“Emma, I said—”
She shoves the bill into my hand. “If you need more, let me know.” Her bag snaps shut. “Robbie and I are seeing a movie this evening. You should join us so you can meet him.”
“Okay.” I slip the money into my pocket. Maybe the night out will provide the mental break I need to figure out how to proceed with David Barrow. “What time?”
“The movie is at seven.” Emma rests her hand on her cloche as another blast of wind whips down the street. “It’ll be so nice having someone to distract my big brother.”
I blink at her several times.
“You don’t mind, do you? If Jeremiah is with us?” She winks, clearly expecting that this is a welcome surprise.
And is it?
Emma’s bright expression fades. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you liked my brother.”
Get it together, Piper. “I do. I mean, he’s very nice.” I take a deep breath. “It’s a little complicated, because I went out with someone last night. Someone who”—I can feel the color in my cheeks rising—“I like a lot.”
Emma’s eyes flicker with interest. “And would this someone happen to be an extremely handsome detective?”
My flush deepens. “Yes.”
Emma’s sigh is regretful. “Poor big brother.”
“Do I need to tell Mariano about tonight, do you think?” I gnaw at my thumbnail. “We’ve only had one date. I don’t want him to think that I think we’re more serious than we are . . .”
“This is 1924, Piper.” Emma shrugs, and somehow it seems saucy. “A girl has a right to explore options. And it’s not like Jeremiah asked you out, right?”
Before this conversation, I would have described Emma as meek and a bit mousy. But when I wasn’t paying attention, she grew up.
What else has changed while I wasn’t looking?
“Cassano speaking.”
I smile at the crisp sound of his detective voice. “Hi. It’s Piper.”
“Hi.” His voice warms. “I didn’t think I would hear from you today.”
“Why not?”
“Aren’t I supposed to call you?”
“Are you?”
Mariano’s chuckle holds amusement. “Never mind. I was going to call after work, though. In case you wondered.”
My stomach gives a surprised flutter. You wouldn’t have been able to reach me. Because I’ll be on an investigation that turned into a double date.
I’m not ready to talk about that yet. “I had an opportunity to talk with Cole Barrow this morning. I thought you’d be interested in what he had to say.”
Glancing at my notes a time or two, I recount Cole’s story for Mariano.
When I’m done, he mutters an expletive. Then, “Sorry.”
“I live in a house full of lawyers. I’m fine.”
Mariano is silent.
I stare at the stripes of yellow sunlight on Father’s office floor, and my mind fixes on the purple and blue stripes on Cole’s skin. “He beats Cole to keep him quiet. I hate him.”
Mariano’s exhale is shaky. “Please don’t let yourself be alone with him, okay?”
“Cole?”
“No. David Barrow.”
My heart hitches. “I thought you said you verified his alibi.”
“I don’t think he killed Lydia, but he’s certainly a weasel.”
“Definitely.”
“Sometimes, I hate this job.” Mariano’s voice has a darkness to it, and I want to be able to hold him. Want to wrap my arms around his waist, squeeze, and say that it’s all going to be okay. Even if we both know it isn’t. “I’ve got a front row seat to all the hurt, all the evil. And I can do nothing.”
I pull the telephone closer to me. “Not nothing, Mariano. You help people all the time.”
“We try. But it seems we’re always too late. We’re always working from behind.”
“You can’t right every wrong.”
“I really wanted to right the wrong done to you, though.” His voice is quiet, husky.
My eyes pool. “You did your best.” Several tears roll down my cheeks and plop onto my gray skirt. “I wish we were having this talk face to face.”
Mariano drags in a breath. “Do I sound too desperate if I ask what your plans are tonight?”
Oh. There’s my open door. “I would love to see you, but I already agreed to see a movie with Emma Crane and her boyfriend tonight.”
“Her name is familiar. Is she a neighbor?”
“Yes. And a Presley’s girl.”
“Her family owns the Daily Chicagoan, right? Her brother is . . . Jeremy?”
“Jeremiah.” I wrap the phone cord around my finger. “I would ask you along, but . . . Well, this sounds silly, but Emma asked me to help her out with something. An investigation of sorts.” My swallow is loud in Father’s office. “And after I said I would, Emma told me that Jeremiah would be there too.”
“Of course he will.” Mariano’s words are dry, but I don’t think he’s angry. Or maybe that’s how he sounds when he’s angry. There hasn’t been time yet to find out. “What kind of investigation is this, Detective Sail?”