Nearly Departed (Spring Cleaning Mysteries) (24 page)

"
Well…" he replied.

"
We're not holding him. We were questioning him," Reed said.

"
Why?" I asked.

"
Because he has no alibi for the time of the attack, because an eyewitness swears she saw him there, and because it's suspicious he managed to use you to insert himself into the crime scene by going to work for you."

"
He didn't do it," I said.

"
You're sure of that?" Reed asked.

"
Certain."

"
Why?"

I couldn
't very well tell him that a ghost of one of his alleged victims had told me so. "I just am. When are you going to release him?"

"
He's free to go." Then he turned to the officer behind the desk. "Tell them Barclay's ride is here and to send him out." He paused, then leaned closely in my ear and whispered so that only I could hear, "I think you're right about him not being the killer, but it doesn't make sense he's working for you."

Smoke emerged from some back room a moment later. He didn
't look too happy to see Mike and me standing there. Then again, I wasn't too happy with him either, because Reed's comment had set off a niggling doubt in my gut. Without a word, I spun on my heel and stalked outside.

My purposeful strides stopped short when I realized I didn
't know where Mike had parked. "Where's your car?"

Mike pointed to the far end of the lot.
"Over there somewhere."

We
'd almost reached the car when I rounded on Smoke. "What's going on? And you'd better tell me the truth."

He
froze where he was, as though he'd suddenly encountered a wild animal and didn't want to make any movements that might cause it to charge and rip him limb from limb. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"
Reed's right. It doesn't make sense you're working for me. What are you up to?"

A muscle twitched in his jaw. His reply was slow and careful.
"I had no agenda regarding the murder."

I didn
't find that response to be particularly reassuring. "But you had one?"

He glanced at Mike for help then looked away.

"You used me?" My voice cracked.

He shook his head.
"No, Tori. I tried to help you."

"
This is all my fault," Mike interjected.

"
Damn right it is!" I practically spat. "If you hadn't—"

Mike frowned.
" I was worried about you. You're overworked. Your house looks like something that belongs as a 'before' picture on a reality DIY show. Your folks are pushing you so hard…"

"
You thought I was cracking up?" I asked incredulously.

"
The possibility did cross my mind." Mike offered me a weak smile. "I thought it would benefit both of you. Smoke hated his job. You needed help. I needed to know you were okay."

I stared at him.

"Vicky? You're not really going to stay mad at me because I was worried about you and was trying to help you out, are you? I promised Jerry I'd keep an eye on you."

"
How long did you rehearse that argument, Counselor?"

"
Since before the birthday party," he confessed. "I didn't think you'd just accept my help, but then you agreed to meet Smoke, so I thought…"

I glanced at Smoke for confirmation. He was watching our exchange carefully, his expression guarded.

I tried to summon some sort of righteous anger, but considering they'd both been looking out for me, I just couldn't.

"
You get one Get Out of Jail Free card," I told Mike. "You just used it. Do something this stupid again, and I'll never forgive you." I tried to sound gruff, but my smile leaked through.

Mike grabbed me up in a bear hug and twirled me around.
"That's my girl!"

When he put me down, I eyed Smoke
. "I know you didn't kill those boys."

He blinked,
caught off guard. "You may be the only one who does." His voice, loaded with emotion, was deeper than usual.

I felt a pang of sympathy for him. I couldn
't imagine how hard this whole ordeal had been for him. Still, I sensed he didn't need or want my pity. "Despite what you and Mike seem to think, I'm not crazy."

"
I believe you," he parroted back.

I wasn
't sure I believed him.

Mike drove us back to Lucky Liu's where Smoke and I got into his Jeep. I called the tire place who informed me they'd only gotten three tires in, so the van wouldn't be ready to pick up until the next day.

"
I've never had a clean-up job take so long," I muttered.

"
Is the owner getting antsy?" Smoke asked.

"
No. When I took the job I thought I'd be doing it myself. We're still on schedule, despite the…interruptions." Plus, the business model of Spring Cleaning has always been to under-promise so that we can over-deliver, so I always padded the time frame I anticipated a job taking. That way when I finished "early" the customer was always pleased.

"
Then relax. We're going to my place for dinner," Smoke announced.

I wasn
't sure I liked him making unilateral decisions for me. "Why?"

"
For one thing, there's nothing at your place to eat. A bag of jelly beans does not count as dinner."

He had a point.

"For another," he continued. "Halley's coming over for dinner since it's pizza night at the home. She hates pizza."

"
Who doesn't like pizza?"

"
She has her reasons."

I was intrigued by the tension that threaded through his tone.

"Besides," he said lightly, as though aware he'd revealed something he hadn't meant to, "not everyone considers pizza to be one of the four food groups like you do. And lastly, I really want to change out of these clothes."

Realizing that he was wearing the same things he
'd worn all day yesterday because he'd spent the night watching over me, I felt guilty for questioning him about going to his place. "Okay."

"
Okay? No more questions. No argument?"

"
Nope."

As we picked up Halley and her Hello Kitty overnight bag, Smoke said,
"I need a favor. Can you please not mention pizza to Halley?"

"
She hates it that much?"

"
Please?"

The vulnerability in his plea surprised me.
"Yeah, sure, no mention of pizza."

"
Hi, Vicky!" Halley greeted me with a big smile and hug as her brother stowed her bag away. "What are you doing here?"

"
Your brother invited me to dinner."

"
He's a good cook."

We headed over to Smoke
's "apartment" which was actually a converted carriage house. Halley grabbed my hand and gave the grand tour while Smoke took off in another direction. If my place looked like the "before" picture for a home improvement show, Smoke's was the "after."

Everything was done in majestic desert colors, giving the place a warm, inviting feeling. The hardwood floors gleamed. Pops of turquoise, in the form of pillows and flower pots (
The man had at least two dozen healthy houseplants scattered through his home.) broke up the sand and sun-baked adobe color scheme that was masculine, but not hard.

Except for a pile of mail tossed on the kitchen table, everything had its place and was put away
. No wonder my kitchen freaked him out.

Halley showed me the kitchen, where the windowsills were lined with a collection of salt and pepper shakers, the living room, where the size of the television confirmed this was a bachelor
's pad, and the dining room where half the table was covered with one of the most intricate jigsaw puzzles I'd ever seen. Then Halley took me to her "sleepover room."

I ha
d to admit that I smiled when she opened the door. In contrast to the rest of the place, it was a riot of pinks and Hello Kitty. Nothing had a place. Stuff was strewn everywhere. With the zoo of stuffed animals taking up residence on the bed, I wasn't even sure that there was enough space for Halley to sleep there.

The next room on the tour was Smoke
's bedroom, but since I could hear a shower running, I balked when Halley's hand reached for the knob. "Are you working on that puzzle I saw in the dining room?" I asked quickly.

"
Yes. Would you like to help?

I nodded. I actually hate
d puzzles, but I was desperate to get away from Smoke's inner sanctum. I didn't think he'd take too kindly to me barging in.

Halley and I were sitting at the table doing the puzzle when Smoke walked in. Really Halley was picking up random pieces and handing them to me with the expectation that I could figure out where they were supposed to go. I wasn
't having much luck.

"
Did you offer our guest a drink?" The scent of soap and his citrusy aftershave hung in the air as he walked past.

"
Would you like a drink, Vicky?" Halley asked. "We have apple juice."

"
I'm not really thirsty, but thank you."

"
What's for dinner, Smoke?" Abandoning the puzzle, Halley walked into the kitchen and peered into the refrigerator.

"
Salad."

Halley wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"How 'bout fish sticks?"

"
How about pasta with vodka sauce?"

She clapped her hands
. "Can I make the garlic bread? Can I? Can I?"

"
Sure, squirt." He reached out and ruffled her hair affectionately. Smiling, she leaned into him, put her arms around his waist, and squeezed. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

A painful lump rose in my throat as I remembered Jerry doing the same to me
, and I had to look away from the brother and sister in the kitchen.

"
Who are you?" A little girl with dark hair, blue eyes, and a yellow polka-dot dress suddenly appeared at my elbow.

Thankfully I remembered that Smoke was standing within earshot, so I kept my mouth shut and pretended I didn
't know she was there.

"
Who are you?" she asked again.

"
She's Vicky!" Halley supplied cheerfully.

I swung my gaze back in her direction. She
'd stepped away from her brother and was waving at the child.

"
Let's go play." She walked up to the girl and held out her hand. The little one appeared to grab her fingers. Together they walked out, holding hands.

I looked back at Smoke. He
'd turned around and was leaning with his palms resting against the counter top. Every muscle in his body appeared to be stretched tight with tension. I wished I could tell him not to worry so much about his sister, that the people she talked to really did exist on some plane, but I couldn't figure out how to do that without coming across as a total nutjob.

I finally got up, walked over
, and asked his back, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"
Sure," he said after a moment.

I held my breath, waiting to hear what I could do for him.

He turned to face me. "Would you mind setting the table?"

That wasn
't the kind of request I'd been expecting, but it was a job I could handle. "Sure. I'd love to."

"
We don't have any paper plates," he teased. "Think you can handle carrying three real plates?"

"
Nobody likes a smartass."

"
Sure you do." He winked at me.

Dinner preparation flowed smoothly. The man knew what he was doing in the kitchen
, and my mother had trained me well to be a first rate kitchen helper. We didn't talk, each occupied with our own thoughts, but it was a comfortable silence, and by the time the meal was on the table, I felt more relaxed than I had in a very long time.

The conversation at the table was directed by Halley
, and it basically consisted of her asking me a million questions like: How old are you? What's your favorite color? Do you like cereal for breakfast? What kind? Is it better out of the box or in a bowl?

At some point during the interrogation, Smoke got up from the table and collapsed on the sofa
"to rest for just a minute." Moments later, Halley was giggling at his rhythmic snoring.

She went to play in her room
, and I put the leftovers in the fridge. As quietly as I could, I piled the dirty dishes in the sink. I didn't try to wash them, figuring that Smoke needed his sleep more than clean plates.

Creeping into the living room, I saw that Smoke was still
deep in slumber on the couch. He didn't stir.

I felt a pang of guilt, knowing he was so exhausted because of me.

I went in to check on Halley. She'd changed into a pair of Hello Kitty pajamas and was sitting on her bed. The little girl was hovering over it. They giggled as they played Rock, Paper, Scissors.

"
Vicky, say hi to Angel," Halley said.

I closed the bedroom door behind me, telling myself it was to keep us from disturbing her brother
's slumber, rather than preventing him from catching me talking to one of Halley's "imaginary" friends. "Hi, Angel. Did you used to live here?"

She and Halley exchanged a strange look I couldn
't understand.

"
She was never alive here," Halley said slowly.

"
Oh," I said as though I understood, but I didn't.

Angel leaned close to Halley and whispered something in her ear.

Halley nodded emphatically.

I waited, unsure of how to proceed.

"Angel likes you," Halley confided.

"
She says you're not bad like Lacey."

"
Bad?"

"
She does bad things," Halley assured me. "Angel's seen her."

I imagined what sort of
"bad" things the kid ghost might have witnessed Smoke doing with his partner in the privacy of his bedroom. "Sometimes…" I said slowly, "sometimes grownups do things that might seem bad…" I trailed off. It wasn't my place to give the birds and the bees talk to a girl who looked to be about seven or to Halley.

I tried a different tactic.
"Have you been visiting Halley for a long time, Angel?"

Maybe the kid was lost and needed a little guidance to move on.

Angel and Halley both cocked their heads to the side, like they were Olympic-caliber synchronized swimmers. "What?" they asked simultaneously.

"
Never mind." It had been a long day, and it was too late to start trying to help a ghost. "Smoke's sleeping."

"
Bed time for me too," Halley declared. "Where are you going to sleep?"

That was a question I
'd been pondering myself. I didn't want to wake Smoke to ask him to drive me home, so it appeared that I'd be spending the night here.

"
You should sleep in Smoke's room," Angel said. "He has a big bed."

"
Okay. That's what I'll do. Do you need anything before you go to sleep, Halley?"

Shaking her head she dove into the middle of the stuffed zoo. She waved a giant pink elephant at me.
"Take Elle. She'll keep you company."

I took the plush animal.
"Thank you."

"
Sweet dreams, Vicky."

"
Do you want me to turn off your light?"

"
Uh-huh."

Turning off the light, I stepped out of the room pulling the door shut behind me.
"Sweet dreams."

I peeked in on Smoke one last time before I turned off the living room light. Since it was a little chilly, I took the fleece throw folded neatly at the end of the couch and covered Smoke with it. As I performed the intimate gesture I wondered when
was the last time someone had done something to take care of him.

Not that that
's what I was doing. I was just making sure that my best employee didn't get sick.

I was dead tired too and really needed some sleep, so I went into Smoke
's bedroom. It seemed presumptuous to crawl into his bed, so I curled up on the floor, using Elle the Elephant as a pillow. I didn't think I'd be able to fall asleep on the hard floor and resigned myself to a night of tossing and turning.

"
Hey," someone whispered. "What are you doing on the floor?"

It took me a second to realize that the shadowy figure shaking my arm was Smoke.
"Huh?"

"
Get up," he urged, tugging on my arm.

Sleepily I complied.
"What time is it?"

"
A little after three."

So much for not being able to sleep.

"What happened?" he asked, yawning.

"
You fell asleep on the couch, and I didn't want to wake you."