Blazing Summer (Darling Investigations Book 2) Read online

  “So what’s she doin’ here?” she asked Luke.

  “It’s my day off, but I wanted to take your statement myself. Summer was with me, so I brought her along. If you’re uncomfortable with her being here, I can take her back to her office before I take your statement.”

  “Nah, she can stay.” She motioned her thumb toward the front door. “Y’all come on in.”

  Luke’s body tensed. “That’s okay. We can do this out here.”

  She shook her head. “No way. I feel like a piece of bacon fryin’ on a black iron skillet.”

  April Jean went inside, but Luke stayed put until I reached him. Lowering his voice, he said, “Just remember I’m not responsible for what goes on in there.”

  “What’s she gonna do?” I asked in a whisper.

  “Probably nothing since you’re here, but just know that I didn’t approve of anything you might see inside.”

  “Okay . . . ,” I said a little too eagerly based on the hesitation on his face. If he was trying to scare me, it had backfired. I was dying to go inside and check it out.

  Cringing, he motioned for me to follow April Jean across the threshold.

  The flimsy metal door creaked when I went inside, and I was relieved to feel a blast of cold air. I’d been in plenty of poorly air-conditioned trailers before I’d moved to Hollywood. Heck, my aunt and uncle had lived in a mobile home behind my grandparents’ farmhouse.

  But as soon as relief over the a/c washed over me, horror quickly replaced it. Now I could see why Luke had given me his warning, but it had been completely inadequate.

  “You like my artwork?” April Jean asked as she opened her refrigerator and pulled out what looked like a pitcher of water.

  “Uh . . . yeah . . .”

  She grinned.

  Luke walked in behind me, and I felt his body grow rigid. Not that I was surprised. There were multiple drawings of him completely naked and in all his sexual glory. Or maybe he was pissed that he had competition. There were drawings of multiple men plastered on the walls, their male appendages all at very full staff—Cale, Willy, several other men I didn’t recognize, and finally my cousin Teddy. And here I had thought seeing his bare butt was bad. I held up my hand to block my view of him.

  “Hey, Luke. I added to your collection,” April Jean said. “What do you think?”

  “Uhhh . . . ,” he stammered.

  “This is amazing,” I said, still holding my hand to the side of my face. I couldn’t escape Teddy’s image. I was going to need therapy after this. “How’d you get all these men to pose for you?” I cast a sideways glance at Luke. I was definitely reading Teddy the riot act tonight.

  He held up his hands. “I swear to God I never posed for her.”

  April Jean rolled her eyes. “Please. I’m an artist who is in touch with the universe. I don’t need them to pose. I can sense their proportions.” She grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and filled it with water. When she offered it to me, I noticed she’d etched her drawings on the glasses too. I shook my head. I had no desire to be wrapping my hand around—from the looks of it—Mayor Sterling’s . . . parts.

  Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “So you had an issue with Trent Dunbar?”

  “I sure as hell did,” she said in a huff. “He stole my car.”

  Luke dropped his arms, seeming to take her more seriously. “When?”

  “This morning. Or maybe in the middle of the night? I noticed it missing when I woke up about an hour ago.”

  “So Trent stayed here last night?” Luke asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Maybe he borrowed it,” I said. “You know, maybe he went to get coffee and croissants.”

  April Jean burst out laughing. “Somebody’s been livin’ in fancy-pants land. Is that what they served on the set of that TV show you did? What was it called? You Done It?”

  I scowled, and when I didn’t answer, Luke said, “Gotcha!”

  I shot him a dirty look.

  She snapped her fingers. “Oh, yeah! You used to say that corny line.” Then she thrust out her hip and pointed her finger at me. “Gotcha!”

  My jaw tensed. Twice in one day was more than enough.

  Luke shifted his weight. “Anyway . . . Summer has a point. Maybe Trent went to pick up breakfast . . . or lunch, and he borrowed your car.”

  “While I love a man who brings me a bear claw and coffee, we all know that Trent Dunbar’s too damn selfish for that.”

  “I’m sure I can track down your car, but the question is, do you want to press charges?” Luke asked.

  She hesitated. “I don’t want anything official. Just the threat of it is good enough.”

  Luke was silent for a moment. “So you want me to try to reason with him first?”

  “Would you? Maybe put the fear of God into him?” she asked, holding her glass up and pressing it to her cleavage.

  “I think it would take God igniting a bush to make that happen,” Luke said.

  “Well, then, just get it back. I really need my car. Today’s when the trash service dumps all the big items at the landfill. I need to be there to sift through it.”

  What? I shot Luke a sideways glance, but his mouth was pursed as though he was considering something he found distasteful.

  “It’s my day off, so how about we handle it this way: I won’t take an official report, but I’ll have a chat with Trent and see if he’ll willingly return it.”

  “Would you do that for me, Luke?” she cooed, setting the glass down on the counter. “He’s ignoring my calls and texts.”

  He leaned sideways and peered out the window at the yard. “I didn’t see another car out there. How’d he get here?”

  “I brought him home with me from the Jackhammer last night.”

  The Jackhammer was a bar outside of Sweet Briar city limits. I’d been there once, and while the crowd looked tame enough, I’d had an encounter with a guy that would have been a disaster if Luke hadn’t stepped in to defend me, much to my irritation. It didn’t surprise me that wild-child April Jean would pick up someone like Trent Dunbar there.

  “And where was his car?” Luke asked.

  “We left it in the Jackhammer parking lot. He was too drunk to drive.”

  He gave her a hard stare. “And you?”

  “In better shape than he was.”

  “I’ve talked to you about drinking and driving, April Jean,” Luke said in a stern voice. “You’re gonna get someone killed.”

  “I wasn’t drunk, Luke. I swear it.”

  “Hmm . . .” He obviously had his doubts. “Are you sure you didn’t give him permission—either expressly or implied—to use your car this morning?”

  “No, because we came home and started having sex, but he couldn’t get it up. Then he fell asleep with me right on top of him.” She turned to me with an incredulous expression. “Who does that?”

  I shook my head. “Really drunk guys. You deserve better than that.” Even if she’d mocked my show, because, really, even potbellied pigs deserved better than Trent Dunbar.

  With her lips pursed together, she nodded. “Yeah, you might be right.” She flicked her gaze to Luke and then back to me. “I bet Luke’s never fallen asleep with you sitting on top of his d—”

  Luke’s eyes flew wide. “And I think that’s all the information I need for now, April Jean. Thanks.”

  She looked startled. “Oh. Okay.”

  He made a move for the front door. “Like I said, I’m gonna keep this unofficial, but I can fill out the paperwork and file a report if you change your mind.”

  “Thanks, Luke,” she said with a genuine smile. “You’re the best.”

  He flashed a tight smile. “Just doin’ my job.” Then he wasted no time beating it out of her trailer.

  I started to follow him, but April Jean grabbed my arm and pulled me to a halt. She tilted her head sideways toward the drawings of Luke. “How’d I do? Am I close?”

  I allowed myself another quick glanc
e at the four pencil drawings of him. He was completely naked in all of them, but the backgrounds were different. In one he was in the woods. He was holding an ax with one hand, the handle resting on his bare shoulder and his very well-endowed manhood in his other hand. He was grinning with that devilish grin he sometimes wore. She’d definitely gotten that part right. The next one was of Luke sitting on his desk at the police station, wearing his badge on his bare chest. He was holding a pair of handcuffs in one hand, and in the other . . . It was obvious there was a common theme linking all the drawings.

  “That looks painful,” I said, gesturing toward the image with the badge.

  Her mouth twisted into a look of concentration. “I guess when something becomes engorged like that, it could be. But I think it only happens when a guy uses Viagra. At least the guys I know.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I quickly tried to recover. “Uh . . . I was talking about the badge.”

  “Oh . . .” She studied it for a moment with a perplexed look. “You know, I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “Summer!” Luke called from outside.

  I leaned closer to April Jean as I dug a card out of my purse. “Say, I take it you’re interested in bein’ on my show.”

  “Your PI show?” she asked in surprise. “Yeah, but what for?”

  “Trent.”

  “Oh . . .” Her eyes lit up, but then a guarded look slid into place. “I dunno. I want to, but what do you want to put on there?”

  “I take it this wasn’t the first time you’ve had a sleepover with him.”

  “Not by a long shot. We go way back.”

  Which meant she had a wealth of information. “Do you know if he’s still using drugs?”

  She laughed. “Using? He’s deal—” She clamped her mouth shut. “I don’t know nothin’.”

  That was an outright lie that I hoped to unravel. “Here’s my card.” I handed it to her. “Text me your number, and either me or one of my crew will be in touch with you to set up an interview here in your trailer.”

  “On camera?” she asked hopefully.

  “Yes, you will be on camera. But,” I said, lowering my voice, “let’s keep this between us for now, okay? I’m still working things out, and I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Summer!” Luke shouted, starting to sound grumpy.

  “Thanks, April Jean.” I paused to look at her drawings again, holding up my hand to shield the view of Teddy. “You know? I think you’ve got real talent.” And she did. Other than the exaggerated proportions of the parts in every man’s left hand.

  Luke was standing in front of his truck, looking like he was about to leave without me.

  April Jean followed me out onto the porch and hollered out at Luke, “Don’t be a fool and let her get away this time, Luke Montgomery.”

  He grimaced and climbed into his truck.

  When I got inside, he wasted no time before pulling back onto the highway.

  “That was . . . interesting,” I said with a grin.

  He didn’t say anything for a second, his hands gripping the steering wheel at ten and two. “She’s added more drawings.”

  “She’s an artist?” I asked.

  “She fancies herself to be one, but she doesn’t make any money from it. She’s livin’ off disability.”

  “Disability for what?”

  He rolled his eyes. “A bad back, but it doesn’t stop her from sleeping with Trent and a list of other guys.”

  “Well, in her defense, she was on top . . .”

  He shot me a dirty look.

  “Are you gonna let me come with you to look for Trent?”

  “I don’t know. Don’t you need to get back to the office?”

  “I’ll just send Dixie a text saying we got held up. Besides, she has to do the legwork of setting up some interviews. They’ve got plenty to do without me.” I could see he was about to protest, so I quickly added, “And it’s an unofficial visit. So it might look better if I’m with you. Plus,” I said with a sweet smile, “we can spend more time together.”

  The hard set of his jaw softened. “Why do you really want to go?”

  I couldn’t tell him the real reason, but I could tell him a partial truth. “I’m curious. I want to see the guy who ruined Dixie’s life.”

  “All the more reason to take you back.”

  “I’m not gonna do or say anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “That’s what you said before we dropped in on April Jean.”

  “In my defense, it was impossible to remain silent after seeing all that.” I shot him a grin. “She asked if she’d gotten the proportions right.”

  He coughed as though he were choking.

  “Don’t worry. I redirected her attention to the fact she had your police badge attached to your bare chest. So are you goin’ to let me come with you? I might come in handy.”

  He groaned. “I may regret it later, but yeah, you can come. But if you butt in, I’ll never bring you with me on something like this again.”

  At the moment, this trip was all I needed.

  Talk about being shortsighted.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Where are you going to look for him first?” I asked as I pulled out my phone and started composing a text.

  “Maybelline’s Facebook page says he’s been working at the lumberyard every day, so we’ll start there.”

  Dunbar Lumber was located a couple of miles northeast of town, but still within city limits. I knew from when I’d lived here before that there was a massive lumberyard and sawmill in the back of the property, and an office building in the front.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Luke said. “He’s really here.”

  “How do you know?” I asked.

  “Because there’s April Jean’s car.” He pointed to an ancient-looking white Ford Explorer with two stickers on the back window. The first was a yellow road sign with a swerving car that read Blow Job in Progress, and the other was an interstate highway symbol with an I in the top part and a 69 in the bottom.

  “So she’s a fan of oral sex,” I said.

  “I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Luke said, his face turning red.

  “Gotta love a woman who knows what she wants,” I said with a hint of approval.

  He turned to me, his eyes darkening with lust. “And do you know what you want, Summer?”

  That was a loaded question. “Let’s just say I don’t want to make any mistakes this time.”

  His eyes searched my face. “Fair enough.”

  We headed toward the office, and as Luke reached for the handle on the front door, he said, “You stay in the background and let me do the talking.”

  “Of course.” I gave him a sweet smile.

  “You reminded me of Dixie just then,” he said with worry-filled eyes.

  He meant I was acting like a loose cannon, but I took it as a compliment. I had learned a thing or two from my cousin. My smile widened, and I walked inside the front office.

  “Hey, Luke,” a young woman said from a receptionist desk. “Can I help you?”

  “I’m here to see Trent.”

  She froze for a moment but quickly recovered. “Is he in trouble?”

  “I just need to speak to him. Unofficially.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She stood, then walked through the doorway to the back.

  About a half minute later, a cocky but undeniably good-looking guy walked out, literally strutting. He was shorter than Luke, probably about five-ten, and had short, styled brown hair. He wore jeans and a dress shirt. When he saw Luke, a shit-eating grin spread across his face that said I know why you’re here, and you can’t touch me.

  I disliked him on sight.

  “What can I do for you, Chief?” Trent asked in a patronizing tone.

  “The chief’s not necessary at the moment,” Luke said in a deceptively calm voice. “I’m here as a private citizen.”


  “Then what can I do for you, Luke?”

  “April Jean would like her car back.”

  He made a look of disgust. “It’s not like I want it.”

  “And yet you left it in the Dunbar Lumber parking lot.”

  “It’s better than leaving it on the street to get hit by a semi, although I’d be doin’ her a favor.”

  “April Jean can’t afford a new car, and you know it,” Luke said with a hint of an edge in his voice. “What made you think you could just take it?”

  “Obviously, I was desperate. I woke up and had to get to work, so I did what I had to do.”

  “By stealing her car?” I asked.

  His gaze raked me up and down before a smile lit up his eyes. “Well, well, if it isn’t Summer Butler. Or should I say, Summer Baumgartner? And stealing’s a harsh word. I only borrowed it.”

  I gave him a pointed look. “Without her permission.”

  Luke shot me a glare, reminding me I’d already broken our ground rules, but the warning came too late. Trent had shifted his attention to me.

  “So you’re back in town too,” Trent said, thrusting his foot to the side. He gave me an appreciative look. “Looking for some fun?”

  “You were just sleepin’ with April Jean last night.”

  “I only went home with her because I was drunk off my ass.”

  “And I’d have to be drunk off mine to go home with you,” I said.

  His face lit up. “Woo-hoo. Summer’s got some fire in her. I bet you’re a hellion in bed.”

  “Summer,” Luke said in a low tone, “go wait in the truck.”

  I gave Luke an irritated look. I’d handled worse than this, and after a childhood spent in pageants, I didn’t like being treated like a little princess. But I had another reason for wanting to stick around. I’d come up with a plan for our big case—one Luke was sure to disapprove of. We could investigate Trent, prove him to be a lawless lowlife, and clear Dixie’s name in the process. Whether Luke invited the interference or not, we’d be helping him out if we took Trent down.

  Alienating Trent right now might be a bad idea, but I sure wouldn’t kiss up to him either. Even Meryl Streep wasn’t up to that performance.