“How did he take that?” Kelsey grabbed another chicken wing and sucked the meat from the bone.
“Let’s just say that if he’d raked his fingers through his coal-black hair one more time, there would be a bald patch on the top of his head.” Dani grumbled, “He was frustrated with my non-answers and it was clear that he wasn’t used to having a woman say no to him, but I didn’t have a choice. There’s a legally binding document keeping me mute.”
“Maybe he’ll give you a pass on that.” Kelsey emptied the rest of the pitcher into their glasses.
“It doesn’t matter.” Dani drew rings in the condensation on the table’s faded laminate top. “No matter how intense the attraction is between us, Spencer isn’t my type. I’ve always steered clear of men who are too handsome. I’m not in his league. Kipp wasn’t even that good-looking and he had someone on the side. I’m not risking it with Spencer. I’d never be able to keep his attention for the long run.”
“Not that I agree with you, but even if that were the case for some guys, I’ve never seen you this interested before.” Kelsey took Dani’s hand. “If he makes you go weak in the knees, it could be time to give in to the temptation and make sure that when you fall, it’s into his arms rather than to the ground.”
“It’s a moot point for now.” Dani squeezed her friend’s fingers. “The murder has to come first.”
“At least Spencer didn’t automatically take the cop’s side, and he’s willing to look into Mikeloff’s behavior.”
“True. But that’s because he’s concerned about Ivy. It has nothing to do with me.” Dani bit her lip. “I have to protect myself. The fact that Mikeloff is either just plain crazy or crazy with a sprinkling of revenge on top is a huge problem because, either way, he seems pretty darned intent on sending me to prison for Regina’s murder.”
“Spencer might be able to help you with that,” Kelsey suggested. “He is head of campus security, so he has to have some pull with the local cops.”
“But Mikeloff’s second choice of suspect is Ivy.” Dani frowned. “I’m not sure why the detective has it in for her, unless it’s because she’s close to me, but if it came to his niece or me, I’m certain that Spencer would throw me under the bus in a heartbeat. Which means I can’t totally trust him.”
“Mmm.” Kelsey tapped her fingernails on the table. “So what’s the plan?”
“Once Spencer left, I started making a list of who at the party had acted oddly toward Regina.” Dani scowled. “But I only wrote one name—Vance King—before the doorbell interrupted me.”
“Who was it?” Kelsey’s tapping increased.
“My ex.”
“Shit!”
“Exactly.” Dani grimaced and related her encounter with Kipp. “What an ass.”
“Why in the world did you even go out and talk to him?”
“He heard that I quit my job and started cooking for people and somehow figured out that I hadn’t told my father yet.”
“I told you that would come back to bite you in the butt,” Kelsey said.
“Et tu, Kelsey?” Dani scowled. “Must you always speak your mind?”
“Hey.” The redhead shrugged. “It hurts too much to bite my tongue all the time.”
“Anyway,” Dani sighed. “I really didn’t need Kipp popping back into my life.”
“Definitely not!” Kelsey slapped the table. “I knew he was a creep. I should have never let you date him.”
“I probably wouldn’t have listened to you if you had tried to stop me,” Dani said, trying to comfort her friend.
“You probably wouldn’t have.” Kelsey checked the time. “We better wrap this up. It’s always an early morning at my house.”
“Mine too. The girls seem to think they should have breakfast before they go to class.” Dani rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.
After paying the check and hugging goodbye, Dani headed home. As she drove, she felt a shiver of fear. What if Regina’s killer was targeting college girls? What if her murder was just the beginning?
If Mikeloff was convinced that Dani was guilty, he wouldn’t be looking for other suspects. The only way Dani would ever clear her name and protect other possible victims was to find the killer herself.
Now all she needed to do was figure out how to investigate a crime.
Chapter 9
Tuesday morning arrived entirely too early—especially since a conga drum was playing “Babalú” inside Dani’s skull when she woke up. She blamed her throbbing temples on the weather front that had moved through during the night, bringing uncomfortably high humidity and the threat of rain. She refused to believe that a couple of margaritas could cause such a bad headache, because if she admitted that she had a hangover after two measly drinks, it would mean that she was officially old. And she wasn’t even thirty yet.
After swallowing a couple of Advil, Dani threw on a pair of cargo shorts and a T-shirt before gingerly walking down the stairs to the first floor. She was usually the first one up, but judging by the raised voices that greeted her in the hallway, the girls had beaten her into the kitchen.
Ivy, Starr, and Tippi had varied tastes in their cups of joe, and Dani had ruled that whoever made it to the coffeepot first got to choose. Evidently, espresso was not a popular choice among Tippi’s friends.
Facing the squabbling coeds, Dani rubbed between her eyes and said, “Settle this now or stop by Starbucks on your way to school. Because I seriously need an inoculatte and the first cup is mine.”
“Inoculatte?” Tippi’s heart-shaped face scrunched in confusion.
“Coffee taken intravenously,” Dani translated. “Because you can’t wait for the caffeine to hit by drinking it the usual way.”
Ivy studied Dani’s face and said, “You look awful. Are you all right?”
“Thanks. You look cute too.” Dani scowled. “My head is pounding, but the lunch-to-go
