by Mary Ellis
‘I should come with you,’ Michael said as he helped Jill pack his camera and video equipment in the car. ‘You might know how to set things up, but you don’t know the first thing about taking long-range photos.’
Jill rolled her eyes. ‘It only has to appear like I’m taking sleazy, tabloid shots. Lacey won’t know if I photograph the gas station next door or the back of his head. Besides, Nick and Detective Grimes will be listening in on every word I say.’ She climbed in behind the wheel and patted where she’d been wired for sound. ‘If I end up in danger, Nick and Detective Grimes will rush to my rescue.’
‘You get to have all the fun, Curtis,’ Michael muttered, backing away from the car.
‘So that’s what this is about?’ Jill bit the inside of her cheek. ‘If you do the preliminary research on our fourth and final distillery, I’ll make sure you have fun before we leave Louisville.’ With a wave of her hand, she headed to Phoenix Hill, a neighborhood which had seen its heyday sometime around the Second World War, but never recovered after the last recession.
Nick called along the way and fell in behind her long before they reached Ross Lacey’s house. Jill checked to make sure her microphone was working by whispering sweet nothings to Nick to see if he heard. He not only caught every one of them, but responded with a few tender endearments of his own.
‘Will Detective Grimes meet us there?’ Jill asked three blocks from Lacey’s house.
‘No. She’s a homicide detective, not a beat cop. She can’t join our stakeout when all he’s suspected of is stalking. But if you can get Lacey to follow you to Alexis’s apartment, that’s a different story. I can arrest him for violating the court order and take him down to headquarters. Then Detective Grimes can question him about the murder and request a search warrant for his residence.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ Jill pulled up to the curb two houses down from Lacey’s.
‘Are you worried because it’s just me watching your back?’ he asked.
‘Do I sound worried, Magic Man? You rushed to my rescue in the mountains, so I don’t think a city street in broad daylight will be a problem.’
Truthfully, Jill was worried, and it had nothing to do with Nick’s proficiency as a cop. She had looked into Lacey’s eyes and seen two black pools of hatred and discontent. As strong and talented as Nick was, protecting someone against pure evil wasn’t easy. But since she was the one who dragged Nick into this, Jill parked the car and pulled the tripod and camera with a long-range lens from the trunk. It took her only a few minutes to position herself across the street and secure the camera onto the tripod.
Lacey lived in a two-story row house connected to eight other units. These days, real estate agents called the structures townhouses. But the Willow Terraces had been built more than seventy years ago and hadn’t been refurbished since. Normally Jill never would judge a person by where they lived. She’d grown up in a neighborhood of tiny bungalows packed so close together you could hear if a neighbor’s microwave dinged. But the home of Ross Lacey didn’t match his Rolex or the Escalade he’d followed her in. Most likely, he had never brought Alexis home for a nightcap when they’d been dating.
The man was a façade, a phony who’d woven a pretentious web in hopes of snaring a wealthy wife. Alexis had gone out on a few dates with him, but she wasn’t into alpha males with big egos. Breaking up with Lacey had probably unleashed in him a type of nastiness that Alexis – or Jill – weren’t familiar with. She would keep that in mind as she aimed her camera at his living-room window.
‘You OK, sweet thing?’
Nick’s question through her earpiece almost knocked her over.
‘Sure,’ she said, regaining her composure. ‘For a minute I forgot you were down the street.’
‘Lacey’s car is parked next to the trash bins in the alley, so we know he’s home. While you watch his house, I’m watching you. So just try to relax.’
‘Don’t worry about me,’ she muttered toward her shirt pocket. ‘This sleazy tabloid journalist has nerves of steel.’
For the next fifteen minutes Jill took pictures of the cracks in the foundation, the dead shrubbery, and the broken window three doors down, just for something to do. The resident had replaced the missing pane with cardboard and judging by the deterioration, not recently. On the steps of Ross’s neighbor lay a bent and rusted tricycle. The condition of the kid’s toy broke Jill’s heart. When she finally stepped back from the tripod for a sip of water, the front door of number five burst open and Ross Lacey stomped down the steps.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he shouted as he approached.
‘What does it look like, Mr Lacey?’ Jill spoke calmly despite the fact her stomach had tied itself into a knot. ‘I’m taking still shots and video of where you live.’ She switched off the camera and slipped the SIM card into her pocket.
‘What the heck for? All I’m doing is working.’ Lacey looked every bit as confused as angry.
Jill folded the tripod and leaned it against her shoulder. ‘That’s what I assumed. But since you accused me of being a tabloid journalist, I thought I could make a few bucks with these pictures.’ She carried Michael’s equipment back to the car.
‘Who would pay you for pictures of these apartments?’ He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, laughing as though she was quite foolish.
With the camera stowed in the trunk, Jill climbed in the car and started the ignition, lowering the window to finish their conversation. ‘Normally, no one would care enough to pay a dime for pictures of a rundown row house with peeling paint and dead shrubs. Honestly, you should report your landlord to the housing authority. But I talked to Alexis yesterday after our encounter. She remembers you fondly and regrets how things ended, especially how her father had bullied you.’ Jill locked gazes with him to lend credibility to her words.
‘That’s bull,’ he snapped.
‘I couldn’t believe it either, but sometimes there’s no explaining human attraction. Alexis said you two enjoyed some good times together. That’s why I needed the pictures.’ Jill flashed a smile. ‘With the expensive suit and nice car, you painted a picture of being a successful stockbroker. But once Alexis sees where you live, she’ll think twice about picking up where you left off.’ Jill trounced down on the accelerator to put distance between them before daring to look in the mirror.
Ross Lacey stood in the street, shaking his fist and shouting obscenities. The only phrase she heard was: ‘You’re a dead woman, Jill Curtis,’ before he ran toward his house. Hopefully it was all she, Nick, and Detective Grimes needed.
‘You catch that, Magic Man?’ she asked, keeping her eyes on the road.
‘I only heard what you said, Jill, and you did a great job of insulting the man. If he’s as hot-tempered as the police report indicates, he won’t let those pictures get close to Alexis. What did Lacey say?’
‘He called me every nasty word in the book and then said I was a “dead woman”.’
Nick blew out his breath. ‘I’m a few car lengths behind because I don’t want to scare Lacey off. But I won’t let you out of my sight. I just called Detective Grimes and she’ll meet us there. Officers are already in place at Parker Estate. Follow the instructions we discussed to the letter.’ Then he went quiet. ‘Are you sure you can do this, Jill? It’s not too late to back out.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. I can do this.’ Jill sounded far more confident than she felt as she wove her way through Louisville’s backstreets. She saw no sign of Ross Lacey … or Nick Harris, for that matter. Then again, she kept her focus on parked cars and drivers changing lanes without bothering to signal. It wasn’t until she reached the country road leading to Parker Estate that a black SUV appeared in her rear-view mirror. And the Cadillac was gaining on her at a ridiculously high rate of speed.
As Nick had promised, the gate to the estate stood open with no security guard in the booth. Nothing and no one would impede Lacey from violating the restraining order against him. Ji
ll turned into the driveway faster than any sane woman as her pursuer closed the gap between them.
Heedless of his expensive vehicle, Lacey banged the bumper of her car with his front end, causing her right wheels to veer off the pavement. ‘Pull over,’ he shouted out his window. ‘We need to talk.’
Jill struggled to regain control as she sped up the tree-lined lane. Just as the driveway widened into two lanes near the mansion, Lacey pulled up beside her. ‘Stop, Jill, and talk to me. I’ll make it worth your while to hand over those photos.’
‘No, thanks,’ she shouted as they passed the house and braked hard to negotiate a corner. Will all his attention on Jill, Lacey didn’t notice Nick gaining ground on him or that the driveway curved around to the left. Lacey drove his SUV off the pavement into the damp grass, giving Jill just enough time to jump out of the car and sprint for the stairs to Alexis’s apartment. Along the way she prayed the madman wasn’t carrying a gun.
When she was midway up the steps, the apartment door opened and Alexis stepped onto the landing. ‘Hi, Jill,’ she said, sounding calm, cool and collected. ‘I wasn’t expecting you today.’ Then Alexis’s pale blue eyes landed on Ross Lacey who’d just reached the bottom of the staircase. ‘Ross, what are you doing here? I’m getting all sorts of company today.’ She flashed a friendly smile.
‘Alexis, you’ve been duped by this corrupt journalist.’ Ross pointed at Jill, halfway up the steps, so there would be no confusion. ‘If you invite me in, I can explain everything.’
During the several moments Alexis pondered the offer, a uniformed officer pushed Alexis back into the apartment and aimed his weapon at Ross. ‘I’ve got a better invitation for you, Mr Lacey. You’re under arrest for violating a restraining order.’ The cop hurried down the steps, passing Jill along the way just as Nick and two more officers stepped out from behind Alexis’s car.
In no time at all, Lacey was cuffed, read his rights, and led to a squad car.
‘She tricked me!’ he shouted over his shoulder. ‘That reporter tricked me into violating the order.’
Feeling braver with Nick’s presence, Jill shouted back, ‘I did nothing of the sort. It’s not my fault you didn’t want Alexis seeing a few pictures.’
‘Looks like I missed all the fun,’ said Detective Grimes, joining Nick and Jill. ‘Your little plan seems to have worked.’
‘How do you want to handle this, Detective?’ Nick asked.
‘While Lacey’s in custody for violating the court order we’ll get a search warrant for his apartment. If his DNA and fingerprints match the evidence we have, or if we find any connection to William Scott’s murder in his apartment, he’ll be charged.’
‘And if not?’ asked Alexis, joining the cluster.
‘He’ll have to be released, but a judge might grant you a permanent RO aganist the guy. Keep in mind that you and Miss Curtis might have just made a permanent enemy.’
That little detail had already occurred to Jill.
TEN
After yesterday’s non-stop action with Ross Lacey, Jill readily agreed to tour their last distillery the next day. As Michael pointed out for the umpteenth time, that’s what they were being paid to do, not lead psychopaths on high-speed chases through Louisville. Over drinks the previous evening at the Thurman House, Jill had filled Michael in on the details of the high-speed chase, including the unfortunate damage to his car. Their favorite bartender gave up all pretense of clandestine eavesdropping and hovered in front of them. Ray completely ignored his other customers until Jill wrapped up her story with Lacey’s arrest.
‘You should be more careful, Miss Jill,’ Ray interjected, always ready to offer his opinion. ‘Men like Lacey are unpredictable. He could give up on your unnamed friend and start stalking you.’
‘And she will remain unnamed, Ray, but thanks for your concern.’ Jill winked playfully, while Michael fumed about her recklessness.
But today her partner was smiling and their fourth and final distillery turned out to be a touristy mock-up on the edge of the town. The real Jim Beam distillery that made one of Kentucky’s premier bourbons was two hours away, but this replica gave visitors a good place to start their tour. The facility was spotless and the tour guide knowledgeable. Since there was no chance of stumbling across proprietary secrets, Michael was given carte blanche to shoot video anywhere on the property. The actual distillery sat twenty-seven miles away in Clermont, Kentucky.
When they finished the tour, she and Michael split a sandwich and an order of fries in the visitor center’s restaurant. ‘What do you say?’ he asked in between bites. ‘Should we drive to the main distillery? According to their website, it’s one of the largest in the state and that’s saying a lot.’
Jill dragged a fry through catsup. ‘Sure, why not? Let’s ask Nick to join us since he’s still on vacation.’
‘I’ll refill our iced tea for the road.’ Michael jumped to his feet.
But by the time he returned, their plans for the rest of the day had changed. ‘I just spoke to Alexis on the phone.’ She wiped her mouth with a napkin. ‘In yesterday’s excitement, she forgot to extend an invitation to a party at the distillery tonight.’
Michael grabbed the last French fry. ‘What kind of party?’
‘She’s about to announce the new master distiller at Parker Estate. And although who it will be isn’t much of a surprise, Rose wants to make this a big deal.’
‘Am I invited too?’ He lifted an eyebrow.
‘Of course, you are! You’re my partner.’
‘What about Nick?’ Michael grabbed the last fry.
‘Funny you should ask. Alexis said she already called Nick and invited him. He plans to come but said he’ll be late.’ Jill tried unsuccessfully not to sound uneasy about Nick and Alexis’s renewed friendship.
‘Is that right? Did she deliver an engraved invitation to your boyfriend by uniformed courier?’ His laugh sounded downright malicious.
‘Don’t be immature, Mikey.’ Pushing to her feet, Jill stacked their dirty plates on the tray.
‘Just voicing what you were thinking.’
As they walked to the car, Jill tried to think of something clever to say and came up empty.
‘So are we driving to the main distillery tomorrow? We should be able to see it all in one day.’
‘I’m afraid not. Alexis wants me to attend the reading of her father’s will in the morning. She could use some moral support.’
‘Once again I’m shoved to the back burner,’ he said.
But Jill had more important things on her mind than Michael’s disappointment. She had to figure out what to wear to the reception – the age-old conundrum faced by all women. According to Alexis, the business-casual event would be outdoors in the courtyard between the three main buildings. Guests could also wander through the distillery’s public areas.
After much deliberation Jill settled on black pants, a cream-colored silk blouse, and black heels, along with a tapestry jacket in case it turned chilly. While waiting for Michael to get ready, she thought about calling Nick. After all, wasn’t he still her boyfriend? But she didn’t want to appear immature, the deadly sin she had just accused Michael of.
‘Ahh, you’re finally ready.’ Jill tapped the app on her phone, summoning Uber to their location.
‘I am. What’s the hurry?’ In his tan Dockers and navy blazer, Michael wore the only dressy clothes he had brought to Kentucky. ‘You look nice, by the way.’
‘Thanks, so do you.’ Jill slipped her phone in her bag. ‘I want to find a good table for people-watching. Who knows what guilty faces we might see?’
Michael shook his head. ‘Why do you think there’ll be tables? This isn’t an ethnic wedding at the VFW hall. We’ll probably just mill around all evening, grazing on tidbits that leave you hungry.’
Jill grinned all the way down in the elevator. But on the drive to Parker Distillery, she thought about Nick and stopped smiling. What was so important today that he couldn
’t call or send a text? And why did he tell Alexis he’d be late to the party and not her? Now that Ross Lacey was in custody, he should have his evening free and clear.
Unfortunately, Jill’s curiosity won over her female pride and she sent him a short text: What’s up? Is everything OK? She held her breath until his reply popped up on her phone: I’m fine. Will explain later.
So much for satisfying her curiosity.
Jill shook thoughts of Nick away as the Uber arrived at the destination. She and Michael entered a flagstone courtyard so exquisitely decorated it put all other work parties to shame. No guide had shown them this hidden oasis during the tour. High-top tables covered with starched linens and small votive candles were scattered under the shade of huge magnolia trees. Strings of white lights crisscrossed overhead, providing ambiance besides plenty of illumination. Tuxedo-clad waiters circulated among the guests with trays of champagne and snifters of bourbon – Parker Estate, of course. A bar had been set up at one end of the courtyard for those wishing for something different.
‘Wow, when I get married I want this kind of reception,’ Michael said under his breath. ‘Classy, but my friends can still wear jeans.’
‘Me, too,’ Jill agreed. ‘It must be good to be Alexis.’
Michael lifted two flutes of champagne from a waiter’s tray and handed her one. ‘Do I hear a note of jealousy in your voice?’
Jill took a swallow. ‘I’m feeling more than a note. More like an entire concerto.’
‘What does Alexis have that you don’t besides money, prestige, and a cool car? You’ve got a way better sense of humor.’ He drank his glass in two swallows. ‘Will you be OK by yourself for a while?’
‘Of course, I’ll rely on my great sense of humor.’ Jill leaned one shoulder against a light pole.
‘Great. There’s a group of women by the bar I bet are single.’ Michael set his empty flute on a table and sauntered across the courtyard, trying to appear sophisticated.
Jill grinned and rolled her eyes. Her partner had to be the least subtle man she’d ever met, yet she could never tell him that. Feeling self-conscious at the table alone, she wandered indoors where a buffet of canapes had been set up. Everything looked artfully prepared and festively presented, but as Michael had predicted, nothing would fill an empty stomach. Nevertheless, Jill fixed a plate of grilled shrimp, oysters on the half shell, and a few raw veggies. On the way back to her wallflower position by the light pole, Alexis intercepted her.