if I wanted to, I could make you go to Melborne with me. In fact I could make you break out in boils. Even throw up frogs.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “All I’d have to do is go back to her greenhouse and whip up a quick little potion.”
“You are scaring me.” I laughed.
“So you’ll go?”
I started shaking my head again. “No. No, I won’t go. Nope. No way. No.” I pointed my finger at him “And here’s another one for you just for good measure. No.”
“Fine. You leave me no alternative.” His voice switched to a low, slow southern drawl. “I’mma go and fetch my handcuffs from inside.” He jerked his thumb toward the house and gave a nod. “And then me and you are gonna take a ride up to Gainesville.”
I narrowed my eyes and took in a breath. “You are an evil man,” I said, my voice low. “Fine.” I held my hands up in surrender. “I’ll go.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Friday Morning, AGD
Miss Vivee was extra nice to me (not that she’d ever been even a little nice to me before) when she found out I was going with Bay to South Carolina. She tried to tell me what to wear and how to comb my hair.
“Miss Vivee,” I said. “We’re going to catch a killer not to prom. I don’t have to get all made up.”
We were sitting in the dining room. I was waiting for Bay and the Sheriff. They had decided to take two cars. The Sheriff would take his car in case they were bringing Darius back to put him in jail. And Bay would take his car for the two of us. I was not looking forward to riding with Bay for the hour or so there and then that same time back.
“Well you look like you’re on your way to hike up a hill. I was thinking you could charm a confession out of that Darius Hamilton,” Miss Vivee said. She puckered up her lips. “You’d need on a little lipstick for that.” She held up her tube of the pink she’d worn to the strip club.
I waved her hand away. “I don’t know what you’re up to Miss Vivee, but we both know that I’m not going to be doing any talking. I’m just going because your grandson, officer of the law that he is, blackmailed me into it.”
“He did no such thing,” she said.
“He did too. He told me if I didn’t go he’d take me back to Gainesville, toss me in jail, and throw away the key.”
She laughed.
I don’t know how she thought that was funny.
“It’s not funny,” I said. “You and your family are a bunch of criminals.”
Bay walked in. “And who are you calling a criminal,” he said.
“I didn’t mean for you to hear me say that,” I said.
“Leave her alone, Bay.” Miss Vivee stood up. “Give your old grandmother a hug.”
He happily obliged. But he was so tall he had to bend down almost halfway to hug her. “Mornin’, Grandmother.”
“Mornin.’ Now you two, go catch a killer,” Miss Vivee said patting his arm. “And you, Missy,” she wagged a finger at me. “Call me as soon as Bay talks to that low-life killer. I want to know everything that happens.”
“We’ll call you, Grandmother,” Bay said. “Don’t worry.”
“Thank you, Grandson,” Miss Vivee said and pulled him back down, planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Okay,” Bay said looking at me. “You ready?”
“Yep.”
“Good,” he said and smiled. “You look nice.”
I looked down at my khaki cargo shorts, white tank top and tennis shoes. “Thanks,” I said, tugging down on my baseball cap with “I ♥ to Dig” inscribed across the top. I winked at Miss Vivee.
We walked out to get in Bay’s car and I noticed it was the same car my father had. A Cadillac SRX. Same make. Same model. Same color.
“Is this the car you’ve had since you’ve been down here?” I asked.
“Yep.”
Why hadn’t I noticed before?
“Is it your car?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Why?”
Man, my daddy would love this. Me hanging out with a guy who has his same taste.
“No reason,” I said and hopped in.
As soon as we hit the highway, I reached over and turned down the music. “So. I’ve been wondering,” I said. “Why did you follow me down to Yasamee?”
“That’s my job. I track down criminals.”
I sucked my tongue against the roof of my mouth.
He tapped my arm. “I was just kidding.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I was already on my way to Yasamee.” He glanced over