“Where are they now?”
“In a closet at Kyle’s. I was scared out of my mind and stashed them when I heard the doorbell.”
“Why should I trust you? You were in pretty thick with that broad.”
“Jesus, Mikey. That was before I knew she was a cop.”
Mikey looked out the top window. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead too. You’re in my debt and I always call them in. Might not be today or a week from now, but I’ll collect. Understood?”
Diamond dropped her eyes down in her lap and looked down at her well-manicured fingernails. “Yeah.”
Mikey swiped at the screen on his phone, texted someone and put the phone away. “I’ve got a good feeling about you. You and I had a good thing. I figure, why spoil what we have.”
That ended when I went to prison for what you did.
Mikey took Diamond’s hand, laced his fingers through hers and squeezed. “How’d you like it if we got back together again? Better still, we’ll get engaged and that way nobody can touch you, including the law. Except me.”
As the train slowed to a stop, a passenger bolted out of his seat and hurried off the train.
“I’ll get you a sparkler to put on that pale finger of yours,” Mikey said. “Then once we’re married, we’ll call it good.”
Diamond felt her pulse race as the train lurched forward and picked up speed. No one disagreed with Mikey Surace and got away with it. “Swear to me you didn’t kill her.”
“Inquiries are being made and that’s all you need to know. You’ll go back to the club tonight, work your shift, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Do I go back to my apartment?”
“Go to our place in Palmyra.” Mikey buttoned up his coat and stood as the train slowed down to its next stop. “I’ll be back in Wisconsin tonight.” He went down the stairs and disappeared.
Diamond had never felt so trapped.
Now she couldn’t go to the police with the letters that she had managed to hide at her place on the night Kyle was killed. Now she had no other choice but to marry Mikey to avoid becoming as disposable as a used tissue. Or find another way out of this hell.
*
5:20 p.m.
As early evening settled in, most of the citizens in Fort were tucked away safely in their homes or hanging out at one of the many bars that littered the corner of every block on the north side of town.
Jeremiah maneuvered through traffic, crossed the intersection of Airport and Highway K, and turned onto the winding access road leading to the front doors of the popular gentleman’s club, On The Edge.
To the right, next to the river, was a line of cabins obscured by weeping willow branches stripped of their leaves and evergreen trees still suffering from last year’s round of winter burn. To the left, several rows of empty parking spaces lined the parking lot connected to the main building that had once served as a lodge for a camp.
Jeremiah pulled up in front of the lobby and shut off the ignition. “Let me handle this one.”
Lily stared at him for a moment. “It’s yours.”
“Something wrong?”
Lily pointed at the club. “I think I remember this place. It looks like Camp Haven. In fact,” Lily leaned forward and looked across at the cabins. “This is it. My cousin and I used to come here when we were little. The club is the old lodge and mess hall. Not much has changed except the windows are tinted.”
“Let’s get this over with.” Jeremiah clutched his coat as he stepped out of the car. The wind zapped at his ear lobes like miniature razors. He popped his collar, walked towards the club and tried to ignore his pounding headache. Four days since his last puff and the cravings were still strong—stronger, now that he had to set his eyes upon Diamond Reese, again.
Inside the club, soft pop music poured from the speakers above while a neon sign displaying names of domestic beers blinked above liquor shelves.
A man with dirty unkempt hair who resembled a 1970’s era weightlifter stopped stocking the shelves and stepped from behind the bar. “We’re closed.”
Quentin. Hailed from Ybor City. Still playing bartender and designated pit pull for the Surace family. His eyes reminded Jeremiah of snake eyes on a pair of dice that dangled from a rearview mirror. Jeremiah flashed his badge. “My name is Detective Mills. I’m with the Fort Atkinson Police Department.”
Quentin cleared his throat and a woman with an overdone orange tan, clad in a biker girl corset, scampered out of her corner and trickled off toward the back of the club. “I know who you are.” The burly man turned his back, picked up a phone and spoke a few words before hanging up.
A few seconds later, a slender female, dressed in a purple lace halter mini-dress, descended the stairs and sashayed in slow deliberate steps in the detectives’ direction. The dress looked as if it was melded against her ivory skin.
Jeremiah’s breathing slowed as he caught sight of the one and only Diamond Reese. The Queen of Diamonds still looked the same. Walked the same. Except now she was in business mode. Smile pretty and play dumb, he mentally begged her, like you do for us cops.
“Looks like she forgot to purchase the rest of the outfit,” Lily said in a low whisper.
“Welcome to On The Edge. I’m the club manager, Diamond Reese.” The woman stretched out her arm, shook hands with the detectives and led them to a table near the front door. “Detective Mills. It’s been awhile.”
“Not long enough,” Jeremiah said.
Diamond ran her fingernails through her long wavy brown hair and let it fall over her shoulders. “I know why you’re here. My lawyers have advised me not to get involved.”
Jeremiah adjusted his chair so he could get a better view of the outside. “No matter how you twist it, you’re involved. I have two dead bodies. At least one of them is a cop. Ariel Weeks.”
Diamond exhaled. “Jasmine was a sweet gal but made bad choices. That’s something you and I know a lot about. Don’t we, Detective?”
“I’m not here to play games. My partner and I want some answers about what happened.”
“Anything that happens outside of scheduled work time isn’t my business.”
“C’mon Diamond. Don’t try to play me. Back in Milwaukee, everything was your business. You’re the best of the best. Or I should say used to be one of the best. You know all of the tricks of the escorting game. What are you hiding?”
“I’m not the one hiding anything.” A satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Diamond was willing to get down in the dirt. But Jeremiah wasn’t. Not now. Lily couldn’t know about his secret. The Queen of Diamonds held all of the cards. The last time he had seen her, she compared the anger that remained between them to a spade. “It’s the symbol of death. Because of what you’ve done, and I knew about it, death will always be our shadow. We’re destined to die a horrible death.” That was Diamond: so melodramatic.
“After everything Mikey’s done to you, you’re willing to risk taking the fall for him, again?”
“Get out.”
Lily asked, “Ma’am, do you know where I can get in touch with Mikey Surace?”
“My fiancé is out of town. If you want to carry this conversation any further, I need to see a warrant.” Diamond glanced over at Jeremiah. “It was good to see you again. Well, not really.”
Lily rose and dropped her card on the table. “For the moment, this investigation has your name written all over it. It’s up to you to clear your name.”
Jeremiah and Lily headed for the door.
Jeremiah had hoped for a smoother talk with Diamond. How wrong he had been about her lifestyle not changing her. Back in Milwaukee, she was more on her game; classy but guarded. And she didn’t take any shit from a man. Now, she was classy, but frigid. Was it just him that she acted this shady with? Or was Diamond that way with all of the other men who wasn’t paying her for her time?
Whatever it was, if Diamond did want to say anything, she wasn’t goi
ng to talk to them at the club. The Suraces were always watching. Whether it was with their goons or the electronic eyes in the sky, the Suraces watched everyone.
*
As soon as Lily’s feet touched the pavement, she said, “Diamond’s lying. She’s a kept woman and kept women are paid to keep quiet.” A car zipped by as she stepped off the curb. “I bet she’s got herself a stable full of lawyers. All paid for by the mob.”
“You drive this time.” Jeremiah tossed Lily the keys.
Across the way, a driver leaned on their horn.
Lily glanced over and saw a silver car cutting through traffic.
The female stared at Lily as she drove in the opposite direction.
For a second, Lily thought she recognized the driver. “There’s an accident waiting to happen.” Lily got in and started the Charger’s engine.
“Nice Camaro.”
Lily said nothing and pulled away from the curb.
“It looked bad back there, I know.” Jeremiah shifted in his seat. “Tough case, bad judgment. It’s a long story.”
“Does it have anything to do with you getting shuffled out of MPD to Fort?”
“Technically, I was reassigned.”
“Are you a dirty cop?”
“I prefer rogue.”
“Oh, there’s a difference?”
“I like to think so,” Jeremiah said, tossing a stick of gum in his mouth. “I never wanted to be a cop. I wanted to play pro football, but that didn’t work out. I kept getting in trouble. My run-ins with the cops connected me with one officer who steered me in the right direction. He was like a mentor. I accepted his help and here I am. What about you? Did you want to be a cop?”
“Absolutely. But if that were to change, I’d buy old houses and restore them.”
Jeremiah scratched at his five o’clock shadow. “I can see you doing the DIY thing. But I’ve watched you working this case. You’re so intense.”
Lily stared straight ahead and watched the pulp truck ahead of them, the logs swaying from side to side, mimicking the recent events that had shaken her life. “I’m out to find a killer. Being intense helps me to stay devoted to my cases. Positivity and my faith give me hope. The families of the victims need to have some form of closure. No matter what you learn after the case is solved.” Even if it means taking down someone who’s supposed to be family.
*
Fifteen minutes later, Lily poked her head in the break room and saw Alec and Evan with paper cups in their hand headed her way. “Team meeting.”
“We’re right behind you,” Evan said.
Sergeant Owen came up behind Lily. “How’d did it go?”
Lily shook her head. “We’ve got nothing. We met Diamond Reese who wasn’t interested in talking to us. She did inform us that her fiancé, Mikey Surace is out of town.”
Alec said, “Mikey boy will probably hide behind her.”
Sarge turned down his radio. “Then let’s roll it over to the other shift and pick it up in the morning.”
Lily said, “Yes sir.”
Alec patted Evan on the back. “To that I say, let’s go get a cold one.”
“You bet.” Evan turned to Lily and asked, “Wanna go with us to McGinley’s?”
“I’d like that.”
Chapter 8
9:17 p.m.
Another complaint about the shy dancer had pulled Diamond Reese out of a private discussion she was having with Mikey. It was time to put the girl in check.
As the manager, Diamond was in charge of the dancers. Anything and everything was her responsibility. From making sure that their lingerie fit perfectly in all the right places, to how they presented themselves on and off stage. Four minutes before the newbie was due to perform for her customer, she backed out.
Diamond knew Crystal was upset about Venus being killed. Every day since, a handful of her performers had been running around the club like frightened kittens.
She couldn’t blame them for being scared. However, if she didn’t get a handle on Crystal, things would only get worse.
Most of the dancers were either druggies or alcoholics. Then there were the daring darlings, as Diamond liked to call them. The ones who worked themselves through school and weren’t interested in appearing as primped zombies to entertain for a rain coater or a rock during a slow night like this one. They went out there, did their job and went home.
She walked into the dressing room filled with half-naked women putting on makeup and doing their hair. Fumes from the hairspray left a lingering mist while the barrels of curling irons smelled of burnt hair.
The bass from the music vibrated off the walls.
“Why do I have to give up money I don’t have? Tonight was slow. I won’t have any gas money to make it back tomorrow.” Crystal flicked away tears as they mixed with mascara and pooled into a mini crescent moon scar near her glossy lips.
“You’re an independent contractor, not an employee. I don’t care if it’s a slow night. You know the rules. Either pay and go home or pay and play the stage.” Diamond watched as Crystal snatched her purse out of her locker, pulled money out her wallet and handed it to her.
Diamond looked down at the fifty dollar bill. It reeked of body odor. I was once in your shoes. She remembered her first time accepting money from a customer who wanted someone to listen to his problems. She had several of them who wanted a cheap therapist for an hour. However, those customers were not enough to pay her bills.
It was the Sugar Daddies and loners who paid extra money to touch her breasts or get between her legs that helped as she scratched her way to the top. Three showers a day couldn’t wash the stench of another man off her. Diamond shuddered at the memories, thanked Crystal with a nod and took the cash.
She stared at her contractor for a few more seconds. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was a way to help Crystal and not seem to the others like she was playing favorites? Then it came to her. “This type of business is run with one thing in mind—making money. You can make more money if you’d take on a few escorting jobs. Would you like to give it a try? It’ll be a quick easy half grand.”
“I guess so.”
“Good. I’ve got a regular who’s craving for a date. His favorite was Jasmine Brooks. After he found out she was no longer available, he stopped coming around. Now he’s looking for a new gal. You and Jasmine look a lot alike. Or at least enough alike for him. He’s sweet, quiet, and has never stepped over the sex boundary.
“This guy likes having dinner and hanging out at the bar. And his wardrobe request will be that you wear a blue chemise and stone-washed skinny jeans. If you can hook him, he’ll be yours for as long as you’re here.”
Diamond stared at the blue lace dress clinging to Crystal’s hour glass shaped body and poked at her small pudge. “Tighten up your body and stay in shape.”
The door to the dressing room burst opened as Mikey stormed in.
Silence fell upon the room.
Mikey twisted the gold nugget ring on his middle finger and looked at Diamond. “Is our little problem solved?”
“It’s solved."
Mikey pointed his finger at the women. “I know by now that each and every one of you knows what happened to Venus. If a cop comes to you, keep your traps shut. Be loyal to us as we’ve been loyal to you. Got it?”
The women nodded their heads in agreement.
After Mikey left, the women went about their business. They all knew what Mikey meant. If you talk, you’ll end up just like Venus. Just like Jasmine knew she was going to be next.
*
10:03 p.m.
Blended music filled McGinley’s as waitresses zipped between patrons to deliver drinks and food.
Lily slid in next to Evan and exhaled. “I think we’re setting a record for the least amount of sleep this month. Two high profile cases back to back gives I.A. more leverage to watch my every move.”
She looked at Evan’s plate and eyed the potato pancakes. “Are you goin
g to share?”
Evan put some pancakes on a saucer with syrup and pushed it toward Lily. “I see it’s still your favorite food.”
“Of course. It’s the best part of living in Wisconsin.”
“It sure in the hell ain’t the snow.” Jeremiah sat his drink down. “I take it you’ve got a beef with the guy in Internal Affairs?”
Alec leaned forward. “Should we tell Jeremiah?”
Evan slid his hand into Lily’s. “Only if Lily wants to tell.”
Excitement rushed through Lily. It felt good to have someone who genuinely loved her. No secrets. No games. Just real affection.
She stared at Jeremiah for a few seconds before answering. I don’t have anything to hide. But you do. The exchange between Jeremiah and Diamond was a peculiar one. There was more to that story. If they were going to work together, certain things needed to be revealed.
What better way to patch up a shaky partnership than to extend an olive branch and watch to see how her partner would respond? “I have a standing issue with the head guy of I.A. My last case as lead was high profile, like this one. I took evidence home, not knowing what was in the package.
“Long story short, as soon as I found out it was evidence, I contacted Sarge. That same night, I learned my suspect was my then husband. By then it was too late. My husband attacked me, held Evan hostage, and when I came face to face with him, he pulled his gun on me and I fired my service revolver.”
Even with the music and the chatter, the silence at the table was noticeable.
Lily adjusted herself in the seat and took a sip of her ice tea. “Anyway, I’d rather drown in the Rock River than have I.A. looking over my shoulder again.”
Alec said, “You’ve got any work secrets you want to share?”
Jeremiah laughed nervously. “Nah. Not me.”
“Well, know this, if you’ve got a secret, it’ll stay between the four of us,” Alec said.
Lily sat her tea down on the napkin. “As long as that secret doesn’t hurt anybody.”
Alec continued. “So it’s like this, new guy, the four of us stick together, take care and back each other up. When we get a case, we stick with it until it’s solved, the right way. Nothing dirty, nothing loose. Just tight and right. Do you think that’s something you can work with?”
Her Final Watch (A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2) Page 7