Chapter 10 Had What It Took
HAD WHAT IT TOOK
“Hey, Gale.”
She turned her head as she got out of her car after work on Monday. It was later than she’d thought, but she couldn’t control those things.
It was the price she paid owning her practice and not wanting to turn anyone away. Someday she’d be a little pickier, but for now it was about building her reputation and her pocketbook.
“Rocco. Hi.”
“I got your email last week about someone taking pictures on the property. There’s nothing going on that I’m aware of.”
Rocco Mastroni was a project manager, or something like that, for the condos. When she emailed, she had no idea it was going to him. Unless it went to a general box.
If she had known he’d get it, she would have called instead since she’d talked to him enough being on the grounds.
“It’s all good,” she said. “I ran into Kane last week and he took care of it. Said nothing is going on and it’s most likely someone looking to buy or even a realtor looking to list one.”
Rocco narrowed his eyes in frustration with a touch of annoyance. “I had no idea he was taking care of it. I wouldn’t have bothered you then.”
“I thought nothing of it. I figured he would have let you know.”
Considering Kane McGregor was taking over the business someday and from what she’d heard was all but running it now, that’d be on him not to inform his employees what he was doing.
“No,” Rocco said. “He rarely does.”
Another look. This time one that said maybe Rocco didn’t care so much for the way his boss ran things.
Not her problem.
Was Kane a conceited prick in her eyes? Yep. She’d always thought that, but he wasn’t a dick to her, just what she’d witnessed or heard from others.
Like Kane had a wandering eye.
She didn’t need to be told what she could see for herself whenever Kane was close by and innocently flirted with her in his guise of being friendly.
Her momma didn’t raise no fool and neither did her brothers.
“You should take that up with your boss,” she said, laughing.
Rocco tilted his head side to side as if stretching it while he thought. “Yeah, I’ll do that. He’ll just laugh at me.”
She smiled. “Sorry about that. I’m sure it slipped his mind.”
Or more like Kane didn’t give a shit and it was only an excuse to talk to her that day.
“Nothing slips Kane’s mind,” Rocco said. “Sorry to have bothered you.”
Rocco always came off as a gentle giant that couldn’t speak up for himself. Often told what to do and when, and going about tasks on a list.
“No bother. You’re working late.” She opened her passenger door and got her briefcase out. “Hope it wasn’t to come tell me this. An email would have sufficed.”
“No,” Rocco said. “Someone reported there was creaking in the hallway of your building.”
She laughed. “Creaking? Like a mouse? Oh wait, that’s squeaking.”
Rocco laughed, but the humor didn’t reach his eyes. The poor guy probably got crapped on by people his whole life.
“Not quite. Like the walls are shifting or cracking.”
“I normally take the elevator, but I’ve heard nothing. Is it by my condo?”
“Which one are you in again?”
“4C,” she said.
“No. It’s on the first floor. 1A. Or that’s where the complaint came from.”
Three floors down and the other side of the building.
This was one of the smaller buildings. Five floors, five condos, front to back, so you got some water view, if you could sneak it between the other buildings, but mainly saw either the courtyard or the parking lot toward the road on the other side.
She was lucky enough to get a tiny sneak of the water if she angled herself just right in a chair.
“Good luck with it,” she said. “I’ll let someone know if I hear anything, but as I said, I’m rarely in the stairwell.”
Rocco’s eyes looked her over quickly, then almost seemed embarrassed over it. “Doesn’t look as if you need the exercise.”
She snorted. “Thanks.”
She moved to the elevator and shook her arms off. She hated when men did that to her.
Looked her over, then looked down on her. Or made some sexist comment that the shape she was in was for their benefit.
Well, screw them. She did what she wanted for herself and no man.
End of story!
She got in her condo, kicked her shoes off by the door, dropped her briefcase on the kitchen island and went to her room.
She’d bypass the gym tonight since it was later than normal. It wasn’t in her building anyway, and it was a pain to walk to the one across the way by the water.
That building got all the good amenities, but it’s not like she was going to drop another hundred thousand for it. She could barely afford the two-bedroom condo she had now.
It was just as well, as she had too much work to do anyway and would rather do it at home than in her office.
She grabbed shorts and a T-shirt, swapped out her skirt and sweater, then made her way to the kitchen for food.
She heard her phone ding, looked at her watch and saw the text from Rory. Only it said an image was attached and nothing else.
Once she had a salad put together, she fished her phone out of her purse that was sitting next to her briefcase and opened the text to see two boxes from the courthouse with a sad face.
Maybe she should have warned him it was going to be that way. This wasn’t some big city. Short staffing and lack of technology had them way behind scanning the old archives.
With her phone on the island, she hit his name on speaker.
“Hello,” he said. “Are you at work still?”
“Home and eating dinner,” she said around a mouthful. “Sorry I’m being rude, but you can’t see it.”
He laughed. The sound of it sent something resembling tingles in her belly that cascaded to her extremities leaving her feeling slightly breathless. The same reaction as when she saw him standing there trying to get the files.
A reaction that hadn’t been experienced in close to two years. Crazy how life got in the way.
But his good looks had drawn her closer, her curiosity of all things always sucking her in, but her sympathy had pushed the offer out of her mouth to help him with his quest.
“Be rude all you want,” he said. “Those things don’t bother me.”
“Good, because I’m starving.”
She stuffed more on a fork, opened her mouth wide, and shoved in the lettuce with a slice of cucumber and some chicken.
“I’ve got a lot of reading to hold me over,” he said. “As happy as I am there is so much, I’m pretty sure most of it is going to be useless.”
“Nothing is useless if it helps you eliminate something,” she said around a mouthful.
“I thought the same. I spent hours scanning it to my computer, but I’ll read it on paper, then take notes.”
“I do the same. Not sure what it is about writing notes in front of me in different colors that is so satisfying.”
“Glad I’m not alone. I do that with my books. Draft it out, print it, then attack it as if my old English teacher is tearing it apart for dinner. Kind of like the sounds you’re making.”
She coughed when he said that, then chewed and swallowed. “Sorry about that. And since I’m being so nasty in your ear, do you need any help going through those files?”
“I wouldn’t turn it down,” he said. “But this is going to take days to just sort through.”
“And you can do that. But I can be here if you’ve got questions or can go over some things that might trip you up. I’m sure not much will.”
“Don’t be so sure. I’m hoping to have most of it sorted by my method by tomorrow.”
“If you’re around, I might stop over after work.”
“I’d like that,” he said. “I won’t be having salad for dinner though.”
She was purposely crunching loudly to be annoying and get him to laugh. Something she did with her brothers.
Only she didn’t think of Rory as a brother.
She wasn’t sure exactly how she thought of him, but it wasn’t family-like in the least.
And as much as she wanted to help him, she also wanted to explore what it was about him that made her feel what she was.
Things she’d kept locked up for years while she tried to prove to the world she had what it took.
That she wasn’t just the Ridgeway girl.
Oh, that title annoyed her like nothing ever could.
No one looked at her as anything other than her brothers’ sister who had to be watched over.
“How about I bring dinner?” she said.
“I can’t ask you to do that. You’re doing me a favor. I also want to fill you in about a few conversations I had with people today.”
“Fill me in now while I eat. This way I can let it process in my brain some. I’ll stop chewing loudly, I promise.”
“You’re doing it on purpose,” he said. “I know you are. Rene used to do those things to me.”
She stopped immediately. It was the last thing she wanted to do. Bring up memories of his sister.
She pushed her plate away. “Who did you talk to and what was said?”
“I seemed to get warned off. Do you know the reason for that?”
“Huh? Warned off like how?”
“After you left last week, Barb told me to be careful how much digging I did. Or something to that effect. Today when I picked the files up, she said that not everyone wants the past dug up again. That I have to watch who I talk to.”
She laughed. “Barb is nosy and likes to gossip. That is the perfect job for her.”
“Oh,” he said. “So it’s cause and effect hoping I’ll share something?”
“No clue, but I wouldn’t think much about it. Was it just her?”
“I ran into someone who lives a few houses over from where Rene’s body was found. I was looking around and he came out to see if he could help me with anything. I think he regretted it once he found out who I was.”
“You told him?” That shocked her. She thought for sure he’d be keeping that quiet, at least for a little longer.
“I debated and figured he’d be sympathetic to my plight. Austin Robinson.”
“I know who you’re talking about,” she said. “As sad as it is, I know many people in this area.”
“I’m sure you do. He alluded to there being some wealthy or powerful people who had an agenda back then.
Or pushed for Cooper’s quick arrest. Then he said there was a surprise alibi during the trial.
I knew none of that or my parents didn’t say.
We weren’t there every day of the trial.
Or the fact that Austin talked to the police and gave a few statements, yet I’ve got no copy of them. ”
She let out a breath. “I talked to Ford. We’ll get you what he’s got. If Austin says he gave a statement, it should be on record.”
“And if it’s not?”
“Then Ford has another problem and my brother will have to deal with that. What else did Austin say?”
“Not much that I hadn’t thought of. That there is a mixture of opinions, but no one thought it was Cooper.
Some say a tourist, others a local who knows they got away with something and wants to make sure it stays hidden.
He brought up something about Cooper used to work for McGregors and now they own the condo complex and other neighbors have been asked multiple times to sell their land. ”
“This is a conversation to have in person,” she said. “Give me the night to think on it.”
“That’s not making me feel any better. Are you going to guard your words too?”
She’d have to be careful. This was a thin line that she was going to skate between her career, her ethics, her morals and her need to find answers.
“I’m not sure yet. But I won’t lie.”
“I guess that’s all I can hope for.”
She didn’t care for the sadness in his voice either, which only reaffirmed she might be in trouble when it came to Rory Connors.