Free Major Crimes by Michele Lynn Seigfried

police or the lagoon.
    I led Chelsey across the stepping stones.
    “Get the kayaks,” she whispered.
    “No time; plus, they’ll see us.”
    “What? How are we going to get across?”
    “Swim.” I climbed down the ladder into the lagoon.
    “In our clothes?”
    “You can take yours off. I really won’t mind.”
    Chelsey scowled at me. “This is ridiculous!” She huffed as she followed me down the ladder into the chilly water, fully clothed.
    “It’s warm out, this is refreshing.”
    “This may be your idea of fun, but not mine!”
    We started swimming. The men in black sedans were likely local detectives. I imagined they were in the process of banging on the front door in an attempted arrest. I hoped they hadn’t slithered around to the back of the house yet. We risked getting caught.
    “Where are we going?” Chelsey had lost her nerves to irritation.
    “Across to the other side.”
    “Aren’t you afraid they are going to see us swimming too?”
    “It’s less likely if we hurry.”
    Luckily, the other side of the lagoon was only a few yards away. I could swim, but I wasn’t exactly Michael Phelps. We climbed the ladder onto a neighbor’s dock and darted through their yard.
    “What now? We’re going to walk, sopping wet, to where?” Chelsey’s irritation grew.
    I was confident I could smooth things over with her, but I felt bad that she was nearly as deep in the debacle as I was. “My car is over here.”
    “Wait, is that how? I thought…” Chelsey paused. “Wait. You parked here and swam to my house? Is that why you went through the kitchen window? Where are your wet clothes?”
    “I threw them in the dryer at your house while I showered.”
    “You used my dryer, my shower, and helped yourself to my food and wine? Rude!”
    “Not rude. Resourceful.”
    “If you got inside through the window, why did you unlock the front door?”
    “I actually didn’t, you must’ve left it unlocked.”
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 9
     
    Chelsey
     
     
    What was I doing? Why was I here? Am I a sucker for a handsome face? Would I be here if my goofy-looking friend, Mike Nero, asked me to help him out? Definitely not. Absolutely, definitely, no way would I be helping Mike Nero. I’m an idiot. And how the heck did I manage to leave my front door unlocked? Where was my brain?
    We reached Bryce’s vehicle. He opened the trunk and handed me a towel. It smelled like motor oil.
    “This towel smells.”
    “Well, you can use it, or you can take your clothes off. Again, I won’t mind.”
    “Keep your hormones in check there, buddy.”
    Bryce smirked and blew me a kiss. He was beginning to aggravate me. No, not beginning to…he was aggravating me. He seemed calm and smug while I was a bundle of nerves.
    After I dried off as much as possible, which wasn’t much, I laid the towel on his car seat. I didn’t want to mess up the Tahoe. We both jumped in and he started it up.
    “Whose car is this?”
    “I borrowed it.”
    “From whom?”
    “I’d rather not make you an accomplice.”
    “I already am an accomplice! If anyone asks, I’m going to say you kidnapped me at gunpoint and I had no choice. I’m not going to jail for aiding and abetting a criminal.”
    “But I’m not a criminal.”
    I believed him, but I had my reservations that this ordeal would work out to either of our benefits. “Where to now?”
    “Do you have anywhere we can go?”
    “The only place I can think of is Bonnie’s house.”
     
    * * *
     
    We arrived at Bonnie’s house a little before five. I hoped Bonnie would be home from work. She always parked her Mercedes in her garage, so I didn’t know one way or the other if she was home.
    Bryce stayed in the car while I rang the doorbell. I could guess what Bonnie would say about our appearances. Bonnie was a good person deep down, but she was a spitfire who often spoke her mind without a grain of sugar.
    “Chelsey? Hi. This is a nice surprise. You have to be quick though, I’m on