“Morning, Ingrid,” Trevor said.
“Hi.” Ingrid speared Dina with a bright smile. She already knew what Trevor wanted. “Coffee? Tea? Breakfast?”
“I’ll also take whatever the breakfast sandwich of the day is.” Trevor turned toward Ingrid. “I heard you and your roommates are partnering up with the Lively clan.”
“That’s old news, Detective.” Bunny waved her hand.
“Well, I don’t have much reason to go up the hill often.” Trevor glanced at Bunny then back to Ingrid. “Mom’s the one that told me you guys are turning the old mansion into a bed-and-breakfast?”
“Yes.” Ingrid’s grin was big and bright. “We’ve got all the permits and things in place to make the White mansion a bed-and-breakfast. We’re still trying out names. There have been a few guests, mostly people Scarlett refers to us. We’re hoping to be in full swing for next spring.”
“That’s fantastic.”
“What about your friend? What’ll she have?” Ingrid asked Trevor.
“Coffee and a sandwich is good,” Dina said.
“Coming right up. My name is Ingrid if you need anything.” Ingrid placed the carafe on the table then brought them a pair of cups before disappearing back into the kitchen.
“Tell me about your new friend here, Trevor?” Bunny had turned to give them her full attention. The only people who came to the tea room at this hour were those in need.
“Well, this is Dina. She’s new in town.” Trevor glanced at the others at the table not paying them any mind. He leaned toward Bunny and pitched his voice lower. “Two guys broke into her house. I was wondering if you, or any of the other ladies, had seen anything. I know how attentive you all are.”
“A break in?” Bunny blinked a few times and sat up straighter. She probably took it as a personal affront. “When?”
“Last night, just before nine,” Dina said.
“At Marge’s old house?”
“Yes.”
Bunny twisted and peered at the table playing cards.
“Pearl?” She waved her hand. “Someone tap Pearl and tell her to come here?”
Trevor turned and glanced at the card table. Pearl sat with her back toward them, her latest shawl creation around her shoulders. The woman sitting next to her grasped Pearl by the arm and physically turned her around before pointing at Bunny.
“Turn your hearing aid up, Pearl.” Bunny pointed at her ear then muttered, “Bless her heart.”
Pearl’s face lit up, and she waved at Trevor. She tottered toward them, leaning heavily on a cane. It was hard to see her age like this, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her smile was bigger and her personality sparkled just as much as it had back when she was helping with the local 4-H group.
“My boy.” Pearl bent and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Morning, Pearl. You getting around okay?”
“I got some new shoes.” She stepped back to display the latest in orthopedic fashion.
“Pearl? Can you hear me?” Bunny leaned over Dina, her focus on Pearl.
“I can hear you. You know I have these darn hearing aids.” Pearl laughed and gestured at her ear.
“Someone broke into Marge’s old house around the corner. Did you see anyone around last night?” Bunny eased back into her chair.
“What?” Pearl cupped a hand around her ear.
“Lord have mercy.” Bunny sighed, then louder, “Last night someone broke into Marge’s old house.”
“Oh my.” Pearl’s eyes widened and her smile disappeared.
Several other people around their table stopped talking and paid attention to them.
Trevor wasn’t looking forward to all the incoming calls to report tips or funny shadows, but this was their best network.
“Did you see anyone around?” Bunny asked.
“There was a car. I saw it four times.” Pearl held up her fingers.
“Saw what four times?” Ingrid reappeared, this time with Dina and Trevor’s breakfast.
“A car.” Pearl held up her finger. “It was dark blue. One of those new, fancy foreign things. There were two men inside.”
Trevor’s hand slid down to grip Dina’s shoulder. Foreign car could mean anything Pearl didn’t recognize, and since she still drove an ancient Buick that was a lot of cars.
“Any chance you know the license plate or could describe the men driving?” he asked.
“What?” Pearl’s face twisted up.
“The plates,” Bunny said louder.
“What about the plates?” Pearl glanced at the newly delivered breakfast.
“Not those plates.” Bunny waved her hand until Pearl focused back on her. “The car’s plates? Did you see the license plate number?”
“Oh!” Pearl’s smile returned. “You know, I might have. But it’s at home.”
Trevor twisted to face Pearl over his shoulder. “Can I come by later and check?”
“Sure.” Pearl nodded.
“I’ll give you a call before I head your way.”
“Hear that?” Pearl grinned at Bunny. “I’ve got a man coming to call on me.”
Bunny rolled her eyes.
Pearl slapped her hands together and laughed.
“Go back to your game.” Bunny waved at Pearl.
“Does that help?” Bunny asked Trevor.
“It’s exactly what I was hoping for,” he said. He hadn’t realized it was Pearl who lived close to Dina. With Pearl’s proclivity to jot down everything she was a godsend.
“I’ll make sure everyone knows to keep an eye out. We don’t need that kind of trouble here. That’s unacceptable.” Bunny’s frown deepened. Like many of the old timers they took any disruption to quiet life personally.
“What about your girl here?” Bunny’s attention fell on Dina once more.
“Eat.” Trevor nudged her plate then picked up his own sandwich. He didn’t want to get an answer and run, but he also didn’t want to open Dina up to more questions than she’d want to answer.
“You’ve been here—what? Almost two years?” Bunny asked.
“Almost.” Dina’s eyes widened. She was about to learn that her secret new life wasn’t as secret as she’d thought.
“You’ll have to watch yourself around this one. He’s trouble. Always has been.” Bunny nodded her head at Trevor as if she said something profound.
“Do I want to know what kind of trouble?” Dina glanced at Trevor who was wolfing down his last few bites.
“No,” he said quickly. There was plenty of ammunition to go around from his past.
“Don’t let him get too excited.” Bunny patted Dina’s hand. “He pees himself.”
“What?” Dina choked on a bite of the sausage biscuit sandwich.
“We’re going.” Trevor took Dina’s hand from Bunny. He was not going to relive those memories. “Thank you for your help.”
“Wait, I think I need to hear this.” Dina grinned.
“We’ve got somewhere to be.” Trevor stood and pulled out her chair.
“Fine. It was nice to meet you, Bunny.” Dina downed the last of her coffee and kept her sandwich wrapped in a napkin.
Trevor winced as someone from the cackling table exacted the tax on his posterior.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Can we go?”
“Okay,” she said slowly.
Trevor took her hand and led her through the tables at a brisk pace. He felt Dina jump and prayed she didn’t pay his tax. A pair of fingers pinched his ass and a whole table cheered. He practically jogged the last few steps through the arch where they were safer. He blew out a breath and pulled Dina up to walk next to him.
“Did she just grab you?” She gaped at him, her eyes wide.
“It’s the pinch tax.” Trevor tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow.
“Pinch tax?”
“Yeah, it’s the price for asking the L.O.L. Gang for help.”
“L.O.L. Gang?”
“Little Old Lady
Gang?” He chuckled.
“Okay, now, how about this peeing yourself story?”
“One mortifying thing at a time. Shit, someone got me right in the crease.” He rubbed the still stinging spot.
“An old lady gang. Pinch tax. Granny sleuths. What the heck have you gotten me into?” She ticked off the points with a finger.
“Welcome to Ransom.” He grinned. Every town had their quirks. Theirs were perhaps a bit more eccentric than most.
PHILLIP PULLED THE car up to the curb.
There were no parking meters. He didn’t have to find a garage to pay to park. It was weird, but also handy. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d wasted half an hour looking for a parking spot.
“You staying here?” he asked Little Tony.
Little Tony grunted his reply. Phillip took that to mean yes and left the car idling. He grabbed the bag of things they’d taken from Dina’s house and got out. The heat hit him in the face and before he’d closed the door to the car, he was sweating.
He needed to call Dominick. Little Tony had always been a bit rough whenever it came to proving their point, but he’d killed two men in less than a week. Two. Phillip didn’t want to be around for a third or if the cops got wind of their involvement. But this was Little Tony. He was like a brother to Phillip, but something wasn’t right.
Maybe after they found Dina what they needed to do was take a breather. Hit Vegas, spend some time taking it easy before getting back to work. Dominick wouldn’t want to hear that, but he didn’t always have their best interest at heart. That’s why Phillip had to look out for LT and himself.
The Dr. Computer shop sat in a strip mall with a couple other businesses. The windows were all tinted. Neon window paint advertised the current specials. What Phillip wanted wouldn’t be something as easily obtained.
He opened the door to the shop.
A young man in a bright blue, orange and yellow track suit stood behind the counter, peering through a magnifying lens at a tablet in pieces. There wasn’t a customer in sight and there wasn’t anyone behind the counter with him.
“I’m looking for Samu.” Phillip set the bag with the laptop and phone on the counter.
The young man’s jaw worked, smacking a piece of gum. He glanced up over the magnifier at Phillip, but kept his attention on the work.
“I am Samu,” he said.
“I was told you could help us with these.” He kept his gaze on the guy’s face. “They belonged to a friend that passed away. I need to get the files for the family.”
Samu’s hands stilled.
It was the story Phillip had been instructed to give.
“Who sent you here?” Samu flipped the light off and focused on Phillip.
“A friend.”
“Who may I thank for your referral?”
“Lorenzo.”
The gum smacking stopped.
Samu nodded.
They had an agreement.
“Let me see?” He held out his hand for the bag.
Phillip slid the laptop and phone over.
“You want the files. Anything specific?” he asked.
“Contacts. Banking information. Any address she’s ever looked at.”
“I can do this. It’s not cheap—”
“I’ve got cash.”
“And it will take most of the day, if not two days.”
“Get it done.” Phillip took a business card off the counter, flipped it over and scrawled his phone number. “Let me know when you have something?”
9.
DINA WATCHED TREVOR ease into the driver’s seat. She was baffled by what she’d just been privy to.
“What exactly did I just see?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“That.” She gestured at the antique shop’s windows. “Make this place a bar and those women men. It’s my dad’s office.”
“Sounds about right to me. Shit. Two of them got me good.” He rubbed his thigh.
“What was that about? Pinch tax?”
“Long story.” Trevor laughed and buckled his seat belt. “Let’s just say, I deserve it for all the shit I pulled over the years.”
“You’re a cop and they’re harassing you,” Dina said between bites.
“Yeah, and most of those women could have buried my ass.”
“Okay.”
“So what is a pinch tax?”
“It’s complicated, but it’s payment.”
“Are they going to pinch me next time?”
“Probably not, but I wouldn’t put it past them.”
Trevor clearly wasn’t alarmed or bothered by the whole thing. Dina wasn’t fond of the idea, but maybe there was more to it. Something she didn’t get.
“Do you think Pearl got the license plate?” she asked.
“We’ll find out when her son picks her up and takes her home. Won’t be for a couple hours.”
“Where to now?”
“The Love Barn.”
“For Jenna, right?” Dina knew the woman was engaged, but it didn’t stop the claws of jealousy from raking her insides.
“Yup.”
“Who is Jenna?” Dina asked.
“I told you, she’s on my team.”
“You’re her...bride’s man? You two are close?”
“Yeah. Jenna’s like my sister. Her family used to own the big store in town before the fire. Her parents moved away, had her, then moved back the last few years of high school. She was always a tomboy, played a lot of sports. Then she went into the army, became a medic and I didn’t see her until she retired and came home. Now she’s our tactical medic.”
Trevor pointed the SUV north and hit on a county road leading out of town.
“Did you two ever date?” It sounded like someone he might have hit it off with.
“Me and Jenn? No. No way.” Trevor shook his head.
“Are you dating anyone?” Dina folded her napkin, her breakfast gone. She hadn’t stopped to consider that Trevor’s romantic life had gone on without her in the picture. “I mean, if you’re with someone you could have told me last night. I didn’t even stop to think about it.”
“I would have told you.” Trevor glanced at her. “I’m not like that.”
“Good.” Dina had no right to Trevor. He didn’t owe her anything. It didn’t stop her from wanting him to herself.
They fell into silence as he drove a winding road out of town.
“Where is this place?” she asked.
“It’s the Lively family property. It’s about thirty acres of grazing land. The Love Barn is this big, old thing that’s been there for...shit, over a hundred years. It used to be a kind of town co-op where people stored hay, feed, sometimes animals. How it came to be the Lively’s is a point of contention. Just about every family has a story.”
“And your friend is getting married in a barn?” Dina squinted. There was a hill ahead, just past the city limit sign, and sitting on top was a tall, brown barn.
“Oh, that’s a funny story. So, at the time the oldest Lively brother, Garth, was the only one living here. This car pulls up while he’s out in the field helping birth a calf, and it’s this woman. Says she was driving by, saw the barn and wanted to have her wedding there. She wore him down until he said yes. A week later he gets a check as the deposit. Bunny could tell you this story better. She was in the bank when he came to cash it. He called his cousin and brother to come help clean up the barn and a few weeks later they have a wedding in it. They all three got together and started a business, calling it The Love Barn. It’s actually pretty popular and books up fast.”
Trevor turned the SUV onto a gravel lot not far from the barn.
Dina had grown up in a world of fancy weddings. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around wanting to get married in a barn, but maybe it was just because she hadn’t seen the inside yet.
“You want to come along, or stay here?” Trevor asked.
“I’ll come.” She was curious about the locatio
n and his best friend of his.
Trevor waved and called out, “Morning.”
Dina squinted and only barely made out two figures in the shade.
“Hey, good to see you.” A woman with chestnut hair up in a ponytail wiggled her fingers at them as they strolled to meet Trevor and Dina.
“Hi.” The blonde woman’s gaze zeroed in on Dina. It wasn’t what she’d call a friendly evaluation.
“Jenna, Scarlett, this is Dina.” Trevor placed his hand on Dina’s back and gestured at the other two women.
The blonde was his best friend. The army medic.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Jenna offered her hand to Dina, her tone cool.
“I understand congratulations are in order.” Dina took the other woman’s hand and met her gaze. She would not be scared off by a friend.
“Great, well, let’s get started.” Scarlett clapped her hands. “I’m so excited about doing a local wedding. Most of the people we work with are strangers. It’s nice and all, but not the same. Come on inside.”
Jenna took Trevor by the arm and together they walked after Scarlett into the barn.
So that was how it was going to be then?
Fine.
Dina could play nice for now, but she wasn’t the kind of woman to be messed with.
“I don’t have to give you the rundown of the history, so we can jump right in on the details.” Scarlett led them to a large, circular table set up in the middle of the floor.
Dina turned and admired the inside of the barn.
Instead of the same rough panels and a dirt floor she was greeted with a rustic wooden floor and walls that looked like more logs. There was even air conditioning and lighting. She didn’t hurry to catch up with the others. Instead she took a slower pace, admiring the wagon wheel and mason jar chandeliers and the hay loft that had been turned into more event space.
“I was hoping to have everything in one place,” Jenna said.
“Do you want it all in the barn? We could incorporate the tent or do something outside even.” Scarlett laid open a massive book and presented two pictures.
“What do you guys think?” Jenna asked.
“I think this is going to be a lot bigger than you realize. You’re going to have all of Ransom SWAT, a lot of guys from Fort Worth, then the hospital staff and anyone else who decides to invite themselves. Right, Scarlett?”
Stolen Redemption (Texas SWAT, #2) Page 10