Distortion Control (A Makayla Rose Mystery Book 3) (3 page)

Chapter Three

The next morning, I left my apartment in a rush to get to the office. With the weather turning cooler, I determined to take my car even though my studio lay just one mile from my apartment complex. I didn’t relish the bite of the North Carolina wind as I traveled along Main Street. Never mind that my old vehicle refused to start, so foot energy would have to do.

As I had done the day before, I passed the street where the used bookstore lay, but this time, I ventured down to have a look. While my heart knew I wouldn’t see Inna behind the desk, dressed in an outfit designed to shock, her feet atop the desk, I must have expected her anyway. Instead, Randall, a boy who had gone to high school with Inna, sat in her place. For a moment, resentment rose at seeing him there.

Randall had been the one to take over Inna’s position at The Donut Hole when she couldn’t work during the mornings. Now here he was, again seeming to follow in her footsteps. My annoyance held no rationality, but it existed all the same.

Turning before Randall spotted me, I retraced my steps to the road that ran East and West through Briney Creek, and soon I arrived at my studio. As was my new habit, I paused outside the door and peeked through the blinds. I’m sure anyone looking on would think I was insane, but they wouldn’t question it if they knew my history.

I suppose I should just move to a new location given my trepidation with this property. However, that would mean giving up my choice location across from Peony’s bakery. If you know nothing of Makayla Rose, at least learn her basic needs.

Since I had overindulged at Edna’s the day before, I declared today a diet day. That meant no morning donuts, even if it did have to come from Zekey’s rather than Peony’s until she reopened. I willed the days to pass until February.

Deciding it was safe to enter the studio and that I wouldn’t find a body, I unlocked the door and walked inside. I had just forty minutes before my first client arrived, and there were several props I needed in place to take the photos, not to mention ensuring the temperature was just right for a newborn.

I booted up my computer and turned on soft music to play over the speakers a technician had installed. Decaf coffee waited for the new mama, in case she was breastfeeding. Regular for me sans the pastry. The hot beverage just wasn’t the same even if it did give me a zing of energy.

With my back to the entrance as I arranged a powder blue blanket, it took the jingle of the bell over the door to alert me that someone had entered. She was early. I swung to face the door and froze. Sunlight cast the man in shadow, but the form and height arrested my attention. He stepped forward and flashed a sardonic smile, a look of interest in the silver eyes.

“Spencer, when did you—?” I gaped, my mouth falling open. This wasn’t Spencer, but he was a dead ringer for my former lover. As he walked farther away from the door and closer to me, I noted the differences. Oh, he could pass for Spencer’s twin, but this man appeared to be a few years older, probably less than five though. He was as tall and just as well built. If I didn’t already have the hots for Spencer, I might be tempted. There was no mistaking Spencer’s brother. “You’re not…”

His smile turned into a charming smirk. “Ashton Norwood, but you can call me Ash. I assume you’re referring to my little brother, Spencer. We used to get that a lot.”

“Little brother, huh?”

He held up three fingers as if I wouldn’t understand with the words alone. “Three years.”

“It’s good to meet you, Ash. I’m Makayla Rose.”

“The beautiful Makayla. You look exactly as I pictured you.”

“Oh? Did you know about me?” He had more knowledge than I had because Spencer had spoken little about his family. All I knew was that he had an ex-wife, two brothers, one sister, and that his parents had passed away. As I listed it in my head, I realized I knew a little more than I thought, but definitely not names.

“From my own investigation,” Ash admitted. “My brother is very closed-lipped about most things, especially his love life.”

I coughed. “We’re not… I mean…” I was really putting together my words well since meeting Ash. I imagined he would return home to tell the others Spencer was in North Carolina dating a mentally challenged woman. My cheeks burned as I thought this because I could also imagine the Norwoods descending en masse to rescue said wayward brother.

“You’re not together?” Ash asked. He tilted his head, studying me. I tried to resist shifting beneath the scrutiny, but his affect wasn’t so far from that of his brother. Aside from the handsome resemblance, Ash’s demeanor disturbed me, the way he seemed to find everything I said and did amusing. “That’s not what my intel tells me.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Well your intel is wrong and too gossipy, which doesn’t surprise me given this town. Wait, don’t tell me you’re in law enforcement, too.”

He gave a little humble bow, which didn’t fool me for a second. Ashton Norwood came across to me as anything but humble. “I am, and when we learned about my brother’s trouble, it was decided that I would come down to see what I could do to help.”

“How did you hear? I suppose Pete called as a part of his investigation.”

Ash frowned. “Pete. That might have been his name.”

I doubted Ash forgot who had contacted him.

“The fact remains Spencer didn’t. I’m pretty sure he asked you not to contact his family.”

“Something like that,” I admitted. “He wanted me to look into it.”

“You?” Ash frowned and scanned my studio for the first time. With all the professional photographs on the walls and the equipment, not to mention the set I had waiting for the arrival of baby and mama, it was obvious what my line of work involved. “Why would he ask an inexperienced woman to investigate a murder?”

I huffed and drew myself straighter. “I’m not inexperienced. Not completely.” I refused to go into my stumbling attempts in the past even if they did lead to helping the police to resolve a couple of cases. Sort of. Mentioning my past in New York was also off limits. “Besides, I was kidnapped, and Spencer was blamed for it. I
will
find out the truth.”

Ash’s gaze narrowed on me, and a slow smile spread over his lips. “You’re worried it was him.”

“That’s absurd!”

His long stride put him before me in a heartbeat, and he raised one of my hands and flipped it palm up as if he would kiss the center. I struggled to get free, but his grip tightened. He paused, and the silver eyes locked with mine. “Don’t worry. Spencer didn’t do it. I can guarantee you that. However, if you insist on doubting him, you can always forget about him and give me a try.”

I wrenched my hand free of his hold. “No thank you.”

Ash chuckled. “You’re cruel, Maka.”

“Makayla,”
I emphasized.

He just continued to grin. “Well, I’ll help you investigate.”

I spun away from him to face my computer. “Pete will let you visit Spencer, and then I’m sure you have to get back home to Virginia.”

I felt the heat from Ash’s proximity and ducked out of reach. He sighed in disappointment and then grew more serious than he had been from the moment he stepped through the door. “I’m taking some time off from work, so I’ll be here until my brother’s name is cleared.”

I faced him and leaned on the edge of my desk. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I said despite his flirting from earlier. “I didn’t know where to start, and having an experienced officer of the law would be a big help.”

Ash’s gaze swept me from head to toe, and that persuasive smile resurfaced. I wondered if it was ever far from his face or if he turned off the charm. The worse part was that he behaved as if I were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Understand that I was never the belle of the ball. I didn’t have men flocking to date me. The decision I had made not long ago to sign up with a dating site had taken me literally years to come to. Now here was Ash looking at me as if I were on the menu. Maybe he toyed with me, but I am a woman. I liked the attention.

“For you, Makayla, I will have this wrapped up in a jiffy.”

“Never mind your brother?” My normal snarky attitude shined through no matter how sexy the man.

Ash ignored the question. “Let’s go to lunch to discuss the case. You’ll have details I didn’t get from my—”

“Nosing around?”

He grinned. “My treat. What’s a good restaurant in town?”

I gave in. He was a lot like Spencer in not divulging information he didn’t care to share. Rather than let it irritate me, I considered how to get him to trade. “Zekey’s is good. I’ll meet you there at noon.”

“Uh, what about now?”

I walked to the door and pulled it open, waiting for him to leave the spot I’d left him. “Right now, I have clients coming, and before you ask. No, you can’t stay and wait. Thank you for stopping by, Ash.”

He stood still for a beat and then strolled toward me. “You’re going to be fun getting to know. I see why he cares about you. Not like
her
at all.”

His words brought me up short. I didn’t like being compared to anyone else, and I knew right away who the “her” was he referred to—Penelope. Worse, I had seen her for myself, and I didn’t compare to the beauty that Penelope was. Not to mention that Spencer had said when we started seeing each other that he still cared about Penelope and that he couldn’t be sure he would ever love me. Now she was gone, a surefire way to immortalize her in his heart.

I gritted my teeth. “I’ll thank you not to compare me to anyone.”

“Feisty.” He leaned in closer to me, and I had to resist stumbling back. “You say you broke it off with my brother?”

I gave a small guilty nod. I wasn’t the one who ended it.

“Then let’s have some fun together while we get him off.”

I gave the big man a hearty thrust out the door and shut it before he could say another word. Half expecting him to come back in, I leaned on the door and worked to calm my racing heart. Ash would be a handful to deal with, but I wouldn’t let it interfere with me learning what really happened.

* * * *

When I walked into Zekey’s at ten minutes after twelve, several voices rang out in greeting. I waved to Edna and her group. Talia at the same table, sitting beside Ollie, her fiancé, glared at me but nodded a greeting. I gave her a bright smile. Lately, Talia had been spending at least half her evenings at Ollie’s apartment in the assisted living complex a few blocks from my place, which allowed my ears a break from Talia blasting her terrible music. One would think she was a teenager with her habits.

I scanned the restaurant to find Ash had arrived before me. He stood near another empty table with Susan Aston in a clingy purple sweater dress preening for him. I blinked in surprise. Everyone knew Susan, newly widowed, was dating her lawyer and having her nose jammed in the air most of the time meant she didn’t lower herself to visit Zekey’s.

Before I could start forward, Talia appeared at my elbow. I blinked at her dress, the design of which was an endless cluster of oranges. The color was enough for any outfit, but to have the fruit all over, seemed a bit much. Nevertheless, I was used to such outrageous ensembles. I focused instead on her words. “Ollie says she broke up with the lawyer. She’s looking for a new man to do her bidding, and he doesn’t have to be rich since she got Alvin’s money.”

I frowned. “Don’t be mean, Talia. It hasn’t been so long since her husband passed.”

Talia pointed a bony finger at Susan, not caring in the least that Susan noticed. “Does that look like mourning to you? She’ll be the next Norwood, I bet. Those Norwood men like their wives rich.”

A cold chill raced down my back, and I clamped my teeth together. Talia looked directly at me. She knew the dig she was making at Spencer, whose ex-wife had been rich. Sometimes I thought she was just misunderstood, and then there were times like this.

“Neither Spencer nor Ash are any of yours or Ollie’s business, Talia. Don’t let me keep you from your friends.”

I started past her, but she muttered, “Calling him Ash already? You do move fast, Makayla Rose.” The cackle she let out as she weaved her way through the tables raised my ire, and I kept moving.

“Ash, I’m sorry I’m late,” I said with a smile and glanced at Susan. “Susan, you’re looking well. How are you?”

“Hello, Makayla.” She eyed me, and I felt she judged the quality of my clothing, but I was used to Susan’s superior attitude and wasn’t bothered by it. “I didn’t realize Ashton waited for anyone.”

Ash grinned at Susan and touched her shoulder. “You’re a tease, Susan. I told you I was waiting for Makayla.”

She simpered. “You like it. Well, I’ll let you get to your…date. Call me.”

“I will,” he said and watched her walk away.

I flopped into my seat across from him. “You call her a tease.
You
are a flirt.”

He laid a hand over his chest. “My heart is reserved for you, Makayla. All you have to do is say the word.”

“We just met, and I have the feeling you are only interested in me because I was seeing your brother.”

He sat down and grabbed a menu. “That would imply I was in competition with him. Too cliché. Besides, he’s the younger brother.
He
should emulate
me
.”