Semi-Psychic Life (Glimmer Lake #2) - Elizabeth Hunter Page 0,24
the whiskey made her eyes burn.
“Moonlighting?” West shrugged. “I wouldn’t be shocked. In his defense, Luxury Pro Autoworks charges their customers up the ass and they pay their people shit. There’s a reason the owner’s office is that fucking fancy. So if Josh was moonlighting, it wouldn’t surprise me. Don’t know why the police care though.”
“What about the money?”
“What money?”
She took another drink of coffee. The whiskey was warming her up. “That’s why the police were asking about him. One of the customers he was moonlighting for says Josh took ten grand for parts and then didn’t do the work. They think he took off.”
“The fuck?” West shook his head. “No. That’s not Josh.”
“That’s what I told them, but I guess this guy knows people or something. I don’t know. Do you know anyone who owns a black Maserati in Pheasant Creek?”
He let out a low whistle. “No one around here is driving anything that nice. I’d notice. I can ask around. There can’t be more than one or two in town, but Josh is definitely who you’d want working on a vehicle like that.”
“Yeah.”
West finished his coffee and looked out into the garage with his eyes narrowed. “If you find him… tell him I’ll hire him back, same arrangement we had before.”
“Seriously?”
“I don’t have a wife for him to poach anymore, so… yeah, probably. I’d take a couple of swings at him first, but I’d hire him. Damn hard to find mechanics with the same touch Josh has.”
“You’re a peach, West.” She set her coffee cup down, already feeling her head swimming a little. She really wasn’t used to drinking in the morning. “I’m trying to think where he’d take off to.”
“He still seeing that girl? Does she know?”
Val rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t know her ass from her elbow. No help there.”
West grinned. “That’s what you get for hooking up with a girl instead of a woman.”
“I see what you’re doing here, but it’s not going to work.”
“Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on the dumbass.”
“No. I only want to find him for the boys.” Val set her mug down and didn’t know what to do with her hands. She dropped them on the arms of the chair and immediately got a flash of West in a compromising position with a woman she didn’t recognize.
“Oh.” She pulled her hands away and folded them in her lap. “Um…”
West frowned. “You okay?”
Her cheeks felt hot. She’d probably looked a second longer than was strictly necessary. Half a second. “I’m fine. Just not used to whiskey in the morning.”
“Right.” He was still frowning. “You drive yourself?”
“No. Remember Monica and Robin?”
“A little. They drove you?”
“Yeah, they were just going down to Gino’s to get a coffee while we talked.”
“I don’t know what else I can tell you. If he shows up, I’ll call you.”
“When was the last time you talked to him?”
West scratched his beard. “Ya know, I actually got a call from him last week. Saw his name on my phone and ignored it. Wasn’t in the mood. But I was going to call him back eventually. Then I heard about all this shit.”
“You think he was involved in anything illegal?”
“Pshhht.” West narrowed his eyes. “It’s Josh. Half the guys out there? Yeah, they might get into something dirty. Josh wouldn’t. Not on purpose, anyway. He wasn’t a great father, but he loved your boys enough to keep his nose clean.”
“Thanks.” She had to keep remembering that. Josh loved the boys. He was a piss-poor example, but he did love them. “I probably needed that reminder. This isn’t fun.”
She was currently keeping her hands stuffed under her knees, trying to keep from accidentally touching anything else. Not fun was an understatement.
“Tell you what,” West said. “I’m gonna find out whose car this is, and I’m gonna call you. Because I think there’s something else going on. The boys don’t need to be wondering about this shit.”
“Thanks, West.”
“No problem.” He got to his feet. “I better get back to work.”
Val stood and put on her gloves again. She wasn’t risking touching anything else in the office. “Thanks for the time.”
He put a hand on the small of her back and led her toward the door. “You got my number?”
“I think so.”
“Call if you or the boys need anything.”
“Sure.” She wouldn’t call. Not West anyway. He meant well, but he was Josh’s friend first. “I’ll call if I hear anything.”
“Cool.”
Val saw Robin and Monica waiting near the minivan. “That’s my ride.”