Page 87 of Shake Your Boo Thang

Deciding not to push our luck, I get to my feet and Beau follows me. “We’ll meet you at six o’clock.”

We leave a clearly anxious Nigel behind as we head out.

“You don’t think he’s gonna pull a runner, do you?” Beau asks. “It’s clear we definitely surprised him. He wasn’t too keen to hear us bring up his uncle or the club.”

I give him a tight smile. “Well, I played a bit dirty when I suggested I might speak with his family. If he doesn’t want them involved, he’ll have to come see us alone.”

Beau’s eyes widen. “So that’s why you said that. Well played, sir.”

I wince. “It wasn’t very kind, but I had a strong inkling that he doesn’t want them to know anything about this.”

“Well, if he shows up tonight, then you’ll most certainly be right about that.”

“My hunches are usually pretty good. Granted, I haven’t exactly been in top form for the last few years, but certain instincts never fully go away.”

Beau grins at me. “I love it when you get all detective inspector-y on me. It’s so sexy.”

I pull him into my side and wrap my arm around his waist, holding him close as we walk.

“If he comes to the studio, do you think your end of the plan is going to work?” I ask.

Beau beams with confidence. “If he knows something and our friends there listen in on the discussion, I’m sure they’re going to have their own two cents to add. If that’s the case, they may want to make their presence known.”

“Are you thinking about acting as their conduit again?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

He gives me an innocent look, all wide-eyed and far too damned attractive.

“I won’t rule it out, sugar. After all, my top priority here is helping those poor souls move on. If we can get some answers from Nigel, that will give them the closure they need to move on, and that’s enough for me, even if the case isn’t reopened. Will it be enough for you?”

That’s a loaded question.

I frown. “I’m not sure. I’ll admit, I’d like to see the case reopened through the proper channels and done by the book, but that also doesn’t mean a whole lot if it doesn’t help those spirits.”

Beau pats my arm around his waist. “Exactly. You’re not in that law enforcement world anymore, but you’re still on the side of the victims. Now, though, they need you and me to help them let go of whatever regret, resentment, or vengefulness they are harboring.”

I lean down and kiss the top of his head. “I still believe the law needs to be upheld, no matter how old the case is, but you’ve opened my eyes to the fact that the best justice for these spirits is helping them leave this world and be at peace.”

“See, Callum Fraser, you can teach an old dog new tricks,” he says with a cheeky grin.

I immediately poke him in the side where I’ve discovered he’s ticklish and he starts laughing, trying to squirm away.

“And I’m not that old,” I grumble.

But his words do cause a niggle of doubt. I’d been so fixated on the distance issue in trying to have a relationship that I hadn’t considered our age difference. Thirteen years isn’t outrageous, but it could pose challenges if we get serious enough for a permanent commitment. Do we even want the same things in life?

Hell, I’m not sure I even know what I want. I’ve been existing in limbo for the past few years and am only now starting to really live again. Some difficult conversations hover on the horizon, but I force myself to focus back on our case for now.

A few hours later, we’re getting ready to head out to the studio. We want to get set up ahead of time so we’re ready for when Nigel shows up. I’m fairly confident the threat of talking to his family has spooked him enough that he’ll almost certainly show. I’m still not proud of that move, but we need answers, and the sooner the better.

All of a sudden, my phone rings and I pull it out of my jacket pocket. Liz’s name pops up on the screen.

She wouldn’t be calling me back so fast if there wasn’t a new development. “What have you found out?”

“I spoke with Margaret this morning, and she promised to look into it. I thought we’d have to wait a couple days, but she rang me back a few minutes ago. It seems this former arson investigator popped up red flags pretty damn fast when she started digging. Apparently, he was quietly forced to take early retirement back in 2000 after someone reported him for taking bribes in what would be his final investigation.”

“Holy shit!” I breathe.

“Exactly,” she says, her tone grim. “From what Margaret’s uncovered, the commissioner at the time tried to keep things quiet. Since he was able to get the man to retire early, he managed to avoid additional review of the investigator’s previous cases.”