Innocent intent, p.15
Innocent Intent, page 15
“Thank you,” she stated quietly, and Davis was quick to follow that thought.
“Don’t thank me just yet. My opinion could change pending what happens in there.”
“Right.”
Moments later, a woman came strolling down the block. She tugged at her coat, shaking away a chill caused by the crisp fall air. Davis and Cassidy both watched her intently, then Davis’s eyes lowered to his phone. Once they’d arrived, he’d spoken to the clerk after flashing his badge and asking questions about the owner of the PO Box. Cautiously, the clerk answered but refused to hand over the woman’s home address. He did agree to a compromise, which Davis suggested. Call Zoey and ask if she would come down to the store to pick up a package with the insistence that it had to be picked up that day.
When Davis’s phone vibrated with a call, he answered while Cassidy held her breath, listening.
“You sure that’s her? Okay, heading in now. Stall until I get there.”
Once he ended the call, Cassidy glanced at the store and then Davis. “That’s her?”
“Yeah, let’s go because I know there’s not a chance in hell you’ll wait for me out here, but let me do the talking.”
She nodded, reaching for the handle to release the door before he added, “I mean it, Cassidy. Let me handle this.”
“Okay.”
He offered a firm visual warning before they both got out of the car and headed into the store. He opened the door, allowing Cassidy in first. The minute they were inside, Cassidy opened her mouth, doing the opposite of what Davis had asked.
“It really is you. I mean, your hair is longer and has highlights, but it’s definitely you.”
“Christ, I thought we agreed to let me do the talking.” Davis stepped around Cassidy, approaching the woman. Her expression was laced with apprehension as her eyes bounced between the two strangers who now had her cornered.
“Do I know you?”
“No.”
“Yes.” When Cassidy’s voice followed Davis’s, he issued another warning look. She held her hands up in surrender and made a mental note to keep her mouth shut.
“Ms. Wright, I presume.”
“Yes. Who are you?”
“Detective Davis with Atlanta PD. I’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s okay.”
She glared at him. “Do I have to?”
Davis glanced at Cassidy to make sure she didn’t intervene and quietly shook his head. “No, you don’t, but I would appreciate it if you did. You’re not in any trouble, and the questions are about someone you know, not necessarily about you.”
“Atlanta PD. That means you don’t have jurisdiction here, right?”
Davis smirked and shrugged. “Depends on the situation. But for now, let’s just consider this officially unofficial.” His eyes subtly shifted to Cassidy before he continued. “I’d like to ask you about Niles Anderson.”
“Niles Anderson. I don’t know that name.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, why? Should I? Did he say he knows me?”
Cassidy spoke up. “Not exactly. Niles is dead now, so you’ll have to take our word for it, but you knew him or at least one of his aliases. Possibly not that one, but you had dinner with us years ago. You and your husband.”
Her expression revealed an overwhelming sense of irritation. “I’m not married, so that can’t be true.”
“Well, maybe not, but you pretended to be. To a guy named Jake.”
Recognition flashed on her face. She remembered.
“You’re the wife. That doctor he was engaged to.”
“Yes, that was me.”
“I remember now. He paid me five grand to pretend we knew him.”
“You and Jake?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t?”
“No. Never seen the guy before. He showed up at an acting class that Jake and I took evenings at a community college. Asked if we wanted to make some extra cash.” She shrugged. “I needed the money.”
“And you didn’t think about the consequences of lying to someone? Lying to me?” Cassidy screeched.
“What I was thinking about was that my rent was due. Seemed harmless. It was only dinner.”
“It wasn’t harmless,” Cassidy hissed, lunging forward. Davis managed to insert himself between the two women before Cassidy made matters worse.
“Was at the time. We didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no law against pretending to be someone you’re not. Right, Detective? We didn’t commit a crime.”
Davis shook his head. “No, you didn’t. However, you did help a criminal convince someone of a false identity where he committed a crime. More or less an accessory.”
It was a stretch but worth the threat if that got what he needed from her.
“Not my problem. He paid, and I played the part. I didn’t commit a crime.”
Cassidy scoffed. “Right, and rent got paid.”
“You’re damn right it did. And if you have a problem with that, take it up with him.” Zoey argued back defensively.
“Kind of hard to do. Did you miss the part where I said he’s no longer alive?” Cassidy muttered angrily.
She walked away, pushed through the glass door, and stormed back to the car. She leaned against the sedan, dropping her head back between her shoulder blades, inhaling deeply before she closed her eyes and repeated the process a few more times.
Not long after, Davis walked out of the shop and chirped the key fob to unlock the vehicle. Cassidy landed hard in the passenger seat while he filled the space behind the steering wheel.
“Not great with following orders, are you?” His narrowed stare landed on Cassidy, who didn’t meet his eyes and instead, chose to stare out the passenger window.
“You’ll have to excuse me for reacting poorly to a woman who willingly participated in conning me because her rent was due.”
Davis groaned as he started the car. “I never said I didn’t understand why you neglected to follow my orders. Only noting that you didn’t.”
Cassidy’s eyes shot across the car, and his were waiting. “So, now what?”
“Now, we go back to the hotel and eat something. Maybe even get a few drinks in you. After another dead end, I figured you deserve to unwind a little.”
“Right, because that was utterly pointless. And we’re still no closer to knowing who my husband was or who killed him. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“Yeah, it does, but seeing your reaction in there also further confirmed something for me.”
“Which is?”
“She’s the actor; you are not.”
Her brows pinched more. “Was I supposed to be?”
“No, and I was hoping you weren’t. Your reaction there was genuine and not that of a woman who has been plotting to kill her husband. More of a woman who was devastated to get confirmation that he had been conning her from the very beginning. If you had killed him, the anger would no longer be there. I believe that had you already played judge and jury and satisfied your need for retribution, your reaction there would have been a little less explosive.”
Cassidy smiled softly. “Explosive, huh?”
“Pretty much, but again, justified.”
“Good to know.”
“Now, what about dinner and those drinks?”
She shrugged. “Not like I have anything else to occupy my time now.”
“Looks like it’s a date then.” Davis winked at Cassidy, and she had to fight hard not to allow that one simple gesture make her to travel down a very dangerous road . . . one that led to Davis being her distraction and escape instead of those drinks he offered.
“Does your boss know that I’m here?”
Davis smiled behind a glass as he leaned back in his chair. “Would it matter?”
“Not really. Just curious to know how much of a rebel you truly are.”
Davis had presented the idea of traveling to New York. He told Cassidy that calling and trying to get the information they sought would be more difficult. Zoey would be less likely to cooperate via phone communication. Not that she had been willing in person. Cassidy insisted on going, and when Davis gave in, she covered her own expenses. The two had remained on the phone coordinating flights and hotel reservations. Although they sat side by side on the plane, their overnight stay would be in separate rooms.
“No.”
“Why didn’t you tell him I was accompanying you?”
“Wasn’t his business.”
She smiled widely. “Clearly, it is. I can’t imagine he’d be happy about you flying me out of state to help investigate a lead for a case where I’m a suspect.”
Davis smiled, and Cassidy both loved and disliked how disarming his smile had become to her senses. “Then problem solved. I didn’t fly you here, and you didn’t help me investigate anything. Quite the opposite, actually, seeing as how I had to do more damage control than investigating.”
She was midswallow of a hefty gulp of wine and sputtered a laugh that left her dangerously close to spraying their table with the expensive Merlot. “Don’t hold back now, Detective.”
He chuckled lightly, and the heavenly vibration settled into her bones. Or it could have possibly been the wine.
“I pride myself in being honest.”
“That you are. Which I appreciate, considering . . .”
That my husband lied to me for years.
“Can I ask you a question?” His expression turned serious, and she nodded.
“Fire away.”
Davis downed more of his drink before lowering the glass onto the table next to his empty plate, keeping his finger wrapped around the fine crystal.
“Why did you bury him?”
“Why not?”
A hard line formed between Davis’s brows. “I can think of plenty of reasons why not. The most important being that he conned you for years when you trusted him with your heart.”
A tight lump seized Cassidy’s throat, which she struggled to swallow, along with the very raw truth, before lifting a shoulder in a lazy shrug. “I can’t say why, really, other than I needed closure. Burying Niles allowed me the peace of mind to accept that I wasn’t okay and the space to move forward with my life so that I could eventually be. It’s important to embrace the past, and not having answers makes it that much worse, but at least I can have closure somewhat, you know.”
“I get it.”
“Do you?” Her eyes intently bored into his while she waited, seeing the truth before he spoke it.
“Yes, I do.”
“And what was it that you needed closure for, Nathaniel?”
His name on her tongue felt like sin, but sin of the best kind, so she embraced it, but the moment was interrupted by another woman’s voice shattering the lingering possibilities.
“Nathaniel, I thought that was you.”
17.
Davis lifted his eyes to the woman he hadn’t seen in a little over a year while thinking how insanely small the universe had to be for this very moment to exist.
“Stacy,” he greeted dryly before his eyes shifted to the right, where her husband stood protectively, peering at him. His body language almost made Davis offer reassurance that he didn’t have to fear competition for his wife. She was the last person he wanted in his life.
“I didn’t know you were in town.”
“Why would you? We don’t talk, Stacy.” Davis noticed how she cringed at the truth, but she quickly recovered, plastering on her fake smile. One he didn’t miss in the least.
“You’re right; we don’t. I suppose I meant I’m surprised to see you here. Didn’t think you’d find your way back to the city after you left so abruptly.”
Davis could feel Cassidy staring, and his mind quickly shifted to what she might have been thinking, watching the exchange between him and his ex. There was no doubt he’d have to explain later, but now he needed to get rid of his ex-fiancée and her insecure husband.
“Well, here I am.”
“Indeed you are.” Her eyes moved to Cassidy. “And who’s this?”
Warmth covered Davis’s hand, and when his eyes lowered, he found Cassidy’s delicate fingers layered over his before she answered, “A close friend. And who are you?”
“Nathaniel’s ex-fiancée, and I didn’t get your name.”
“Because I didn’t offer it to you.”
Davis chuckled at the snarky way Cassidy responded. He’d have to thank her for that later, if only for the way her reaction grated Stacy’s nerves.
“No, you didn’t, did you?” That fake smile was back.
“So, Davis, seems you’re not making any friends down there in Atlanta.”
His eyes shot up to Tony Samuels, who smiled smugly. “You been asking about me?”
“No, don’t have a reason to, also don’t care enough to invest the time in how you’re making out down there.”
“Then how would you know if I was making friends?”
“A couple of inquiries about you have been circulating. Seems your new team is curious about how you got along here. One just came through this morning from your chief. Mentioned you were an arrogant and nosy son of a bitch. The arrogant part I agreed with. I did tell him you never were the nosy type that I remembered. Maybe something about him got under your skin and had you putting your nose where it didn’t belong. You were always good at your job. Wouldn’t ever deny that.”
“I’m sure you could if given enough time.”
“You’re probably right. Well, we should get going. You two enjoy the rest of your evening.”
With a dip of his chin, he placed his hand on Stacy’s back and navigated her through the restaurant. Davis wasn’t surprised to see them in the same place. Although their dining choice for the evening was attached to their hotel, many locals enjoyed the food and frequented the place.
“Well, that was interesting.” Cassidy attempted humor, but Davis wasn’t in the mood. Not that he cared much about seeing Stacy, but he most certainly had an issue with his new colleagues reaching out to find information about his past in New York. Davis’s mood had shifted completely, and he was no longer interested in sharing a meal or company with anyone, even if it were Cassidy.
“I’m going to get the bill so we can head up. It’s getting late, and we have an early flight tomorrow.”
“Late?” She reared her head back in surprise. “It’s barely nine. I wouldn’t exactly call that late. Would you like to talk about the happy couple that just left? This abrupt ending to our evening seems to be attributed to the two of them.”
“Doesn’t have anything to do with them. Like I said—”
“Early flight. Got it.”
Davis flagged down the server and requested the bill, which he covered with cash before he and Cassidy made their way to the elevators and up to their floor. Their rooms were across from one another, so there was no way to avoid the tension-charged ride and silence that followed. Davis didn’t bother trying. Once they were at their doors, Cassidy hesitated. He noticed she kept peeking over her shoulder while he dug out a room key. She stopped him as soon as he held it to the magnetic lock, and the light flashed green.
“I don’t know what happened down there, but it really seems to be bothering you. It might help to talk about it.”
Davis glanced over his shoulder to find Cassidy with her back pressed against her room door. He turned and mirrored her position but crossed his legs at the ankle and slipped his hands into his pockets. He was still in his attire from earlier that day: slacks and a collared shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows.
Cassidy had elected to change out of her jeans, tee, and blazer into another pair of jeans and an oversized sweater, which hung off her shoulder. Davis couldn’t help but enjoy the visual of her soft brown skin, which taunted him. To the average person, they looked like any other people—but were anything but. He was a detective, and she was a suspect accused of killing her husband. He was investigating the case; she was navigating how to prove her innocence, and yet, at this very moment, their thoughts weren’t on any of those things. At least, Davis’s weren’t. He assumed her mind had also drifted based on the concern in her eyes as they fastened with his. This woman cared about his well-being. The one he’d just engaged downstairs only cared about imploding his happiness.
I’d have to be happy for her to do that.
“Well?” Cassidy pressed, pulling her lip between her teeth, worrying it a bit before she released it. “Want to talk about your ex?”
“Not particularly, but I will on one condition.”
Cassidy’s face tensed a little as her eyes narrowed slightly, her lids a bit hooded from the wine she’d enjoyed with dinner.
“You tell me about yours first.”
“My ex?”
Davis nodded.
“You already know everything I know. I’m not sure what else I can tell you about Niles . . .”
Davis shook his head gently as he closed the space between them, placing his palms flat against the door above Cassidy’s head, lowering his so he could see her eyes. “Not Niles. Lance Trent.”
Her lids fluttered, and her lips parted slightly before she found the words that struggled to surface. “What makes you think he’s my ex?”
Davis smiled lazily. “The way you just openly expressed your surprise at me asking about him is a surefire confirmation. Now, do we have a deal or not?”
“I . . . sure . . . We can talk about him, but I don’t understand why you think he’s relevant.”
“Let’s go inside and talk.” Davis remained hovering over Cassidy while she turned to face the door. His body brushed hers as she held the key card up and waited for access to enter. She stepped inside, and when Davis didn’t follow, he explained. “Leave the door open. I’ll be right there. I need a minute.” She nodded and didn’t question him further. He joined her moments later, and once inside, they both moved to the tiny table in the corner near the bed.
