Hot as Hell (14 page)

“I
did not know the man.” Lexy explained her relationship to Henderson one more time for Detective Lindsay. Since there was no relationship, she thought the conversation would be short and she could move on to her postworkout shower without delay.

Detective Lindsay had other ideas.

He stood in the middle of the aerobics studio with his back to the locker-room door, blocking her access to her bag. The fact Marie hovered around, pretending to put away mats after the class, did not help the conversation go any faster. With her bright orange leotard and tight butt, she functioned like a bright flashing light to Detective Lindsay. He would ask a question, then his attention would wander to the annoying blonde.

“Maybe you’d prefer to question Marie for a few hours.” Days, weeks, months. Whatever it took to get him away from her was fine with Lexy.

The detective stopped drooling and started frowning. “I need to talk about the papers we found in your room.”

The workout sucked the stress right out of her. This guy rammed it all back in. “I thought the documents went missing.”

“We’ll get to those in a second.”

That’s what she was afraid of.

He tapped his pen against his notepad. “I’m talking about the ones that did not mysteriously disappear. The ones we picked up at the crime scene and have been reviewing.”

The idea of Detectives Lindsay and Sommerville sitting in a room, reading over her private information, and chatting about the contents made all the nerves in her head swell and thump. “I’m going to need those back.”

“No.”

He could be a little less emphatic about it. “Excuse me?”

“I guess I should say that you shouldn’t count on a return happening any time soon.”

“That doesn’t sound very promising.”

“The problem is the content of those documents. Some of them reference Henderson.” He did not bother to hide his smile. “Of course, you know that.”

Well, damn
. Noah stole her files. He just didn’t steal
all
of the files. For the first time she regretted that he was not more thorough in his pick-and-grab.

She tried to search her memory and reconstruct every piece of information she brought with her to the resort. She knew, in general, what was missing from the load in Noah’s safe. Some forms. Paperwork Henderson filled out for Dex’s training program. Notes from her investigations into his background. Minor bio stuff. Nothing about the break-in or Scanlon or Noah’s ties to either. At least she hoped that was true.

“Ms. Stuart?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have an explanation?”

Not one she felt comfortable sharing. “What exactly are you asking me?”

“I’m giving you an opportunity to explain why Mr. Henderson’s name was all over the papers in your room.”

“It is?”

“That surprises you?”

“I brought work with me from home. I didn’t say I had the time to do any of it or to know what was in it.”

“Sounds convenient.”

In her view, nothing about Henderson had been convenient so far. The man had caused her only trouble since she first read his name on the list of potential suspects she developed. On one level, the idea of his death horrified her. She felt awful for him and for anyone who cared about him.

On another level, she wondered if Henderson’s life choices made his death inevitable. She was convinced the Scanlon thefts tied back to him. If so, he put Noah in danger. For that reason, summoning up huge amounts of sympathy for Henderson was tough.

The detective cleared his throat to get her attention. “Did you have a personal relationship with the deceased, Ms. Stuart?”

A sharp crashing sound saved Lexy from answering. Marie swore as the hand weights she was holding rolled across the hardwood floor.

Detective Lindsay was by her side in a second. “Are you okay, ma’am?”

Marie waved a hand in front of her face. “I’m just a bit nervous, what with everything happening around the resort lately.”

The other woman did not look the least bit frazzled in Lexy’s opinion. Seemed more like a case of extreme overacting. But Lexy appreciated the show, since Marie’s little scene took the attention off her documents and Henderson and Henderson’s name in her documents.

Lexy gave the other woman credit. She had her wounded-girl act down. Lexy watched in the mirror behind Marie as the other woman curled her shoulders, actually made her body look smaller and more vulnerable. She morphed from attacking viper to wounded angel without any steps in between.

That men did not see through this silliness…well, it just proved women were the more intelligent sex. A pretty woman cried and an otherwise smart male turned all protective and gooey. It was kind of embarrassing, really.

“Our security guard was killed in her room.” Marie stole a quick peek at Lexy, then went back to her fake trembling.

This woman was good
.

Lexy noticed how the other woman managed to point the blame even as she worked up some tears. Now that was an impressive skill. For whatever reason, Marie’s agenda included making Lexy the bad guy. But Lexy saw right through her. She added liar to Marie’s list of roles. Right up there with aerobics instructor, adulterer, and skank.

“You’re standing in a room with a guy with a gun,” Lexy said in an effort to point out the obvious. “What are you supposed to be afraid of right now?”

The detective shot Lexy a chilling scowl as he huddled closer to Marie’s shrinking form.

Marie’s look was more telling. Her carefully crafted pretty-girl face crumbled, leaving behind only nastiness. Not a surprise to Lexy. She knew whatever lurked behind all that silicone and Lycra was not good. Not good at all.

Lexy almost felt sorry for Tate and certainly pitied Marie’s clueless husband. There were probably more unsuspecting male victims spread all across Utah. Lexy just hoped they didn’t show up at the resort. The drama quotient was already too high.

“I did not mean to interrupt your interrogation of Ms. Stuart.” Marie made the statement through a sudden onset of the sniffles. “Go ahead.”

No. Thank. You.
“We were just talking. We’re done.”

The detective practically stood on top of Marie. He did not wrap an arm around her petite shoulders, but Lexy would have bet money that he was tempted.

Lexy toyed with the idea of executing a dramatic eye roll. God knew the gesture fit.

“I’m sure it’s hard for you.” The detective put his notebook in his pocket and smiled down at Marie. Despite the fact his interest in her seemed anything but paternal, he gave her one of those concerned fatherly looks.

“You should keep questioning the guest. I’m fine.”

Lexy wondered when she went from “Ms. Stuart” to “guest” in Marie’s conniving brain. “Actually, he was talking and I was listening. And we’re done.”

She probably could have admitted to killing Henderson right then and no one would have noticed. Marie sucked up all the attention in the room. Most of the air, too.

“I don’t know how you managed to teach a class,” he said.

Marie shrugged her slim shoulders. “I have to work.”

“You only had three people in here with you.”

“The guests are scared. Many have left. Only a few remain, and they demand certain services, like exercise classes.” Marie aimed her last remark at Lexy.

Lexy assumed the other woman would rather have some time off. Well, Lexy would rather be home, so she figured they were even on the disappointment scale.

“It’s understandable you’re upset, ma’am. After all, you were close to Henderson.” The detective talked to Marie as if she might break in half if he raised his voice.

Lexy thought the compassion thing was a bit overdone. Then again, so was Marie’s fake crying.

“You guys worked together,” the detective pointed out.

Marie’s sniffles immediately dried up. “Who?”

The discussion went from annoying to interesting just that fast. Lexy ignored her need for a shower in favor of seeing where this was going. Watching Marie squirm was just an added bonus.

“I’m talking about you and Mr. Henderson,” the detective said.

“Well, no.” Marie’s glance darted around the room before focusing on the detective again. “I mean, I didn’t really know him.”

Uh-huh, sure
. Lexy wanted to make the comment out loud but kept it to herself.

“No?” The detective shifted away from Marie. Left just enough space between them to send an unspoken signal to Marie that support time was over.

Lexy respected the maneuver. Anyone who could throw Marie off the scent of a willing male was okay with Lexy.

“I barely knew him,” Marie insisted.

“I see.”

Marie’s eyes filled with tears. “You have to understand me. I really don’t.”

Lexy thought the pleading added a nice touch, but she doubted a word this woman said was true. Marie seemed to know every man at the resort—guests and employees. Probably even the guy who worked at the fast-food joint in town. She got around. The only mystery was how she kept them all straight.

“Really, I thought…” The detective’s eyebrow’s lifted in question, then fell again just as quickly. “Never mind.”

That got Marie’s attention. Anger replaced sadness on her face. Lexy watched the scene from ten feet away, but she could see Marie’s mood shift. Her back straightened and her tone went from weepy to defensive.

“I should really leave you two alone. You need to speak with our guest about her relationship with Henderson.” Marie’s words came out in a rush.

The more desperate Marie sounded, the calmer Lexy felt. “Actually, he was asking about
your
relationship with Mr. Henderson.”

“Nonsense. I’ll let you get back to your work.” Marie used her foot to roll the hand weights out of the way of her escape route to the door.

“You can stay.” Lexy figured that was the only time in her life she would say that sentence to Marie.

Detective Lindsay did not wait for an opening. He took over, all business and serious, and with his attention centered on Marie. Not on those breasts of hers, either.

“Why don’t we go to your office and discuss Henderson?” He used his size and refusal to move out of the way to push Marie in the direction he wanted her to go. In three steps, they were headed out of the aerobics studio and toward Marie’s office.

Lexy appreciated getting out of a discussion about her documents. She just wished she owed someone other than Marie for that favor.

“W
here have you been?” Noah asked Lexy the question the second she stepped into their room with three more shopping bags in one hand and her gym bag over her shoulder.

She nodded to him, which was her way of signaling her anger with him. Without saying a word, she dropped the bags on the bed and started rustling through the plastic searching for some new item.

“I asked you a question,” he said.

“And I ignored it.”

Okay, wrong Lexy strategy. He knew bossing her around rarely worked. Gave him some satisfaction, but just made her angry. Still, the exercise class ended almost forty minutes ago and Detective Lindsay was out there on the grounds somewhere looking for her. Never mind the fact a murderer could be lurking anywhere.

She needed a keeper.

Instead of falling back on his usual I’m-the-man-tell-me-what-I-want-to-know routine to get an answer, he tried something lighter. “Been shopping again?”

“I needed a few things.”

Now there was a lie. She did not need a thing. Unless she planned to wear six T-shirts a day, she had more than enough to get her through the rest of their stay. However long that might be, and he hoped the answer was not long.

“Like what?”

“Just some shirts.” She dumped the contents of the bags on the bed. Brochures, shirts, papers—you name it, she purchased it.

This was Lexy in full-on obsession mode. He did not understand whatever went through her mind at these times, but he knew he had to bring it to her attention and get her to deal with it.

“I’ll throw these out.” He reached for the loose papers, thinking at least they could take those out of the equation. No need to clutter up the bed with more junk.

He hoped to use that particular piece of furniture for much more interesting activities later. Suffocating in a pile of cotton shirts did not fit into his plans anywhere.

“No.” Her hand covered his. “I want to look at those.”

He glanced at the items in his fist. The receipt. Hiking pamphlets. A short book about the resort’s diet. Yeah, no reason he could see to read through that. One thing that would not follow them back to San Diego was the resort’s menu.

He dropped everything and put his hands on her shoulders. With a gentle tug, he shifted her body until she faced him. He wanted to see her eyes. Try to figure out what had her going wild on the inside while on the outside she functioned as normal. Without regard for her safety, but normal.

“What’s going on with you?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

He glanced around the room, taking it in nice and slow so she could follow his visual tour. Clothes here. Sneakers and other shoes there. Bags and books and papers of every sort everywhere. In a short time, she had taken his clean tidy room and turned it into a fraternity game room after an all-night party.

“You’re having trouble with something.” He knew the signs. He had gone to her old therapist a few times to see how he could help when the rough times hit.

Not that she fell apart often. She never crumbled, though he knew she had the right to do so. That’s the part that worried him the most. When her parents did something odd or needed someone to cover for them so they could preserve as normal a public image as possible, Lexy stepped in without question. Her life revolved around hiding their embarrassing secrets.

All he wanted was for the Stuarts to get help. They preferred to let Lexy do all the dirty work.

“I can see it on your face, honey. You’re feeling anxious. Have the need to organize your possessions.” From the way her eyes grew wide, he knew he read the signs correctly.

“I’m fine,” she said, sounding anything but fine.

“Look around you.”

She peeked over his shoulder. “You make it sound like I’m crazy or something.”

This always happened. It was a trained response. He tried to talk about the growing problem before it exploded into a full-blown mess, and she responded by going into hyperbole mode. It was her way of getting the subject off her and onto a fight that would go nowhere.

He did not feel like playing that game today. Or ever, but especially not today. “I did not make a diagnosis. I asked a simple question.”

She tried to move out of his hold. He did not fight her. He loosened his already gentle grip to see if she would step back, put some distance between them.

She stayed right there. Right in his arms.

A rush of satisfaction pumped through him. Lexy had been running for weeks. He wanted her home, safe and beside him. He had to hope that their room sharing would help to make that happen. Maybe he finally made some progress.

“You’re shopping and gathering,” he said.

“All of my stuff was part of a…”

“Crime scene?”

“I hate that word, but yes.”

“I get that. What I don’t get is what’s going on in that head of yours.”

“A guy did die in my room, you know.”

Still feisty, but still not pulling away from him. Noah took that as a good sign. “I know.”

“A guy I was following.”

Noah did not need a reminder of that dangerous nightmare. “Yeah.”

She moved closer into the welcoming circle of his arms and rested her palms against his chest. “My papers mentioned him.”

“They’re in the safe.”

“Not all of them.”

He did not see that bit of news coming. “What?”

“According to Detective Lindsay, he can tie me to Henderson through the stuff they found in my room.”

Damn if the police did not pull off a divide-and-conquer routine. Well played.

Noah realized Detective Somerville was right about one thing. He had not appreciated the investigative skills of the police in this part of Utah. He would not make that mistake a second time.

“You saw the detective?” Noah knew the answer but wanted to be sure.

“He showed up at my class. Walked in, waited in the back, and talked to me after.”

“I thought Marie had some rule about visitors in her sessions.”

Lexy dipped her hand into the open collar of his polo shirt. If she was trying to distract him, it was working. He had a bunch of questions, but all he could think about was her hands on his skin. Their clothes on the floor. His mind and head and body filled only with her.

Yeah, that one night of lovemaking had only removed the hard edge of his need. He had a whole pile stored up and waiting for her.

Lexy kissed his chin. “Since there were only a few of us in the class, I guess she made an exception for the police.”

“That hardly seems fair.”

“Complain to her.” Lexy smiled one of those seductive take-me-to-bed smiles. “Of course, you’ll have to wait in line if you want her attention.”

He did not know what they were even talking about anymore. “Should I know what that means?”

“The detective stopped questioning me and started talking with Marie. I was grateful for the reprieve, but I do wonder if the detective knows what he’s getting into with that one.”

The way she said the words stayed with Noah. She was saying something. He just wasn’t picking up on the message. “You think they’re talking or doing something else?”

“You know, at first I thought the detective was experiencing a typical dumb male attraction.”

Now there was a line of thinking he needed her to abandon. A discussion about the weaknesses of men was not what he had in mind for the rest of the day. “Not all men suck, you know.”

“If you say so.” She shrugged as she unbuttoned the last of the three buttons at the top of his shirt and slipped her hand inside. “But in this case you might be right.”

“That would be a nice change.”

“Wouldn’t it?”

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Keep talking.”

“Well, it’s just that I got the impression Detective Lindsay played good cop, trying to reel Marie in, but that it was all an act to win her over. When they left the aerobics studio, then he had moved on to some more pointed questions about Marie’s relationship with Henderson. She did not like the turn in the conversation one bit.”

“Really? Sounds as if Detective Lindsay knows what he’s doing.”

“It was something to see.”

The clouds cleared from Noah’s head for a second. “Does Marie have some sort of thing with Henderson?”

“The correct word would be
had
since he’s dead, and I don’t know. Where the hell would she find the time to service another guy?”

“Service?”

“Seemed appropriate under the circumstances.”

His fingers plunged under the elastic waistband of her sweats to settle on the soft cotton of her panties. “Good point.”

“I think Marie was just upset that batting her eyes and making those sad little crying sounds at a male—any male—did not work.”

“Anything else happen while you were gone?” He hoped the answer was “no,” because he was ready to move on to a more personal discussion.

“I jumped around for an hour.”

A much better conversation topic
. “Wanna show me?”

“You wouldn’t be interested in seeing me kick my legs up in the air.”

“Are you trying to tempt me?”

“You can’t tell by the sexy ensemble I put on for you?” She looked down at her slim white tee and baggy pants and laughed.

On any other woman, the outfit would not work. Too shapeless and casual. On Lexy, it was damn hot.

“Do you have your exercise outfit on under here.” He lifted her T-shirt and pretended to check.

She slapped his hand down. “It’s in my bag. I showered after class.”

“That’s a shame. I was hoping we could do that together.”

“Don’t you need to pick up Dex?”

The woman underestimated his ingenuity and sense of timing. “I sent your brother.”

“That was very enterprising of you.”

“I thought so.”

She moved those knowing hands to his neck. “Then I guess you’re free for a few hours.”

“Got any ideas on how we can use the time?”

She started nibbling on his neck. “A few.”

“Me, too.” He lifted her up off the floor and felt a rush of need flow through him when she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Care to share your ideas?”

“Well, all of them require you to be naked.”

“I like the way you think, Mr. Paxton.”

“And I love it when you call me Mr. Paxton right before I ravish you.”