I had just lowered myself into a warm lavender oil bath when my doorbell rang. If I hadn’t just gotten Bella down for a few winks, I would have let it ring until Calgon took me away. I stepped out, threw on my robe, and stomped downstairs.
When I saw Ava standing on my porch wearing a floor-length white fur coat, black sunglasses, and a Jackie O wig, I knew my vacation had taken a turn. She held papers in her hand.
“What happened in my class, Ava, and what are you holding?”
Silence, except for the sound of papers flitting between her hands. Not good.
“Ava, don’t make me drop-kick you off my porch.”
“You’ll get arrested, and tighten your robe.”
“I’ll get arrested for more than that if you don’t answer my question.”
Still silence.
“I don’t know how to tell you this, but you’ve been expelled. The instructor is very good, by the way. He knew who I was and that I wasn’t you before I warmed your seat.” She lowered her head and sighed.
“Stop. Reverse. What do you mean ‘expelled’?”
“I tried my best to speak on your behalf, but this guy wouldn’t budge and I can’t understand why, since he wasn’t your actual instructor. He was a substitute.”
I closed my eyes to keep my body from boiling with anger.
“Are you okay?” Ava touched my shoulder.
“I can’t believe . . .” I backed away from her and painted on a smile. “Ava, thank you. Give me the notes you have and the name of this substitute. I’ll take care of this.”
“But I don’t think it would be wise for you to go back there. Look, it was my fault. My brilliant scheme backfired, so of course I will pay for another class. I don’t want you to take this as an opportunity to quit. The class is perfect for you. I learned some very interesting things about law enforcement, private investigation, and even bail recovery. That’s what you do, right?”
“Ava, stop babbling. You and that throwback outfit of yours is making my head hurt. Now come on in. You can help me with dinner and I’ll tell you about my date with Justus.”
She smiled. Her guilt hadn’t completely vanished from her face, but she looked better than she had a few minutes before. I escorted her into the kitchen. I suddenly felt the urge to make pancakes, something we used to eat when we felt bad.
Tuesday, 8:45 AM
Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, Georgia
Mr. Deacon West stood outside his office staring at me and chuckling as I walked toward him. I did my best not to let him see me gulp.
He extended his hand. “I’m assuming that yesterday you and your twin were my surveillance faux pas reenactments or a foolish ex-student who thought she could give me the old switcheroo. Which one is it?”
“Not the latter, but I would be lying if I agreed with the first,” I said. “The truth is I’m the real Angel Crawford. On short notice, I had to chaperone my daughter’s kindergarten class field trip yesterday. My sister tried to help me out by pretending to be me. It didn’t work, of course, but I hope you’ll reconsider. I need this class.”
He scratched his head with his pen. “Are you always this long winded?”
“No, sir. My grandma once told me, ‘You can’t hear your lesson with your mouth wide open.’ ” I zipped my lips with my imaginary zipper.
He tilted his head toward the classroom. “Get in there.”
I scurried to the only available seat and did what I told Whitney to do her first day in college. Shut up, take notes, and shut up.
The class was wonderful. I could have kicked myself for not having done this kind of continuing education sooner. The only challenge I had was that I didn’t have time to thank Deacon West once again for allowing me back into his class. I had about a half hour left before I picked up Bella and four of her classmates from school car pool. As a part of the city’s new conservation plan, our school district created parent car-pool rings for those of us who didn’t want to put our children on the bus. My scheduled date to pick up our kids was today. I cringed, because I had forgotten to vacuum the car. The only thing I had time to do was run my handheld vacuum that I kept in the trunk through the backseat before I left the parking lot.
I double-checked my watch, grabbed my backpack, and bumped into a hard chest.
A long-legged, black jeans/black cowboy boots/ black Stetson hat–wearing Adonis frowned back at me. “What do you not understand about the word ‘expelled’?”
I assumed Hot Cowboy was the substitute. “That’s a conversation you had with someone else, not me.”
“I’m very aware of that.” He stepped closer.
I could smell why Old Spice cologne had made a comeback. I made a mental note to get Justus some of it for his birthday. I hope it’s soon.
“Then you should be aware that the real instructor, Mr. West, allowed me a reprieve.”
His brown eyes thundered all over me. “Unc, you let this woman back in your class?”
Unc, as in uncle? I gasped.
“Yes, I did, Maxim,” Deacon yelled back. “Now leave her alone, else you got a crush.”
Maxim cleared his throat, stepped back, and lowered his hat. “My apologies, Angel.”
“Do you know me?”
“I’m aware of all annoyances in my jurisdiction, including bounty hunters.” He gave a mischievous grin. He knew we didn’t like to be called bounty hunters, but I let it go.
“Your jurisdiction?” I observed him more closely until I noticed the Department of Justice’s six-point star within a circular ring badge. I threw my hands on my hips and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, the grin now gone.
“I think you’re my marshal?”
He looked at me with a deeper frown than before and raised his eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A birdie told me you were looking for a Rosary DiChristina.”
He shook his head. “Birdie told you wrong. I never heard of her. Who is she?”
I hadn’t been in PI class but one day and had already failed the first lesson. Ask the right question to get the right answer.
Sean had lied about a U.S. marshal looking for Rosary. I wondered what else he had lied to me about. Unfortunately, the only person who could help me with the right answer was Rosary. I had made a promise to Justus not to search for her until Thursday. But hunting and paying her a visit were two different things. Weren’t they?
16
Tuesday, 2:30 PM
Gwinnett College Parking Lot, Lawrenceville, Georgia
By the time I reached my car, I was spitting bullets. I couldn’t call Sean’s office fast enough. Good thing for him he didn’t answer; good thing for me I hadn’t spent one dime of that money he gave me to bring back Rosary.
I wanted to call Justus, but I already knew how that conversation would go down. I told you so, Angel, in a nutshell. I backed out of the parking space and headed for Bella’s school.
When I stopped for a red light I told my handheld phone device to dial Tiger, then hung up. I couldn’t tell him anything about this because he had paid me and warned me to stay out of predicaments like this. I huffed. Who could I talk to?
Tuesday, 4: 00 PM
McDonald’s, Suwanee, Georgia
“Angel, explain to me why you do everything in your power to ruin the name I gave you,” Mom said while we watched Bella play in the indoor playground at McDonald’s.
It was too cold and rainy for her to play outside. We preferred this location because it had a nice fireplace and the franchise owner kept fresh flowers on the tables. Mom called this Budget Brunch.
“Mom, I don’t know what to do.”
She sipped her black coffee from her own ceramic coffee cup. “Simple, return the money today.”
“You don’t think I should call Elaine?”
“For what? You should have called her when Sean gave you all that money. Too late to involve her now.” She leaned forward. “Are you going to Run
ning of the Brides with Whitney?”
I nodded. “Maybe I should take the money to Elaine after ROTB. Sean can explain himself to us both then.”
“No, you can’t keep that money another day. Who’s to say that Riddick character and Sean aren’t trying to set you up? That money must go.”
“Right.” I sighed and shook my head. “I can’t take it to Sean’s office, because he’s out of town with Elaine on a press junket. There’s not enough time for me to get downtown and leave it with his secretary.”
“Do you know where he lives?”
“Yep, he lives in Gallery Buckhead.”
It’s a high-rise condo on Peachtree Street not far from Elaine’s office and Flappers. Sean lived a very good life.
“Wonderful.” Mom clapped her hands.
I frowned and folded my arms over my chest. “And how is that wonderful?”
“After Bella gets her fill of fun we will run over two doors and have Eve at the Suwanee Gift Shop wrap that money in a pretty box with a bright red bow. JJ and I’ll take it on our way home. I’ll hand-deliver it to the concierge at Gallery. He’ll make sure Sean gets his money back.”
My face perked up. “That might work.”
“Of course it will. You’re washing your hands clean of this nonsense and sticking it to him real nice-nasty and ladylike.”
“What about Rosie? Should I look for her? Warn her family?”
“If anything happens to that poor girl, you know nothing. You hear me? She should have taken your offer for rehab when she had the chance. Can’t save her now and definitely not with Sean’s dirty money in your back pocket. Let her own mama fix her situation.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nodded. I couldn’t argue with the truth.
Before Mom and JJ left us, I gave Mom a hug.
“Thank you for helping me, Mom. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you these past few days,” I whispered.
She released me. “You’re welcome. However, you might take back your hugs and kisses after you hear my last unsolicited piece of advice.”
“Go ahead and hit me with it.”
“Tell Justus. He was with you when Sean gave you the money. He’ll be curious what came of you and him searching for Rosary in ‘Where Black Folks Don’t Tread’ Georgia this Friday. And he’s more than just your boyfriend, baby. . . .” She patted my cheek. “Communication between a man and a woman isn’t easy unless you practice. Put the time in. Tell him.”
“I’ll tell him when I get home. You call me as soon as you drop the package off.”
Tuesday, 7: 00 PM
Home, Sugar Hill, Georgia
I waited.
Tuesday, 10:00 PM
Home, Sugar Hill, Georgia
And I waited.
Wednesday, 1: 00 AM
Home, Sugar Hill, Georgia
Something rang and woke me up. Justus and I had fallen asleep on separate couches in the family room while waiting on Mom to call.
I picked up the phone. “Mom?”
I heard the ringing again. I held the phone in my hand, confused. “What’s going on?”
“It’s the door, not the phone,”Justus grumbled.
His eyes were still closed. I tapped his foot. “Why are you still here?”
“The door.” He pointed.
“You’re going to get in big trouble being here,” I hissed.
The last thing I needed was the neighborhood spreading rumors to the church that Justus had spent the night in my house, although technically he just did. I tried to drum up some excuses for what happened as I stumbled toward the hall.
I peeked through my front door peephole and woke up for real.
“Maxim?”
He stood on the other side of my door wearing a blue tweed jacket, blue jeans, and that black Stetson hat. He looked like a cowboy on a mission to haul my butt to jail.
“Who’s at the door?” Justus asked. His voice made me jump.
“Big Trouble.” I gulped.
17
Wednesday, 1: 00 AM
Home, Sugar Hill, Georgia
“If I knew you were coming over, I would have cleaned my house.”
Maxim and I sat in my home office while Justus hung back in the den. Whitney was still out in the streets. I hated to admit that I was glad Justus was still here. The house felt different at night with him in it. It was a good different.
“No problem. This won’t take long,” Maxim said.
He unbuttoned his jacket, placed his hat on his knee, and relaxed in my black and white damask wingback chair. His marshal badge served double duty as a belt buckle. By his demeanor it looked like he would be here longer and he wasn’t arresting me.
“Yesterday you mentioned a Rosary DiChristina to me. In fact, you assumed that I knew the woman.”
“Yeah, it was a mistake. My bad. I confused you with another Maxim West.” I giggled, but he didn’t laugh. “That was a bad joke.”
“Right . . .” He smirked. “After you misspoke, I received an e-mail from headquarters concerning this Rosary DiChristina and then I realized something. Either you’re psychic, or whoever lied to you to get you off their back knew I was coming. I need two things from you.”
“No problem. You need the name of the person who told me about you.”
“No, I’ve got it on good authority that Sean Graham told you.”
“How do you know that?” I sat up.
“Have you talked to your mom lately?” He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out something, then slapped it on my desk.
It was the money envelope Sean had given me, but where was the box? Where was Mom?
My chest tightened. I hopped up from my seat. “Did you arrest my mama?”
“Sit down and stop being melodramatic.” He frowned and shook his head. “Your mom gave me the box. Okay? Do you know how respected your stepfather is? The man’s a legend.”
“I don’t know him. She didn’t let us know about them until after the wedding.... What does this have to do with the box?”
“Your mother shared your predicament with your stepdad. Out of concern for you both he called my office. I have the box. And you’re off the hook.”
“Off the hook for what?”
“Anything that happens from here on out except for my uncle’s class.” He stood up and lifted the envelope off the table. “You may need to do some extra credit to catch up in there. Enjoy your night, Ms. Crawford.”
He placed the envelope back in his jacket. I followed him to the front door.
I stepped in front of him before I opened the door. “Maxim, can you tell me what’s going on with Rosary? Is she in serious trouble?”
“She’s not in trouble with us, but she’s a person of interest for a federal case. If we don’t get to her before the bad guys find her, however, she will be in trouble.”
I thought about the warning the correctional officer at the Gwinnett County jail had given to me about Rosary. “Does this have anything to do with that jail hooch? She agreed to go to rehab for that.”
He crinkled his nose. “Angel, that’s not my jurisdiction. I can tell you that Rosie isn’t in trouble with the law. We were the ones who had her charges dropped. She’s an informant now.”
“What? Informant?” I stepped back. “So no one bailed her out?”
He shook his head. “She was released, then disappeared. Now we’re worried.”
“Have you questioned Sean?”
He rolled his eyes. “His lawyers will be meeting us Friday afternoon to clear things up.”
“Yeah, but that’s two days from now.”
He rubbed his hat. “Sean didn’t come across to me as being the violent type. I don’t think he had a clue what he’d gotten himself into or the people he’d involved himself with. He’s not the bad guy. He’s the dumb, smug, arrogant one who couldn’t live a day in general population and he knows it. I think he was trying to fix this problem on his own. But if you’ve never been dirty, then you don’t
know how to get clean.”
“If you’ve never participated in criminal activity, then you don’t know how to cover your tracks. Amen to that,” I said. “Maxim, how many extra credit points will I get if I help you find Rosary?”
“That reminds me of the second thing I need from you.” He grinned. “I need you.”
Someone coughed. I turned around. Justus stood behind me near the staircase. His eyes were on me. He wasn’t smiling.
I turned back to Maxim. I felt my cheeks burn. “Umm . . . it’s too late to have a coherent conversation. Can we talk later?”
“If you want to help with this, more like if you can, call me.” Maxim handed me his card and tipped his hat to Justus before he skipped down my steps.
I think he even whistled when he walked.
Justus met me at my threshold. “Before I leave, I’m going to say this. Do you hear me?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“If you follow that man into those woods tonight, I’m not coming after you.”
“I can’t go if I wanted to. Whitney isn’t here.”
“Whitney’s been here since midnight,” he said.
“Wait a minute . . .” I closed the door and followed him back to the den.
He was now folding the comforter I had draped over him earlier. “Angel, I have said all that I am going to say on the subject.”
“But I didn’t say I was going with him. Maxim didn’t say he was going anywhere, as a matter of fact.”
Justus threw one finger in the air. “I do have one more thing to say.”
“The floor’s yours.” I folded my arms across my chest.
“His name is ridiculous.”
I laughed. “Are you jealous, Justus Morgan?”
“Woman, I told you I loved you earlier. So what do you think my answer is?”
I walked toward him and flung the comforter out of his hand. “You’re being ridiculous.”
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