“She bought herself a whole bunch of trouble,” Fab said.
“How do you know all this?” I asked.
“I stayed at Grandmother’s last night, and on the way back to school, I stopped by Kevin’s with coffee and got there just as he realized she’d helped herself to his stuff.”
“What do you want us to do?” I asked, wincing inwardly at the thought of meddling in Kevin’s personal life, about which he’d have a fit. “Track her down and get everything back?”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Liam said. “He’s required to report things like this to his boss, but once he does, he’ll be lucky to have a job.”
“How did you leave it?” Fab asked.
“I waited at his place in case Rain came back while he went over to her apartment, but there was no sign of her,” Liam said.
“That would be too easy,” I said.
“We’d have to have Kevin’s agreement to get involved in any way. Okay, we don’t, but in this case, I think it would be a good idea,” Fab said. “The last thing we want to do is make a bad situation worse.”
“Doesn’t sound like there’s a lot of time if he’s planning on reporting the incident,” I said.
“Could you at least talk to him?” Liam asked. “He loves his job, and I don’t want him to lose it. It wouldn’t be good for him to drag his feet on reporting it either; that could land him in more trouble.”
“The woman’s probably banking on him not filing a report,” Fab said. “If he had, she’d be in jail by now. Maybe…do you have her address?”
I was happy when Liam shook his head, saving me from saying, bad idea.
“Well…” Fab mused. “It would be easy to get his stuff back…if she still has it and didn’t do something stupid like hock it. If she did that, most pawnshops would call the cops. They wouldn’t want the headache if they didn’t and it was found out. If Rain has any sense, she’ll return the stuff.”
I stared at Liam intently. “You want us to go somehow push our help on Kevin?”
“Pretty much.”
“Where is he now?” I asked on a sigh.
“At home. He was going to go for a swim to clear his head and then head into the office. Then who knows what will happen.”
“And you want us to keep your name out of it?” Fab asked.
“Not sure how you’ll be able to pull that off.” Liam made a face. “I just don’t want him to hate me.”
“No way he’s going to hold a grudge,” I reassured him. “Not against you. We’ll go over now and offer our help. I’ll call you later with an update.”
“You two are the best.”
The three of us stood and hugged, then split up and got back in our cars.
“Are you forgetting that we’re not Kevin’s favorite people?” Fab asked, turning in the direction of The Cottages. “He barely speaks to me. Don’t ask me what my plan is because I don’t have one.”
“I’ve got a plan…we make it up as we go.” I ignored Fab’s laugh. “We’ll offer to hunt the woman down, scare the you know out of her, he’ll refuse, and we’ll leave. Try to be civilized; no snarky comments. After that, you’ll call Liam and update him. Tell him we tried.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Fab cruised down the highway and, thanks to light traffic, made it to The Cottages in record time. She pulled into the driveway and parked in front of the office. “I’m thinking we shouldn’t involve Mac,” she said in response to my raised eyebrow when we passed our usual parking space—Mac’s driveway.
“Except she’s standing over by Miss January’s cottage, poking her head around the side.” I pointed. “Which means trouble’s afoot.”
We got out of the SUV. Fab whistled and motioned Mac over. “What’s going on?”
Mac ran over, decked out for a day at the gym she didn’t belong to—she’d told me once she’d only go to if pigs flew. “I was just about to call. Not sure how to handle this one.”
I motioned for her to get to the good part.
“Kevin’s current girlfriend, Rain—actually, I’m not sure of her status; his women don’t tend to hang around long—just climbed in his bathroom window,” Mac blurted.
“I’m going to take a leap here and assume that Kevin’s not at home,” I said, scoping out the driveway. The place was quiet. For now.
“He took his paddleboard and headed to the beach.”
“How long has Rain been inside?” Fab asked.
“Not long. She climbed in right before you drove up.” Mac eyed us suspiciously. “You two are taking this well.”
“Got your passkey on you?” I asked.
Mac fished it out of her pocket and handed it to me.
“Let’s go surprise Miss Rain,” I said to Fab.
“You…” Fab turned to Mac. “Keep a lookout and when Kevin shows, give him a heads-up about what’s going on.” Fab and I started down the driveway. “Get your Glock ready,” she ordered. “Kevin’s straight-laced, except for his taste in women.”
“In his defense, it is hot down here, and that tends to bring out the emotionally unsettled.”
“I’ll take the lead. Stand to one side, in case she shoots at us.” Fab waved at me.
“You make sure you don’t get hurt, either.”
“In case it hasn’t occurred to you yet, Kevin’s not going to be happy, no matter how this turns out,” Fab warned.
We got to the door, and Fab drew her Walther, hip bumped me farther to the side, and tried the knob. Locked. She inserted the key, turned it, and kicked the door open. It banged against the wall.
A woman screamed.
“Eww,” Fab said. “Pull down your dress, top, whatever it is.”
I looked around her shoulder, and the woman in question was bent over, going through a plastic container, her butt hanging out. She didn’t have on underwear.
Maybe it was laundry day.
“Where’s Kevin?” The woman straightened, her blond hair tousled, and wiggled the dress over her ample hips, the top half stretching tight across her enormous chest. The front mid-section had a piece missing, as though a dog had taken a large bite out of it. On second look, I decided she bought it that way.
Breathing room?
“Rain, I assume,” I said. That caught her by surprise, but she didn’t answer.
“Give me a good reason not to shoot you,” Fab growled at the woman. “Entering a private residence through the bathroom window is a crime, and don’t give me some yarn about living here. I already know you don’t.”
“I was surprising my boyfriend with a little sexy-time,” she whined.
“By going through his stuff and boosting his watch and…” Fab glanced briefly at the pile on the floor. “I can’t see what else interested your thieving fingers from here.”
Catching sight of her tote bag, I moved forward, which caught her attention.
“Not so fast,” Fab barked.
Rain jumped sideways, squealing, but caught herself before tumbling over and managed to remain upright.
I grabbed her bag by the handles and upended the contents on the floor. Amongst the personal items were a police-issue Glock, a badge holder, and a man’s wallet, all of which I assumed belonged to Kevin. I toed them away from the rest of the pile.
“Those are mine,” Rain said in a huff.
“Why don’t we let Kevin make that call?” I said, dropping her bag at her feet.
“I assume you’re done?” Rain bent to retrieve her things, tossing them back in the bag. “Do you mind if I use the bathroom?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Fab said. “I’m not in the mood to chase you down the street.”
Rain huffed out a loud dramatic sigh and flung herself in the closest chair, slinging her long legs over the side. “Kevin and I had an argument. I handled it badly and wanted to make it up to him.”
That’s swell!
“By stealing from him?” I asked, incredulous at her lack of remorse or embarrassment at being ca
ught.
“I thought strippers made good money,” Fab said, eyeing her from head to toe.
Granted, Kevin had a type, but to assume… Have you lost your mind? I telegraphed to Fab. She shrugged slightly, which most people would miss.
“I’m not a stripper,” Rain said indignantly. “I’m a businesswoman.”
Fab choked out a laugh. “Sorry,” she said, not sounding the least bit sincere.
Kevin appeared in the doorway in swim trunks, his hair slicked back, looking like he spent his days on the beach. “What’s going on here?”
I had to hand it to him; he was calm in an awkward situation.
“Miss Rain here was caught crawling in your bathroom window,” I said. “She had those in her possession.” I indicated his gun and the other items with a glance. “They fell out of her bag.”
He walked over and picked them up, locking them in a desk drawer. “Are you pressing charges?” he asked me.
“Kevie,” Rain screeched. “She does that, and I’m pressing my own charges. They pulled guns on me.”
“I know these two, and you’re lucky that they didn’t shoot.” Kevin zeroed in on Rain, anger radiating across his face. “Skip the victim act. You and I both know that the last thing you want is for the police to get involved. Plus, the property belongs to Madison, who has a right to defend it against trespassers and criminals, which you are, having committed breaking and entering to get in here.”
“You’re not going to back me up, with everything we mean to one another?” Rain asked in shock.
“I’m going to leave and let you handle this situation,” I said to Kevin. How was up to him. “I’m not going to press charges.” I stared at Rain, who refused to make eye contact. “I’m assuming that you won’t be making up any cockamamie charges.”
“Rain has enough on her plate,” Kevin barked.
“Just so we’re clear, you’re banned from the property,” I said to Rain, who appeared to be planning to make a run for it. “If you come back, I will have you arrested. Probably by Kevin here, since he draws the short straw and answers all disturbance calls at The Cottages.”
“I’ll call you later.” Kevin shot me a half-smile.
Fab and I crossed the threshold, and I was closing the door when Rain said, “Kevie, I can explain.” I closed the door, uninterested in anything she had to say.
“Do you want to put money on whether we see Rain again?” Fab asked as we walked back to the office.
“That’s not very sympathetic.”
“I’m not known for my sympathetic side. Are we wagering or not?”
“Not.” I turned at the sound of someone whistling, which turned out to be Mac. She waved frantically for us to join her and Crum, half-hidden behind a palm tree at the front of the property.
“I’m going to wait in the car,” Fab said.
“Get your ass over here,” I hissed.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me. Do you need a refresher on being a best friend?”
Fab growled.
Now that was a sound I needed to add to my repertoire.
We reached Mac and Crum and interrupted an argument. “I almost didn’t recognize you,” I said to Crum. “You have pants on.”
“Don’t get used to it.” He stretched out his arms. “A man my size needs all the room he can get.”
I heard a barfing noise in my ear and didn’t have to turn around to know who the culprit was.
“This better be good,” I said testily to Mac. “We were close to a clean getaway.” As close as one gets after all heck breaks loose.
“Butthead is dead,” Mac announced.
“Found in the dumpster behind Custer’s,” Crum blurted, not wanting to be left out of the breaking news. “He took a cigarette break, and when he didn’t come back, Custer went out to ream him a new one and found his body.”
Fab poked me in the back, and I knew she and I were both thinking that we had our confrontation with him in the same area.
“Anyone arrested?” I asked.
“Not so far,” Crum said. “I hung around as long as I could but didn’t want to attract too much attention. The last thing I wanted was for the cops to find out that I worked for Butthead; technically, anyway. Any asshat should know Dilly is the head honcho.” The big man shuddered.
“I thought you’d given your notice,” I said.
“I quit all right,” Crum confirmed. “Butthead owed me a few bucks, a personal loan I meant to collect while reaffirming that he not contact me again.”
“What do your sources say?” Fab asked Mac.
“Butthead took a bullet to the head and died.” Her head slumped to the side. She opened one eye and said, “No suspects.”
“If you’re going to simulate a dead person, next time, you might want to throw yourself on the ground,” Fab said.
“And get my skirt dirty?” Mac huffed. “I don’t think so.” She smoothed down her lasso-decorated cowgirl skirt, which she’d thrown on over the workout clothing.
The tennis shoes didn’t add the right flavor, but I suspected she wore them to climb or run, knowing that on any given day it was a possibility.
“Does Joseph know?” I asked.
“I broke the news.” Crum made a face. “He puked on my feet. Good thing I was barefoot at the time.” He looked down and wiggled his toes in his flip-flops. “Hosed them off pretty good.”
“Joseph’s back to snoozing behind the pool bar,” Mac said. “Told me if he’s going to die, he wants to do it in the sunshine.”
Except that the area was covered by a tiki umbrella, which pretty much shaded that section.
“You.” I stabbed my finger at Crum. “Keep an eye on the man. I’m still blaming you for his involvement in a crime ring.”
“It wasn’t a ring,” Crum snapped. “I’m surprised that you don’t blame me for it being too hot.”
“If I thought it would have any effect on our weather patterns, I would,” I snapped back. “I’m afraid to ask if there’s anything else.”
“Don’t you worry, Bossy.” Mac curtsied. “I’ve got everything under control.”
“That’s reassuring.” I turned and grabbed Fab’s arm, practically jerking her over to the SUV. “Why do you insist on standing behind me?” I asked after she slid behind the wheel.
“I don’t want anyone thinking I’m in charge.”
That won’t happen.
“And I’m protecting my shoes from vomit.”
I covered my face and laughed.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Fab backed out of the driveway, waving. “Good riddance.”
I laughed. “Reminder—we’ve got tinted windows, so they can’t enjoy your antics.” I fished my ringing phone out of my pocket and saw Spoon’s face on the screen. “This can’t be good. Step-daddy never calls just to chat; he only calls when it’s important.”
“Stop calling him that,” Fab admonished. “It’s so icky. Your mother probably needs bail money.”
“I’m going to tell her what you said.”
“Answer it already.” Fab jabbed her finger at the phone.
“Fab thinks you’re calling for bail money,” I said when I answered.
“Neither of you is the least bit amusing,” Spoon growled, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“That’s such a bold lie.”
“I’m not admitting to anything. Enough of this already. I’m firing the Kid. His whining about working in the garage has snapped my last nerve. And I don’t have enough office work for him.”
“Why are you telling me instead of him?” I felt a headache coming on. Where was a margarita when a girl needed a cool one? “I just put you on speaker before Fab punches my arm one more time. Then we’d need to pull over and duke it out.”
“No fighting on the road, you two,” he grumped. “I’m giving you time to find him another job. But not much. I don’t want to toss him to the curb. He thinks he’s tough, but he’s not.”
/>
“He’s old enough to find his own job,” I said testily. “I have a thought up my sleeve about a possible opportunity, but he will have to prove himself first. It won’t be available until next week.”
What? Fab mouthed.
I shook my head. “If it doesn’t work out, he needs to hit the streets and start applying. In the meantime, can he use your computer?”
“What are you up to?” Spoon asked.
“Just think about it. Fab and I will be stopping by your office in a few to pitch the deal.”
We hung up.
“Let me guess…” Fab’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Your hot idea is to give the pickpocket a job in my office.”
“Xander can sit in my little area, if that makes you feel better. All he needs is a desk and a chair.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Do you want to know why this might not be the worst idea ever?” I didn’t wait for a response. “If you’d read his background report…”
“I might have if you’d given me a copy,” Fab snapped.
“Sorry?”
She squinted at me.
“Before his life fell out from under him—”
“And he turned to crime.”
“We should not be tossing stones in the ‘what’s illegal and not’ arena.” Another glare. “If you’d let me finish…”
“Keep in mind that I have a short attention span for sob stories.”
“He was a junior at NYU with a 4.5 grade point average in computer science when his dad died. His mother having died when he was young, his only remaining family was a stepmother who gained control of the finances and cut him off without so much as bus fare…and without a word to him. He got a delinquent notice on his tuition and was forced to drop out. His stepmother refused to take his calls and sicced the lawyer on him.”
“That’s cold,” Fab said. “So the father wrote him out of his will?”
“He didn’t leave one. In the end, step-mommy will end up having to share, but who knows how long that will take.”
“And this makes him a candidate for employment, how?”
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