“Not because you’re different. I simply prefer working alone.”
“Have you ever considered that Jessica was the one at fault?”
“No.” I saw no sense in lying. “I know how to read a high school bully. You were mean to her because in your mind she didn’t measure up.”
“I ... you ....” Sabrina’s frustration made her sputter. “I wasn’t mean to her just to be mean. She didn’t fit in.”
“And you got your power from messing with her. Listen, I’m not judging you. The teenage years are the worst. You feel as if you’re an adult, but you have none of the power. It’s ... unfortunate.”
“So why do I feel as if you are judging me?”
“I can’t help feeling sorry for Jessica. She was living a really hard life. Even today she tries to do the right thing, take care of her father to the best of her ability. Her life hasn’t been easy, and she shows character.”
“My life hasn’t been easy.”
I couldn’t swallow my snort before it escaped. “Come on. Have you ever worked a day in your life?”
“I’m working now.”
“Are you? It seems you’re playing a game. Now, I’m okay with that. I happen to love a good game ... and you’re starting to play this one correctly. But you have to be self-aware in this line of work. That’s why Duncan always fails.”
“He claims you fail because you’re so full of yourself.”
“And you believe him?”
“I ....” Sabrina worked her jaw and shook her head. “No. You get all the good stories. He wishes he could be like you.”
“Duncan will never get ahead because he can’t see what’s right in front of him. He’s also allergic to hard work. If you want to be successful in journalism, you have to figure out what’s important to you. Holding on to high school grudges certainly won’t help you get ahead.”
“Isn’t that what you do with Commissioner Ludington? People say you’re holding onto a grudge when you go after him.”
I didn’t like that she had a point. “My relationship with Tad is ... very difficult to explain. Part of it does stem from an old grudge. But if that was the only thing fueling our rivalry, it would’ve fallen apart years ago. He keeps adding fuel to the fire, as do I. We’ve grown beyond the past.”
“And you don’t think I’m capable of growing beyond the past?”
“I honestly don’t know. You wrinkled your nose a few times when Ruth was talking about her struggles. You almost looked smug when you heard Jessica was visiting her father. You might want to ask yourself why that entertains you so much. A girl visiting her troubled father isn’t cause for enjoyment.”
“I ... wasn’t entertained.” She averted her gaze.
“Just think about it. You might find that it’s easier to grow when you try to plant new roots rather than nourish the old ones.”
ELIOT GLARED AT MARIO FROM BEHIND THE SHOP COUNTER. They looked as if they were about to throw down.
“Avery!” Mario was shrill when he caught sight of me. “Great to see you. Have I ever mentioned you’re my favorite cousin?”
I rolled my eyes and focused on Eliot. “I need Ray Bennett’s address.”
Eliot appeared surprised by the request. When his eyes drifted to the spot behind me, to Sabrina, his expression shifted to amused. “I can’t. We’ve talked about this.”
“Yes, but we have new information.” I’d thought about how I was going to broach this situation with him and decided for a full-frontal assault. “Ray Bennett is Ruth Shepperly’s brother. Ruth Shepperly is Cal Shepperly’s widow. Apparently Ray and Cal used to run together. And we know for a fact that Ray and Beau shared a difficult past.”
Eliot ceased terrorizing Mario and focused on me. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “I just came from talking to Ruth.”
“A lead she only had because of me,” Sabrina announced.
“Really?” Eliot pursed his lips and held my gaze. It was as if he was trying to read my emotions from afar. “I take it you guys made a deal.”
“We did. I told her she could hang with me today if she provided actionable information. She did, though she kind of lied about how she got said information. I’m holding up my end of the bargain.”
Sabrina balked. “I did not lie.”
“You said you had a source you couldn’t name.”
“I did. It was me.”
I opened my mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. She had a point, loath as I was to admit it.
“Oh, Avery is speechless,” Mario trilled, brightening considerably. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
I pinned him with a glare. “You know I won’t be here for more than a few minutes, right? As soon as I’m gone, Eliot is going to go right back to threatening to kill you.”
“I’m not afraid of him,” Mario countered. “He’s all bluster. Besides, I’ve been studying Krav Maga on YouTube.” He lifted his arms above his head and perched on one leg, replicating Daniel’s move in The Karate Kid. “I can totally take him.”
As if to prove him wrong, Elliot lightly punched my cousin in the stomach, not hard enough to hurt him but enough to make an impression. Mario’s face turned red as he sputtered. Eliot never moved his eyes from my face. “What are you doing with Ray’s address?”
“What do you think? I’m going to spy on him.”
Eliot sighed. “I don’t know. Ray has never struck me as the dangerous sort, but we have multiple dead bodies. And they did a news break on Van. They’re officially ruling his death an overdose.”
I tilted my head, considering. “That still doesn’t feel right.”
“I agree, but we’re not in charge.”
“In my head, I’m in charge of everything.”
“Oh, I know.” He folded his arms over his chest and regarded me with speculative eyes. “I prefer you didn’t approach Ray without me.”
“No.”
“Avery ....”
“No.” I was firm. “We’re building a life together. You’re insisting on it. That means we have to learn to compromise. I accept the compromise for the halfway house.
