Tansy Taylor (10 page)

“I’m fine. Thanks. I guess I was just lost in thought.” I stammered.

“Probably thinking about all those record deals, huh?” He asked. His eyes twinkled like he knew a secret.

“Oh, well, I guess.” What was he up to? I eyed him suspiciously.

“So, you like having pink hair?” The corners of his mouth twitched. I narrowed my eyes.

“It’s part of the persona. You know, like Pink?” I scowled and crossed my arms in front of me. “Thanks for helping me up, but I think that I’m okay now.” I started to get up but he reached up and forced me back down.

“I think you should stay here for a minute. The MAX isn’t due for another,” he checked his watch, “five minutes.”

“Fine, but I really am okay.” I really just wanted to get away from him. The feelings I was picking up on were confusing; I could feel that he was hiding something, but yet, it wasn’t dark. His aura was indicating that he was a healer or someone who protects. Things were just not adding up in my mind. Why would a glorified car wash/ mechanic be a protector and yet be hiding something? It just didn’t make sense.

“I do know you, don’t I?” he said, reaching out for my sunglasses.

I put my hands up to stop him, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m sure you do, Sandra.” Crap. He had figured me out.

I sighed, but kept silent.

“However, I’m pretty sure that Sandra isn’t your real name either.” Double crap, he totally knows I’m lying. I didn’t know what to say, so I sat there, arms crossed, pouting that he had seen through my disguise.

“I did a little research after you and Callie came to the dealership, and Buster didn’t have any half sisters named Sandra.”

I narrowed my eyes even further. “Why would a sometime mechanic and wash bay boy need to do research? Unless…..you aren’t who you say you are either!” Things were falling into place like tumblers in a lock. I turned and poked him hard in the chest. “Who are you then? FBI?” I took off my glasses gave him what I thought of as the stink eye.

Johnny chuckled and did a quick glance around at the few bystanders who were waiting for the MAX as well. “Not hardly.” He stuck out his hand, “Sam Adams, private investigator.”

Now it was my turn to chuckle. “You expect me to believe that your real name is the same as a beer?”

He shrugged, took out a badge and flipped it open. “Here, see for yourself.” I looked it over, sure enough, it was a picture of him and the name Sam Adams with a private investigator license number. I had also caught a glimpse of a shoulder holster when he had pulled the badge out of his jacket pocket.

“So, you’re a private investigator.” I said it more of a statement rather than a question.

“I am,” he said, “but what and who are you?” He flashed those insightful and brilliantly blue eyes at me again and I faltered.

I could hear the MAX coming down the line. The crowd grew around us and people started gathering next to the platform.

“Can we go get a beer? I’ll spill it all.” I said, slumping back against the bench.

Sam laughed and took my hand. “Sure thing, but, first you need to tell me your name. I make it a habit not to drink with imposters.” He winked as he pulled me up off the bench and steered me back toward the sidewalk.

“Tansy,” I said. “Tansy Taylor; now, let’s go get that beer. After Ronnie and his slimy paws, I could really use a drink.” I slid my sunglasses back on and tried not to shudder with the thought of Ronnie; after all, I had a gorgeous man on my arm.

“Sam, please. We need to figure out what happened to Buster, and then we can delve into this mutual attraction.” I hated to beg, but he was really leaving me no choice.

“Are you holding your sexy pink haired body over my head?” He questioned me never cutting eye contact.

I groaned and closed my eyes, a mental image of what he had said swirling around in my head. Man, he was good.

“Oh, I’m sorry? Did I say something to bother you?” Sarcasm dripped amidst sexy undertones. He was good, definitely dangerous. I pulled my hands back onto my side of the table and wrapped them around my pint and the last couple sips of my beer.

“You know exactly what you are doing. And, while I am really excited to get to know you better, I made a promise to Callie and I just can’t do my best if my insides are all jumbled up. And you, Sam, totally make my insides all jumbled up. You ‘mess with my mojo’, make all of my psychic senses go wanky. Does that make sense?” I hoped my message was coming across without sounding too pathetic. I must have looked like I was in pain, which was close to accurate, and his eyes went from sexy and playful to full of concern.

“I’m sorry, I was just playing. I realize this is important to you, and to Callie. In fact, I’ll do whatever I can to help, okay?” He looked like he was really being sincere this time. I didn’t doubt that he wanted to help us out.

I relaxed into the booth. “That would be wonderful Sam.”

He smiled, and those gorgeous eyes sparkled. “Can I ask one favor?”

“Sure,” I said, tension lifting from the table.

“Can I get you back to your car safely, and maybe, if it’s okay give you a kiss goodnight? Just one?” He sounded like a little boy, and I just couldn’t refuse.

I grinned, and for whatever reason, felt a blush creep up my neck. “I’d really like it if you walked me back to my car. And, I suppose a little goodnight kiss wouldn’t cause much psychic cloudiness.”

I sat in my car in front of my house. The lights were on, and judging from the shadowy forms in the windows Jeni had some friends over. I wasn’t ready to let go of Sam’s perfect kiss that lingered with me all the way home. I had kissed many boys, but nothing compared to the energy that Sam and I created when we kissed. I drove all the way home on a euphoric high.

I sighed, and then decided that it was time to get in the house and back to reality. Plus, it was dark and a little creepy on the street tonight. More cars than usual dotted the streets and being a single woman in the city I was constantly trying to be aware of my surroundings.

So much had happened today. I was definitely in better spirits than when I had gotten out of bed this morning. I left the car and hustled up through the kitchen side door.

“Holy Crap! What in the heck happened to your hair?” Jeni and her friends all stopped what they were doing to stare at my hair. I’d forgotten all about it, actually. I guess lust will do that to you, which is exactly why I had to keep myself in check with Sam; otherwise I could end up missing something crucial in our Buster investigation. I couldn’t let that happen, Callie was depending on me.

“Oh, well, I told you I was going to try something different.” I shrugged and grabbed a glass and poured myself a taste of wine. “Is this a pinot? Did I forget we were doing wine tasting tonight?” I kicked my shoes off and headed into the living room.

I paused midstride. “Wait, its Wednesday, isn’t wine-tasting on Friday?” I said, taking a sniff and then a sip.

“Well, Jackie and her husband crafted this at home, so we decided to have an unofficial tasting tonight. It was a rough day all the way around. You, however, look positively glowing, and I’m not just talking about your hair. Is something up? Did you meet someone?” Jeni had this uncanny way of knowing exactly what was going on in my life.

“Well, aside from the hair, I had a productive day in my current pet project, and yes, I had a nice drink with a nice man. So, I guess the crappy start to my day turned into the highlight of my week, so far anyway.” I took another sip and savored the warmth of the wine as it slid down my throat. “Jackie, this is fabulous, by the way. Local grapes?” She nodded. There were several open bottles on the side table in the living room along with a nice spread of hors d’ouvres, so I went ahead and poured myself a nice sized glass and grabbed a plate with some brie and crackers.

“Yum, this is the best-you guys don’t mind if I join you?” I sank down into the couch and put my feet up on an ottoman.

“Of course you can join us! We were wondering where you were actually. So, is that girl from the PFN and her dead boyfriend your pet project?” Jeni sat down across from me and narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t getting too involved are you? It could be dangerous.”

I stuck a cheese covered cracker in my mouth. “Uh-uh. Not too involved.” No need to disclose my most recent escapade with Ronnie the used car slime with Jeni, she would only worry. At times, I thought that somehow my mother was paying her to keep an eye on me or somehow working through her telepathically.

“Is there something on my face?” I realized that I was staring. She would come unglued if she knew what I was thinking. Jeni was not a fan of my overbearing mother. Thank goodness she and my dad were getting on a plane right this minute.

“Oh, no, well actually there is a little smudge of cheese on the corner of your mouth.” I smiled and indicated with a wipe of my pinkie where she should aim. She wiped at her mouth, totally missing the cheese.

“Did I get it?”

I shook my head and she rose up from the chair and headed to the decorative mirror in the entryway. A loud fit of giggles erupted from the kitchen. I finished off my food and wine, went back for seconds and then excused myself upstairs. I had to figure out what I was going to do about my hair and I needed to call Callie.

My cell phone beeped to tell me I had a text. It was from Callie. I got into my comfy jammies, washed my face, scowled at my hair, and then called her back. After filling her in on Sam, the Ronnie incident, and about getting property scolded by Jeni, we decided that it was getting too dangerous to go snooping around too much more at Mr. Big’s. We still had the information on the Saturday meeting between Big and the Russian dude, so we decided to focus on that. Sam had not known anything about the Russian dude, or at least, nothing he could talk about.

“Why don’t we try a bug?” Callie asked.

“You mean like a wire tap?”

“Well, sort of. I checked it out on the internet. There’s a place in downtown that sells all sorts of spy stuff, including little listening devices. You just have to plant it somewhere they won’t see it. Then we can sit down the street with the transmitter and listen to what’s going on.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” I asked. “I’m not sure that we should go there.” I was okay with the little white lies we had been doing so far, but actually breaking the law was a whole other matter.

“Well, I think we need to. Buster’s dead. The cops aren’t interested, and we know something is going on. From what you said, Ronnie is probably in on whatever it is Big and the Russian are up to, so we’ve just go to do it.” I waited for her to add ‘so there.’ She sounded set on doing this thing one way or another.

“Don’t even think about trying to talk me out of it,” she added firmly.

“Well, what if we talk to Sam and he does it? He’s licensed to do that sort of stuff, anyway.” I crossed my fingers and hoped that this was my out; after all, Sam was at least licensed to do things like plant bugs.

“No. I don’t think that he’s any more interested in Ronnie than the cops would be. It sounds like he is investigating Big for something else. What does he care about Buster and Ronnie?” I could feel her pouting on the other end of the line.

I sighed; it was like trying to talk a three year old out of an ice cream cone. “Fine, but I’ll do it. I don’t think you should go in there. Ronnie already thinks I want to buy a car and possibly more, so at least I have a reason to be there.” I shivered just thinking about his slimy hands.

“Actually, Mr. Big called and there’s a box of Buster’s stuff that I need to pick up. I can wait around, chat with the secretary and stuff until Ronnie is out on the lot and slip in to his office and hide the bug under his desk.” She did have a point, and it would save me from having to have his slimy hands on me again.

“I suppose that makes sense. Do you want me to come along to provide a diversion?”

“Nah. I’ll go tomorrow after my lunch shift. Business at the car lot usually picks up in the afternoon. Also, it’s the first of the month, pay day, so they should be extra busy.” Callie seemed to have thought this all out.

“So do you need me to go pick up the bug?” I asked. Silence greeted me. “Callie?”

“Well, I sort of already picked up a couple. So we’re all set.” So, she’d known what she was doing all along. I’m guessing she had rounded the corner from sad to angry in the grief process. She was definitely a woman on a mission.

“Um, okay.” I grabbed my nail clippers and inspected my toes. I really needed to get in and have a pedicure, my feet were a mess. “Well, I’ll at least go with you, just say the word. And, if I don’t come, you’ll me when you are done, right? Just so that I know you are okay?” I picked at the remaining polish on my big toenail wondering if I had any nail polish remover. I caught my reflection in my door mirror, ugh, I had forgotten about my hair.

“Sounds good, I’ll see ya tomorrow. Have a good night and a good day at work.” She was off the phone and I was still stuck with pink hair.