money. Did what's-her-name wipe you out? Are you having cash-flow problems? Is there something you need to ask me?"
Audie watched the superiority drain from her brother's expression. She observed how his entire body tensed. "You cannot possibly be suggesting that I wrote those letters," he hissed.
She tried to feel nothing, but the anger, sadness, and, yes, fear were boiling to the surface, and she felt herself tremble.
"I think you'd better leave," he said.
She turned into the foyer and headed for the door. Her shaking hand reached for the brass latch.
She heard Drew's voice echo through the huge rooms. "Make it Sunday instead, would you? I'm sailing down to the yacht club for a party Friday and may not get back until late the next day!"
Audie slammed the door behind her, got into her car, and turned south onto
Sheridan Road
. She watched her childhood home disappear behind her in the rearview mirror, right above the words "objects are larger than they appear."
And brothers weirder.
"Oh, hell."
She'd forgotten the brownies.
----
Chapter 5
« ^ »
S tanny-O was obviously thrilled that Audie let him behind the wheel of the Porsche that night. Though his knees were nearly in his nostrils, it didn't seem to detract from the driving experience.
"What year is this beauty?" he asked, pulling into the southbound lanes of
Lake Shore Drive
.
"A '96." Audie unwrapped her shin guards and fluffed out her hair. "Helen had the dealer custom-paint it this lovely champagne pink. It's your color, Stan."
"Baby, don't I know it," he said, shifting up and taking the curve a bit too fast.
"Hey, careful. There's always a cop waiting for speeders up here to the right."
He shot her a toothy grin framed in goatee and kicked up the speed.
"You're bad, Detective," she said, laughing. They drove for a few moments in friendly silence. During the past week, Audie had come to enjoy Stanny-O's shy, earthy personality. They frequently argued about Cubs statistics and Chicago politics and listened to loud rock and roll on the car radio. They went out to Baccino's for deep-dish pizza one night. And another night they went to a movie, and tonight he escorted her to her game. She felt safe with him.
"Hey, listen, Audie. I'm supposed to tell you that I'll be hanging out with you for the next couple of days at least. Quinn's still got a bunch of other stuff he needs to do."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean you're supposed to tell me? Did Quinn ask you to say that? He's hiding from me, isn't he?"
"No! No! That's not what I meant. Ah, shit." Stanny-O looked over at her a bit nervously. "Look. He's busy with work, that's all. Our commander told us to make your case a priority, but we had to clear up a whole bunch of other cases, that's all. Quinn told me to explain that to you and tell you he'd see you soon."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Audie stuck her hand out into the summer night wind and inhaled the lake air. "Does Quinn hit on women a lot?"
Stanny-O's head spun around. "What? God, no. Not at all." He grinned again. "He don't have to."
Audie laughed. "No, I imagine he doesn't," she said softly. "Has he had a lot of girlfriends?"
Stanny-O adjusted himself in the leather seat. "That's the kind of thing you'll need to ask him about, OK? It's not my place."
"Fair enough."
"But not many. He's picky. The last one lasted about three years. I always assumed they'd get married, but she broke it off with him."
"Really?" Audie tried to hide her smile.
"She ran off to Miami with another guy."
"Oh."
They were quiet for a moment, and Audie leaned back against the headrest to watch the endless geometric blocks of light pass by, buildings clustered along the lakefront shoulder to shoulder in the night sky. "He's a good man, isn't he?"
"Quinn? Yes, he's a good man." Stanny-O looked a bit surprised by her question. "And a good cop. Why did you ask that?"
Audie shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure him out, I guess. Is he always so
Audie watched the superiority drain from her brother's expression. She observed how his entire body tensed. "You cannot possibly be suggesting that I wrote those letters," he hissed.
She tried to feel nothing, but the anger, sadness, and, yes, fear were boiling to the surface, and she felt herself tremble.
"I think you'd better leave," he said.
She turned into the foyer and headed for the door. Her shaking hand reached for the brass latch.
She heard Drew's voice echo through the huge rooms. "Make it Sunday instead, would you? I'm sailing down to the yacht club for a party Friday and may not get back until late the next day!"
Audie slammed the door behind her, got into her car, and turned south onto
Sheridan Road
. She watched her childhood home disappear behind her in the rearview mirror, right above the words "objects are larger than they appear."
And brothers weirder.
"Oh, hell."
She'd forgotten the brownies.
----
Chapter 5
« ^ »
S tanny-O was obviously thrilled that Audie let him behind the wheel of the Porsche that night. Though his knees were nearly in his nostrils, it didn't seem to detract from the driving experience.
"What year is this beauty?" he asked, pulling into the southbound lanes of
Lake Shore Drive
.
"A '96." Audie unwrapped her shin guards and fluffed out her hair. "Helen had the dealer custom-paint it this lovely champagne pink. It's your color, Stan."
"Baby, don't I know it," he said, shifting up and taking the curve a bit too fast.
"Hey, careful. There's always a cop waiting for speeders up here to the right."
He shot her a toothy grin framed in goatee and kicked up the speed.
"You're bad, Detective," she said, laughing. They drove for a few moments in friendly silence. During the past week, Audie had come to enjoy Stanny-O's shy, earthy personality. They frequently argued about Cubs statistics and Chicago politics and listened to loud rock and roll on the car radio. They went out to Baccino's for deep-dish pizza one night. And another night they went to a movie, and tonight he escorted her to her game. She felt safe with him.
"Hey, listen, Audie. I'm supposed to tell you that I'll be hanging out with you for the next couple of days at least. Quinn's still got a bunch of other stuff he needs to do."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean you're supposed to tell me? Did Quinn ask you to say that? He's hiding from me, isn't he?"
"No! No! That's not what I meant. Ah, shit." Stanny-O looked over at her a bit nervously. "Look. He's busy with work, that's all. Our commander told us to make your case a priority, but we had to clear up a whole bunch of other cases, that's all. Quinn told me to explain that to you and tell you he'd see you soon."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Audie stuck her hand out into the summer night wind and inhaled the lake air. "Does Quinn hit on women a lot?"
Stanny-O's head spun around. "What? God, no. Not at all." He grinned again. "He don't have to."
Audie laughed. "No, I imagine he doesn't," she said softly. "Has he had a lot of girlfriends?"
Stanny-O adjusted himself in the leather seat. "That's the kind of thing you'll need to ask him about, OK? It's not my place."
"Fair enough."
"But not many. He's picky. The last one lasted about three years. I always assumed they'd get married, but she broke it off with him."
"Really?" Audie tried to hide her smile.
"She ran off to Miami with another guy."
"Oh."
They were quiet for a moment, and Audie leaned back against the headrest to watch the endless geometric blocks of light pass by, buildings clustered along the lakefront shoulder to shoulder in the night sky. "He's a good man, isn't he?"
"Quinn? Yes, he's a good man." Stanny-O looked a bit surprised by her question. "And a good cop. Why did you ask that?"
Audie shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure him out, I guess. Is he always so
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