Page 38 of Skin Game
Pausing mid-type, Althea looked up at Gabe. “We’re both glad to have the necklace back.”
“We should do dinner one of these nights, you and Elton, Casey and me. I’d love to hear some stories about Elton and the island back in the day.”
She nodded, the corners of her eyes creased in what could have been the start of a smile, but she also made a noise that conveyedI have work to do and don’t have time to talk.
“Okay, then. See ya around.”
Althea gave him a nod in return and went back to her typing.
“Huh,” Gabe grunted as he got behind the wheel. He refused to have his feelings hurt because his eighty-year-old friend’s girlfriend didn’t seem to care for him as much as she had. Maybe she was busy? God, he hoped her attitude wasn’t because she was okay with gay as a concept but gay in real life was not a thing.
Not everyone is going to like you, Chance. That’s a fact of life.
Gabe reversed out of the parking spot and pointed the Honda toward home. Not everyone liking him was indeed a fact of life, and those who didn’t appreciate his style didn’t know what fabulousness they were missing out on. Or, like the Colavitos, had personal reasons.
SEVENTEEN
CASEY – WEDNESDAY EVENING
Not only did Casey stop and pick up a large pizza with all two of Gabe’s favorite toppings, but while the cooks at The Pizza Joint were busy putting together the order, he jogged over to Norskland General Store, hoping they were open. They were, so Casey picked out a couple pints of Jewel Creamery ice cream. No one could say he didn’t know how to cheer up his boyfriend.
“Casey Lundin, you are my hero,” Gabe said when he opened the front door.
Impatient to greet Keith or, more likely, to check the state of the cat’s food dish, Bowie squeezed past Casey and ran into the house.
“Hi, doggo. Glad to see you too,” Gabe said as Bowie completely ignored him and shot into the kitchen. “Learning from Keith, are you?”
Keith was nowhere in sight. She was probably sitting on one of the windowsills in the bedroom. Soon enough, she’d make her appearance and join Bowie, both of them lobbying for a morsel of Italian-style goodness.
While Casey set the pizza down on the counter, Gabe went into the kitchen area to grab some plates. Due to the continuedlack of a dining table, the choice was to either stand up and eat at the counter or retreat to the couch. Gabe kept making noises about finding one he liked, but when he returned from his various excursions, his haul was just more kitschy mugs and beat-up paperback thrillers.
The boxes they’d picked up from Seattle were stacked exactly where they’d been left after they combed through them Tuesday evening. Alfred the Ugly Chair glowered in its spot alongside the boxes.
“I got us some ice cream too,” Casey announced, opening the paper bag and popping the two precious pints into Gabe’s freezer.
The boxes needed to be gone through again, more slowly this time, but that was a topic Casey was going to bring up after pizza and ice cream.
“Is there something even more amazing than a hero?” Gabe asked with a tired sigh. “Because that’s what you are.”
Casey took another second to really look at Gabriel Karne. Aside from the obvious gouge and dark purple bruise on his forehead that hopefully had peaked, there were dark circles under his eyes, and he seemed dispirited. Tired. “How did it go with Eagan?”
While he waited for Gabe to share his take on the day, Casey transferred a few slices of pizza from the box to the plates and handed Gabe one of them.
“Fine, I suppose,” he said, accepting his dinner and staring at the plate without moving to pick up a piece of pizza. A sure sign that Gabe was dragging. “Turned out she had questions for me because my name was on a piece of paper in the dead body’s pocket. And yeah, it was Juliet Carter or whatever her real name is. Eagan showed me a picture I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.”
Morgue photos were never flattering. Casey hadn’t seen many, but those he had stuck with him.
“I’m sorry you had to do that. Come on, let’s get some food in you.”
Casey led Gabe to the couch and plopped down, then patted the empty spot next to him as if it was his couch and this was his house. He was beginning to understand that there were times when Gabe needed Casey to take over for a little while and take care of him, and he was happy to oblige. Gabe was always quick to do the same for him too. “Sit down and put your feet in my lap. I’ll balance my plate on your ankles.”
The couch was barely bigger than a love seat, which meant only one of them at a time could stretch out, and Gabe got the honors tonight. Once they were situated—without pizza slipping off plates and into Bowie’s or Keith’s mouths—Casey said, “Tell me what happened.”
“Not much to tell,” Gabe mumbled around a mouthful of pepperoni and black olives. “They say she was killed Monday night or Tuesday morning, a lot of hours after she left here. No ID on her. I think Eagan will tell me if the name Juliet Carter checks out, although I have my reservations there. You know, it wasn’t official, but the usual ‘stick around in case there are more questions for me’ was mentioned.”
“Did you talk to Elton? Did he find anything out from the Old Codgers Club?”
Gabe’s eyes widened. “Shit! I totally forgot to call him. I can’t believe he hasn’t called me already. Unless Althea told him or he heard it on the scanner, he doesn’t know about the body. We should talk to him now.”