“That’s not even remotely funny.” Walker hadn’t been in Fool’s Gold all that long, and he’d kept his private life just that. Private. He hadn’t dated anyone since arriving and more than once he’d made a joke with a couple ladies that he had a girlfriend, so that’s why he couldn’t take them out. He did that because it kept people from getting too close.
The way he preferred it.
Relationships weren’t his thing, and he rarely had any kind of romantic entanglement with someone close to where he lived.
Too complicated.
“She’s not kidding,” Wilder said. “We want the two of you to be able to move about freely, without anyone thinking you’re questioning them or active in this investigation in any way. Having her be your girlfriend seemed like the best cover for that.” Wilder had the audacity to smile.
“If that’s the case, why did you have us meet you here?” Walker swallowed. He knew the answer, but he needed to hear it. “It looks kind of suspicious that we’re sitting here with a couple of cops.”
“Not really since you’re a friend of Stone’s and we’re having a party this weekend and I’m officially inviting you both. I just happened to be on my break with one of my fellow officers.” Sparrow poked him in the arm. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Wilder and I have some work to do.”
“Wait. I need to back this up a bit,” Fay said. “Why don’t you want the parents to know there are more people looking into their missing son? Because from my experience, that will either force them to trip up if one of them is hiding something, or they will see that it’s all hands on deck.”
“If it were just up to me, I wouldn’t be having the Brotherhood Protectors help me on this one yet. But it’s not entirely up to me, so this is the way we’re playing it.”
“No offense, Sparrow,” Walker said as he leaned back, folding his arms. “But I have to agree with Fay that this approach isn’t making much sense. Especially the part about us being a couple.”
“I think you make a cute couple,” Sparrow said.
“I agree,” Wilder said. “But this isn’t our call. It’s coming right down from the sheriff and from your boss. So, we run with it. Now, like Sparrow said, we’ve got work to do.”
Both Fay and Walker let the officers escape from the table.
Walker fiddled with the corners of the case file. “That was not what I expected.”
“You had no idea?” Fay asked with an arched brow.
He shook his head. “I was told by Jake to do whatever Sparrow told me, so he had to know and I’m sure Hank knows.”
Fay pulled out her cell and tapped at the screen, seemingly ignoring him for a few moments. She turned her phone over and set it on the table. “Well, Beck knew about the assignment, right down to our playing footsie.”
Without really thinking about what he was doing, or who he was doing it with, he lifted his leg and rubbed his foot against her calf.
That old adage, if looks could kill he’d be dead,popped into his head after she shot him a mean glare.
“I wonder why we weren’t given the heads-up,” he said.
“Beck said something about Hank being worried we’re not complete team players yet and that I better adjust my attitude. She figured if I knew, I might bolt.” She waved to the waitress. “Is it too soon to have a few drinks?”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost six, so I’m down for a beer.”
She lowered her chin. “A beer? I’m talking doing a couple shots of tequila.”
“Let’s drop your shit off in your room, grab a couple of burgers to go and head back to my place. I’ve got a great bottle of really expensive tequila we can crack open while we go over these files and look for clues.” He dared to laugh. “That might give this place something to talk about.”
“Sounds like a plan, lover boy.”
“If you ever call me that again, I’ll start calling you sweat pea,” he said with a laugh.
“Fucking deal.”