Illegally Blonde

by anna snow

  I nodded and raised my eyebrows. "He wasn't exactly what we were expecting," I admitted.

  Kelly shook her head and sighed. "Dale is a bit flamboyant when not around the band. I wish he wouldn't hide who he is, but he believes if he doesn't match the appearance of the other band members he'll ruin them."

  "He explained that to us," I said and nodded. "Dale told us you didn't pick Mark up from the airport last week when they landed and that he saw Mark leave with a man he'd never seen before."

  "No." she shook her head. "Mark called me and said that he was tired, so he was just going to go home and sleep. It was after midnight when his plane landed, so I didn't think anything about it."

  "So you don't have any idea who he would've left with?" I asked.

  "No. He didn't have a lot of male friends." She pulled a face. "I only ever knew of him hanging out with the band, and that didn't happen often. The rest of the time he was booked doing meet and greets, in the recording studio, or out on the town with one of the women who he claimed were 'just friends.'" She shook her head. "I should have dumped him long ago. I don't know why I didn't. I put myself in this situation." She plopped back down on the sofa beside me and put her head in her hands.

  "Don't beat yourself up." Silas put his arm around her. "We all make bad decisions in our lives. Believe me, I'd know."

  "Yeah, well—" She pushed her hair back. "If charges are pressed, I won't have to worry about making the same mistakes again because I'll be sitting in jail for the rest of my life, or worse—this is Texas after all."

  "That's not going to happen," I assured her. "We're going to find out who killed Mark. Everything is going to be all right."

  Kelly nodded and tried to smile at me then reached up and wiped her nose.

  "Tyler is meeting me in just a little while. Hopefully, he will have some new information that he'll be willing to share." I stood up and adjusted my ponytail. "Get some rest, and I'll come by tomorrow after I talk to Dickie."

  "Why on Earth are you going to talk to Dickie?" she squawked and stood up quickly.

  "Because he's the only person I know who might be able to tell me who Mark could go to to buy an illegal gun and drugs."

  "Be careful, Barb." Kelly hugged me tight.

  "You know I will."

  "I'll give you a ride home." Silas stood and opened the door.

  I waved to Mandy and Mona then left the apartment. We rode the elevator to the parking garage, got in the car, and steered in the direction of my home.

  A million questions rolled through my mind. Did I really think that I'd get anything out of Dickie in the morning? I hoped so. If this was just the case of a cheating spouse or a petty thief, I'd know exactly who to go to for help, but this was completely different. I'd never dealt with a case that involved guns and drugs before. Dickie was the only person I knew who could point us in the direction we needed to go in order to find Mark's killer if by some chance it wasn't Melody.

  We turned onto my street.

  "Take it slow," I said with a sigh. "It's still light out, and I don't want to take the chance that Buster is running loose in the street again."

  All I needed at this point was to hurt him and have Mr. Kasmire on my butt even worse than he already was, not to mention a guilty conscience to deal with. I didn't like Buster, but I would never hurt an animal on purpose.

  "That little rat-dog I saw on your neighbor's lawn yesterday morning?"

  "That's the one," I said wearily.

  Silas chuckled and shook his head but didn't say anything further.

  As we approached my house, I spotted Tyler's SUV parked in the driveway next to my car. Tyler was leaning against the driver side door with his arms crossed over his chest. Silas pulled up and parked behind him.

  I got out of the car, closed the door behind me, and then leaned down in the window to talk to Silas. "I'll pick you up in the morning. I want to go take a look in Melody's place as soon as we can. I'll text you before I get to your place."

  "I'll be ready," he assured me then gave me a little wave and backed out of the driveway. I watched him leave the neighborhood then turned and made my way up the short driveway.

  Tyler opened his arms and pulled me against him. His warm embrace eased some of my stress, and I melted against him, resting my arms around his trim waist.

  "How long have you been waiting?" I asked.

  "About two minutes. I just pulled up." He tipped my head back and kissed me on the lips. Then the sound of a throat being cleared killed the moment.

  I lowered down from my tiptoes and looked across the street. Sure enough, Mr. Kasmire was standing on his lawn. His permanent scowl was in place as always. Buster was on a thin blue leash this time with his back pointed in my direction as he did his dirty business.

  "It's amazing how much your neighbors love you," Tyler teased me.

  I swatted his arm playfully, tossed Mr. Kasmire a wave and a wide smile, mostly just to irritate the crotchety old coot, then led Tyler inside.

  I toed off my shoes and tossed my purse on the floor at the end of the couch. Mickey raised his head from his spot on the recliner, meowed with indifference, and went back to sleep.

  "What did you do to him?" Tyler chuckled and followed me to the kitchen.

  "Woke him up early. I'll be on his poo-list until he wants a treat. Then he'll be all love and snuggles again," I said and stuck a K-Cup in the Keurig machine.

  When I turned around, Tyler was right behind me. He took me into his arms, pulled me against his chest, and rubbed my back.

  "How are you doing?"

  "I'm fine," I said and looked up at him curiously. "A little stressed out," I admitted. "But that's to be expected, seeing as my best friend could be charged at any moment with a murder that she didn't commit, and I don't really have any firm leads to go on."

  "That's not what I'm talking about," he said and smoothed a stray hair away from my forehead. "I didn't mean to spring what I said on you when I called earlier. It just came out because that's how I feel about you."

  I blinked up at him with what I was sure was a goofy expression. I didn't know what to say. I loved Tyler, but was I ready for him to know that? Was I ready to take the leap Silas talked about?

  "Barb, I didn't say it with the intention of making you say it back to me." He tilted my face up to his. "I love you, and when the time is right and you're ready, you'll say it back to me," he said with such optimism that I almost melted into a puddle right there at his feet.

  How did I, a clumsy hot mess on a good day, land a man like Tyler? I was still baffled.

  I smiled up at him then tiptoed up and kissed him.

  When the kiss ended, he caressed my cheek and grinned. "Now, how about we order a deluxe supreme pizza, put on a cheesy horror flick, and get a little snuggle time in while we still have the chance?"

  "That sounds like the best plan I've heard all day," I said. "I'll pour the coffee."

  "And I'll order the pizza." Tyler grabbed his phone and called in a delivery order for a large, thick, stuffed-crust supreme pizza with extra cheese, mushrooms, and extra olives, just the way I liked it, while I carried our coffee into the living room and set up the movie. Annabelle was the next movie on our list, so I popped it in and took my seat on the sofa beside Tyler.

  Almost an hour later Tyler and I were sprawled out on the couch with bellies full of pizza, Mickey curled up at our feet, and another coffee in hand.

  "Is it sad that this is pretty close to heaven for me?" I asked from my reclined position against Tyler's chest.

  "Nope, because it is for me, too," Tyler chuckled. "After the day we led, this is the perfect way to relax together."

  "Do you have a big day planned for tomorrow?" I asked.

  "Following up on some leads. I came across a woman who might have had something to do with Mark's murder."

  "Melody Thompson?" I asked.

  "Yeah, that's her." He looked down at me. "Let me guess—you've already talked to her?"
he asked with a knowing expression.

  "Yeah, this morning." I nodded and twisted the coffee mug in my palms. "She wasn't the politest of people, but she did tell me a little of what I needed to know."

  "Such as?"

  "She and Mark had been seeing each other for a while, and she's definitely not Kelly's biggest fan. From what I gathered, they were seeing each other, she didn't like it that he wouldn't leave Kelly for her, which is why she spoke like she resented Kelly, and she doesn't have an alibi for the night of Mark's death."

  Tyler blew out a breath. "Well, she certainly has a reason to want to kill Mark if she thought he'd never leave Kelly and was just stringing her along. I've seen partners kill each other for a lot less." He leaned sideways and set his mug on the table. "I'm going to bring her in for questioning, but the judge won't sign off on a search warrant for her place until after we talk to her. What about you? Have you come up with any other leads?"

  This was where our relationship got tricky. The moment I told him that I was about to go visit someone like Dickie, his protective macho side would activate, and we'd spend the next hour bickering about how I was putting myself in unnecessary danger. I hated lying to Tyler, but I knew there were aspects of his job that he couldn't tell me, so I put this dilemma in the same category. It might not be the same thing, but it was the only way I could justify keeping things from him.

  "I have a small lead, but I'm not expecting much to come from it." Which wasn't exactly a lie. I had no idea what Dickie could or would tell me. For all I knew, he'd have his goon, Gerald, toss me out of the track on my butt the moment I stepped foot into the building.

  "Just be careful." He kissed me on top of the head.

  "I always am." Now that was a lie, but I chose to ignore that little fact.

  "Yeah, right." He laughed.

  I turned over and faced him, and he ran his fingers through my hair. "We'll figure all of this out. I promise," he said and kissed my lips gently. The feel of Tyler's firm, full lips on mine never failed to send my worries flying out the window. Tyler had quickly become my sort of safe place. My anchor.

  I kissed him back, and before I knew it, Tyler was carrying me to the bedroom.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The alarm clock blared out its irritating beep, and I fought the urge to toss it against the wall and pull the blanket up over my head. Without opening my eyes, I reached over and slapped at it but cracked one eye open when my hand came into contact with a piece of paper instead of my bedside clock.

  I pulled the purple Post-It note from the clock then shut off the alarm.

  Mickey hopped off the bed and moseyed into the other room while I rubbed the sleep from my eyes until my vision cleared then read the note.

  Sorry you had to wake up alone. I got a call and had to go in to check some things out. Be careful with whatever you're up to today. I'll call you later. —Tyler

  I flopped back down onto my pillow and laid the note beside me. As much as I knew I needed to get up and get to work, I didn't want to. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get anywhere with this investigation. I forced myself to roll out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. Once finished, I pulled a purple T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans out of the closet and slid them on, followed by a pair of matching purple Converse tennis shoes.

  I fed and watered Mickey then scratched him behind the ears. While Mickey got his grub on, I popped a piece of gum into my mouth and fired off a quick text to Tyler to let him know I'd found his note then one to Silas to let him know I was on my way to pick him up.

  I set the alarm, locked the door behind me, and jogged down the porch steps.

  The morning sun was already bright, and the air was warm. It was shaping up to be a hot day, but I was used to it.

  "I see your man friend didn't stick around long. Hmm."

  I looked across the street and saw Mr. Kasmire glaring at me with a sort of mean smirk on his face. Buster, ever loyal and consistent, turned his back to me and proceeded to squat and do his business.

  I wasn't normally one to poke the bear, so to speak, when it came to Mr. Kasmire, but I was feeling a bit agitated with his attitude this morning, and his smirk was ticking me off more than usual.

  "No, I only needed him for a few hours." I shrugged and tossed him a cheeky grin then hopped into my car while he gaped at me.

  I pulled out of the driveway and hightailed it toward Silas's place.

  As much as I wanted to talk to Dickie alone, I knew that Silas would track me down if I didn't swing by his place and pick him up. He was almost as protective as Tyler, and one of the last things I wanted was for Silas to tattle to Tyler that I ran off to talk to a former (maybe) mobster about finding guns and drugs, and I had no doubt that he would.

  Traffic was pretty light, which was surprising, but I wasn't about to complain. I pulled up in front of Silas's building and spotted him chatting with the doorman on the sidewalk, a travel cup in each hand.

  He saw me, waved, and then made his way over. I leaned over and opened the passenger side door for him, and he hopped inside.

  "Coffee?" I asked hopefully.

  "Peach iced tea." He noted my disappointed expression. "You need to lay off the coffee, Barb."

  "But I need it. It's morning," I argued. "Besides, I don't drink that much coffee."

  He raised an eyebrow at me and guffawed. "Who in the heck are you trying to lie to? Are you forgetting that I'm with you more often than not? I think you're the reason Starbucks is still in business. Now." He shook the pink cup at me. "Drink your tea like a big girl, and I'll get you a coffee at lunch."

  I tossed him a crabby look and took the cup. "Thanks," I said and took a sip.

  "See? It's good, right?"

  I smiled. "Yes. It's not coffee, but it is good."

  Silas leaned back in his seat with a satisfied smile and sipped his own drink that smelled suspiciously like coffee.

  I pulled out onto the highway and into traffic.

  "So, where exactly are we supposed to find this Dickie fellow?" Silas drummed his fingers against his leg.

  "He hangs out at the Lone Star Park out in Grand Prairie," I said and changed lanes.

  "Makes sense." Silas shrugged. "Him being a bookie and all."

  "I suppose it does." I nodded.

  Grand Prairie was only about a thirty-minute drive, and with the way traffic was moving, we would make it in about twenty-five minutes instead.

  "So do you have a plan, or are we just going to wing it?"

  "We're winging it. I don't even know if Dickie will talk to us or not. Then there's his goon to get past."

  Going in blind wasn't the best idea, but what was Dickie going to do? Kill us right there on the track in front of everyone? I highly doubted it. Besides, I already owed Dickie a favor, and I was pretty sure he wouldn't want to knock me off until he collected.

  I made a right turn onto West Hunter Ferrell Road.

  "Do you at least have your gun on you?" he glanced at me.

  "Of course I do. What kind of rookie do you think I am?"

  He blew out a sigh that could've been either relief or exasperation.

  "But Dickie's crony, Gerald, will take it as soon as we approach." I shrugged.

  Silas threw a look at me that would have melted most people.

  "So, we're going to talk to a maybe-former mobster with a big goon standing guard, with no weapons for protection, and we're going to ask him to give us the names of someone who will sell us illegal guns and drugs and who also might have killed someone we know?"

  I made a left turn onto South Belt Line Road then looked over at him and nodded. "Pretty much. But I'm not too worried." I slowed my speed. "Dickie is a smart man. He wouldn't harm us in public. Besides, the last time I spoke with him, he was actually polite."

  "Well." Silas tossed his hand in the air. "He was polite to you. He must be a great guy. I feel so much safer now," he said sarcastically.

  "You can wait in the car if you'd like,"
I said easily.

  He glared at me. "No way."

  "Then quit whining, and be a man," I said as we pulled through Gate One, paid for parking, and drove into the parking area.

  Silas chuckled, completely unfazed by my snarky comment.

  I found a parking spot and pulled in, killed the ignition, slid my parking slip onto the dashboard, and got out of the car.

  Silas looked up at the building and whistled low. "This place is huge. How are we supposed to find Dickie?"

  I pulled at the hem of my T-shirt to adjust it and fluffed my ponytail. "Trust me. I know where he is."

  We entered the building and made our way to the second level where the track hosted terrace seating. Several ceiling fans were attached to the overhang that shaded the area, creating a nice cool breeze. I scanned the area and spotted Dickie at the same table where I'd met him before. And as always, his ever faithful goon was standing guard beside him.

  Dickie was wearing his usual black suit pants, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, shiny loafers, and a black fedora.

  According to the information that Mandy had gathered on Dickie for me after our first meeting some months ago, he had enough money to own this building. But to my surprise, Dickie wasn't extravagant in the least.

  "There he is." I motioned subtly with my head in Dickie's direction.

  Silas frowned down at me. "That's Dickie the Bookie?" he asked with a hint of disbelief.

  "Yeah. Why do you sound so surprised?"

  "Well. I just pictured him differently. That's all."

  I grinned up at him. "What were you expecting? Some huge forty-something guy with greasy hair and a machine gun strapped to his back?"

  Silas looked at me with a serious expression. "Well…yeah. Sort of."

  I rolled my eyes so hard I swore I saw my brain then shook my head.

  "Come on, you boob."

  I weaved my way around several empty tables until we were a few feet from Dickie's preferred table. Gerald, Dickie's bodyguard, stepped forward as we approached.

  "State your business." He stood with his hands behind his back and his legs slightly apart.

  "I need to speak with Dickie."