Dangerous Straits by Christopher Norbury

Author:Christopher Norbury [Norbury, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc. via Indie Author Project
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 33

Chilly drizzle began falling while Matt and Nowitzki ate lunch, so the drive down I-35 to Straight River was punctuated by the rhythmic slap-slap of the windshield wipers on Nowitzki’s car. Matt played air double bass—pretending to finger the notes for an intricate etude he’d practiced a hundred times and could never forget. Nowitzki seemed pensive but held his lips in a tight horizontal line. He repeatedly glanced out the windows and checked the mirrors. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

“Something on your mind?” Matt asked.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Just doubting our ability to pull this off and put Smythe on ice.”

Matt let out a chuff between his lips. “Is that all? I thought you were thinking about asking Agent Irving for a date. You two sounded pretty chummy on the phone.”

“What? No. We were partners at MPD. That’s all. I mean, we got along well, but it was strictly work-related.” He turned to give Matt a disdainful scowl. “Unlike someone else in this car who’s done a lousy job of separating business from pleasure when it comes to women.”

“What’re you talking about? I never—”

Nowitzki cut him off with a raised finger. “You talked your ex-wife into joining your little mystery investigation last year.” He raised a second finger. “You got personally involved with your boss, Allyson Clifford, up in Castle Danger. That’s enough evidence for me.”

Nowitzki had a point. Matt might have given up on Smythe if he hadn’t run into Diane at the Dakota Jazz Club and asked for her help. As for Allyson, he would’ve liked a relationship with her. Unfortunately, events moved much too fast in Castle Danger, and he’d still been mourning Diane’s death. He would’ve kept their relationship professional if Allyson’s husband hadn’t shown up. After that, Matt did what needed doing to save her and her son, then left.

With a softer tone, Nowitzki said, “I don’t fault you for either situation. Allyson’s an absolute stunner. I was tempted to ask her out the first time I saw her. Sorry if I assumed too much. But I was there when she read your goodbye note. I’ll never forget the look on her face. She was totally crushed that you left. When I was a cop, I told a few women that their husbands or boyfriends had died. They all had a certain look. Devastation. Allyson had that look.”

Matt snapped his head around to stare at Nowitzki. His insides churned with a mix of disbelief, hope, and remorse for making what now seemed to be a poor decision to leave Castle Danger. “You’re not just saying that?”

“Why would I encourage my competition? I’m simply telling you the truth as I saw it.” He focused on passing a semitrailer through the road spray, then said, “I did plenty of research on Diane, and I always wondered why you two got divorced. She was a looker and smart enough to handle you, so I figured you were a good pair.”

Matt shook his head. “Wasn’t my idea.

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