by Dana Moss
“But you don’t believe it.”
“Like I said, it doesn’t matter what—”
“If you tell yourself that, I don’t know how you can sleep at night.” Taffy dropped her voice. “Maria, do you trust the chief?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Do you think he would have a reason to put this case to bed before it led in a direction he didn’t want it to go?”
“Like where?”
“Like to Austin Vallee and his deep-pocket investors, who are contributing so much to refurbishing the town? He’s close with the mayor and maybe—”
“That’s your new theory? You think the chief is taking cuts on development? That’s a heavy accusation to make.”
“Gravely thought Janet’s death was suspicious, but the chief didn’t want to pursue it, remember? But you and Allan convinced him after I brought the marble in. He couldn’t ignore that. And Gravely’s had to convince him of other things. I imagine he can only go up against his uncle so many times before he strains that relationship.”
“It’s true they don’t always get along.”
“The chief probably thought we’d goof around for awhile and come up with nothing. And now with Swain, it’s just so convenient. It ties up two cases at the same time.”
“Sometimes that’s how it goes. And even if I’m personally having trouble believing it, you’re asking me to believe something even more difficult. You’re suggesting our station is corrupt? Where do you get off claiming that?”
“I don’t mean you. And maybe I’m wrong.”
And maybe Ethan and his FBI buddies were wrong, too, but likely not.
“Just hear me out. I think Austin might be behind the whole thing, but we’d have to catch him in the act or get him to confess or something.”
“Austin Vallee?”
“He’s been greasing palms to get development deals through. Davenport has done some shifty things for him. He runs the resort—and pays all the staff, who have nothing to lose by saying they saw Swain drinking, even if he wasn’t. He’s charmed the mayor and the councilors, and everyone’s seduced by the big development plans and more money coming into town.”
“You think he’s swayed the chief?”
“Or someone has. Do you have any idea of their plans for the sanctuary when they get their hands on it?”
Maria shook her head. Taffy continued.
“The other night he hinted that he might scoop up the candy factory after the bankruptcy. How did he even find out about that? And his biggest investor is a bigwig from Nevada, and quite possibly mafia.”
“Where are you getting all this?”
Taffy needed to leave Ethan and his contacts out of it.
“Some files I found at Janet’s before the fire. And some things I pieced together from talking to Austin. He said he wanted to change the town’s image to ‘The Swankiest Town on the Coast,’ and that makes me wonder if that bluff is going to be turned into a casino, with mafia money, bringing a whole new definition of ‘underbelly’ to this town. And a lot of money for those on the inside.”
Maria grimaced. And then, with a worried look, she asked, “What about Mick?”
Taffy shrugged. “He’s been the lead architect on the resort and the coffee shop. I don’t see why he wouldn’t continue to be in charge of all of his brother’s lucrative projects. But is he in on it? I’m not sure. Austin said himself that he takes care of the business end and Mick does all the pretty stuff.”
Maria looked disappointed anyway. “It’s a lot to consider.” She blew air through her lips. “I can’t see how any of this makes sense.”
Taffy dug around in her purse. “I found this in Austin’s wallet the other night.”
Maria leaned forward. “He let you go through his wallet?”
“Uh, no. But just look at this.”
“It’s a receipt.”
“Yes. For booze. The day before Swain was found dead.” Taffy pointed to a line item. “A fifth of vodka.”
“So? Maybe he likes screwdrivers.”
“I know for a fact he doesn’t. But what if he bought Swain the alcohol? What if he pushed him overboard to shut him up about something? He was at the resort the day I questioned Swain. He even asked me about it, and I had to sidestep. I think he already knew Swain was a weak link and had something on him, which is maybe why Swain was so nervous about talking to me and why he wanted to set up a different time and place to talk, but Austin got to him first.”
“And you’re saying the chief has some hand in all this?”
“Maybe only by looking the other way. Maybe by protecting Austin. I don’t know yet.”
“It’s all conjecture, Taffy. You can’t prove any of this.”
“Then help me prove it.”
Maria chewed on the end of the pencil she had been tapping earlier.
“Hold on a minute.” She got up and went to one of the many filing cabinets lined along one wall of the station. She looked in the drawer labeled with an ‘S.’
“Chief Green had Zoe file everything before I had a chance to look at all the reports. I just want to check one thing.”
She thumbed through a file.
“There was alcohol found in Swain’s blood, according to the medical examiner’s report. So that blows your sober theory.”
Taffy frowned.
Maria kept reading, and then said, “The police report mentions the empty vodka bottle found on Swain’s boat.” She looked up at Taffy. “It matches the brand on your receipt.”
It wasn’t much to go on, and it certainly wasn’t anything close to proof, but it was enough to get Maria to help Taffy with her idea.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
On the way back through town, Taffy stopped off at the town hall. She took the steps to the utilities department. She smiled kindly at the woman with the cat’s-eye glasses. She didn’t smile back right away. Then she seemed to recognize Taffy.
“You’re Miss One-Week, aren’t you? I’m sorry, I can’t give you a refund on the remaining monthly fee.” She tapped at her keyboard.
“I was just wondering if you knew where I could find Bill Doucet.”
“He’s not been answering my calls, Hon. Nothing much I can do. He’ll turn up eventually.”
“Have you heard about the fire?”
“What fire?”
“At the Harken house. I think the fire started because of that faulty wiring.”
The woman stroked a few keys, peered at her screen, and looked back at Taffy.
“No, that got fixed. The work order’s right here.”
“What? When?”
“Looks like last week sometime.”
“But I never saw Bill.”
Taffy remembered the day she came home and found the cup in the dish rack. Had Bill snuck in that day? Had he made a coffee and reminisced about Janet?
“Can I have a copy of the work order?”
“Sure. Give me a minute.”
With the work order in hand, Taffy left the utilities department and dialed Maria on her way back to Ethan’s.
“Bill fixed the wiring when I wasn’t home.”
“That’s odd.”
“Well, according to everyone in town, Bill’s odd. But that means it wasn’t faulty wiring that started the fire.”
“I was sure Gravely wrote faulty wiring on his report.”
“He was just guessing. It was arson.”
“You think it was Austin?”
“Can’t prove it. Yet.”
“You really want to go through with this?”
“Let’s do it. For Janet.”
“You’re one brave nut, my friend.”
“So I’m no longer an apple with a rotten core?”
Maria laughed. “I was such a you-know-what that night.”
“So was I.”
“Hold on, I have another call coming in.” Maria’s voice dropped away for a second and then was back.
“It’s Gravely, what should I tell him?
”
“Let him know about our suspicions about the chief, that we’re worried about him taking bribes from investors, but don’t say anything about Austin yet. They’re friends, and he might feel protective of him, too.”
She remembered how Ellie had said he’d let her off the hook after catching her stealing. He might be a softie for those he cared about. And the fewer people who knew what she and Maria were planning, the better.
Taffy added, “For this to work, Austin can’t suspect anything.”
“I agree. It’s better we have real proof before we make accusations. This could all still amount to nothing.”
“I know, and if this doesn’t work—”
“We’ll have no choice but to let the case lie,” said Maria. “You understand that, don’t you? This last stunt puts my job on the line.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“And you’re still sure you want to go through with it?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Dead sure.”
They agreed to meet later. Maria would bring what they needed.
When Taffy got back to Ethan’s, she explained what she and Maria were planning to do.
“She could get in to real trouble for going rogue like that,” Ethan said, starting to pace.
“If nothing comes of it, no one will need to know she took the stuff.”
“It’s not just that. I don’t like the idea of you going on another date with Austin Vallee.” He frowned with distaste.
“I’ll be fine. And Maria will be close by.”
“Let me help. I’m sure Maria won’t mind.”
Taffy raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to tell her the truth about your background?”
“I think it should stay a secret for now. Maybe always. Even if we nail the chief along with Austin, it would be better if the Feds swooped in and took care of it. Better if no one knew about me.”
“But I know now. How am I supposed to deal with that?”
He gave her one of those lopsided grins. “You’re tougher than you look, Taffy Belair. I think you can handle it.”
There was a soft, hungry look in his green eyes. Taffy wondered if he was thinking of trying again for a kiss. He took a step toward her and she smiled, waiting for her phone to ring.
She was actually a little shocked when it did.
She looked at the call display. Austin’s number danced across her phone screen.
“It’s him.”
“You’d better take it.” Ethan took a step back and pursed his lips shut. He didn’t look happy.
She took a deep breath. Her hand shook as she hit the green button.
“Hello?”
“Taffy, are you all right? Is everything okay?? I heard about the fire.”
She heard real concern in Austin’s voice. He seemed shocked, distressed even. For a second it made her doubt he had anything at all to do with the fire. She could be wrong about the whole thing.
He said, “Listen, we can forget about our date plans. I bought tickets to the theater over in Blancheville, but I can give them away. You must be feeling exhausted. You probably don’t want to go out. We can do it another time.”
That would blow the plan. What should she do? She looked at Ethan, whose brow furrowed in response to her mild panic. She had to remain calm.
“I’m feeling fine, Austin. Really. Just a bit of smoke inhalation, and that’s clearing up. A date would be a nice distraction actually. Unless you don’t want to.”
There was a pause, but it was brief, and Taffy could almost feel him smiling on the other end.
“That’s my girl. Nothing gets her down. You are a brave one. If you’re up for it, I’d love to see you tonight.” He lowered his voice to a deep and sultry tone. “To be honest, you’re all I’ve been thinking about. I can’t wait to get my hands on you.”
Taffy gulped and forced herself to reply in as seductive a tone as she could muster, “I’ve been thinking about you a lot, too.”
He chuckled, a pleased sound. In the background, Ethan crossed his arms and frowned more deeply.
If she was wrong, and she couldn’t get Austin to admit to anything about Umberto Secca or Janet or Swain while she had the wire on, she was going to feel downright silly. Either way she’d have to endure the date, at the end of which he would expect more than a good-night kiss. She might have to feign sickness after the play or something. But one thing at a time.
Austin was asking her, “Shall I pick you up?”
“Sure.”
“Where?”
Taffy considered. Should they meet somewhere in town, at the resort perhaps, or Austin’s house? Certainly not here at Ethan’s, but somewhere close.
And then she thought of Midnight. She wanted to search for him one more time and maybe leave out some food. She hadn’t quite given up hope.
“Why don’t you pick me up at my house? It’s still standing. I’ll meet you out front.”
“Scene of the crime, hey? Whatever you want. See you later, darlin’.”
Taffy hung up. Ethan stared at her.
“Meet at the house? Why?”
Taffy shrugged. “Why not?”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Maria showed up at Ethan’s a little while later with a small suitcase and a toiletry kit.
She said hello to Ethan and then turned to Taffy. “You know you’re welcome to stay with me and my mom.”
Was Maria jealous or being prudish? Either way, it made sense for Taffy to stay with her and not rush things with Ethan.
“Thanks. I’ll do that.”
Ethan looked up from pouring them all coffees. He seemed slightly disappointed but didn’t stay anything. Taffy was finally on board with taking things a bit more slowly. After all this was over, she would insist on a proper date, with a proper good-night kiss, and then they could see what happened.
Ethan offered to run out and pick up a pizza while Maria helped Taffy get ready.
Taffy pawed through Maria’s suitcase. She could definitely use some wardrobe tips, and maybe when this was all over, Taffy would fly Maria out to New York for a shopping spree.
One dress caught Taffy’s eye. A low-cut, long-sleeved violet A-line that hugged her hips. Maria admitted she’d never had the courage to wear it. Taffy waggled a finger at her.
“Next time at Karaoke. You owe it to Aretha.”
“All right, all right.”
The dress was flattering yet loose and flexible enough to conceal the wire and microphone Maria had taken from the station without signing it out.
“If the chief finds out he’ll suspend me.”
“Either we’ll return it like nothing happened, or what we dig up will get him into trouble. Either way you’ll be fine,” Taffy assured her.
Maria’s feet were two sizes bigger than Taffy’s, so she had to stick to her brown suede boots. They looked okay with the dress. Not as fancy, but passable.
Although Maria wasn’t going out anywhere, except to sit in a car to listen to a wiretap, the two of them took turns putting makeup on each other. They played old music and sang along, while going over the details of the evening.
The plan was for Ethan and Maria to drive to Blancheville and wait outside the theater. From there, they’d be able to hear the conversation inside.
“Once you arrive and are in range we’ll be able to listen in but it also has a recording function.”
Austin had no reason to be suspicious of Taffy, so it was just a matter of her directing the conversation in order to get him to say something incriminating. Ethan and Maria would be able to interfere if things got confrontational, otherwise they would simply listen in and record the discussion and then follow them back to make sure Taffy got home all right.
After a quick bite of pizza, Ethan and Maria left a little earlier than Taffy so they could get positioned in front of the theater.
Taffy finished touching up her makeup and dabbed on perfume. Then she went over to Janet’s house.
Her house.
As Taffy approached the house, she caught a lingering whiff of soot in the air. From the driveway, she started calling for Midnight.
She called his name every few seconds until she walked up the steps and reached the front door. Just before she turned the door handle, she heard a meow.
It was coming from inside!
Taffy’s heart jumped. She was so excited to hear his little cat voice! He sounded hungry. She would get some food from the pantry, make sure he was safe, and then come back to collect him at the end of the evening. Or should she take him now?
In the foyer, which reeked of damp soot and charred wood, she called him again. “Midnight!”
He came running down the steps, meowing as he padded briskly toward her. For the first time, he let her pick him up. She felt tears welling up. Tears of happiness. She buried her face in his collarless neck, trying not to cry lest her freshly applied makeup smudge. Then she carried him, purring, to the kitchen to find some food.
The whole house smelled damp and smoky. By the light from the kitchen, which seemed to be the only one that worked, she could see that the parlor with the piano was blackened and part of a wall was gone, and it looked as if that side of the house had suffered the most damage, which meant the attic above was destroyed. But the house seemed salvageable. With a little TLC and lots of strong-armed help.
What was she thinking? She had a flight waiting for her at the airport. She could sell the burned house and property now that her Nana had removed the lien. And her Nana needed her. She was free to go. She couldn’t stay. After this date with Austin, where she would gather the final bit of evidence they needed, or not, she’d say her farewells. She’d come back for visits. Maybe she’d take Midnight back to New York with her. She wondered if that cat carrier was still in the front hall closet. She could pack him up after he finished eating.
She placed his plate of food on the sooty floor. As she stood and turned to put the dirty fork and can of cat food in the sink, she noticed a second cup drying in the dish rack.