Page 99 of Thick as Thieves

It irritated Arden for him to refer to her in the third person when she was standing less than a foot away from him. “I was just leaving.”

“What are you doing here?”

Crystal intervened. “Arden got here as I was closing up shop. I was so glad to finally meet her, I invited her over for a drink.”

“It was very nice of you to have me,” Arden said, turning to Crystal. “Thanks again. I’ll stop by and take a look at those products. Bye.”

Ledge stepped in her path. “As long as you’re here, we’ve got business to settle.”

“We settled our business.”

“Except for the hundred dollars you owe me for working up the estimates. Due upon receipt. That’s printed in red on the invoice.”

“I didn’t receive an invoice and—”

“Have you checked your email?”

“—and furthermore, you told me we were even-steven.”

“That was conditional. You didn’t hold up your end of the bargain.”

“I—”

“Here’s Marty.” Crystal eased around Ledge and went to greet whoever had pulled a car into the driveway.

A woman got out of it, then reached back in for a large, white paper sack. As they approached the house, Crystal said something to her that caused the woman to look at Arden with ill-concealed curiosity. Arden reciprocated. The newcomer was dressed in medical scrubs, but, from the neck up, she looked like a punk rock star.

When they reached the porch, Crystal made the introductions. “Marty, Arden Maxwell. Arden, my housemate, Marty Camp.”

They exchanged hellos. Crystal said, “Arden already knows Ledge.”

“Does she?” Marty looked her up and down, then turned to him and raised a raven-black eyebrow

.

He said, “You’re late.”

“I stopped for Chinese.” Marty hefted the sack.

“Well?”

She took a sealed letter envelope from the outside pocket of her cross-body purse and handed it to him, saying drolly, “You’re welcome.”

Without even looking at the envelope, he folded it in half and slid it into the back pocket of his jeans. “How did you—”

“Don’t ask. And, anyway, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Thanks, Marty. I owe you.”

“You certainly do. Be afraid.” She then looked at the three of them in turn and said, “This feels like one of those awkward situations you walk into and, for the sake of all concerned, should probably keep walking. If you’ll excuse me?” She went inside but left the door ajar.

Crystal heaved a sigh. “This isn’t only awkward, it’s silly. So I’m going to be the grown-up. Last night, you,” she said to Ledge, “and Arden today, came to me, talking about and around the same subject. She has questions that I can’t answer.

“I think it’s time for the two of you to go somewhere and have an honest conversation, while Marty and I carry on with our plan for the evening, which is to curl up on the sofa, gorge on Chinese, and binge watch a series about vampires. Goodbye.”

She stepped inside and soundly closed the door.

Ledge kept pace with Arden as she walked toward her car. “What questions?”