“Where are you now?”
It might be a nosy question, but it was one she asked often enough in the random text messages they sent back and forth.
“Just stopped home to change. I’m on my way over to my folks’ house.”
She was beginning to wonder if she would ever meet them. For some reason Michael didn’t seem keen on introducing her to his family.
“For dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t sound too sure about that.”
“My kid brother got into a spot of trouble today. I promised him and Mom I’d be there to referee when Dad got home from work.”
It was more than he usually told her. She knew he had a kid brother. And that he’d gotten a tattoo on his back that Michael didn’t approve of. She didn’t know why, or even what type of tattoo it was.
“You do that often?” she asked now, picturing him as the big brother, trying to instill calm in the midst of family drama.
He’d be good at it. Lacey was, too. The best.
Kacey seemed to create the drama. Not that she meant to. Or wanted to.
“On occasion,” he said. “This time it’s for a good cause. The kid didn’t do what he’s being blamed for. Tomorrow I intend to help him prove it. I just need the old man to have faith for one night.”
Have faith. That hit home. She knew what it was like to need a family member to have faith in her when her actions hadn’t done much to inspire it.
Lacey had had faith, though. “I’m glad you’re there for him,” she said now. “He’s lucky to have you.”
Michael’s harrumph was about what she’d expected.
“I just wanted to let you know, before I go, that I don’t have good news for you, Kace.”
Her heart dropped as she watched a purple-haired, multipierced couple walk by her car, looking at her to see if she was, you know, someone.
She never left the studio in makeup or wig, and without them, could usually move around without recognition.
“What did you find out?” she asked slowly. “Who did it?”
“That’s just it. I didn’t find out who did it. I don’t know. I’ve got a couple of things yet to check, but it seems whoever posted that picture didn’t hack your email account.”
“That’s good, then, right? But I thought you said they used it to open that account...”
“It looks like they know your password, Kacey. It seems they went on the server and deleted the confirmation email that was sent to your address, which is why neither you nor Lacey ever received that email. They’d have to know your password to log on to the server.”
“But...I’ve never given that password to anyone, and I’m positive Lacey hasn’t either.”
“She said the same.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“I’ve got a couple more things I can check. Your password was so personal it’s pretty hard to believe that anyone could have figured it out even knowing you well. I’ll go through the list of names you sent, too. But in the meantime...I’m sorry I didn’t find more.”
“You’re being a great friend to me, Michael. Don’t you dare apologize.” She just wished she could be as good a friend in return. Wished he would let her get close enough to him to know what she could do to return the favor.
“Your sister tried to pay me.”
Shit. She hadn’t thought about Lacey’s penchant for detail.