For Pete's Sake

by Shannon Esposito

  Goldie watched me expectantly as I unbuckled her.

  The street was quiet. Eerily quiet. Like the calm before the storm.

  “I know,” I whispered. “Now what?” I stroked Goldie’s head and stared at the empty driveway. “Well, Will’s car isn’t here. That’s a good sign, right?”

  Saliva from her tongue dripped onto my bare leg. I didn’t bother to wipe it off. More important fish to fry.

  I tried Will’s phone again. Right to voicemail. I hadn’t really thought this through. I couldn’t just show up on Daisy’s doorstep again. Will would not appreciate me confronting her on my own and frankly, I wasn’t sure what the woman was capable of. Obviously, I didn’t know her at all.

  My leg shook as I wracked my brain for a reason to knock on her door. I needed to at least see if Will had been there already and if he had, make sure he had left unharmed.

  A sudden low growl started in Goldie’s throat. My heart jumped. I followed her attention to the space between the side yards, where the blue water of the bayou sparkled at the edge of their manicured lawns.

  I froze. There staring back at us was the crazy woman, still as a statue, standing out in the open for anyone to see. And she wasn’t alone. A large wolf-like creature bristled beside her.

  My mind flashed back to the first dream I’d had about my father. They were both there. The fish-woman and the wolf.

  How could I forget that? My body started trembling uncontrollably.

  And then the wolf moved. Like lightning. It bolted through the yard straight for us.

  Instinctively, I slid lower in the seat. There was nowhere to go. I was too terrified to control my water magick and had too little time anyway. Before I could suck in a breath, the beast was standing in the road, his eyes locked on us.

  The hair on my arms stood up as I stared in disbelief over the curve of my hood.

  This can’t be happening. But it was. I could smell the musky scent of wild animal mixed with stale, fishy brine water.

  Its lips were curled back from impressively long teeth. Saliva hung in strings, connecting its mouth with the road beneath massive paws. Eyes glowed as they locked onto Goldie.

  I screamed. I know I did, but no sound reached my ears as, with one last sharp bark, Goldie leaped from the car.

  No. No. No! “Goldie!” Her name squeezed through my constricted throat, useless. I fumbled for the door handle as my brave girl began to circle the wild animal, her own teeth bared. She looked like a stuffed animal compared to the massive wolf. She didn’t stand a chance. I’d forgotten about the woman. My single thought was to get between Goldie and the wolf.

  On one rubber leg I stepped out of the car. I could hear nothing but my own ragged breath and impossibly loud heartbeat.

  And then suddenly there was a third animal. A large black dog, almost matching the size of the wolf, poised between Goldie and the beast. Its legs were spread wide, its head lowered with a menacing red glare. The hair stood up on its back in a line from head to tail.

  Zach! I’d never been so happy to see him in my life.

  “Goldie!” I managed to get the scream out this time. She turned to me, her head and tail high. “Come!”

  I watched as she glanced back at the two massive canines, circling, closing in on each other. Thankfully, she bolted to me. I wrapped my arms around her. She was shaking. Or was that me? “Shhh … it’s okay. Such a brave girl.”

  I suddenly remembered the woman. Twisting my body around from the kneeling position, I peered up over the car and squealed. She was moving toward us, calmly, like she had all the time in the world. “Goldie, come!”

  Leaping up, I cut across Daisy’s yard, past the giant lion statue and up the driveway with Goldie at my heels. I was definitely going to have a heart attack. I could feel the woman behind me. I knew she was closing in effortlessly. I couldn’t bring myself to look back.

  My feet pounded up the steps, my gaze locked on the front door.

  Okay universe, this is your chance. Help us please! I closed my eyes as I reached for the door handle and willed it to open.

  Someone felt sorry for me because miraculously, it did.

  Scrambling through the door with Goldie sliding in behind me, I whirled around and slammed it shut so hard the etched glass vibrated.

  And there she was. Right outside the door. We were face to face, eye to eye through the glass.

  Zach was right. There was so much hatred emanating from her it took my breath away. Her eyes were fire. Her mouth was open, exposing a mouthful of shark teeth. She was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen in my life.

  And then she wasn’t. Her face morphed into a beautiful, youthful one, a smile forming on strawberry-kissed lips. Only the deadly intent still gleaming in her eyes gave her away. Her breath fogged the glass.

  I reached beside me and pushed Goldie back. Her growl turned into a whine.

  The monster’s hand reached out for the door handle. I suddenly couldn’t remember if I’d locked it. I backed up. Her gaze moved from my face to behind me. Her hand froze. And just like that, she was gone.

  I fell forward, pressing my face to the glass, scanning the yard, the street. No sign of her. No sign of the wolf or Zach either.

  I felt Goldie’s wet nose nudge my hand. I collapsed onto the cool marble floor, wrapping my arms around her. “What in heaven’s name just happened?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  My heart sank at the sound of Daisy’s voice.

  Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Leaning on Goldie for support, I pushed my depleted body off the tile.

  Felix scampered out from behind Daisy and came to greet us.

  While he and Goldie sniffed each other with wagging tails, I faced Daisy.

  She had a small, amused smile tucked in the corner of her mouth, but her blue eyes were wary and guarded. “So, this is the second time I’ve found you in my house.” She moved closer, her head tilting. “Are you all right? You look really pale. I mean, paler than usual.”

  Am I all right?

  I wanted to laugh hysterically but managed to quell the urge. I was still trying to catch my breath. Lifting a thumb I motioned behind me. “Chased … big dog.”

  She glanced nervously behind me, her hand fluttering to her throat. “Oh, dear.” Then she placed that hand gently on my arm. “Well, come sit down. I’ll have Edna get you a glass of water.” She led us into the living room and left us there. “Be right back.”

  I collapsed onto the sofa. If she was going for a weapon to knock me off, there was nothing I could do about it now. I was too dang exhausted from all the adrenaline that had rushed through my body and was now draining away. I needed time to recover. To gather my wits. To thank my guardian stars both Goldie and I were still in one piece. Of course, I had a certain jinn to thank for that, too.

  Felix stretched out against the marble fireplace. Goldie plopped down at my feet, her head resting between her paws.

  I tried not to think about what could’ve happened if Zach hadn’t intervened between her and that wolf. Then my stomach rolled as I wondered what happened to Zach. I hoped he was all right. I pushed aside that thought.

  I had a more pressing problem. What was I going to say to Daisy when she asked why I was here again?

  Unfortunately, I had no time to figure it out. Daisy entered the room, Edna following close behind with a tray of water glasses and cookies. Good, no gun or syringes full of deadly drugs. My luck may be changing.

  “Thanks,” I said weakly accepting the cold glass.

  “You’re welcome. Also my famous walnut cookies, straight from the oven.” Edna placed the tray on the coffee table with a smile. “It’s nice to have someone to feed ‘em too, since I can’t get this one to eat.” She jerked her chin toward Daisy, who rolled her eyes.

  “I’m sure they’re delicious,” I said absentmindedly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daisy watching me
closely.

  “Enjoy,” Edna said and left the room.

  I steadied myself and met Daisy’s gaze.

  “So,” she folded her hands together. The giant ring flashed on her finger. “To what do I owe this visit?”

  My attention fell to the ring, then drifted over to the portrait of her and Barron Vanderhall. There was nothing left to do but ask. I turned back to Daisy and kept my voice soft. Wouldn’t do any good to make it an accusation. “He’s not your father, is he?”

  My question was met with a stillness that lasted longer than I was comfortable with. After a moment, her gaze finally dropped to her ring and her shoulders fell. A sadness permeated the room. When she looked back up at me, there were tears shining in her eyes. She nodded once, rising and retrieving the photo.

  I watched her cautiously, glad she was going to tell me the truth, but not knowing what the whole truth would be. Was she about to confess to murdering Peter to keep Barron from finding out about her affair with Lincoln? I glanced down at the glass of water in my hand and tried to calm my mind enough to gain control of it in case I needed a quick distraction.

  She came to sit beside me, her attention still on the photo. She didn’t seem threatened by my question, just sad. Still, I stayed on guard.

  When she finally looked up at me, a tear broke free and rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away and placed the framed photo on the coffee table. “Yes, Barron is my husband. We met when I was trying to make it modeling in New York. I’d just lost out on a huge job with Calvin Klein and was sitting in Central Park crying and feeling completely hopeless. Not getting that job meant I couldn’t afford to live in New York anymore. I’d have to go crawlin’ back to my mother, a failure at nineteen. At that time I felt like my life was over.” She smiled sadly at me. “You know how it is when you’re a teenager … everything’s so dramatic. It really did feel like the end of the world.”

  I nodded, encouraging her to continue. “I remember.”

  “Anyway, Barron spotted me and came over to make sure I was all right. He listened as I poured my heart out, and we talked until the sun started to go down. I’m not sure why I opened up to a stranger like that. He just seemed to say all the right things, and I felt safe with him.” She twisted the ring roughly on her finger, her face flushing. “I guess because he was so old. Like the father I never had. He offered to buy me dinner. I thought it was sweet, you know?”

  I nodded.

  She picked a fashion magazine up off the coffee table and began to fan herself with it. “I didn’t realize at that point that his intentions weren’t fatherly. I was too emotionally devastated and wrapped up in my own sureness that my life was over. My dream of being a famous model crushed.”

  Her fanning grew more furious. “It wasn’t until he reached across the table at Vito’s Italian restaurant and took my hand that I suddenly noticed the soft, loving way he was looking at me. It startled me, honestly …. and so did what he asked me next. He asked me to marry him. Can you imagine?”

  She laughed then, her gaze unfocused and bewildered as she remembered that moment. “When I pulled my hand back and started to turn him down, he begged me to hear him out. I thought he was crazy. But the more he explained to me about his heart condition, and how he didn’t know how much time he had left, and how he was lonely and wanted to spend his last years with someone kind and charming and beautiful … the more I listened. The more it didn’t sound so crazy.

  “He played on my insecurity. He told me about his fortune and how I’d have the money to pay for the best of everything to compete in the modeling world. Plastic surgery, personal trainers, personal chefs, clothes, I could have whatever I needed to become the best version of myself.” She shook her head as if chastising her younger, more naïve self and tossed the magazine back on the table. “I won’t lie. That’s what did it. I saw stars. I was so absolutely fixated on my dream that I didn’t even stop to think about what he’d be gettin’ in return.”

  She sighed and stared at the framed photo on the coffee table. I couldn’t decipher her expression. It wasn’t anger, but it was something dark. Something that I didn’t dare interrupt.

  I picked up a walnut cookie from the plate and shoved half of it in my mouth to keep myself quiet. She was on a roll and I didn’t need to interrupt. Besides, it would be rude if I didn’t try one and I must say, they were world-class cookies.

  Goldie sat up and rested her chin in my lap, thinking the same thing. I broke off a small piece and fed it to her. She happily plopped back down on my feet.

  Daisy finally settled back into the couch and angled herself more in my direction. She suddenly laughed bitterly, which startled me a bit. “As you can see, even with Barron’s money, I didn’t make it. I just wasn’t pretty enough. I mean, sure I still get jobs. I just did a commercial for bathroom tissue last week.” Her face pinked. “It’s not his fault. It’s just not the life I imagined.”

  She drifted deeper inward. I tried to wait it out, but she was lost in her thoughts now.

  I washed the cookie down with a sip of water and cleared my throat. “So, Daisy? What about Lincoln?”

  At the mention of Lincoln’s name, her attention came back to the room and to me, a smile blooming. “Lincoln.” She closed her eyes and rolled his name around in her mouth like something sweet. “Lincoln Lee. Oh, Darwin, he’s so amazing. My savior, really. The man who brought love into my life.” She seemed startled by her own declaration. “Oh, don’t get me wrong … I’ve grown to care about Barron heaps over the last nine years but to be in love … There’s nothing in the world like it, is there?”

  I agreed but then thought about how much pain Sylvia was in. “There are downsides, too.” I caught my lip between my teeth. It was time to bring up why I was really there. I steadied myself and made sure my tone stayed soft. “Daisy?” I waited. I really needed to be looking her in the eye when I asked her this. “Daisy?”

  Finally looking up at me, thoughts of Lincoln still glowing in her eyes, she said, “Yes?”

  “Did you know that Peter had photos of you and Lincoln together in the parking lot of the shelter?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  I blinked, taken aback. She hadn’t hesitated at all to confess that knowledge. What did that mean? No time to analyze it, I had to continue. “Did Peter threaten to go to Barron with the photos if you didn’t give him money for the shelter he wanted to build?”

  She nodded again. “Yes.”

  I opened my mouth and snapped it shut, watching her warily. Did she understand she’d just confessed to having a motive to murder Peter?

  She suddenly moved a hand to my knee. If she noticed me flinch, she didn’t acknowledge it. “I know what you’re thinking, Darwin.”

  If that were true, I was in big trouble.

  “You think that I killed Peter because he was blackmailing me with those photos.” She removed her hand and smiled at me. “I didn’t. Think about it. If I was a cold-blooded killer and had access to a drug that made murder look like a heart attack, why wouldn’t I just off my rich husband instead? Then the photos wouldn’t matter a bit, and I could live happily ever after with the man I love.”

  She had a point. “So, what did you do when Peter threatened you with the photos?”

  “Well,” she stretched out her fingers and stared at the ring. “I couldn’t let him tell Barron, of course. It would devastate the poor man. He’s in a very fragile state right now with his health. His cardiologist has only given him months, maybe weeks to live.” Her blue eyes grew moist and shiny. “I really do care about him. I want him to leave this world happy, believing that he made me happy. He deserves that at least.”

  She leaned back into the sofa, deflating. “I do feel guilty for betraying his trust. I begged Peter to understand this, but he was obsessed with building that doggone shelter. So, the only thing left to do was give him the million he wanted.”

  “So you gave him the money? A million dollars?”

&nbs
p; Wow, Peter wasn’t playing around.

  She shrugged. “It’s not really that much money to us. We could easily afford it. And it was going to a good cause, so I wasn’t all that mad at him.”

  My brow furrowed. “Someone was.”

  “Yeah,” she wrapped her arms around her thin body. An involuntary shudder ran through her. “I found that out when I went to take him the money the morning he was killed.”

  I blinked as that sank in. “So you were there that morning at Peter’s house? The morning he was killed?”

  She nodded, her pupils dilating. Shock seemed to be setting in as she remembered. “It was awful, Darwin. When I went to knock, the door just pushed open. I called into the house to let Pete know I was there.” Her southern accent thickened. “But I got this feelin’ runnin’ up my spine that something was really, really wrong. When I walked deeper into the house, I saw him. He was just lyin’ there on the floor in a tuxedo, and I ran to check his pulse, but he was already gone.”

  To think, at that moment, we were all in the hotel room waiting for Peter to show up, completely unaware of his demise. I felt bad for being angry with him. “Why didn’t you call the police?”

  Daisy’s voice shook. She looked tired suddenly. “Well, I was there with a million dollars in a suitcase tryin’ to keep my affair a secret. I sure wasn’t going to explain to the police why I was there. Besides, I thought he’d just had a heart attack or something, he looked so peaceful and there was no sign of trauma. I figured there was nothing paramedics could do for him anyway. I didn’t know he’d been murdered until you told me at Rachel’s party.”

  I rubbed my temple, trying to put together what this meant. “So, then what did you do? Just leave?”

  She shook her head, looking sheepish. “I still needed to make sure those photos of me and Lincoln didn’t get out. I took his laptop and his cameras to try to keep that from happening. I did realize he could’ve stashed them somewhere else, but there was nothing I could do about that.” She suddenly looked up. “Wait, you’ve seen the photos?”