“Nah,” Joey chimed in around his toothpick, “Nick’s too busy being the new poster boy for the FCPD.” There was another round of laughter. Nick threw Joey a sharp look.
“Poster boy?” I asked. Nick shook his head, color rising in his cheeks.
“The department’s had a lot of bad press,” Samara explained. “Last year, a couple of dirty cops got caught working side hustles for the mob boss Feliks Zhirov. Zhirov skated—mishandling of evidence—and the local news outlets had a field day with it.” A muscle tightened in Nick’s jaw as she continued. “The PR rep at the department decided we needed to do something to improve community relations, so they came up with a plan to expand the annual citizen’s police academy into some big dog and pony show—you know, win over the hearts and minds of the people we serve by letting them get a real hands-on, behind-the-scenes experience—only no one signed up. Then, after Nick’s investigation led to Zhirov’s arrest last fall and Nick’s picture made it all over the news, PR got this wild idea to make Detective Hot Shit here the face of the new and improved FCPD Citizen’s Police Academy. Suddenly, everyone and their grandmother started signing up, most of them women,” she said with a wink.
“The rest of us got roped into teaching,” Wade groused. “Now we all get to waste a week showing Rotary Club grandmas how to handle a gun and answering stupid questions for a campus full of horny soccer moms.”
My sister smacked Wade on the back of the head as she returned from her game of darts. “It’s going to be fun, Wade, and we’re all going to be there to support Nick.”
Sam turned in her seat and smiled up at my sister. “Now there’s a thought,” she said, tapping her chin with a French-polished fingernail. “Finlay should come to the police academy next week.”
The color drained from Nick’s face.
“That’s probably not a great idea,” I said quickly.
“What are you talking about? It’s perfect!” Georgia said, her eyes wide with excitement. “You can ask us all your weird writer questions and get loads of ideas for your book.”
“What do you say, Finlay?” Sam asked. “There are a few beds left in the academy dorm. If we register you tonight, we can probably hold you a seat on the bus. I can do it right now.” She pulled out her phone.
“Bus?” I asked my sister.
“Think of it like a cop sleepaway camp.”
Nick rolled his eyes at her.
“Georgia,” I started, pretty sure I was speaking for both me and Nick when I said, “I really don’t think now is a good time.”
“It’s only a week,” she argued. “And you already said Steven has the kids. It’s perfect. Vero should come, too.”
“Come where?” Vero asked, returning from the dartboard with a very interested rookie cop in tow.
“Citizen’s police academy,” my sister said. “It starts next week. We’re all going to be there.”
“You’re joking, right? A week? In cop school? With all of you?” Vero chuckled darkly as her scheming eyes circled the group. “That sounds absolutely perfect, Finlay! We’d have to be idiots to say no.”
“No,” I said firmly.
“We’re in.” Vero clapped her hands. “Someone sign us up.”
“Already on it.” Samara gestured for Georgia to take the empty seat beside her. My sister flushed as Sam scooted close, angling her cell phone so they both could see the screen.
Nick leaned toward my ear. “You don’t have to do this,” he said in a low voice.
“Come on, Nick.” Roddy’s rumbling baritone boomed over the table as he reached to scoop a handful of peanuts from the bowl. “It’ll be a great PR angle. Think of the headlines! Local suspense novelist gets hands-on with Fairfax County Police in preparation to write her next bestseller.”
Vero wagged an eyebrow. “Finlay could definitely use a little hands-on research.”
I shot her a look.
“Finlay’s right,” Nick said. “It’s a bad idea. Tell ’em, Joe.”
Joey’s eyes caught mine across the table. The gleam in them made my insides squirm. “It’s not a terrible idea.”
“Done!” Samara said, dropping her phone in her purse. “We saved you two seats on the bus, but there was only one room left in the dorm, so you and Vero will have to bunk together.”
“It’s fine,” Vero assured her, “I’ll bring earplugs in case she snores.”
“Would you excuse us for a minute?” I got up from my seat and steered Vero by the elbow to the ladies’ room, throwing open the door and locking the bolt behind us. I checked for feet under the stall doors before rounding on her. “What are you doing?”
“Are you kidding me right now? You are looking a gift horse in the mouth. This is kismet.”
“This is insane!”
“This is exactly the opportunity we need! Steven has the kids, I need a safe place to lie low until we can sell the Aston, and you need to find EasyClean. Problem solved. And think of all the research you could do for your book!”
“Research for my book is what got us into this mess in the first place!”
“And now, it’s what’s going to get us out.” Mouths set, we stared at each other, each waiting for the other to cave.
I sank back against the sink and rubbed my eyes. Maybe it was kismet, but that didn’t change the fact that Nick obviously wasn’t a fan of the idea. Or that Joey seemed a little too eager, probably for the same reasons I should be—because we both suspected each other of something, and this was the perfect opportunity to keep an eye on each other.
Well, screw him. Two could play at that game. If Joey thought I was a criminal, he certainly wasn’t going to prove it while I was stuck in a training academy surrounded by police officers. I, on the other hand, was hunting for a dirty cop, and this was as good a chance as any to get close to a whole lot of them and figure out which one it was.
“Fine,” I said. “We’ll go.”
Vero jumped on her toes and hugged me hard enough to knock the wind out of me. “This is going to be so much fun! I swear, Finn, you won’t regret it.”
The scary part was, I already did.
CHAPTER 8
I stayed in the bathroom when Vero returned to the bar. Hands braced on the sink ledge, I hung my head, hiding from my own reflection in the mirror. Nick was right. This was a horrible idea. It didn’t matter that it had been an accident; I’d killed a man while trying to sell a car which had been purchased for me with Feliks Zhirov’s blood money. I had no business attending a citizen’s police academy, much less sitting around their table in a bar. And a sympathy kiss was definitely out of the question.
It was too late to change Vero’s mind about going. I would just have to avoid spending too much time with Nick.
My phone vibrated with a notification. A photo from Steven and the kids, the three of them making silly faces in their pajamas. I texted back a quick reply.
Finlay: Thanks for the pic. Glad you’re all having fun.
Three dots rolled across the screen as Steven typed a response.