Golden Girl

by Velvet Vaughn

  Noah was out of his SUV before she’d climbed down. He grabbed the box of her supplies and Jamal’s unclaimed certificate and followed her, pausing when she did to check the mail. Her breath whooshed out when there was no anonymous package among the junk mail. She led him through the gate and around the pool.

  Usually her cure for anything that ailed her was jumping in the water and swimming her troubles away. Today, even that didn’t appeal to her and that scared her more than the threatening notes.

  Her hand froze in place as she reached for the door to the pool house. Hanging on the handle was another medal.

  Chapter Four

  Noah placed a hand on Peyton’s forearm to stop her from touching the medal dangling from the door handle. He’d stuffed a pair of latex gloves into his pocket, so he slipped them on and lifted it, noting the paper taped to the back that said you. He didn’t have much faith that they’d be able to get a usable print from it, but you never knew.

  “Go inside. I’ll be right back.” He jogged around the pool and pushed through the glass door. He found the kit in the back of his SUV and opened the tackle box, withdrawing a clear plastic bag to deposit the medal, before lifting the kit out. He was just about to return to the pool house when he noticed a man lurking near the glass enclosure surrounding the pool. He transferred the box to his left hand, leaving his shooting hand free.

  He walked up behind the man. “Excuse me?”

  The man yelped and spun around.

  Hum, he was awfully jumpy. He noted the name of the company stitched on the right pocket: All-Seasons Landscaping and Pool Maintenance. Quite a mouthful. “Do you work here?”

  The man’s nervous gaze darted around. “Si.”

  “Did you see anyone around the pool house earlier today?”

  “No, no.” He shook his head, shaggy black hair fluttering across his eyes. “No hablo ingles.”

  Noah didn’t believe that for a second. The man had no problem understanding his first question. “What’s your name?”

  For a moment, Noah didn’t think he’d respond. Finally, he said, “Rico. Rico Pena.”

  “My name’s Noah Addison. I’m a friend of Ms. Durant.” He withdrew a business card and handed it to Rico. “If you see any strangers around, give me a call.”

  Rico nodded and tucked the card in his pocket.

  “I’ll probably see you around.” He held out a hand and Rico reluctantly shook it.

  “I must work,” he said, shuffling off in the opposite direction.

  Noah watched him disappear around the corner. He added Rico Pena to his growing list of suspects that included Jamal’s brother Jamarcus, her former stalker Curtis Milburn, and Mark whatever from the community center. Red hat man was also there, but he didn’t know his name yet.

  His phone chimed in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text from Owen. She agree yet?

  He texted back, working on it.

  Work faster, was Owen’s succinct response.

  He slipped the phone in his pocket and headed back to the pool house. Peyton was sitting on a bar stool, her arms resting on the raised counter. In front of her were three other medals.

  He placed the kit on the bar and opened the lid to remove a jar of black powder and a small brush. Since the medal was made of light material, the black would show up better than white powder. He carefully removed it from the bag, placed it on the counter and gently dusted the camelhair brush over the surface. After blowing the excess powder away, he was able to find one partial and one solid print. Using latent fingerprint lifting tape, he smoothed it over the good print and then adhered the tape to white backing paper. Then he snapped a photo and sent it to Tyler Redmond with a note to run it as soon as possible. He flipped the medal over and read the note again.

  “This is the order they arrived,” Peyton said, arranging the four slips of paper. “For every medal you,” she read, then looked up at him. “What do you think it means?”

  He shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure.”

  Her nose crinkled adorably. “It doesn’t really sound threatening, does it? I mean, maybe it’s someone’s idea of a tribute. That’s why I haven’t called the police.”

  “It’s better to be safe,” he said. “Speaking of, this was left on the handle, which means whoever it is had access to enter through the security gate and waltz right up to your door.”

  Peyton dropped her head to the counter. “I hadn’t even thought of that.” She jerked up. “Someone was able to waltz right up to my door!”

  Noah nodded grimly. “We need to find out who’s been here today. Are there security cameras out here?”

  She shook her head, her lips twisting. “According to Aurora—she’s the girl I coach—her mom wanted to be able to swim in the nude without worrying about the footage showing up on the internet.”

  Noah chuckled. “Okay, what about a log of who enters through the gate?”

  She slid off the stool. “Mr. Benton has a room set up with security equipment. We can try there.” She stopped abruptly and he almost crashed into her back. She spun around to face him. “I don’t want the Bentons to know about this. It’s probably nothing and I don’t want to worry them. Aurora’s state finals are a week away.”

  He nodded slowly. “Okay. But we still need to look at the footage.”

  “I’ll just say that I want to thank whoever left it for me and leave it at that. Then—Noah, stop.”

  He turned to her. “What?”

  She grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Oh my God, you’re bleeding!”

  He figured as much. One of the gangbanger’s bullets had grazed his upper arm but he’d forgotten about it in his quest to rush Peyton to safety. He’d been shot before—several times, actually—so he knew this one wasn’t serious. “It’s no—”

  Suddenly his shirt was jerked from his pants and shoved over his head. He sighed as she carefully removed the injured arm.

  “Noah, you were shot! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Small fingers probed the skin around the wound that he’d forgotten all about but was now starting to throb. “It’s nothing, Peyton. Just a graze.”

  “Just a graze my ass,” she muttered. Then her soft touch was gone.

  “Peyton?” He couldn’t see anything with his shirt over his head. He tugged it the rest of the way off to find her gone. She quickly returned with a first aid kit. “I’ll patch it up until we can get to a hospital.”

  No way in hell was he going to a hospital. He hated them. “Just slap a bandage on there and I’ll be good to go.”

  “Oh my God, save me from hard-headed alpha males,” she groused with a roll of her pretty blue eyes. Then she tapped his vest. “I didn’t know you were wearing Kevlar.”

  “Yeah and from now on, when you go out, you’ll be wearing it, too.” He’d thought to toss one in her size in the SUV before he left.

  She pursed her lips but didn’t say anything. Technically she hadn’t agreed to let him protect her, but he had no doubt he’d convince her, one way or another.

  He hissed when she dabbed alcohol on the cut. Damn, that hurt. He gritted his teeth, refusing to make a sound.

  “Now that I’ve cleaned off the dried blood, I guess it isn’t that bad. It looks like a deep scratch.”

  “It just nicked the skin.”

  “I really would feel better if you had this looked at by a professional. It might need stitches.”

  “Do you have any butterfly bandages in there?”

  She dug inside and found the strips, applying them over the cut. He started to put his shirt back on, but she stopped him. After disappearing into the bedroom, she returned with a t-shirt featuring the Navy logo. “It’s Owen’s, so it should fit.”

  “Thanks.” He tugged it on, refusing to wince when the cut pulled.

  As she led him to the main house, he noted any points of entry. He’d need to find out if the fence behind the house was secured. Peyton hadn’t officially agreed to allow him to work t
he case, but he planned on doing so, with or without her consent. With would be much easier but he’d manage. He could use scare tactics, but he wasn’t that underhanded. He didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily, especially after the shoot-out earlier today. There was an attraction between them. He’d felt it in that scorching kiss. Would he use that to get her to agree? Absolutely. Her safety came first.

  She rang a bell beside the door and a man in a suit and tie appeared. A butler? Seriously?

  “Yes, Ms. Durant?” he asked, his lips barely moving. In fact, he was so pasty white with light blue veins showing under the skin, Noah wouldn’t have known the man was alive if he hadn’t spoken.

  “Hello, Niles. Someone left something for me on my door. Do you know who it was?”

  He managed to shake his head, though Noah might’ve missed it if he hadn’t been looking closely. “I do not.”

  “Would it be possible for us to look at the log in Mr. Benton’s security room? Oh, I’m sorry, Niles, this is Noah Addison. He’s a…friend. He works for a security company.”

  The butler’s bushy eyebrows narrowed. “Is there a problem, Ms. Durant?”

  “No, no,” she quickly reassured him. “I just want to find out who left the, ah, gift for me so I can thank them.”

  “Certainly.”

  He spun around with a nimbleness Noah wouldn’t have guessed and led them to a room across from the laundry. “Please shut the door when you are finished,” he said formally before disappearing down the tiled hallway.

  Noah followed Peyton and then closed them inside. On the wall was a monitor showing the front gate and a computer that logged each time the gates opened. Perfect. He sat down and started punching buttons.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” Peyton asked skeptically.

  “Enough to get by,” he reassured her. “Here’s when you left. It looks like the gate opened five times between then and when we returned home.” Less than ten minutes after Peyton’s Navigator disappeared out of sight, a green truck zipped up to the gate. There was a pause and then the gate opened.

  Peyton gasped. “That’s Mark.”

  Noah stopped the tape and zoomed in. Sure enough, the smug grin of the basketball coach stared back at them. “What was he doing here?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve no idea. He knows I have classes on Saturday morning. Maybe he wanted to drive to the center together.”

  Noah made a non-committal sound. The jerk wanted more than that from Peyton. The car left five minutes later. “He wasn’t here long. Maybe the butler knows what he wanted.” He pressed play and then fast forward until another auto appeared. It was a car full of teens.

  Peyton pointed at the screen. “They’re Aurora’s friends.” She wrinkled her nose. “I just met the two boys last night and I wasn’t impressed.”

  He fast-forwarded until two trucks bearing the landscaping company name entered. He zoomed in and spotted Rico among the workers. He noted the time. “Interesting.”

  “What?”

  “I met Rico Pena a few minutes ago. He told me he just arrived, but this says he entered the grounds almost two hours earlier. He’s on the suspect list.”

  Peyton exhaled. “He’s relatively new. He took over for the man who used to maintain the pool. He’s shy but seems okay. But I didn’t know they worked on Saturday. They’re usually here on Tuesdays and Fridays.”

  He made a note to check out why the crew made an extra stop this week. Two more cars arrived, with Peyton pointing out Avery Benton in one and Henry Benton the other. He fast-forwarded until Peyton’s Navigator returned. He clicked the monitor off and swung the chair around to face her. “I’ll run a background check on Rico. We need to find out why Mark was here.”

  Peyton shook her head. “Noah, this isn’t necessary. The medals are harmless.”

  He didn’t agree and he told her so.

  She threw her arms up in defeat. “Fine. I know I can’t argue with you and Owen and Kurt. Maybe one, but all three would just wear me down. What do you want me to do?”

  She caved. Excellent. “For starters, let me investigate. Listen to my instructions and do what I say when I say it.”

  She gaped at him. “You did not just say that. What are you, a caveman?”

  With her, probably. He wasn’t about to apologize. If he saw a threat, he needed her to be able to react at a moment’s notice. “No, I’m the man who’ll keep you safe.” He stood and motioned for her to proceed him before she could argue more. “Let’s find Niles the butler.” He flipped off the light and closed the door. Niles appeared as if by magic and Peyton took a step back until she crashed into him. His hands came up to steady her and refused to let go.

  “Niles, we noticed that Mark Hixon was here. Do you know what he wanted?”

  “He asked to speak with you. I wasn’t aware you’d left when I buzzed him in. He didn’t stay long.”

  Why hadn’t Mark mentioned that he’d stopped by Peyton’s house?

  “Do you know why the landscaping company was here today?” Noah asked.

  “They were rained out yesterday afternoon, so they returned to finish this morning.”

  That made sense. A storm had blown through the area. They thanked the butler and headed back to Peyton’s apartment. Loud voices, splashing and laughter greeted them when they stepped outside.

  “Aurora and her friends,” Peyton informed them.

  The girls looked barely out of middle school. They wore tiny bikinis and paraded in front of the boys. They ignored Noah and Peyton as they passed by. His phone buzzed as they entered her apartment. Tyler’s mug appeared on his screen.

  “Tell me you got a hit on the fingerprint.”

  “Sorry, my brotha, but I came up with nada. Whoever left the print isn’t in the system.”

  If Tyler couldn’t track it down, it wasn’t there. Period. He gave Tyler three names to run for priors: Mark Hixon, the basketball coach; Rico Pena, the landscaper; and Jamarcus West, Jamal’s brother. He had a feeling the latter had an arrest record as long as Noah’s arm, especially if he was an active gang member.

  Peyton glanced at her watch and grimaced. “It’s time for Aurora’s afternoon practice in fifteen minutes. I’ve got to change clothes and then go kick her friends out. Should be a ton of fun, about as enjoyable as the shoot-out earlier.”

  While Peyton retreated to her bedroom, Noah snapped pictures of the medals and the notes. He’d love to send them to his office to check for more prints, but he had a feeling the Chicago Police Department would confiscate them once he contacted them.

  Peyton returned wearing a white polo shirt with the logo of her company Streamline, embroidered on the top left, and khaki shorts. Her hair was secured in a ponytail and she wore a whistle around her neck. She was the sexiest coach he’d ever seen.

  “Wish me luck,” she muttered as she opened the sliding door and stepped out to the pool. He followed her but stayed well back, finding a padded lounge chair to watch from a distance. Digging out his phone, he called his coworker Alex Mylonas. Alex was a former detective with the CPD. He’d know whom Noah should contact to start a file. When possible, they tried to work with the local authorities on cases. Most police departments were overworked and underfunded, so they picked up the slack. Keeping a civil working relationship was key. They rarely ran into trouble and it was mostly due to one of his bosses and several coworkers being former cops.

  “Hey Noah, how’s it going in my old neck of the woods?” Alex asked in lieu of a greeting.

  He’d given Alex a heads-up before driving to Chicago. “I think there’s something here.” He explained about the notes and the medals.

  “That has my Spidey sense tingling, too,” Alex agreed.

  “I want to get everything on record with the local department.”

  “Contact Detective Blake Caldwell. He was a young up-and-coming detective when I was with the force. We didn’t work in the same precinct, but I was impressed with his instincts and drive when
our paths did cross. In fact, I gave his name to Luke and Logan as a possible hire.”

  Noah tapped the contact information into the phone and disconnected with a promise to call Alex if he needed anything else. He leaned back in the chair and dialed the detective.

  #

  Peyton had no desire to coach Aurora after the events of the morning. Her emotions were on a roller coaster ride. She’d been at the top of the precipice seeing her crush in person and then the car shot down the hill at breakneck speed witnessing the deadly shoot-out at Jamal’s apartment. But then it climbed back up again, even higher than the last time when she kissed Noah, only to careen down again after finding another medal. Added to all that, she was incredibly worried for Jamal’s safety.

  She pushed the thoughts aside. Aurora’s big meet was in a week and she needed to make sure the girl was as prepared as possible. It would be a challenge. She’d won her sectional to qualify for the state finals, but she had one of the slowest times across the state in the breaststroke. She’d need to swim her heart out in the prelims on Friday night in order to advance to the Finals. Peyton knew the girl could do it. She’d logged times faster than the girls in the top spots. She’d scheduled additional workouts throughout the week. It’d be a miracle if Aurora motivated herself enough to truly try to win. She needed to meet a time standard in order to qualify for the National Championships, which would be a big step towards making the next Olympic Team. Once school was out, there’d be all kinds of regional competitions the girl could enter but it’d be with a new coach. Peyton would be long gone.

  Stopping by the table where Aurora kept her swim cap and goggles, she picked them up and carried them to where the foursome laughed it up and frolicked in the water. She slid the whistle between her lips and gave a sharp blow. Aurora’s friend Julia screamed and tumbled off the edge of the pool where she’d been perched like a swimsuit model. She flailed and sputtered, having gotten her hair wet. It hung in thick ropes across her face. The two boys Peyton had kicked out yesterday were back, as were their surly attitudes and hostile glares.