“My client agrees to a guilty plea on embezzlement charges with full restitution guaranteed.” His voice faded as he moved away from our group. “Not guilty on the attempted murder charge.”
The last words we heard were, “He’s a CFO not a murderer. Let’s talk assault and battery.”
We exchanged startled glances. Ginger spoke first. “Do you think that’s Brad’s lawyer? Already?”
Cam frowned. “Seems like too much a coincidence not to be his.” He slipped his arm around my shoulders after I shivered.
“But embezzlement? Attempted murder?” Katie crossed her arms. “What about two murders? Does Brad really think he can get away with Clarice and Nicole’s deaths?”
Ginger put her hand on Katie’s arm. “Wait a minute. Embezzlement makes sense. We all wondered where Clarice got her consulting money. What if it came from Brad?”
She turned to me, her face animated. “Didn’t you tell me Mrs. Sievers mentioned that Clarice dated her son, Sam, then dumped him? Maybe Brad picked up where Sam left off. What if they’d kept in touch?”
I pondered her questions. “Mrs. Sievers told me someone else had a crush on Clarice in high school. She didn’t name anyone, but Brad fits the bill. Plus, Clarice and Brad doing business together make sense. I can’t get my head around Nicole and Brad, though. She tortured him for years.”
Cam chimed in. “She could have now just in a different way, say, blackmail.”
The group quieted.
“That I get,” Katie said. “Nicole had her dirty paws involved.” She turned to Ginger. “And don’t go pinching my arm. I’ll speak ill of the dead if they deserve it, and if anyone needs the truth told, it’s Nicole. Was Nicole. Whatever.”
Ginger dropped her hand.
Katie huffed. “Nicole plus blackmail has a nice ring to it.” She raised her hands as if she framed a scene. “I can see it carved into a tree with a heart around it.”
“And I can see you at home.” Dirk stopped in front of Katie. “Sitting on the couch watching a chick-flick.”
Katie arched her neck and looked past Dirk toward the front door. “What, are you practicing your Invisible Man Halloween costume? Where did you come from?”
He pointed at a nearby door. “Right over there. Listening to girl detective and friends horning in on someone else’s business. As usual.”
“We’re talking together. A group of friends. Nothing more.”
“Right.” His sarcastic tone would have shredded my skin if he’d been addressing me. Luckily Katie could handle the heat.
Katie crossed her arms then switched to putting her hands on her hips. “Not that you’ll listen to us. Even though we’ve known these people for years.”
““These people” are criminals or victims. You sure you want to identify yourselves with them?”
I didn’t see Dirk move, but now he impinged on Katie’s space. “If so, I’ve got a comfy little cell for you.”
They exchanged a long glance. “I’m sorry,” Katie said. “I know you’ve been getting pressure.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth and looked at him from under eyelashes. “I wanted to help.”
“Don’t play the tease with me. Not now.”
Dirk shook his head at Cam. “I figured you for more sense than hanging with this crowd.” His gesture encompassed our bedraggled group.
Cam’s arm tightened around me. “I did what I thought necessary.”
Dirk eyed Cam. “Yeah, I get that.” He brushed his hands through his hair. “Doesn’t make it right, but I understand.”
He treated the rest of us to a glare. “Go home. All of you. You’re done here.”
Dirk turned back to Katie. “And you’d better be finished with your snooping stuff too.” He stalked off, shaking his head and muttering.
Ginger’s disappointed look toward Katie would have me cringing in shame. Katie is made of sterner stuff.
“What. I never promised Dirk I’d stop thinking when we got together.”
Cam pulled me into a hug. “Want me to drive you home?”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him before pulling away. “My car is here. Plus I owe Ginger a ride home.”
Katie grinned. “I’m giving Ginger a ride. Go with Cam.”
His proximity reminded me of my declaration. That statement about my feelings, the ones I hadn’t fully come to terms with, yet. “I need time, Cam.”
Cam’s eyes narrowed. I wouldn’t back down.
His palm cupped my cheek. “I don’t see the difficulty. Either you love me or you don’t.”
I shook my head. “Not the point. I’ve got a few things to sort out. Call me later?”
“Don’t listen to her,” Katie interrupted. “Go over there and park your butt on her porch until she comes to her senses.”
Ginger attempted a pincer action on Katie’s arm, but she moved out of reach.
“What. It’s the truth. The last time I saw someone not understanding her feelings it was me, looking in a mirror.”
Ginger’s mouth dropped open. Katie ignored her and grabbed my shoulder. “Don’t let what happened years ago with that jerk-face Travis spoil what you have now with Cam.” She dropped her hand. “That’s all I’m saying. I’m going home and putting my feet up. It’s been a long day.” Katie walked for the door, pulling an unresisting Ginger with her.
Cam put his hands on my shoulders. “Katie’s right. I’m not the shit-face who put you off men. You’re not the bitch who told me she loved me then eloped with another guy. We’ve made mistakes in the past, sure. But we’re better now, right? We deserve our love.”
My throat closed with his words. Once again, Cam nailed me to the wall. Emotions riding high, I couldn’t—shouldn’t—speak.
“Okay. I’ll back off. But I’m pissed. I want to be with you. Comfort you. It’s a real slap in the face, you driving off without me for the second time tonight.”
Cam’s lips found mine in a hot, too brief kiss. “You want alone time? Fine. I’ll call.” He backed away. “No, this time I’m leaving it to you. You call me when you’re sure about us.” He ran his hands over his hair. “I hope you call soon. I love you, but I can’t save you from yourself.”
I watched him turn and stride away, his arms moving with short, jerky chops.
Damn. I’d really done it this time.
I’m not sure how long I stood in the hallway, but it couldn’t have been protracted. Rousing myself, I walked to my car, the rain-slicked pavement reflecting streetlights. We’d been in the police station for longer than I realized, and night had fallen. The rain stopped, but heavy clouds threatened, swirling across the sky. My nostrils identified the aroma of wet leaves and moist earth.
The storm had wiped out the August humidity and left a fresh breeze. On another night, I’d have found the weather invigorating. I wrapped my arms around myself for emotional comfort. My stomach gurgled in complaint, but I had no taste for food. Someone I knew, thought I’d known, attempted to kill me earlier today. Cam had left, and even though it’d been at my request, I regretted turning him away. I shook with chills. I knew without hesitation that I needed Cam. I’d call as soon as I reached home.
I almost didn’t see the dark sedan parked in my drive. Or the man standing beside the vehicle. My pulse increased and I couldn’t catch my breath. I fumbled for my phone. The car idled for a quick get-away.
Then I recognized the man’s silhouette.
Travis moved away from the car, his face highlighted by my neighbor’s porch light. I parked and walked toward him.
Travis held his arms open then let them drop. A strange expression flew across his face. “Maggie, are you all right?”
His face, my memories of our long friendship before it went bad, returned in a rush. “You won’t believe my day. Brad. He threatened me with a gun.” And worse, I pushed Cam away.
His jaw dropped. “Crosby? Really?” He placed his hands on my shoulders and gave me a quick shake. “Tell me.”
<
br /> My stomach growled. Suddenly my appetite returned. “Come in. Have you eaten? I think I have some soup in the fridge.”
He followed me, taking my keys and unlocking the door when my shaking hands couldn’t handle the task. Travis helped me don a hoodie he’d grabbed from the couch and ushered me into a kitchen chair.
“Tell me where everything is and I’ll heat your food while you warm up.”
His complexion looked pasty, but then mine potentially matched his for pale. I sat quietly, while Travis heated my food. When he finally settled across from me, I ate just enough to quell my hunger pangs. Putting down my spoon, I related most of the story.
“We heard a lawyer that we think is Brad’s talking plea bargain, but he didn’t mention murder.” I played with my spoon. “It doesn’t make sense. Ginger thinks Brad worked with Clarice, so her death may be linked back to him. But why Nicole?”
“I don’t know.” He rubbed his neck. “Maybe she blackmailed him.” His voice broke on the last word.
Did he have personal experience with Nicole and blackmail? My gaze rested on my cooling soup. Voice pitched low, I changed the conversation’s direction. “Travis, I have a personal question.”
He kept silent, and I took that as permission to ask. “Have you stayed in touch with Nicole? Since college, I mean?” They’d attended the same university, a fact that had tormented me for several years.
He didn’t reply immediately, and then with a question rather than an answer. “What are you asking?”
I collected my thoughts. Looking up, I settled my gaze on Travis’s bowed head. “At the dinner dance last Friday, you told Nicole to be careful or her investments would bite her butt. Right?”
He remained silent, head down.
“How did you know? About her business, I mean?”
Now his answer came fast, too fast, and he didn’t catch my eye. “She told me when we caught up at Sloane’s Tavern.”
His tone set my neck hair on edge. Dolores had been decked out for a good time when I’d seen her at the spa before finding Clarice. Nicole had made it obvious during her massage that she’d meant to collect a man before the night ended. Talking business? When Nicole could potentially drive another stake through my heart with Travis? Unlikely.
“What do you know, Travis, and how are you involved?” My voice had a hard edge.
“You’re better off not knowing.”
I waited, hoping that he’d cave.
Finally, he gazed directly at me. “Nicole introduced me to some high-level investors when I opened my own business.”
I saw the answer in his eyes but didn’t trust my interpretation. “You let her get you involved with criminals? Were you laundering money?” When he didn’t answer, I huffed a sigh. “I can’t believe you were that dumb. Or greedy.”
His face reddened but he remained silent.
“Did you try stealing their money or did you lose it?”
His voice choked as he answered. “My investors...don’t like mistakes.”
“Oh, Travis.” I gnawed my lower lip as I thought. My next question came out as more a statement. “That’s why you told me to stay uninvolved. That big money played by different rules. You knew the murderer’s identity all along.”
He dropped his eyes.
I held my breath.
He shook his head. “No, but Nicole bragged that she planned taking over Clarice’s consulting business. She said that she had some added incentive that would make the clients work with her. I thought those murders were committed by the same person. Related, but not to my deal with Nicole.”
Another piece fell into place. Nicole blackmailed Brad. That must have bit his butt.
“Travis, why were Clarice and Nicole killed? You know, don’t you?”
He’d moved to the window and stood looking into the night. “Nicole promised the investors an easy return on her latest subdivision. She told me her father got suspicious. Either he wanted a cut for his back room deals or he wanted no part of the money men. I’m not sure. She thought she could sweet talk her way out of trouble. I tried to caution her. Nicole’s death was, I don’t know, maybe the investors tying up loose ends.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t the investors, I’m assuming mob types, just hire an assassin to take her out? Why send her a note written on my paper? A note arranging the meeting that led to her death? And pointed to me as the murderer?”
He shrugged, still not meeting my eyes. “Don’t know.”
“Travis, you need to tell the police about the investors. They think Brad is the only lead to Nicole. Well, besides me.”
A remembered scene flashed across my consciousness. Travis and Brad sitting together. In deep conversation. Holy Crapola. I spoke without heed.
“I saw you. With Brad. At the country club bar. You were both there at the time of Nicole’s death. You know who murdered her. Tell me.”
His body tensed. His head remained turned away from me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Maggie.”
“Travis, please tell me you didn’t kill Nicole.” My voice cracked halfway through the sentence. My stomach had so many knots, a part of me wondered how I’d inhaled enough air to speak.
Still avoiding me he said, “I didn’t do it, Maggie.”
“Say that in a way I can believe, Travis.” Damn, I shouldn’t have made that comment.
Travis turned from the window. He smiled, but only sadness showed. “I really wish you hadn’t confronted me about Nicole’s death. Now I have to make a decision.”
Chapter Nineteen
God save me from men making business decisions.
Travis cracked his knuckles, just as he had before a big varsity game. For luck, he’d said then. I didn’t feel lucky now. Especially after he pulled a gun from his sport coat pocket, holding it loosely at his side.
Damn. Why did ex-classmates keep pulling guns on me? Did I have some strange magnetic thing going on? Or were guns just too damn easy to buy and license? I shook off the useless thoughts and focused.
“I didn’t kill Nicole. Really. Don’t ask me for explanations.”
My thoughts raced. That meant Travis knew who’d killed her. Did he fear for his life?
“The problem is that now you know about Nicole’s and my involvement with a felony. Two felonies.”
“Yes, but not identities. Go to the police. They’ll protect you.”
“I don’t intend on serving prison time.” He shook his head. “She lied. Nicole lied about everything. She couldn’t be trusted. You understand, right?”
I swallowed hard. His last words almost sounded like an excuse for murder. “Right.” I inhaled but oxygen escaped me.
“Look, Travis, you haven’t done anything wrong. Well, you have, but this can be fixed.”
He shook his head. “Do you think I haven’t looked for an answer? I shouldn’t be here, but I had to see you before I left. Should have realized you’d ask questions.”
I blinked. Did he plan shooting me before he walked out? “You’re leaving?”
“I promised my investors a full return of their money. With interest. In exchange, they agreed to let me live.” He laughed. “That sounded like lines from a bad movie.”
He glanced out the window. “Unfortunately, I decided that I couldn’t afford their interest rates.” Travis looked at the gun as if it were an interesting artifact. “I contacted the feds. I’m going into Witness Protection.”
“So why do you have the gun, Travis? You’re scaring the crap out of me.” I inhaled through my nose. “Do you even know how to use that thing?”
“I thought I saw someone sneaking through your yard.” He checked outside then moved closer. His eyebrows rose. “Yes, I know how to shoot. I’ve been carrying this since Nicole’s murder. Then the Fed I worked with broke contact yesterday. In his last message he said to trust no one.”
He caught my gaze. “But I’ve always trusted you. Well, except for when we broke up. That’s why I
stopped tonight.” He cleared his throat. “I want the truth between us before I leave. You know we can never be in contact again.”
My thoughts flew like birds in a disrupted aviary, but I recognized the chance to heal old wounds and grabbed it. “Why did you dump me for Nicole?”
“Nicole told me you were no virgin, your innocent act a ploy.”
“I didn’t lie to you, Travis.”
“I know. I should have believed you then.”
“I felt an emotional weight lift, along with a sense of completion. “Thank you.” I rubbed my chest. “Just, you know, thanks.”
Travis looked thoughtful. “I know this will sound crass but whoever killed Nicole did the world a favor.” Our gazes met. “I’m just sorry we split up all those years ago. My life, well, I probably wouldn’t be carrying a gun watching out the window for bad guys right now.”
I found a grin and slapped it on my face. “At least not a gun made of steel.”
His face lit up then he kissed my forehead. “I’d tell you to call me when you dump the youngster, but you won’t have my number.”
He walked to the door and turned. “Just so you know, I’d never have let you be convicted of murder.”
“How were you planning to prevent that from happening?”
He frowned and moved to the side.
Then the glass window in my door exploded. Travis’s body spun once before collapsing. I sat frozen for a moment. Common sense sent me out of the chair, crouching alongside the kitchen cabinets.
A preternatural quiet had fallen.
Grabbing a chair by its legs, I used it to sweep my handbag from the counter to the floor. The chair tipped and caught my ribs before falling to the side. Ignoring the flash of pain, I located my phone and called 9-1-1.
“Travis? Travis, are you okay?” The continued silence convinced me he needed help.
Grabbing a scatter rug from in front of the stove, I threw it over the broken glass and splinters. Loud crunches sounded when I crawled over the mess. I finally reached his side. He had a hole in his shoulder leaking a stream of blood. I pulled a wad of tissue out of my pocket and applied pressure over the wound.
Death Rub Page 16