“And?”
“And she said there wasn’t a story.”
“Well, now this is a quandary. Do you have any friends in common? Maybe one of them knows the story behind the coat.”
“Yeah, I know her best friend. That’s a good idea. Thanks, Mom. Love you. Bye.” I hang up the phone without another word from her and call Gill.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
VERBAL SLAP DOWN
“What?”Gill sounds sleepy, or groggy.
“What’s MacKenzie’s best friend’s last name? Lauren what?”
“Jacobs. But that was her maiden name. Her married name is Warner. Lauren Warner. Why?”
“I need to talk to her. Where does she live?”
“You want to go to her place?”
“No. I was going to look up her number.”
“You want her number?”
“Do you have her number?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods?”
“Can you text it to me?”
“You’d better not upset her.”
“Who, Lauren or MacKenzie? Because it’s too late for MacKenzie. That’s why I need Lauren’s number.”
“Sure.” He sighs heavily. “Give me a second.”
We hang up, and I pull over to wait. Moments later my phone dings with his message. I pull out into traffic. I’m going to have to have this conversation as I drive so I can get to the restaurant on time.
It rings twice before a man says, “Hello?”
“Yes. Is Lauren there?”
“Who’s this?” he spits.
“My name is Sam Stone. MacKenzie is my, uh, girlfriend.”
The guy says nothing, but I hear him yell for Lauren. She groans when he tells her who it is. “Yeah?” She doesn’t sound friendly.
“Hey, Lauren, this is Sam Stone.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I need to ask you something.”
“You can ask, but don’t count on an answer.”
What? Why not? I barrel ahead. “What’s the story with the coat?”
