“Could be our fellow,” the cop said, obviously pleased that Kate had finally come up with someone. “Can you tell me more about him?”
Kate licked her lips, and she was just about to start talking when I sniffed and then cleared my throat.
“What is it?” The young cop whipped his head towards me and stared.
“That smell,” I said. “That perfume in the air.”
Everyone took a moment and sniffed. “Smells like a woman,” one of the cops said. “And we’ve got two of them right here. Happy now?”
I shook my head. “No, that’s not it,” I said. “It’s not from one of them. It’s from Hannah Joyce, my ex-girlfriend.”
The younger cop laughed. “Mate, what would your ex-girlfriend be doing up here?”
I grimaced. “Trying to ruin my life,” I replied. “She’s already put out an article about me and Kate, trying to hurt our reputations. She’s seriously got issues; I’ve honestly seen less baggage at an airport. I wouldn’t put it past her to track down where Kate is staying and break in to try and get some sort of dirt on her.”
The older cop sighed. “Look, sir, that may be it,” he said. “But I can tell you right now—there’s no way we can book anyone just because of a familiar perfume. How do you even know for sure that your ex wears the same kind?”
Because I’m not an idiot, I thought angrily. I thought of all the times Hannah had paraded past me, leaving a cloud of sickly-sweet floral musk in her wake. That perfume was her signature scent. It was a blend of two different varieties and she took pride in being the only one in the world who wore the same blend. I’d never wanted to hurt her feelings, but in my opinion, it smelled like a nightmare of a funeral home.
“Because I do,” I snapped. “Look, I was around Hannah for ages.”
The cop sighed. “That may be true,” he replied. “But even if you’re right, it doesn’t matter. Arresting someone because of perfume would make us a laughing stock.”
Kate stepped forward and put her hand on my arm. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “I don’t think anything was taken.”
The cops nodded. “Anything else, ma’am?”
Kate shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said. “Mostly embarrassed for freaking out the way I did. Thank you for coming, officers.”
As Kate and Lizzy showed the cops to the door, I flopped down on their couch with a big sigh.
When Kate returned, she sat next to me, and Lizzy plopped into a chair opposite from us.
“I don’t care what those cops say…I know who was here,” I said, my hands involuntarily clenching into fists. “And let’s just say I’m not happy about it.”
“Your ex-girlfriend,” Kate said. “How do you know? Was it really just her perfume?”
I laughed drily. “Hannah was really proud of that scent,” I said. “She makes it from two different other perfumes. I’d recognize it anywhere. She practically bathes in it before she leaves the house.”
Lizzy wrinkled her nose. “It smells….kinda like a retirement home,” she said.
I laughed, and Kate looked visibly relaxed when she saw that I wasn’t hung up on Hannah.
“She’s an odd one,” I said.
Kate shifted uncomfortably. “What are you going to do?” she asked.
When I saw that she was still scared, some of the anger came roaring back. I could barely believe that Hannah—that bitch—would do something so low. It was bad enough she had to drag Kate into her devious plans to ruin my life, but breaking into her sister’s apartment? That was a new low, even for someone as awful as her.
“We’re going to pay her a little visit,” I snapped. “Come on.”
Kate shrank back. “I’d rather not,” she said. “I mean, do you think she’s dangerous?”
“No, just a nasty person,” I said. “But she’s going to get a very stern talking to. And I want her to see you. I want her to feel shame for what she did. She should feel shame. She should be too fucking embarrassed to speak.”
Lizzy grinned. “I knew you’d know how to deal with this,” she said. She stood up and socked one fist into her other waiting hand. “Kate, you gotta go with him. I wouldn’t want to get on your bad side, Jay.”
Kate still looked reluctant. “I don’t know. What if she tries something else? What if she writes another article?” She pressed her lips firmly together for a second, and I could tell she was thinking about the conversation she’d had with her producer. “I mean, I can’t let her ruin my career, Jay.”