“Sure. Sure. I get it.” Not really. I mean, I’m not a suspect. Right?
“But after?” Why does he suddenly sound so unsure? Is he just trying to make me feel better?
“No. You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to.” A small smile crosses his lips. “I bet you’re a great cook.”
And there you have it. He’s just hungry.
That fact sucks donkey balls.
“I’m an okay cook.” I’m being modest. The fact is I’m agreatcook. My mom taught me. But now’s not the time to brag, especially when I’m lining up a pity date.Yay, me.
“So your dad didn’t like me.”
I’m caught off guard by his comment. “My dad doesn’t like anyone in my apartment.”Hisapartment.
“I suppose that’s normal. But you’re an adult.”
“That’s what my birth certificate says.” I snort and regret it the minute it happens.
Gage steps closer to me, reversing the mammoth step he just took away from me. “Look, Daisy.” His voice is tentative. I’m not sure I want to hear this. “I’d love to have dinner with you—after this case is solved.”
The blush is back, but this time it’s not because I’m embarrassed. No, this time the heat rising up from my center is for all the right reasons. “Okay.” I can barely hear myself, so hopefully Gage caught my response. I’d better say it again. Clearing my throat, I nod. “That’d be nice.”
“Yeah?” He nods. “Great.”
We stare at each other for way too long. An awkward amount of time. Until he breaks the silence with a question. “Daisy, can I ask you something about that night?”
I know which night. “Sure.”
He pulls out his notebook from his chest pocket and flips the pages around. “You said you saw the redhead when you came upstairs from getting your laundry. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t see her enter Kara’s apartment?”
Shaking my head, I repeat what I said before. “No.”
“And when you went back into your apartment, you didn’t hear anything? No conversations between the redhead and Kara?”
I shake my head again.
“Nothing later?”
“No.”
“How can that be? You knew when Finch and I were in the apartment. You’re very cognizant of what’s happening in the hallway. Why not that night?”
It’s a good question. One I answered, but I’ll repeat it. “I put on my headphones when I got back into my apartment.”
“Those prevent you from hearing anything?”
“They’re noise canceling. I listen to them while I work.”
“While you do research?”
“Yes.”
