by Diane Bator
"How many suspects do you have aside from the black belts?" she asked.
"A couple."
"You're a bad liar," she said. "If it helps, I didn't notice the scroll was missing until after the police were gone. It usually hung in the changing room."
"The truth is, Thayer and I are spinning our wheels. We've been checking out alibis and backgrounds, but until we get stuff from the lab, we have no proof." He paused. "Do you have any suspects?"
Gilda finished the last of her protein shake and hoped her surprise wasn't too obvious. "The murderer whittled down my suspect list. Do you think Xavier, Mick, or Razi did it?"
"You forgot one." Fabio studied her like he was waiting for a reaction. "Yoshida's a black belt too. Don't you think anyone would want to kill him?"
"I'm sure there's a long line."
"Which tells me there are some issues we haven't heard about yet. I'm going to do some research. Yoshida has access to the school and to Mick and the others. To you, too, Sherlock, so watch your back." He patted her knee.
Sherlock. Fabio had spoken to Mick. Apparently, he and Mick had either made up or called a truce until the murders were solved.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Gilda's head pounded with a dull ache from the time she left Fabio on the beach. Neither breakfast, meditation, nor a morning run under threatening skies eased the pain. She arrived at the school that afternoon in time to see the first splatters of rain slap the front door.
"Gilda?" Mick, his voice scratchy and tired, called out. "Is that you?"
"Yeah." She turned the lights on and sat behind her desk. "Why are you in the dark?"
When her question was met by silence, she shrugged. He hadn't called out for help, nor had he asked for an ambulance. She stared at the monitor. What if he'd only had enough strength to shout once? His voice had sounded weak and harsh.
"Mick?" With her heart beating faster by the second, she pushed back her chair and walked toward his office. "Mick? Are you okay?"
No reply.
She reached around the corner to the light switch, expecting to find Mick sprawled dead in his chair. When she flicked the switch, she shrieked. No bodies littered the room, just fast food containers, half empty coffee cups, and rotting fruit. Where was the police cleanup crew now? Even they wouldn't have touched these biohazards.
"Hey, what's up?" Mick asked from behind her.
"Don't do that." Gilda spun around and shoved him away. "Where were you?"
"The dojo." He wiped a trace of blood off his lip. Fresh cuts crossed his face, and he wore the first blush of a black eye.
"What happened to you?" she asked.
He hesitated. "Chloe got mad at me. What are you doing here?"
"Cleaning up your filth. We have classes today, remember?" She folded her arms across her stomach. "What happened with Chloe?"
"She stopped by and demanded I sign over the deed to my condo." He slipped past her and sat in his office chair. "When I refused, she punched me and tried to claw my eyes out."
That explained the papers she saw Chloe with in front of the school several days ago. Gilda frowned. "I thought once you repaid Gary you'd get your condo back and move out of your office." She frowned and leaned in the doorway. "You still haven't paid him, have you?"
He said nothing but stared at the floor for several seconds. "It hadn't seemed like a priority until now. I was so wound up after she left, I locked the door and meditated. I promise I'll get matters settled before Chloe comes back with some muscle."
"She must really like your condo," Gilda said.
"No, she just really hates me." He smirked. "She's pulling every stunt she can to get me out of her life, as well as out of town."
"Including killing people?" she asked.
Mick's eyes widened. "No way. She'd never be able to pull all that off. Both she and Gary's goons take a more direct approach."
"I guess we'd better do some serious cleaning. Hopefully we'll have some students in about an hour." Gilda turned away to return to her desk, a thousand things on her mind. As she passed by the dojo, she thought she saw light from the doorway, but it was there and gone so fast she decided it was a byproduct of her nagging headache.
Mick bolted from his office and ran past her. He opened the back door and peered outside. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" She bowed and walked into the dojo.
He ran around and flipped on every light in the building then peered into the back room. "I thought I heard the back door close."
"That's weird. I thought I saw a light. Why didn't I hear the door?" she asked. Distracted, more than likely.
"A flashlight or daylight?" He returned to where she stood riveted to the floor.
Lightheaded, Gilda stumbled behind her desk and sat in her chair. "Daylight."
"Somebody else must have been in the school while I was meditating. I didn't even hear anything until now." Mick sat next to her, beads of sweat on his forehead. "I was a sitting duck. They could've taken me out any time they wanted."
She reached for the phone. "I'll call Fabio."
He shook his head. "I don't want him here."
"We need him here," she said. "He and Thayer need to know someone was in here. At least they can keep an eye on everything while you focus on classes and feel safe."
"They won't make me feel safe." He scrubbed his face with both hands and growled. After a long minute, he nodded. "Fine. Call Fabio. We have to protect our students."
"Well, I know I'll feel better." Gilda's hands shook. "I'll call Razi to come in early."
"You're the best. Thanks." He smiled, but fear haunted his eyes when he hugged her.
She called the police station, not surprised when Fabio and Thayer arrived five minutes later. Together, they searched the school then directed a two-man forensics team to dust for fingerprints near the vent and back door. After asking a dozen questions, Thayer disappeared out the back door with the forensics team.
"Are you sure you didn't see anything?" Fabio asked.
"Just a flash of light," she said. "Mick was in his office and heard the door."
"Why didn't you hear the door?"
"I was distracted." Gilda frowned. "I have a headache and a thousand things to worry about before classes start this afternoon. I guess I wasn't paying attention until I saw the flash of light."
"Have you noticed anyone else sneaking around in here before?" Fabio asked.
She hesitated long enough for him to raise both eyebrows. "The day after Walter died, I came in to send out e-mails and make signs to say we were closed for a few days. A man with bare feet ran out the back door. By the time I got outside, he was gone."
Fabio slapped his forehead. "You didn't think that was important enough to mention?"
"Mick knew," Gilda said.
"Mick's not a cop."
"I thought he'd tell you." She left him at the desk and focused her energy on cleaning toilets and floors to keep busy. Before long, the first students arrived.
"Gilda, are you here?" Marion strolled into the school and handed her a cup of tea. "Oh, honey, you look dreadful. What are the cops doing here? Did something else happen? Why didn't you call me?"
Fabio smiled. "We're just making sure things don't get out of hand, considering all that's happened lately."
Marion looked doubtful, even more so when Gilda flashed a worried smile then pressed her hands into her armpits and glanced around the corner. Mick's office door was closed. She hoped he'd found an ice pack and wouldn't scare the kids. Before she could move away, the door opened and Mick strolled out and forced a weak grin.
"Whoa." Marion stepped back, her eyebrows raised. "That's quite the shiner. Makes you look even tougher than usual. The kids will be well behaved tonight."
"Yeah? You should see the other guy," Mick said.
Gilda hunched her shoulders and returned to her desk without comment. There was no point trying to talk to him with everyone else eavesdropping to hear the latest.
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"Miss me, honey?" Thayer strolled through the door with a cardboard tray. "I got some tea to calm your nerves. You seem a little stressed."
"Thanks, but Marion already brought me tea. Herbal. No caffeine." She wasn't about to give him brownie points for consideration, no matter what he did.
"You're here to observe and keep the peace, not bother my receptionist." Mick scowled. "Maybe Fabio should investigate you. You've wanted me out of town since the day Gilda started to work here. I wouldn't put it past you to hire somebody to put me out of business permanently."
"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't bother hiring anyone else to do it," Thayer said. When the room fell silent, he reddened then bowed his head and skulked to the seating area.
Gilda glanced at Mick. "Thanks."
"Let me know if he bugs you anymore." He opened his cup and took a sip. "I'll convince him to come into adult class later. If he's really annoying, I'll let you spar with him. That'll teach him."
Unconvinced that was a good idea, Gilda logged onto the computer and mentally ran down the list of tasks she needed to perform. The phone rang before she could carry out the first item on her list. She hesitated for three rings, afraid to get one more caller asking about the murders. "Yoshida Martial Arts."
"Hey, Gilda. It's Gary. Meet me out front."
She shook her head. "No way. It's raining."
"I never took you for a wimp," he said.
"What do you want?" Her question prompted Thayer to stand and peer over the counter. She waved him off and lowered her voice. "What's going on?"
"I hear Chloe stopped by to see Mick earlier," Gary said. "He tried to beat her up then kicked her out of the school."
Gilda blew out a long breath. "I wasn't here. All I know is, he looks like he tangled with a big cat who tried to gouge out his eyes."
"Sounds right." He chuckled. "Mick would never tell me anyway. What did my spoiled little princess do to him this time? Did she provoke him?"
"That was my impression."
"Oh, crap." Gary groaned. "Thanks for your honesty, Gilda. I'm busy tonight. Let Mick know I'll come by tomorrow so we can finally settle things."
When he hung up, Gilda frowned. Getting back into a regular routine wasn't going to be easy. Not with people breaking into the school and bookies making threats on Mick's life.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Gilda longed to sleep in Thursday morning, but her head still pounded. Wednesday night's adult class had drained every ounce of energy she'd managed to retain from dealing with curious parents, both in person and on the phone, and nosy bookies. She'd had to answer a barrage of questions: Why are the police here? Who gave Sensei Mick a black eye? Who was the guy in the dark car parked out front earlier? Do you think there'll be another murder?
By the last class, she was ready to snap.
Things only got worse when Mick invited—lured actually—Thayer into class.
She pulled the blankets over her head to block out the memory, but the thumps persisted. The pounding wasn't in her head after all. It was at her front door. No sleeping in today. Someone had other ideas.
"Coming." Gilda's throat ached, and her voice rasped like she'd done nothing except scream all night, which was close enough. She swung her legs out of bed and sighed. Clad in nothing more than her long T-shirt and pajama shorts, she opened the front door.
Marion stood on the porch with two gigantic paper cups of coffee. "You look like hell. I figured you could use this after that crazy class last night. Things got a little intense. I was sure glad I stayed to watch. You know, I'm seriously thinking about signing up after watching you in action."
Gilda frowned. Thayer, dared by Mick, had accepted the invitation to join them in class.
Marion handed her one of the cups. "You're one scary little lady. I'll bet Thayer had nightmares after that sparring match. He'll never cross you again."
Which was exactly why Mick had paired them in the first place. Payback.
Gilda motioned her inside and flopped onto the far end of the couch. "Probably. You know he deserved every shot I gave him."
"Especially that last one," Marion said. "When you left, he was still lying on the mat seeing stars. On the upside, no man in that class will ever tell anyone they hit like a girl again. I know you and Thayer have a nasty history, but what was that all about?"
"He shouldn't have called me a wimp. Do you know he and Fabio have never even taken me seriously as a murder suspect?"
"And that bothers you?" Marion rolled her eyes skyward. "Are you nuts? Honey, you should be glad you're not under surveillance twenty-four seven and being dragged down to the station to answer questions about everything under the sun."
"I know." She sighed. "I just hate that he never takes me seriously about anything."
Marion chuckled. "He will now. At least you got a police escort home later. Actually, that wasn't the reason I came over. I was in Café Beanz last night and overheard Chloe tell some guy she needed some muscle to convince Mick to sign his condo over to her."
Gilda gagged on her mouthful of coffee. "Who was she talking to?"
"I've never seen the guy before," Marion said. "I assumed he was one of Gary's goons. He's got people everywhere, the way I hear it."
Possibly, but Gary wouldn't let anything happen to Mick as long as he owed money. Chloe, on the other hand, wouldn't hesitate to use brute force to get Mick's condo and maybe even his businesses.
"Are you okay?" Marion waved a hand in front of her face.
She rubbed her eyes. "I should probably warn Mick and Gary she's up to something."
"Let's go." Marion headed for the door. "I'm off today. I can tag along for moral support."
"I could just text them."
"You could, but Gary's parked out front anyway." Marion peered out the window. "You want me to get him to join us?"
She dropped her head back. "Not until I have a shower and get dressed. Do you want to go for a walk? I need to get out of here and don't feel like being alone or with Gary."
"Sure." Marion took a long drink of coffee. "Just keep in mind, I'm not in great shape. If you make me walk too far, I'll probably collapse. I think I need to start a diet tomorrow."
Gilda smiled. "No torture. Just an easy walk to clear the head and avoid Gary, Thayer, Fabio, and Mick. Maybe you should come to class and get in shape. We could start going for walks instead of for brunch."
"What's wrong with brunch? I need my weekly dose of bacon." Marion stretched her legs. "If I lose too much weight, I'll have to buy a whole new wardrobe, and I don't have the money for that."
Gilda chuckled then got up and glanced out the front window. Sure enough, Gary was parked across the street. Smoke curled out the driver's window, and he sat against the leather seat. Good thing there was more than one way out of her house. Once she got dressed, she led Marion out the back door, through the dew-covered garden, and toward the beach. Breaths of wind swirled off the lake and dried the fear from her forehead.
"You're a sneaky girl." Marion grinned. "I'm so glad we're friends. I'd hate to be on your bad side, especially after I saw you in action last night."
Gilda glanced over her shoulder, watching for any of the current men in her life. "Thanks. Thayer always made me feel so incompetent. Mick pushes me. He seems to know I can do things long before I know I can."
"Like beat up police officers, hold together the karate school, and solve crimes?" Marion asked. "Plus you've got the local bookie on your side and have Mick falling head over heels for you. Thayer will think twice about bothering you now. Honey, when you step up to fix things, you go totally overboard."
Gilda agreed then spotted Gary up the beach. "How on Earth did he find us?"
"Ignore him," Marion said. "Just pretend we're out for a normal walk on the beach."
"We are out for a normal walk on the beach."
Marion raised her eyebrows. "Then why did we have to sneak out the back door?"
Gilda sighed. "Bec
ause I feel like a fugitive."
Marion let out a loud laugh. "And that is why we're such good friends. Don't worry—I'll run interference for you. If he gets out of control, you can take him down."
"How'd you sneak past me?" Gary, still wearing his dress shoes and socks, ran toward them. "I was waiting for you."
"We ducked out the back door." Gilda frowned. "How did you find us?"
"I know people," he said. "People who tell me I need to talk to you because you're one tough little cookie who can kick my butt if I step out of line."
"Yes, she can." Marion grinned. "I watched her throw Thayer to the ground and knock him around in class last night. I think she convinced him and me to sign up for karate classes."
Gary studied both women then gave a slow nod. "Is Mick still living at the school?"
"As far as I know," Gilda said. "Why?"
He grasped her arm and steered her toward the street. "You and I are going to talk to him and get him to settle up his debt with me."
"What? Why do you need me?" Gilda shoved his hand off and stood her ground. "I have nothing to do with your problem with Mick."
"Leave her out of this," Marion said. "She's not involved in your shady gangster crap."
"Yes, she is." Gary grabbed Gilda's arm again. "She works for Mick, and she's the only person who can get me through that front door. We're going to get this cleared up before I have to get tough."
"What are you going to do—use the same muscle-head Chloe hired?" Gilda stopped on the sidewalk and yanked her arm out of his grip.
"What goon?" he asked, his gaze darting from Gilda to Marion.
"The one Marion overheard her talking to in the café last night. The same one you're going to foot the bill for whether you know it or not," Gilda said.
He raised his eyebrows. "You're shrewd."
"I'm serious." She clenched her teeth. "I'll help you, but you have to tell Chloe to get rid of the goon, leave Mick's condo, and get out of town."
"Or you have to spar Gilda in karate class." Marion nudged Gilda's arm. "Trust me, you don't want to do that."