Текст книги "Trigger Snappy"

Автор книги: Camilla Chafer

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Chapter Six

My inconspicuous, little VW was parked a few houses down from Juliet and Rob's house. Far enough away that it wasn't obvious I was watching, but close enough that I didn't need a zoom lens to observe things through my open window. The occupants knew I was there, of course, but the rest of the Bedford Hills neighbors didn't need to know one of their residents was paying me to conduct surveillance. Not that my surveillance was getting me anywhere. Although their lawyer departed more than an hour ago, Juliet and Rob hadn't left the house, or received any visitors since Penelope, who left twenty minutes after the lawyer. Neither the lawyer nor Penelope looked towards me, or acknowledged my presence, which was good since I was doing my best not to draw any attention to myself.

However, that didn't explain why an unmarked police car was suddenly cruising my way; I'd seen the same car in the police lot a number of times. I tried to look inconspicuous as it drew alongside me and the window rolled down. Realizing the obvious, that I caught someone's attention, I turned towards the car, which was now parallel to my window.

"Hey," said the officer, his eyes squarely on me.

I breathed a sigh of relief at seeing my brother, a detective on the burglary squad. "Hey, Jord."

"One of the residents reported a woman sitting in a car."

"And they sent you on such a dangerous mission?" I jested.

"Bedford Hills call, and we roll out the cavalry."

"My job would be much easier if I could stake out Frederickstown." In Frederickstown, no one would give two hoots about a woman sitting in a car for several hours. It was highly probable no one would even notice. It wasn't the best neighborhood, thanks to poor planning. That was back when it was created as a commuter neighborhood; however, the bad public transport link and rising unemployment meant several areas of the sprawling neighborhood only got steadily worse. Bedford Hills, with its smart lawns, expensive cars, and wealthy population was a sharp contrast. Here, people noticed things. In Frederickstown, it was better if you didn't.

"Don't suppose you could take your business over there?" Jord suggested.

I shook my head. "I'm working a case."

"I'll let the residents know you're not scoping out their homes."

"Thanks."

"No problem." The window rolled up and the car gently accelerated away. I sighed and rolled my window up. So much for being inconspicuous. If one resident had noticed me already, then others would too. I could sit on Juliet's house for as long as possible, but reality was leering at me in a particularly ugly way. Working solo might have been okay on some cases, but on a surveillance job like this, with the stakes so high, I needed help and someone to rotate shifts with.

I picked up my cell phone, noting Solomon's terse text message to call him, and thumbed my way to my favorite contacts. Lily was at the top of the list. I hit dial and a moment later, she answered.

"Did you solve it yet?" she asked as glasses clinked in the background.

"No."

"Damn shame. I had such faith in you."

"It's a tricky one."

"It's a paying one."

"I like paying."

"You like tricky too."

"What are you up to later?"

"Nothing." She paused. "I feel like I shouldn't have just said that."

"Do you want to help out with surveillance?"

Lily gave a relieved sounding sigh. "Thought you'd never ask!"

"What did you think I was going to suggest?"

"I have no idea. It's hard to tell with you. Hey, do you want to come to my pregnancy yoga class? We could go to next week's?"

"I'm not pregnant."

"It's not until next week!"

"I'm pretty sure I won't be pregnant next week either."

Lily snorted. "No one will actually ask."

"I guess so," I conceded. "But only if I can find someone who isn't either of us to assist me with surveillance. We need more people than just you and me."

"I know just the person."

"Are we related to them?" I had to check. Since I hadn't been the source of any dinner table gossip for a while, I assumed my family members were all looking for some kind of juicy fodder to sustain them. My asking for surveillance help would probably suffice until something really succulent turned up.

"No. It's Ruby. We were just talking about surveillance, and she said she loves it. I'll call her soon. Where are you now?"

"Outside Juliet's house. Want to come?" I gave her the address.

"I'm not far. On my way!"

Lily's Mini pulled up beside my VW. Given how rapidly she got there, I could only guess how many traffic laws she must have violated in her eagerness to join me on the stakeout. "So, what happened?" she asked, dropping into my passenger seat and reaching for my unused binoculars, an old birthday gift from my dad.

"You mean all the exciting stuff that could have happened in the time between me calling you and you getting here?"

Lily nodded eagerly. "Yep, all that stuff."

"Absolutely nothing."

"You're really not selling this gig." She held the binoculars over her eyes and pointed them at Juliet's neighbors until I gave the binoculars a little nudge to the left.

"Sorry. I wish I had more to tell you." I longed for anything to tell her, but was stumped at Juliet's suspicions, and puzzled by the rapid escalation of crimes in her life. My client was convinced someone was messing with her, but her fiancé wasn't absolutely sure; and her best friend, despite trying to be supportive, clearly thought Juliet was losing her mind. If Juliet hadn't just been released from jail on a charge she claimed to be innocent of, even I would have been questioning the merits of the case despite my feelings. One thing I couldn't shake, despite Rob and Penelope's concerns, was Juliet's determination that something was happening, and it was completely out of her control. Juliet appeared to be a smart and capable woman. If I trusted my own gut, shouldn't I trust hers? The only thing I could do was stay put and observe what occurred next. If the stalker tried anything, and I had to hope Juliet's release might spark some kind of suspicious behavior, if the cases were connected, I would be there to see it. I wiggled my butt into the driver's seat and wondered if I could handle the surveillance for that long. After an hour in, I was already semi-numb. "Did I tell you Solomon is working this case too?"

"The team are back together?" Lily asked, hope sparking in her eyes as she dropped the binoculars.

"Uh-uh. The exact opposite. Solomon is working for the other team," I told her, quickly explaining how Solomon's client asked him to investigate Juliet to find out if she were indeed the culprit that all the evidence suggested she was.

"Guess the arrest was a clue," Lily said when I finished. "Case closed for Solomon."

"That's just the thing," I said, frowning as the pieces, again, didn’t fit together in my mind. "Solomon had barely started his investigation, never mind concluded it. Juliet shouldn't have been arrested, as her employer wasn't prepared to go there yet. We think someone else must have tipped off the police."

Solomon and I already discussed that and agreed that neither of us had a clue as to who it might have been. I wondered if he was now a step ahead. I also wondered how I could find out.

"Who?"

"Good question." There was a big question mark over the stalker and the snitch. Since I was working the theory that the mystery person had access to her home and car, it didn't seem crazy that the perp could have gotten into her workplace too. I just wished I knew why the stalker was so committed to screwing up Juliet's life. And why he or she would go to such amazing lengths. This could have easily resulted in Juliet gaining a lengthy prison term. Jealousy was one thing, but this degree of envy required a huge dose of hate. Did Juliet warrant that in some unwitting way? She seemed so nice, it was hard to believe; although I'd met fraudsters and serial killers who seemed nice too. Instead of focusing on her manners, I wondered if Juliet had a very big, scary skeleton in her closet that she preferred not to share with me.

"You know who answers questions like that?"

I did, but it seemed pretty annoying to have to ask for the answers.

"Solomon!" Lily yelled when I didn't say anything. She clapped her hands gleefully. "Let's call him and interrogate him."

"Solomon cannot be interrogated."

"Have you tried?"

"Yes. Several times."

"Then you are clearly not doing it right."

"Also, he didn't know when I asked him yesterday."

"Today's a new day."

I glanced across to Lily and then down to the bump covered by a soft sweater. She was absently rubbing it with one hand. I wanted to rub it too, but it seemed weird. Since I wouldn't rub her belly when she wasn't pregnant, I figured she might not appreciate it now. "Do you want to try?"

"Do you want to rub my belly?"

I flinched. "Are you psychic?"

"Trade. You say hi to the baby, and I'll grill Solomon."

"Deal," I agreed, gently placing my hand on her belly. It felt very hard under the sweater, and every so often, I perceived a gentle ripple, which I hoped was the baby. "I think I feel it moving!"

Lily speed-dialed Solomon and put her phone to her ear. "Hi, Solomon, it's me! Yes, Lily! How did you...? Oh, yeah... I always forget about how smart cell phones are. Yes, Lexi is fine. No, we're not hiding... No, we're not stuck somewhere either. No, we didn't do anything illegal!" She looked across at me, giving me an open-jawed, incredulous expression as she frowned and jabbed a finger at the phone in mock outrage. I wasn't sure why his questions appeared to surprise her so much. They seemed legitimate to me, given our history, and also since the first dead body practically landed in my lap. "Actually, I'm helping Lexi with her investigation. We're running surveillance. No, I'm not wearing a hat! What kind of question is that? Anyway, we need to know..."

I flapped my hands at her. I didn't want Solomon to sense I desperately needed his information to kickstart my own. We already discussed a mutual collaboration, but he didn't need to know how much mine lagged behind his, at least, not just yet. It wasn't only because my case was fresh and I'd barely begun, but also owing to my utter lack of resources, which I still lamented. I had none; Solomon had everything he needed. It was yet another reminder of what I missed by going solo. Once again, doubt crept into my mind at pursuing such a network-necessary career alone.

Lily was frowning at me so I dropped my hands and leaned against the headrest, letting her continue, "How did the police know to arrest Juliet? Uh-huh. Huh. Uh-huh. Really? That's interesting. No, Lexi didn't ask me to ask you! She's not even listening. Can you hear? Silence. Lexi, Solomon is asking if you want to go to the movies later?"

I rolled my eyes since Solomon already clearly deduced I was listening. "Yes."

"Yes, she does. She'll see you at eight." Lily hung up.

"He didn't tell you anything?" I concluded.

"Actually, he did. He said the police got the tipoff in the first place about Juliet's trades, so they made some preliminary investigations. Then they got another tipoff yesterday that she was about to make a run for it, and they had no choice but to arrest her. She was holding a one-way ticket to some place in Russia, a country that doesn't observe extradition rights to the US."

"That seems very unlikely."

"I know. It's much cheaper just to buy a return."

"No, I mean, she wouldn't just book a ticket for herself, alone. What about her fiancé?"

"Perhaps she plans on ditching him."

"She's pregnant! They're getting married."

"That would be a very strange way of letting someone know you're not into them."

"I don't think she booked that ticket. She already experienced several incidences of credit card fraud."

"Solomon said the police have a copy of the ticket and also surveillance footage from the airport that clearly shows Juliet paying for the ticket in cash."

"Seriously?" I winced. No wonder Detective Donahue was so convinced of Juliet's guilt.

"Yep. I told you I could make Solomon sing like a canary."

"I'm impressed."

"It's all in the way I word stuff. Last night, I told Jord I wanted to be covered in whipped cream and he just..."

I stuck my fingers in my ears and shut my eyes. "I don't want to know!" I told the darkness.

Lily pulled a finger from my ear. "You always wanted to know this stuff BJ..."

"BJ?"

"Before Jord!"

"Ohmygosh! Do not abbreviate like that!"

"Whatevs!"

"Jord is my brother and there are some things I cannot unsee or unhear."

"Apparently, you need to see the surveillance footage," she said, switching topics. "Solomon said he would email photos to you and to remind you to call him."

Thankful for the change in topic, I grabbed my phone and brought up my email program. Sure enough, there was a waiting email from Solomon with "airport surveillance" in the subject header. I opened it. There were three photos embedded in the airmail. The first was an airline ticket in Juliet's name. The second showed the rear view of a woman standing at the counter. The image was grainy, but I could make out Juliet's haircut and she wore the same jacket I'd seen her in when she came to my office. The third was a side profile view as she bent down to get something from her purse. It looked like Juliet; and could have been Juliet. But the quality was too grainy to be absolutely sure. I could see why the police jumped in to arrest her. Buying a ticket to another country was clearly a nasty sign.

I tapped reply and typed Front view? Passport? Knowing that my questions would almost certainly produce further evidence of Juliet's guilt, I sent it anyway. Solomon didn't keep me waiting long, as a new email appeared.

No clear front view, he typed, and the ticket was booked using Juliet's passport.

"Doesn't it seem kind of stupid to book an escape ticket in your own name?" I asked Lily.

"Seems kind of stupid to do something so illegal you could go to prison for your kid's entire childhood."

"Yeah, but... Juliet seems so smart. If she were guilty, I can't see her doing something so stupid that could get her caught so quickly." I took another look at the photos, and my heart sunk. "It does look like her though. It's her jacket and her hair and her passport."

"But is it her face?"

I looked at the photo again, squinting. It was too fuzzy for me to be entirely sure it was she. Annoyingly, it was also too fuzzy to say it wasn't. "I don't know."

"Want to go ask?" Lily pointed towards the house before dropping her hand to her bump again. "Hey, it kicked!"

I put my hand back on her belly, feeling the light ripples. "No, I think they've been through enough today. I don't want to level any more accusations at them before I’ve had a chance to check it out." I hit speed-dial, watching Solomon's name and face flash onto the screen. He answered with a simple, "Hey."

"Hey, yourself."

"Social call? Picked a movie for later?"

"Business."

"Fire away."

"Don't you think it's one hundred percent stupid of someone to book an escape ticket using her own passport?" I asked, hoping for a better response than Lily’s.

"Totally, but who else’s would she use?"

"I don't know. If she made tons of money, couldn't she have bought a passport on the black market?"

"Does Juliet look like someone who knows her way around the black market?"

I glanced towards the quaint house on its neat lot. "No, but that doesn't mean she can't."

"If you're trying to convince me of her guilt..."

"I'm not," I cut in hurriedly, "I'm trying to say I smell a rat. It's too convenient. Too easy. Juliet is too smart to make a stupid mistake like that."

Solomon was quiet a moment and I imagined him pondering my reply thoughtfully. Personally, I used the free time to add a swipe of raspberry lip gloss and check my mascara. "There's a valid argument there," he said. I wasn't sure if that was an endorsement or not, but my spirits lifted. "But I've had the photos analyzed, and they can’t exclude her either. If anything, it's just more ammunition a prosecutor would use to say she was planning her escape."

I sighed and asked the only thing I could. "When can I see your file?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Stay over tonight and you can read everything in the morning."

"Are you blackmailing me? A good time in return for access to your stuff?"

"Is it working?"

"Yes. I'm definitely in."

"Then call it whatever you like. And Lexi, you can access my stuff anytime." Solomon hung up.

"Rude," said Lily as she giggled. "So how long are we going to sit here and stare at the house?"

"I don't know. I can't do it twenty-four hours a day. Even with you and Ruby helping, that's eight hours each, and the neighbors already called the police on me. Plus, we all have other jobs."

"Who responded to the police report?"

"Your husband."

Lily laughed and wrinkled her nose. "My bladder says no to eight hours." When she turned to me a few minutes later, there was a spark in her eye, which worried me. "You know who we could call to help."

"You know someone?"

"Yes. Someone from my spy class at the Adult Ed Center."

My stomach dropped; and I instantly had a bad feeling. Just to verify my hunch that Lily was suggesting what I most feared, I asked, "Who?"

"Your mom!"

Chapter Seven

Despite having consent to review Solomon's stuff, I still lacked access to his surfeit of databases and programs. Sure, there were a few things on my laptop I could use, but nothing made up for actual law enforcement gateways to the really juicy stuff, no matter how dubiously they were procured. The juicy stuff was what I hoped to access as I walked into the FBI's Montgomery field office and waved to Agent Maddox.

Maddox and I previously had a long, complicated history, involving several dead bodies, numerous crimes, and a lot of nakedness. Being my ex was one thing, and now that he’d become my friend, it was another. We met on my first case when he was working undercover as my boss in a bid to break a big insurance scam. I unwittingly stumbled across the big boss's fresh corpse. Not only did I manage to get us out of the building before his killers returned for us, but I also proved instrumental in solving the case. A case which equated to millions of dollars in fraud and multiple murders. Our relationship was great, until we eventually split up over an awful misunderstanding. I stayed mad at him for a long time. Thankfully, the days of being angry were over now, and a genuine friendship sprang up between us. When it came to advice on any financial crimes cases, he seemed like the best person to ask.

"Long time, no see," he said, walking into the lobby. I rose from my chair to greet him, not surprised when he embraced me with a warm hug, which I eagerly returned.

"Yeah, not since last week."

"Feels like forever. What can I help you with? Does it involve food? I'm hungry."

"Sorry, no; and you're always hungry. I'm working a case and I need some input."

"Solomon can't help?" he asked, not even blanching at his name. He and Solomon once were colleagues, if not exactly friends, but their relationship now was little more than civil. My being in the middle had a lot to do with that, but I was pretty sure I wasn't the sole cause.

"He's working the other side of the case."

"Ouch!"

"Neither of us knew until my client, his target, got arrested."

"Awkward. Come into my office and tell me how I can help," said Maddox without any trace of glee. I wondered if Solomon would be just as calm when he inevitably found out I asked Maddox for help.

"I need background checks on my client and the people around her."

"Do you think she did it?" he asked, walking me through security and over to the elevator.

"No," I said as the doors opened and we stepped inside. They slid closed and we quickly ascended.

"What does the evidence say?"

"The evidence says she did," I admitted because I couldn't deny it, even if I'd yet to review all of it. That didn't exclude the chance that evidence could be falsified, or incomplete, and Juliet was already suggesting the former.

"Interesting case."

"You're telling me."

I followed Maddox to his shared offices where he grabbed a chair and pulled it around the side of his desk, indicating that I take a seat next to him. I dropped into it, tucking my purse to one side, while he logged onto his computer. "How are things?"

"Good. I saw this Lily morning. She's helping me with surveillance."

"How're she and the baby doing?"

"Great. Three months left to go. I'm throwing her a baby shower next month. Lily suggested we invite your girlfriend."

"That's sweet, but I don't think so."

I frowned, wondering if I'd overstepped a boundary. Maddox was the first ex I'd ever been friends with, but it was purely that. Sure, I still found him attractive, but I never imagined us getting back together and had long ago stopped imagining what might have been. I had Solomon now and I was happy. Whatever Maddox thought about our friendship, or my relationship with Solomon these days, was another matter; and his girlfriend's opinions were still another matter. I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable with a genuinely friendly offer, or cause any offense, but I sorely suspected I might have inadvertently done so.

"Do you think it would be awkward?" I asked. "Or would it be more awkward not to invite her because you and I..."

"It would be very awkward since we split up," interrupted Maddox, not looking up from his keyboard.

"Oh, Adam, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize."

"Don't be. We just weren't suited for each other."

"That's a shame. She seemed so nice," I said, recalling the one and only time I met her.

"She was, but just not for me."

"You doing okay?"

Maddox glanced at me and grinned, seemingly not at all perturbed about his newfound single status. "Absolutely fine. Okay, give me some names."

"Juliet Hart."

"Juliet is your client?" he said, whistling. "I heard about her arrest from a buddy at MPD."

"Yes, and Rob —I guess that's short for Robert– Harvey. Rob is her fiancé."

"Okay," said Maddox, sliding over a lined pad of paper and a pen. "Write down their dates of birth and I'll run them. Should I look for anything in particular?"

"No, just general background checks. I don't think either of them is a criminal, but I'd like some more insight into their histories besides what their DMV reports and financial records can offer. I don't want to be surprised by anything lurking in their backgrounds."

"You can find out all kinds of stuff from their financials, you know."

"I know, but Juliet has been pretty candid about money. She emailed me copies of all her past year's bank statements and credit cards this morning. I guess I want to know as much about her as I can because all the evidence points to her guilt so far."

"Sounds like you have your work cut out."

"I do."

"You sure this isn't too much for you?"

"No!"

I might have snapped a little too loudly because Maddox gave me an odd look. Plus, he unfortunately just voiced my biggest worry about the case. What if I couldn't help Juliet? "Sorry, it's just a tough case. I appreciate your help," I told him as I gathered my purse upon standing.

"I'll call you in a day or two. Can't promise I'll have anything useful though."

"Anything helps," I said, trying not to sound as weary as I felt. My gut might have told me one thing about Juliet, but my intuition wasn't enough. I needed real help on this case to provide Juliet with the proof she required for acquittal in her looming criminal case. It would have been so easy to give up in the face of such overwhelming evidence, but what if her stalker did set her up? What if Juliet was about to take the fall thanks to a brilliant criminal mind, who posed as a stalker? I couldn't in good conscience let Juliet go to prison without at least trying my best to help her. Not just her, I reminded myself, but her fiancé and their unborn baby too. Didn't they deserve my best efforts too? It wasn't just Juliet that stood to lose so much; there was a small family too.

"You know I can't get too involved. This isn't a federal case; and I don't have any kind of jurisdiction," warned Maddox.

"I know, but you handle financial crimes better than anyone I know, so I thought your insights would come in useful."

"You could call on a bunch of other people for that kind of stuff," Maddox pointed out. "Solomon, for one..."

"Like I said, he's working for the other team. You know, the one that intends to send Juliet to prison."

"Garrett?" Maddox tried again.

"I tried him already and all he could tell me was Juliet had been flagged on the system and I can guess why now. Plus I owe him big time in babysitting. I think I've exhausted all my favors. Besides, he's on homicide and no one's been killed." I paused at Maddox's widening eyes. "Did you just look hopeful?"

"No! What about Detective Donahue? You know, the one who hit on your cousin at..."

I cut in, "He's the one leading the task force that arrested Juliet!"

Maddox sighed. "I see why you came to me."

"That, and —" I waved a hand at his computer " —you have all these fancy-shmancy databases."

"Even fancy-shmancy databases can't come up with anything if the person isn't in the database. All I can do is run your names through every file I can think of and make up a report."

"I owe you one."

"At least it will be fun for me."

"You're not having fun every day?" I teased.

"Honestly, Lexi," Maddox started quietly, "this job is not what I expected."

"What do you mean?"

"I... it doesn't matter. Forget I said anything. And remember: I will call you on that favor next time I need an external consultant."

I wanted to press him further on the job issue, but he clearly wasn't inviting any questions so instead, I said brightly, "I like the sound of that. Can I print FBI Consultant on my business cards?" That should help my business in a big way!

"No, but you can tell people quietly."

I thanked Maddox, being purposefully quiet as he walked me out of the office. He assured me, yet again, that he would call me as soon as the reports came back. I didn't dare raise my hopes, however. Like he said, there was little chance anything would turn up on Juliet or Rob, and I didn't expect it to. I didn't think she was a criminal mastermind, and given Rob's apparently healthy relationship with her, and his ex and their child, I doubted very much that he was some kind of control freak, evil boyfriend who got off by terrorizing his partner. No, I expected to find zilch, but I had to try anyway. What kind of PI would I have been if I didn't dig further into my client's background?

As I approached my car, my cell phone beeped with a text message from my mom, asking me to swing by her house. With a couple more hours before I was due to relieve Lily from her surveillance shift, I texted her back that I was on my way.

My parents’ house is in West Montgomery. It’s a neat white house with yellow trim that invariably reminds me of an egg. I was raised in that house, and fought with my siblings, defied curfew, and skinned my knees on the sidewalk outside. Despite only living a few miles away, I didn't get home often enough. The regular family dinner was something I looked forward to with a mixture of eagerness and fear, but Mom had yet to notify us of the next one. I figured she'd be pleased when I showed up so quickly.

I spied my dad first as I entered the house, and followed the sounds of hammering that echoed from the kitchen. Dad stepped out of the kitchen, half-soaked, his hair plastered to his head, and holding a wrench. "What happened?" I asked, taking in the sight. "Wet t-shirt contest gone awry?"

"Ha-ha. A pipe burst in the ceiling and the kitchen flooded. I tried to get it to hold," he said, lifting his other hand, which held a reel of sodden duct tape, "but it exploded over my head just when I got it taped up." He began to shiver.

"At least, it was cold water," I said, shuddering at the thought of scalding water spilling over my father.

"Yippee," said Dad, looking the exact opposite of his exclamation.

"Let me get you a towel."

"Just get my robe from my bedroom," he said as I started up the stairs, careful to step around the puddle pooling at his feet.

"Where's Mom?" I called as I headed up.

Dad's voice floated up after me. "Ogling the plumber."

"Steve!" yelled my mom. How she heard my father's complaint over the sounds of gushing water and hammering, I didn't know, although I was well aware of her supersonic hearing. At least, now it wasn't scuppering my teenage plans of escape and subterfuge anymore.

"Sorry, dear," sniffed Dad.

Stepping into my parents’ bedroom, I looked around for his robe. The bed was neatly made in plain linens, an aged comforter folded at the foot. It looked like they redecorated recently because the walls were a pleasant, pale blue and the wardrobes looked new. There were several photos of the two of them on my mom's vanity. In every one they held hands; from their marriage photo to a recent picture I recognized from Lily and Jord's wedding. If I ever got married, I hoped it would be like theirs, I decided, as I turned around, finding Dad's robe hanging on the back of the door. I grabbed it, as well as a towel from the bathroom, and hurried downstairs.

"Thanks, sweetheart," Dad said as he took it. "Your mom's waiting for you."

"Does she need a robe?" I asked.

"No, she didn't get a drop on her."

"Lexi, is that you?" Mom called.

"Coming!" I found my mother standing at the entrance to the kitchen, plumbing tools in hand. "What are you doing with those?" I asked.

"Holding them for this nice, young man. Arnie, this is my daughter, Lexi. The single one," she added in a whisper that was anything but soft.

"Hi," said Arnie, turning slightly from where he was balanced on the countertop. His t-shirt was soaked through too, plastering the thin fabric to a wide, well-defined chest, and a set of biceps that rippled as he flexed his arm with the long pipe wrench in his hand. Water showered around him. No wonder my mother was looking on with unabashed glee. It was like the male version of Flashdance.