cleaned up. Later, I sneaked her out of the house and got her back to her dorm. When I checked on her the next day, she said she was okay and only wanted to forget it.”
“Did she?”
“Yeah, I think she did, but she never came to another party. I asked her out.”
“Did she go?”
“Yeah, we had one date. It got hot and heavy, then I said something stupid, something about the birth-mark she has on her back, and broke the mood. She accused me of only asking her out because I thought she was some kind of kinky tramp. I denied it, and we went at it for a bit at the top of our lungs. We both calmed down and apologized, but it was our only date.”
Paul realized now, so late in the game, that he had pushed her away. He’d been so worried about her, but then to have her be so passionate, so sexy, so strong and stable, in spite of the near-rape at the party, had blown his mind. Scared the hell out of him.
“That was a bonehead move, man.”
“Tell me,” Paul said. “I’m still paying for it eleven years later.”
“Real bonehead. So when’d she hook up with Peterson?”
“Couple of months later at a dance. He asked me what I thought of her, and I told him I thought she was great. He beamed and agreed.” Paul could still see Todd’s happy grin. He had been delighted that elegant Torie Hagen had decided to go out with him. Paul had been stricken. If Todd, with his upper-class ways won Torie, he, Paul would never have a chance.
“You ever tell him you dated her?”
“Yeah, but I told him there wasn’t any chemistry.”
“So you lied,” Tibbet said blandly.
Paul looked him in the eye and with a straight face, answered. “Like a damn dog.”
“You have a list of the brothers who were at this party?”
“No. It was eleven years ago.”
Tibbet watched him, then cocked his head. “Seems to me, Mister Off the Record, that you track shit. You watch. Bide your time. Now, if you weren’t the one gettin’ shot at, I might be looking at you for this. You’ve got the patience for it.” His smile was feral when he turned it Paul’s way. When Paul didn’t react, he smiled more fully. “Whatever this is, whoever’s doing it, it’s about real deep anger, backed by a lot of patient planning. This shot tonight was panic. Stupid. He’s covered his tracks, but he got rash. He thought we’d follow Torie. Stick only to her.”
“Mistake.”
“Big one. But back to you. You store information away, keep lists. You kept lists of the incidents that happened to your buddy and client, Peterson, although your buddy blew them off as chance or coincidence.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“So, this is a woman you have had a thing for. For eleven years. I’m betting you kept a list of all the guys that were there that night. Who it might have been. Who it wasn’t. I need that list.”
For several minutes, the silence hung between them. They faced off like two stallions, circling one another, deciding whether or not to leap for each other’s throats.
Finally Paul dropped his gaze. “I’ll dig it out.”
Chapter Seventeen
“So, what’s on the docket for today?” Pam asked as they drove back toward the dealership.
“Buy the Chrysler, and talk to Kuhman again about the house.”
“You want me to come with you?”
Torie looked at her friend. “You’d play hooky again today?”
Pam smiled. “Yeah. I feel like I’ve neglected you during all this. I got involved with Dev, who turned out to be the great disappearing jerk, and left my best friend in the world to dangle on her own when her house burned down.”
Torie scoffed. “You didn’t leave me to dangle, Pammie. I was okay until somebody started shooting at me.”
“Yeah, so okay that you retreated to North Carolina again?”
“Hey,” Torie protested. “I like North Carolina.”
“So do I, but you go there to hide. I shouldn’t have let you go alone.”
“Pam, don’t beat yourself up over this. Besides,” Torie added, “I wouldn’t have let you come. I needed the brooding time. I had a lot to think about.”
“Seems like you’ve been doing more thinking lately than you have in a while.”
“Since the wedding. You know what?”
“What?”
“I think I’ve been waiting, all this time, for him to come back.”
“What? That’s crazy, you have not. He
