Changing the Rules (Richter Book 1)(18)

“That’s fair, I guess. One of the throwers has a full beard and looks like he’s thirty,” Claire told him.

“Yeah, but that wasn’t the vibe I got.”

“So what, was he checking the students out?”

Cooper shook his head. “No, but it looked like I was, and neither Coach Bennett or Mark called me out. I don’t know. It felt off.”

“Hmmm, so you were checking out the girls—”

“No. I was . . .” Cooper squirmed. “I saw you run by and thought you blended in really well.”

“So you were checking Claire out,” Jax said with a snicker.

“No . . . well, yeah. I mean, that’s what it looked like to them. But I know you’re not a teenager, arguably that doesn’t put me in the dirty-old-man category.”

“But Bennett has to be in his late fifties, and Mark close to that.”

Cooper lifted his hands in the air. “You see my point.”

“Yeah. Not that it means anything. But certainly something to watch.”

Jax stopped typing and turned her screen toward them. “I’m categorizing the students in three ways. Possible victims, accomplices, or leads. Leads can be gateways to parties or events where our victims might be lured. The adults are perpetrators or accomplices. I say we divide this up.” She pointed to Cooper. “I see you doing happy hour with staff to learn their secrets, find the perps and accomplices.”

“I can do that.”

“I’m going to focus on victims. There wasn’t any evidence that the perps were at Bremerton. Unless there’s a staff member that Neil hadn’t vetted,” Jax said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Neil has a home office storyboard with every teacher and staff member and what they had for dinner last night,” Cooper teased.

Neither of the women disagreed.

“I’ll be the brooding teen looking for love in the wrong places,” Jax said.

“I’m going to focus on leads and accomplices this week. Try and get into the party crowd. I want to know who’s peddling what on campus,” Claire said. Drugs were a common denominator for the dirtbags getting the girls on board.

Jax pointed between the two of them. “I say we strike up a friendship and you feel sorry for me and I tag along.”

Claire liked that idea.

“Also helps if you’re ever seen in public together outside of school,” Cooper pointed out.

Jax leaned back and stretched her arms over her head. “Well, I’m done.”

“Go to bed, I’ll clean this up.” Seemed only fair, since Claire started school an hour later than Jax.

Jax took her computer with her after saying good night.

Cooper piled his papers together before grabbing the pizza box and taking it to the island in the kitchen.

“I can get that.” Claire dropped the empty beer cans in the recycling bin.

“Takes two seconds,” Cooper told her.

Claire removed a large resealable plastic bag from a drawer and handed it to him before heading back to the table to clean up their plates. A strange silence settled between them, and Claire felt the need to fill it. “You know, I think Neil picked us for the job because we’re all single. Well, Jax is seeing someone.”

“She is?”

“It’s not serious.”

“Hmm, well, I think Neil picked you guys because you’re the closest to the age group we’re targeting.”

“I get that, but it would be harder to do if we were involved with someone.”

Cooper glanced over at her before moving to the sink to wash his hands. “I guess it didn’t work out with Miles Ketterman, then.”

The name from her past had her staring. “You remember that guy?”

Cooper turned off the water, and she handed him a dish towel. “You asked me to be your wingman.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the counter. “I forgot all about him.”

Her statement was followed by more silence.

When she looked up, she found Cooper staring.

“What about you?” she asked. “Anyone special in Europe? I thought for sure when you didn’t come back there had to be a woman.”

For the space of a heartbeat she thought he was going to deny her assumptions.

“One?” He puffed out his chest and ran his hands over his pecs. “Why deny so many of some good old American muscle?”

She pushed at his shoulder. “Such a liar.”

He laughed. “What about you? Obviously Miles didn’t do it for you.”

“Miles had the attention span of a gnat. All he cared about was college sports and weekend parties.”

“That might be helpful right about now,” Cooper said.

“I’m pretty surprised you remember him.”

“I remember everything.” His words were slow and poignant as if they had more meaning than the obvious.

Words stopped, and both of them stared at the other.

The breath in her lungs felt as if it were being held hostage and she couldn’t exhale.

Cooper shook out of it first. “I should go. Early morning tomorrow.”

Claire closed her eyes. “Right. Auto shop.”

She followed him to the front door and turned on the porch light.