by Nora Kane
“Car looked like yours.”
“A drive-by?”
“Yeah.”
“If I wanted to shoot you, Margot, I wouldn’t do some dumb gang-banger bullshit. I’d walk up and shoot you.”
“Or wait in the back of my car and put one in the back of my head?”
“Yeah, though I’d probably put two just to be sure. I wouldn’t talk about it first though, I’d just do it, if you’re worried. Are you worried?”
“No.”
“Good. I wouldn’t mind if you drove though. I’m kind of a wanted man and every cop in town knows my face.”
Margot started her car and pulled into traffic.
“Anywhere you want to go?”
“Just drive for now. I know you and I are kind of on the outs, Margot, but why would I want to kill you?”
“I figured out what you did at the county jail. You did a good job hiding your face but using Dennis Thorn was kind of a giveaway.”
“Honestly, Margot, I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Someone who looked a lot like you using the alias Dennis Thorn visited the main suspect in the death of Lucas Lau just before Lucas got shanked to death in the infirmary.”
“The suspect a man named Heller?”
“Yeah.”
“If he killed someone, that’s news to me. I sure as Hell didn’t tell him to. Even if I was contracting a murder, which I’m not, I wouldn’t use Heller. He’s dumb as a rock.”
“But you met him as Dennis Thorn?”
“Yeah, but not to tell him to kill Lucas Lau. Who is Lucas Lau, anyway?”
“Until someone shanked him, he was the main suspect in a case I’m involved in. You might have heard about it, the media called it the Masterson Hot Tub Massacre.”
“That was that Lucas? You were working that?”
“I was, or I am, working for Phoebe Masterson’s legal counsel.”
“Big case, who got it?”
“Browers and Associates.”
“Congratulations, those guys are big time. Working for Shaw must really be paying off.”
“Why were you there talking to Heller?”
“I can tell you it had nothing to do with Lucas Lau or the Masterson Hot Tub Massacre.”
“Okay, if that’s what it wasn’t, what was it?”
“I can’t tell you that yet.”
“Yet?”
“Yeah, it’s going to depend on how the rest of this conversation goes.”
“Can you tell me why you used your old alias?”
“I couldn’t use my own name and I needed a name Heller would recognize.”
“He knew Dennis Thorn?”
“I was using that name when I busted him for possession with intent to distribute.”
“He agreed to meet the guy who busted him?”
“For a dude like Heller, that was like four of five charges ago. Heller isn’t really a details guy. He knew he knew me from somewhere, but he never realized Dennis Thorn was the narc who busted him back in the day. Like I said, he’s dumb as a rock.”
“I guess I should be glad you didn’t order the hit on Lucas, but I’m guessing you’re still up to no good.”
“That depends on the definition of no good.”
Margot figured that was about as much as he was going to tell her and didn’t reply. The silence between them lasted a couple of blocks before Mal said, “It’s good to see you, Margot. I’m sorry things ended the way they did between us.”
“Me too.”
“We could fix it and leave all this behind, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. What are you talking about?”
“You and I getting out of town, living somewhere nice, and not having anyone shoot at us for the rest of our lives.”
“How do you think we would do that?”
“I’ve got a job, it’s a one-time thing, but once it’s done, I’ll have enough to get out and stay out. I’m asking you to come with me when that happens.”
“Is this why you were sneaking into the county jail to talk to Conner Heller?”
“This is that ‘yet’ part, Margot. If you’re in, I tell you everything, but if you’re out? I can’t risk telling you anything. Are you in?”
“No.”
“That was a quick answer. You should think about it.”
“There’s nothing to think about.”
“Would it make a difference if I said I needed your help?”
Margot gave that one some thought before she said, “No.”
“You sure? We were good together.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. We’re not going to be a couple again and I’m not leaving town. Neither should you. Turn yourself in, you’re only wanted as a witness at this point.”
“We both know that’s not how it’s going to go down. I killed people.”
“In self-defense.”
“Even if that was entirely true, I’m somebody people have been looking to bust for a while. They won’t let me off the hook and you know it.”
Margot wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she couldn’t.
“Is it because of the choirboy?” Mal asked.
“Is what because of who?”
“The detective you’re seeing, Radcliff, is he the reason you’re turning me down?”
“No. Sure, he’s a factor, so’s my job with Shaw, but it’s more than that. I’m not like you anymore, Mal. I don’t feel like I have nothing to lose. Even if there was no Radcliff and there was no Shaw, though, the answer would be the same. I’m not a criminal, I’m not an outlaw, and I have no desire to become one.”
“You say that like you’ve never crossed the line before.”
“I never claimed to be an angel, but I’ve never gone far enough I couldn’t get back.”
“You think I have?”
“Do you honestly believe you haven’t?”
Mal opened his mouth like he was going to say something but closed it without uttering a word.
After a long uncomfortable silence, Mal pointed to a parking lot and said, “Drop me off here.”
“Look, there’s got to be something we can do…”
Mal shook his head and pointed to the mostly empty lot. Margot pulled in.
“Drive away, Margot. Don’t look back,” Mal told her. He was out of the car before she could reply.
He stood there by the car looking at her for a second and Margot thought he might get back in, but he just pointed down the road and said, “Drive away.”
Margot did as she was told. She did look back in the mirror, though. He was already gone.
Chapter 9
Margot was back at her office, trying to figure out what to do next. While she was glad Mal was not involved in the murder of Lucas, taking him out of the equation put her back at square one in trying to decipher who killed Lucas and why. It also left her with the uncomfortable feeling that despite his apparent innocence when it came to Lucas, Mal was about to do something terrible. Margot couldn’t think of anything Mal could do besides killing somebody that would pay near the money he was implying he was going to get.
Margot picked up her phone and made a few calls. She had to go through a few people she knew before she got a hold of Conner Heller’s lawyer. It took some convincing, but he gave her permission to talk to his client. They made an appointment for the next morning.
While she was making the arrangement to talk to Heller, someone tried to call her. When she’d finished the call, she checked her voicemail.
“This is Ames. Call me back A.S.A.P.”
Ames was rarely helpful, but she thought of something she wanted to ask him and he hadn’t been a complete bastard to her after the shooting, so she called him back.
“About time,” Ames said as he answered the call.
“You say that like I’m sitting around waiting for you to call.”
“Yeah, well, I was actually waiting for yours. You said you had an idea who took a shot at you last night, but y
ou never said who.”
“I thought that wasn’t your case.”
“It’s not but since you didn’t reveal your secret to either of the detectives in charge as promised, I thought I’d check back with you.”
“Don’t you have something better to do?”
“Not really. Radcliff is in court all day, and he gets mad if I solve crimes without him.”
“Why aren’t you there too?”
“The D.A. said I come across as ‘abrasive’ and ‘unlikable,’ which I guess is bad.”
“I wish I could disagree with him.”
“You seem to be avoiding answering the question. You knew something last night. What was it? Don’t tell me you told them already. I asked.”
“It didn’t pan out.”
“Come on…”
“Seriously, I was wrong. I looked into it, and it was a dead end. You think I wouldn’t want to tell you guys if I knew who just tried to murder me?”
“What was a dead end?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Are you planning to take justice into your own hands on this one, Margot?”
“No, if I have my way, I’ll never pull the trigger again unless I’m at the range.”
Ames was silent for a moment and then he said, “Have it your way, but if this is something you're doing on the shady side, do me a favor and don’t drag Radcliff into it.”
“I’m not doing anything on the shady side. I promise.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I want to ask you something about Anderson.”
“Anderson? What about him?”
“I saw him somewhere I shouldn’t have.”
Ames was quiet for a moment before he said, “Did he come on to you? Did he show up at your place?”
“Why would you ask me that?”
“Just curious. I know you and he had a thing…”
“We never had a thing. He asked me out, I said no.”
“He doesn’t exactly look at it the same, but I’m not surprised.”
“Why aren’t you surprised?”
“He has a bit of a reputation.”
“For what?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“You sounded concerned when you asked if he came to my place.”
“Concerned? Nah, that's just me being abrasive.”
“Anderson have some issues with women?”
“Issues might be a strong word.”
“Tell me.”
“You get to keep secrets, but I don’t?”
Margot thought on that for a second and then said, “I thought the shooter might have been Mal.”
“Mal? Why?”
“You’re going to have to give me something first.”
“Alright, but understand this is mostly just gossip.”
“Bullshit. If it were just gossip, you never would have brought it up.”
“He’s been inappropriate with some females who came his way on the job.”
“Inappropriate how?”
“Nothing criminal.”
“That leaves a lot of possibilities.”
“He’s had affairs with victims and possibly suspects. Nothing not consensual, but it raises questions.”
“Someone complain?”
“Just one who thought he was hitting on her. It didn’t go anywhere since it was a “he-said, she-said” kind of deal, but even without the complaint, he had the reputation. As you well know, it happens. It shouldn’t because we catch people at their most vulnerable, but it does.”
“I’m not very vulnerable right now, but you were worried about me. You sure you’re telling me everything?”
“I’m telling you everything I know, but I know he had a thing for you and he might see you as more vulnerable than you see yourself. He could put you in jail and he could do things that could threaten your license.”
“Has he done anything like that before?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“But you wouldn’t put it past him?”
“I don’t put anything past anybody. Did he try something?”
“Not with me, but I saw him when I was visiting Phoebe’s.”
“That could be a problem. I don’t suppose he said or did anything while you were there?”
“He did a lot of leering since Phoebe was wearing a very small bikini, but that’s what I’d say she was going for.”
“Hardly illegal. Even if he’s doing more than just looking, as long as she’s consenting, it might be wrong, but it’s not illegal. Now, tell me why you thought your old boyfriend tried to kill you.”
Margot hesitated, she didn’t want to be a rat and felt like she was betraying Mal, but she decided he made his own choices and she couldn’t be responsible for the outcome of those choices.
“Dennis Thorn, which was the name Mal used working undercover, visited Conner Heller before the murder.”
“Mal visited Heller?”
“I think so,” Margot said, finding herself hedging on the truth and offering a little protection even though she shouldn’t be.
“Think?”
“No, I know it. I emailed him asking about it. I didn’t even know if he still checks his email.”
“Then he takes a shot at you thinking he doesn’t want you to spread this information around?”
“Exactly, but it wasn’t him.”
“How do you know?”
“He told me. Don’t ask where he is or why he might be talking to Conner Heller. I don’t know the answer to either one.”
“I’d say he was working as a middle man to whoever wanted Lucas dead.”
“I thought the same thing, but he said no.”
“And you believed him?”
“He told the truth about everything else.”
“You know I have to give this to Anderson.”