Page 23 of Betting on Lizzie

“That all you got?”

“It’s not relevant to the case. It won’t make any difference in how I pursue leads. What do you want me to say?”

“You should go take care of Maya,” she replied curtly before walking away.

Maya was Ben’s daughter? Why hadn’t he mentioned that this morning? Even if the information wasn’t totally pertinent to her case, the omission seemed deliberate and, therefore, deceitful. Whatever. As long as he did his job and found the real culprit, what did she care how honest or dishonest he was?

On her way home, she stopped for a burger and fries. She took Charlie out and ate alone at her kitchen table. She tried to push away thoughts of Ben, but her brain wouldn’t cooperate, and they popped up anyway, which displeased her.

Why waste time thinking about him? He was antagonistic and annoying. Somber and smug. He thought she was capable of arson! She shouldn’t care that he’d lied to her—a lie of omission was still a lie—but she stewed over it and its potential motive half the night.

Even after cataloging all of his irksome personality traits, some pesky, je ne sais quoi about him still spoke to her. Something in his eyes and manner that gave her an unwanted thrill when she saw him.

“Ugh. These fries must be laced,” she said. Charlie looked up hopefully, his eyes saying he wouldn’t mind taking his chances with the potentially tainted fries. She laughed and shook her head. “Sorry, boy. They’re not good for either of us.”

Charlie retreated to his bed in the living room, and she followed.

“I just need to find a new man,” she said, plopping onto the couch. “Stat.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

A week later, Ben pulled into his parents’ driveway in Knoxville, relieved to be done with the seven-and-a-half-hour drive. Maya had slept on and off for most of the trip. When she wasn’t sleeping, she chatted away about this and that the entire ride. He’d tried to focus on what Amber said to Bella about Kenny, but his mind kept drifting off to a beautiful, sassy arson suspect—one who was mad at him for holding back his relationship with Maya.

That hadn’t been intentionally deceitful. He just needed objective, unbiased details about what had happened that Saturday night. And his daughter being part of Lizzie’s alibi felt like muddy waters. What Lizzie thought about him didn’t matter anyway.

Progress on the case had stalled. Lizzie’s phone turned out to be a dead end, and she still hadn’t given him a list of people who might want to do her harm. If it truly was a random act of violence, he might never catch the person.

His mother greeted them as though they hadn’t just been here for his dad’s birthday a month before, throwing open the door and rushing onto the porch.

“Oh, my poor baby,” she said when Maya got out of the car and limped up the sidewalk. “I can’t believe your high school basketball career is over. How are you feeling? Come in and sit down.” She guided Maya inside, offered her the most comfortable chair, and placed a pillow under her soft-cast foot. As the only grandchild, Maya was used to the attention.

“Hello, son,” his father greeted with a handshake. “Ready for some football tomorrow?”

“You bet,” Ben said. He hauled in the luggage and took it to the two rooms where he and Maya would stay.

“You hungry?” his mother asked upon his return.

“Starving,” Ben said.

“Well, I’ve got big plans for tomorrow, so I refuse to cook tonight. Pizza?”

“Yes!” Maya called from the living room.

Ben laughed. “I got it,” he told his mom. He pulled out his phone and ordered from his favorite pizza place just up the street.

The next morning, Thanksgiving Day, his mother was making pies in the kitchen when Ben came in for coffee. “Can I help you, Mom?”

“I’m okay for now. Later, when I need some chopping done, I’ll call you up. You know where everything is. Help yourself to breakfast.”

He slathered some peanut butter on a bagel, poured some coffee, and went to find his dad, who was already set up to watch football. Maya slept in, and Ben finally woke her around noon. They helped in the kitchen until his mom shooed them out to set the table.

At two o’clock, the four of them sat down to a wonderful meal, and his father said grace. After that, there was no escape, and his mother started in.

“So, honey,” she said innocently between bites of stuffing and sweet potatoes. “Have you given any more thought to internet dating?”

“I have given zero thoughts to internet dating,” Ben said.

“Why not, Dad?” Maya said. “It’s a great idea. I’ve been telling him the same thing, Grandma.”

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