Beautiful Affliction(22)
"Sorry about that," I say as I take in the sight of him sitting on my bed.
"What are you doing?" he asks, more puzzled by my behavior than annoyed, thank goodness.
"Well, I saw this man following me today, and I wanted to draw him while he was still fresh in my mind. You know, like a sketch artist." He stands up and crosses to the desk. I turn back around in my chair as he rests a hand on the back of it and leans over, examining the picture.
"Wow," he says. I'm tongue-tied, and just look down at the picture. We haven't been this physically close since the kiss, and he's in my bedroom, and he's wearing a tight, sweaty shirt…my body feels like it's on fire. We both jump at the distant sound of the doorbell.
"Come on. I asked Ms. Mueller to show them into my study," he says, walking out. I pause for a moment, then grab the notepad before I follow them. I just realized I never told anyone here about my connection to Jaime. It didn't seem important before. Jody Hall's murder seemed so far away. But we're already walking through the foyer and I can't tell him now.
"Detective Donohue, Detective Sullivan," Mr. Redmond greets them as we walk in. "You remember Cora MacAuliffe?"
"We remember," Donohue replies drily.
"Here's the note that she found in the grocery bags," he says, taking the plastic bag out of his pocket and handing it to them. Donohue takes it carefully and turns it over, then hands it to Jaime. "And Cora has something else to show you," he adds with a nod to me.
"I drew this of a man who was following me," I say holding out the portrait to them. Donohue smiles at me, but as he looks down at the drawing, his face changes.
"Holy shit, that's Andres Moreno," he exclaims, and Jaime leans in. I frown up at Mr. Redmond.
"Jody's boyfriend," he murmurs. Oh, god.
"Did he say anything to you?" Donohue asks, his gaze snapping up to me.
"No. I just noticed him in the supermarket, and then later, he got on the same bus as me."
"How'd he know who you were?" he demands, as though he's accusing me of something.
"Her uniform," Mr. Redmond replies, a touch of annoyance creeping into his voice.
"So he recognized the uniform, thought you might be the new maid, followed you onto the bus to make sure, then slipped you the note," Jaime says.
"I guess," I reply with a shrug. "But why would he do that?"
"Sounds like he was trying to warn you about someone," Donohue says, his eyes flicking toward Mr. Redmond.
"But you told us she wasn't killed here. That Moreno and a few others had seen her in town on her day off, and she'd never returned to the house," Mr. Redmond says.
"We'll be questioning him again," Donohue replies.
"You'll need to come into the station and give a statement," Jaime adds.
"Is tomorrow alright? There's a big dinner party here tonight," I ask.
"A dinner party?" Jaime echoes sarcastically.
"For potential investors," Mr. Redmond says, in full-on CEO mode, giving Jaime a withering glare.
"Tomorrow's fine," Donohue says. "Just give us a call before you come by."
"If there's nothing else…" Mr. Redmond says expectantly, and I steal a glance at him. It's funny how different he seems now than when we're alone together.
"For now," Donohue replies with a grim smile.
"I can show you out," I say, gesturing toward the study door. They nod and follow me down the hall toward the foyer. Jaime pauses, and I think he's about to say something, but then he glances behind me and appears to change his mind. I shut the door after them, shivering as a gust of cold air worms its way inside. I turn around to find Mr. Redmond standing at the foot of the stairs.
"You don't have to work tonight if you need a break. I'm sure we can find someone," he offers.
"It's alright, really. I'm fine." I glance around to make sure we're alone. I can vaguely hear Ms. Mueller in the kitchen, but those are the only sounds. "There is one other thing that I thought you should know. Or might want to know. Jaime, Detective Sullivan, we used to…date." Mr. Redmond's expression doesn't change, so I continue. "We grew up together. We were serious for a while. I just…thought you should know."
He shrugs, looking impassive. "I don't think that matters."
"Oh…alright," I reply, feeling foolish.
"I'll be upstairs," he says, turning around. I watch his broad back as he ascends the stairs and feel a flash of anger toward him. I feel like he's got me on a yo-yo. He pulls me in and then he pushes me away. He wants to have dinner, then he rejects me. We have drinks every night like friends, then he acts like I'm an idiot for telling him about Jaime.