would have stayed like that for hours more, except they were awakened at what felt like the crack of dawn by a heavy pounding on the door.
They both came awake with a start. But while Roxxy was still trying to push through the fog to figure out what was going on, Andrew was already shoving her clothes at her.
“Put these on,” he mumbled. Then he re-buckled up his own jeans and cracked open the barn door.
“Sorry to bother you, boss,” she heard one of the ranch hands say.
Before he could finish, a pot-bellied man pushed past the hand and came storming into the barn.
“What’s this all about, Joe?” Andrew asked.
“You’re not dating my daughter anymore, Sinclair. You can call me Sheriff Thompson.”
He eyed Roxxy, who had just managed to get her shirt over her head and pull her jeans up, with obvious contempt. “So this is who you dumped her for?”
Andrew folded his arms. “I’m assuming you wouldn’t be on my ranch, in my town, unless you had a good reason, so I suggest you start talking now.”
“Well, we just found a dead body at the Ride ‘Em Cowboy Motel with a phone, a phone it seems you’ve called several times in the past few days.” Sherriff Thompson seemed almost gleeful when he said, “So I’m going to need you to come with me back to the station and answer some questions.”
CHAPTER 13
“ GUESS what I’m doing right now,” said the D.A. in lieu of a hello when he got on the phone. “I’m putting your name on a list. It’s a very special list, I’ve labeled, ‘The List of Idiots Who Are Obviously Looking to Get Killed Because They Refuse to Follow Instructions.’”
Roxxy pursed her lips. After her last scolding, it had taken her a while to drum up the nerve to call the D.A.’s office again, especially from the landline in her room. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that the dead body at the motel had something to do with Mr. Kass. “I wouldn’t be calling if it wasn’t important.”
“Let me guess, your host forgot to include lumps of sugar with the tea service,” the D.A. said.
“No, sir, it really is important this time. My host just got arrested by the Buellton police in connection with a dead body they found at the Ride ‘Em Cowboy Motel. I’m afraid the body might belong to him.”
The D.A. cursed. “Hold on.”
He put her on hold for a long time, over thirty minutes, but Roxxy stayed on the line. She was too anxious to let a long wait keep her from finding out what was going on. Still, she was almost ready to hang up and try calling back, when the D.A. abruptly came back on the line.
“Unfortunately, it looks like it was our guy,” he said, his voice considerably more grim than when he’d first answered the phone. “And it looks like he might have been poisoned. The local police found two cups of tea next to the microwave. But it was a brand we’d never heard of before, couldn’t even find it online. Something called ‘Ras Jonny’s Special Mix.’ Sound familiar?”
Roxxy gasped. “That’s the special tea Dexter makes for me. He gets it from a Jamaican herbalist in the Bronx where he lives.”
“So you think Dexter gave him the tea, maybe intending it for you to drink it? Or the both of you?”
Roxxy did remember overhearing Dex tell Mr. Kass that under no circumstance should she made to drink alone, but…“No! Dexter is my friend. One of my few true friends, he’d never—”
“I don’t have the stats in front of me, but do know how many stalking cases end up being completely anonymous. Very few. Usually it’s somebody close to the victim. Think about it. How much do you really know about this Dexter?”
She did think about it, and unfortunately she didn’t come up with much. She knew Dex was gay, but other than that, he was notoriously close-lipped about his private life, which he couldn’t have much of since he made himself available twenty-four-seven to act as her one-man security force.
The few questions he had answered
They both came awake with a start. But while Roxxy was still trying to push through the fog to figure out what was going on, Andrew was already shoving her clothes at her.
“Put these on,” he mumbled. Then he re-buckled up his own jeans and cracked open the barn door.
“Sorry to bother you, boss,” she heard one of the ranch hands say.
Before he could finish, a pot-bellied man pushed past the hand and came storming into the barn.
“What’s this all about, Joe?” Andrew asked.
“You’re not dating my daughter anymore, Sinclair. You can call me Sheriff Thompson.”
He eyed Roxxy, who had just managed to get her shirt over her head and pull her jeans up, with obvious contempt. “So this is who you dumped her for?”
Andrew folded his arms. “I’m assuming you wouldn’t be on my ranch, in my town, unless you had a good reason, so I suggest you start talking now.”
“Well, we just found a dead body at the Ride ‘Em Cowboy Motel with a phone, a phone it seems you’ve called several times in the past few days.” Sherriff Thompson seemed almost gleeful when he said, “So I’m going to need you to come with me back to the station and answer some questions.”
CHAPTER 13
“ GUESS what I’m doing right now,” said the D.A. in lieu of a hello when he got on the phone. “I’m putting your name on a list. It’s a very special list, I’ve labeled, ‘The List of Idiots Who Are Obviously Looking to Get Killed Because They Refuse to Follow Instructions.’”
Roxxy pursed her lips. After her last scolding, it had taken her a while to drum up the nerve to call the D.A.’s office again, especially from the landline in her room. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that the dead body at the motel had something to do with Mr. Kass. “I wouldn’t be calling if it wasn’t important.”
“Let me guess, your host forgot to include lumps of sugar with the tea service,” the D.A. said.
“No, sir, it really is important this time. My host just got arrested by the Buellton police in connection with a dead body they found at the Ride ‘Em Cowboy Motel. I’m afraid the body might belong to him.”
The D.A. cursed. “Hold on.”
He put her on hold for a long time, over thirty minutes, but Roxxy stayed on the line. She was too anxious to let a long wait keep her from finding out what was going on. Still, she was almost ready to hang up and try calling back, when the D.A. abruptly came back on the line.
“Unfortunately, it looks like it was our guy,” he said, his voice considerably more grim than when he’d first answered the phone. “And it looks like he might have been poisoned. The local police found two cups of tea next to the microwave. But it was a brand we’d never heard of before, couldn’t even find it online. Something called ‘Ras Jonny’s Special Mix.’ Sound familiar?”
Roxxy gasped. “That’s the special tea Dexter makes for me. He gets it from a Jamaican herbalist in the Bronx where he lives.”
“So you think Dexter gave him the tea, maybe intending it for you to drink it? Or the both of you?”
Roxxy did remember overhearing Dex tell Mr. Kass that under no circumstance should she made to drink alone, but…“No! Dexter is my friend. One of my few true friends, he’d never—”
“I don’t have the stats in front of me, but do know how many stalking cases end up being completely anonymous. Very few. Usually it’s somebody close to the victim. Think about it. How much do you really know about this Dexter?”
She did think about it, and unfortunately she didn’t come up with much. She knew Dex was gay, but other than that, he was notoriously close-lipped about his private life, which he couldn’t have much of since he made himself available twenty-four-seven to act as her one-man security force.
The few questions he had answered
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