Hot Tea (7 page)

The article described him as not only the husband, but the prime person of interest.  I’m not a cop, but it seems to me that they always use that term when they want everyone to know that they know that the person did the crime, but they don’t have enough to charge him.  Yet.  Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be the first husband to proclaim his innocence and put up a reward, and in fact, be the killer.

I sat back thinking, and could only come up with one solution.  What I need is more information.  Luckily, sitting in front of me is access to it.  The Internet. 

Dealing with the Internet is very much like dealing with a teenager.  You have to ask the right questions. 

You have to filter the response properly. 

You have to be willing to put in the time and energy. 

You have to know that sometimes, you aren’t going to get the appropriate response, it might be profane, untrue, or completely off base.

But if knowing that, you decide to work with it anyway, you will be more richly rewarded than you had imagined.

I was reminding myself that I still had more questions than answers when Teagan walked back into the room and ruined my whole day.

Begrudgingly I said, “You look great.”  With more enthusiasm I finished my thought, “I hate you so much.”

She beamed, “Thanks.”

“I never would have thought to put those things together.”

She twirled, “I didn’t have much of a choice really.  When I put the top on, it was a little less than decent, so I used the cami under it to kind of hold things in place.”

“One of the reasons I love that shirt is because it is so roomy I don’t have to hold my stomach in if I go to Hooter’s for a ham sandwich.  Roomy isn’t the word I would use to describe how it looks on you.”

She looked alarmed, “Do I look pregnant?  The downside of big boobs is that if something isn’t fitted, I usually look four months along.”

“No, you don’t look pregnant, you look stunning.”  I rolled my eyes, something I do rarely, in our world, eye rolling is a Teagan thing, but my darling sister was dancing on my last nerve.

She sounded a little testy, “That’s certainly high praise.  You sound absolutely thrilled to bestow it upon me.  What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, I’ve just finally resigned myself to the fact that people are always going to look at you and think to themselves --
see, that’s what happens when God and Mother Nature work hand in hand
.  Those same people are going to look at me and think…”  I let my voice wander around the room while I was looking for the appropriate words.  Nothing came to mind.  Frustrated I huffed, “Well, that’s just the point isn’t it?  They aren’t going to think much of anything about me.”

She pulled a face, “How’s that pity pot feel?  Careful, your backside’s going to go numb.”

“Pity pot?  You sound like Mom.”

“Thank you, I take that as a compliment.  Cara, you’ve been whining for days.  What the hell is your problem anyway?  What is all this crap about being flat-chested, and picking the wrong guy, and whatever else you’ve been whining about.”

I couldn’t help it, my voice rose, “Gee, I don’t know.  Every idea I’ve come up with you’ve shot down within twelve seconds.  And the really shitty part is that every reason you’ve given has been valid.  That just sucks. You look better in my clothes than I do.  My roommate ran off and got married.  You’re going to fall madly in love and have babies.  I don’t have a job.  I don’t have a career.  I don’t have any prospects.  I can’t get my left foot behind my head, and, there is a slight, a very slight, possibility I might not win the lottery.”

She actually looked concerned, “A possibility you might not win?  This is serious.  The lottery started in, what, 1988?  Not only were you nowhere near old enough to play, but no other kids our age even knew what a lottery was, and you told Mom that you were going to win.  You’ve been telling anyone that will listen ever since.  There has never been a doubt in your mind.  Not since that first day.  What is going on with you?”

I whined, “I told you, my life sucks.”

“Give me a break.  You’re intelligent.  You’re healthy.  You’re tall and thin and have the voice of an angel, to quote Grandma anyway.  Personally I think you sound more like a wolverine with asthma, but everyone else thinks you sound good.” 

What a blessing my pain in the butt sister is, she can always make me laugh.

She wasn’t done, “You are beautiful inside and out, and if you don’t have a guy in your life it is by choice.  If your life suckith, it is because you choose for it to suck.  What would Mom say?”

We chanted at the same time. 
You get out of life exactly what you expect.  No more.  No less.  Change your mind.  Change your reality.

I smiled and said, “Thanks for the pep talk, but it doesn’t change anything.”

“True.  That’s because at the moment you expect your life to suck, and not in a good way.”  She actually winked.  Eye rolling, that’s one thing, but winking?  Twice in one day?  There must have been a shift in the universe when I wasn’t paying attention.

I hate the fact that not only is my sister right all the damn time, but she can prove her point with humor.  I hate perfect people.  And yes, I am whining.

SEVEN

We were sitting at the table eating our sandwiches, Teagan looking beautiful, when AJ walked in, and just about swallowed his tongue.

All he said was, “Ladies.”

He disappeared into his bedroom.  Ten minutes later he walked out to find us hovering over the computer again.  He was freshly showered, smelled really good, and had that casual tossed together, but could have walked down a runway during fashion week, kind of thing going on.  Perfectly cut jeans.  A shirt that made his eyes even more intense than usual, or maybe the intensity came from the way he was looking at my sister.  Either way, now that we are in the age of equality among the sexes, sonnets could be written about his eyes.

“AJ, this is my sister, Teagan.  Teagan, meet AJ.”

“Good to meet you AJ.”

“The pleasure is mine Teagan.”  It was very clear by his voice and the look on his face, that it was true the pleasure was his.

“What are you ladies up to this evening?  Anything I can help with?”

I hit him with my best smile. “We’re doing a computer search.  I’m tracking down a murderer.” 

“A murderer?  Is there something Suzi didn’t tell me?  Why are you looking for a murderer?  Do you moonlight as a cop?”

Teagan laughed hard enough that AJ was charmed, but not hard enough to snort or do anything to embarrass herself.  It’s usually me that does that type of thing.

I took a breath and in a very even tone said, “No, I’m not a cop.  I saw an interesting article that said there is a $100,000 reward for the person that figures out a murder, I thought I’d give it a shot.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

Teagan piped in with, “That’s what I said.”

I scrunched my lips and did an unintentional, but very convincing, impression of a duckbilled platypus and said, “If the two of you are afraid of poking around on a computer, in the safety of your own home, then you’re boring.  I’m not going to strap on six-shooters and take to the streets.  I’m just going to do a little nosing around, and if I happen to find something, or come up with a brilliant insight, I will contact the proper authorities.  It is my duty as a citizen, is it not?”

“I thought you were doing it for the reward.”  Again with the eyes rolling. 

I swear to you, one of these days, if there is a God in Heaven, those eyes of hers are going to stick like that.  I’ve been waiting for it to happen since she was nine.

“Can I offer the two of you drinks?  Maybe at that little place Suzi showed me down on Butler?  Dinner if you’re hungry.”

Teagan piped up with, “Oh, I couldn’t possibly.  I’m not dressed to go out, just dropped by to try to talk Cara out of this foolish idea.  Actually, my mom sent me.  I’m not fit for public consumption.”

Public consumption?  I couldn’t believe she said that, but AJ seemed to approve.

“To say you look beautiful would be an understatement, I’m sure you aren’t capable of looking anything less than exquisite.”  He did a cheesy bow and hand gesture, complete with eyebrows dancing around on his forehead.  Made us both laugh. 

It was obvious that he knew that Teagan knows that she is gorgeous.  He let her know that he wasn’t going to get bogged down in that.

I liked him more every minute.

EIGHT

I couldn’t believe the name of the place.  The Bricking Café.  What was AJ thinking?  He must not have an Irish bone in his very well developed body.  Brickin’ is Irish slang for being nervous to the point of soiling yourself.  Wonder what that means about him bringing Teagan here. 

Of course, all self respecting Irishmen know what Freud said about us.  Freud said,
“This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever.” 

Maybe I’m reading too much into the choice of eateries.  I do that sometimes.  Read more into things than they warrant.