Page 31 of Scripted for Love and Poison
“Cyanide? Whoa, that sounds nasty! I don’t mess with chemicals, man. I’m all about the natural stuff. I only bathe in water, coconut oil, and lavender infusions.”
“Of course you do,” Luke said.
“That thing does wonders for your skin, man. You’re totally welcome to join me next time I bathe. I’m all about saving water, so I usually only do it once a week, but hey, I’d totally make an exception for you.” Vinny winked at Luke.
“Thanks for the offer,” Luke said, blushing. Was his accent so irresistible, really? Why did everyone in this city keep flirting with him? Even if sometimes it was fake flirting. “So you didn’t poison Travis Wise, then?”
“Nah, man, not with that cyanide stuff,” Vinny said.
Luke’s eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean?”
“That’s why I bailed when I saw you, man. During the awards, Gill told me there was a nut allergy at table 13, and she gave me the plate for the dude with the allergy. But I got distracted and totally spaced out.”
“Distracted?”
“I was carrying two plates—one regular, one no nuts. But as I was heading out of the kitchen, this chick offered me a vape, and you know, it’s kinda rude to say no, right?”
“You mean you stopped for a smoke?”
“Yeah, man. Life’s short, and it’s the little moments that count.”
Luke had to admit there was a lot of wisdom in Vinny’s words. “So what happened to the plates?”
“I left them—somewhere.”
“Unattended?”
“I mean, there were lots of people around—waiters, partygoers, celebs. It’s not like the plates were alone, dude,” Vinny said, and he laughed at his own attempt at a joke. “But I think I ended up serving that Travis Wise dude the regular food instead of the no-nuts grub, man.”
“Whose food did you serve Travis?” Luke said, straightening his back on the chair and feeling like he was finally making some progress.
“Dunno, the one for the guy who was sitting next to him, I think.”
Luke went back to the night at the awards, picturing everyone seated around table 13. He knew exactly who’d been by Travis Wise’s side. But had the poisoned food been intended for that person?
Luke’s phone buzzed then, and he saw Sol’s name on the screen.
“Mind if I take this? It’s my partner,” Luke told Vinny. He wouldn’t normally take a personal call while talking to a witness, but he knew Sol would be texting first if it wasn’t important.
“Nah, man, gotta keep the main squeeze happy,” Vinny said with a wide smile. Luke wasn’t sure how Sol would take it if she knew she’d been referred to as hismain squeeze.
“Ciao, cara,” Luke answered the phone the way he liked doing with her.
“I think I got into trouble.” Sol’s voice sounded anguished.
“What happened?”
“There’s been a death, and apparently I’m the last person to see the victim alive. The police want to talk to me,” Sol explained.
“Are you alright?” Luke stood from his chair and gathered all his stuff, making an apologetic gesture to Vinny. He needed to find her. “And who’s dead?” he asked, even if he had a slight premonition.
“I’m perfectly fine. But Jason Zit, apparently, not so much.”
19
Alittle bit more than an hour later, Luke got out of a car in front of the police station in Beverly Hills. Sol was already there. The moment he laid eyes on her, he almost forgot he was mad at her for hiding information from him. She was dressed in her LA-staple combination of leggings and one of his garments on top—in this case a dark-gray denim shirt. Perhaps it was because he liked seeing her wearing his clothes, but even if he knew she would be looking differently had her suitcase actually made it, she was still gorgeous and stylish.
“What took you so long?” Sol’s irritated tone took him out of his appraisal of her.
