Page 37 of Crossing Paths
“Do you know anyone who lives at that house?” Mill’s question made Norah jump. She’d been so focused on Dash’s interview she hadn’t noticed him returning to the porch after locking Zach in the back of the squad car.
Dash turned and focused his flattest, most intimidating stare on Mill. “Who are they?”
“The last name’s Pax. A mother and five grown daughters.”
“There’s a Pax who trains at my gym.”
Norah had to admire Dash’s ability to so coolly misdirect without actually lying. If she were being questioned by the cops,she knew she’d turn red and stammer horribly, even if every word out of her mouth was true.
Although it was hard to tell from a distance, Norah got the impression Mill had perked up at Dash’s admission. “What’s her first name?”
He did his usual one-shoulder shrug. “I’d have to look it up. Why?”
“Why isn’t important. Let me know her full name once you have it.” Mill handed Dash a business card. “And whatever else you know about her—when she usually comes to the gym, who she hangs out with, any details you can think of, even if you don’t think they’re important.”
Although Dash accepted the card, he didn’t promise the detective anything.
The uniformed officer, obviously unhappy with Mill butting into his interview, cleared his throat. “What do you—”
His question was cut off as Mr. P’s new Infiniti flew past the cops’ cars and up the driveway in a streak of shiny black. He screeched to a stop just short of the closed garage door.
“What’s going on?” Mr. Petra shrieked as he tried to get out of his vehicle, only to become tangled in the retracting seat belt. Once he’d fought his way free, he ran toward the porch. When he saw the destroyed globe, he came to an abrupt stop. “Whathappened?”
Mill and the other officer exchanged a look. “Why don’t you talk to the homeowner while I finish this interview?” the cop said.
“Why don’t I take over the interview?” Mill suggested,condescension heavy in his voice.
If Norah hadn’t already seriously disliked Mill before eavesdropping on this latest encounter, just this would’ve made her loathe him.
When the uniformed cop’s jaw set mulishly and he started to protest, Mill raised a hand to silence him. “I’m the detective here.” He waved toward Mr. Petra as if telling the other cop to go clean up a mess before turning to Dash.
With a shake of his head, Dash maneuvered around Mill and started down the steps. “I have to go. Call if you have any other questions.”
“Wait—” Mill’s protest was quickly drowned out by Mr. Petra, who’d given up on trying to piece his precious yard ornament back together.
“Who are you?” Mr. P demanded, loud enough that Norah could hear him in stereo from the phone speaker and through the window. “What are you doing on my porch? Are you responsible for this…destruction?” He moved in front of Dash, blocking his way, and Norah held back a laugh. Mr. P’s slight form looked very small compared to Dash, giving the impression of a Chihuahua trying to stop a mastiff.
“The one responsible is handcuffed in the back of my car,” the cop said. “This is the Good Samaritan who appears to have stopped the burglary.”
Mr. Petra didn’t seem to be appeased by this. If anything, his voice got louder as he turned to glare at the squad car. Sunlight reflecting off the windows made it hard to see inside. “Who is it? It’s one ofthose womenisn’t it?”
He flung a hand toward Norah’s house, and she found herself flinching back from the sheer venom in his voice. It made her regret feeling any sort of guilt about Mr. P’s involvement. He was an awful, unpleasant man who didn’t deserve a single intact lawn ornament.
Mill and the other cop both turned to look at the Pax house, and Norah drew back farther, positive that they were glaring right at her. A glance to her right made her see that her sisters were doing the same.
“Why would you think that?” Mill asked, sounding almost eager.
The uniformed officer cleared his throat, but Mr. Petra, probably sensing an ally in Pax hate, quickly spat, “They’re the source of all the trouble in this neighborhood and most of it in this town. Not a day goes by that the police or some disreputable trash person isn’t hanging around. And the state of their place brings all our property values down. I pray every day that they decide to sell.”
Norah literally bit her tongue to hold back a torrent of defensive words that wanted to escape. Normally, she wouldn’t dream of arguing with anyone, even over the phone, but he had crossed a line. No one could say bad things about her family…well, except for her. She turned her head and saw that both of her sisters were struggling to hold in laughter, and some of her wrath dissolved. She was still annoyed when she turned back to the show on her neighbor’s porch though.
“Let’s get Mr. Fridley’s statement before making any more accusations against your neighbors.” The uniformed copinterrupted Mr. Petra mid-rant. Norah was starting to think the officer wasn’t half-bad, at least compared to Mill. He turned to Dash. “You’re free to go. I’ll call with any follow-up questions.”
With a short nod, Dash circled around Mr. P with what Norah considered great restraint. If she’d been the one out there, she didn’t think she could’ve resisted a solid shoulder check after the way Mr. P talked about them.
As Dash walked away from the others, the cop’s voice faded. The last thing they heard before he got too far away was the cop speaking to Mr. P. “Why don’t you stay here with the detective, and I’ll go talk to the suspect.”
Both Mill and Mr. P looked sour about that plan, but they stayed in place as the cop headed for the squad car. Dash reached the street first and started jogging away from Norah’s house. She watched his muscular form move out of sight before speaking.
