by Nora Kane
“They were talking. You know, just normal stuff, but then she got mad. I thought she might throw her drink at him and then I thought she might smash the glass over his face.”
“What did he say?”
“I have no idea. Whatever it was, he said it quietly. She was a bit louder.”
“What did she say?”
“I don’t remember the exact words, but something to the effect of she knew where the bodies were buried so he better watch his ass. I guess she wasn’t kidding because he got nice really fast. He started looking around too, like he was worried who was listening.”
“Who was listening? Other than you.”
“Everybody here. This isn’t that big of a place and she was loud. They walked out after that. Dude did leave a hundred on the table though, so it wasn’t a total loss.”
“Did you know who they were?”
“Not at the time, but once I heard about the hot tub massacre thing, I wasn’t surprised to see it was the victims.”
“Did you say, ‘victims’?”
“Yeah, it was that dude and his mistress who got stabbed by his wife.”
“You sure it wasn’t the wife?”
“Positive. In fact, I’d seen the guy here with his wife more than once.”
“Did you tell that to Cassandra?”
He thought about that for a second and then said, “I don’t know. Maybe not. I think I assumed it was the wife until I saw pictures of the actual wife and victim on the news. They seemed like a couple, so I assumed.”
Margot thought about it for a second. She knew Phoebe made some kind of public scene so if Cassandra went asking around, it was possible she could stumble on this incident and not realize the woman in question wasn’t Phoebe. Especially if the bartender was saying it was Tim’s wife yelling at him.
“How about the other woman? You ever see her in here before?”
“Yeah, a couple of times.”
“With Tim Masterson?”
“Yeah, though sometimes with another guy. One time with both of them.”
“What did the other guy look like?”
“Kind of short and overweight, older.”
“Thinning blonde hair and an earring?”
“That’s the dude.”
“How long ago was it the three of them?”
“I don’t know. It’s not something I keep track of.”
“Less than a year? More?”
“I haven’t even worked here a year, so less for sure.”
“Okay, less than a month?”
“Maybe. Not more than two months, if that helps.”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
Margot decided she needed to talk to Derek Helms again. Either the visit here to the lighthouse was a social one or more likely he and Tim Masterson were still in business together in some capacity.
She was looking for a place to park near Helms’ shop when she saw a familiar black Cadillac Escalade parked out front.
Chapter 9
Instead of going inside, Margot watched the SUV. The short guy got out and leaned against the side, just like he had been last night when she exited the Hotel. This time, he smoked a cigarette while he waited.
Unlike Margot, Helms didn’t mace Bobby and stick a gun in Harry’s face. He walked out with Harry in front and Bobby behind. Margot watched him get in the back with Bobby while the short guy got behind the wheel and Harry sat in the front.
She ducked down as they drove past. She let them get a bit ahead and then followed, keeping herself two car lengths back. They drove around the block a few times and then parked back in front of Helms shop. Margot drove past and watched Helms go back inside. She went around the block and when she arrived back at the shop, Harry and his crew were gone.
Margot parked and went back to Helms’ shop. The door was unlocked, and she didn’t knock or ring the bell. Inside were boxes upon boxes of clothing and accessories. Helms was a wholesaler of some sort and this must have been his current stock. Margot plucked a purse out of a box. The label said Gucci, but Margot had her doubts.
“What are you doing here?” Helms asked as he stepped into the front room.
“You sell knockoffs here, Mr. Helms?”
“What makes you think you could tell the difference?”
“I can’t, that’s why I’m asking.”
“You know you already ruined my lunch; can you not ruin the rest of my day as well?”
“I feel like Harry Lee beat me to that.”
Helms looked like he was trying to think of a lie, so Margot told him, “I saw you get into his car and I saw you get out. I thought you dissolved your partnership with Tim Masterson to get away from Mr. Lee.”
“I did.”
“Yet, two months ago you, Rita, and Tim Masterson were having dinner together.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I don’t think it, I know it. Did you use a credit card that night? Did Tim?”
Helms didn’t answer.
“If you did, there’s a record of all of you being there. It’s a busy restaurant, so it won’t be hard to find someone who saw you. Lying right now will just piss me off.”
“I may have exaggerated at lunch about my success.”
“Harry Lee’s offer started to sound better?”
Helms was silent again.
“Unless you killed your wife and Tim Masterson, I don’t care what other crimes you were involved in.”
“I didn’t kill them. I can tell you it pissed me off because I wish I had. Tim was an arrogant bastard who couldn’t tell that he’d be nothing without his daddy’s money and my wife was not only screwing him but planning to leave me as soon he dumped Phoebe. At least, she thought she was. I’m not sure he felt the same way.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Rita was piss poor at sneaking around. I heard them arguing on the phone. I got the feeling from some things she said that this wasn’t the first time they’d gotten in a fight.”
“Okay,” Margot said, thinking this might explain the blowup at the Lighthouse, “back to Harry Lee.”
“No matter what Harry Lee and I are involved in, it doesn’t change what Phoebe did.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Helms sighed and shook his head. “All I’m going to say is Harry realized he was working with the wrong partner. Tim was a screw up who’d eventually get caught. In a rare moment of clarity, Tim realized he might be in trouble and came to me. I would have told him to go pound sand again, but I wasn’t exactly killing it either. I overextended myself when things were booming, but fashion is fickle, and I ended up with a lot of crap no one wanted to buy. So, I made a deal with the devil; actually, two devils, if you count Tim. And here I am.”
“What did Harry Lee want just now?”
“To talk.”
“In his car?”
“He always does it that way. He figures no one is listening and if you say something he doesn’t like, he can always have Lucas drive out to the desert so Bobby can put a bullet in you.”
“Talk about what?”
“What do you think? He doesn’t want this murder coming back on him somehow. He wanted to remind me how important the silent was in silent partner. I must not have listened very well since I’m talking to you.”
“Like I said, I’m not here to trip you up over that. I’m just trying to solve a murder.”
“Why? It’s already solved. Phoebe killed them. If you knew Phoebe like I know Phoebe, you wouldn’t even be questioning it.”
“She’s a killer because you know she’s a killer?”
“That and the evidence. That dress of hers didn’t get Rita’s and Tim’s blood on it on its own.”
Margot couldn’t really argue with him on that point.
“Are you done messing up my day now? I’ve actually got work to do.”
Margot couldn’t really think of anything else to ask him, so she walked out.
Chapter 10
Margot called Radcliff while she walked to her car. “Is it possible the target was Rita?”
“Anything’s possible, but why?”
“It looks like her affair with Tim was more than a fling and it looks like she blurted out some things a certain mobster wouldn’t like.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past a guy like Harry Lee, but it didn’t seem like his style. People who get on the wrong side of him just disappear. That scene seemed personal and while he’s no doubt some kind murderous sociopath, Harry never seems to take anything personally.”
“You know who that leads back to you, don’t you?”
“Yeah, Phoebe. I guess it’s something to think about though. Dinner tonight?”
“Yeah, sounds good,” Margot replied as she saw Harry Lee’s diminutive driver, Lucas, waiting by her car.
“So, bitch, you still want to find out if I can fight in your weight class?”
“Can I call you back? I’ve got an issue to deal with here,” Margot replied as she ended the call and dropped her phone in her purse.
“We doing this or what?” Lucas challenged her, gesturing with his arms. “You ready to find out what happens to bitches who disrespect me?”
“Seriously?”
“You were the one talking tough before.”
Margot knew fighting on the street was a bad idea in general, but the way this guy was running his mouth, she was considering it. Right then, someone tapped her on the shoulder and Margot turned just in time to take an uppercut from Harry’s thug Bobby right in the gut. The next thing she knew, she was doubled over on the ground.
“You kick her, Lucas and I do the same to you,” Bobby told the short guy getting ready to plant his size seven shoe into Margot’s ribs.
“What if I cut her? Just a little, so every time she looked in the mirror, she was reminded not to mess with us?”
Margot looked up and noticed he was holding a straight razor.
“Put that thing away,” Bobby told him.
Margot was trying to get herself up when Bobby took her purse. Harry’s Escalade pulled up and before she could do anything about it, Margot was pushed into the back seat. Harry scooted over and let Lucas drive.
“You kidnapping me Harry?” Margot asked after she caught her breath.
“No way. I just want to know why you’re following me.”
“I was actually following Helms. Where are we going?”
“Just for a nice drive. You seem to be in my business a lot lately, Margot. It’s making it hard for me to like you.”
“I guess being liked by you isn’t that high of a priority for me.”
“It should be. Do you think Mr. Helms killed Rita and Tim?”
“Honestly, he doesn’t seem the type.”
“Shit, bitch, you wouldn’t know the type if he was sitting right in front of you,” Lucas said.
“Would you please shut up?” Harry told his driver.
“Tim and Rita dying kind of worked out well for you though, didn’t it?” Margot asked.
“In what way?”
“Tim and Phoebe’s divorce would have put a microscope on your business with Tim. Rita threatening Tim about knowing where the bodies are buried probably didn’t sit well with you either, since you're working with both her husband and her lover.”
“I guess you’re right. Someone did me a favor, but I didn’t order it. If I had given an order, someone would be in trouble. That was a mess.”
“It’s probably good they did it that way, boss,” Lucas said. “Cops never even considered it could have been you.”
“Do I hire you to drive or talk?” Harry growled at Lucas.
“Sorry, boss. Just saying.”
“Don’t.”
Margot watched Lucas in the mirror. He looked like a sad puppy. She had a weird thought, but she kept it to herself.
“Look, Margot, I know you’re trying to help Phoebe and honestly, if I thought I could, I’d help her as well, but you need to stay clear. I’m already giving you a break because you were with Mal and I have a soft spot for him.”
Margot didn’t reply to that. She’d forgotten it had been alleged that Mal was working for Harry Lee back when Mal was a cop. Mal had always denied it, but the way Harry casually tossed out Mal’s name now made it seem like the allegations may have had some truth to them.
“The thing is, Margot, I have a rock-solid alibi. So does Bobby, he was driving that night. You need to leave me out. I’m no angel—I do plenty of bad shit—so don’t drag me into some bad shit I had nothing to do with.”
“How about Lucas? Does he have an alibi?”
Harry laughed as if the idea of Lucas doing the killing sounded ridiculous.
“You need to watch your mouth, bitch,” Lucas told her.
“Whatever you say, Lucas.”
“Do we have an agreement, Margot?” Harry said. “I think we’d both be happier if we could be friends.”
“Yeah, because that worked out so well for Mal.”
“He’s still breathing, so it can’t have worked out that badly.”
“I don’t think you killed Tim and Rita, Harry. Unless I find out differently, you have nothing to worry about from me.”
“I suppose that’s fair since I had nothing to do with it. How’s the stomach”
“Bobby hits like a runaway freight train, but I think I’m going to live.”
“So, you two can call it even?” Harry asked.
“I’m good if he’s good.”
Bobby smiled. “I like a girl who can take a punch. We’re cool.”
Harry nodded at Lucas and he pulled to the curb about a block from Margot’s car.
“You can walk from here. Have a nice day, Margot.”
While it was fresh on her mind, Margot called Browers and Associates, hoping someone was there on a Saturday. There wasn't, so she left a voicemail asking if the lab reports on the bloody dress showed anything unusual. Once this was done, she started walking.
Again, Margot called Radcliff while she walked to her car.
“What happened?’ Radcliff asked, sounding a little agitated.
“Harry Lee wanted another conversation,” Margot told him, leaving out the part where his thug punched her in the stomach.
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“You shouldn’t, but it might have been productive. Do you know anyone in the Organized Crime task force who can get me some information on Lee’s driver, a guy they call Lucas? I’d owe you one.”