by K T Brodland
Olivia shifted her weight as she prepared to head upstairs. “I’m sure it will. However, I intend to take care of Trish’s bill myself. She’s my responsibility, not yours.”
“Is there any rule that says you have to do it all alone?”
“No, I suppose there isn’t. Now, can we just drop it? I don’t need your help with this.”
Upstairs in the guest room Olivia sat on the edge of the bed and dug out the money she had stashed in a concealed pocket in her purse. She did a quick count. There was more than enough there for Trish to outfit herself and to buy any other supplies she might need. Not to mention Mary’s motel bill, gas for the trip back to Edmonton, and meals along the way. She hadn’t missed how thin Trish was when she visited her. She placed the money in an envelope and returned it to her purse. She recalled the amount of money in the bottom of her suitcase and shook her head. Cat would have heart failure if she knew how much money she really had, or how she had acquired it.
She met Cat downstairs, then walked out to the Mustang with her. She was relieved that Cat didn’t pursue the subject of the bill. While the trip to the hospital was conducted in silence, it was not fraught with unspoken hostilities.
When they pulled into a parking slot, Olivia angled her body in her seat and put a hand on Cat’s arm. “Don’t get me wrong,” she said quietly. “I appreciate you wanting to help, but please stop worrying about me. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I’m not used to knights in shining white armor riding to my rescue.”
“What about knights in shining red cars?”
Olivia shook her head and tried not to laugh. “You really are incorrigible.”
“Yup, that’s me all right, so don’t forget it.”
“As if!”
Olivia was still chuckling as she retrieved the suitcase holding Trish’s belongings from the Mustang’s trunk where she had left them after her shopping trip. When they arrived on the medical wing, a tired-looking woman with streaky blonde hair was waiting by the nursing station. Doctor Morgan stood nearby, writing on a chart.
Turning as Cat and Olivia approached, she introduced the woman hovering at her elbow. “Cat, Olivia, this is Mary Jelinski, Trish’s mother.”
Mary bobbed her head in acknowledgement. “Hello. I appreciate you coming to see Trish off. I came early so she and I could have a chance to talk before we head home. It was a bit bumpy at first, but I think I’ve managed to convince her that I’ve changed.”
She spied the suitcase Olivia was carrying. “Oh, good, Trish mentioned that you had bought maternity clothes for her. I didn’t have time to get anything for her before I left. Now Trish can get dressed and we can leave as soon as the paperwork has been taken care of.” She turned to Doctor Morgan. “Speaking of which… is there some way I can make arrangements to pay Trish’s bill over time? I don’t have much money…”
Olivia intervened. “Don’t worry about it, Mary. The bill has already been taken care of.”
“It has? But who…?”
Olivia cut her protests short. “Just go and fetch your daughter. We’ll wait here for you.”
She handed her the suitcase and watched as Mary hurried off in the direction of her daughter’s room. Both Cat and Doctor Morgan turned to Olivia once the woman was out of sight.
“Bill is already taken care of, eh?” Doctor Morgan drawled. “That’s good of you. I trust you didn’t faint when you saw it.”
“I had the smelling salts handy. Just in case.”
Cat opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it when Olivia shot her a warning glance that clearly said, don’t even go there!
Twenty minutes later, Mary returned, Trish holding onto her arm, while her mother dealt with the roller suitcase. The dark blue sling supporting Trish’s left arm was a mute reminder of the young woman’s injuries. She might be well enough to leave the hospital, but she was looking at two to three months before she would be fully recovered.
Mary was all smiles now as she approached the trio waiting by the nurse’s station. “Sorry to keep you standing about. Trish doesn’t have full range of motion in her left arm yet, so it was interesting trying to get her top over her head. But we finally managed.” She smiled softly at Olivia and Cat. “I’m never going to be able to thank you two for taking such good care of my little girl.” She patted Trish’s hand. “I know, I know, sweetie, you’re nineteen and not a little girl anymore. But you’ll always be my baby.”
Trish rolled her eyes but smiled back at her mother. She reached out with her free hand and gripped Olivia’s and then Cat’s hand in turn. Tears welled in her eyes as she managed to choke out the words. “I can never thank the two of you enough, either. That goes for you too, Doctor Morgan.” She sniffled and turned her head away to hide the tears that escaped and trickled down her cheeks.
Once the discharge papers were signed and Doctor Morgan had issued her last-minute instructions to Trish, they were on their way.
The next order of business was to take mother and daughter out to lunch before they headed to the hotel. The IHOP just down the street from the hospital was the perfect spot as Trish said she was craving pancakes. Cat pulled in beside Mary’s car and they joined the reunited mother and daughter inside the restaurant. They exchanged smiles as Trish made short work of a stack of pancakes. As she finally pushed her plate away, she turned to Olivia.
“I hate to bring up the subject, but has the funeral been held yet?”
Olivia covered the girl’s hand with her own. “Yes, two days ago.”
“Were there many people there?”
“Yes, there was a good turn out.”
“Even for Steven?”
“I saw a few younger people there, but I didn’t recognize anyone.”
Trish slowly nodded. “Wish I could’ve been there to say goodbye to him and to Barb and Abe.”
“I’m sure you do. I’m also sure you were there in spirit if nothing else.” Olivia patted Trish’s hand in an attempt to stave off the tears she sensed were seconds away from falling.
As they were about to leave the restaurant, Mary excused herself and headed to the washroom. Seconds later, Olivia followed suit. In the washroom, she waited until Mary emerged from one of the cubicles.
“Could I have a moment of your time, Mary?”
Mary hesitated, “Is something wrong?”
“No, no. I just wanted to have a private word with you before you leave.” She removed the envelope she’d prepared earlier and held it out to the woman. “I want you to take this. It’s not much, but it will help with some of the expenses you’re facing with a pregnant daughter.”
Mary shook her head. “No, I can’t take money from you.”
“You can and you will,” Olivia said gently, but firmly. “Think of this as a gift for the new baby when it arrives. In return I want you to promise me you will take good care of that girl out there. And if you’re ever short of cash, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me and I’ll be more than happy to wire you whatever you need.”
Mary gingerly took the envelope from Olivia’s fingers, as if it was going to bite her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Thank you will do quite nicely. Now let’s get out of here before they send a search party looking for us.” She dug out the confirmation letter and handed it over. “Here. You’ll need this, too. Just show it to the front desk clerk. You are booked through until Wednesday morning.”
Mary offered up a tentative smile and whispered gratitude before they returned to their table.
No great surprise, Cat had taken care of the bill and she and Trish were chatting amiably when they showed up. Mary cast a grateful look in Olivia’s direction, then escorted her daughter out to the parking lot.
As she was about to get in the car, Trish turned and shocked the hell out of Cat, standing on tiptoes and kissing her on the cheek. She did the same with Olivia, minus the tiptoes.
Mary made do with giving them each a hug.
O
nce Mary and Trish were on their way, with instructions to call Olivia if they ran into any problems, Cat turned to Olivia. “What are your plans now?”
Olivia shrugged. “Back to work. We still have some killers to catch.”
“I’m glad you said we. By the way, how did you manage to pay Trish’s hospital bill? And if you don’t mind me asking, how much was it?”
Olivia studied the toes of her shoes intently before replying, “Some questions are best left unanswered. Let’s just say I have ways and means of doing things that I prefer to keep to myself. As for the amount of the bill, as you may have guessed, it was substantial. I just hope Mary has medical coverage at home. She’s going to need it.” She met Cat’s eyes. “Now, let’s just move on.”
“Do I have any choice?”
“No.”
Olivia glanced at her watch. “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to swing by the Wilkes place. Maybe…just maybe… they will be home and will feel up to answering a few questions.”
“Hm. I’ve got a better idea. I need an hour or two to finalize some paperwork, then take a closer look at the rap sheets I printed out. Let’s swing by your place first and box up those clothes your visitors left behind. We can drop them off on our way to the Wilkes. How does that sound?”
Olivia sighed. “Okay, I guess. I can always spend some time on my laptop while you are working.”
Cat clapped her hand on Olivia’s shoulder. “Okay, Let’s get a move on, then.”
Chapter Twelve
B y the time Cat announced she was through for the day, Olivia was practically crawling up the walls at the prospect of another encounter with the Alpha’s. She did not have a good feeling about this trip to the Wilkes and made her feelings clear on the subject at least once.
Cat reassured her they would be fine as she took her gun from its safe in her desk drawer and shrugged into her shoulder holster. After doing a quick map check of the neighborhood they were interested in, they were on their way. Olivia rode shotgun, Cat’s camera on her lap and two small flashlights tucked into her jacket pocket.
The first stop was the address they had for the driver of the Mercedes Benz that had showed up at Olivia’s place. There were no lights on in the modest two-story house. The car was nowhere in sight, but Olivia decided to take a chance that someone would be home sooner or later and, with Cat’s help, carried the bags of discarded clothing up to the front door.
With that errand taken care of, they headed off to their next stop. Streetlights were blinking on by the time they turned onto the street where the Wilkes brothers occupied a small yellow and white bungalow set on a corner lot. Cat drove around the block a couple of times, checking the layout of the area. Satisfied she had covered the bases, she pulled up in front of a vacant lot that was heavily treed. From the driver’s side, she had a clear view of the bungalow. She took the camera from Olivia, made a few adjustments to the lenses, then sat back. The house in question was dark, not a single light on even though there was a car parked out front.
That struck Cat as odd on a Friday night. For two males in their early twenties, the place should have been party central. She shifted in her seat, making sure she had clear access to the gun nestled in her shoulder holster. She side-eyed her passenger, relieved that Olivia was silent while they were en route. There was nothing she hated more than idle chatter when she was working.
“We’ve got company.”
As she spoke, a silver Porsche pulled up in front of the Wilkes’ bungalow. Two males and two females emerged from the vehicle. Cat retrieved her camera from Olivia and aimed it at the license plate and then at the occupants as they came into view.
While she watched, they headed toward the front steps. The sound of their voices drifted on the night air, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. They all seemed to be in good spirits though.
She sensed movement beside her as Olivia leaned forward, trying to see past her shoulder.
Cat turned her attention back to the house in time to see one of the males pounding on the front door and calling out. “Hey, Sonny. It’s party time!”
When there was no response, he turned to his buddy and exchanged a few words with him. He shrugged, then turned and tried the door.
Cat straightened up, aimed her camera at the front entrance again.
The door swung open and the lead male disappeared inside. He reappeared a few minutes later, shaking his head. “The fuckers aren’t home. Well, bugger them then. We’ll find another party somewhere else.”
There were squeals from the females as they were ushered none too gently back down the steps and out to the car. Doors slammed, the engine roared into life, and the Porsche left in a cloud of exhaust.
The minute the car was out of sight, Cat threw open the Mustang’s door, pushed the camera behind her back, and dashed across the road, staying in the shadows as much as possible. Olivia was right behind her, silent on sneakered feet. Cat paused at the steps, listening for any sound from inside the house, the gun in a two-handed grip. Olivia stepped up beside her, waiting for instructions.
Stepping through the open door, her gun extended before her, Cat moved slowly into the darkened interior. She glanced over her shoulder to see how Olivia was making out. She mentally nodded approval when Olivia followed suit.
Cat borrowed one of the flashlights Olivia was carrying and moved off to check the rest of the house. It was soon clear that the maid had been off for quite some time. Empty liquor bottles covered the kitchen counters. Dirty dishes filled the sink. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of garbage long overdue to be taken out. Her attention was drawn to a small door, hanging on its hinges, splinters of wood littering the kitchen floor. She peered down the stairs leading to the basement. Flicking on a light switch, she waited, listening for any sound of movement, before taking the stairs, one step at a time. Reaching the bottom step, she surveyed the space in front of her. A work bench was set up on her right. A crowbar rested on one corner, next to the drag marks where something heavy had been shifted off the table. Given the size of the marks, she hazarded a guess that it might have been a crate. Which was interesting since drugs weren’t normally stored in crates. Were the brothers planning on branching out into guns?
About to head back upstairs, she paused as she caught sight of a small glassine envelope on the floor beneath a second bench. She shoved her gun back into its rig, then pulled a latex glove from her pocket and carefully picked up the baggie and examined it by the light from her flashlight. A casual glance at the surface of the bench revealed a fine dusting of the same white powder that filled the envelope.
Back up in the kitchen, she eased open a door that led out to a small backyard. A narrow lane separated two rows of houses. Lights were off in the home directly opposite the Wilke’s place. Tire tracks paralleled the walkway that led out to the lane. Wondering if the neighbours had seen anything, Cat returned to the living room where Olivia was waiting, hands in her pockets, head down, looking for all the world as if she wished she was somewhere else.
Olivia dipped her head in the direction of the kitchen. “See anything interesting in there?”
“Yeah. Somebody else has been here first. Tell you about it later.”
Olivia nodded, then followed Cat out to the Mustang.
Neither of them spoke until Cat pulled into her garage not long afterward. “Earth to Olivia. You okay?”
Olivia looked around, staring wide-eyed at Cat as if just realizing where she was. “Oh, yeah. I just keep thinking about that empty house, wondering what happened there. There was no sign of a struggle, which suggests the boys probably weren’t given an option as to whether they were going to leave or not.”
“I’m inclined to agree. Let’s continue this conversation inside.”
Shortly, settled at the kitchen table, steaming cups of coffee in front of them, Olivia spoke finally. “Okay, I believe you were going to tell me what you didn’t see in the kitchen?”
“From
the state of it, I’d guess the boys have been gone for several days. The basement proved even more interesting. From the size of the gouges on the surface of one bench, I’d say a sizable crate, probably filled with semi-automatics, was moved. Since a crowbar was left behind, with any luck somebody may have been careless and left fingerprints on it. And I found this.” She held up the baggie she’d found on the basement floor. “And there were traces of powder on the surface of a second work bench. I also found tire tracks in the back yard.”
Olivia nodded, her expression thoughtful. “While you were busy downstairs, I checked the living room and the bedrooms for their computers and cell phones and came up empty.”
“Well, we still have Steven’s phone. We might be able access the computers and the other cell phones with it.”
Olivia’s eyebrows rose. “Well, well, you are a geek after all. Never would have guessed.”
Cat laughed. “Hey, how do you think most PIs operate these days, anyway?”
Cat drained the last of her coffee. “Okay. Why don’t we both get a good night’s sleep. We can discuss our next move at breakfast.”
“Um, have you forgotten the barbecue tomorrow?”
“No. Given what has happened recently, as well as what we didn’t find at the Wilkes, we have all the more reason to show up and at least bring Jean up to date. I’ll bring the guns with me and she can decide what to do with them. She has a forensic team that is better equipped to deal with firearms than I am.”
“Since it’s pure speculation at this point, I suggest we shelve any further discussion on the subject until tomorrow, Cat added, seeing Olivia’s dubious expression. “Jean may know if there has been a missing-persons claim put in by the boys’ family. If so, well, then we can take it from there.”
Chapter Thirteen
“ S o, you think I’m crazy enough to spend an evening with you in exchange for free beer and burgers at your friends’ place, eh?” Olivia quipped, if for no other reason than to lighten her own mood prior to leaving for Lee and Jean’s place the next afternoon.