that lucky . The mindless busy-work calmed me down a bit though, and by the time Anna rolled up outside the house, I felt almost normal again.
“You look better,” she told me when I answered the door.
Funny, I feel worse . “We ready to go?” I asked gruffly, trying not to look directly at her. It was hard. I could smell her fruity perfume, more aware of it than I’d ever been before.
“Yeah, all set.” She looked at me curiously. “What’s wrong, Ethan?”
I didn’t answer, just tossed Mutt a chewy bone to keep him occupied, and locked the front door. I didn’t trust myself to speak, and didn’t trust the Voice not to use my mouth to say something appalling. So I followed her to her car in silence, trying to ignore the odd looks she kept shooting me over her shoulder.
When we were safely strapped in, she turned to me, fixing me with her best detective stare. “What’s wrong?” she demanded.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me, and we’re not going anywhere until you do. If you’re withholding evidence from me...”
I risked a glance at her. Her blue eyes looked serious, her lips pressed into a thin line. For a second I imagined kissing her, grabbing her ponytail and forcing her mouth to mine. I shuddered and pushed the image away. “I’m going through some weird shit, Anna,” I told her frankly. I could have lied, and she’d know and keep poking at it until I lost my temper. I didn’t want to lose my temper. I didn’t know what might happen, me on a hair-trigger like this, and the Voice so pissed off with me.
She softened a little. “Anything I can help with?”
“No.” I folded my arms and glared at the road. “We moving or what?”
She sighed and put the car into gear, pulling away from my house. I had a last glimpse of Mutt watching through the living room window before we turned away. Off to give Baxter the good news, his girlfriend cheated on him with an incubus and turned to prostitution when her sex addiction got out of hand. I didn’t see it going down well.
* * * *
It didn’t. I may as well have thrown in some insults about his mother too. He sat across from me and Anna in the Coburg, nursing a bottle of beer and looking like he might smash it over my head any second.
“Rhian did not cheat on me.” He said it with utter authority, like it was an immutable fact that the entire foundation of his life rested on. I guess it could have been. “She would never have cheated on me.”
“Mr. Baxter, I spoke to her…” I hesitated, searching my limited vocabulary for the right word. Lover? Beau? Paramour ? “I spoke to Rhian’s boss at Hush,” I said finally. “He was very clear on the matter.”
“How the hell would he know?” Baxter snapped.
If he wasn’t going to pick up the obvious, I wasn’t going to clue him in. The last thing I wanted was Baxter storming down to Hush to slug it out with Moss. Although I guess it might be kind of funny. “Look, you asked me to find out how she ended up at Hush, I’m telling you what I found out. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to pay me for it.” I drained the last of my beer. “I don’t know if we agreed on a fee, but—”
“Ethan!” Anna shot me a warning glare.
I wasn’t being nice enough. I frowned back at her and leaned back in my seat, folding my arms. Fine. She can play with the banker .
She leaned forwards, and her face softened into what I thought of as her sympathetic cop face, still business-like, but with compassion in her eyes and a sad smile on her lips. “Mr. Baxter, we understand how upsetting this must be, with everything else you’ve learned recently, but Rhian did have an affair.”
Baxter stared down at his beer and swallowed hard. I watched disbelief, grief, and rage flicker across his face, watched his hands clench into fists. The Voice inhaled all that pain, lapping it up, waiting for more.
“Did he kill her?”
“You look better,” she told me when I answered the door.
Funny, I feel worse . “We ready to go?” I asked gruffly, trying not to look directly at her. It was hard. I could smell her fruity perfume, more aware of it than I’d ever been before.
“Yeah, all set.” She looked at me curiously. “What’s wrong, Ethan?”
I didn’t answer, just tossed Mutt a chewy bone to keep him occupied, and locked the front door. I didn’t trust myself to speak, and didn’t trust the Voice not to use my mouth to say something appalling. So I followed her to her car in silence, trying to ignore the odd looks she kept shooting me over her shoulder.
When we were safely strapped in, she turned to me, fixing me with her best detective stare. “What’s wrong?” she demanded.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me, and we’re not going anywhere until you do. If you’re withholding evidence from me...”
I risked a glance at her. Her blue eyes looked serious, her lips pressed into a thin line. For a second I imagined kissing her, grabbing her ponytail and forcing her mouth to mine. I shuddered and pushed the image away. “I’m going through some weird shit, Anna,” I told her frankly. I could have lied, and she’d know and keep poking at it until I lost my temper. I didn’t want to lose my temper. I didn’t know what might happen, me on a hair-trigger like this, and the Voice so pissed off with me.
She softened a little. “Anything I can help with?”
“No.” I folded my arms and glared at the road. “We moving or what?”
She sighed and put the car into gear, pulling away from my house. I had a last glimpse of Mutt watching through the living room window before we turned away. Off to give Baxter the good news, his girlfriend cheated on him with an incubus and turned to prostitution when her sex addiction got out of hand. I didn’t see it going down well.
* * * *
It didn’t. I may as well have thrown in some insults about his mother too. He sat across from me and Anna in the Coburg, nursing a bottle of beer and looking like he might smash it over my head any second.
“Rhian did not cheat on me.” He said it with utter authority, like it was an immutable fact that the entire foundation of his life rested on. I guess it could have been. “She would never have cheated on me.”
“Mr. Baxter, I spoke to her…” I hesitated, searching my limited vocabulary for the right word. Lover? Beau? Paramour ? “I spoke to Rhian’s boss at Hush,” I said finally. “He was very clear on the matter.”
“How the hell would he know?” Baxter snapped.
If he wasn’t going to pick up the obvious, I wasn’t going to clue him in. The last thing I wanted was Baxter storming down to Hush to slug it out with Moss. Although I guess it might be kind of funny. “Look, you asked me to find out how she ended up at Hush, I’m telling you what I found out. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to pay me for it.” I drained the last of my beer. “I don’t know if we agreed on a fee, but—”
“Ethan!” Anna shot me a warning glare.
I wasn’t being nice enough. I frowned back at her and leaned back in my seat, folding my arms. Fine. She can play with the banker .
She leaned forwards, and her face softened into what I thought of as her sympathetic cop face, still business-like, but with compassion in her eyes and a sad smile on her lips. “Mr. Baxter, we understand how upsetting this must be, with everything else you’ve learned recently, but Rhian did have an affair.”
Baxter stared down at his beer and swallowed hard. I watched disbelief, grief, and rage flicker across his face, watched his hands clench into fists. The Voice inhaled all that pain, lapping it up, waiting for more.
“Did he kill her?”
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