Page 18 of Road Queens
Dave, meanwhile, had ignored Amanda’s protests and extended a hand toward Cass. The tall, lean, suntanned thirtysomething man started his own construction company two years ago, and Amanda figured he must do wonderful work because he was getting contracts from places well beyond Prescott. He could stay in the business office all day, but he wasn’t afraid to pitch in with the newbies. The palm of his hand was like leather, and he had fists like bowling balls. “Hi, I’m Amanda’s favorite customer.”
“Aren’t we all?” Sidney muttered.
“Nice to meet you,” Cass replied.
“I think you must’ve moved away before I got here.”Moved away, ran away, fled the consequences of her inactions. However you want to describe it.“I’m Dave.”
“Cass Rivers.”
“Yeah, I know.” Wait. Was that a blush on the construction guy’s face? Dave was eyeballing Cass like she was a lasagna sundae. “You’re, um, gonna be in the news again, prob’ly.”
“Great. Because it was so much fun last time.” Excruciating seconds ticked by until Cassandra added, “Yeah, I moved before you set up shop here, but I hear good things about your work.”
Amanda doubted that very much. Cass had a longtime habit of lying to strangers to make them feel included, a result of her disastrous home life.Please don’t let Sidney call her out for it just now ...
“But nottoofar away.” This out of nowhere from Detective Sean “I’ll Get Around to a Name-Change Eventually” Beane, who was flipping throughRoald Dahl’sRevolting Recipes.
Amanda rounded on him. “Sorry, what?”
Sidney’s antennae went up too. “You wanna elaborate?”
“You didn’t movetoofar away,” he said again. To (ulp) Cassandra. “You couldn’t. Because of your mother.”
“Leave my mother out of this, please,” Cass replied very, very calmly.
Amanda wasn’t aware she’d taken a step forward and to the right until she bumped hips with Sidney, who had also moved to step in front of Cass. So silly, the habits of childhood. Cass rarely needed protecting and had gotten into and out of ridiculous amounts of trouble without their help.
This would be a good time to make sure all the fire extinguishers work.
“Because your mother, she’s part of it,” the guy who couldn’t read the room continued. “Right?”
“She’s not a part ofthis,” Cass clarified, still calm, but her knuckles were dead white as she clutched a copy ofDon’t Make Me Pull Over!
“I think you’re wrong,” Beane went on quietly. “I think the three of you know more about what’s happening right now than you’ll say, despite claiming not to know the murder victim—”
“We aren’tclaimingwe don’t know him, weactuallydon’t know him,” Amanda replied. She eyed Cass and Sidney, both of whom looked as puzzled as she felt. “None of us do.”
“—and I also think what’s going on now—”
“Whatisgoing on now?” Sidney put in sharply. “Specifically?”
“—has something to do with what happened five years ago.”
There was a short, difficult silence. “Well, you’re wrong,” Amanda finally said, thankful that Sidney was now a few feet away from the hot coffee. “Entirely wrong.”
It doesn’t havesomethingto do with what happened five years ago, you gorgeous dummy; it haseverythingto do with what happened five years ago.
“Speaking of my mother,” Cass said, cupping her elbows and hunching over a bit like she had a cramp that wouldn’t quit. “I need to get going.”
Detective Beane held up his hands like he was being arrested. “If I overstepped—”
“You did.”
“—I’m sorry.”
“No.” Sidney fixed him with the Glare. To his credit, he didn’t burst into flames. “You aren’t. In fact, I’m betting you got what you came for.” To Cass: “Want some company?”
“Huh?” Cass looked thoroughly taken aback and straightened at once, Amanda was pleased to see.Begone, phantom cramp!“Sure, you can—I mean, I didn’t think you’d—sure. Sure, you could—I’d love some company. That’d be ... great. Very good and great.”
