The Detective and the Rockstar

Chapter 11

          Solitude had a way of making your mind race. She always noticed this. She opened the gold-colored tap and splashed some water on her face. She looked at the woman in the mirror with a judgmental stare. Dark circles still hung out beneath her eyes.

          She dried her face and tossed the towel aside. The quiet in this house reminded her of the loneliness. She sighed and dared herself to walk to the living room.

          Rio was in the process of making music. She had never witnessed the creation of a song before and felt a bit of excitement growing from within the depression that gripped her.

          Deciding she shouldn't bother him, she made a beeline for the kitchen. She popped a pod into the coffee machine and checked her phone while she waited for it to brew. She stretched her neck muscles, remembering she hadn't exercised since she accepted this assignment.

           She rolled her neck back and forth, attempting to soothe the aching muscles while she paid attention to the random guitar strums as they slowly became chords. She was mesmerized by how easily Rio was creating such beautiful music.

           The aroma of the coffee slowly overpowered the fragrance of the plug-in. She pulled herself away from her thoughts. She wished she could pop out and buy herself some beers but figured she should be conscious if anyone tried to break in and kill Rio again.

           She stirred some cream into her coffee, and unsure of what to do with herself, she headed to an area of the house she hadn't explored yet.

           A sturdy concrete wall enclosed the backyard and its contents. The highlight of this space was the large modern swimming pool with its adjoining jacuzzi and an elevated water feature. There was a fire pit built into the white marble tiles. An open kitchen housing a large grill, a nice sitting area, and a large TV mounted on the wall stood on one end of the yard. On the opposite end was a row of lounge chairs and a bar. She imagined that this was the place to hang out during the summer.

         She put the cup of coffee on a stone table and walked to the bar. She wasn't searching for expensive whisky and scotch. She was hunting for beers. She knew she shouldn't drink, but the temptation was too much to resist.

          She found a six-pack of an imported brew she did not recognize. She eyed it with trepidation. Warm beer in seventy-degree weather? She didn't mind.

            She cracked the seal and took a sip. It wasn't so bad. Her eyes shifted upward. Clouds were rolling in, and they threatened to make the temperature plummet. She could feel the moisture in the air already.

"Should you be drinking, detective?" Rio asked.

She spun around. She didn't hear the door slide open behind her. He stepped under the canopy, eying her with scrutiny.

"I was just tasting it," she defended herself.

"It's from Italy. It was supposed to be a souvenir."

"Oh, my gosh. I'm so sorry." She set the beer on the bar top, feeling terrible that she had drunk the man's souvenir.

He started laughing and followed the path toward her. "It's a joke. You can have the rest."

She smiled. "I thought you were mad at me for ruining your greeting fan thing."

"Meet-and-greet." He corrected her. "Who said I was mad at you? Alice?"

"I figured it was the case since you ignored me all day."

"I was busy. You know that. I wasn't ignoring you. I'm sorry if you feel that way. Besides, I have publicists. They'll deal with whatever backlash that happens." He smiled to reassure her that things would be alright. "Can I have one? Is it good?" He helped himself to a beer.