She didn’t return the greeting. “I repeat, what’s she doing here?”
“Helping,” Patti answered. “Be nice.”
Stacy fought back a grin. Patti sounded like a scolding mother.
The young woman glared. “Helping? You thought I was full of shit, remember?”
“Maybe now I think you’re not as full of it as before.”
“Gee, thanks.” She shuffled to the fridge, opened it and retrieved a Coke.
Stacy turned back to Patti. “Any sign of the Artist yet?”
“No. Not since Yvette moved in here. Almost a week.”
“One big thing’s changed,” Stacy said.
Patti nodded. “She’s not in her apartment.”
“Exactly. I’ve got a plan. Yvette moves back into her apartment. With a roommate. A friend she made at the Hustle.”
Yvette popped the can’s top. “I suppose you have someone in mind?”
“A cocktail waitress named Brandi.”
“No way.”
“I don’t really think this is up to you.”
The younger woman jerked her chin up. “That’s where you’re wrong. It is most definitely up to me.”
“As I understand it,” Stacy said softly, “you’re in it for the money. Throwing me into the mix doesn’t change that.”
Her face flooded with angry color. “I can change my mind if I want. And I will.”
Patti stepped between them. “I agree with Yvette. Thanks for the offer, but I’m not going to jeopardize your career.”
“I appreciate your concern, but the department has no say in where I live. Or how I spend my off hours.”
That wasn’t quite true. NOPD officers had a code of conduct to live by, but what she was proposing was neither illegal nor would it dishonor her badge.
“I’ll have a gun,” Stacy continued. “And a badge. He won’t be able to resist paying another midnight visit. When he does, I take him down.”
“Spencer will have my hide,” Patti said.
Yvette’s jaw dropped. “You’re not actually consid-”
Stacy cut her off. “He’ll get over it. What do you think?”
“I’m thinking I’ve got to be crazy, but it just might work.”
50
Monday, May 14, 2007
5:45 p.m.
Stacy packed enough of her things to make her move-in look authentic. Making frequent trips back to the Riverbend house might arouse suspicion. The Artist could be watching Yvette’s building. Hell, he could be one of her neighbors.
She, Patti and Yvette had planned it all out. Brandi would move in tonight. Stacy had instructed Yvette to make a big deal out of it. Tell everyone that she had been staying with a friend because she was so freaked out about what happened to Miss Alma and Samson.
Tell them that’s the reason for a roommate. Introduce Brandi around. Make it look normal.
Yvette hadn’t been happy, but they hadn’t given her an option. This was the new deal. Period.
“Something you want to tell me, Killian?”
Spencer.
She looked over her shoulder at him. Dual-purpose move. This would give them a little time and space. To sort it out. Decide what they wanted.
She forced a carefree smile. “Hi, hon.”
“You never call me that.”
She didn’t. Damn. “I have news.”
His gaze slid to the suitcases. “Apparently.”
“I’ve found a temporary place to live.”
“Good thing I came home when I did.”
“I wasn’t going to leave without telling you.”
“Right.” He slipped his hands into his pockets. “That’s the way it looks.”
“It’s work-related. But it’ll give us some breathing room. Test a separation.”
“Test a separation,” he repeated. “I think that’s all bullshit.”
“So we agree to disagree. Lots of couples do.”
“What’s the case?”
She hesitated. “I said work-related. Not necessarily an active case.”
“More bullshit, Stacy. What are you trying to hide?”
Trying not to rub salt in the wound. “I’m not hiding anything. Brandi’s back. She’s moving in with Yvette.”
At his shocked expression, she tipped her hands palms up. “I think there’s something there, Spencer.”
Quickly, before he could argue, she filled him in. She began with the crime lab calling, learning about the key, then how she had connected the dots and gone to Patti with her offer.
“Patti’s tossing away her career and you’re going to help? I can’t believe this.”
“There’s something there,” she said again. “And while I’m there, I can watch Patti’s back.”
“I know what’s there. A liar and a cheat. And a woman whose decisions are being motivated by grief. What’s your excuse?”
“What are you most upset about? The fact I think we need a break? Or that I’m buying into Yvette’s story?”
“This is ridiculous.”
“In your opinion.”
He left the room. She watched him go, then returned to her packing, half expecting to hear the front door slam and the Camaro roar to life.
She didn’t, and let out a shaky breath. Well, that had gone well.
Not.
She wanted to stay with him. But she wanted him to need her to stay. If he had made one real plea, shown a hint of real emotion, she would have let him know that.
But he hadn’t.
Which was symptomatic of their relationship.
She finished packing, then headed to the bathroom for her transformation. Fifteen minutes later, she went in search of Spencer. He sat on the front porch, drinking a beer.
She stepped outside. “Will you help me get my bags into the car?”
He laughed, the sound short and brutal. “Sure.”
He brought the suitcases out, loaded them into her Explorer, then shut the hatch.
“See you around, Killian.”
“Spencer, I-” She touched his arm. “I handled this badly. I’m sorry, I-”
He shook off her hand. “I have an answer to that question you asked me earlier. Truth is, I’m more upset about you helping Patti than you moving out.”
She took an involuntary step back, hurt to her core. Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked quickly against them. She would not allow him to see how deeply he had cut her.
“Right. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” She went around to the driver’s side and opened the door. “I’ll make arrangements for the rest of my stuff.”
“No hurry. Whenever.”
“Great.” She climbed into the vehicle. “See you around.”
“Absolutely.”
She started the Explorer and drove off. When she reached the end of the block, she glanced in the rearview mirror. He stood in the street, watching her go, expression set. Feeling as if she had a thousand-pound weight sitting on her chest, she drove on.
Stacy made it to Patti’s without incident, her cell phone tellingly silent. She had hoped he would think about what he had said, realize he hadn’t meant it and call her back.
As it stood now, they were through.
She pulled into the drive and climbed out. Patti was waiting. She looked anxious.
“Everything all right?” Patti asked.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”
The woman arched her eyebrows. “Name starts with an S-for stubborn.”
“It’s over.” She held up a hand to ward off any argument from the other woman. “He was more upset about my involvement in this than with my leaving.”
“That sounds like wounded male pride to me. I’m sure he’ll-”
Stacy cut her off. “It’s time for us to move on. And it’s been coming for a while.” She shifted the conversation to Yvette. “Is she ready?”
“Ready. But not happy.”
“Tough shit.”
“She’s really young,” Patti said softly. “She hasn’t had an easy life.”
“You actually like her?”
“I understand her.”