Renee Pawlish - Reed Ferguson 06 - Torch Scene by Renee Pawlish

Author:Renee Pawlish [Pawlish, Renee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery: Crime Noir - Humor - P.I. - Colorado
Publisher: Renee Pawlish
Published: 2014-07-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I waited until Spillman’s blue Mustang turned the corner and then I marched back upstairs to my place. My mind was a whirl of information, the biggest piece being why Willie hadn’t told me about how much financial trouble she was really in.

I stormed through the front door, tempted to slam it. The smell of coffee came from the kitchen, but Willie was in the bedroom, getting ready for work.

“What was that all about?” she asked as she worked a towel through her hair.

I stood in the doorway, anger welling in me. “You want to tell me why I’m working my ass off, trying to find out who killed Nick O’Rourke, and you’re holding back information?”

“What?” Her hands dropped and the towel fell to the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I just got through talking to Spillman, and she says that not only do you have a lot of financial debt, but that you just increased the coverage on your insurance policy. But that’s not what you told me.”

She stared at me for a five-count and then her face crumbled.

“You look more and more like a suspect,” I went on. “Like you killed Nick out of revenge, then started the fire to cover it up, and you get a big payout from your insurance.”

“No, it’s not like that!” She struggled for composure. “I was…embarrassed of the mess I’d gotten myself into, and I guess I hoped this whole thing could be resolved without you knowing.” I started to interrupt but she stopped me. “Everything happened so fast. My place burns down and then I find out I’m a suspect, and I’m suddenly living with you, even if it’s just temporary.” She sat down on the bed, took in a breath and let it out slowly. “You know I’ve struggled with you being a detective, that it brings up all the fears I had from growing up, with my father being a cop. And I’ve only just gotten to where I can accept that you’re a detective and I can live with that, and then all this happens. Since I’ve met you, you have it all together, a job you like, a nice place to live and no money troubles. And there I was, making a risky decision with buying the house, and then not being able to pay the mortgage, and sinking deeper into debt. I just…” she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you.”

I ran a hand over my face, not sure what to say or do. I wasn’t angry anymore, and I felt a bit ashamed myself.

“You think I’ve got it all together?” I laughed hollowly. “Not even close.” I slumped against the wall, then slid to the floor. “You remember my last case?”

“When you were a bodyguard for that girl?”

“Yeah, but that wasn’t all it was about. My own financial screw-up came into play.” I told her about a business I’d gotten myself into, and how I really screwed up.

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