Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [57]
Nick absently pulled into the driveway and hit the brakes, sending photos across the seat and onto the floor.
“Sorry.” He shoved the Jeep into park, his hand sliding along Maggie’s thigh. He jerked his hand away and reached to pick up the photos. Their arms crisscrossed each other. Their foreheads brushed. He handed her the photos he had retrieved, and she thanked him without looking at him. They had been tiptoeing around each other all day. He wasn’t sure if it was to avoid talking about their discovery in the Jeffreys case or to avoid touching one another.
At Christine’s door, Maggie’s cellular phone began ringing.
“Agent Maggie O’Dell.”
Christine motioned for them to come in. “I thought for sure you’d cancel,” she whispered to Nick and led him to the living room, leaving Maggie to the privacy of the foyer.
“Because of the article?”
She looked surprised, as though she hadn’t even thought of the article. “No, because you’re swamped. You’re not mad about the article, are you?”
“Krichek is nutty as a fruitcake. I doubt she saw anything.”
“She’s convincing, Nicky. There’s nothing wrong with the lady. You should be looking for an old blue pickup.”
Nick eyed Maggie. He could see her pacing. He wished he could hear her conversation. Then, suddenly, he got his wish as her angry voice carried into the living room.
“Go to hell, Greg!” She snapped the phone shut and shoved it into her pocket. It began ringing again.
Christine looked at Nick, eyebrows raised.
“Who’s Greg?” she whispered.
“Her husband.”
“I didn’t know she was married.”
“Why wouldn’t she be?” he snapped, then regretted his abruptness as soon as he saw his sister’s smile.
“No wonder you’ve been on your best behavior with her.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, little brother, she’s gorgeous.”
“She’s also an FBI agent. This is strictly professional, Christine.”
“Since when has that stopped you? Remember that cute little attorney from the state attorney’s office? Wasn’t that supposed to be only professional?”
“She wasn’t married.” Or if he remembered correctly, at least, she was getting a divorce.
Maggie came in, that distraught look invading her face again.
“Sorry about that,” she said as she leaned against the doorjamb. “Lately, my husband has had the annoying tendency of pissing me off.”
“That’s why I got rid of mine,” Christine said with a smile. “Nicky, get Maggie some wine. I need to check up on dinner.” She patted Maggie on the shoulder on her way out.
The wine and glasses were on the coffee table in front of him. He poured, watching Maggie out of the corner of his eye. She paced, pretending to be interested in Christine’s decorating talents, but obviously distracted. She stopped at the window and stared out into the backyard. He picked up the glasses of wine and came alongside her, startling her.
“You okay?” He handed her the wine, hoping for a glimpse of her eyes.
“Have you ever been married, Nick?” She took the glass without looking at him, suddenly interested in the shadows swallowing Christine’s garden.
“No, I’ve done a pretty good job avoiding it.”
They stood quietly, side by side. Her elbow brushed his arm when she took a sip. He stood perfectly still, enjoying the surprising rise in his temperature the slight contact generated, and hoping for more. He waited for her to continue, wanting to hear how her marriage was falling apart. Then immediately, the guilt hit him. Perhaps to justify his thoughts, he said, “I couldn’t help noticing you don’t wear a wedding ring.”
She held up her hand as if to remind herself, then tucked it into her jacket pocket. “It’s at the bottom of the Charles River.
“Excuse me?” Without seeing her eyes, he wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not.
“About a year ago, we were dragging a floater from the river.”
“A floater?”
“A body that’s been in the water a while. The water was very cold. My ring must have slipped off.”
She kept her eyes ahead, and he followed her lead. As twilight set in, he could