He sighed. “I don’t know how fast you think I can get across town to blow something up, but trust me—I’m not one of the beasts in Ordinary gifted with super speed.”
“Not even in a rubber suit with flippers?”
He scowled. “Like I’d need one. And if I did, it’d at least be aerodynamic. Millicent might have been an artist, but that monster suit…” He just shook his head in disbelief.
“Price of living a secret life. You don’t get to complain when you’re portrayed incorrectly in a movie. You gonna call Margot out now so you can alibi out of this?”
“Since you asked so friendly-like.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, typed something into it, turned the screen.
It said:Margot, could you come out on the deck? Have a friend who wants to say hi.
“See? Friend,” I said.
“Didn’t want to tell her the cops are here. We aren’t really at the tell-me-about-your-past-convictions stage of the relationship. Before you ask, she’s been here since about eleven.”
“Ryder saw her with you?”
“Yes.”
The light swung wildly against the pilings, as someone walked out onto the aft of the boat. A face bobbed into view. Blonde, pretty, no cowboy hat. The lavender feathers in her hair shifted in the breeze. Margot had a beer in one hand, a lantern in the other, and no pants on under a large red Jump Off Jack T-shirt that reached her knees.
“Hello?” Margot called. “Chris?”
“Hey, Margot. This is my friend Delaney. She just wanted to make sure we weren’t breaking the law.”
Margot laughed. “I promise I’m over twenty-one, officer. Do you need to see my license?” She put down the lantern, and in so doing lit up the inside of her T-shirt so that every very naked curve of her was accentuated in shadow play against the thin cloth.
She had a good body.
Chris grunted like someone had punched him in the gut.
“Where’s my purse? Hold on, let me get my hands free.” She straddled the lantern now, and downed the beer in one long continuous pull before looking around for where to put the empty bottle. She was a little wobbly on her feet. I wondered how many beers she’d had.
“You done with the questions, chief?” Chris asked, his voice gone low.
“Margot, have you been here all night?”
“Up there in the taproom for drinks. Down here for dessert.” She giggled. “Wait! My purse is next to the bed. Should I get it? I have a gun.”
“What?” Chris and I said at the same time.
“Glock 19. A girl can’t be too careful.”
Chris’s eyes went a little wide. Then he just grinned again. Apparently he liked a woman who knew how to look after herself.
“Are you licensed to carry?” I asked.
She nodded and gave me what she probably hoped passed for a serious look. “Gun range every month. Safety first. But I’m a little tipsy. Don’t wanna take it out of the holster.”
“Is it loaded?” Chris asked, taking the words out of my mouth.
She chuckled. “Not much use to me if it isn’t.”
“Do you have anything else with you, Margot?” I asked. “Explosives, maybe?” Yeah, I knew she couldn’t have gotten out to Dan’s house and back here in the amount of time it took to set off the explosion, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see if she had another line of defense in her Louis Vuitton.
“Uh…explosives? No. One gun. That’s it, I swear.” She blinked hard and looked up at Chris, clearly confused.
“She’s joking,” he said.
