I paused to grin. He was giving me a nickname already?
“You’re not going to believe this.” I proceeded to tell him the abridged version of Tyler’s confession in one long sentence. I was breathless when I finished.
The shock on Jack’s face grew. “That’s a whole ride, that story. What a snake. Is Vera OK?”
“Yeah, she’s angry, which is progress. We’re on our way to tell Detective Holt everything. Want to join us?”
His expression fell. “I wish I could, but I have a call with my publisher about the book. We’re discussing covers so I can’t miss it.”
“Aww, it’s okay.” I waved him off, not wanting him to see how disappointed I was. He’d helped so much in our sleuthing, and I wished he could see the case through.
“How about I come over with some prosecco and pasta later?” he said. “A little celebration.”
“That would be amazing.”
He raised his hand for a high five, and I slapped his palm. But instead of me pulling my arm back, I kept my hand pressed against his. He didn’t move either, and we stood there, staring at each other, grinning. I was thinking about the other night when we were horizontal, and I’d bet he was too.
“See you tonight,” I said, and bounced off.
Fifteen minutes later, Vera and I marched into the police station. We stopped at a window, where a bored-looking man shifted his eyes from a computer.
“How can I help you?” he asked.
“We’re looking for Detective Holt. We have some important information about a case he’s working on,” I said.
“Crucial information,” Vera added.
The man, who was about sixty with gray hair, a pink button-down shirt, and a purple bow tie, nodded and tapped a few keys on his computer.
“The detective is out for the afternoon. According to this”—he tapped a few more keys—“his calendar says he’s at a monthly meeting of Central Florida detectives. It’s in town, though.”
Vera and I looked at each other, stumped.
“When will he be back?” I asked.
“Tomorrow morning. Usually gets here around eight.”
“Where is he in town?” Vera asked.
The man stared at us, stone-faced. “I can’t tell you that.”
After I thanked him, I pulled Vera into a corner, out of earshot of the dapper dispatcher guy. “Let’s just leave him a detailed voicemail.”
“And a text.”
I nodded and we went back to the car, where I left a long and rambling message for Alex Holt. It was so long that I had to call back three times and leave additional messages. Then, instead of trying to type it all out in a text, I sent him a message in all caps.
LISTEN TO YOUR VOICEMAIL. URGENT. WE CAN’T MESS THIS UP. BIG NEWS, AMIGO.
Sighing, I turned to Vera, who was sitting in the passenger seat. “Well, that’s done.”
“What should we do now? I’m too keyed up to feel hungry.”
I chewed on my bottom lip for a beat. “How about we drive by Bruce’s house? To make sure he’s still there and all. Just out of curiosity.”
“Yeah, that seems like a plan. It seems difficult to believe that he’d stay in town after Tyler’s arrest. He’s probably already gone.”
I pulled out of the parking lot and pointed the car in the direction of Doyle’s house. “Criminals aren’t known for being smart.”