take a boarder was a mystery. Nathan walked around the side of the garage and glanced through a dusty window. The Sunliner alone was worth at least a few years of what Alex probably paid in rent. But maybe the rich old bird liked the company.
Nathan hiked up the stairs noisily and wasn’t surprised when the curtain behind the glass pane shifted and Alex peeked out at him. Then the door swung open.
She fisted a hand on her hip as he looked her over. Sometime in the past three minutes, she’d changed into—God help him—blue satin pajama pants and a tight-fitting tank top.
He dragged his gaze back to her face. “Hi.”
Sighing, she ushered him inside and closed the door. “Excuse me while I fire my assistant.” She turned and pulled a cell phone from the purse sitting on the breakfast table.
Nathan caught her wrist. “She didn’t give me your address.”
“Then how’d you find me?”
He lifted an eyebrow. It hadn’t been easy. Alex had a vast array of privacy shields, and every bit of information he’d had on her linked back to her business address.
“I’m not kidding,” she said. “I need to know.”
“I used your pizza trick.”
She crossed her arms. “I never order pizza.”
“No, but you like Hunan Cafe.”
She rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. She jerked the fridge open and grabbed a Coke from the top shelf. A half-empty carton of Dos Equis sat on the shelf, too.
Nathan’s irritation returned. “Where have you been all day?”
A look of amused disbelief came over her face. “Out.”
“You didn’t answer your phone.”
“I was busy,” she said. “You want a drink?”
“No.”
She popped open the Coke and took a sip.
Nathan forced himself to let it go. How she spent her time was none of his business. Neither was her personal life. Or the fact that she kept her fridge stocked with beer she didn’t drink.
He turned his attention to the apartment. A flat-screen television sat on an empty bookcase opposite a striped blue sofa. The coffee table consisted of a scuffed black camp trunk. Cardboard boxes lined the far wall beneath a pair of windows, reminding him of her office the first time he’d seen it. The place looked as though she’d just moved in, but the Chinese restaurant had orders for her dating back two years.
“Don’t you ever unpack anything?” he asked.
“Not if I can help it. I like mobility.” She scraped back a wooden dining chair and sat down. A sliver of black lace peeked over the waistband of her pants, and Nathan’s imagination kicked into gear.
“So what’s going on?” she asked.
“Did Melanie Coghan have a boyfriend that you know of?”
Alex’s face paled. “You mean she’s… dead?”
“No.” He frowned. “At least, we don’t know that.”
“You said ‘did,’ as in past tense.”
“Okay, does she have a boyfriend? I need to know if she’s seeing someone. Someone here in Austin.”
Alex shook her head slowly. “She didn’t say anything. Not to me, anyway.”
“You think it’s possible?”
Alex watched him, wide-eyed. Gone was the snippy attitude. She was worried about Melanie.
“You mentioned she’d been taking trips to Austin,” he reminded her. “You think she was meeting somebody?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It would explain a few things. It would be incredibly stupid, though. What better way to piss off her husband than to come back here and have an affair, right under his nose?”
“I can’t think of one.”
Alex shook her head and muttered a curse.
“It’s not your fault,” he told her. “Whatever she was doing, she ignored your advice.”
Alex gazed up at him, her eyes wary. “What’s this about, anyway? What aren’t you telling me?”
“We recovered a floater from Lake Austin on Tuesday.”
Her eyes widened. “Was it—”
“Adult male. About five-ten, one-sixty. Dark hair. He sound familiar at all?”
“No.”
“We’re still working on an ID.” He stepped closer. “In the
Nathan hiked up the stairs noisily and wasn’t surprised when the curtain behind the glass pane shifted and Alex peeked out at him. Then the door swung open.
She fisted a hand on her hip as he looked her over. Sometime in the past three minutes, she’d changed into—God help him—blue satin pajama pants and a tight-fitting tank top.
He dragged his gaze back to her face. “Hi.”
Sighing, she ushered him inside and closed the door. “Excuse me while I fire my assistant.” She turned and pulled a cell phone from the purse sitting on the breakfast table.
Nathan caught her wrist. “She didn’t give me your address.”
“Then how’d you find me?”
He lifted an eyebrow. It hadn’t been easy. Alex had a vast array of privacy shields, and every bit of information he’d had on her linked back to her business address.
“I’m not kidding,” she said. “I need to know.”
“I used your pizza trick.”
She crossed her arms. “I never order pizza.”
“No, but you like Hunan Cafe.”
She rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. She jerked the fridge open and grabbed a Coke from the top shelf. A half-empty carton of Dos Equis sat on the shelf, too.
Nathan’s irritation returned. “Where have you been all day?”
A look of amused disbelief came over her face. “Out.”
“You didn’t answer your phone.”
“I was busy,” she said. “You want a drink?”
“No.”
She popped open the Coke and took a sip.
Nathan forced himself to let it go. How she spent her time was none of his business. Neither was her personal life. Or the fact that she kept her fridge stocked with beer she didn’t drink.
He turned his attention to the apartment. A flat-screen television sat on an empty bookcase opposite a striped blue sofa. The coffee table consisted of a scuffed black camp trunk. Cardboard boxes lined the far wall beneath a pair of windows, reminding him of her office the first time he’d seen it. The place looked as though she’d just moved in, but the Chinese restaurant had orders for her dating back two years.
“Don’t you ever unpack anything?” he asked.
“Not if I can help it. I like mobility.” She scraped back a wooden dining chair and sat down. A sliver of black lace peeked over the waistband of her pants, and Nathan’s imagination kicked into gear.
“So what’s going on?” she asked.
“Did Melanie Coghan have a boyfriend that you know of?”
Alex’s face paled. “You mean she’s… dead?”
“No.” He frowned. “At least, we don’t know that.”
“You said ‘did,’ as in past tense.”
“Okay, does she have a boyfriend? I need to know if she’s seeing someone. Someone here in Austin.”
Alex shook her head slowly. “She didn’t say anything. Not to me, anyway.”
“You think it’s possible?”
Alex watched him, wide-eyed. Gone was the snippy attitude. She was worried about Melanie.
“You mentioned she’d been taking trips to Austin,” he reminded her. “You think she was meeting somebody?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It would explain a few things. It would be incredibly stupid, though. What better way to piss off her husband than to come back here and have an affair, right under his nose?”
“I can’t think of one.”
Alex shook her head and muttered a curse.
“It’s not your fault,” he told her. “Whatever she was doing, she ignored your advice.”
Alex gazed up at him, her eyes wary. “What’s this about, anyway? What aren’t you telling me?”
“We recovered a floater from Lake Austin on Tuesday.”
Her eyes widened. “Was it—”
“Adult male. About five-ten, one-sixty. Dark hair. He sound familiar at all?”
“No.”
“We’re still working on an ID.” He stepped closer. “In the
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