Dangerous Bond (Jamie Bond Mysteries Book 4) (8 page)

"I'm saying that maybe you're trying to work through the shooting and whatever's happened to you lately through me." I hadn't thought of that until the words came out of my mouth, but now that they were in the air, it made perfect sense. This wasn't about me. It was about him and his own guilt.

He scoffed. He drained his glass of wine. And then he turned and headed to my door.

"Are you serious?" I cried after him. "You're just going to walk out like that?"

He stopped and turned but didn't look at me. His gaze was off by my television. "What's there to talk about? You're standing there psychoanalyzing me while I just wanted to have a good night. There's nothing wrong with
me
."

It was such a guy statement. But I kept my composure and said, "If you truly were okay—if I hadn't just hit a nerve—you would've just calmly said I was wrong rather than getting offended and wanting to run off."

He looked down to his shoes and then up into my face. A half smile lifted the right side of his mouth but never quite made it to his eyes. "You look beautiful. Good-night, Jamie." Then he turned and walked out of my apartment.

I just stood there for several seconds with my mouth hanging open.

Great. I kicked off one shoe, but the other I had to bend down and pull off the back of my ankle. I flung it over the sofa. It hit the remote on the coffee table and then tumbled to the floor.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. At one point today I'd had two dates. And now none. Nice one, Jamie.

After ordering Chinese takeout for one and finishing the bottle of Merlot on my own, I spent a long night tossing and turning. Guilt kept invading my dreams—both at the accusations I'd thrown at Aiden and the lack of explanation I'd given Danny. How was it that I'd managed to screw up two relationships in the span of a few hours? It had to be a record. Even for me.

By the time the sun rose, I gave up tossing and turning and gave into showering and dressing. I tossed on a pair of skinny black slacks, extra-high heels to compensate for my extra-guilty mood, and a light, white silk T-shirt to compensate for the heat that I knew would be rising into the hundreds by midday. A blow-dry, a couple of swipes of mascara, and a venti caramel macchiato later, I was ready to actually face the day.

Since I still hadn't heard from my client, Bristol Claremont, I decided to check out the first woman on Mrs. Henderson's list. Jenny Pepin. Maya was still running background checks on the three women, but she'd managed to get me the basics on both Jenny and Penny. And since Jenny's days evolved around a carefully scripted schedule, she was the easiest to track down.

I ran by the agency, snagged Caleigh, and hightailed it to The Aqua Fit—a swanky new gym in Studio City that specializes in aquatic fitness, with an Olympic-sized pool and an organic juice bar. This was according to Caleigh. I assumed the juice served was organic, and not the actual bar.

When we arrived, the receptionist, a bubbly blonde (Studio City standard) greeted us with the pep of a cheerleader. Caleigh, used to being the bubbliest in the land, made a disgruntled sound in her throat, but she kept her vivacious smile in place.

"Hi, we're here to see Je—" I paused. I realized that I hadn't prepared our covers on the ride over. Rookie mistake. I took a deep breath to get my head back in the game and away from any man I might or might not ever be invited on a date with again.

"We heard great things about your pool and bar, and we're wondering if we can have a look-see." I finished with a bright smile.

The receptionist wore a light-blue, one-piece swimsuit with matching shorts and an open track jacket. Not exactly a standard uniform, but maybe they were known for their pool emergencies.

"Oh, we just love visitors, especially when they turn into members." She held out a pamphlet to each of us.

Caleigh and I glanced to one another before taking the glossy advertisements.

"There's an aerobics class currently rejuvenating in our pool."

I widened my eyes and faked uber interest. "Oh, I'd love to see a class in action."

The receptionist nodded. "Okay, well you're more than welcome to have a seat at the bar and watch." She pointed to a door off to the left. "If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me or our juicetender."

Caleigh and I exchanged looks again. A juicetender?

The lobby was small, so I wasn't expecting much, but when we entered the bar area, I sucked back a small gasp. The bar itself was designed as a long wave. It took up the entire side wall and was a pale-blue color. The whole room was varying shades of blue and green, from the floor to the walls to the furnishings. Clamshell-shaped stools dotted the bar. The left wall was all glass, and on the other side sat an enormous pool. A handful of high, bistro-type tables and chairs filled the space between the pool and bar. And there were several doors along the back wall. I imagined they led to lockers and bathrooms.

I scanned the people in the pool for one that looked like the photo I'd seen in the Hendersons' file. Jenny had sandy-brown hair and big blue eyes. As long as she hadn't drastically altered her appearance, she shouldn't be terribly difficult to spot. I scoped out the eleven women in the pool, minus the instructor, and spotted Jenny immediately. Except for the being wet part, she still looked exactly like her photo.

She and the ten other women raised their arms toward the ceiling, and then in perfect synchronization moved them out in front of them and to the sides. It all looked oddly peaceful.

"Can I help you?" asked a tinny voice. The juicetender wore the same uniform as the receptionist. She was brunette, tall, and slender, and had thigh muscles that looked like they could break a walnut.

Caleigh stepped forward. "The woman up front said we could watch the class. We're thinking of joining."

The juicetender clapped her hands together. "That's awesome. Would you like a juicetail? Everything is organic and fresh. I promise you'll love it."

"Absolutely," Caleigh said.

Their personal dictionary was starting to give me a headache, so I just smiled my acceptance.

The juicetender went about filling a blender with fresh-cut pineapple, two giant handfuls of kale, some liquid concoction that came from a plastic container, some freshly squeezed orange juice, and exactly four ice cubes. Several whizzes later, she set two dull pea-green glasses before us. They each received a long, bendy straw and a chunk of skewed pineapple.

I was hesitant to try it, but the juicetender looked like she eagerly awaited our approval, so I sipped. Surprisingly it was delicious. It tasted just like a pineapple-orange smoothie—sweet, thick, and luscious. When Caleigh and I smiled and nodded, the juicetender clapped. She was so proud.

Caleigh and I sat at one of the bistro-style tables and faced the pool. "I may have to join here," Caleigh said. I knew she frequently looked for interesting ways to stay active, but they usually involved a room full of sweaty, muscled men. This place definitely had a more feminine vibe. Maybe it was the lack of weight lifting machines.

We sipped our drinks and watched the women perform in perfect synchronization. I leaned back on my high-backed stool and relaxed, feeling the tension of the night before slowly slip away. What was that mystery ingredient in the container? That juicetender was a magician.

Eventually the women climbed out of the pool and grabbed towels to dry off. That was when I realized that one of the participants was a man with a low ponytail. Oops, my bad for thinking they were all women.

They entered the juice bar, all seemingly eager to get a glass of their daily nutrients and antioxidants.

Jenny received her drink first. When she turned away from the bar, Caleigh waved her over. Right before she reached us, Caleigh whispered, "She's cute."

Caleigh was right. Jenny was short and slightly round around the waist and hip area, but there was something in the way she walked that reminded me of Mrs. Henderson. No wonder the Hendersons had added Jenny to their list.

She wore a lime-green bathing suit with a pink towel wrapped around her waist, and yellow flip-flops. She approached our table with excitement, as if we were long-lost friends meeting for lunch.

As she sat down, she held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Jenny. Did you want to see me?"

Caleigh and I each shook her hand. She came off as so trusting—which struck me as extremely odd. I couldn't imagine that in this world today. Though, there was a possibility that following cheating spouses and nabbing the occasional murderer had helped shape my worldview.

"I'm Jamie, and this is Caleigh. We heard about this place from friends, so we came by to check it out. You looked so natural in the pool. You must've been coming here for ages. We're hoping you can fill us in on this place."

Her baby blues lit up. "Of course. I've only been here for a couple of months, but the routine is so simple that anyone can do it."

I glanced to Caleigh. "That's what Linda and Jeffrey Henderson said too."

Jenny frowned for a moment. "You know the Hendersons? I've never seen them here."

I faked surprise by placing a hand to my chest and clutching my invisible pearls. "You know them too?"

"Yes, I met them at a charity benefit for children with special needs. It was a few weeks ago. Charming event and a lovely couple. They seem quite in love."

"Yes, they are," I said, and I thought,
if only you knew
.

We spent another thirty minutes trying to squeeze personal information out of Jenny without making her suspicious, and by the time she had to leave, we'd discovered she owned a cat named Mr. Rupert, loved gardening, and knitted Christmas gifts for her fourteen nieces and nephews every year. Whether or not that made her wife material for Mr. Henderson, I had no idea. But I would have to report that I'd gotten a good vibe from Jenny. She was warm, kind, and compassionate. Those were things I'd want in a wife for my husband if I were dying.

As soon as Caleigh and I got back to the office, Maya hung up the telephone and waved me over.

I sat on the edge of her immaculate desk. "What's up?"

"I dug up some info on Roger." She poked a pad of paper with her pen. "You were right to check legal records."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh? Do tell."

"Turns out he was being sued by his former boss, the wrapper."

I frowned. "Heavy Cash?" That didn't seem to make a lot of sense. I didn't know of Heavy ever having been Roger's boss. He may have acted "like a boss," aka confident and in control in his videos, but as far as I knew, this was their first time working together.

"No, not the
rapper
." Maya bobbed and weaved her head and chopped the air with her hands in some crazed karate moves that I assumed were supposed to simulate a hip-hop dance.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

"The
wrapper
. Ian Jenkins is the owner of Lite Wraps."

Oh! Well that made much more sense.

"What's Lite Wraps?" I asked.

"A restaurant in Gardena. Roger worked there when he was on the Hoagies diet and lost all the weight."

"Ah!" I nodded. "Okay, so why are they suing him?"

"Well, when Roger went public and got all the fame and endorsement money, Lite Wraps sued, claiming that at least some of the weight Roger lost was due to their low calorie wraps that he ate while working there."

This all became very interesting. Another suspect. I loved them like presents on my birthday.

I stood up and smoothed my hands over my skirt. "I guess Mr. Jenkins deserves a visit."

Maya grinned. "I thought you might say that." She handed me a piece of paper with the address of Roger's former employer on it. "They're open until seven. If you want to beat the lunch rush, I'd leave now."

I couldn't help letting out a laugh as I took the paper. "Anything else?"

Maya shrugged. "According to Yelp, their Swiss cheese and ham wrap is their most popular item."

"Duly noted," I promised her as I moved toward the door. I only got a couple of steps, however, before my cell rang. It was Derek. I tried to channel my inner Zen as I hit the
on
button.

"What do you want?"

Clearly my Zen was as DOA as my relationships today.

"Is that any way to greet your old man, James?"

I took a deep breath and tried again. "To what do I owe this honor, Father?"

"Is that sarcasm I'm detecting in your voice?"

"No, it's Zen."

I heard a couple loud huffs on the other end, but thankfully Derek dropped it. "How's it going with Elaine?" he asked.

I closed my eyes and thought a dirty word. With all that had happened in the last 24 hours, I'd completely forgotten to grill Caleigh and Maya for an update on disco bingo. "It's great. Fine. When I have something worthy to report, I'll let you know." Or when I remembered to ask for an update. Whichever came first.

"Did you check her cell records?" Derek asked

"Yes."

"Any men calling her?"

"No." Unless he wanted to count Dr. Steingarden.

"Any suspicious activity?"

"None."

He grunted. You'd think the guy would be a little bit happier to hear that his girlfriend
hadn't
done anything suspicious. Instead he muttered a "Keep digging" and hung up.

I slipped my phone into my purse and turned back to Maya.

"Derek's looking for an update. How did it go with Elaine last night?" I asked.

She glanced up from her monitor and leaned back in her chair. The look on her face told me something was up. Gosh, I hoped I wasn't about to eat my words.

"Well, I'm not sure you're going to like this…"

Uh-oh. "What?"

"Well, Mom was sort of obvious in her spying. Like, she was hovering over Elaine's shoulder all evening."

"And?" I asked, fearing there was more.

"And, Elaine finally asked what was up, and Mom kinda told a small fib."

I narrowed my eyes. "How small?"

"She said she had a single cousin, and Elaine was just his type."

"And what did Elaine answer?"

Maya cleared her throat. "She laughed and said she was already seeing someone."

Well, that was a relief. Of course, Elaine hadn't mentioned whether that someone was Derek or her possible man on the side.

"After that Mom and Elaine got to talking and, well, they kinda got friendly. So friendly that Elaine's going out with Mom and the girls somewhere tonight."