Rest for the Wicked

by Ellen Hart

  As she pulled the shovel out from behind a sack of ice melt, she saw a figure move slowly up the drive and stand next to the fence. She opened the back screen to get a better look. “Dorsey?” she called. In the growing darkness, with a hoodie under his jacket pulled up over his head, she couldn’t make out his face. He was the right height, the right general size.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” he called back. “Gimlet seems to like it here.”

  “You want to come in? Have a cup of coffee with me?” The shoveling could wait.

  He hesitated. “Sure,” he said finally. Gimlet raced up to him when she spied him pushing through the gate. “Hey there, you,” he said, picking her up and carrying her into the kitchen.

  While he took off his coat and removed his boots, Jane got down two mugs from the cupboard.

  “I’ve been standing outside your front door,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if I should knock, if you’d mind me seeing her. When I heard them barking, I just had to come see.” Gimlet squirmed in his arms, licking his face, his hands, nipping at his nose.

  Seeing the clear delight in Dorsey’s eyes, and the deeper sadness underneath, Jane couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “You miss her.”

  “More than I thought possible.” He glanced around. “But she’s got a good home here. At least that’s something.”

  “You can come visit her anytime you want.”

  “Thanks, but I think seeing her almost makes it worse.”

  Jane poured the coffee. She set the mugs on the table and then sat down.

  “Avi was right. It was silly of me to think I could keep her.”

  “I’m curious. Do you know Avi well?”

  “We started out work friends. I got hammered the other night and ended up crashing on her couch. The next morning, I don’t know why exactly, but it was like something had changed. She really opened up to me. I think she figured she’d finally met someone as screwed up as she was.”

  Jane let that one pass. “I was kind of surprised to see that Georgia had moved in.”

  “She’s in a league of her own.”

  “Because?”

  “I don’t understand people like her. I’ve seen her manipulate tons of guys to get what she wants. Money. Attention. Flattery. The thing is, nothing ever seems to make her happy—or satisfied. She’s always on the make. She’s like … a black hole wind-up doll.” Blowing on his coffee, he added, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “You don’t like her.”

  “Not much.”

  “Are she and Avi—”

  “Who knows. I feel sorry for Avi if they are. You like her, right?”

  Jane nodded.

  “Look, Avi thinks I’m a gossip, and maybe I am. All I’m saying is, it strikes me that Avi is a sucker for somebody who says they need her.”

  “You mean Georgia.”

  “Among her many … obvious … skills, that woman knows how to find just the right nerve to touch to get people to do what she wants. I saw her work the same magic trick on one of the managers when I first started working at GaudyLights. She moved in with him. I guess he finally wised up and threw her out.”

  Now she had her sights set on Avi.

  “Avi’s pretty steamed at you,” added Dorsey, taking a sip of coffee.

  “But I don’t know why.”

  “You never told her you were a PI. Now she thinks her ex hired you to find her.”

  “Her ex?”

  “Have you ever seen the car she drives?”

  Jane tried to recall. “A Porsche?”

  “You think she bought that on a bartender’s take-home pay?”

  Jane shrugged.

  “She stole the car from her ex-girlfriend. She cleaned out one of her bank accounts, too. It’s a really depressing story. Ask her about it.”

  “I will.” A ringing telephone interrupted them. “Help yourself to more coffee,” said Jane, removing her cell phone from her back pocket. “This should just take a second.”

  “Hey, Janey,” said her father. “I finally got the results back from that second drug test.”

  “And?”

  “It’s MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy.”

  “You’re kidding me. I’ve never taken that in my life.”

  “Not knowingly, but you had it in your system the other night.”

  “I’m sorry to cause you all these problems.”

  “It’s not you, honey. It’s the company you keep. Besides, I’m your father. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll keep you posted.”

  As Jane stuffed the phone back into her pocket, she decided to take a chance. “Somebody slipped me ecstasy the other night when I was at GaudyLights. You know anything about that?”

  “God, no.” He gazed down at Gimlet and scratched her head. “It’s no church, that’s for sure.”

  “Do any cops frequent the place?”

  “Cops are some of our best customers. Why?”

  “You know any of their names?”

  “Not last names.”

  “Any have a rep for dishonesty?”

  “No idea.”

  She stirred some cream into her coffee. “I hired Elvio Ramos’s brother at one of my restaurants. That family is going to be in tough shape without at least one breadwinner.”

  “Luis’s a good man. He’ll help out.”

  “You know him?”

  Dorsey’s head snapped up. “No. Well, I mean, we’ve met.”

  “You and Elvio were friends, right?”

  He gave a casual shrug. “We talked at work.”

  “Did Luis ever come to the club?”

  “Can’t recall.”

  “Where’d you meet him, then?”

  “Um … I guess it must have been GaudyLights.”

  “Luis said something to me the other day. Kind of surprised me. He called Elvio a faggot.”

  Dorsey shifted in his seat. “Really?”

  “Said Elvio didn’t deserve a good woman like Rosa.”

  “He’s probably right.”

  “Was Elvio gay?” asked Jane.

  He crossed his legs, trying to get comfortable. “How should I know?”

  “I’ll bet you do. You like to watch, to listen. I’ll bet you know everything that goes on around that club.”

  “Not everything—but, yeah, I do keep my eyes open.”

  “Which means you probably know the truth about Elvio.”

  “He was a good man. I know that much.”

  “A good gay man?”

  Dorsey shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose you could say he leaned that way.”

  She crept out on a limb. “Were you in love with him?”

  “Me? Hell, no.”

  “But you were attracted to him.”

  “I don’t have to answer that.”

  She didn’t reply. Instead, she let the silence work for her.

  “What I do is my own business.” He picked up the coffee cup but put it down when he realized that his hands were trembling. “I’m not gay, if that’s what you’re suggesting, but I understood his pain.”

  “Why did Elvio murder DeAndre Moore?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I wish I did.” He didn’t move for several seconds. “I didn’t love him, but I did feel sorry for him. That’s all I can tell you.” Grabbing his scarf and jacket, he moved quickly to the door. “I’ve probably said too much.” He took one final look at Gimlet, then let himself out.

  Gimlet stood looking up, whining softly. Jane reached over and scooped the puppy into her arms, holding her close. “You’ll see him again. Don’t worry. He loves you way too much to stay away.” She hoped she was right, for his sake and for Gimlet’s.

  * * *

  Emmett sat on the floor of his living room with the lights off, the gun Vince had given him in his lap. Roddy was in his room playing a video game, oblivious to anything but his own problems. That was as it should be. For the rest of the night, Emmett intended to stand guard. Whoever was out there wasn’t going to catch him
unawares. Tomorrow, he would put his plan into motion.

  Seeing car lights flash against the curtains, Emmett crawled across the room to look outside. A small SUV had parked in front of the house. The lights snapped off. The door opened. A moment later a thin figure in a peacoat emerged and climbed the stairs up to the front door.

  Sitting back against the wall, Emmett waited, the gun heavy in his hand. The doorbell rang. Willing the person to go away, he drew his legs up to his chest, ready to move swiftly if he had to.

  Again the doorbell sounded. Then came knocking. “Mr. Washington,” called a woman’s voice. “My name is Lawless. I need to talk to you.”

  Roddy appeared in the hallway. “What’s going on? Who is that outside?” Pulling a Fudgesicle out of his mouth, he said, “Why are you sitting on the floor in the dark?”

  Emmett grabbed Roddy and pulled him down, then held a finger to his lips. “Go back to your room,” he whispered.

  “What’s that in your hand?”

  “Out. Go.”

  “Mr. Washington,” the voice came again. “I think you may be in danger. If you’re in there, will you at least speak to me? You don’t have to open the door.”

  “What’s she talking about?” asked Roddy.

  “Keep your voice down,” said Emmett. “Do what I tell you. Go on, get out of here.”

  “No.”

  “Mr. Washington? I’m the one who left my name and number in your mail slot this afternoon. Call me, please. We need to talk. It’s very important. I believe you’re in danger.” She rang the bell again.

  “Dad?”

  “Shhh.”

  “Is that a gun?”

  Crawling back to the curtains, Emmett parted them ever so slightly and watched the woman walk back down the steps to her car.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” demanded Roddy.

  “Were you planning to go anywhere tonight?”

  “Yeah. Maybe. Why?”

  “I want you to stay home.” Turning to face his son, Emmett added, “I’ll tell you everything, I promise, but not tonight. Right now I need to be in here by myself.”

  “Something bad’s gonna happen, isn’t it.”

  “Not if I can stop it.”

  “With a gun?”

  “With whatever it takes.”

  37

  On her way back to Minneapolis, Jane made a quick decision. Instead of spending the rest of the evening working at the Lyme House, she had a different destination in mind. A thought had begun to nag at her while she was driving over to Emmett Washington’s place. It was something that should have leaped out at her sooner, but with everything on her mind, she’d failed to see it. This might be the key she was looking for, the proof that her drug arrest had been a setup. She hoped she wasn’t too late.

  Pulling into the parking area behind GaudyLights around ten thirty, she was surprised to find so many empty parking spaces. Maybe it had something to do with the good citizens of the Twin Cities getting ready for work in the morning, or maybe it was the residual effects from Sunday morning church attendance. Whatever the case, she had her pick tonight.

  Jane cut the engine and jumped out of the Honda holding a small flashlight and a paint scraper. She walked briskly back to the rear of the lot. Crouching down, with the flashlight held in her teeth, she began to carve snow away from the packed mound that sat next to where she’d squeezed her Mini in on Friday night. She was working on the theory that the cop who’d stopped her because of that broken taillight had probably smashed it himself. It took a few minutes and some careful digging, but she finally found what she was looking for. Buried close to the ground not three feet from where the Mini had been parked were pieces of shattered red plastic. Not quite sure what to do with the evidence, Jane opted to call her dad.

  “Ray Lawless,” came his rumbling voice.

  “Hey, Dad. You watching Law & Order reruns?”

  “Cute. What’s up?”

  She explained what she’d found and asked what he thought she should do about it.

  “Nothing,” came his instant reply. “Leave the parking lot now. I don’t want you anywhere near that evidence.”

  “You saying the police will think I planted it?”

  “I never second-guess what the police will think. Just to be on the safe side, I’ll call one of my investigators, get him right on it. He’ll call the MPD after he takes a look. Good work, honey. I should have thought of that myself.”

  “Will this get me off?” She knew it was a dumb question.

  “I wish it were that easy. Then again, it can’t hurt. Now you get out of there.”

  “I’m gone. Bye.” She stuffed the phone into her pocket as she ran back to her SUV.

  A few minutes later, after finding a lucky parking spot on the street, Jane walked into GaudyLights, feeling far less gullible than she’d been a couple of nights ago. She knew full well that her father would be livid if he learned she’d ignored his direct orders to stay away, but she had her reasons. Threading her way back to the bar, she found Avi talking to a gray-haired guy seated at the counter, laughing, listening, doing the job she did so well.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Avi, stopping midsentence.

  “We need to talk.”

  “I’m not interested.”

  “Excuse us,” said Jane, glaring at the man until he vacated the stool. Since he was one of only three people sitting at the bar, Avi didn’t have anywhere else to go. Even so, she moved away.

  Jane followed.

  Each time Avi shifted her position to clean up a spill or organize part of the backbar, Jane moved right along with her. “I’m not leaving until you listen to what I have to say.”

  “I told you. Not interested.”

  “I didn’t know anything about your ex-girlfriend until Dorsey told me this afternoon.”

  “Not listening.”

  “It’s the truth. Just stand still for a second!”

  Avi seemed startled by the anger in Jane’s voice.

  “I came because I care about you. Way the hell too much, it would appear.” She paused, sinking her hands in her coat pockets. “Come on, cut me some slack. Just give me five minutes. You owe me that much.”

  “I don’t owe you a damn thing. We just met a few days ago. Who the hell do you think you are, coming in here like—”

  “I think—” Jane bit at her lower lip, knowing what she wanted to say, what was in her heart, but unsure how Avi would react to it. In the end, she couldn’t help herself. The words just burst out. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

  Avi’s eyes widened. “Love?”

  “Yeah. Would that be so bad?”

  Avi backed up a step.

  “I’m not after you. Your ex didn’t hire me. I swear. I’m not going to turn you over to the police. I only want to help—to understand. Can’t you give me that much?”

  Standing her ground, Avi said, “Why didn’t you tell me you were a PI?”

  “I should have. You don’t know how sorry I am that I didn’t. It’s just … I don’t always announce it. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it creates a barrier. But I did tell you why I’d come to the club. I never lied. In fact, you were the one who set me on the right track, telling me about DeAndre Moore’s sister. You trusted me. You still can. I never expected to find someone like you in a place like this. You have to know I’d never hurt you.”

  “I thought I did.”

  “Nothing’s changed. I don’t know what happened between you and this woman—”

  “Her name is Sarah.” Avi reached for a bottle of Bombay Sapphire. “I’m not supposed to do this, but here goes.” She poured herself a shot.

  “A gin shot?”

  “So I like gin.” She downed it in one neat gulp.

  Jane eased onto a stool. Their relationship, such as it was, had reached critical mass. Avi would either talk to her or walk away.

  Pouring herself another shot, Avi cleared her throat and said, “I loved Sarah and
she used me. It’s an old story.” Downing the second drink, she wiped a hand across her mouth. “We’d been dating for maybe four months when one night—I was making us dinner at her apartment—she told me she’d been offered a job in Cleveland. It was a great job. The only problem was, she didn’t have the money to move across country and set up housekeeping in a new city. She had a baby, a four-month-old little girl. She said the salary would be far more than she’d ever made, though not enough to cover day care. She was adamant about not wanting Gracie to spend her days with strangers.

  “I was bartending back then and, as always, writing in my spare time. I didn’t go out much, so I had a little money in the bank. I told her I could afford to get us to Cleveland and, if she’d let me, I’d take care of Gracie full-time as long she paid for rent, food, etc. She acted like she wasn’t sure she should let me make that kind of sacrifice. Two days later we were packed and on our way.”

  Jane cringed inwardly at what she assumed was coming next.

  “I mean, I was in heaven. I thought Sarah and I would be together forever. She was promoted quickly through the company hierarchy. I was so proud of her. Less than a year after we moved to Cleveland, we were able to buy a house. She did a fair amount of traveling every month. I didn’t mind. By then, Gracie was like my own child. We did everything together. Four days after Gracie entered first grade, Sarah announced that she wanted out. I discovered, after the fact, that she’d been dating someone behind my back—keeping me around, basically, as a nanny. When I found out, I snapped. I packed a bag, jumped in one of ‘her’ cars, wiped out the only bank account my name was on, and took off. I figured it was only a matter of time before she’d come after me. I had no rights because we weren’t married. She used me, then shoved me out the door with nothing and nowhere to go.”

  Jane reached across the counter and took hold of Avi’s hand.

  “I don’t need your pity.”

  “It’s not pity. I’m just so sorry you had to go through that.”

  “I hate her.”

  “So do I.”

  Wiping tears from her eyes, Avi said, “I’m a fool.”

  “We’ve all been fools.” Squeezing Avi’s hand, Jane said, “Do you forgive me?”

  “I guess … maybe … I should ask you the same thing.”