Addison sped through the streets of San Francisco until they arrived at Laurel Heights for another undercover operation. This time, they planned to engage a suspect. She took the next corner without slowing down, and Felix white knuckled the doorframe.
“Where did you learn to drive?”
Addison thought for a moment. “The Fast and the Furious, Days of Thunder, The Love Bug.”
“That explains it,” he said.
“I’m making up for lost time, okay? Talking to the police really set us back.” She pulled up to a stop sign. “Do you think they believed my earring story?”
Felix gave her a Seriously? look from the passenger seat. “I don’t think you’re as good of an actress as you think you are.”
“But I don’t think I’m a very good actress at all.”
“Exactly.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and whipped into traffic. “Just for that, you can talk to William Jackson. I think I remember this guy from the cocktail mixer. Kind of balding on the top, right?”
Felix ran a hand through his hair. “Not everyone can have ridiculously luscious locks like mine.”
Addison snorted, but had to admit it was true. His hair was so full and wavy, it was unfair. He probably just rolled out of bed that way too. She couldn’t see Felix waking up a few minutes early to style it—although, it could help with the messy look. But she didn’t know many guys who could pull off hair that was any longer than your usual man-clip. With hair as awesome as Felix’s, it would have been a crime against humanity to cut it.
“I think he had a Maltese, right?” she asked. “What do you know about him?”
“Just that he’s been competing in dog shows for years and has never won,” Felix said. “Last year his dog actually made it to the podium. Just as the judge went to congratulate them, the dog shook his coat out like it was a living powder puff, covering the judge in talcum.”
“I remember reading something about that in Doggy Digest,” Addison said. “He was disqualified for using unnatural products to enhance his dog. Serves the selfish jerk right. Powder can be terrible for a dog’s respiratory system.” She made a mental note to jot that down in her notebook when they pulled over.
Addison would never have thought of a suspect like William Jackson without Felix, not that she’d admit she actually needed him. “So I take it he falls under the revenge category of motives?”
Felix pulled a face, like Oh yeah. “I served him at the bar last year after he’d been disqualified, and he spilled his guts to me. Let’s just say I wouldn’t put it past him to go to extremes.”
She thought back to the cocktail mixer. “I think he’s the one who ordered the pawdicure. I remember he liked the Rainbow Frenzy nail polish. I brought a sample of it with me.”
Felix glanced back at the multitude of pink gift bags in the backseat. “You hand out a lot of free stuff. You know you’ll never get anywhere if you keep giving it away.”
Addison snorted. “You’re one to talk.”
He glowered at her from the passenger seat. “What does that mean?”
“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes. “You and Red Bra seem close.”
“Yes,” he replied evenly. “Charlotte and I are close.”
Addison frowned at the response. She’d expected a smart comeback, but now she just kept recalling the image of them sitting next to each other in Joe’s Dive. Not that she was jealous or anything.
“Besides, you gave me free drinks at the bar,” she said. “Think of it like promotional services. You give someone free drinks and that person will tell their friends about your bar, which in turn will generate more business. I’m doing the same thing.”
“That’s the kind of marketing help I need when I open my own bar. But I didn’t give you those drinks as freebies. I was just testing out a new concoction on you.”
“You used me as a guinea pig?” she teased.
“I didn’t see you complaining.” His eyebrow quirked up. “I certainly wasn’t.”
“You liquored me up just to get a kiss, didn’t you?” She pretended to be outraged, but looking back, she knew it wasn’t the liquor that had her fired up over him.
“Excuse me. You kissed me, remember? Besides”—he grinned—“if I wanted to get in your pants, I would have gotten in them.”
“Yeah right.” She batted her eyelashes. “I’m a lady, I’ll have you know.”
“Right.”
Her mouth dropped open in real offense. “Excuse me? You think I’m not? Who do you think—”
“No, right. Turn right.” He pointed at the intersection they were driving through. “Right!”
“Hang on.” She cranked her wheel. The tires screeched around the next corner as a couple of angry honks sounded behind them.
Felix gripped the door, holding on for dear life. When they’d made the turn and were still alive, he said, “Maybe a little less flirting while we’re driving. I don’t think you need any distractions.”
“Who’s flirting?” she asked innocently, but she knew very well that she was.
He was fun to flirt with. It was impossible for her not to. He had a personality that double-dog-dared you to just try and ignore him, which only made you think of him that much more. But she promised herself she wouldn’t go down that path with guys like Felix anymore. Guys just out to use her.
She recalled her sort-of date with the far more appropriate Phillip, smiling at how well things had gone. Now there was a guy she could bring home to meet her dad. Not a guy who wanted to take her home after the bar closed. Then her smile disappeared just as quickly. Well, the date had gone well before all the dog stealing, and police interrogations, and accusations. That was probably why she hadn’t heard from him yet. They must be keeping him very busy. He’d probably text her any moment.
She glared at her phone in its holder, willing it to ring.
Felix pointed up the road to a peach-colored home with white trim. “Number thirty-four. I think that’s Jackson’s house over there, but park here across the street. We don’t want to be seen together.”
“I’ll agree with that,” she said, eliciting a glare out of Felix.
Addison pulled over and parked behind a van to block her Mini from sight. She decided to leave the top down just in case Felix needed to make a quick getaway.
He got out of the car, stretching as he did so. “Why am I the one doing this again?”
“Because it was your idea to do a fake survey of our suspects experience with Pampered Puppies, remember? You said people love talking about themselves. So get them to talk about the dog grooming services they received while at the cocktail mixer. Then just go from there.” She smiled extra sweetly. “You’re good at reading people. I’m sure you’ll think of something.” She reached behind the seat, producing a frilly pink bag. “Don’t forget the samples and the coupons.” She shook it playfully.
“Anything else?” he asked sarcastically.
“Remember, you’re a representative of my company.” She bared her sparkling white teeth and pointed to them. “So smile.”
With an exaggerated eye roll, he reached over and grabbed the bag of samples. Waving it with a sour enthusiasm, he crossed the street.
Addison spun in her seat to watch him climb Jackson’s front steps and ring the doorbell. She couldn’t help but note how nicely those faded jeans hung on his hips. They might not have been an expensive label—heck, they looked so old that the label had probably fallen off by now—however, that butt could have made any pants look like a million bucks.
While Felix waited for someone to answer the door, a white Audi drove up and parked on the street in front of the house. Addison ducked down. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to realize they were sneaking around asking questions. It wasn’t like her car was exactly covert with its Caribbean Aqua paint job.
William Jackson stepped out of the Audi. She recognized him by the cul-de-sac hairstyle he unwillingly sported. He moved around to the back of the car and popped the trunk. Reaching inside, he drew out armloads of shopping bags.
Felix noticed him and descended the long stairs. By the gestures he was making, it looked like he was offering to help carry some bags. William waved his arms, almost shooing Felix away.
Felix just gave him a smile and took several of the bags up the steps anyway. Jackson rushed to unlock the front door. The moment it swung open, he practically flung the shopping bags into the house. Squeezing in after them, he smiled and waved at Felix, while simultaneously closing the door in his face.
Felix was left standing on the porch with the frilly pink bag still in his hands. After a few seconds, he shrugged and returned to the car.
“What was that about?” Addison asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “He was pretty edgy, though. He didn’t even want the samples.”
“Maybe you made him nervous,” she said. “I know you scare me.”
He threw her a sour look. “Ha-ha.”
“What was in the bags?”
“I didn’t get to see.”
She sighed, turning over the engine and pulling away from the curb. “Well that was a bust.”
Felix drew out a long, crumpled slip of paper from his pocket. “Not necessarily.”
She glanced at it while driving. “What’s that?”
“Jackson’s shopping receipt,” Felix said, scanning it.
Addison’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t just take that. What if he needs to return something? You know a lot of stores won’t do returns or exchanges without a receipt.”
“Did you want us to turn around and give it back?”
“No,” she said. “I guess not.”
Felix went quiet for a few moments as he read each item. “How many dogs did you say this guy had?”
“Just the one. Why?” She pulled up to a stop sign and looked over to see him frowning over the paper.
“Why would a man with one dog need twelve leather dog collars and leashes?”
“What? Let me see that.” She snatched the paper away and read it herself.
She scanned the itemized list. Not only were there twelve collars and leashes, but there were bones, food dishes, brushes, and chew toys.
“That’s a lot of pet supplies,” she finally said. “Seems like he owns more than one dog.”
Felix took the receipt and waved it in the air like it was the winning lottery ticket. “Or we’ve just found our dognapper.”