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Alec examined the grouping of pictures on the living room wall. The mix was fairly balanced between Annaliese and Jada, several in their showgirl costumes.
The upstairs door to the master bedroom opened. What would have been a quick glance toward the stairs turned into an appreciative gaze as Jada began to descend. She embodied a gracefulness he seldom saw in everyday life. Has to be the showgirl training. He wondered if Annaliese appreciated it the way a man would or if she took it for granted since she possessed it as well.
“I’m surprised,” he said as she approached, “there aren’t any pictures of Cleo. Annaliese seems so fond of her.”
Jada gave him a confused look then turned to the pictures. Her head cocked to one side. “That’s strange. There’s always pictures of Cleo here.”
She turned and walked across the room. Alec trailed behind. She even walked like she was on stage.
“Well, this one’s still here.” She’d stopped in front of the picture of Annaliese and Patty.
“No, that’s Annaliese’s daughter.”
Jada gave him a strange look, as though he were the simple-minded one. “Yes. That’s Annaliese and Cleo.”
“No, it’s―” He stared at the picture.
She lied to me.
Of course, it was Cleo. And she’d gotten Annaliese to back up the lie, which led him to wonder why it mattered so much.
Now there was a stupid question. If he couldn’t figure that one out, he wasn’t any kind of reporter at all.
Annaliese embarrassed Cleo. And heck, he didn’t blame her one bit. Annaliese as a slightly out-of-the-box relative was one thing. Embarrassing? Sure. Annaliese as a mother? That was shudder-worthy.
Not that he didn’t like Annaliese. He did. But mothers were supposed to keep you in line. They taught you wisdom and restraint and, as Annaliese herself had pointed out, gave you something to rebel against. How did you rebel against a woman who was as free spirited as Annaliese? A woman who connived to get you to share a bed with a guy you hadn’t even known a week?
Was it any wonder Cleo had made a vow of chastity?
Obviously, that hadn’t lasted—she had spent a year involved with that rich guy in Tucson—so she’d found her way back to normal. Or at least as normal as anyone else. But she was tentative and easily distracted as though her experience was limited.
He’d bet she had lots of experience fighting guys off, though. With a body like hers, she had to. And yet, she’d let him seduce her. Not that he hadn’t had to work for it, but she hadn’t actually said a resounding no anywhere along the way either.
For whatever reason, he figured he was one of a few select guys she’d slept with. So maybe he should start treating her more gently. Which he would. Right after he busted her chops for lying to him about her mother.
Not long after his realization, Annaliese walked in laden with bags from the grocery store. She took him up on his offer to help, and after he made two trips to the car, he found a copy of the latest issue of The Inside Word on the counter as if waiting for him.
He sat on one of the stools. “I didn’t realize you were our demographic.”
“I’m not normally, but I thought I should support Cleo’s employer.”
Cleo walked in as he was about to offer to help put away groceries.
“How was your brunch?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said without looking at him. She grabbed one of the grocery bags and started unloading it.
If Annaliese hadn’t been there, he would have succumbed to his first instinct and let her know the cat was out of the bag. It’s what he would have done if he’d caught one of his buddies in a lie of that magnitude.
The enforced delay was really a blessing. It would be a lot more fun later, when they were alone, to lead Cleo into a conversation about mothers in general. He wanted to see her bending over backward to cover her ass.
He spent a few minutes setting it up in his mind then imagining it play out. When she’d dug herself a deep enough hole, he’d reveal he knew her big secret. And then she’d bust his chops right back.
Or he could play with the secret for a while. Really make her worry. Then he caught himself. What he’d just been considering was a seriously dangerous route. Cleo was a woman after all, and women could be unpredictable if they thought you were toying with them. He rubbed his chin as he tried to assess the risk.
She caught the movement. “You don’t agree?”
He had no idea what the women had been talking about while they worked. “Sorry. I was thinking about something else.”
She tilted an eyebrow as though questioning his ability to achieve independent thought then bent over to put a bag of lettuce in the crisper. The view of her heart-shaped ass in those snug-fitting jeans put an exclamation point on the fact of her womanhood.
Yup, definitely a risk. How had he overlooked that even for a second?
She said something to Annaliese as she closed the refrigerator door then shot him a look that invited him to wade into their discussion with some idiotic male opinion.
He’d nearly forgotten his little joke could go south on him. Because in spite of the killer body that threatened to turn his brain to mush, she never asked for quarter. She had a sharp mind, a smart mouth, and the instincts of a born reporter. When he gave her a hard time, she turned around and gave it right back.
In just over a week, she’d earned his respect and become his equal. His partner.
So his go-to response had been to treat her the way he’d have treated Jackson if he’d caught his buddy in a monumental lie. Giving each other grief was what men did. No sympathy, no commiseration. Those were things that embarrassed a guy because they implied he needed sympathy.
Women were different. Yeah, that was the understatement of the century.
How did he get this lie out in the open without risking Armageddon?
He was still mulling it over when the doorbell rang. When Jada answered it, a male voice drifted to his ears.
Alec turned on his stool as Jada entered the kitchen. “Annaliese?” Her voice trembled.
The three of them followed Annaliese to the front door, where a man and woman—two of Las Vegas’ finest—waited. Annaliese’s step hitched briefly in the entry, but then she moved forward with confidence.
“Are you Annaliese Carson?” the male cop asked.
“Yes.”
“If you’d please accompany us, we’d like you to come down the station to answer a few questions.”
“I answered questions a few days ago.”
“Detective McMahon has a few more for you.”
Alec and Cleo exchanged concerned looks as Annaliese went to get her purse. Cleo took Jada’s hand in that I’m-here-for-you way women thought was so important.
Not wanting to get caught up in that, Alec tried to get the cops to talk to him, but their responses were noncommittal. He didn’t really expect them to know anything. Picking up Annaliese was an assignment for them. Detective McMahon was the man who had the answers to his questions. It probably wasn’t anything to worry about, anyway. Cops often interviewed witnesses more than once, checking statements from one person against another.
Annaliese stopped on her way out, placed a hand on Jada’s cheek, and looked into her eyes. “Don’t worry, honey. Everything’s okay.” Her gaze flickered to where Cleo stood behind Jada. “Cleo will take you to practice today, okay?” she said to Jada.
Jada nodded, but she looked worried.
Still looking into Jada’s eyes, Annaliese said, “Trust me. This will all work out.” Then she walked out the door like the queen of Sheba. When she reached the car, the male cop opened the back door for her as though it were a limousine instead of a black-and-white unit. She got in gracefully.
Alec shook his head. “Whatever anyone says about her, that woman has class.”
When Cleo snorted, he realized she’d come to stand beside him.
They watched as the patrol car pulled away. “Why do you think they want to talk to her again?” Cleo asked.
He figured it was a rhetorical question, so he just shook his head.
“Do you suppose it has anything to do with the autopsy report?” she asked with more worry in her tone than made sense.
He shrugged. “They wouldn’t have that back yet unless they put a rush on it.”
She drew a long breath. “Trust me,” she said grimly. “They put a rush on it.”
Sebastian had been an important man in town, so she was probably right. He shut the door behind them as they retreated inside. “What do you think she meant by ‘this will all work out’?”
Cleo flashed him an annoyed look that clearly said what is wrong with you? And he kicked himself when he saw Jada waiting at the kitchen end of the hall, a flash of panic in her eyes.
“I’m sure she meant she’ll be home soon,” Cleo said in a soothing voice. She stroked Jada’s arm as though trying to calm a half-feral cat. “Why don’t you get ready for rehearsal?”
Jada nodded, but her lips were tight as if she wasn’t sure she could trust Cleo’s reassurances.
“I hope the rehearsal keeps her mind busy until Annaliese is done at the police station,” Cleo said as they watched Jada climb the stairs.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it, so we might as well get on with business as usual.”
Alec took the rental car to interview one of the women Bales had said was seeing Sebastian, and Cleo and Jada took Annaliese’s car to the casino for rehearsal.
He was just finishing up with the woman when his cell rang. The interview had been a waste of time, but Sebastian’s sometimes-lover had insisted on feeding him a peach cobbler that was possibly the worst thing he had ever tasted. He didn’t have to check the display since he’d already programmed Cleo’s calls to play “Hot Child in the City.” Whatever she wanted, he would use it as an excuse to escape.
“Yeah?”
“Alec. Thank God. Where are you?”
Her voice had an edge that made him sit up straighter. “I’m just finishing up an interview. Why? What’s happened?”
“I’m at the casino. They’re saying Annaliese has been charged with Sebastian’s murder.”
“What?” On some level, he’d known it was a possibility, but he hadn’t really expected it. “Who’s saying that?”
“Everyone. Jada melted down so badly they called the house doctor. He’s giving her a sedative.”
Cleo didn’t sound all that stable either. He turned off his voice recorder, pocketed it, and started mouthing apologies to the woman he’d been interviewing as he stood to leave.
The woman nodded but looked curiously at him, clearly having picked up from the change in his tone that something had happened.
He automatically started to reach for one of his cards but killed the action. This woman didn’t know anything he needed and he didn’t want to spend even one extra second on her. Instead, he waved a goodbye and walked out the door.
“Where’s your laptop?” he asked as he raced to the car. “And your voice recorder?”
“I’ve got my recorder with me, but my laptop is at the condo.” Her voice was steadier but confused. “Why?”
“Because if they have arrested Annaliese, they’ll get a search warrant for her house and her car, which means they’ll take custody of anything that might contain incriminating evidence.” He backed the car out of the parking space. “We don’t want to lose all our notes.”
He winced over how self-serving that sounded as he jammed the car into Drive, but he wasn’t just thinking of their story. For Annaliese’s sake, they needed to control the information they’d gathered. They could always share it if they decided to, but they needed to defend the reporter’s privilege that protected sources if that seemed more prudent. “The rental car should be safe, so as soon as I get to the condo, I’ll put everything in the trunk.”
“Okay,” Cleo said, but she sounded disappointed. As if she’d hoped for something more from him.
He hated hearing that tone, but this was the best he could do for them. For her. He hoped she’d see that when she had the chance to catch her breath and think it through.
The light ahead of him changed to yellow and he pressed harder on the gas. As soon as he was though the light, he told himself to slow down. The last thing he needed was to get stopped for a traffic violation.
He started thinking ahead. The prosecuting attorney was bound to have a press conference. He’d have to find out when. He also needed to update Nigel, but if he told his boss that the woman arrested for Sebastian Koblect’s murder was Cleo’s mother, even with that British reserve, Nigel would likely open a bottle of champagne.
The Inside Word was in a position to scoop every newspaper in the country. Nigel was good at playing his cards close to his vest, but this? Even a saint would be tempted to gloat. The longer he could keep this information under wraps, Alec decided, the more of an advantage it gave him.
But he had to let Nigel know about the arrest and that he and Cleo were on top of it.
If he called, Nigel would have questions. Questions Alec couldn’t refuse to answer. Answering those questions would expose Cleo, pushing her into a spotlight she didn’t want. Her emotions were raw, and he suspected she was already holding on by her fingernails.
For the first time in his career, his loyalties felt divided.
His employer—his integrity as a reporter—or protecting Cleo.
He didn’t want to make this decision.
The debate continued as he pulled into Annaliese’s complex.
When he had all their equipment and their notes safely locked in the trunk of the rental car, he leaned against the car, staring at the phone in his hand, still undecided.
Would a compromise work?
Before he had a chance to convince himself he was skating on the edge, his thumbs went to work. His text to Nigel included the bare bones that an arrest had been made. No specifics. Nigel would have to settle for Stay tuned for more details.
All Alec had to do now was ignore Nigel’s call when it came.
And give Cleo whatever support he could.
