Seeing the smile on her face, he leaned over the counter to kiss her lightly. Taking the lasagna out of the oven and sliding in the garlic bread slices, he looked over his shoulder. “I’ll bet you’re a fabulous teacher.”
“I find that even young people can teach me things. There’s a lot of accomplished musicians who think there’s nothing they can learn from someone younger, but I always want to be open.”
“So, what have you learned recently?”
Clapping her hands together, she replied, “It actually happened yesterday. One of my students lives on a rather large estate. Normally, she comes to one of the practice rooms at the concert hall, but she didn’t have a way to get there, so I drove to her house. Her mom was having a social get together, and we didn’t want to make a lot of noise in the main house. My student told me they had a guesthouse with really cool acoustics. Well, you can imagine I was intrigued.”
He grinned at her enthusiasm. “And you couldn’t wait to check it out, could you?”
“Oh, you know it! I thought it was going to be this little guesthouse, and it turned out to be a three-story massive building. I mean, only somebody rich would call it a guesthouse! Anyway, when you first enter, there’s a great room that goes all the way up three levels with stairs and other rooms on the backside. So we started playing violins, and she was right! The acoustics were amazing.”
Keeping his expression neutral, he continued to probe. “Do you just teach classical or do you ever teach the Gaelic music?”
Eyes wide, she said, “That’s so weird that you asked! I’ve been focusing on symphonic pieces because that’s what her parents wanted, but she really wanted to learn some of the Gaelic music. So, the next thing I know, I’m playing and dancing around this great room, the acoustics were tantalizing, and then we went all the way up to the third floor. You should have seen the view… I could see the whole estate and even out over the water!”
“So, you gave a free concert to whoever was staying in the guesthouse.”
Her brow scrunched and she shook her head. “No, we were alone. Well, at least at first. Amelia explained that there was someone living in the guesthouse, but he wasn’t present at the time.” Rolling her eyes, she added, “Of course, by the time we are ready to leave, the man showed up. I was so embarrassed.”
“Was he upset that someone was in his house?”
She smiled and shook her head. He wished Jerry was in the room so he could punch him for putting a smile on Christina’s face. Maintaining a blank expression, he waited for her reply even though the image of them on the camera ran through his mind.
“Well, technically, he was staying in the guesthouse that Amelia’s parents own. But no, he wasn’t upset. Mr. Kincaid was very charming and nice and said that he really liked our music.”
Turning back to the oven, he pulled out the lightly browned garlic toast. “He’d have to be an idiot to not like your music or appreciate a beautiful woman showing up in his house.” After setting the plates on the table, he poured their wine. “I’m curious… who did the estate belong to?”
“Congressman Bennett.”
“I’ve met him and his wife. Do you know him or just his daughter?” He held his breath, afraid she would recognize being questioned, but she was too interested in the food.
Diving into her meal, she moaned in delight. “This is delicious!” Taking another sip of wine, she added, “I’d only met the congressman a couple of times. Usually, his wife drops Amelia off for her lesson. But I know the congressman has been fabulous for being a benefactor of the symphony orchestra. Oh, and by a stroke of luck, he’s now going to be a benefactor of the band as well.”
At that last bit of information, Clay’s fork stopped on the way to his mouth. “The band. Amhrán M'anama?”
“Yeah. Amelia must have told him about us because Steven called today to thank me, saying that he was contacted by Mr. Kincaid to say that he was interested in helping an indie band. I guess he’s handling things for the congressman.”
“So, the congressman hasn’t seen the band?”
“No,” she laughed. “I can’t see Dunk and the congressman together.”
“Speaking of Dunk, is he always as drunk as he was at the festival?”
Her gaze darted up to his quickly, and she chewed slowly before swallowing, seeming to carefully consider her words. “I know you’re not a cop, Clay, so what’s the interest in Dunk?”
Setting his fork down, he leaned his weight on his forearms, moving closer. “Christina, babe, you’re important to me. The drummer I saw the other day might be your friend, but he was also drunk. I assume the band never lets him drive like that?”
Sighing, she nodded. “I’m sorry. I guess I just get defensive about them. The guys have been really good to me, and they were doing fine on their own but said that with the addition of me, my fiddle, my energy, not to mention my short skirt, they get more money at the bars we play.” Shrugging, she said, “I’d like to think it’s more my fiddle than my legs!”
“I’d like to think so, too. I hate the idea of having to beat up too many guys who stare at your legs.”
She barked out a laugh. “Don’t worry, I’m always perfectly safe. Actually, the band is really protective. I know Dunk has issues, and he definitely drinks too much. Jamie and Mike usually make sure he gets home safely. Steven gets frustrated and says that if Duncan wasn’t such a good drummer, he’d fire his ass. But they’re good friends, too. And no, he never drives us.”
He loved learning more about her, but as the meal drew to a close, he decided to forgo any more questions. I can always do some digging on my own… especially why Kincaid was now interested in her band. Leaning back in his seat, he smiled. “So, now that I’ve fed you…”
“Then let’s play!”
Grabbing her hand, he grinned. “Best idea I’ve heard all day.”
14
“Fuckin’ hell.”
Josh looked over at Clay. “What are you working on?”
“I’m just looking to see who Christina is involved with.”
“Using company resources to scope out your new girlfriend?” Cobb asked, a grin on his face. Throwing his hands up as Clay glared at him, he added, “Hey, I’m not judging.”
“No. It’s just that she was talking yesterday, and it seemed she’s now involved with some who are linked in ways I hadn’t thought about.”
Levi looked up from his desk. “The Kincaid case?”
“Sort of. In a roundabout way.”
Levi closed the file on his desk and rolled his chair closer. Looking around, Clay saw he had the attention of several of the other Keepers.
“I wanted to find out more from her perspective about Kincaid. Now, before anybody gives me grief, I also just wanted to know more about her. So, I specifically asked about her private students. You can imagine the conversation rolled around to Congressman Bennett’s daughter.”
“I’m not sure it’s real smart for you to be questioning her,” Tate said.