Page 87 of One Vote for Murder
“That wasn’t how we were though.” She frowned. “What I liked about Kyle was… he was kind of… gentle. Romantic. Although, he was different in real life. When he’d see me on the street, he acted like he barely knew me. But… but in texts, he was really sweet.”
“Sweet, huh?”
“Yes.” A sad smile fluttered over her face. “I only gave him a photo because he said he wanted to look at it before he went to bed each night. So he could dream of me. That’s romantic, right?” She gave a tearful laugh. “He even wrote me a poem.”
“Kyle did that?” I tried to keep the astonishment from my voice. Kyle had been a perfectly nice guy, but as far as I knew, he wasn’t the poetry-writing type. “If Kyle was such a sweet fella, why was your father so mad at him?”
“He didn’t give Kyle a chance.” Her mouth hardened. “The age thing bothered Daddy. But it was only a seven-year difference. What’s the big deal about age anyway?”
“Seven years is no little thing, Ivy. Especially when you’re only eighteen.”
“Now you sound like Daddy,” she mumbled.
I laughed sheepishly. “I guess I can’t help it. You’re young enough to be my daughter.”
“Hmmm.”
“Did your dad see the photo you sent?”
“Yes. When he was snooping through my phone. Kyle sent me one of him with his shirt off, and thatreallygot Daddy upset. He was just showing me his muscles. I don’t see what the big deal is about seeing what each other look like. Geez. He said Kyle probably used my photo for all kinds of… disgusting things.”
I grimaced. “I suppose your dad still sees you as a little girl.”
She lifted her chin. “Well, I’m not. I’m a grown woman.”
Kind of?
“So, if the photo you sent was harmless and the texts were nothing risqué, why do you suppose your dad physically attacked Kyle?”
She scowled. “Oh, that’s just how Daddy is lately. He loses his temper at the drop of a hat. For goodness’ sake, if a guy just looks at me he goes nuts.”
She was describing her dad as a hothead, but I’d never found Quinn to be like that. Something had obviously set him off, and he’d directed that anger at Kyle. Ivy was fairly naive. Perhaps the photos and texts weren’t as innocent as she thought?
There was really only one way to find out.
“Do you mind if I see the photo you sent?” I asked bluntly.
Her eyes widened. “What?” she squeaked.
I laughed. “I’m just trying to gauge why your dad was so upset. Maybe you don’t think the picture was anything too risqué, but maybe a male point of view is different.”
She stared at me in silence, chewing her bottom lip.
I gave her a coaxing smile. “Come on, Ivy. If there’s nothing wrong with the picture, you shouldn’t be embarrassed to show it to me.”
She didn’t say anything for a few moments, but then she grabbed her phone. “I guess that’s true.” Shescrolled through some menus, and then she held out her phone to me.
I took the phone and glanced down at the screen. There was a photo of Ivy, sitting in cutoff shorts and a white tank top. She wasn’t flashing her breasts or anything, but the shorts wereawfullyshort. Also, one of her thin sleeves had fallen down, revealing her bare shoulder, and her expression was definitely coquettish.
“S… see, it’s not so bad, right?” she asked nervously.
I grimaced. “It’s not bad, but if I was your dad, I might be uncomfortable with this photo as well.”
“Really?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I said quickly. “The problem is, your dad and I are only too aware of what goes on inside a guy’s head. It was probably hard for your dad to see you looking so… grown-up.”
“But, like I said, I… I am grown-up.”
