know it’s not you who’d be paying for it. I’m very expensive.”
“I could make a joke there,” I said, taking my raincoat off and hanging on the tree stand.
“I’m sure you could,” she said. “Exactly how much money does Nick’s family have?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. A lot, I guess. He’s got a trust fund from both sides of the family, and he’s got some property here and there. We’ve never really talked about it.”
“You never looked at property records or anything like that?”
“That would be a misuse of company property,” I said, primly.
Kate laughed, a full-out laugh that made me smile. “Nothing showed up under his name, huh?” she asked.
“It’s all tied up in the trust,” I said.
She wiped her eyes and then looked me up and down. “Why are you dressed like a bumblebee? And why aren’t you home partaking of wedded bliss?”
“You ask a lot of questions for a woman who never answers any,” I said.
It was my turn to look her over. I hadn’t seen her since just after the wedding when we’d gone to see Savage in the hospital. I’d noticed the last year or so Kate had been under a tremendous amount of stress. It hadn’t helped that she’d found out about her husband’s gambling addiction, or that when she’d hired me, she’d unofficially gotten Rosemarie and Scarlet.
Kate had always been cute as a button. Her hair was blond and she’d had it cut recently so it was a little shorter than usual, but she still wore the same black headband to keep the hair out of her face. Kate was a lost cause in the fashion department. I’d been trying for years to spruce up her wardrobe and get her to wear lipstick.
She still wasn’t wearing makeup, but the line that had seemed like a permanent addition in between her eyes had disappeared. She looked—rested. It was the first time I’d seen her like that in years.
“You look good,” I said. “I mean, not that outfit though. Are you buying suits from the Hillary Clinton collection? I’ve never actually seen a pumpkin-colored suit in person before. Where’s your body? You’re young and hip. Maybe when you finally sell the agency we can have a party and burn all your ugly suits.”
“I’m not taking fashion advice from an insect,” she said.
“It’s cute,” I said, looking down at my attire. There was a blob of crème from the éclair right in the middle of my boobs. “I had pastries for breakfast and cake for lunch.”
“That would explain why you look like you’re jonesing for a hit,” she said. “Are you going to tell me why you’re sitting in my office instead of boinking your very fine husband?”
“Believe me,” I said. “There has been no lack in that department. You should see how even my tan is.”
“I’ll pass,” she said, taking a seat on the couch instead of behind her desk.
“Nick went back on duty today,” I said. “He caught a homicide.”
“There’s no shortage of those around here,” she said. She kicked off her shoes and lay back on the couch, and my mouth fell open.
“What are you doing?” I asked. “Are you sick? Are you having a stroke?”
She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “I’m just lying down.”
“Like, for a nap?”
“I’ve been taking one almost every day,” she said, the corner of her mouth tilted in a smile. “Naps do wonders for the disposition. I wish I’d been taking them for years.”
“Scarlet says the same thing,” I said. “I’ve never seen you take a nap. At least, not since kindergarten, and even then you never closed your eyes. It was freaky. What’s wrong with you?”
She laughed and I became even more worried. “Nothing is wrong with me. I’m just taking the time to enjoy this very comfortable couch.”
“It is comfortable,” I agreed. “I’ve snuck in and taken a couple of naps on that thing. You should take it with you after you leave.”
“Hmm,” she said, sliding her hand across the leather. “Do you think Scarlet’s okay?”
“I’m not sure I’m brave enough to check,” I said. “But if she doesn’t come back in a few minutes I’ll go check on her.”
“I’ve got a gas mask in my desk you can use.”
“Really?” I asked. And then I narrowed my eyes at her. “Kate McClean, don’t think because you’re being all pleasant and making conversation that I don’t know what you’re up to. Don’t change the subject. I want to know what’s going on