Riptide (Sam McRae Mystery 3)

I said, “What about him?”

Jinx leaned across the table. “I know what he did to you.”

“What are you talking about?” I wasn’t going down without a fight.

She placed a confidential hand on my arm. I wanted to shake it off, but chose to keep our meeting from becoming confrontational.

“He did the same thing to me.” Her eyes revealed pain. Pain I could completely understand.

I smiled and faked a small laugh. “I’m still at a loss.”

“Sam, please.” It was as close to begging as I’d ever heard from Jinx’s lips. “Don’t insult my intelligence.”

She paused, biting her lip. “I know Ray was seeing you. He was seeing me before he got involved with you.”

It was June and we were sitting in a stuffy little café on the boardwalk. The ocean breeze had died and the place smelled like rotten fish. Even so, my insides turned to ice.

I swallowed and said, “How do you know this?”

“I have photos. I followed him to your place.” She gave me a hard look. “There’s even one of you two kissing on the stairs. See?”

She pulled out a digital camera and turned it on. In the viewfinder, I saw an image of the stairs leading up to my apartment. Ray and I stood on them, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

Swell.

“Jinx,” I said. “Let’s get to the point, shall we? We aren’t exactly best buds. And I don’t think you invited me here for tea and sympathy.”

She nodded. “You’re right. Okay, look. Ray’s all set to be installed as the president of the state bar association, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“Don’t you see? He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” This whole discussion was making me queasy.

“Are you going to let this womanizing creep climb the ladder of success? Don’t you think we should say something to stop him?”

“You’re saying ‘we’ as if you and I were some kind of team. Pretty ridiculous, given our history.”

“Look.” She averted her gaze, then refocused on me. “I know we haven’t been the best of friends.”

I snorted. “There’s the understatement of the year. Maybe the decade.”

“But,” she continued, undaunted. “We’ve both been hurt by this man. I say we pool our forces and get some payback.”

“Exactly what is it you want to do?”

“Expose him. Tell everyone what Ray did. We have the pictures to prove it.”

Yeah. Pictures of me.

“Jinx, I suggest you do as I did. Forget about the asshole. Seeking revenge will only wreck your life.”

“Sam. I’m doing this. With or without your help.”

I sat and gawked at Jinx. She smiled like the cat that ate the canary.

“Figures,” I said. “Leave it to you to resort to blackmail.”