He had no idea where they were going, but he decided it wouldn’t hurt to tag along. If they ended up at the nail salon, so be it. But his gut told him they weren’t hightailing it to a day of pampering.
He turned south when they did, sneaking a peek at his GPS on the dashboard. They were heading toward the airport.
About that time his cell phone blared, and he reached down to check caller ID. His mother! No way he was in the mood to listen to her cry again about how much she missed Junior. The woman would never get it through her head that her oldest son had been a loser all his life—and that if it wasn’t for him, Junior would have ended up in jail or worse long before his disappearance.
He’d hoped with Junior out of the way, his mother would turn to him for comfort, would change the way she felt about him. But Junior had been gone for over two weeks now, and the old woman still cried every night.
No, her feelings toward him would never change, and he might as well accept that fact. No matter how hard he tried, there was never any love left over for him. In his heart he knew there never would be, yet he continually strived for her approval.
What was it they said about insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. That about summed up his relationship with his mother.
He knew it was crazy, but the little boy in him still wanted her to look him in the eye and tell him she loved him. He ran the biggest drug ring in North Texas, had some of the most powerful men in the city asking how high when he said jump, and yet, he was still trying to get his mother’s praise.
Pathetic!
But for now, he’d let her believe Junior was coming home, that this time was no different than his many other episodes where he’d stay away as long as two months without any communication at all. Usually when that happened, there were drugs involved. Less than six months ago he’d found Junior holed up in some shit-shack in Juárez with a toothless Hispanic woman who fed his heroin habit. He’d lost a huge amount of time and money looking for him.
But there would be no money or time lost now. Not because he was sick of always having to save his older brother, but because he knew exactly where Junior was. His brother had screwed up for the last time and now lay at the bottom of Lake Lewisville tied to a couple of concrete blocks. No way he wanted his mother to know that.
His attention was diverted when the cop and the other woman turned down the street into an old neighborhood outside city limits. When they stopped at a small house that looked like it was condemned—and if not, should be—he pulled over farther down the road. Reaching in the glove compartment he grabbed his binoculars and trained them on the two women now marching up the sidewalk.
_____
Surveying the rundown house, Maddy took a deep breath. If all went well, they’d leave with a better understanding of what actually went down at Cowboys Galore the night Bernardi was killed. How they would get that information out of Chrissy Rockford was left to be seen. They would just play it by ear.
Climbing out of the car, they walked up a sidewalk in desperate need of attention. The concrete was full of cracks, some running the entire length of the walkway and most if it crumbled so badly, they had to step into the grass to get past. The yard itself lacked anything resembling color and the weeds were almost as tall as a healthy toddler. If this was any indication of Chrissy Rockford’s gardening skills, the woman obviously did not have a green thumb.
“Hope this isn’t poison ivy,” Lainey said, hopping over a huge clump of weeds. “I am so in trouble if it is.”
“I don’t think it is. But just in case, do you want to sit in the car while I have a little chat with our mystery bar girl?”
Lainey shook her head. “No way. We’re in this together, remember? There’s always Benadryl if I start to itch.”
They walked up the dilapidated steps and knocked on the door several times. After a few minutes, Maddy was ready to give up, figuring either the house was vacant or Chrissy Rockford wasn’t there. She was about to turn away when a voice came out of nowhere.
“Are you the people from the insurance company?”
Both Maddy and Lainey jumped as a rotund older woman in a shabby dress with an apron covered in flour, suddenly appeared on the bottom step.
“I’m Abilene Witherspoon,” the woman explained when she saw their reaction. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Thought you might be the people from the insurance company. Chrissy said she couldn’t wait here any longer and asked me to give you this.”
She handed a folded piece of paper to Maddy, who glanced up at Lainey and arched an eyebrow. They probably should’ve mentioned they weren’t insurance agents looking for Chrissy, but the note was too tempting.
Why would Chrissy be talking to an insurance agent in the first place? Insurance for what?
She unfolded the note and read it before looking up at the neighbor. “Thanks, Mrs. Witherspoon. We’ll catch up with her there.” She started to leave then stopped. Pulling out a picture of Bernardi, she handed it to the woman. “Ever seen this guy over here?”
The neighbor studied it for a minute. “I can’t be certain, but he looks like he might be the one I’ve seen picking Chrissy up on several occasions. Does he drive a Caddy?”
Maddy shrugged. “That I don’t know. Did Chrissy ever tell you about any of the guys she dated?”
“Not really, although she mentioned the other day that her life was about to change soon. Something about a necklace being the answer to her prayers.”
“A necklace?”
“Yeah, she never really told me what she meant by that.” The woman turned. “Well, I’ve got to go and finish making my pie crusts for the church bake sale this week. It was nice talking to you.”
“Same here,” Lainey followed Maddy back to the car. When they were inside she turned on the ignition and eased away from the curb. “Come on, Maddy. I’m dying here. What did the note say?”
But Maddy wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she was digging through the bag she’d brought and smiled as she pulled out several manila folders. Opening them one at a time, she finally found what she was looking for.
“Ah ha! I knew it!”
“Knew what? Dammit, Maddy, I’m going to wreck this car trying to see what you’re looking at. And by the way, where are we going?”
Maddy grinned. “Sorry.” She opened the note Mrs. Witherspoon had given her. “It says Chrissy will be at 219 Fairview Avenue all day today.”
“So what’s the big deal about that?”
Maddy hitched her eyebrows a couple of times then grinned. “If memory serves, that’s the newer part of Vineyard over by the town square dominated by condos and townhouses. Heard the cheapest one goes for two hundred grand.” She pointed to the file in her hand. “Says here Bernardi lived in that part of town. Want to guess the address of his condo?”
“No way!” Lainey pushed down on the gas pedal. “We have to get there before Chrissy decides to leave. It will be hard for her to lie about the relationship Bernardi claimed to have with her if she’s at his house right now.”
My thoughts exactly.
Maddy twirled around to see Tessa in the back seat rubbing her hands together.
I live for shit like this. She frowned. Oh wait! I forgot I’m dead. Bummer.
“It’s about damn time you got here,” Maddy said. “We need you to snoop around while we keep Chrissy occupied.”
That’s one of my all-time favorite things to do. Thought you’d never ask. She settled into the leather seat. And tell Lainey she’d better stop at WalMart and pick up some cortisone cream. That was poison ivy back there.
fifteen
“Wow! I thought you said this guy ran a small business,” Lainey said as they waited outside the townhouse.
“He did.” Maddy looked around. “He contracted with several businesses in the area and did their payroll.” She whistled. “I’m in the wrong business, for sure.”
Hundred bucks says he was making book
or doing something illegal to supplement his income. Tessa moved closer to the door and looked into the peephole.
“Do you see anything?” Maddy asked, anxious to get this over with and head back home. Then she remembered that Jessie was at the aquarium and wouldn’t be back until after five. She took a deep breath to relax. Staying calm was key if they were going to pull this off.
Everyone knows you can’t see through these from the outside, Maddy. Tessa laughed. Unfortunately, being dead doesn’t give me superpowers.
Just then the door opened, and they got their first look at Chrissy Rockford. Standing about five-feet eight, she was wearing tight black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. The mysterious bar girl, who in all probability earned her keep by taking money for her sexual services, could have passed for the girl next-door. Her long blond hair was pulled back and secured with a clip, a style that highlighted her high cheekbones and green-blue eyes.
Damn! No wonder men paid to tickle her fancy and have her tickle theirs back. Tessa slipped past her and went inside.
“Ms. Rockford, we’re from the insurance company,” Lainey said, extending her hand. “May we come in?”
Maddy coughed to cover her surprise. She had no idea her sister was going to try something like this, but it was a great ploy. No doubt the woman would slam the door in their faces if she knew Maddy was the one accused of killing her boyfriend.
Well I’ll be damned! Goody-two-shoes Lainey knows how to lie. I am so proud at this moment.
Chrissy opened the door wider and motioned for them to come in. Once the door shut behind her, Maddy surveyed the living room to the left. Furnished with a humongous gold and brown couch that had probably seen a lot of action, the room reeked of bad taste, right down to the semi-pornographic, 3-D picture of two women and a man covering half of one wall. A large flat-screen TV hung on the opposite one.
“Please, have a seat,” Chrissy said. “Pardon the mess. This is my boyfriend’s house and he’s been overseas on a trip this past week.”
Yeah, right. More like in a drawer at the morgue. Tessa plopped down on the brown couch. Most men prefer the rustic look. This dude went for ugly.
“No problem,” Maddy said, picking up a newspaper from an identically upholstered chair opposite the couch, and sitting down.
“I’m surprised to see two women show up,” Chrissy said, settling in nearly on top of Tessa, who scooted away in the nick of time.
“Why’s that?” Lainey asked.
“Well, when I got the call about the necklace, the man said he would be stopping by.”
At the mention of the necklace both Maddy and Lainey shot up straighter. Was this the necklace Mrs. Witherspoon had told them about? The one that Chrissy said would change her life?
“He’s our supervisor,” Maddy lied. “Something came up at the office, and since we’re all familiar with the case, he sent us to do the preliminary paperwork.” She reached in the bag with all her police files and pulled one out, opening it and pretending to read it. She glanced back up at Chrissy. “Now tell us again about the necklace.”
Chrissy narrowed her eyes, and for a minute, Maddy worried that she was on to them. Then she slid farther back on the couch and took a deep breath. “All I know is what Gino told me.”
“Gino?” Maddy decided to play dumb.
“He was …” She caught herself and smiled up at them before continuing, “He is my boyfriend. He’s out of the country on business, remember?” Chrissy shifted uncomfortably. “Your boss assured me that I would collect a finder’s fee. Nothing’s changed, has it?”
“Absolutely not,” Lainey assured her. “And what was the last amount our representative quoted you?”
“Two hundred thousand.”
Maddy caught herself before she gasped. It must be some kind of necklace to rake in that kind of finder’s fee. Somebody obviously really wanted it back. She wondered if that was reason enough to kill for it.
“We’ve been authorized to raise that amount another fifty thousand dollars,” Lainey said, smiling so sweetly at Chrissy that Maddy thought her face would crack.
Chrissy beamed at the mention of more money and nodded her approval.
I almost feel sorry for this broad with both of you working her like a tag team. Tessa stood up. I’m going to do my sneaking around while you guys continue to lie like hell. She disappeared down the hallway in the obvious direction of the bedroom.
“All we have to do is work out the details,” Maddy said fueling Lainey’s lie.
“Like I told your boss, I’m pretty sure Gino has it in a safety deposit box, and as soon as I get my hands on it, I’ll give your office a call. I don’t expect that to take long.”
“Does Gino know about you getting the finder’s fee?”
A frightened look crossed Chrissy’s face. “No. That’s why I want to get this over with quickly before he gets back from his trip. I found the key hidden in the freezer, and as I said, I’m confident I’ll find the necklace when I go to the bank tomorrow morning.”
“Have you personally seen this necklace?” Maddy asked, thinking it would be a lot easier to run a trace on a stolen piece of jewelry if they had a description.
Chrissy shook her head. “Gino guarded it like a pit bull in a junkyard. He only mentioned it to me when I heard him talking about it one night on the phone. Said he was going overseas to sell it, and when he got back, he’d be able to live the high life like he used to.”
“Aren’t you worried about what he’ll do when he finds out what you’ve done?” Maddy asked, wishing she could tell her to cut the bull—that they all knew the only trip Gino would be taking anytime soon was down south, and she wasn’t referring to Mexico.
“That’s really none of your business,” Chrissy said. For a minute Maddy was sure she’d blown it before the woman’s face softened and she continued, “Like I told your boss, Gino has already made contact with a French jeweler as well as one in Saudi Arabia. Both are itching to get their hands on the necklace. He was supposedly going to meet the Saudi one day this week before he …” She stopped suddenly, and Maddy knew she’d been this close to saying before he was killed.
Bingo! Tessa said, running into the room, excitement all over her face. Her purse is on the bed with half the contents thrown around as if she was digging for something before we arrived. There are pictures of her with other men and a book opened to a page with the names of some high-profile Dallas politicians that you have to see, Maddy. Our Chrissy is not Little Miss Innocence Personified as she’s trying to make us believe.
Maddy made eye contact with Lainey and nodded. The plan was if Tessa found anything, she’d check it out while Lainey kept Chrissy talking in the living room. Maddy hoped it would work. Standing, she asked, “Do you mind if I use the restroom? I’ve had way too much coffee today.”
“Down the hall. First door on the left.” Chrissy pointed in that direction.
“So, as soon as you have the necklace in your possession, we’ll be by with the check,” Lainey said, doing her part keeping Chrissy occupied. “Both our boss and the client will be very happy to hear this.”
“The sooner I can put this all behind me, the better,” Chrissy said. Then as if she suddenly remembered her manners, she said, “There’s cold beer and bottled water in the fridge. Can I get you something?” She started to get up before Lainey thrust out her arm and stopped her.
“Oh gosh, no, but thanks. I would like to ask you about what kind of moisturizer you use, though. Your skin is absolutely amazing.”
Maddy stopped in her tracks halfway to the bedroom when she realized that Chrissy was about to get up and go to the kitchen for beverages. But after hearing her sister’s excellent maneuver to keep the woman talking, she breathed a sigh of relief and continued to the bedroom. The minute she walked in she spotted Tessa sanding beside the biggest circular bed she’d ever seen, elevated on a platform under a mirrored ceiling.
Jeez! Bernardi really was a sleaze.
Maddy moved to the bed and stared at the photos. Her hand was shaking as she reached for one and stared down at the picture of Chrissy in bed with an unknown man in a very compromising position. A closer look showed the guy with his eyes closed, just lying there while Chrissy performed for the camera.
“Oh my God!” she whispered, flipping through the other pictures. “Why would Chrissy have pictures of her with all these guys? And who was operating the camera? Could she and Bernardi have been running a blackmail scam on married men?”
You have to admit it would make a damn good motive for killing the bastard, Tessa said, obviously proud of herself for finding the pictures.
Maddy spread the photos around on the bed and leaned closer. There were five pictures in all and every one of them was basically the same pose—Chrissy performing oral sex on each one. And in every photo, the guys looked like they were asleep. Probably drugged. Maddy pulled out her phone and snapped a shot of all five.
Then she grabbed one and brought it closer to her face for a better look. Something was very familiar about the guy in the last photo. What was it?
What do you see, sis? Tessa asked, moving closer. ’Cause all I see is a dude with the smallest piece of equipment in the history of blow jobs. This is one sailor who learned the hard way about the three knots.
“Three knots?”
Knot hard, knot in, and knot getting his money back.
Maddy started to grin before she gasped and her eyes widened. “Holy crap!”
What?
“It’s Alan Foxworthy,” Maddy said, unable to contain the excitement in her voice. “He’s the guy who was in the cell next to Bernardi and who positively identified me as her killer. The guy who was probably murdered just today while he lay in his hospital bed.”
Jailhouse Glock Page 13