A Dead End (A Saints & Strangers Cozy Mystery Book 1) (12 page)

“I prefer brunettes, myself,” Delfino said, trying to catch her eye.

Kit decided it was time to play and faced him. “Is that so?” Although his eyes were dark like Romeo’s, they lacked the sparkle. And the eyelashes. Romeo’s eyelashes deserved their own Twitter account. Kit pinched her own leg to keep herself focused. Now was not the time to ponder Romeo’s dreamy eyes.

“Wow, anybody ever tell you you’re gorgeous?” Delfino cooed.

Oh, only about five hundred thousand people. “Thank you,” she said and lowered her eyes demurely. He was more likely to talk if he thought she was the quiet type. At least, that’s what the writers of
Fool’s Gold
believed.

“You new here? I definitely haven’t seen you before.” The way he drank her in made Kit feel desperate for a shower. He obviously wasn’t a fan of the show. There was no sign of recognition in his expression. She had to admit, she was mildly surprised. He seemed to fit the demographic.

“I just moved into a house in Westdale,” she replied. She hated to give her real address, but she thought it was the best way to crack him.

“No shit,” he said. “I know Westdale like the back of my hand. Where at?”

“Thornhill Road,” she answered and watched his reaction carefully.

“I know that street,” he said brightly. “A friend of mine lived there.”

Lived. Past tense.

“Which house?” she asked.

“I don’t remember the house number. Ernie Ludwig’s his name.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know him,” she said. “Did he move?”

“Something like that,” Delfino said vaguely and took a swig of his beer.

Despite Delfino’s evasiveness, Kit wasn’t getting a murderous vibe from him. To be honest, she wasn’t even getting a lecherous vibe from him. She’d expected a creep, but he seemed okay for a knee-busting bookie. She didn’t want to date him, but she got the sense that he didn’t belong behind bars either.

“What are you drinking?” Delfino asked.

Kit glanced at the cluster of bottles down the far end of the bar. “Dogfish Head,” she said.

“Excellent taste.” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Yo Troy, stop making babies down there and get this lady a drink.”

Troy reluctantly tore himself away from the redhead. When he caught sight of Kit, his eyes widened in recognition. She quickly brought a finger to her lips and shook her head. If Delfino didn’t recognize her, she didn’t want him to know her name.

“Hi,” he stammered, staring at Kit. “Wow, what can I get you?”

“My lady friend would like a Dogfish ale, please,” Delfino ordered for her.

“On the house, Miss,” Troy said with a wink.

Delfino smiled and gave Kit a sidelong glance. “See? He thinks you’re gorgeous, too.”

Kit started to feel guilty for stringing Delfino along. He probably thought he had a sure thing going on.

Troy popped the lid and poured the beer in a pint glass for Kit.

“Classy,” Delfino commented. “Let me pay for it, Troy.”

The bartender waved him off. “Nah, I told you. On the house.”

Delfino shrugged. “Next one’s on me.”

“Great,” a deep voice interjected. “I got here just in time then.”

Kit craned her neck and nearly spat out her beer in Delfino’s face when she saw Romeo standing behind her.

“Enjoying yourself?” he asked Kit. Despite the friendly question, he did not look happy to see her.

“I made a new friend,” Kit said weakly.

Delfino glanced from Kit to the very tall, very buff Romeo. “You two know each other?” he asked, clearly hoping the answer was no.

“We only met recently,” Kit said since that was the truth. She turned to Romeo. “Mr. Delfino was just telling me how familiar he is with my street.”

Delfino’s eyes narrowed. “How’d you know my name?” He looked quickly from Kit to Romeo.

Romeo sighed loudly as Kit winced. Rookie mistake. In fact, Ellie had done the same thing in episode two of season one. She’d ended up tied to a chair in a warehouse in that episode, but she doubted that would be the outcome now. Not with Romeo behind her.

“Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?” Romeo asked politely.

Kit half expected Delfino to make a run for it, but to his credit, he nodded and headed toward a side door.

“You stay here,” Romeo ordered her when she started to follow them.

“No, I’m coming,” Kit insisted. “I want to hear what he says.” She paused. “He’s nice so don’t hurt him.”

Romeo shook his head in frustration. “Come on, Nancy Drew.”

The three of them ended up in an alley on the side of the building. At least it was well-lit, Kit decided as she scoped the area. Her phone began to play Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind and she knew it was Crispin trying to figure out what on earth happened to her.

“Hi,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Where are you?” Crispin demanded. “The drinks have been here for ages.”

“I said I’ll be back,” she huffed and hung up.

Romeo shot her a quizzical look.

“I didn’t come alone,” she explained.

That response didn’t seem to please him either. Kit was zero for two. If she’d learned anything from her brief exposure to baseball, it was that one more strike meant she was out.

“So I get that you’re a cop,” Delfino said, nodding at Romeo. “But who are you?”

“She just plays one on TV,” Romeo said.

Delfino took it as a joke. “Well, she’s pretty enough. That’s for sure.”

“So you’ve never seen
Fool’s Gold
?” Kit asked. She couldn’t resist the question. As much as she tried to fight her ego, it had a habit of overpowering her at inopportune moments. Like this one.

Delfino scratched his chin. “The movie with that guy who’s always running around shirtless? Matthew something?”

Kit gritted her teeth. “No, not a movie. The television show.”

“I only watch sports.” He grinned. “For obvious reasons.”

“Okay,” Romeo said impatiently. “I’m here to ask you about Ernie Ludwig. I understand he placed bets with you.”

Delfino didn’t even try to deny his bookie role. “Why do I get the idea you got bigger fish to fry?”

“Right now I’m trying to figure out if you’re the bigger fish,” Romeo said.

Delfino blinked in confusion. “What’s going on? Ernie skipped town last year and I haven’t seen him since.”

“That must’ve pissed you off since he owed you a lot of money,” Romeo said.

“It didn’t exactly make me happy,” Delfino admitted. “He owed me for the SuperBowl and March Madness.”

Romeo whistled. “That is a lot of dough. Did you stop by before he left town? Maybe personally deliver him a message?”

Delfino shook his head adamantly. “I’m not into that, ask anybody. I’m a businessman and sometimes I take a loss.” He shrugged. “That’s the cost of doing business.”

Romeo didn’t appear convinced. “Are you telling me that you didn’t go to Ernie’s house before he disappeared?”

“No,” Delfino insisted. “I don’t do house calls.”

“I have a witness that ID’d your car on Thornhill Road the week Ernie disappeared.”

“Lots of people drive a car like mine.” He straightened. “It’s very trendy.”

“Vincent,” Kit said softly, “you told me that you know my street well. That Ernie was your friend.”

“I didn’t say I’ve never been there,” Delfino argued. “I’m saying I didn’t go there to rough him up and I didn’t go there the week he disappeared.”

“How do you know you weren’t there the week he disappeared?” Romeo queried. “That implies that you know exactly when he disappeared.”

Delfino appeared thoughtful. “I know when he left town because we were supposed to meet up. He said he was going to pay me, but he never showed.”

“So you drove by his house to check on him,” Romeo prompted.

Delfino’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, okay, I drove by. When I saw the motor home was gone, I knew he’d taken off. I didn’t even bother to get out of the car.”

Kit bit her lip. Why was the motor home gone? Did the murderer drive off in it so that he had somewhere to hide out? Somewhere that could hit the road whenever necessary? Or was it evidence? She’d need to ask Romeo about that later.

“Do I need a lawyer?” Delfino asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Not right now,” Romeo advised. Delfino looked relieved.

“Shouldn’t you tell him not to leave town in case you have more questions?” Kit inquired.

“That’s what phones are for,” Romeo said.

“Speaking of phones,” Delfino said with a hopeful look at Kit, “can I get your digits?”

“Sorry,” Romeo said, placing a proprietary hand on Kit’s arm. “It’s against the rules.” He took Kit by the arm and walked her down the alley to the front of the building.

“What rules?” Kit asked.

“Were you seriously considering giving that guy your number?” Romeo asked.

“Well, he already knows my address,” Kit said.

“What?” Romeo exploded. He gripped Kit’s arm. “Kit, what do you think you’re doing? This isn’t a Hollywood set. The director isn’t going to yell cut if you get yourself into a situation that you can’t handle.”

“I’ve never been in a situation that I can’t handle,” she told him boldly.

He took her phone from her pocket and held it out to her. “Call the guy you’re here with and tell him you’re leaving.”

Kit brushed her fingers over his as she retrieved her phone. She felt the crackle of electricity between them and she could tell by the expression on his face that he felt it, too.

“I’ll text him,” she said.

She texted Crispin to meet her out front with the girls. She figured he wouldn’t be too upset about leaving the noisy sports bar sooner than expected.

“I’ll wait with you until he comes out,” Romeo said gruffly.

Checking out the competition, Kit thought to herself with amusement.

“So do you think Delfino did it?” she asked.

“No,” he replied. “But since I don’t know who did, he stays on the list.” He looked squarely at Kit and his expression softened. “Why did you come here to interrogate him? Do you not trust me to do my job?”

His face was so aggrieved that Kit felt a flash of guilt. Of course she thought he was capable. More than capable.

“Well, you know how much I want to move back in,” she said, “but I also feel a sense of responsibility. I’m the one who found Ernie. It seems only right that I should help find his killer. I don’t like the idea of Ernie haunting me at night. He doesn’t sound like the ideal ghost.”

Romeo suppressed a smile. “How about this? You stop interviewing suspects and I’ll let you back in your house.”

Kit lit up. “Really?”

“Here you are,” Crispin said. He sounded relieved and Kit guessed it was because he was able to leave Fanatics without looking like a snob.

“We were getting worried,” Francie added.

“Is that why you ate most of the cheese fries?” Charlotte asked.

Francie shrugged. “I’m a stress eater.”

Romeo eyed Kit. “You were with these three?”

“Romeo, meet my cousin, Crispin Winthrop. And these are my friends from school, Francie and Charlotte.” She faced her friends. “This is Detective Moretti. He’s leading the investigation into Ernie’s murder.”

Romeo broke into a wide grin as he gave Crispin’s hand an enthusiastic shake. “Good to meet you.”

“Crispin owns the Westdale Gazette,” Kit said. She felt like Crispin should wear a sign so that she could stop telling people.

Francie and Charlotte were staring dreamily at Romeo so Kit snapped her fingers at them. “Back to earth, ladies.”

“So is Kit as big of a pain in class as she is in real life?” Romeo asked.

Kit elbowed him in the ribs. “You don’t want to get on my bad side,” she warned.

Crispin grew serious. “You really don’t. She has a roundhouse kick that will send you back five years.”

“Spoken like someone who knows,” Romeo said.

“Not me, but there’s a certain ex-boyfriend with the scar to prove it.” Crispin didn’t say Charlie Owen’s name, but Kit knew that was the ex-boyfriend at issue. He’d deserved it, too.

“Can we talk tomorrow?” Kit asked Romeo. “I have other information that might be useful.”

Romeo arched a thick eyebrow. “Please don’t tell me there have been others.”

“Not like Delfino,” she promised.

“Where would you like to meet? The coffee shop?”

“How about my house since you’re letting me back in it?”

Romeo gave her hand a squeeze and immediately released it. “Sure. Your house at ten. I’ll bring the donuts and coffee.”

Kit rolled her eyes. “Nothing like a good stereotype.”

The front door was open when Romeo arrived at the house on Thornhill Road. Kit didn’t hear the deep timbre of his voice. She was too engrossed in unpacking a box of pots and pans in the kitchen and dancing wildly to Taylor Swift’s Blank Space.

As Taylor sang about how young and reckless she was, Kit spun around with a cast iron pan in her hand and nearly whacked Romeo in the chest. Judging from the way he looked in a fitted black T-shirt, Kit was pretty sure the pan would’ve shattered into pieces if it had made contact.

Quickly, she pulled out her ear buds. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”

She noticed his scowl. “Do you really think it’s wise to leave your door wide open now that you’ve given your address to a known criminal?”

She ignored his rebuke. “I believe I was promised donuts and coffee.”

Romeo inclined his head. “On the mantle.”

Kit made a beeline for the living room. “I hope you didn’t get jelly. I hate the jelly kind.” She opened the box and peered inside. “Why do we have so many unhealthy yet delicious options on this coast?” She plucked a cinnamon donut from the box.

Romeo brought the two coffees into the kitchen and Kit followed.

“Delfino’s harmless,” she said, picking up the thread of their conversation.

“I told you last night that he’s still on the list. Not all murders are intentional. He could’ve killed Ludwig by accident and then panicked.”

“I’ll believe it when you show me the evidence.”

“So you’re a judge now?” Romeo surveyed the pile of open boxes on the kitchen floor. “Boy, you didn’t waste any time.”

“I told you I wanted to come home.” She put her hands on her hips and scrutinized the boxes. “I would offer you a plate, but I don’t know where they are.”