Free Arouse Suspicion by Maureen McKade Page B

full pot. There was also a bowl of water on the floor for Gus. Nick's irritation with Danni eased slightly.
    He found a cup and filled it with the rich, dark brew. Gus padded into the kitchen, her toenails clicking on the tile. She paused beside Nick and waited until he petted her before lapping some water and returning to the living room.
    As Nick drank his coffee, he spotted a white piece of paper with his name on it on the refrigerator, held by a Golden Gate Bridge magnet. He unfolded the note.
    "Nick. Don't leave the house. Unless someone followed us last night, you should be safe. Danni. P.S. I let Gus out to take care of business this morning and gave her some hamburger from the freezer."
    No apology or mention of where she'd gone. All she'd told him last night was that she was meeting Sam Richmond for breakfast. He crushed the note in his fist and tossed it onto the counter, then found the phone book and punched in a number.
    "D. Hawkins, Private Investigations. How may I help you?" the voice at the other end answered.
    What was her name. Karen? Carol? No, Cathy.
    "Cathy, it's Nick Sirocco. Did Danni tell you where she was going to be this morning?"
    "Mr. Sirocco," Cathy purred. "I haven't heard from Danni since you left together yesterday." After a slight pause, she asked, "Did you have a good time?"
    Momentary panic shot through him, then he realized she couldn't know what transpired between him and Danni during the night. "We got the pictures for your client." Although he knew that wasn't what she was fishing for, he wasn't about to bite. "Danni said she was going to meet Sam Richmond for breakfast this morning. Do you know where they might've met?"
    "Their usual breakfast spot is the Pancake Parlor."
    "Thanks." He ended the call before Cathy could ask him any more questions. He riffled through the phone book and got the address for the restaurant, then called a cab.
    Nick took a quick shower and brushed his teeth with his finger and toothpaste. It felt strange to use Paddy's toiletries, but Nick figured he wouldn't have minded. However, Nick suspected he wouldn't feel so generous about him sleeping with his daughter.
    After nabbing a door key from the key rack in the kitchen, Nick left Gus asleep on the carpet and locked the house. Impatient, he went onto the porch to watch for his taxi. A gray-haired woman wearing a dress four decades out of fashion emerged from the house next door. She did a double take, which might've been funny, except that Nick was too busy composing his tirade against Danni.
    "What're you doing over there, young man?" the old lady demanded in a surprisingly strong voice.
    "Waiting for a cab," he replied.
    Her eyes narrowed behind round, wire-rimmed glasses. "Did you know Patrick Hawkins?"
    Nick sighed at the unavoidable cross-examination. "He was a good friend." He suddenly realized he had an opportunity to ask some questions about the night Paddy died, and he may as well take advantage of it. He stepped over to the edge of the porch. "My name's Nick Sirocco."
    "Mrs. Sarah Countryman. Was that Danielle with you last night?"
    Nick wasn't surprised she'd noticed their arrival; every neighborhood had a Mrs. Sarah Countryman. "That's right."
    Mrs. Countryman crossed her arms and fixed him a glare behind her round lenses. "When I was your age, men and women didn't spend the night together under one roof unless they were married or related. Which are you?"
    Damned if Sarah Countryman didn't make him feel like a schoolboy. "Neither." He couldn't even reassure her nothing had happened under that roof, unless he wanted to lie, and he had a feeling Mrs. Countryman was a human lie detector. "I suppose it was pretty quiet with just Paddy living here, huh?"
    Mrs. Countryman's expression lost some of its harshness. "He was a gentleman. He did as good a job as a man can do raising a girl alone. But Danielle was quite the handful—rebellious and stubborn in high school. Poor Patrick had no idea how to handle