by Mia Dymond
“Yes, they will be released shortly.”
“You were discreet, yes?”
Carmine grinned at his brother’s feigned concern. “She will not question the release. The investigator will receive the credit.”
“I have faith in this young man. He will protect her.”
Carmine gave a twisted smile. “Yes, Don, but who will protect him?”
Scar wondered also.
***
Luke spun the wheels of his truck and hauled ass out of the driveway. He missed some of the perks of being a cop; lights and sirens tended to scare traffic out of the way and flashing a badge demanded cooperation. It was the red tape and politics that forced his hand. Sometimes it was absolutely necessary to step outside the law to solve a case. Especially now.
Guilt invaded his brain. He should’ve been honest with Allison. Somehow, some way this would explode in his face. He rubbed his throbbing jaw. At least she was thinking when she clocked Ramsey. With Allison in her corner, Lucy would be fine.
He arrived at Ben Franklin Memorial Hospital in record time and went to the information desk, encouraged when he found a round, blue-haired woman with beaded spectacles hung around her neck behind the counter.
He pasted on what he knew to be his best ladykiller smile. “Excuse me, ma’am, could you please direct me to Danielle Webster’s room?”
She placed the glasses on her face and leaned forward to type on a computer keyboard. “Danielle is scheduled to be released today, but you’re in luck. She’s still here. Room 3212. Elevators are to your left and around the corner.” She slid a white card across the desk. “Oh, and visitors are asked to contact Detective Taylor at the Philadelphia Police Department.”
He gave her a wink and watched a pretty blush color her cheeks as he tucked the card into his pocket. “Thank you.”
Luke felt a little more hopeful as he negotiated hallways and hopped on the elevator. Any information Danielle provided about the conference or her accident was bound to help. When the bell dinged to announce the third floor, he took a deep breath, approached Danielle’s room, and knocked on the closed door.
“Come in,” a voice answered.
Luke stepped inside and shut the door before he walked to the bed and extended a hand to the attractive blonde lying there. He was pleasantly surprised to find her sitting up and alert. Other than a cast on one arm and several stitches over one eye, she appeared relatively well. “Danielle?”
She gave a slight nod and accepted his hand.
“Luke Owens, private investigator. I’ve been hired to investigate your accident.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Owens.”
“Call me Luke, please. How do you feel?”
She smiled and wiggled the fingers outside her cast. “Much better, thank you.”
“Are you up to talking to me about your accident?”
Flames flew from her dark chocolate eyes. “What happened to me was no accident. I was run off the road and left for dead.”
He felt a muscle tick at the base of his jaw and he clenched his mouth to curb his excitement. He glanced at a chair by the bed. “May I sit?”
When she nodded her consent, he took a seat. “Who ran you off the road?”
“Frank Winslow. The bastard!”
“How do you know Frank Winslow?”
“Until recently, he was my lover.”
“How long had you two been involved?”
“I work for Talbot Pharmaceuticals and I met him at one of our conferences a couple of years ago when I approached him about having my breasts done. Once the doctor/patient relationship was out of the way, we began seeing each other.”
“Why do you believe he wanted to hurt you?”
“He was scheduled to attend a medical conference here last week, so we arranged to spend the night together at the hotel. Except when he arrived, he wanted to change hotels and asked me to book another room through the conference. He became quite angry when I told him that if I did that, his attendance at the conference would not be documented properly.”
“Why was documentation important?”
Her forehead wrinkled and she reached to touch her stitches. “That was the really strange thing. Normally, he could care less. I can’t tell you how many times he’s skipped meetings in the past. This one, however seemed to be important.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “The only thing I can come up with is because this time, participants were videotaped upon registration.”
Still not sure about Winslow’s deception, Luke continued. “Why the change in procedure?”
“The company is trying to prevent participants from signing in and then ditching the conference. Technically, a continuing education certificate is not supposed to be issued unless attendance is verified. One of the stipulations this time was that attendees must stay at the hotel that sponsored the conference.”
“So you think he ran you off the road because you wouldn’t cover for him?”
“No. I did cover for him. He found a way to beat the system and I didn’t report him. He registered, allowed himself to be videotaped, entered the conference through one door, and then left through another.”
Beginning to see a pattern, Luke felt encouraged. An interesting tactic. Winslow definitely hid something. Possibly something more than an extramarital affair.
“Where did you go from there?”
“We went to the Liberty Towers.”
“For the night?”
She snorted. “Hardly. Frank had difficulty performing. He blamed it on stress, but he was very angry. After a couple hours, I threw in the towel and told him to forget it.”
“Was he angry with you?”
“Probably, but even more angry because he’d just found out his business partner was cheating him out of money.”
Luke stared in absolute interest. “Who was his business partner?”
“Jeffrey Smallwood.”
The hair stood on the back of his neck when Luke realized Danielle had just handed him his murder suspect. “How did Winslow perform previously?”
She appeared amused. “This has something to do with him trying to kill me?”
He felt his face redden. “I need to know if his sexual practices were out of the ordinary.”
“He was into S&M but not with me.”
Strike two, Winslow. “He had other lovers?”
“We weren’t exclusive.”
“Women?”
Her eyes widened and she flinched from the stress on her stitches. “God, I hope so! I didn’t ask.”
“Is he married?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think he tried to avoid his wife by changing hotels?”
“No. He said she was on a Caribbean cruise.”
“What happened after you told him you were leaving?”
“He was remarkably agreeable and insisted he follow me back to the conference to make sure I arrived safely.”
“How did the accident happen?”
“Driving back to the hotel, I glanced into my rearview mirror to find him tailgating me. Blinded by his headlights, I hit my brakes and he ran into me. The contact caused me to spin out of control on the icy highway. I saw the snowbank coming but I don’t remember hitting it. Apparently I did because I totaled the car.”
“Did he stop to help you?”
“I came to once and thought I saw him remove my purse and cell phone from the front seat. I figured he had already called for help and took my things for safekeeping. Little did I know he fled the scene. I arrived at the hospital as Jane Doe.”
“I’m still not clear why you think he tried to kill you.”
“I wasn’t either until I came out of my coma and saw the news.”
Luke stood, already confident he knew the answer to his next question. “Did something trigger a memory?”
“Dr. Jeffrey Smallwood was killed on the same night of my accident. Frank tried to kill me because he didn’t have an alibi and
I knew it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Allison’s heart broke at Lucy’s distress while a uniformed officer escorted them into the Maplewood Police Department. No sooner had they stepped inside, when a man the size of Godzilla with an arm full of tattoos advertising his love for his mother yelled several colorful obscenities and barreled past. Three policemen finally managed to take him down and restrain him with two pairs of handcuffs. Allison snickered under her breath. Wonder if dear ole mom knew about his potty mouth.
As if bored by the whole thing, the policeman steered them toward an empty desk in the back corner of the room and motioned them to sit in front while he took a seat behind.
Allison bit her lip and tried to keep her temper at bay while he hen-pecked identifying information into the computer. He really only needed to type Lucy’s. Even she knew Scarletti information could be easily accessed from volumes of information in the department’s database. Both of Lucy’s knees bounced. Allison sighed. Maybe she should call an uncle or two.
After she and Lucy received the official label of criminal, a female officer led to a small room and ushered them inside with an understanding smile. “I have to search you for weapons.”
“Search me?” Lucy squeaked. “I don’t have to take off my clothes do I?”
“No, ma’am. Turn around, press your hands against the wall, and spread your legs. I just need to pat you down.”
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut tight while the woman checked her bra and between her legs. Allison endured her search next, still considering her phone call.
“They’re both clean,” the woman announced as she opened the door for the original male escort who waited outside.
Allison sucked in a sharp breath. Clean? Not a term she would use in front of Lucy. If only a scalding hot shower could wash away all this filth.
The officer took them to another room where he took fingerprints.
“This better not stain my clothes,” Lucy grumbled as he coated her fingers with ink and stamped them into the corresponding box on a tan index card.
As if he mocked her, the officer handed her a wet wipe.
Next he placed each of them in front of a wall painted with numbers and handed them both a sign to hold. “Face the camera, but don’t smile.”
Allison fought the urge to crack a bright, cheesy smile. In her family, arrest wasn’t always a bad thing. Her nails bit into the palm of her hand and she fought the urge to stick out her tongue. The camera clicked before she acted.
“Now turn to the left.” Click. “Now right.”
He finished the pictures and poked a few keys on the computer. Within seconds, mug shots appeared on the screen. What a portfolio.
“Okay ladies, let’s get you settled.”
Allison gave him her best screw-you stare. Settled? He ignored her silent insult, and guided them down a hallway and through a heavy, metal door. Her heart skittered, mainly for Luc’s benefit. Jail. What a way to pass the time.
Crude cat calls greeted them as soon as the door closed, and Allison wasn’t quite sure if the women aimed them at her or the policeman. He stopped in front of a cell full of women with make-up piled an inch thick on their skin and dressed in mismatched skimpy clothing when another officer stuck his head around the corner. “Don’t put them in there, Stevens! The captain will have all our badges! Put them in the empty one.”
Allison stepped inside while the animals in the adjoining cell yelled obscenities and whistled. Her blood boiled when one of them actually propositioned Lucy.
“Come here, baby. I’ll calm you down.”
Obviously at the end of her frazzled rope, Lucy turned to the woman who baited her. “I don’t mean to be rude, but nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing you have to offer could calm me down.” She looked the stunned woman over one more time. “By the way, go see Lilly at Lilly’s House of Love. Tell her Lucy sent you.”
Allison tried to block out the horrid smell of urine and body odor by breathing through her mouth while Lucy paced. She glanced at the concrete bench attached to the back wall. Although exhausted, she wouldn’t sit even if she could. Lucy wouldn’t even consider.
Instead she braced one hip against the cold metal bars. She thought Luke had everything under control, but apparently she’d thought with her heart instead of her head. Sex had a way of doing that to a girl. Little did he realize who he toyed with. Although she was reluctant to call for reinforcement, it was he who forced her hand. First things first. She had to get them out of here.
She reached to touch her temples when she realized she still wore handcuffs.
Apparently, Lucy noticed too. “Why are you still handcuffed?”
Allison rolled her eyes. “I belted a cop, remember?”
Giving in to fatigue, she lowered herself to sit when Lucy grabbed her arm and yanked. “What are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Don’t you dare touch anything. It would take a hundred cans of disinfectant to even begin to kill the germs in this place.”
“What am I supposed to do? Stand here in the middle? It could be hours before we get out of here.”
“Hours? No!” Lucy paced faster. “I can’t stay in here. It reeks, Allison, and the walls are closing in. I can’t breathe!”
Allison stepped in front of her. “Lucy, stop and look at me.”
Lucy lifted her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I’m right here with you,” Allison continued. “We’re here together and we will get out together. Luke will be here soon. Don’t freak out on me.”
Lucy went back to her pacing and hand wringing. “What are we going to do? Luke was supposed to find the killer so this wouldn’t happen.”
Allison stopped her and whispered in her ear. “Do you have any hair pins left?”
“I think so.” Lucy ran her fingers through the underside of the back of her hair and pulled out one. “Here. Are you going to break us out?”
“Not this time.” She inserted the pin into her handcuffs and jiggled it until they sprang open, then slipped the pin back into Lucy’s hair and tossed the handcuffs out of the cage. They slid across the floor and whacked the opposite wall.
The policeman seated at the end of the hall cleared his throat before he ambled to their cell. He plucked the cuffs from the floor, dangled them from his finger, and swung them back and forth. “These yours, Allison?”
The spectators in the next cell snickered and whispered, obviously impressed by her talent. He looked at Lucy, then back at her. She shrugged.
“I should have known.” He shook his head. “Are you going to tell me how you got out of these?”
“If Jr. would’ve taken them off before he put me in here, I wouldn’t have had to unlock them myself. Scaredy cat.”
“Well, didn’t you assault him?”
“NO! I punched a detective.”
“That makes perfect sense,” he drawled while he unlocked the cell. “Come on. You too, Monroe.”
“Where are we going?” Lucy asked.
Allison grinned. “VIP, Luce. No more germs or hookers.” She gave the policeman a syrupy sweet smile and batted her eyelashes. “Thank you, Officer Jennings.”
He led them to another small room, this one brightly lit and spotless with two cushioned chairs and a television.
“Behave,” he said as he closed the door.
The lock clicked into place and Allison giggled. “Much better.”
Lucy nodded in agreement. “Don’t we get a phone call?”
“We don’t need one. Luke will be here, remember?”
“How can you be so sure? You always have a back-up plan.”
Allison studied her nails and put her phone call on hold. No need to worry anyone unnecessarily.
Lucy’s voice cracked. “You do have a back-up plan, don’t you?”
“Lucy, relax. Luke will bail us out. But, in the off chance he doesn’t, I do have a back-up plan.”
Lucy narrowed her eyes. “Prove it.”
“I’ll call
my uncle.”
Lucy’s mouth fell open. “We are in serious trouble, aren’t we?”
Allison shook her head like she had worms in her ears. “No! Why?”
“You’re already calling your family. Oh God, I’m not going home, am I?”
Allison rubbed both hands across her forehead then grabbed Lucy’s arm and forced her into a chair. “Take a breath, already!”
Lucy took several. “Sorry, this is just all so unbelievable.”
“Lucy, look, as long as the bail is paid, we can go home. I promise, one way or another, the bail will be paid.”
“Then what, Allison? I may have to come back.”
“If Luke is half the investigator he claims to be, you won’t come back.”
“You seem to have an awful lot of confidence in him.”
“To get us out of jail, yes,” she admitted. “Anything other than that is sketchy. Something tells me he’s ready to cut and run.”
“Because you slept with him?” Lucy pursed her lips.
“Maybe.”
Lucy’s voice softened. “You sound disappointed.”
Allison snorted. “Disappointed? Please Luce, men like Luke are a dime a dozen. Besides, you know it’s only a matter of time before I run him off.”
“You don’t have to.”
“We’re getting off the subject here. My point is, we will post bond tonight. After that, we’ll go home and figure out the rest.”
Lucy sighed. “I’m hungry.”
Allison grinned, eternally grateful to table the discussion of Luke. “Wanna order pizza?”
“From jail?”
She shrugged. “Sausage or pepperoni?”
***
Luke white-knuckled the steering wheel as he drove to the city jail. He was in big trouble. Big ass trouble. He should’ve cleared the air with Allison before, when he had the chance. Now there was one more thing to add to the list.
The minute he returned to his office to arrange for bail, another Scarletti family member waited there with a wad of bills a mile thick and an accented warning to keep the transaction quiet. What could he say?
Sorry Mr. 250-pound goon with the Colt .45 tucked in your overcoat and Scarletti family protection, but Allison would kill me if she knew I accepted your help.