“How does the geek get all the good party info?” Claire asked. More for the team than for the girl in the back seat.
“He knows Russell. I think Russell tutors, too.”
Claire and Jax exchanged glances. Seemed like some of the lines in their investigation were starting to cross.
“Jimmy Cromer. Senior at Bremerton. Honors student. Runs for Bremerton’s track team. Distance. Never wins.” Sasha’s voice sounded in Claire’s ear.
“Everyone knows someone,” Claire said.
“I heard this party was going to be huge.”
“She’s not wrong,” Cooper said.
Jax gave the last of the directions, and before long they found the movie-set markers posted on corner fences that wound around an industrial park.
“Holy shit.” Elsie pushed up between the bucket seats of Claire’s car as the venue came into view. Two blocks away and they could hear the music.
Cars were parked everywhere as kids flooded the party.
“Wow.”
Claire parked the car, noticed when Eastman drove past with AJ on his tail.
The sky had started to drizzle misty drops, which had the girls walking faster toward the entrance of the party.
At the door, Claire took notice of two new male faces. They could pass for high school seniors, but her guess was early twenties.
The guys looked them up and down as they walked past.
Inside was a haze. Lights flashed from a small stage where a DJ was blasting music. People were dancing and carrying on.
The building itself was a corner shell of what looked like an industrial center, although the inside didn’t look like it was being used for anything other than the party.
“This cost some serious money.”
Elsie’s eyes were open wide. “I had no idea.”
“Does anyone look familiar?” Jax asked as they mashed through people.
“Not really,” Elsie answered.
“Let’s stick together,” Jax suggested. Her eyes leveled with Claire and back to Elsie.
“Good idea. You guys drink if you like, I’m driving.”
Elsie looked surprised. “You’re not going to drink anything?”
“Not worth it.”
They weaved in and out of the crowd and found a cooler filled with drinks. Jax and Elsie both grabbed a hard seltzer and they started to circulate.
“Need a mic check,” Neil told them.
“I can barely hear myself think,” Jax said over the music.
“Let’s move toward the back, see if we find anyone we know,” Claire replied.
They walked away from the music and searched the room for players.
Cooper’s attention was tuned in to Claire’s voice.
Unlike the house party, this one seemed to attract kids from every school in the district. At least three times the number of kids from before. And like Claire, he felt he was looking at an entirely new group of people.
Sasha had changed into black spandex, her hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail.
Neil sat at the monitors.
Manuel and Isaac were outside the van and scoping out the building.
“AJ, what’s the status?” Neil asked.
“Eastman is sitting in his car, looks like a glow of a computer reflecting up at him.”
“Back of the warehouse is a utility van,” Isaac reported and then gave the license plate number.
Sasha reached for the door in the back of the van.
“What are you doing?” Cooper asked.
“The people throwing the party will have parked close to the entrance or exit. Let’s run some plates and get some names.”
Neil offered a nod, and Sasha slipped out the back.
Lars moved from his perch and sat beside Neil.
They took notice of Sasha’s feed. Her camera focused at the level of the vehicle’s license plates as she skirted around in the dark.
“Ally just sent a text, said she’s on her way in.” Jax’s voice came in clear.
“Hey, guys.” Cooper heard a male voice.
“Hi, Sean.”
Jax’s camera came into view.
Sean Fisher stood staring at Claire. Not that Cooper could blame him. Claire was seriously hot.
The unmistakable sound of Ally’s high-pitched voice was heard in Claire’s and Jax’s microphones.
“Time to circulate,” Neil probed. “I want to see the faces of the people in charge.”
Neil watched the monitors, took screenshots.
As the images that Sasha took splashed through, Cooper and Lars typed them into the system and started generating names.
“This looks like something you’d do,” Ally told Sean shortly after Neil told Claire and Jax to get moving.
“What do you mean?”
“Your parents have connections to movie sets. Seems like your kind of gig.”
Claire watched as Sean shook his head. “This isn’t a set. This is a great way to stop people driving by from asking questions. I doubt the cops will show and break this party up.”
“Ingenious, if you ask me,” Claire found herself saying.
“Elsie?”
Claire turned to find Tony Mazzeo pushing through their circle.
“Hi, Tony.”
“Where’s Kyle?”
“He didn’t want to come.”
Claire saw Jax turn toward Tony, her choker aimed his way.
“That’s too bad,” Tony said. His gaze moved a little too slowly over Elsie’s frame. “He’s missing out.”
Jax must have sensed the same ick feeling that ran through Claire because Jax moved in closer.
“Who’s this?” Tony asked.
“I’m Jax,” she said, her shy smile in place.
Claire wanted to laugh. Jax had a way of putting on the innocent look but could strike faster than a pissed-off rattlesnake if someone got too close.
“You ladies look amazing.”
Claire noticed Sean turn away with a shake of his head.
At the same time, someone walked behind Claire, and she felt fingertips glide over her ass.
As snakes strike, she twisted toward the person behind the fingers, a beefy hand in her grasp.
Her eyes met her startled accoster.
He was big, as in he hit the gym kind of big. Early twenties.
“I’m sorry, you must have mistaken my ass for someone else’s,” she said as she twisted his wrist until he had no choice but to move back to stop the pain.
Sean stepped toward him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Let him go, Claire,” she heard Neil in her ear.
She released the guy’s hand.
“Sorry.”
Claire stepped back. “I’m sure you are.”
The guy disappeared into the crowd.
Ally was laughing. “Did he just grab your ass?”
Claire shrugged.
Tony’s eyes met hers. “Have we met?”
She shook her head.
“This is Claire,” Elsie said. “Tony is a friend of Kyle’s.”
Tony looked beyond her. “Lots of ass grabbing going on in here. I wouldn’t take it personally.”
“That’s totally not cool, Tony,” Sean spoke up.
“Looks like your girlfriend here can take care of herself,” Tony said.
Claire didn’t correct him, waited for what he was going to say next.