said. “The cat had kittens, but they all drank water from a toxic pond near the refinery and died.”
He was silent for a few moments. I waited. Finally, he said, “All right. So your client’s sob-story notwithstanding, I have to know. Are you a particular fan of Ramen noodles?”
“What?” My eyes went wide. “What kind of a random question is that?”
“Do you buy Ramen noodles because you like the way they taste?”
“I love them,” I lied. I folded my arms and glared at him, nonverbally daring him to imply otherwise.
“I couldn’t help but notice the redhead in the grocery store last Sunday wearing a thousand dollars’ worth of designer clothes and buying fifteen or twenty packages of Ramen. Closer to twenty, I think, because you didn’t check out in the express lane.”
I’m not sure, but I think that if Nash had had a mirror on the wall in his office, I might have seen my face turn as red as my hair right about then.
“A woman like you buying food like that. I thought it was strange. Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just that I’m a detective, and I’m trained to notice things that seem. . . off. So I was wondering whether or not you have a genuine love for all things Ramen.”
“Well, I just, you know. . . the spice packets come in so many varieties.” My fingers tingled. My head felt like it was floating up off my neck. I could feel my body shrinking. I thought I might die of embarrassment at any minute.
“I asked the checkout clerk if he knew your name. He did.”
“I’m flattered,” I said sourly.
Nash smiled. “So did you come down here dressed like that because you’re looking for a dinner date?”
My jaw dropped open, but only for an instant. “You’ve got a lot of nerve accusing me of strolling around like a hooker in search of her next meal.” Okay, of course I was cruising for dinner, but I’d been hoping not to be totally obvious about it. “I went to law school. I passed the bar exam. I am a professional.”
“So is that a no?”
I stopped short. “A no to what?”
“A no to my dinner invitation.”
“You didn’t extend a dinner invitation,” I snapped. “And if you had, I wouldn’t be inclined to say yes.”
Nash laughed. “But you would go.”
Well, yes. But no way was I about to fall all over myself rushing to admit it. “Let me tell you something,” I said. “Every other girl in this town may be falling all over themselves trying to get a date with you, but I’m not that kind of girl. I don’t just keel over in the face of good looks. I am a strong, confident, individual, highly accomplished professional, and you would be lucky to get a date with me.”
“I’m sure that’s true,” he said, glancing at me sideways. “So you think I’m good looking, then?”
“I didn’t say that!” I said. “I was talking about other people. The ones who might think you’re good looking. Not me.”
Nash laughed again. I was really starting to feel like the village idiot, and that was saying a lot, considering that I lived in Kettle.
“Chloe Taylor,” he said, “may I buy you dinner?”
I groaned. “Yes. But only because I need to ask you some questions about Dr. Schaeffer, and I feel like you’d be more talkative over margaritas. Pick me up in an hour.”
I scrawled my address on a Post-It, flung it at him, and hurried out the door.
CHAPTER 3
Judge Delmont’s cell phone buzzed. He picked it up. “Talk to me.”
“The police chief said Nash is about to leave town with Chloe Taylor,” said a gruff voice on the other end of the line.
“You got a tail on them?” Delmont asked.
“All my manpower is on the files. Schaeffer’s laptop is encrypted, and there are ten boxes of stuff in print. That’s just the stuff we got. There are thirty more boxes where that came from. We have to find out exactly how much he knew before we’re certain we’ve plugged the leak.”
“Thirty more boxes?”
“There wasn’t enough time to get them all before Nash and his guys got there. We need to secure the rest before Taylor does.”
“I see. You got any idea where Nash and Taylor are headed?”
“Some place for dinner. Nash is going to pick her up at her house at 6:30.”
“A date?” Delmont rearranged the cigar ashes in the tray with the end of his pen.