Behind The Gates (A Maggie McFarlin Mystery Book 1)

by Charisse Peeler

  “I didn’t have another option.” Rodney hung his head.

  “Maybe you could find another job so you can stay,” Maggie said.

  “Or you could get married to someone,” Britney said with a big smile.

  Rodney smiled wide. “What do you say, Maggie?”

  “Not in this life, Rodney,” Maggie said. Her body was shaking as if she had just received an electric shock.

  “You never know, you might like it,” Rodney said.

  Maggie twisted her face. “Ugh!” Rodney pretended to be hurt.

  “I’ll hire you if that’s all it takes,” Alex said.

  “Why don’t you marry Alex?” Britney said. She moved out of Alex’s reach just in time to not receive the back of Alex’s hand.

  “Look at us just brainstorming away,” Britney said. “Now, Rodney…you can help us.”

  “My pleasure. What do you need?” He tucked in his bottom lip and lifted his head.

  “We’ve been trying to figure out who might have killed Marco,” Maggie said.

  Rodney took a long drink of his beer then motioned to Fonzie for another. “I heard you were caught in his house.”

  “Who told you that?” Britney asked.

  “I’m on the security committee. It was in our weekly report.”

  “Well, that’s precisely how you can help,” Maggie said. “Can you get access to the bar code logs for the day and night Marco was killed?”

  “The cops have it.”

  “Of course they do…but can you get a copy for us?” Maggie asked.

  “No,” he said harshly. “Are you crazy?”

  “Come on, Rodney, what’s the big deal?” Britney asked.

  “We’re members too,” Britney said. “We pay for the guards and the equipment…If you think about it, the log is sort of our property.”

  Rodney looked at each of the girls as he reconsidered their request.

  “Okay,” he finally said, “I’ll get you that log on one condition.”

  “What’s the condition?” Britney asked.

  “Maggie has to go out to dinner with me.”

  Maggie twisted her body to face Rodney. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.” Rodney put on a genuine smile. “I promise not to bring a ring and get down on one knee.”

  “That’s just a bad idea, Rodney,” Maggie said. “People from the club might see us together and think we’re a couple.”

  “Who cares?”

  “I do,” Maggie said. She folded her arms—like that would ever shield her. This wasn’t the first time Rodney had asked her to go out with him, and her answer was always the same: Neighbors shouldn’t date, in case something goes wrong.

  “You want the log?” Rodney said.

  “Yes!” Britney answered. She turned to Maggie. “One date.”

  “Not a date…just dinner as friends,” Maggie said.

  “Settled,” Rodney said. “Pick you up at six tomorrow night.”

  “You produce the log first, then dinner,” Maggie replied. “And you’re paying.”

  “Not a problem.” Rodney’s mood had returned to its normal happy canter.

  “What are we doing for dinner tonight?” Alex asked.

  “It’s two-for-one burgers at O’Malley’s tonight,” Rodney suggested.

  “Can we count that as the dinner?” Maggie asked.

  “Not. On. Your. Life,” Rodney said.

  The other girls smiled.

  “I guess I’m in,” Maggie said.

  “Me too,” Alex said.

  “It’s the three musketeers,” Britney agreed.

  “If the three musketeers were private investigators,” Rodney said.

  *

  Rodney was fifteen minutes early for his “date” with Maggie. Maggie had begged to drive herself and meet him there…but he insisted.

  “So where are we headed?” Maggie asked.

  “How’s City Fish?”

  “Love it,” she said. She was relieved the restaurant he chose was close to home. It wouldn’t take them long to get there limiting the time she had to be in the car with him.

  Rodney hadn’t made a reservation; so as soon as they walked in, he headed for an empty booth in the bar.

  “This is so nice,” Rodney said sliding to the center of the booth.

  Maggie shrugged. “If you say so.”

  Rodney handed Maggie the bar menu. “It’s good to get out of the club once in a while.”

  “I’d just rather you not drink and drive, especially since we aren’t in the confines of the gates,” Maggie said.

  “We don’t need to go crazy,” Rodney said, “unless you want to.”

  Maggie shook her head. “Funny, Rodney.”

  “What do you want to drink?” he asked as the waitress appeared.

  “I guess I’ll have a Cosmo.”

  “Make that two,” Rodney said.

  “Appetizers?” the waitress asked.

  “We haven’t had a chance to look yet,” Rodney answered.

  The waitress nodded. “I’ll go ahead and get your drinks and be right back.”

  “So,” Maggie said, “I thought you were drinking beer now?”

  “That lasted one day. I hate having to piss every ten minutes.”

  Maggie smiled. “Makes sense, since that’s what got you arrested.”

  “Funny lady,” Rodney said. “That’s what I like about you, Maggie…”

  Maggie interrupted him: “I’m supposed to ask you if you would like to join us at Alex’s house next Friday? She’s hosting a small dinner party.”

  “I would love that.” Rodney smiled wide. “Shall I pick you up?”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “No, I can drive myself. As a matter of fact,” she added, “I’ll probably just drive my golf cart.”

  “You could stop by my house for a glass of wine first. I just got a shipment from Napa. There’s a great Pinot I really want to try….”

  “I’m going over early to help her set up.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Rodney,” Maggie said firmly, “back off a little.”

  Rodney turned away for a moment then turned back to Maggie, frustrated. “I just don’t know why you don’t give me a chance.”

  Maggie sighed. “Rodney, it’s awkward. We live in the same neighborhood…and if something goes wrong, which I am sure it will, it will only cause unnecessary drama at the club. Neither of us wants that.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Rodney said. He raised his hand and crossed his heart. “Promise.”

  “Okay, new subject.”

  Maggie took a sip of her Cosmo as soon as the waitress set it in front of her. The glass was so full she leant over and sipped it in place instead of lifting it up.

  “Have you decided on any appetizers?” the waitress asked.

  Maggie handed the waitress the bar menu. “I’ll have the crab cakes and the oysters Rockefeller.”

  “I’ll take the clams casino and also the crab cakes,” Rodney said.

  As soon as the waitress walked away Maggie held out an open palm. “Do you have the list?”

  Rodney smiled like a fox that had cornered a hen. “Can I get just one kiss?”

  “Seriously?” Maggie said.

  “Okay, just a hug?”

  “Give me the list,” Maggie demanded behind gritted teeth.

  Rodney reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out several folded pieces of paper. Maggie tucked the papers into her pocketbook without even looking at them before picking up her drink and finishing it in two long sips.

  “Does the report show both the main gate and the back gate?”

  “Yes, both,” Rodney said. “It’s everything from eight p.m. to eight a.m. the day Marco died.…Another drink?” he suggested.

  “Sure, why not?” Maggie answered.

  Rodney motioned to the waitress.

  “So how did you end up in America, Rodney?” Maggie had decided on small talk while they waited for their fo
od. And if she knew one thing about men, they loved to talk about themselves.

  “I originally came to Miami as an exchange student for my senior year of high school. Then I talked my parents into letting me stay in America and attend the University of Miami. I majored in information technology at the very beginnings of the industry. I was hired by IBM right out of school,” he said. “The bad thing is that they sent me to their headquarters in New York. It was freezing.”

  “When did you move here?” Maggie asked.

  “Seems like a lifetime ago. I was transferred here and moved into Boca West. I had a beautiful house, beautiful cars…and a beautiful wife.”

  “So, what happened? Why are you living at Banyan Tree?”

  “My beautiful wife got the Boca bug and started losing weight, paying a lot more attention to her looks.”

  “When did you notice the switch?”

  Rodney frowned, shaking his head. “She would always go shopping or run her errands in a pair of lululemons, hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. Then suddenly she never left the house without full makeup, straightened hair—and if her skirts were any shorter…you know what I mean? I knew something was up, so I put a tracking devise on her car. She thought she was so slick by turning off location on her cell phone, or turning her phone off altogether. I followed her and found out she was having an affair with a guy who worked at the mall, at least twenty years younger.”

  “Wow, where is she now?” Maggie asked.

  “Back in Canada where we met, hopefully freezing to death. She took half my money and I still have to pay her ten grand a month.”

  “But she cheated on you. That doesn’t sound fair.”

  “The judge didn’t care. The best part is her boy toy took off when her big money ran out. Now she’s just a bitter old lady who takes it all out on me.”

  Maggie shook her head. “That sucks.”

  “I think you should just give me a chance. I’m a nice guy,” Rodney said.

  Just then the waitress appeared with two more drinks and their appetizers.

  Maggie was hungry. She ignored Rodney and ate her food then finished her drink.

  “I need to use the restroom,” she said a moment later.

  “I’ll be waiting patiently for your return,” Rodney told her sloppily. He winked at her as she left.

  As soon as she was out of sight, Maggie said aloud, “Time for the old Irish exit!”

  She didn’t even stop at the restroom but walked right out the front door. Then she pulled out her phone and swiped until she reached her Uber app.

  Chapter 8

  Dirty Martini

  Maggie didn’t recognize Doc when he pulled up in a brand new dark blue Dodge Challenger. He seemed to always drive a different car: his father owned the largest dealership in the area.

  “Need a ride?” Doc asked, rolling down the window.

  “Sure.”

  Maggie glanced over her shoulder as she walked to the other side of the car, opening the passenger door and sliding in. “I was just about to call an Uber.”

  “Where’s Rodney?” Doc asked. He pulled out, revving the engine for effect.

  “In there.” Maggie motioned her head back toward the restaurant. “Probably waiting for me to come out of the bathroom.”

  “He doesn’t know you left?”

  “He’ll figure it out.” The next moment Maggie eyed Doc suspiciously. “How did you know I was with Rodney? Were you in there?”

  Doc nodded. “I was having dinner with my mom, she’s pretty upset about the whole Marco thing. She thinks I should sell my house and move to a different community. We would have stopped to say hi, but my mom isn’t a big fan of Rodney.”

  “I understand.”

  Maggie sat back, finally able to relax.

  Doc turned east. “Are you in a hurry to get back?” he asked.

  “I guess not…Where to?”

  “How about JB’s at the Beach,” he said, smiling at her.

  “Perfect.”

  *

  As soon as they pulled up to JB’s, Doc handed the valet a twenty-dollar bill so they would park him in the front. Maggie waited on the top step for Doc to join her; then they walked through the restaurant and out the double doors at the back. They were fortunate to get the last two chairs at the outdoors bar, facing the ocean.

  “It’s so beautiful out here…” Maggie said.

  “I love it here. If I didn’t play golf so much, I would find a condo on the water,” he said.

  “I was actually looking at condos on the beach when I moved here, but I didn’t want to be in a high rise,” Maggie said.

  The bartender leaned over to them. “What can I get you two?”

  “I’ll have a Grey Goose and tonic,” Maggie said.

  “Dirty martini for me,” Doc said.

  “Ohhhh,” Maggie exclaimed, “that sounds kind of good. I’ll have one of those too.”

  “So why did you pick Banyan Tree?” Doc asked. He turned sideways to face Maggie.

  Maggie looked out on the endless blue ocean. “I don’t know, it just seemed so welcoming and safe.”

  Doc laughed. “Safe, huh?”

  “Well, now there’s been a murder, but I think that’s just a one-off.”

  “My mom is going crazy over it. She wants me out of there,” Doc said.

  Maggie turned to him. “You were friends with Marco, weren’t you?”

  “Yeah, we used to be friends but recently had a bit of a falling out.”

  Maggie’s interest was piqued, but she kept her voice casual. “What happened?”

  “Well, Marco pretty much threatened my family and extorted some money from my father.”

  “What?”

  So much for the casual tone. She could not believe Doc was saying, and that he was confiding in her.

  “That’s pretty much why my mom wanted to meet for dinner tonight.”

  “To make sure you didn’t kill Marco?” Maggie asked.

  “No,” Doc said too loudly, “she told me what he was doing to my family.”

  “You didn’t know?”

  “I did know, I was right in the middle of the whole thing. It was actually my fault.” He looked down at the bar then, for a moment, looked at Maggie. Finally his gaze shifted to the water. He seemed to be staring absently at the horizon. “I told Marco about my family’s secrets,” he began. “I trusted him, he was one of the only guys who treated me as an equal instead of a rich kid living off his parents. We played in the dart league and golfed together almost every day we could. Marco was a fun guy to hang around with…no matter where we were, somehow the most beautiful girls in the place were sitting alongside us. The nights were always full of laughs….” He sighed lightly but his eyes remained fixed on the water. “It was one of those nights—I think I had smoked a little too much and had one too many drinks—changed our friendship into…something else.”

  Just then, the seat next to Doc became available. A long-legged blonde immediately filled the seat, distracting Doc from his story.

  “Please, Doc,” Maggie prodded, leaning over to him, “continue.”

  “Can you imagine what our children would look like?”

  “Really, Doc?”

  Doc continued ignoring Maggie. “Are you here by yourself?” he asked the woman.

  The woman smiled noncommittedly. “I’m waiting for my friends to get off work.”

  “What would you like to drink?” He motioned to the bartender.

  The woman’s smile changed. “Cosmo, please,” she said gratefully. Maggie had a feeling this girl didn’t usually buy her own drinks.

  “I’ll have another martini,” Doc told the bartender. “Extra dirty.”

  “Doc,” Maggie said. She touched him on his sleeve to get his attention.

  The bombshell leaned in close. “You’re a doctor?”

  “General practice,” Doc said, smiling. “My name is Frank.” He held his hand out to her.

  “I’m Stormy,
” the woman said with a smile.

  “Is that your real name?” Doc asked.

  The woman nodded easily. “Yes, I was born in Chicago and my father gave my mom a choice: Windy—not Wendy—or Stormy. She chose Stormy.”

  “Well, it fits,” Doc said.

  “If you only knew.” She laughed.

  “I would like to know,” Doc said, not noticing Maggie’s exaggerated eye roll. “I was also born in Chicago.”

  “Really?” Stormy asked. “What part?”

  “Lake Forest,” he said naturally but knew he had just made a mistake.

  “No way,” she said. “I went to Lake Forest High School. I played center on the women’s basketball team. What year did you graduate?”

  “We moved when I was in the second grade,” he said, “but I’m sure at least ten years before you.”

  “What a small world,” Stormy said.

  “I thought you were from Long Island?” Maggie asked. “Wantagh, I think you said?”

  Doc eyed her for a moment. “We actually moved around a lot,” he said in a hushed tone.

  “Oh, my friends are here,” Stormy said the next moment, standing from her seat. Doc looked over to the other side of the bar. A group of women were settling at a high-top table.

  He turned back to Stormy. “Can I get your number?”

  “Sure,” Stormy said after a moment. She held out her hand. Doc retrieved his phone. She typed in her number and handed the phone back.

  “Thanks,” Doc said. Maggie thought he was smiling like a dog in heat. When he finally turned his attention back to Maggie, he said, “Wow.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes.

  “Seriously, Doc? What was that whole thing about Lake Forest?” She shook her head. “A minute ago you seemed upset?”

  Doc sighed impatiently. “Can we drop it?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  The bartender placed another round of drinks in front of them. Doc’s head was already fuzzy…he had a low resistance. He felt like confessing his transgressions. Maggie was the beneficiary, as she posed no threat.

  “You can’t say anything, it’s just that my family needs to keep a low profile.” Doc looked sick to his stomach but took a long drink of the martini. He took the olives and set them one at a time into his mouth, chewing slowly while Maggie stared at him.