Page 83 of Fast Currents
Chapter 33 – Clay
“Hey, everyone,” I called as we toed off our shoes at Violet’s back door. The savory scents of turkey and stuffing wafted from Vi’s kitchen. The heat filmed the front window in dew, making the house seem cozier than usual.
As glad as I was to see my folks, it finally felt like Lucy and I could relax with our hosting duties over. We only had one last hurdle to cross in making our engagement official. Somehow, I didn’t think our friends would be surprised.
“Hey!” Vi called back with a grin from the sink. “Make yourselves at home. We’re just waiting on Lee. Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes.”
Lucy hugged Rae and Anya before settling onto the couch with her friends. I nodded to Zach and Drew, who each had a pint glass in hand.
“There any more of those?” I asked.
“Help yourself. I brought a growler from the brewery as my contribution,” Zach said.
Violet’s back door slid open, admitting Lee and Agent Harris. “Hey, everybody. I invited Nick to join us.”
Rae nodded to the new arrivals. “Agent Harris. Nice to see you.”
“Please, just Nick today,” the other man said. “Thanks for having me.”
Lucy came to stand beside me, shaking Nick’s hand in turn.
The glint of admiration in his gaze was easy to spot. I stiffened. It took everything I had not to blurt out our engagement. We’d agreed to tell everyone over dinner. Rushing it because I was feeling possessive wasn’t going to make Lucy very happy. And that was my ultimate goal: her happiness and mine.
As if she sensed my irritation, her hand dropped to my forearm. “It’s good to see you, Nick. If it’s not too much business for a holiday, I’d love to hear how things worked out with our mutual friend.”
The other man’s eyes gleamed, a broad smile stretching across his features. “You all haven’t seenWhat’s New, Friday Harboryet today, have you?”
Violet wandered in from the kitchen, scenting scandal. “I’ve been tied up in the kitchen.”
Lucy coughed, sending me a sheepish glance. “Clay and I have been … busy.”
Busygettingbusy. But rubbing that in Nick Harris’s face was beneath me.
Nick shrugged. “I think the post headline went something like: ‘Local gallery owner swept up in art fraud.’”
Lucy’s eyes rounded. “That was fast.”
Nick turned his smug smile my way. “The DEA is no joke. We know how to craft a case and make it stick.”
I swallowed back a defense of the National Park Service. Nick Harris’s opinion didn’t matter. And even if he never acknowledged it, I’d know Lucy and I helped.
“So you got that warrant, hm?” Lucy asked.
Nick nodded. “We pulled Chaz’s business records. He was clearing a lot of profit on A.A.’s work. And buying all the raw materials, all of the paint and canvases. It didn’t take much digging to discover the identity of A.A. from there.” He let the statement hang, tantalizing us.
“Who’s our famous artist?” Rae finally asked.
Nick’s lip twitched. “Chaz’s dog.”
Zach groaned. “Well, at least I understand why they kept A.A.’s identity a secret.”
“I don’t know, somehow those pieces are more appealing now that I know their family dog made them,” Rae said.
“Apparently, they trained their Pomsky, Mr. Wiggles, to walk through paint, then sit and roll in it. It made for some interesting color combinations.”
Drew shuddered. “I can only think of washing that damn dog. The mess.”
Anya smiled at her boyfriend. “Of course, that’s your first thought,” she teased.
