I stifled my internal laughter. The name suited Kyle.
“So then what happened?”
“Then—and this is the part that made me mad—Ronnie took all the credit for the fish. Like I hadn’ even helped reel the bastard in. He said it was his rod, his bait, his fish. So I left him there.”
Luke nodded.
“Can I go now? I need to check on Ella. She can’t wake up without me bein’ there.”
“Speaking of Ella, what happened to her?” I asked, unable to control myself.
“What d’ya mean? She’s just passed out, isn’t she?”
Luke glanced at me sideways—a reminder that this was his interview, not mine. “We found her in your motel room lying in a puddle of her own vomit.”
“I was at work all day. You can ask my boss. He’s a good guy, gave me the job even with my history.” Clark rubbed his wrists absentmindedly just like I had when I’d gotten the handcuffs removed that morning. “My last trip to the slammer woke me up, got me clean. But Ella, she’s still working on it. I knew I shouldn’a left her by herself.”
“Where were you the night of Ronnie’s death?” Luke asked in a serious yet nonchalant voice.
“I was in the slammer. Down in Arizona. I figured you already knew that.” He looked from Luke to me, and back again. “When I left the reservoir that night, I wanted to get away. I was so mad, I drove all the way there, and when I got there—I admit—I drank too much. Got me locked up. I was in jail a week before they let me out. By that time, Ronnie was already dead.” His eyes shimmered with tears. “I may have been mad at the guy, but I’m no killer. He was my best friend.”
“If you were in jail, why didn’t we find you in the database?”
“Ah.” Clark smiled for the first time. “Because my name’s not really Clark. It’s Sue. My parents loved that stupid song.”
Sue? Wow, poor guy.
Luke nodded. “I think that’s all we have for now. But don’t leave town in case we need to get in touch.”
“I don’t plan on it. Ella and me got a real good thing goin’ on. I just hope this gets her to stop doin’ those stupid drugs.”
Luke’s friend shook our hands and led Clark back upstairs, leaving the two of us sitting side by side, the awkward silence returning. To take my mind off of the incredibly sweet, handsome, and one hundred percent off-limits man sitting next to me, I thought about Ella. I hoped this was the wake-up call she needed. It wasn’t every day a girl found a man who cared so much for her. I stole a glance at the man next to me and let out a sigh.
10
The once charmingly overdone room was now a sickly sweet torture chamber. Luke let me have the bed while he slept on the sofa. I texted my mother to tell her I wouldn’t be home until the next day and ignored all of her follow-up questions. I didn’t have the patience for her interrogation.
The next morning I rolled out of bed before Luke’s tiny snores ceased and took a shower, hoping to wash off some of the stink and utter embarrassment that still clung to me from the night before.
Maybe he didn’t have to be a rebound. Maybe I’d actually gotten over Troy faster than a normal person would.
But as much as I tried to convince myself that Luke and I stood a chance at a relationship, I knew deep down I wasn’t ready.
That didn’t make me want him any less, though.
After towel drying my hair and tugging on the same jeans and tank as the day before, I swiped some mascara over my lashes and deemed myself acceptable to face the day . . . and Luke.
But when I emerged from the room, Luke was nowhere to be found. Great, had he left without me? No, he was too good a guy for that.
I plopped down on the sofa where, just minutes before, he lay sleeping and picked up one of the pillows. I brought it up to my nose and inhaled. It smelled like his peppermint shampoo, the same kind he’d used in high school.
“What are you doing?” At the sound of Luke’s voice, I practically threw the pillow on the floor in front of me. How had he gotten in without me hearing?
I’m sure my face was the color of the pink comforter that was haphazardly tossed on the bed where I’d slept. “I—I was—”
“I brought coffee.” He held up two take-out cups. “And I confirmed with the Arizona authorities that Clark—or rather, Sue—was in jail when Ronnie was murdered.”
“Damn,” I said under my breath. “I’m sorry.” Though I was secretly happy it hadn’t been Clark.
“Don’t be. It’s good to rule him out.” He handed me my coffee, and I took a sip of the aromatic black gold. “And today we have a meeting with Ronnie’s wife.”
“Patricia?”
“Yes, and she’s agreed to talk to the both of us. She actually seemed rather excited to speak with you.”
After our last rendezvous, I wasn’t sure what to expect with her.
“About last night—” I began but he held up a hand.
“It’s okay, I understand. There’s always going to be chemistry there. You were my first everything.”
“And you were mine,” I said into my coffee.
“You can’t blame yourself. We both had a part to play in it, but it’s better that we’re just friends. At least until things settle.”
I knew what he was saying. Until I was certain I was over Troy. Dammit, how was Troy still controlling my life? Asshole.
“Agreed.” Not really. Ugh.
“So are you liking the job?” Luke asked when we started back down the mountain toward the city.
“I am, though I don’t know how well I really know the job yet. I hear homicides are a relatively abnormal occurrence.”
“I’m sure once the case is solved
