Читать книгу Imminent Affair - Sheri WhiteFeather - Страница 10

Allie rode beside Daniel in his truck. That was another thing about him that had changed. He used to drive a simple white van, but he’d traded it in for a sleek black pickup with custom wheels and tires.

Allie had never liked the van, anyway. His new vehicle was much sexier. But so was he. Everything about him left her breathless. She glanced at his profile and got warm and tingly.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Why? Don’t I seem all right?”

“You’re fussing with your seat belt.”

Because the device seemed too tight across her Daniel-deprived body. One little kiss, one little oops, as Rex had put it, sounded darn good about now. “I’m okay.”

“Are you nervous about seeing Glynis?”

Allie glanced out the window. They’d just dropped off Sam at the veterinary clinic where she would be boarded, and now they were headed to Daniel’s old lover’s house.

“Are you?” he asked again.

“Yes,” she responded truthfully. She’d never expected to confront his ex again. She’d had enough run-ins with Glynis in the past to last a lifetime.

“I can take you back to my place,” he offered. “I can do this alone.”

“No way.” Allie wanted to see the other woman’s reaction firsthand. “I wonder if we’ll be able to tell if she’s the vandal, if she’ll give herself away.”

“That seems doubtful. From what you said about her, she sounds complex.”

“She is. I was hoping this would be easy, I guess.”

Daniel turned onto Ventura Boulevard, following the directions Allie had given him earlier. “Can you still paint magic pictures?”

The question caused her to widen her eyes. “Do you remember that about me?”

He shook his head. “You told me about it.”

“Oh, that’s right, I did.”

“Well, can you?”

“I don’t know.” Her experience with Raven had started with a portrait she’d painted of him. “I haven’t been involved in anything magical since then.”

“What about sensing the presence of ghosts? Can you still do that?”

Once again, she didn’t know. “I suppose I could if there was a ghost who insinuated itself into our lives.” Last time, both she and Daniel had made contact with ghosts, but her connection to the spiritual world had been stronger than his. “Why? Are you getting a ghostly vibe?”

“No, but I feel kind of sad.” He stared out the windshield. “And it feels like a memory.” He shot her a quick glance. “How bizarre is that?”

She sat up a little straighter, stretching her too-tight seat belt. “The doctor said you’d probably regain bits and pieces of your memory.”

“I know. But I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Tell me exactly what you’re feeling.”

“That someone who mattered to me died. Someone besides my mom.”

“A woman? A lover?”

“A teenage girl, I think. But the vandal isn’t a ghost. Whoever trashed your room was a real person. A ghost wouldn’t have picked the lock.”

She couldn’t imagine a ghost slashing her bedding with a knife or using blood-red paint, either. But Daniel’s sudden sadness gave her pause. “You should tell Rex.”

“I will. After all of the paranormal stuff that happened before, we can’t be too careful.”

“I agree.” She sighed, wondering if there really was a ghost in their midst. She didn’t feel anything, but maybe her supernatural skills were gone. Or maybe she only felt ghosts that were connected to her, and this one belonged to Daniel.

He drove the rest of the way without sparking another conversation, frowning at the road. Allie didn’t talk, either. She couldn’t think of anything pertinent to say.

Finally he turned onto Glynis’s street, and Allie directed him to her house. He parked at the curb.

“Is that her car?” he asked, pointing to the silver Mercedes in the circular driveway.

Allie nodded. Daniel’s former bedmate lived in a Tuscan estate in Studio City with a spectacular view. She had lots of money and lots of style. Women like Glynis Mitchell ruled the San Fernando Valley.

They took the flagstone path that led to the front door. Exotic plants bloomed in artfully tended flower beds and heart-shaped ivy crept along the building and up around the windows, where rustic shutters were drawn tight.

Allie rang the bell, and the housekeeper, a short, stout woman with graying hair, answered the summons and spurned them with a bitter look. She was fiercely loyal to her employer and had given Allie trouble before.

Daniel gazed at her as if she were supposed to be Glynis. “She doesn’t look like Bettie Page to me.”

Allie bit back a smile. He knew darn well that this snippy old broad wasn’t his former lover.

The housekeeper raised her eyebrows at him, but whether she was reacting to his smart-aleck remark or to the obvious changes in his appearance was unclear. “What do you two want?”

“We’d like to see Glynis,” Allie responded.

“Mrs. Mitchell is relaxing.”

With a martini, Allie thought. Oh, wait. Glynis favored a cocktail called Vampire’s Kiss. That was her drink of choice.

“We’re not going away,” Daniel said. “So you may as well tell her that we’re on her doorstep.”

The housekeeper stormed off in a huff.

She came back a few seconds later and pointed a crooked finger at Daniel, explaining why they were being allowed admittance. “Mrs. Mitchell is curious to see you.”

From there, she ushered them into the living room and said, “Wait here.”

Daniel glanced around, but Allie didn’t need to take in her surroundings. The house looked the same.

The décor presented mottled colors with terra cotta accents. The floors were brick, and the furniture was constructed of timeworn woods. Glynis’s late husband had collected Native American artifacts, and the stunning collection included tribal masks, baskets, pottery, small stone carvings and arrowheads. Strings of chevron beads, probably dating back to Christopher Columbus’s time, were displayed in glass cases.

Holiday decorations dazzled the interior, as well. An artificial Christmas tree shimmered with white lights and crystal ornaments.

“Well, now…” A luxuriously feminine voice sounded from the living room entryway.

Allie and Daniel spun around. There stood Glynis in all of her aging-siren glory. Her pinup-girl hairdo was perfectly coiffed with short rolled bangs and flowing, dark locks. She wore capri pants, high heels and a feather-trimmed blouse. Although she was in her early fifties, she had the figure of someone much, much younger. But didn’t most rich L.A. women? They bought themselves boobs, got liposuction if they gained an ounce of fat and did Pilates with private trainers.

Daniel stared at her, and she stared back at him.

Uncomfortable, Allie sucked in a silent breath.

Finally he said to Glynis, “I don’t remember you.”

“Yes, I heard that you had amnesia.” Her glossy red lips curved into a deliberate smile. “It’s been a long while since we dated, but I’d be glad to refresh your memory.”

“I’ll bet you would.” He kept his expression blank. “But my tastes have changed.”

“Oh, that’s right. You have a crush on Allie. I noticed it the last time I saw you together, before the amnesia and all that.” Glynis finally turned to face her rival. “Have you let him into your pants yet? Or are you still being a tease?”

Before Allie could respond, Daniel snapped at Glynis. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

The other woman kept her cool. “I guess that means she’s still being a tease. Poor boy. That’s what you get for falling for a witch.”

Allie came to her own defense. “I’m not a witch.”

“You’re not evil like your mother? I wonder if it’s possible to have those genes and not be just a little bit evil.”

Allie narrowed her eyes. Was Glynis the vandal? Was she behaving like a potential stalker? Or just a jealous old girlfriend?

“So what’s going on?” Glynis asked, switching tactics. “Why did you stop by?”

“To harass you,” Allie said in her drollest tone.

“Very funny. What for?”

“As if you don’t know.”

“Please, no games. Just tell me what this is about.”

“Someone broke into Allie’s loft and trashed her bedroom,” Daniel said.

Much too dramatic, Glynis clutched a hand to her blouse, ruffling the boa-type feathers. Her fingernails were as red as her lips. “And you think it was me?”

“It seems like a possibility.”

“I wouldn’t waste my time.”

“Wouldn’t you?” he challenged. “Not even for me?”

“No, dear boy. That isn’t my style. But feel free to give my regards to whoever did it.”

“Any idea who that could be?” Cynicism edged his voice. “Besides you?”

“If you’re asking me who else you slept with, I have no idea. You weren’t the type to kiss and tell. Speaking of kisses, why don’t we have a drink?”

He furrowed his brow. Apparently he wasn’t following Glynis’s logic. Allie was, but she remained silent.

He asked, “What do drinks have to do with kisses?”

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t remember. I have a Vampire’s Kiss every day. Sometimes you had one with me. But mostly you preferred Gin and Nothing.”

“I’ll have one of those.” He made a thought-provoking expression, as if he were delving into his own lost mind. “That’s still what I prefer.”

“Then there you go. Some things don’t change.” The dragon lady looked at Allie. “Would you like a drink, too?”

“I think I’ll pass.”

“Afraid I’ll poison it?”

Allie coined Daniel from earlier. “It seems like a possibility.”

Glynis rolled her elegantly lined eyes and proceeded to fix the cocktails. For herself, she used a recipe that consisted of vodka, cranberry juice, orange liqueur and fresh lime juice. For Daniel, she poured a jigger of gin over ice and added a twist of lemon peel.

He accepted the drink and made himself at home on the sofa. Allie figured he had a plan, but she wasn’t sure what it was. He patted the spot next to him, silently telling her to join him. She did, even if she wasn’t comfortable staying any longer than necessary.

Glynis sat across from them and sipped her Vampire’s Kiss. Ignoring Allie, she gazed at Daniel. “I can’t get over how different you look. How different you seem.”

The ice in his glass clinked, and he spoke above the Gin and Nothing sound. “Do you like me better this way?”

She crossed her legs, flashing her sexy high heels at him. “Would it matter if I did?”

He shrugged, then looked closely at her. “I think I do remember something about you.”

She squared her shoulders, lifting her bosom a bit higher. “You do?”

“I seem to recall your pretty handwriting.” He paused for effect. “Calligraphy.”

Aha, Allie thought. Daniel was trying to trap Glynis. They hadn’t told her that calligraphy had been used during the vandalism. If she reacted defensively, she would give herself away.

She didn’t get defensive. In fact, she stunned them by saying, “No, no, darling. That’s Margaret. She’s the one with the lovely penmanship.”

“Margaret?”

“My housekeeper.”

The bulldog who protected Glynis? Could she be the vandal? Had she done it for Glynis? Were they in on it together? And if they were, why was Glynis being so open about it?

Allie shot Daniel a quick glance. He seemed to be pondering the same questions.

Glynis popped up and walked over to an antique desk and opened the roll top. She returned with a fancy envelope. “Margaret is going to address these for me and mail them later today. See? She already put my return address in her calligraphy.”

Daniel took the sealed envelope. “What is this?”

“An invitation. I’m having a Christmas party. Oh, here’s a novel idea. Why don’t you come?” She turned to Allie. “You, too. Just think, you can stress all evening about me poisoning you. What fun that will be.”

Hardy har har. Glynis had a twisted sense of humor. Under different circumstances, Allie might have learned to like her.

Or not.

“We’ll think about it,” Allie said, wondering if the party had been arranged for her and Daniel’s benefit.

“Don’t think too long. You’ll need to RSVP.”

“We’ll let you know.” Daniel stood up.

“I do hope you’ll attend, darling boy. It was so very nice to see you.”

Glynis didn’t walk them out and neither did Margaret. Daniel and Allie left on their own, the invitation tucked safely into his pocket.

Daniel opened the truck door for Allie and watched her climb inside the vehicle. They didn’t discuss the situation, not until he got behind the wheel and started the engine.

“What do you think?” she asked.

That was a loaded question. His mind was crowded and confused, his thoughts clinging like cobwebs. “About Glynis? About Margaret’s calligraphy? About whether or not we should go to the party?”

“All of it. But start with Glynis.”

He pulled away from the curb. “I honestly don’t remember her. Nor does she seem like my type.” Which made his confusion that much greater.

“You don’t think she’s attractive?”

“It isn’t that.” Glynis Mitchell had a great body and fascinating sense of style, but she seemed cold and calculating. Not like Allie. He turned away from the windshield to glance at her. “I prefer softer women.”

“Maybe you used to like tough girls. I can be tough sometimes, and you used to like me.”

Daniel tried not to smile, to make light of her admission. She seemed to believe that her supposed toughness had drawn him to her. But he doubted that was the case.

She fumbled to explain. “Even Glynis commented on your attraction to me.”

He decided not to expound on that attraction, to discuss it beyond a few sentences. “I don’t trust Glynis. It was rude the way she flirted with me in front of you. Those poison remarks were deliberately bitchy, too.”

“Yes, but they seemed more humorous than threatening. Of course, who knows? I never could figure her out.”

“And now we’ve got Margaret thrown into the mix.”

“Yes, ugly old Margaret and her pretty calligraphy. Somehow I can’t see her being the vandal, not unless she did it for Glynis.”

He stopped at a red light. By now, they were in the middle of some fairly heavy traffic. “I’ll have Rex run a background check on Margaret, and I’ll give Detective Bell the party invitation, so the police can compare her handwriting to the calligraphy on your wall.”

“Good idea. We’ll wait to see what they say before we decide if we should attend the party.”

“I hope we don’t have to even consider it. I hope this case is solved before then.”

“Me, too.”

But how likely was that? Nothing was ever that easy, at least not for Daniel. Having amnesia was making his life seem like a crap shoot.

His cell phone rang and he answered it, using the hands-free device he kept in his car. “Hello?”

“It’s Rex.”

Before the other man could proceed, Daniel said, “You’ve got great timing. We just left Glynis’s. It’s possible that she’s the vandal. Her or her housekeeper.”

After they discussed what had happened at Glynis’s and Rex agreed that a background on Margaret seemed essential, the P.I. stated his business, the reason he’d called.

“I’d like you to meet me at your dad’s house tonight. I already spoke to him, and he revealed something about your past that could be pertinent.”

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“I think it’s something all of us should discuss together.”

“All of us?” Daniel assumed that meant Allie, too. Rex wasn’t on speaker, so she couldn’t hear everything that was being said, but it was enough to make her curious. He could sense her looking at him.

“Is that okay?” Rex asked.

“It’s fine.” His stomach went tight. “Will this discussion involve a girl from my past?”

“Yes, it will.”

He focused on the road, the tightness getting tighter. He didn’t dare glance at Allie. “A dead girl?”

Rex’s voice jumped. “How did you know that?”

“I just did.” Daniel wasn’t clairvoyant, but apparently his instincts were strong. “I was having sad feelings about her earlier.”

“Do you remember her?”

“No. Just the sadness. Is there a connection between her and the vandal?”

“I can’t say for sure, but there could be.”

It must be complicated, Daniel thought. If it wasn’t, Rex wouldn’t have requested a face-to-face meeting. “What time do you want us to meet you?”

“Around seven. Your dad offered to feed us.”

Daniel frowned. His old man would probably put on a pot of spaghetti and make a batch of cheese-loaded garlic bread. He would probably try to keep things homey. But maybe that would be less stressful for Allie. She liked gathering around a table. She liked the domestic stuff.

Daniel ended the call, and as soon as he hung up, he waited for her to comment on what she’d heard. She did, after about two beats of heart-thumping silence.

“Rex wants to talk to us about the dead girl,” she said.

He nodded. “Strange, isn’t it?” Daniel couldn’t decide if Rex’s timing was coincidence or fate.

“I hope this isn’t going to get creepy.”

“Me, too,” he responded, even though they both knew it was too late for that. It had proved creepy from the start, and it seemed to be getting worse.