Gunning For Angels (Fallen Angels Book 1)

by C. Mack Lewis

  “I got it from my – Henry. My stepdad.”

  “Got it or stole it?” Jack said.

  “Borrowed it,” Enid said.

  Bud said, “That’s the gun the police found in an ice cream box in the kitchen – when they found Jeni. They think it may be linked to a homicide six months ago here in Phoenix.”

  Enid said, “It can’t be involved in anything! I got it from Henry’s gun cabinet in Florida.”

  Bud said, “We’re still checking it out.”

  Jack said to Enid, “The day Jeni was killed – why’d you go to her apartment?”

  Enid frowned.

  Bud said, “Did Jeni know about the gun in her ice cream?”

  Enid shook her head. “Safest place to hide something from a skinny girl.”

  Jack said, “You went back to her apartment for the gun?”

  Enid hesitated.

  Bud said to Enid, “You were afraid somebody was after you – like in one of your nightmares?”

  Jack glanced at Enid, surprised.

  “What?” Enid scowled at Jack, “You think I strangle a new pervert every Tuesday? You’d have a couple of bad dreams too.”

  Jack frowned, looked away.

  Enid said, “So much happened – I’m getting it all confused in my head.”

  Bud said, “Let’s focus on Jeni.”

  Enid said to Jack, “Did you have sex with her too?”

  Jack said, “You got a mind like a sewer.”

  Enid turned to Bud, “Did you have sex with Jeni?”

  Bud looked at her, startled. “No.”

  Enid said to Bud, “You’re grilling us, but what about you?”

  Bud said, “I met Jeni when I investigated her stepfather’s murder. She was a sweet kid, mixed up but, no – I never had relations with her. I’m – was – happily married.”

  “We met Jeni’s grandmother,” Enid said. She described in overly dramatic detail what happened at the crazy-Christian lady’s house.

  “Crucifix cookies?” Bud said.

  “They weren’t that good,” Enid said.

  Jack said, “The down-low is that Jeni’s biological mother was Ann Smith, who worked as a dancer at the same place as Vivian Hargrove, before Viv screwed her way onto the social register. When Ann died in a car wreck – Vivian took the girl in and raised Jeni as her own.”

  Bud said, “The car wreck was – ?”

  Jack said, “Legit. Nothing suspicious. I don’t know what else to tell you about Jeni.”

  “Except somebody wanted her dead,” Enid said.

  Jack said to Bud, “And you boys in blue think I’m the hit man on her – and Frank Ficus.”

  Bud said, “Who hired Frank to follow you?”

  Jack said, “My money’s on Petunia’s husband.”

  “Larry?” Bud said.

  Jack looked at Bud, surprised.

  Bud said, “I know Larry. I had a conversation with Petunia.”

  “Who’s Petunia?” Enid said.

  “Ex-girlfriend,” Jack said. “Who has nothing to do with anything.”

  Bud said, “Your meeting with Jeni at your office –Petunia was there, in the next room. She overheard it all.”

  Jack’s lips tightened.

  Bud said, “What if it wasn’t Larry who hired Frank to follow you? What if it was somebody else – maybe someone out to set you up for Jeni’s murder?”

  Jack said, “Or keep tabs on me?”

  Bud looked at Enid, “When Jeni was killed – is there anything you can remember? A sound, a smell?”

  Enid said, “I heard Jeni come in, her heels. The baby was making noise, nothing weird. Somebody turned on the stereo. Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, I think.”

  Bud said, “What else? Anything, even the tiniest thing.”

  Enid said, “I heard voices. I thought it was Jeni talking to the baby.”

  “Man or woman?” Bud said.

  “I don’t know.” Enid squinched up her eyes. “There was so much blood – and then Jeni.” Enid shut her eyes. She opened them and looked at Jack, “The next thing I knew – why were you there?”

  Jack said, “She left a message – asked me to come over.”

  Bud said to Jack, “Where were you when you got the message?”

  Jack lifted his chin. “With Eve.”

  Enid made a “gross out” sound.

  Jack said, “Well, maybe you wouldn’t be so almighty grossed out if you weren’t hiding under other people’s beds and hearing things you shouldn’t be hearing.”

  “Whatever.”

  Jack leaned forward, “While we’re on the subject, why don’t you explain exactly what you were doing in Eve’s bedroom?”

  “We’re talking about Jeni,” Enid said, “Not me.”

  Bud said to Enid, “What were you doing there?”

  Enid glanced nervously between the two of them. “Well, uh, Chip and me – we were in the car – waiting for you – outside the girls’ home and, uh – ”

  Jack sat bolt upright. “The guy in the guesthouse –was Chip?”

  Enid made a face.

  Bud leaned back heavily in his chair. “Shit.”

  Jack turned to Bud, “You knew about this?”

  Bud said, “I know – they’ve met.”

  Enid said, “Yeah, they met, if by ‘met’ you mean that their uglies bumped in the night.”

  Jack stood. “That’s impossible.”

  “The Virgin Mary, she ain’t,” Enid said.

  Jack turned to Enid with blazing eyes, “How the fuck did you end up under her bed?”

  Enid stood and the words came rushing out. “She called and he went running, they left me alone there and I needed to go to the bathroom and I ended up in her room and I – I decided to find evidence and expose her for the person she really is and the next thing I know I’m looking out the window and those two are batting around each other’s tonsils with their tongues.”

  Bud said, “You said you were in the guesthouse.”

  “I was in Eve’s bedroom – looking out the window. I needed to find proof that she’s a total scum-bucket so Chip would know – ”

  Jack slapped his hand down on the table.

  Enid said, “She came back and locked the door – I hid in the closet so I could sneak out later – when she was asleep.”

  Jack said, “Sneak being the operative word.”

  Enid pointed at Jack, “You think I want to hear old people doing it – especially you? I tried to Helen Keller it but you two were louder than a broken blender.”

  Jack said to Bud, “When we discovered that Enid was lurking underneath the bed – ”

  “I wasn’t lurking – I was investigating.”

  Jack said, “Eve was upset – so I left.”

  Enid said, “Ha! She threw you out buck naked.”

  Jack said, “I stop to help you and you repay me by hijacking my car and leaving me to fend for myself with a group of leather-clad daddies who want to take me home so I could live in a four-by-four box in their Pulp-Fiction cellar.”

  Enid gave him a thumb’s up “no problem” sign. She jumped up, “The evidence! I found an envelope taped up into the fireplace – but I lost it.”

  Jack said, “I sat on it – right after you kicked my leg from under me. Eve got it back and went ballistic.”

  “She’s so guilty,” Enid said.

  Jack said, “Of what? Of being freaked out when her boyfriend’s daughter is hiding under her bed while we’re having sex? Is that your final analysis? Ya think?”

  Enid said, “You’re not her boyfriend if she just had sex with some other guy.”

  “Did you see them have sex?” Jack said.

  “No.”

  “Then you don’t know shit.”

  Enid jumped up, “That envelope is probably some horrible secret she’d rather die than have anybody find out.” Enid turned to Bud, “What if she murdered Jeni because she was jealous of her?”

  Jack said, “Just because you can�
�t stand the thought of your wanna-be-boyfriend – who is too old for you – chasing after her – doesn’t mean she’s a murderer.”

  Enid glared at him. “You are so sixth-grade.”

  Bud said to Jack, “I know you’re involved with Eve, but if she’s innocent, you’ve got nothing to hide.”

  Jack said, “I don’t care what you think or what she did or didn’t do with Chip – I love her – and I don’t fucking fall in love with murderers.”

  A stab of fear shot through Enid.

  Jack said to Enid, “She’s not what you think she is – you need to give her a chance.”

  Enid said, “Fairy tales do come true. I’ve got myself an evil stepmother.”

  Jack flushed red.

  “What’s going on?” a voice belted out.

  They all looked up.

  Bunnie stood in the doorway, hands on hips, glaring. Her black sequin jogging outfit and MBT sneakers made her look dressed up to go K-Mart shopping.

  Bud said, “My divorce support group.”

  Bunnie’s eyes lasered in on Jack as she jabbed her finger at him. “Bud hired you to spy on me. That’s why you were here that day, you blood-sucking mud-bottom catfish slug.”

  Jack looked at Bud, who said, “She knows you’re the detective I hired to follow her and take photos of her cheating with her new boyfriend.”

  Jack’s eyebrows shot up.

  Bud said. “You’re also the guy that got photos of my wife’s boyfriend – cheating on her.”

  “Uh-huh,” Jack said, nodding.

  Bunnie said to Bud, “He said you’re a lying sack of shit making it all up to get back at me.”

  Bud said, “’Cause you wanna live.”

  “Where’s Chip?” Bunnie stepped into the hallway, called up the stairs, “Chip, get your butt down here.”

  “He’s not here,” Bud said.

  “Oh, I’m here,” Chip said from the darkened living room on the other side of the hallway.

  Bud jumped up and went to the living room, flipping on the lights.

  Everyone followed.

  Chip was sprawled across the couch, eyes bleary and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s held loosely in one hand.

  Bunnie spun on Bud, pointing to Chip, “You did this – you upset our baby!”

  “I been in here,” Chip said, “writing my very own country song, which, by the way, thank you much, I got enough material for, let’s see…” Chip held out his fingers, tried to count on them.

  “Chip, honey, you’re coming with me,” Bunnie said, trying to pry the bottle from him.

  Chip said, “Back off, old lady.”

  Bunnie reeled back. “Chip…!”

  “Let me know – what you think,” Chip threw back his head and out-of-tune crooned, “Mama cheated on daddy, she got a new man, daddy don’t care, my girl, she doing it with – spoiled brats under her bed – with a bag of shit man.” He pointed to Enid, “Juvenile delinquent is in lov-lov-lov-oooOOoooOOoVe with meeee.” Chip let loose a sloppy burp. “Excuse moi.”

  “That’s enough,” Bud said. He stepped forward and took the bottle from Chip.

  Chip pointed at Bunnie, “You gots yourself a boyfriend, don’t ‘cha ma?”

  Bunnie glared at Bud. “Fix this.” She stormed from the room.

  “Don’t forget birth control – don’t want no little brothers,” Chip said as she slammed the front door. He turned to Enid, singing, “Little sister, don’t cha’ kiss me once or twice, tell me that it’s nice and then ruUuuUN…”

  Jack stepped forward, fists clenched.

  Bud put out his hand, stopping Jack. “Not now – later.” Bud tried to pull Chip into a sitting position but stopped, hand on heart. “I can’t do this.” He sat in a chair.

  Jack grabbed Chip, shook him, “What happened with you and Eve? Tell me or I’ll bust the teeth right out of you.”

  “Love her,” Chip said.

  “Did you have sex?” Jack said.

  “Yup,” Chip said.

  With a curse, Jack threw Chip on the couch. Chip slid off and landed with a thud between the couch and the coffee table and passed out.

  Bud shook his head, staring at his son sprawled out on the floor.

  Enid sat down and burst into loud sobs.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Jack said.

  Enid dropped her face into her hands, crying bitterly.

  After several moments, Jack walked over and patted Enid awkwardly on the shoulder. “He’s too old for you.”

  She shoved his hand away and curled up in the chair, crying until her jaw hurt.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR

  A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.

  –Abraham Lincoln

  “I guess I forget what it’s like to have a crush at that age,” Jack said, taking a pull from his beer. He and Bud sat in the backyard, staring into the starlit night. They had managed to get Enid to bed in Chip’s room and they had left Chip sprawled on the living room floor where Bud had turned him on his side and draped a blanket over him.

  Bud raised his beer. “Here’s to forgetting.”

  Jack rubbed his eyes, not responding to the toast. He kept visualizing Eve and Chip together, which made him feel like puking – or beating the shit out of Chip.

  Bud said, “That’s some kid you got there.”

  Jack gave a short bitter laugh. “Tomorrow, she’s on a plane – back to where she came from. The best thing I can do for her is ship her back to Dodge and away from me.”

  “Movers are coming tomorrow,” Bud looked at his watch. “I mean, today.”

  “Is your – Bunnie – always that mean?”

  “Eve Hargrove is such a sweetheart.”

  Jack flinched.

  “Sorry,” Bud said.

  Jack shrugged.

  They sat in silence, nursing their beers.

  Jack said, “I saw Eve kissing – her sister.”

  “What, like, on the cheek?”

  “No.”

  Bud stared at Jack.

  Jack shifted, wondering if he would regret telling the story when the beer had been washed away.

  Bud said, “Sexual?”

  “There was more tongue than a Piggly-Wiggly deli counter.”

  Bud’s jaw dropped. He closed it with a swig of beer.

  Jack said. “According to Eve, Laura has mental problems. Claims Laura got diagnosed in New York with love obsession disorder – all of it aimed at Eve. They tried treatments – nothing helped.”

  “We never turned up anything like that in our investigation.”

  Jack dug in his back pocket, handed Bud copies of the missing child information with Laura’s photo as a little girl.

  Bud grabbed the papers and walked under the porch light, where he could get a better look.

  Jack said, “From what I can figure – Vivian was a collector – kids.”

  “Eve was in on it?” Bud muttered to himself.

  “She was a just a kid – didn’t know shit. She knew her mother adopted Jeni. I don’t think she has any idea that Laura isn’t her biological sister.”

  “But she was kissing her?”

  “No,” Jack said, “Laura was kissing Eve – not the other way around.”

  “Are you sure?” Bud said, returning to his seat.

  Jack remained silent for a long time. Finally, he said, “I haven’t felt this way about a woman in a long time. Never. I can’t let go – not yet.”

  “She’s poison.”

  Jack smiled, remembering the touch of Eve’s delicate skin under his rough hands.

  Bud said, “She’s a bad one to fall for.”

  “Save it for your kid.”

  Bud nodded, troubled.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE

  Day and night cannot dwell together.

  –Duwamish

  In the early morning hours, Enid turned over and pushed her face into Chip’s pillow, breathing in the scent he left behind. The night before, she had cracked the window and
listened to the low voices of Jack and Bud in the backyard. Unable to make out most of what they were saying, she drifted into a sleep littered with jagged nightmares. When she awoke, her hands hurt from clenching them. She’d been strangling him – watching in horror as he sprang back to life every time.

  He could not be killed.

  Her neck felt clammy on the sheets. She rolled over, feeling the morning air prickle against her skin.

  She looked around Chip’s room, examining it with hungry eyes.

  No.

  She stopped herself, turned her eyes away from his bookshelf, miserable.

  Why doesn’t he like me?

  How come I love him so much and he doesn’t even like me?

  Anger welled up inside her. She jumped out of bed, feeling the urge to destroy everything in the room. She wanted to do something to the room that would match what she felt inside her heart.

  She grabbed a trophy from his shelf. The golden boy was swinging a baseball bat – his uncaring face designed to mock Enid Iglowski – reminding her that the golden boy wasn’t for a girl like her.

  She snapped the statue at the ankles and felt a grim satisfaction as she gazed at the footless golden boy in her hand.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Hold on,” Enid said, shoving the footless boy into her jean pocket. She set what remained of the trophy on the shelf.

  To remember me by…

  From behind the door, Jack said, “Movers on their way. We need to get going.”

  Enid jerked the door open, scowling. “I have girl things I need to do,” Enid closed the door in his face and sat on the bed, arms crossed.

  Jack said through the door, “Stop putzing around, Enid. We need to go.”

  “I can’t hear you – I’m doing girl things.” Enid waited till she heard him go before she gave Chip’s room one last look and headed downstairs.

  Jack was waiting by the front door for her.

  Enid said, “Where’s Detective Orlean?”

  “Work.”

  Enid craned her neck, looking in the living room.

  “Chip’s gone.”

  Enid gave a haughty toss of her head. “Am I going to get a shower and clean clothes sometime this millennium?”

  “You can shower when you get to Florida.”