The Perfect Liar (17 page)

Was this irrational anger what Luke had encountered with Kalyna?

Ava was wil ing to bet it was.

Luke was in touch with Ava Bixby. He'd called her, or she'd called him. Maybe they'd even met.

Somehow that bothered Kalyna more than the fact that Ava had decided to take herself off the case.

What had happened between Luke and Ava that had made Ava's decision so absolute? Would it poison Major Ogitani's good opinion of Kalyna, too? Would the prosecutor drop the case as Ava had hinted?

If so, Luke would get away from her.

Kalyna's heart thumped at the thought. It felt as if he was slipping away already....

"Hey, there you are!" Tati approached from the other side of the bar, where she'd been playing darts. "Where'd you go?"

"I had to step out," Kalyna said. "I had a call." She hadn't wanted Ava 126

Bixby to know she was partying.

"Oh." Tati didn't ask who it was or if everything was okay. She probably didn't want to know. Since last night, she'd been careful to avoid any topic that might cause friction. Which was just as well. Kalyna was tired of her disapproval.

"Are you ready to play darts?" Tati jerked her head toward the two burly guys, obviously brothers, who were waiting for them in the corner.

Their barrel chests were stuffed into Van Halen T-shirts with the sleeves ripped out. Dirty jeans, black boots and wallets attached by chains added to the biker-wannabe effect. They didn't interest Kalyna, not after someone like Luke. But on the positive side, they were younger than most of the men in the bar. "They keep asking when you're going to join us," her sister whispered.

Because they could see she was more attractive, Kalyna thought.

Too bad they weren't good enough for her. "Not right now," she said. "You go ahead without me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Knowing Tati was out of her element, Kalyna smiled. "Go.

Flirt. Have fun."

Tati hesitated, but eventually went back and started another game.

Soon, she was laughing as if this was the best time she'd ever had. Kalyna was just thinking how pathetic that was when a middle-aged man carrying fifty extra pounds around the middle approached.

"What do you say, beautiful? Wil you let me buy you a drink?"

The gray in his whiskers and the lines in his face made her want to tell him to get lost. How dare he think he could hook up with her? He was twice her age. But she was tempted by the free drink. And if he could stil get it up, she might be able to use him for something more. The pregnancy test she'd begged Tati to buy for her and taken before coming to the bar had been negative--a bitter disappointment. But if she got pregnant right away, she could stil pass the baby off as Luke's, couldn't she? She'd have nine months or so before he could prove otherwise. And wouldn't she look pitiable in court with an extended belly?

Picturing herself pregnant, she smiled as she studied the rest of the men in the bar. Surely someone here had to be virile enough to make a 127

baby with her. And wouldn't it be funny to have sex with each and every one of them while her sister played darts, completely unaware of it all? If Tati thought these men were taken with
her,
she knew nothing about the real world. In a mere five minutes, Kalyna could make sure they never looked at Tati again.

"Tell the woman I came in with that I had to take another call," she said. "Then meet me in the alley. You can buy me a drink later."

He seemed confused. "You want me to meet you outside?"

"Only if you're hoping to get lucky."

His lips parted in surprise, then that gleam of excitement entered his eyes--the gleam that made her feel like the most desired woman on the planet--and her breasts began to tingle with anticipation. It didn't matter that he was one of the ugliest men she'd ever met. He wanted her with the singular focus she craved. "How much is it going to cost me?" he asked.

Obviously, he was aware of his shortcomings. And she did need gas money to get back to California. "If you'l send a few customers my way once we're finished--and if you can do it without my sister catching on--I'l give you a discount."

"How much of a discount?"

"I'l do it for forty dollars."

"I don't have that much," he said. "But I know most of the regulars in here. And I can be subtle. Wil you take twenty?"

Twenty bucks was cheap, even for a bargain basement streetwalker.

But Kalyna wasn't doing it exclusively for the money.

She glanced over at Tati, caught her sister's eye and waved. "Fine, twenty bucks," she said. "But that doesn't get you anything kinky. And you can't wear a condom."

Distrust dampened the man's eagerness. "You're not one of them weirdos who try to spread diseases, are ya?"

"Nope, I'm clean."

"So what's up?" he asked.

"I'm on the pil . I don't need to worry about birth control. And I think a rubber ruins all the fun, don't you?"

He moved close, so Tati wouldn't be able to see what he was doing, and cupped her left breast. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

128

Watching her sister over his shoulder, Kalyna unsnapped her bra and moved his hand inside the collar of her shirt. "Does it matter?" she asked as his fingers curled around her breast.

He didn't answer.

"Just imagine what I could do to you," she whispered, and walked out, knowing he'd be in the alley.

On the way home, Luke called his parents and got his mother on the line. "I just wanted to tell you not to worry. Things are looking up for me--I think."

"Why, what's happened?" she asked, her voice fil ed with relief.

"I met with a woman named Ava Bixby tonight." He adjusted his Bluetooth. "She was actually Kalyna Harter's victim advocate, but she said she's going to drop the case. I'm pretty sure she knows Kalyna is lying."

"Does that mean they'll be dropping the charges, as well?"

He wished. "Not necessarily. But there'l be one less person working to put me in prison. And I get the impression she would've been formidable."

"Well, I wish it was more, but I'm happy to hear it, Luke. Your father and I have been so worried."

"That's why I wanted to tell you."

"I can't believe the nerve of this Kalyna woman," she fumed. "Your father's been talking about hiring a private investigator to take a look at her background. Do you think we should? People like this don't suddenly start lying. They typically have a history of it. If we could prove she's unreliable, it might help."

Luke checked his speed and slowed his BMW so he wouldn't get a ticket. "My attorney wil be working with some investigators," he said.

"But this one would answer directly to us, independent of your defense. It can't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes on the job. Maybe he'l find something your attorney won't."

"Maybe." Ava's image appeared in Luke's mind--the wide mouth, the intelligent eyes, the blush that rose to her cheeks at various moments during their conversation. "I wish I could hire the woman I just met."

"Why can't you?"

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"I doubt she'd do it. She works for a victims' charity, and I'm not technically considered a victim."

"Charities always need money. Tell her we'l make a generous donation."

"That might not be the only problem."

"What other problem could there be?"

"I don't think she likes me." And he hadn't done a lot to change that.

She'd assumed the worst, so he'd behaved like a conceited asshole, just as she'd expected. Probably not the smartest move he could've made, but the frustration and anger he'd been feeling were taking their toll.

"Everyone likes you, Luke."

A grin spread across his face. This was the reason God had created mothers. "A completely unbiased opinion, I'm sure."

"Give her a call," she prodded. "The worst she can say is no."

He'd already asked for Ava's help. But he hadn't offered to donate.

Would it make a difference?

"We've never hired a private investigator before," his mother went on.

"Who knows what we might get? We could end up with someone who's a total waste of money. This woman is local, she's familiar with the case, she believes Kalyna is lying--"

"And she's good at what she does," he finished.

"Exactly. It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"I'l think about it." He wasn't sure he had the nerve to contact Ava again.
Are you really that attracted to me? Because I'm not having the same
problem.
Had he actually said that? He was never rude to a woman. And then there was the comment he'd made about his penis...That one was
definitely
over the top.

"Okay, you think about it," his mother said. "And if you don't want to call her, your father wil ."

"Mom," he warned. "You have to let me handle this."

"But I have a good feeling about it, Luke. We were just discussing this before you called, so it's serendipitous that you've mentioned someone who'd be ideal. Anyway, let's discuss it some more tomorrow. If I don't get our movie started now, it'l be too late."

"No problem." He said goodbye, then he considered calling Ava to 130

see if he could enlist her help. The fact that she'd started out on Kalyna's side and then switched over to his would speak volumes. That in itself would lend him credibility, wouldn't it?

Positive that it would, he went so far as to scroll through his call list and highlight her number. But too many things he'd said echoed back to him.
You can talk to any of the women I've dated. They'l all tell you I'm an
amazing lover.

God, what had gotten into him? He wasn't going to call her. He hoped he never had to face her again.

She was dropping the case. Maybe he should just leave well enough alone.

131

N
early three hundred and fifty dollars wasn't a bad take. And because she'd made a quick trip to the Quick Stop next door and insisted on charging for a condom if her partner was set on using one, only two of the men had bothered. That meant she had a good chance of getting pregnant.

What more could it take? At least
one
of those guys had to be virile enough. And Tati was none the wiser. It was all Kalyna could do not to laugh in her sister's face. How stupid could she be?

Tati had come outside looking for Kalyna once, but someone in line waylaid her until Kalyna could straighten her clothes. At that point, Kalyna had acted as if she'd just stepped out for a smoke and some conversation, and because there were so many men with her, Tati never questioned it.

After that close call, the guys who'd already been outside kept Tati busy, flattering her with compliments, games of darts and invitations to dance, and she didn't bother to check again.

"What are you smiling about?" Tati asked. They were in Kalyna's car, but Tati was driving. Tati had only had one beer; Kalyna could barely stand.

"I had fun tonight," she said.

"I did, too." Tati smiled shyly. "Those guys were nice, weren't they?"

Kalyna thought of her bulging wallet.
"Very."

Tati stopped at a red light. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"Danny asked for my number." Excitement lit her face. "And I hope he calls. I
really
like him."

Kalyna noticed the flush on her sister's cheeks. "Which one was Danny?"

"The cute one with the red hair."

"I don't remember him," Kalyna lied, but she did. He hadn't come out back. None of the other guys knew him well enough to invite him. But she'd taken him into the women's restroom once she'd seen his interest in her sister. He'd said he didn't want to have sex with her, but after they shared a 132

few lines of coke she'd gotten from another guy in lieu of payment, he'd been eager enough.

"How could you miss him?" Tati asked. "He was the best-looking guy there. And he danced with me a few times."

Kalyna adjusted her seat belt, which was so confining she couldn't get comfortable. "I remember now."

"He was hot, don't you think?"

"Not so much. I wouldn't go out with him if I were you."

She scowled. "Why not?"

"He's not your type."

"How do you know? You spent all your time outside, smoking."

Oh, well. If Tati wouldn't listen, she'd have to settle for Kalyna's leftovers. Kalyna imagined seeing Danny with her sister at Christmas dinner, both of them knowing what they'd done, and her smile grew wider.

Maybe they'd do it again. Maybe
he'd
be the father of her baby. "Suit yourself," she said, and slid lower in her seat to stop her head from spinning.

The light turned green, and Tati gave the car some gas. "Since when did you start smoking, anyway?"

"I don't smoke. Not really. Just when I'm drinking and having a good time. And even then, only occasionally."

"I wish you wouldn't. It's not healthy."

Her sister was worried because she'd smoked a few cigarettes? Tati's complete naivete made Kalyna giggle.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. You're...sweet, you know that?"

Obviously pleased, Tati squeezed Kalyna's hand as if she'd meant it as a compliment. "I'm glad we got to go out tonight. This is the first time I feel we've really connected since you came home."

"I'm glad, too. The way things were going, I was afraid we wouldn't have
any
fun."

Tati glanced at her. "I love you. You know that, don't you?"

The gravity in her voice pierced through Kalyna's buzz, and suddenly the memory of the game she'd played at the bar wasn't quite so enjoyable.

She remembered laughing at Tati's ignorance while the men stood in line, 133

and wished she hadn't done it. At least with Danny.

"Of course you do. I love you, too." She turned to the window so her sister couldn't see her face. "That's why I don't want you to go out with that Dan guy."

They were close to the mortuary. "What are you talking about?"

"I hesitated to say this before, because I didn't want to disappoint you, but he came on to me, too."

Her sister deflated like a balloon. Even her shoulders slumped. "Oh,"