Jake’s expression hardened. “What?” he asked.
This time Addison looked to me. This is not how we planned the information exchange to go down, but based on my current situation, I was guessing we didn’t have much choice in the matter. I shrugged. “We might as well tell them everything.”
Wearing a stern,angry expression, Jake closed the door to my hospital room and got out his recorder. “Why don’t we start from the beginning?” he said. “And I need to remind you both that you can be charged with obstruction of justice for withholding information.”
I gulped and looked up at Asher, but he didn’t look too pleased with us either.
Jake set the recorder on my bed and clicked it on.
Since Addisonwas a lot more coherent than me, she began. Although she glossed over how we got the spreadsheet (making it sound like we found it in my backup files), she did hand the flash drive over to Jake.
“What else is on here?” Jake asked.
Addison glanced at me. When I didn’t talk, she said, “During Kirk’s funeral, Dylan recorded a conversation in the restroom.”
“You went to Kirk’s funeral?” Asherasked... now he sounded pissed. “What if the guys from Dylan’s apartment had been there? Do you have any idea how reckless that was?”
I winced at his tone.
“It wasn’t reckless,” Addison defended. “We wore disguises. Nobody would have known who we were.”
“I knew them the second I saw them,” Jake said, not helping our case at all.
“Yeah, but you’re a detective,” I pointed out. “I would’ve beenconcerned if you hadn’t recognized us.”
He nodded. “Nice cover. Now tell me about the conversation you overheard.”
“Our costumes had cameras hidden on them.” I squeezed Addison’s hand. “Addie’s idea. Although there’s no video—since I was hiding in the bathroom stall—it did catch the conversation. Kirk’s wife and his assistant were talking about some sort of deal.”
“His assistant?” Jakes eyeswidened. “What sort of deal?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but it sounded like Bonnie was paying Michelle off for something.”
Jake asked a few more questions before clicking the recorder off and pocketing both it and the flash drive. Then Addison turned on him and said, “We told you everything we know. Now it’s your turn.”
Jake’s mouth became a hard line. “It doesn’t work like that, Addison.”
“It should,” she replied. “We’re all supposed to be working together to keep Dylan out of jail.”
“I don’t work with civilians,” Jake replied, looking pointedly at my hospital bed. “Civilians who stick their noses in police business end up hurt.”
“That’s not fair,” I objected. “They think I know something I don’t know. The attack had nothing to do with our investigation.”
A vein popped out alongJake’s hairline, and his face took on a red tinge. “It’s notourinvestigation. It’smyinvestigation. And you two need to stay out of it before you get killed. Or before I have to arrest you both for obstructing justice.”
“We got you two really great leads,” Addison said, facing him. “Between them and the woman who was having drinks with Kirk, you should have—”
Jake’s expression hardened.“How do you know about that?”
Addison looked away.
“You don’t have to answer that, Addie,” Asher suggested. “At least not right now. You will need to explain yourself to me later.”
Jake ran a hand through his hair. “You listened in, didn’t you? At the funeral.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe this.”
“She’s my best friend and she’s innocent,” Addison replied, releasing my hand to grip therailing on my bed. “I’m going to do whatever I have to do to keep her out of jail.”
“Of course you are.” He stepped back, paced to the door, then turned around and paced back. “Is that why you keep asking me out? You want to use your charm in order to get information to help your friend?”
