important business of saving animals. Even so, we edged into some personal small talk about our favorite things about LA, our jobs and mutual acquaintances. I hadn’t dated for a while, but this felt a bit like what I remembered.
Then Matt leaned over and asked quietly, “Are you okay, Lauren? I tried some official channels to learn all I could about that guy Kiley’s death and heard that some of the garbage in the media may have been true.”
“What, that I killed him?”
“Only if you’ve literally backstabbed him.” His eyes, a much deeper brown than the drink the server now set in front of him, bored into mine, apparently trying to read my mind.
“Not guilty.” I kept my tone light as I took my first sip of the cold, fruity cocktail I’d ordered. It tasted great, though its alcohol content needed boosting.
“What about killing him in self-defense? I’m playing devil’s advocate here—maybe he turned around fast.”
I stood and glared down at Matt. “So you do believe the crap those damn reporters are spewing to improve their ratings? I had nothing to do with what happened to Efram Kiley. He made threats against me, my employees, and my animals. I made him leave, told him never to come back. I hung out at HotRescues to protect everyone that night. Then I found him there, in the middle of our shelter area. I didn’t even wish him dead, just incarcerated forever. I’d rather he’d have had lots of time to think and suffer over what he did to those animals. Now, unless there really is a hell, he’s free.”
“Whoa.” Matt waved me back to my seat. I ignored him. I’d come for information about those poor dogs. If he wanted to insult or even tease me, he could drink alone. “Sorry. I figured Kiley was enough of a jerk to threaten you. That was the part of the news stories I bought. As to the rest, I wouldn’t have blamed you even if you had rammed a knife into him and twisted—especially in self-defense. But I believe it when you say you had nothing to do with it.”
“I had nothing to do with it.” I said each word slowly and with feeling, but I did sit down again. I took another sip of margarita as my blood pressure slowed just a little.
“Got it. So . . . any idea who did kill him?”
“Not really.” Not yet, at least. I had a feeling I’d be considering the possibilities even more, though, unless the cops started acting like the knowledgeable pros they were supposed to be—and stopped treating me as the most likely suspect. Sure, I happened to be with Efram when they showed up, but that wasn’t proof I hurt him, for any reason. “The only thing I can figure is that maybe someone was following him and caught up with him at HotRescues. Maybe those people who ran the puppy mill.” A thought struck me. “Is that possible? Your folks arrested Efram but he was out on bail. Were they released, too?”
Matt nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.”
As I sipped my margarita, I pondered the inequity. Humans were much more likely to harm other beings than most pets were, and they got away with it too often—no matter whether those beings were other people or defenseless animals.
I considered Nina and the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her ex. Her restraining order was valuable only to the extent that particular jerk chose to heed it. Fortunately, he’d apparently moved to another city.
And I was relatively fortunate, too. My ex, the dishonorable Charles Earles, hadn’t laid a hand on me. Only on my already slim bank accounts so he could have a grand time feting his sexy young paramours. The louse.
Why the hell was I even thinking about him now, while in the presence of one really hot guy? Not that I was into hot guys, or any other kind of guys, these days. Charles had weaned me of any interest.
But this particular hot guy could help me resolve my current dilemma. “So what’s the talk around Animal Services? Does anyone think those puppy millers—the Shaheens—killed Efram? Or
Then Matt leaned over and asked quietly, “Are you okay, Lauren? I tried some official channels to learn all I could about that guy Kiley’s death and heard that some of the garbage in the media may have been true.”
“What, that I killed him?”
“Only if you’ve literally backstabbed him.” His eyes, a much deeper brown than the drink the server now set in front of him, bored into mine, apparently trying to read my mind.
“Not guilty.” I kept my tone light as I took my first sip of the cold, fruity cocktail I’d ordered. It tasted great, though its alcohol content needed boosting.
“What about killing him in self-defense? I’m playing devil’s advocate here—maybe he turned around fast.”
I stood and glared down at Matt. “So you do believe the crap those damn reporters are spewing to improve their ratings? I had nothing to do with what happened to Efram Kiley. He made threats against me, my employees, and my animals. I made him leave, told him never to come back. I hung out at HotRescues to protect everyone that night. Then I found him there, in the middle of our shelter area. I didn’t even wish him dead, just incarcerated forever. I’d rather he’d have had lots of time to think and suffer over what he did to those animals. Now, unless there really is a hell, he’s free.”
“Whoa.” Matt waved me back to my seat. I ignored him. I’d come for information about those poor dogs. If he wanted to insult or even tease me, he could drink alone. “Sorry. I figured Kiley was enough of a jerk to threaten you. That was the part of the news stories I bought. As to the rest, I wouldn’t have blamed you even if you had rammed a knife into him and twisted—especially in self-defense. But I believe it when you say you had nothing to do with it.”
“I had nothing to do with it.” I said each word slowly and with feeling, but I did sit down again. I took another sip of margarita as my blood pressure slowed just a little.
“Got it. So . . . any idea who did kill him?”
“Not really.” Not yet, at least. I had a feeling I’d be considering the possibilities even more, though, unless the cops started acting like the knowledgeable pros they were supposed to be—and stopped treating me as the most likely suspect. Sure, I happened to be with Efram when they showed up, but that wasn’t proof I hurt him, for any reason. “The only thing I can figure is that maybe someone was following him and caught up with him at HotRescues. Maybe those people who ran the puppy mill.” A thought struck me. “Is that possible? Your folks arrested Efram but he was out on bail. Were they released, too?”
Matt nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.”
As I sipped my margarita, I pondered the inequity. Humans were much more likely to harm other beings than most pets were, and they got away with it too often—no matter whether those beings were other people or defenseless animals.
I considered Nina and the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her ex. Her restraining order was valuable only to the extent that particular jerk chose to heed it. Fortunately, he’d apparently moved to another city.
And I was relatively fortunate, too. My ex, the dishonorable Charles Earles, hadn’t laid a hand on me. Only on my already slim bank accounts so he could have a grand time feting his sexy young paramours. The louse.
Why the hell was I even thinking about him now, while in the presence of one really hot guy? Not that I was into hot guys, or any other kind of guys, these days. Charles had weaned me of any interest.
But this particular hot guy could help me resolve my current dilemma. “So what’s the talk around Animal Services? Does anyone think those puppy millers—the Shaheens—killed Efram? Or
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