Crazy In Love (Secrets of Suburbia #3) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,48

looked exhausted, just like a man who was about to lose his job might look. But there was one thing that didn't line up with his story. A man about to lose his job wouldn't have just taken a mini vacation in Canada. It didn't make sense. What the hell was he really doing in Canada?

"You can be honest with me, Ensley," he said. "If your husband did hurt you, I'd believe you." He reached out and lightly touched my elbow. "You can trust me."

Oh my God. Did he seriously think the whole "you can trust me" line would work on me? If he thought my husband hurt me, I'd for sure become his number one suspect if I wasn't already. He'd let Sophia Tremblay off the hook, but I had a feeling he wouldn't let me off so easily. "Noah never hurt me." He broke me.

"Okay. Try not to watch the news tonight. At least alone. The vultures are out for blood." Detective Torres' hand slowly fell from my elbow, his fingers trailing down my forearm for a second too long.

I tried not to glare at him. First the whole pretend being worried about me thing. And now the lingering touch? Detective Torres was trying to play me. Could he be any more transparent? It was like he was waiting for me to say, "I wouldn't be alone if you joined me." How about you just sign me up for an orange jumpsuit and prison cell tonight. Vomit. I didn't need another stupid guy hitting on me constantly. I already had Noah shirtless and tied to a chair downstairs. That was enough. "Try to find my husband." My tone was icier than I meant for it to be.

He nodded. "Just two more questions for you and I'll be on my way. You have Christmas lights strung outside, but not a single decoration inside. Not even a red and green hand towel. Nothing. Why is that?"

To fool you. "Christmas is the last thing on my mind right now, detective."

"But you still decorated outside?"

"Weeks ago for the silly neighborhood lighting contest." I stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to call me out on my lie. But he didn’t. Such a bad detective. And I doubted Sally would blab that I was decorating just hours ago. It seemed like she had my back. Kind of. "Noah and I always get a real tree closer to Christmas. We like decorating it kind of last minute to really feel that Christmas spirit, you know? Actually, we probably would have gotten it today if he was here." I sniffled.

He nodded and then stepped around me. "Final question before I head back to the precinct. What do you keep down there?" He nodded at the door behind me. "It's a little unusual to have a deadbolt on your basement door."

Keep breathing. Stay calm. I'd had an answer for this all along. And it wasn't even a complete lie. "Just storage. I've always been scared of basements ever since I was a little girl. I had terrible nightmares. I always made Noah go down there for me. Actually, that's probably one of the reasons I haven't decorated too. All the decorations are down there." The words slipped out of me. And as soon as I said them, I knew it was a mistake. A terrible, horrible mistake.

"Well, let me grab them for you real quick," Detective Torres said. He was already walking around me. "I think a little Christmas magic is just what we need right now."

Why? Why on earth would I tell him my Christmas decorations were down there? That my lovely missing husband couldn't grab them for me? That I was basically a damsel in distress when it came to basements? "That's not necessary."

"It's no problem at all. Your house could use a little Christmas cheer, don't you think?" The deadbolt clicked as he turned it.

"Really, Detective Torres. You're already doing so much for me. You don't have to." Don't do it. You'll regret it.

The door squeaked as he opened it. "I don't mind, Ensley." He flicked on the lights.

Fuck. Me. This was it. I was going to have to tase him. But my hand didn't reach for my taser. I remembered the feeling of waking up and believing my hands were covered in blood. The warm sticky feeling on my palms. The way the blood soaked into the wooden steps. The feeling of relief. Maybe it was a premonition. I knew