The bouncer stepped away from her, shaking his head, then stomped off in the opposite direction towards the restrooms.
Libby smiled and stepped through the open door and onto the sidewalk.
Chapter 24
Monday Evening – Key West
A Moonlit Walk
Outside the crowded bar, the breeze felt cool as the sweat evaporated off her bare arms and chest. Libby inhaled and could almost taste the salt in the air.
“Let’s walk a little bit,” Jack said. “If someone decides to follow us, I don’t want to lead them directly to your hotel.”
They began to walk towards Mallory Square, the site of the nightly sunset celebration. Long after sunset, the tourists, street vendors and musicians hang out throughout the evening.
“I was so surprised to see you sitting next to me and with that haircut,” she said.
“It was a way to change my looks in case someone was watching you and had perhaps caught a glimpse of me. I might have looked familiar, but whoever was watching most likely wouldn’t have placed me with the change in appearance. You, on the other hand, are not an easy woman to forget. People always remember redheads, especially the pretty ones.”
He put his hands in his pockets and walked ahead of her.
“And by the way,” he said, turning back to face her, keeping his voice low, “what the hell kind of trick was this? Taking off on your own?”
“Pilar called me last night. A really rude man said I needed to move the files to a flash drive and get them down here within twenty-four hours. And to keep the cops out of it. If I did that, he would let Pilar go.”
“And you believed that? You’re not that naïve.”
“No, I’m not. I figure he knows who her father is, and he won’t harm her or else he’ll face Mr. Montoya’s wrath and consequences.”
“And what do you think was going to happen when you handed over a flash drive with nothing on it? I told you we wiped those files from your laptop.”
“Ah, but I have a backup to a cloud service that runs on Sundays at 2 AM. The laptop needs to be connected to the network, however, for it to work. You had the laptop, so it didn’t run this past Sunday. Meaning…the file is still there…in the cloud.”
Jack looked impressed but still frustrated as hell.
“Goddammit! When Mimi called and told me what was going on, I just couldn’t believe that you would go off on your own and not at least give me a call.”
“Mimi can never keep her mouth shut.”
He turned to face her, “Did you – ?”
He looked behind her, then pulled her towards him. “Don’t turn around,” he whispered, just before he kissed her neck. “I think we have a tail.” He put his arm around her and guided her down the street.
She smiled up at him and moved closer. She didn’t mind going along with the loving couple act. Besides, she figured it was probably Mario following them or perhaps one of his cohorts. She put her arm around Jack and pulled him closer.
The street was dark with tall trees and a hedgerow lining the sidewalk. She had to admit she’d had a good time tonight. A really good time.
Suddenly, Jack pulled her into the darkness of a tall oak tree and kissed her full on the mouth. She put her arms around him and leaned fully into the kiss. Unsteady and lightheaded, she wasn’t sure if it was the kiss or the beer and tequila.
She heard a sound behind her and opened her eyes, noticing Jack looking over her shoulder. She started to pull away, but he kissed her again and she melted into his arms. Definitely not just the liquor.
He pulled away and whispered in her ear, “We absolutely have a tail. Follow my lead.” He put his arm around her and led her back to the sidewalk.
“Oh, my,” she muttered, not sure if it was the idea they were being followed or the kiss that had taken her breath away.
Libby saw the lights of a building behind the trees and the hedge. Ahead, a couple was coming towards them, laughing and holding hands. They turned in the walkway leading up to a beautifully lit Victorian home with a wide front porch converted into a bed and breakfast.
Jack smiled and reminded her, “Just go along with me, okay?”
She nodded.
He led her up the driveway behind the couple. The man inserted the key card as his companion smiled up at him with a look of love and inebriation. Jack held the door as they went inside behind them, and he motioned for Libby to follow.
“Good evening,” Jack said as they entered the beautifully decorated foyer where a crystal chandelier bathed the room in a soft pale yellow light. “Are you enjoying your stay in Key West?”
“Yes, it’s lovely,” the woman answered. “We’re on our honeymoon.”
“Congratulations,” Libby said as the couple began to ascend the polished wooden staircase.
“Pumpkin,” Jack said. “It’s such a lovely evening. Let’s go for a stroll in the garden before going up to bed.” Not giving her a moment to answer, he took her hand and they were out the back door.
Once they were out of earshot, Libby asked, “Pumpkin? Is that a redhead joke?”
“Sorry,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll think of something better next time.”
The beautifully manicured garden featured hyacinths, bougainvillea and landscaped areas of bromeliads and other colorful tropical flowers. Wrought iron benches and outdoor tables and chairs were arranged to create intimate seating areas. Jack followed the path towards the back of the property and stopped at a gate. He opened it and slowly peeked out into the alley, looking both ways.
“How did you know this garden and gate were here?”
“I stayed here once with my ex-wife,” he said, pulling her into the alley. He turned right and went to the corner, looked left and then right. Not seeing anyone, he turned left. “I hope whoever was following us will think we’ve turned in for the night.” He stopped and looked directly at her. “You all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She hadn’t moved from her spot by the gate. “Did you say ex-wife?”
He took her by the elbow and pushed her into motion away from the bed and breakfast.
“We divorced a few years ago.”
“Are you still mad at me?” She asked, deciding to store that revelation for now but ask a bunch of questions about it at some point.
“Yes,” he said looking down at her. “I’m glad Mimi called me.”
“A confession?”
“Okay.”
“I figured she would.”
“Really?”
She raised her eyebrows and smiled up at him.
He shook his head and started walking.
“I’ve had a good time tonight, and I feel guilty about it,” she said to his back.
He turned to look at her. “Guilty. Why?”
“Because Pilar is being held captive, I think by someone at The Blue Pelican, maybe Max Holden himself. Here we are drinking, dancing and having fun. I haven’t felt so exhilarated in a very long time, and I feel really, really guilty about that.”
He stopped, placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, “Don’t feel guilty about feeling good.” He put his arm across her shoulders. “How about we go for a walk by the harbor?”
“Sounds nice.”
They continued their walk towards Mallory Square where people were wandering along the water’s edge. There were couples in various stages of affection, from holding hands to passionate embraces in the bright moonlight. A guitarist played a soulful tune and sang in Spanish.
“You seem to know your way around,” she said, wondering what his story was with Key West and with his ex-wife.
“My uncle used to be the harbor master at one of the resort marinas. My cousins and I used to hang out down here a lot for spring break and summer vacations.”
They walked and talked and soon ended up in a bar by the wharf. They arrived just in time to hear the last set of the evening’s entertainment. They ordered beers and burgers and sat back to en
joy the music.
“I wonder why they haven’t called me.”
“Who knows,” he said. “Perhaps they’re putting plans in place, or maybe Pilar isn’t even in Key West.” He popped the last French fry into his mouth.
“What are you saying?”
“Nothing. It’s a waiting game.”
“I don’t like waiting.”
“Hardly anyone does.” He looked at his watch. “It’s getting late. I’ll walk you back to your hotel. You can wait there.”
He paid the check, and they left the bar and walked for a while along the boardwalk by the water, then turned up a side street. It was dark, lit only by porch lights and street lights. It was quiet except for the occasional party noise and traffic coming from Duval Street a few blocks ahead.
“I had a nice time tonight, too,” Jack said.
“If you’d told me a week ago that I would be in Key West tonight on a moonlight walk with you, I would’ve said you’re crazy.”
“You didn’t know me a week ago.”
“Well…technically,” she said and laughed, “this time last week, I’d known you for about four hours.”
“Probably not my finest hour.”
“Undoubtedly not mine. I never expected to see a crime scene like that ever again. I thought I had left all of that back home in Ohio.”
“Did you work a lot of bad crime scenes?”
“A few. I worked in a mostly blue-collar suburban to rural community. We didn’t have the gangs, but we had the drugs and alcohol. A typical Friday night ended up with bar fights and domestic violence.
“Miss it?”
“Sometimes. My mother begged me not to become a police officer like my dad. So I went to law school and ended up in the Prosecutor’s Office with a badge and a gun. She wasn’t happy about that, but I loved it.”
“Ever think about going back?”
“I’d be lying if I said ‘no’ but…”
“Why do you have a gun velcroed to the back of your nightstand?” He asked.
She turned and was surprised to see a deep line between his eyebrows. “Poking around my bedroom, were you?”
He shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “Sorry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
She took his arm and told him everything. The story came pouring out of her like a waterfall over rocks in a stream.
She told him about meeting Tony in the law library. He was a year ahead of her. They started dating and then got married a year after she graduated. She got the job in the county prosecutor’s office, and he was working in the public defender’s office in the next county.
Soon after they were married, he got a job offer from a private firm and, at first, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. As time went on, though, he became more distant. His law firm was rumored to take mob and drug cases. One of their cases overlapped, and Libby inadvertently figured it out.
Tony went out one night, and she followed him to a warehouse where she knew a suspected drug shipment was scheduled for delivery, and there was going to be a raid.
“That’s where it all went wrong. I decided to follow him. And dammit, wouldn’t you know, he went directly to that warehouse. I thought I had about an hour before it was all due to go down, so I followed him inside and confronted him. I just wanted to get him out of there before the shit hit the fan. He got mad and told me to get lost…that we were through. I was a detriment to his career. Looking back, I think he was trying to get me out of that warehouse.”
Libby stopped and looked up at Jack. “Oh, here we are at the hotel.”
“I think this story needs a drink,” Jack said, opening the door to the lobby bar.
“I told you that back at Knicks.”
Libby ordered a glass of water and shot of Jose Cuervo. Jack ordered another beer. When the drinks arrived, Libby shot the tequila straight away. As it slid down her throat, she felt it burn. She bit the lime and winced. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then blew it out slowly.
“You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to,” he said.
“I was devastated. I knew Tony was upset with me for following him, but I didn’t think he’d say everything we had was over.” She took another breath, looked out at the laughing people on the street then picked up the story. “Before I could get out, the people that Tony was going to meet showed up. He told me to hide back in some storage area and to sneak out when they went into the other room. I did that, but before I could get out, the cops showed up. There was gunfire, and I got hit, probably by a ricochet. They didn’t find me for some time. By then, I’d lost a lot of blood. I was unconscious. The next thing I remember, I woke up in the hospital after surgery.”
“Libby…”
“That’s not all.” She met his gaze and whispered, “I was about eight or ten weeks pregnant, and I lost it. I lost the baby. I can’t help but think that maybe that was my one chance of being a mom. And I blew it. I was careless and single-minded. I should have just let it go, but we all know I have a problem with that. So there I was…shattered marriage, no baby and Tony was in jail.” She ran her fingers through her hair pushing it behind her ear. “I still think he was the fall guy.”
She dropped her hands on the table in front of her. Jack gently laid his hand on top of hers and squeezed them.
“Libby, I am so sorry for the pain and the hurt you’ve had in your life, but I will be forever grateful for whatever forces brought you here to me.”
Chapter 25
Monday Evening – Key West
The Call
Libby’s hand was shaking as she took the keycard out of her wallet and inserted it into the slot. Jack smiled, took the keycard and opened the door. He held it open, and Libby slipped inside.
“I’d better get going,” he said standing on the threshold.
“What if they call?”
“You call me.”
Not wanting the night to end, she stood against the door. “Well, I guess it’s good night.”
“Yes, I really should go.” He stepped inside the door, and she followed, letting it swing shut.
Jack took her face in his hands and kissed her long and soft. Needing to feel his skin, Libby hesitantly slid her hands under his shirt and ran her fingers up his back. As his fingers slid from her face to her hair, she felt a slight shiver.
“I have wanted to run my fingers through your red hair since the day I saw you sitting in the back of your Jeep.”
“I kind of had the same fantasy when I saw you leaning against the car in front of the morgue, but I guess I’m going to have to wait on that one.” She ran her fingers over his stubbly hair.
He laughed and kissed her again, slipping his hands under her tank top and lifting it over her head. She unbuttoned his shirt, pushed it to the floor and lightly skimmed her fingers across his chest. He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he slipped off his boots, socks and ankle holster. She toed off her sandals and leaned towards him, nibbling his earlobe. He kissed her mouth and gently eased her down onto the bed. He stopped, looked down at her and swept her hair from her face, then kissed her nose, each cheek, her neck and proceeded down to her chest.
He slid his fingers across her ribs and when he felt the scar just to the left of her navel, paused. With his eyes holding hers, his fingers stopped dead center of the rippled skin slightly larger than a quarter.
She took in a quick breath and met his gaze.
“The entrance wound,” she whispered.
He kissed the scar and reached underneath her to unhook her bra when she started to wiggle underneath him.
“Stop. Wait.” She reached into the pocket of her cargo pants.
“What?”
“My phone.”
“Your phone?” He rolled off her and sat up.
“Unless you have a vibrator in your pants, someone is calling me.” She fumbled with
the buttons on her cargo pants and finally pulled the phone out of the pocket.
“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled and fell backward onto the bed.
“A private number.” She sat up. “Hello.”
“Good evening, Miss Marshall.”
“Good evening.” Jack sat up, and she held the phone between them so he could hear, too.
“Are you having a pleasant evening with that cowboy?”
“What’s that to you?” She gave Jack a puzzling look. Could this be Mario playing a joke? She had almost forgotten all about him.
“I would have thought you had better taste than a cowboy, but no matter. Do you have the item that Miss Montoya stole?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“A secure place.”
“I want you to bring it to me tomorrow at 10 AM sharp. We’ll make the exchange, and I will be rid of the little Cuban princess.” He gave her an address on Whitehead Street and hung up.
“Kind of kills the mood doesn’t it,” she said as she hit the ‘End Call’ button and looked at Jack.
He cocked his head towards her and said, “This means we have to go to work.” He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips.
“We?”
“Yes, we need to be Jack and Libby now, not Johnny and Mary Beth.” He stood up and picked up their shirts. He threw her tank top towards her and started to put on his shirt. “Put your shirt on. I’m having trouble concentrating with you half dressed.”
She pulled her shirt over her head and asked, “What do you have in mind?”
“I need to talk to you about the plan.” He sat on the bed next to her and pulled on his socks, boots and his ankle holster.
“The plan? Whose plan?”
“As you know, the FDLE has their task force, and now, the Key West PD is involved.”
“Yes. And?”
“Where’s the flash drive?”
“It’s in the safe,” she said. “Jack, what is it you want me to do?”
“I met with them this morning. They want you to wear a wire.”
Murder in Mariposa Beach Page 15