“Swear to God it’s not!”
“Did you go to church on Sunday, Jaylynn? Because all hell’s going to break loose on you if you’re lying to me.”
*
“Tell me that again.”
“What part?”
“Start at the beginning.” James sat on the white sofa in Jaylynn’s apartment, the one she had never let Bogart near because he shed. Still dressed in his police uniform from the K-9 ceremony, he was in full law enforcement mode. Nothing about her story of forced entry and robbery added up. “Why would a man think you’d have a lot of money in your apartment? You never carry cash.”
She made a helpless gesture with her hands. She looked small, huddled in a nearby chair with her legs pulled up under a short pink kimono. Her hair was back in a messy ponytail and her makeup was smeared from crying. But there was no bruising, no cuts or abrasions on any part of her that he could see. She looked vulnerable and adorable, and he wasn’t buying any of it.
“You know this guy?”
“No!” She looked horrified by the suggestion.
“Checked the locks coming in, Jaylynn.” He glanced over to where Bogart lay calmly on the rug before the front door. “There isn’t even a suggestion of a shoulder smudge or a scuffle on the door or frame. Of course, forensics will check for prints.”
“Why?” Her brow furrowed.
“You’re wondering who else’s prints might turn up when we run them?” James had the rare satisfaction of watching her try not to squirm. “Let me guess. The new guy is married.”
“Not technically.”
“Will his wife verify that?” He shook his head. “Why am I here? And it better be a better lie than the first one you’ve told me.”
She straightened up under his stare. Long legs came untucked. Funny how he hadn’t noticed she was wearing next to nothing in November until now. “Okay, Ji—James. Here’s the truth. I’m being blackmailed by a man who said he was trying to help me track down the person who’s been spreading rumors about me.”
That was probably a lie, too, but he’d set that aside for the moment. “Why would he do that?”
She offered him a double wrist roll signifying “I don’t know.” “I have fans. Lots of loyal fans. When I went on TV to say I was the victim of a cruel hoax, they got really upset for me. I’ve gotten e-mails and tweets of support like you wouldn’t believe. My agent is fielding all of it. I simply wanted to get my version of the story out first but my agent says it’s been a huge PR boost. I couldn’t have bought publicity like … this.”
His expression must have prompted her faltering on the last word. Now he knew a bit more. “Why didn’t he field this guy?”
She frowned, clearly unhappy he was calling the shots. “He called my cell number. He said he knew I wouldn’t want anyone else to know about him.”
“Because?”
She leaned forward suddenly, one hand landing lightly on his knee. Her attempt at seduction was as subtle as a baseball bat to the groin. “You’ve got to understand, a celebrity isn’t responsible for who becomes a fan. After I made my announcement on the morning show last Friday I got a call from a really loyal fan. He said he knew people who could help me track down my unknown detractor.”
“In addition to the private eye you hired to tail Shay?”
“And you.” She smiled and squeezed his knee.
He pushed her hand away and checked his watch. Two fifty-five. He’d promised Shay he would be in Raleigh by two P.M. He was at least two hours away. “You had this fan hire someone. Who is he?”
Jaylynn sat back, her investigative reporter face slipping into place. “You really are falling for her, aren’t you?”
“You really are about to watch me walk out of here with that guy still loose.”
“Okay.” But then she didn’t say anything for so long, James made to rise. “Okay. There is this guy at the state prison who said he had friends on the outside who’d see to it that your girlfriend changed her mind about testifying against me.”
James felt like a rock slide had hit him. “A criminal, you mean. You let loose an ex-con on an innocent woman?”
He must have looked as wrathful as he felt because she leaned back and pulled in her legs to wrap her arms about them. “I didn’t say that. In any case, I don’t think he meant to have her harmed.”
“What exactly did you think he meant to do?”
“I don’t know. Scare her. Oh, for pity’s sake. I didn’t ask. Okay? I didn’t want to know, or get involved.”
“But you didn’t tell this scumbag not to bother her?”
“I didn’t know for sure there was even anyone doing anything until this guy called me yesterday.” She looked away. “He said some things.”
“What things?”