“I’m not sure what there is to tell,” I said, smiling when he started swinging our arms. It was such a teenage thing to do, but it always made me smile. “CeeCee Green was one of Beau’s victims. Do you know her?”
“I’ve met her a few times. She seems ... okay.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “I kind of like her.”
“That’s probably because she’s prone to liking you.” Eliot’s grin spread as he cast me a sidelong look. “You would be right up her alley.”
“What does that mean?”
“She likes ballsy chicks, and nobody has bigger balls than you, Trouble. She’s got quite the reputation when it comes to the yacht set out at the Harrison Township Country Club.”
That was new information I was happy to absorb. “What sort of reputation?”
“Her reputation resembles yours in the sense that you don’t want to mess with her. She’s less willing to get her hands dirty than you. She’d be more apt to hire someone than do the deed herself.”
That was interesting. “Do you think she’d be willing to hire a murderer?”
Eliot hesitated. “I honestly can’t say. That takes a particular personality and I’m not sure CeeCee has that personality, mostly because you have to care to want to kill someone. She isn’t the type to care.”
The statement caught me off guard. “What do you mean?”
His shoulders hopped. “She seems like an ice queen — imperious and cold. All her interactions with people come off as fake to me.”
“And you think she reminds you of me?”
He jolted at the question and captured my gaze. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“But you said ....”
“No.” He fervently shook his head. “I know you don’t want to hear this because you’ll consider it an insult, but you’re the most caring person I know.”
“Yeah, now I know you’re full of it.”
He snickered. “You go out of your way to right wrongs, correct injustices. Why do you think you hate Ludington so much?”
“Because he’s bad in bed.”
Eliot scowled. “I don’t like being reminded that you actually dated that guy. I can’t reconcile that in my head. I mean ... that’s just not you. Only an idiot would date that guy more than once, and you’re pretty far from an idiot.”
I knew he meant it as a compliment, but I remained edgy. “I was looking for someone who was the opposite of Jake at the time.”
“Well, you found him.”
“I just ... was angry with Jake. He went overseas when he was supposed to stay in Michigan. I was looking for a way to punish him.”
“See, I figured that out myself a long time ago. I wasn’t certain you had ever figured it out. Good on you.”
I sighed. “I’m oddly self-aware.”
“You are. Have you figured out why you hate Ludington as much as you do?”
“He’s a horrible individual.”
“Why else?”
“Because ... because I hate myself for being stupid enough to trust him.”
He tugged me closer, pressing a kiss to my temple. “You really are self-aware. As for CeeCee, when I said that you were similar, I only meant on the surface. You both won’t put up with any crap, but you’re much more accessible.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It is in my book. I love you just the way you are.”
I didn’t bother to hide my eye roll. “You only say things like that to get me stirred up.”
“That is my goal in life.” He held open the door of the restaurant. “Did anything else happen?”
A flash of blond hair caught my attention and I looked across the street. A group of people — all younger — laughed and cavorted as they walked toward a different restaurant. None of them boasted blond hair. “Um ... what did you say?”
Eliot’s forehead wrinkled. “Where did your head just go?”
“Um ... nowhere.” I forced my gaze to his and smiled. “I thought, just for a second, that I might’ve seen Sabrina. I think the stress of the day is getting to me. She’s obviously not with that group.”
Eliot focused on the people in question and shook his head. “No, definitely not. Those don’t look like Washington Township kids out for a good time.”
“They’re far too hipster,” I agreed.
“They also look stoned.”
“That’s what I meant.” I skated under Eliot’s arm and into the restaurant. “You asked a question before I got distracted. What was it?”
“I just wanted to know if you learned anything else of note.”
“Not really. CeeCee had a friend there, Janet Olsen. She was one of Beau’s victims too, though she was much more reticent to talk about it.”
“Can you blame her? She was probably embarrassed.”
“I can see that. CeeCee wasn’t embarrassed. She was more annoyed.”
“Some people put a higher priority on justice. You’re the same way, which is why you feel the need to go after Ludington the way you do. He’s a bad man all around, but you don’t hide the fact that you dated him. You would rather punish him outright than hide the outrage he inspires in you. Not everybody is like that.”
Something he said pinged in the back of my brain. “Those emotions are still there. I mean ... if someone screws you, revenge seems a necessity. You might not wear that emotion on the surface, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m not sure. I need to work it out. Let’s have dinner. I’ll tell you as soon as I’ve figured things out.”
THE HALFWAY HOUSE RAY DIRECTED US TO was even more rundown than I expected. It was one of the ancient houses that had probably looked amazing seventy years ago, but now was struggling to remain upright.
“This doesn’t look like the sort of place I would want to end up,” Eliot noted as we met in front of his truck, his hand automatically going to the small of my back. “I mean ... this place looks haunted.”
“It wouldn’t be my first choice either.”
He gave me a little nudge. “Let’s get this over
