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“Created by your own actions.”
“I’m not that guy anymore, but she won’t even give me the chance to prove it. I need a way in.”
I sigh heavily. Betraying the sisterhood is not what I want to do, but he’s leaving me no other choice. “She was at the diner with Ellery a few days ago. They seem to be friends. They’re starting some secret, underground poker group, but you—”
“Get me into it. Can you bring a guest?”
“It’s women only. And if you tell anyone about it, I’ll release those videos I have of you with the attack groundhog.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I would dare. You betray me, I betray you, that’s how it works.”
The groundhog video is actually adorable. A seven-year-old Levi sneaks up and pets it, but it wakes up and attacks him with claws and teeth.
Levi is embarrassed about the way he screamed in fright and burst into tears - he wasn’t hurt - and I’ve been holding it over his head ever since. My mom made the video and I have the only extant copy.
“You know I won’t tell anyone,” he says. “What else have you got for me?”
“That’s it.”
“A women’s only poker group? What am I going to do with that? You have to find something else, or at least drop hints about what kind of guy I am.”
Like she won’t see right through that. “I’ll do what I can. What have you got for me?”
“It took me like two minutes and a social media search to find out Maya’s not dead.”
The deep sorrow that’s been tightening my chest for the past two days eases. “Are you sure?”
“She’s married with a kid and living in Roanoke. Looks like the kid’s two or five. Definitely not driving yet.”
I snort out a laugh mingled with relief. Of course, Dell would equate marriage and parenthood with death. “What did you find out about Dell?”
“Nothing. The guy’s a ghost. I’ll keep digging, but I’d guess he’s living off the grid or he’s unemployed with no possessions. I did find out he’s got an arrest record, grand theft auto, but that’s all I got.”
“Thanks for trying. Can you get me contact info for Maya?”
“I’ll text it over.”
“Can you do me another favor?”
He groans. “I’m not a private investigator, Honey. I’m an electrician.”
“An electrician with the skills of a private investigator. That sounds like the start of a cozy mystery. I think Gentry likes reading cozy mysteries.”
“Really?” His excitement is adorable.
“No idea, but I’ll find out if you dig up whatever you can about a guy named Mac Skillworth.”
“What else have you got on him?”
“He claims he’s a music professor.”
He sighs. “There’s got to be ten thousand Mac Skillworths in the world. What state is the guy from? What’s his state of residence?”
“Maybe this one? Just start here. He’s about twenty-five to thirty, probably closer to twenty-five. He’s got purple hair and blue eyes if that helps.”
I can hear Levi rolling his eyes. “Whatever. I’ll see what I can dig up. Just drop some hints about me with Gentry and find out if she’d be more into a private investigator or an electrician.”
