating piece of scum.”

“Which is not punishable by law,” Eli said.

“Too bad. You ready to go? I’d like to see this kid Abby. Don’t you find it interesting that her best friend is a nerdy little geek?”

Eli couldn’t help wincing at the description. “She probably wants to improve her mind.”

“Ouch!” Chelsea said as they went to the front door.

Turning, Eli stopped and kissed her. But when it became deeper, he pulled away. “Another minute of that and we’ll never leave.”

“Mmmmm. Shopping or sex? You always impose such difficult questions.” He half pushed her out the door.

Eli drove into Williamsburg, down Richmond Road, to the huge collection of outlet stores.

“Nice,” Chelsea said as he drove through the three parking areas. “I could do some damage here.”

Eli backed into a slot in the middle area, near the Ann Taylor and Michael Kors stores. As soon as he turned off the engine, he went to Ben & Jerry’s to get them milk shakes.