Laugh or Death (Lexi Graves Mysteries Book 6) (26 page)

"I could have gotten her killed," I said softly.
Being so excited about the idea of reuniting lost lovers, I lost focus on the sincerity of the client. If I handed over her address, Leo would have settled his account, and Peta would have gone missing for good. We could never have found her again, and might never have even known that he killed her.

"But you didn't."

"Because you wanted to be cautious. If you hadn't smelled a rat... and I just ran Nancy Grant through the DMV without relying on Leo's word, we would have known we were chasing the wrong woman!"

"This is the right outcome, Lexi. That's all we need to focus on," said Solomon.

"That and your vacation," said Lily.

I pretended to heave a sigh. A bet was a bet, and despite the terrifying t
urn of events, I lost. I owed Solomon a damn good vacation. Preferably, somewhere hot... and safe. "Where am I taking you?" I asked him.

Solomon was about to answer when the passenger door opened and Maddox got in. "This is going to be a circus for a few days," he said, addressing all of us. "Expect a lot of phone calls."

"How'd it go? How's Peta?" asked Lily, leaning in before I could ask the same questions.

"Happy to be home. She'll be making a full statement to PD later this morning. Her evidence alone is enough to put Leo away for life."

"Good!"

"Thanks to Lexi, he'll never harm another woman again," Maddox added. "This calls for celebration!"

"We're celebrating my success first. Did I mention I busted an armed theft ring?" Lily asked smugly.

Solomon muttered something like "every five minutes
," but Lily, in her bubbling enthusiasm, let it slide.

"And Lexi helped," she conceded, "though not very much since she was busy solving one of the most prolific serial killer cases in history. I don't think she even watched the security tape I gave her."

I gulped, feeling guilty at my oversight. "I was very busy, wasn't I?"

Lily nodded, and carried on, "If you want to get in free, you have to bring a cop. Shame neither of you are cops. I suppose I could make an exception for a private detective and a FBI agent."

"What is she talking about?" asked Maddox.

"Party at the bar," said Lily. "I sent you all e
-vites."

"What I really want to know is..."
I started.

"Do you get a free drink?" butted in Lily. "In all honesty, probably, yes."

"No, not that, but thanks. What is Peta going to tell PD?"

"That she not only has the video
, but when Leo went back to the cabin, she snatched the very same rock he used to bludgeon Nancy. We'll get it processed, but I'm pretty sure there's a good chance of finding epithelials that will tie Leo unequivocally to the case."

"No wonder he wanted to find Peta so bad. Her evidence is damning."

"You know, I really think he overlooked that basic fact in his desperation to find her," said Maddox. "He didn't care about the bloodied rock or the video. I'm not sure he even knew Peta was out there in the woods that day. I really think he was so fixated on finding her, nothing else registered."

"Until he met me."

"Yeah. Until he met you."

"You do attract some weird guys," said Lily, which wasn't all that helpful a comment
, especially since I was just thinking it too. At least, the two best guys ever in my romantic life currently occupied the front car seats. That gave me some hope that I stood a good chance of continuing to attract normal men. Maybe even sticking with one.

"You can talk."

"I know. I was very successful at it until I married your brother."

"The charm will wear off," I assured her.

"Not for me," she replied with equal determination. "I love married life. Now let’s go home so I can plan my party and avoid tedious house chores."

~

Solomon and I were alone in my yellow bungalow stretched out on my couch, his arms around me, our legs entwined. His shirt rode up a little — not entirely by itself — revealing a delicious expanse of hard, brown abs. I had on frog pajamas with sewn-in feet. So far, Solomon wasn't complaining, but I was pretty sure my choice of casual night attire would come up in conversation soon.

I
felt pretty pleased with myself. Being pleased sure beat the hell out of panicking over coming so close to being imprisoned by a serial killer who preferred to bury his victims in the woods. With that pushed firmly at the back of my mind, and Solomon's protective arms around me, I simply enjoyed snuggling.

"I've got a case for you," said Solomon.

"You romantic. You say the sweetest things."

Solomon lifted his head from where it rested atop mine. "You don't want it?"

"No. I want to go on vacation. I have a bonus payment from my awesome boss, and an IOU with him too. I think I better repay it."

"You'd rather go on vacation than take a
nother case?"

"I'd like to pretend I want to take a
nother case right now, but yeah, I want a beach and a secluded cabana and a luxury hotel room and..."

"Your bonus wasn't that much."

"Fine. I'll settle for a shared pool, a beach towel with my name on it, and cocktails while the sun goes down."

"That
’s it?"

"You just reminded me the bonus wasn't that much!"

"How about a suite with ocean views, a Jacuzzi bath for two, champagne on ice, a private beach and glorious sunshine, guaranteed?"

"Don't be mean," I pouted.

Solomon wriggled his body. I didn't know why, but I didn’t stop enjoying it. He wriggled a little more, I enjoyed it a lot more, and then an envelope appeared in front of my face.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Open it."

"It's the
new case, isn't it? What do I have to do this time? Is it safe? Is it tracking elderly lost poodles for their distraught owners? Is it solving a theft? Is it a simple honey trap?"

Solomon sighed. "Just open it."

"You know my rates have gone up."

"Open the envelope!"

"Okay!" I tugged my arm from underneath Solomon. Unfortunately, it was pretty dead and I had to waggle my fingers to return some life to them. When I got some feeling back, I slid my thumb under the flap and pulled out the contents. My mouth dropped open as I scanned the papers.

"You didn't!"

"I did."

"You planned our vacation? John!"

Solomon gave me a very satisfied smile. I was sure I'd be seeing a lot of that smile for the next two weeks in the soft sand of the glamorous resort. "Paid for it, too," he told me.

"How did you..."

"It was already planned, even before we took the case. Knowing you lost the bet, and would have held up your end of the bargain, makes my surprising you now all the sweeter."

"This is so... so..." I stuttered to a stop, speechless.

"Romantic? Great? Surprising?" Solomon waited hopefully.

"Perfect. So very, very perfect," I said
before kissing him.

Lexi Graves returns in

Kissing in Action

Coming soon!

About the author

Author and journalist Camilla Chafer writes for newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the world. Along with the Lexi Graves Mysteries, she is the author of the Stella Mayweather urban fantasy series as well as author/ editor of several non-fiction books. She lives in London, UK.

Visit Camilla online at www.camillachafer.com to sign up to her newsletter, find out more about her, plus news on upcoming books and fun stuff including
an exclusive short story, deleted scenes and giveaways.

You can also find Camilla on Twitter @camillawrites and Facebook at
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Other books:

Lexi Graves Mysteries:

Armed & Fabulous

Who Glares Wins

Command Indecision
Shock and Awesome
Weapons of Mass Distraction

Laugh or Death

Stella Mayweather Series (Urban Fantasy)

Illicit Magic

Unruly Magic

Devious Magic

Magic Rising

Arcane Magic