The Evan Buckley Thrillers: Books 1 - 4 (Evan Buckley Thrillers Boxsets)

by James, Harper

  ‘What’s in the photos?’

  ‘Me, mainly. Me with my two new friends. None of us had many clothes on. It looks like I was having a great time.’ The emphasis he put on the looks had more than a little bitterness in it.

  ‘And you don’t remember a thing?’

  ‘Nada. It’s a complete blank.’

  Forrest gave him an ain’t life a bitch roll of the eyes. Like it happens to all of us. ‘Shame you can’t even remember enjoying it. Are you being blackmailed?’

  ‘Not exactly.’

  Forrest’s forehead creased into a frown. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘They charged thirty thousand to my credit card on the night. I got a text message telling me to take it like a man or they’d send copies to Diane.’

  Forrest refreshed their drinks as he thought about what Jesse had just told him, and then leaned back in his chair.

  ‘So if you pay up and shut up, that’s the end of it?’

  ‘That’s the implication.’

  Jesse tried to read Forrest’s face but there was nothing there. Forrest sucked in air through his teeth as a new complication crossed his mind.

  ‘Maybe if you roll over on this one they decide you’re an easy mark and come back for more.’ He shrugged. ‘Who knows?’

  The shrug said it more truthfully: Who cares?

  Neither of them said anything for a minute. The silence all around them should have been calm and soothing. It made Jesse antsy. He sipped his drink and wondered if he’d done the right thing telling Forrest. It seemed they were thinking along the same lines.

  ‘Why did you want to talk to me about it?’ Forrest said slowly.

  ‘I wanted to find out if maybe the same thing had happened to you.’

  Forrest looked totally aghast at the suggestion.

  ‘I’ll take that as a no, then?’

  ‘You bet your ass you can,’ Forrest said, generations of wealth and privilege resonating in his voice. ‘If it had happened to me, they’d have been arrested by now. I’d have gone straight to the police. So should you, if you’ve got any sense.’

  ‘You wouldn’t worry about the photos?’

  Forrest shook his head, the confident gaze of the man who doesn’t have to make the decision in his eyes.

  ‘For one, I’m not married.’

  ‘They might send them to your father.’

  Forrest smiled.

  ‘What’s so funny?’

  Jesse’s sharp tone made Forrest stop for a second.

  ‘He was the one who took me there in the first place.’ He winked like a proud father might. ‘That’s my boy!’

  Jesse knew for sure he shouldn’t have come. He wanted to slap Forrest’s stupid, supercilious face and walk out.

  ‘Unfortunately, I am married,’ Jesse said, trying hard to keep his voice under control. ‘I don’t think she’d have the same understanding attitude as your old man.’

  Forrest put a serious face back on. ‘No, you’re right. It’s not funny. That’s the trouble with women. They can only ever see their side of it. No give and take.’ He paused and fixed Jesse with an uncompromising stare. ‘I assume you haven’t told the police.’

  For some reason Jesse felt uncomfortable under that stare. He got a vague intuition that it was the first question Forrest had asked that he was even remotely interested in.

  ‘No. I wanted to talk to you first. If it had happened to you, you might have already gone to the police.’

  Forrest gave a You got that right nod.

  ‘Probably make it go easier with your wife too, if it wasn’t just you,’ he said, surprising Jesse with his insight into Jesse’s married life. ‘I’ve never met her but I’m sure she’s like all the rest of them.’

  ‘Worse.’

  Forrest smiled and a pang of guilt went through Jesse for putting Diane down for the sake of a cheap laugh. Especially from this arrogant bastard.

  ‘What are you going to do now? Go to the police?’ the arrogant bastard said.

  A momentary shiver of fear passed through Jesse. He didn’t know where it came from. That was two mentions of the police in as many minutes. What if he was involved? What if he was bringing customers to the club and setting then up? Would he see Jesse as a threat if he said he was going to the police?

  ‘I don’t think so. Not now anyway.’

  Forrest nodded. Had he been holding his breath ever so slightly?

  ‘Too much at stake?’

  Jesse nodded.

  ‘Yes. I don’t think I can risk it. Talking it through with you has made me realize that.’

  He rubbed the back of his neck. Where was Diane to massage it when he needed her? All he wanted to do was get the hell out of here.

  ‘I can understand that. Glad I was of some assistance.’

  Jesse almost choked at that. If Forrest hadn’t taken him to the club in the first place he wouldn’t be in this mess now.

  ‘So you’re just going to pay up and hope that’s the end of it?’

  ‘I suppose so. What else can I do?’

  Jesse decided there was no need to let Forrest know what else he’d done—that he’d already hired Evan to investigate.

  ‘Not a lot, I suppose.’ Forrest got up letting Jesse know that his audience was at an end.

  He clapped Jesse on the shoulder. It was patronizing rather than comforting.

  ‘Don’t worry about it too much—’

  There was absolutely nothing Jesse could do to keep the strangled groan in.

  ‘I know, I know. A stupid thing to say,’ Forrest said, ‘but I think you’re probably doing the right thing under the circumstances. You’ve got my support one hundred per cent. And nobody wants a big scandal.’

  Jesse smiled to himself. There were no flies on this guy. Was that a not very well concealed threat? If you kick up a shitstorm and some of it lands on us ...

  Chapter 17

  EVAN GOT INTO LOUISVILLE at about five in the afternoon. He hired a car and checked into a cheap hotel downtown. Then he called the number Guillory had given him for Detective Angel.

  ‘Guillory’s told me all about you,’ Angel said, after Evan introduced himself.

  ‘It can’t be that bad then. You took the call.’

  ‘Call it morbid curiosity. What can I do for you?’

  ‘I was wondering if you’d take me through what you told her.’

  Angel sucked air in through his teeth. ‘I think I’m half way to owing her five bucks.’

  Evan smiled. He was going to like Angel. He might as well play along with their little game.

  ‘Why’s that?’

  ‘She bet me you’d be on the first plane down here, then be on the phone before you even checked in.’ He gave Evan a chance to butt in, then carried on. ‘She said you’d want to pick my brains clean, without any mention of a quid pro quo—she was very clear on that—before running amok and creating mayhem for me to clear up afterwards.’

  Evan snorted. ‘She doesn’t know shit from shinola. I already checked in.’

  ‘And the rest of it?’

  ‘Right on the money.’

  ‘In that case, I don’t see how I can turn down such an opportunity.’

  ‘They don’t come along every day of the week,’ Evan agreed.

  ‘I’ll even go one better—I’ll pick you up and we can take a drive out to the club while we talk.’

  Angel came by the motel about a half hour later in an unmarked Crown Vic. Evan suggested they take his rental so that they weren’t so conspicuous. Angel looked at the tiny car dubiously but didn’t argue.

  ‘Guillory told me you like to play with the siren,’ he said, folding himself into the anonymous rental. ‘Sounds like you and her get along pretty well.’

  ‘Yeah, I suppose we do.’

  ‘You known her long?’

  ‘Not really. She did me a big favour a while back. Life-changing wouldn’t be an exaggeration.’

  Angel raised an eyebrow.

  ‘I�
�ll tell you about it some other time.’

  ‘You know, despite what she says about you, she sounds like she’s …fond of you.’

  ‘You’re kidding.’

  ‘Almost like I’m sending my favorite loose cannon down your way, make sure he doesn’t hurt himself. Kind of sweet, I thought.’

  Evan waved it off, the words having more of an effect than he’d have imagined. Maybe buying her dinner wasn’t just about payback for the favor she’d done him.

  ‘Now I know you’re making it up.’

  ‘Just an observation. Is she good-looking?’

  Evan ignored him and was rewarded with a smug, knowing smile. The club was only a couple of miles from Evan’s hotel. There was a deserted parking lot across the street which gave them a good view of all the comings and goings outside the club. It was still early so there wasn’t a lot to see.

  ‘Guillory said you’ve got a client who was taken for thirty thousand in there. She probably told you I’d like to talk to him.’

  ‘I’m working on it, but don’t hold your breath.’ Angel’s face told him it was hardly news to him. ‘What about the girl who came to you?’

  ‘Gina Morgan. One of the dancers, although she’s nothing like the rest of the old hags in there. I don’t know what time she starts but there’s a chance we might see her arrive. You’ll see what I mean.’

  Evan looked across at Angel as he stared through the windshield. ‘It sounds like you like her.’

  Angel turned and looked at him. ‘I don’t know her, but she’s pretty easy on the eye. She’s got guts too. If she’s right, she’s in a lot of danger—although I don’t think she realizes how much.’

  ‘But you can’t do anything with what she’s told you?’

  He shook his head.

  ‘No. Think about it. All I’ve got is her saying she’s seen girls putting something’—he did the air quotes thing with his fingers—‘into the guys’ drinks. But the room’s dark in there, except where she is—up on the stage dancing away with the lights shining in her eyes. There’s a lot of scope for her to be wrong.’

  ‘You don’t believe her?’

  ‘It’s not that.’ Frustration tinged his voice. ‘It’s just that even some dumb-ass lawyer who’s flunked his exams could pick about a million holes in her story.’

  ‘How come you believe her then? Aren’t police officers meant to be cynical and suspicious?’

  ‘Only the good ones,’ Angel said and hesitated. ‘It’s just gut feeling, I suppose. She seems like a really nice kid. She’s working her way through university. Doing an MBA or something.’

  ‘What? In pole dancing?’

  Angel held up his hand. ‘Enough. Guillory warned me about the wisecracks too.’

  ‘What else has she said?’

  ‘Well, you drink too much, sometimes you’re a real pain in the ass—’

  ‘No. The stripper.’

  ‘Oh, right. The girls spike the drinks, give it ten minutes for the effects to kick in, then lead them off to the private rooms.’

  Evan waited for him to continue.

  ‘Then what?’ he said when it was obvious there wasn’t any more.

  He shrugged. ‘She doesn’t know, that’s the problem. She thinks they’re taking photographs and blackmailing them.’

  Evan nodded to himself now that he had the whole picture. ‘Close, but not close enough,’ he said and told Angel what had happened to Jesse.

  Angel leaned forward and rested his elbows on the dash, cupped his chin in his hands as he listened. He rubbed his palms over the rough stubble.

  ‘So, the blackmail angle is just insurance really. They’ve had their money. They’re not asking for any more.’

  ‘Not so far. But it’s early days. He hasn’t even paid the first lot yet.’

  Angel acknowledged the point. ‘The club must be involved if it’s on the guy’s credit card. It’s not like they want a suitcase full of cash. Gina gave me five names but there must be someone from the club as well.’ He shook his head and sighed at the thought of the task ahead of him. ‘That makes it even more difficult.’

  ‘I know. Nothing’s ever easy.’

  ‘I need to speak to your client. And I need the photos and the text message.’

  Good luck with that.

  Angel suddenly clamped his hand on Evan’s arm and pointed through the windshield.

  ‘Look! That’s her there.’

  Evan looked and saw a slim, petite girl with a good figure and long, auburn hair walk up and hesitate before entering the club.

  ‘She’s definitely not one of the girls in the photos with my client. Nothing like them.’

  He looked at Angel who was still staring intently at the club, even though she’d disappeared inside.

  ‘I can see why you’ve got a crush on her.’

  ‘I’ll introduce you to my mother. You’ll get on like a house on fire.’

  Angel’s phone rang and he got out of the car to take the call. Evan watched him pace up and down outside the car as he talked. There were a lot of short, sharp hand gestures. When he got back in he looked like he was about ready to call it a day.

  ‘I’ve got to get back.’

  ‘There’s something else I wanted to ask you about,’ Evan said, backing out. ‘Do you know the name Forrest St John?’

  Angel’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘Of course I do. There’s two of them—father and son. Both with the same silly name. Everybody around here knows of them. Why?’

  ‘Because that’s who took my client to the club. Forrest Jnr. That’s who he was with when his drinks were spiked.’

  Angel looked at him as if he was crazy. ‘Are you serious? He’s not suggesting he had anything to do with it, is he?’

  Evan pulled out of the lot and headed towards his hotel. ‘He’s not, but it crossed my mind.’

  ‘Why?’

  His tone suggested he wasn’t expecting any kind of plausible explanation. He checked his watch. Evan speeded up.

  ‘Because someone must have set my client up.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘There’s not much point in taking pot luck. What if they picked on me?’ He caught himself just before saying or you. ‘They’d be lucky to get thirty dollars on my credit card.’

  ‘Okay, I get your point. Just don’t bother looking at Forrest St John. Either of them. They’ve got more money than they know what to do with already.’

  He suddenly looked apprehensive and Evan wasn’t sure if he’d taken Guillory’s light-hearted warnings about mayhem too seriously. He had no intentions of getting into any trouble.

  ‘What now?’ Angel said.

  ‘I’m going back to the club later on. Maybe have a private dance. Can I borrow your credit card?’

  Chapter 18

  JESSE CAME AWAY FROM Forrest’s horse farm believing he’d made some progress. He was confident Forrest wasn’t being blackmailed, but he didn’t know where to go from here. Forrest made it very clear they didn’t want to be associated with any scandal. Even if he went to the police he wouldn’t be able to mention Forrest’s name or bring him into it in any way—unless he wanted to bring his career to a crashing halt.

  The only answer was for one of the strippers to go to the police and expose the scam—the one Evan had mentioned was the obvious choice. The problem was he couldn’t find out who she was without talking to the detective, who would give him a hard time about coming forward.

  That’s why he was sitting in his rental car across the street from the club at eleven p.m. that evening. He’d try to find one of the girls in the photo, somehow force her or persuade her to go to the police, maybe offer her money. It had to be cheaper than paying the thirty grand.

  He’d been sitting in the car for half an hour, watching people come and go. He was tired and bored and needed some air. He didn’t want to fall asleep. He got out and walked a couple of blocks, turned right and then right again, heading for the back of the club. There was a large parking lot beh
ind it with a line of dumpsters down one side. He slipped quietly into the shadows and crept forward, wishing he’d put something over his clean white shirt. He was sure he was visible from outer space.

  There were no windows in the back wall, just a single door with a light over it and a rusty metal fire escape. Two girls stood under the light, talking and smoking. He got close enough to see their faces clearly, but didn’t recognize either of them. They definitely weren’t the girls in the photo—that would’ve been too easy.

  But it was a good place to wait, with a clear view of the back door. Most likely all the girls came out here to take a break. He settled back against the wall, wedged between it and the dumpster. Branches from a tree overhung the wall, creating a patch of deeper shadow around him. It would’ve been perfect if not for the smell of rotting food and God knows what else that stuck to his clothes and settled in his hair.

  A steady stream of girls came out for some fresh air—if you could call it that, because they must have been able to smell the rotting garbage from where they stood. Just after midnight he got lucky. Two girls came out and lit up. One of them was the girl whose breasts framed his face in the photos. He stood and watched them, impatient, willing the other girl to go back inside.

  Five minutes later and he was in luck. She took a last drag and flicked the butt away and turned and went back inside. Jesse pushed himself off the wall. Then the girl he wanted to talk to flicked her butt away too.

  No! He was going to miss his chance.

  He slid out from his hiding place just as she stepped away from the door and into the shadows of a small alcove next to it, turning her back to him. He crept slowly towards her as she pulled her panties down, squatted and started to pee.

  A steady stream of urine snaked across the asphalt towards him as he approached. Why shouldn’t he have a bit of fun after what they’d done to him? Give her a fright. The muted sound of dance music escaped from the open back door, masking his footsteps. He got to within a couple of yards and bent forward, straining to put his mouth close to her.

  ‘Hello!’ he shouted in her ear, and jumped away again.