She told Sam about Burke’s possible tattoo match based on the recollection of the bartender at Dirty Monty’s and about Burke loaning out his car to anyone with cash. But she saved Mandy’s blackmail for last.
“You think there’s anything to the blackmail thing? I mean, not about her hitting up Harper, but someone else?” her friend asked.
“It could explain everything, but the DA would love to get ahold of Burke,” Jess said. “The guy may not be much, but his testimony could hurt Harper’s chances with a jury. I’m gonna check my sources, but maybe your boys in blue can chase down these other leads, huh?”
“Yeah. And I’ll tell Ray, too, Jess.”
Sam took out a pad and pen from a pocket and made notes as Alexa’s voice came from the kitchen.
“Hey, do ramen noodles expire…ever?”
Jess fought back a smile, and Sam shook her head. With her crazy work hours, she wasn’t much for stocking her pantry except with food that had the never-ending shelf life of Spam.
“We’re gonna find out what happened that night, Jess. You’ll see. Seth isn’t going down for something he didn’t do.”
Her friend’s reassurance was as good as a hug, but Jess felt antsy, as if she were spinning in circles with a clock ticking on Harper’s life. And although Sam had an unshakable idealistic belief in the justice system, it was an opinion she didn’t share. She’d seen it fail too many times, and being cynical came far too easily.
“What’s with the drawerful of unopened fortune cookies?” Alexa called out from the kitchen again. “Isn’t that bad luck?”
Sam pursed her lips and nodded. “She has a point.”
“Don’t encourage her.” Jess rolled her eyes, and Alexa interrupted again, still conducting an inventory of her kitchen.
“Malt-O-Meal?” The woman chuckled. “What are you…ten years old? Did you get a supersecret decoder ring with this?”
Jess finally had enough and got up to deal with her hungry guest.
“Quit rummaging through my kitchen.” She grabbed the half-empty bag of chips Alexa carried in her hand. “Go sit. And I’ll make something to stop your whining.”
Alexa joined Sam in the small living room and slumped into a chair. The cop shrugged and raised both eyebrows in commiseration, but didn’t say a word. Jess flipped the overhead light on in her kitchen and rummaged through her pots and pans for what she needed. Idle chatter filled the next ten minutes until she came out with a serving platter of chips and dip.
“Will this work?” she asked, setting the hot snack and napkins on her coffee table.
“Uh, sure. Looks great.” Alexa grabbed a chip and tried the dip. “Hey, not bad.”
She waited until the blonde had her mouth full before she asked, “Now that we can get down to business, if I give you some names, can you run financials and a thorough background check on them? Sammie needs a warrant, but it sure would be nice to avoid the red tape. Can you deliver that?”
Not one to waste time, Jess thought it would be a good idea to test the resources Garrett and Alexa claimed to have at their fingertips. And working on Harper’s case with her new wannabe ally would also give her an opportunity to try Garrett’s resources on for size, to see how they’d fit.
Alexa wiped her mouth and nodded. “Yeah, I could do that. But my people’s turnaround is going to depend on how many names you give me.”
Jess wondered what it would feel like to have “people,” but if Alexa came through with help for Harper, she might take it as a good sign for the prospect of their working together in the future. Trust started with a single step. And that first step never came easy for her.
“That won’t be a problem. I’ve only got a few names for you now. The smoker, Nipple Rings, and Mandy.”
“Sounds like a porn flick,” Sam said as she handed her a sheet of paper from her notebook and a pen.
Jess wrote the names Nadir Beladi, Jason Burke, and Amanda Vincent. Following the trail of blackmail, it would involve tracking any money that had changed hands. And the murder victim might be the cog to the wheel. The list was a start.
She gave Alexa the names.
“I’ll let you know what I find out,” the blonde said. “But hey, how come neither of you are eating?” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“Oh, I never eat what she serves me,” Sam said without hesitating. “Not unless I brought it.”
Alexa shot an accusing stare to Jess. “Come to think of it, I never saw any salsa in your fridge. How’d you make this?”
“Malt-O-Meal and ketchup with a dash of Tabasco, the single girl’s best friend. You want me to write down the recipe?”
Alexa looked stunned. She stood with urgency in her eyes. “I think I’m gonna hurl.”
“Down the hall, first door on the right,” she said, as the blonde rushed by her.
Sam shook her head. “She can outrun explosives, but condiments take her down.”
“Yeah, a real lightweight.” She winked at Sam, but a knock at the door surprised her.
“Who could that be?” she wondered as she stood, glancing at Sam.
Focused on her life and keeping odd hours made it impossible for her to have a huge circle of acquaintances. Friends were a garden she didn’t have the green thumb to cultivate, despite her preaching to Harper how much
In her world, old habits died hard, especially those stemming from self-preservation. She doused a nearby lamp and glanced out a side window, barely moving the curtain. She didn’t want to leave herself vulnerable by peering through the peephole, making her head an easy target for a shooter with a sick imagination.
She saw the silhouette of a man outside her door. It didn’t take long to recognize him. Not saying a word to Sam, she holstered her Colt Python and opened the door.
“We gotta talk, Jessie.” Seth Harper stood in her doorway.
Apparently he’d called a moratorium on voice mail and text messages. And she had to admit—looking into Harper’s sad, dark eyes—she felt the pull of their bruised friendship.
It was time to talk face-to-face, whether she was ready or not.
CHAPTER 14
Her day of reckoning had come, wearing worn jeans, a House of Blues tee, and sneaks.
Seth paced her living room as Jess ushered her guests out the door without much of an introduction. Sam would take Alexa back to her hotel. But before they left, she exchanged cell phone numbers with Alexa. If something came up, Jess wanted a way to contact her.
That left her alone to confront Harper. Despite his personal problems—the glitch of a manslaughter charge hanging over his head—she knew by the look in his eyes that he would finally tell her about his father.
And the reason he’d crossed her path in the first place.
Harper looked tired, in need of a good sleep. And his antsy behavior would have been contagious if she didn’t feel wrung out tired herself. She fought the urge to make this about him. After all, he was the one who had knowingly chosen to keep his secrets and betray their friendship. For her to forgive him now would depend entirely on what he had to say.
“You took a chance comin’ here. I could’ve slammed the door in your face.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time a woman had that notion.”
“Oh, Harper…I doubt that.” She stuffed her hands in her jeans. “Can I get you a beer?”
Harper had a dismal expression. And he hadn’t settled down since he walked through the door. He had something in his craw that needed to come out. And with an unrelenting glare, she wasn’t making it any easier on him.
That would have to change if she expected him to open up.
“No.” He shook his head, avoiding her eyes. “I just…”
She plopped down on her sofa and patted the seat next to her, taking a deep breath and reining back the
