The Perfect Liar (Last Stand #5)(38)
Author: Brenda Novak

"Call Luke and get it over with already," she muttered.

After digging through her purse, she located her phone and ran through the notes attached to her calendar. Luke wasn’t in her address book because she hadn’t expected to call him again, but he was in her notes. She scrolled farther down, and found his number in a memo she’d recorded the day she’d tried to get in touch with him regarding Kalyna.

She held her breath as the phone rang….

But she’d screwed up her courage for nothing. He didn’t answer.

You’ve reached Luke Trussell’s mailbox. Leave me a message and I’l call you back.

Squaring her shoulders, she waited for the beep. "Captain Trussell, this is Ava Bixby at The Last Stand." She knew he’d recognize her name without any mention of the charity, but she was determined to behave more professionally than she had at Starbucks. Last night, they’d somehow crossed boundaries she normally kept very rigid. Are you asking to satisfy your own curiosity or because you think this pertains to the case in some way?

That was the second time he’d seen through her.

She was determined there wouldn’t be a third.

"I have something I’d like to discuss with you," she said. "If you could give me a call at your convenience, I’d appreciate it." With that, she recited her number and hung up.

Like almost everyone else in America, he was probably busy with Fourth of July activities. Figuring she’d hear from him on Monday, she headed over to the office. But it was only a few hours later that he called her back.

Chapter 16

Luke hadn’t checked his phone when he left the gym so it wasn’t until he was getting out of his car to go into Outback for a steak that he realized he’d missed a call–from Ava Bixby. Intrigued, and just a little nervous about what she might want, he listened to her voice mail.

She needed to talk to him. But she gave him no clue as to why. He hoped his parents hadn’t called her.

He punched in her number and she answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Ava?"

There was a slight hesitation. "Yes?"

"It’s Luke."

"Captain Trussell."

He would’ve chuckled at her starchy response, except that he wasn’t sure what it signified. "That would be my formal form of address, yes."

"Thank you for calling."

As he gazed across the lot toward the busy street fronting the restaurant, waves of heat rose from the asphalt to mix with smoke from all the forest fires in the state. The air quality was always at its worst in the late afternoon, especially on days like today when the temperature rose to triple digits. "You haven’t changed your mind and decided to help Kalyna put me behind bars, have you?" he asked bluntly.

"No."

Good news. His shirt was already sticking to his back, so he got out of his BMW and started toward the restaurant entrance. "So…what did you need to talk to me about?"

He was expecting to hear that his parents had made her an offer, but that wasn’t it. "I’m going to give you copies of what I’ve collected on your case so far."

He stopped walking. "Really?"

"Yes. It’s not a huge amount, but some of the information could prove useful." At the very least, it’l save you some money because it’s work McCreedy and his investigators won’t have to duplicate. It might even highlight the best places to focus your resources as you go forward."

She could’ve told him this last night, but hadn’t. "I don’t have my parents to thank for this, do I?"

"Your parents?"

Apparently not. "Never mind. I appreciate your help. Should I pick up the file?"

"That might be simplest. Or I could save you the drive and ship it to either you or McCreedy."

"No, that’s okay." If she had anything useful, he wanted it right away.

But it was nearly five o’clock on the Fourth of July. Not exactly the optimum time for a business appointment. "Is it too late to meet up tonight?"

"Don’t you have other plans for the evening?"

His only plans were to have dinner alone. He had friends who were at the lake playing beach volleyball and riding Jet Skis; they’d invited him but he’d begged off. The last thing he wanted was to face a crowd. "Being accused of rape has a way of dampening your desire to take part in group activities. My situation isn’t something I want to explain a dozen times, if you know what I mean."

"I understand. Sure, you can come by. I’m at the office."

"It’l take me an hour, without traffic."

"I’l wait."

Was he inconveniencing her? "This won’t make you late for your own celebration, wil it? I mean, I could stop by on Monday if–"

"No, today’s fine."

He noticed that she didn’t mention whether or not she was under time constraints. "Okay. I’l see you soon." He searched for a way he could thank her or repay her for her help. "Have you had dinner? Can I bring you anything? No iced mocha, of course. But maybe some takeout wouldn’t be considered too manipulative?"

"You don’t owe me dinner," she said. "But…"

"What?" Was she already having second thoughts?

"There’s no need to have you drive all the way into Sacramento. I live in the delta, which is closer."

"Would you rather meet there?"

"We might as well. I was thinking of heading home, anyway. Are you familiar with the area?"

"Not at all, but I’ve got GPS."

"It won’t help with this because I can’t give you an exact address. But there’s a fish-and-tackle shop in Penrington that shouldn’t be too hard to find."

"Penrington?"

"It’s a town of only three."

"You mean three hundred?"

"No, I mean, three people," she said with a laugh. "But it’l be easier to locate than my houseboat, so I’l meet you there."

"You rented a houseboat for the Fourth?"

"No, that’s where I live."

"Every day?"

"Every day."

"With just the three people in Penrington for company."

"No. I’ve met some friends who usually dock where I do."

"How many friends?"

"Two other houseboats."

Somehow he wouldn’t have imagined her in such an environment.

Her manner suggested an efficient downtown condo. "Sounds interesting."

"I like it. Are you ready for directions?"

"I’m ready." He returned to the car and jotted down what she told him on an envelope he dug out of the jockey box. "I think I can find that," he said.