DOWN COLDER: A Hallie James Mystery (The Hallie James Mysteries Book 3)

by DK Herman

  Gabi rolled her eyes and pulled out the keychain pepper spray that I got her for Christmas. “Get out of here, or in two seconds your eyeballs are gonna be on fire.”

  “See if I tip your ass, bitch,” he mumbled on his way out the door.

  "This is the ladies' room. Are you too drunk to read, or are you normally illiterate?" Gabi said to his retreating back. The drunk didn’t come back into the bathroom, but she kept the pepper spray in her hand.

  "Taylor's going to talk to me in the dressing room." I went to the sink. Looking in the mirror, I decided my makeup was hanging in there pretty well. I applied a little more lipstick and led the way out of the bathroom.

  Gabi and I stood near the dressing room door when I noticed the poster of Delilah was a few feet away. I moved closer.

  "I know her too," I said.

  "She's a natural blonde, but that's also a wig." Gabi said.

  This close, her eyes blazed a dazzling turquoise from the poster. My mouth flew open when I realized, Delilah is Jane!

  It took a moment to absorb the fact that innocent looking Jane is one of the biggest attractions at the local dive of a strip club.

  The dressing room opened a few inches, and a feminine hand motioned us inside.

  The dressing room is just a storage room with a couple of card tables and metal chairs. There's one floor-length mirror, and a lot of extension cords running to the tables. Makeup mirrors and hairstyling equipment were plugged haphazardly into the cords Gym bags full of makeup, stiletto and platform heels, and costumes were parked here and there.

  "What do you want to know?" Taylor said. She'd put on a robe over her rhinestone studded pasties and g-string, but she looked very uncomfortable. Her eyes kept shifting nervously at Gabi, who stood by the door.

  "Is Darcy making you do this?"

  "Sort of." Taylor sighed. "She promised that if I work a pole for her, she'd protect Mandy and not pressure her into doing the same thing."

  "Protect her from what?" I asked.

  "From Charlie," she said bluntly. "He's a creep."

  "Did he hurt you?"

  "He tried," Taylor said angrily. "I was fifteen when he and mother started shacking up. I could tell by the way he looked at me that he'd try it. So I slept with a knife, and I stuck him in the ass when I woke up with him on top of me."

  "I'm sorry, but why didn't you tell someone?"

  "I told my mother, she did nothing." Taylor picked up a hair brush. "But Jane and I bought a lock for my door, and we installed it ourselves. And then Jane's father heard the rumors about Charlie. From then on, I had to spend time with Jane at her house, and Bob had a talk with Charlie. That's when things got better for me, but I worry about Mandy. My little sister isn't very tough.

  "Jane is Delilah." I said.

  "Yes, but last night was her last." Taylor said. "Once she knew when the money was coming, she put in her notice." Taylor snorted and shook her head. "With two million dollars, I would have just walked away from this shithole."

  "I'll bet Darcy wasn't happy about it," I said.

  "She wasn't... she's still pissed off." Taylor grinned. "Just wait until I get my degree, quit, and leave town. And I'm taking my little sister with me."

  "What about her boyfriend?"

  "What about him? That relationship won't last." Taylor slammed her brush down on the table. "He's already lying to her. He told Mandy he had to work last night, then he showed up here! I saw him during my second set, hanging by the bar."

  "What time was that?" I had to track Joey down.

  "About... eleven-thirty but he was gone till I was working the crowd."

  "Would Darcy and/or Charlie take Lexi, and hold her for Ransom?" I asked.

  Taylor tossed her head back and laughed. "Mother would eat shit, literally, in front of an audience for that much money."

  Gabi grimaced and gave a small gasp.

  Taylor gave Gabi a dirty look. "I know, a woman like you thinks I'm a slut for working here."

  "No, I really don't. We all do, what we gotta do," Gabi said sincerely. "But I think your mother is a sleazy cow, and a waste of a human life."

  Taylor smiled. "Hmm, we could be friends."

  Gabi returned the smile. "I'll buy you a drink sometime."

  "Taylor, can you think of any place Darcy and Charlie could hide a little girl?"

  "I've searched my house," she said, "even the basement and attic. I didn't find any sign of her." She looked at the ceiling, thinking. "There's no place to hide somebody here. But I've heard Charlie talk about a storage unit on Mill Road."

  "I know where you mean." I jumped when my cell buzzed. It was a text from Ben. Lexi wasn't at Charlie's. They would meet me at my house. I texted back that I'd be there soon. "We have to go, but if you think of anything else that might help, call me." I handed Taylor my card and watched her tuck it into a gym bag.

  "Hey," Taylor called as I turned to leave. "You’re not going to say anything about me being Jezebel?"

  "Only if it becomes necessary to find Lexi. Otherwise, it's none of my business." I knew I’d tell Ben, he’s working the case too.

  "Thanks," Taylor said. "Someday I want a fresh start and put this behind me."

  "I understand," I said, and Gabi and I went out the door.

  Outside the club the air was still warm and humid. Gabi and I didn't say a word until we were back inside my Denali.

  "Thanks for coming along," I said, starting the car's engine.

  "No problem. It was very interesting." Gabi buckled up. "And now we can say that we went to a strip club. I told Troy that's where we were going, but I don't think he believed me. All he said was, 'stay off the stage.'"

  I giggled thinking of Ben's comment. "Where would he get an idea like that?"

  "I know," she said, clucking her tongue. "Men!"

  After dropping Gabi at Hank's, I went straight home. George's Caddy wasn't in the driveway, so I waited on the porch swing for the men to return.

  Soon I saw lights coming down the lane. The car pulled in and parked next to my car. George and Ben got out and joined me on the front porch.

  "There was no sign of Lexi or any other children," Ben said with a hang dog expression. "We crapped out."

  "No, you crossed off a possibility." I patted the seat on the swing next to me.

  "I'm going inside to my wife," George said. "Anything else I can do, just holler."

  "Thanks, George," I said.

  Ben sat down next to me, and I cuddled against him. He looked upset.

  "I hate this case. And I hate whoever hurt Amanda and took Lexi." Ben put an arm around my shoulders. "We have to hurry up and find that poor little girl."

  "We'll find her," I said. "I have some ideas for tomorrow."

  "Whatever we have to do, I'm in," Ben said softly.

  "What would I do without you," I said, resting my head on Ben's shoulder. I smiled and relaxed against him when he kissed the top of my head. "Wanna hear a secret?" It was OK to tell Ben.

  "Sure," he mumbled into my hair.

  "Jane works at Darcy's under the alias Delilah, and Taylor is Jezebel."

  "No way!" Ben straightened up and turned to look in my eyes. "You're kidding, right? The one time I went there, I saw them."

  "Nope, I even talked to Taylor in the stripper's dressing room."

  "You were in their dressing room! Why didn't you wait for me?"

  I slapped Ben's arm and stood up. He followed me, laughing hysterically.

  "I was just teasing," he said, taking my hand and pulling me back to the swing. "Tell me about your conversation."

  I told him everything before I started to yawn. "We've got a full day tomorrow. I'd better take you home." I yawned again.

  "You're tired, and I had a nap this afternoon," Ben said. "I'll take your car home and be back in the morning."

  "OK," I agreed. "What time?"

  "When will Liv have breakfast ready?"

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I woke up when the dog
s jumped off the bed. I heard their nails clicking across the hardwood floor, and then the sound of the bedroom door opening. I sat up and stretched before going to the patio doors to see what the day was like.

  Throwing the glass slider open, I stepped outside in pajama bottoms and a tank top. The air was warm and soft with a gentle breeze blowing the scent of newly cut grass across the yard. The sun felt terrific on my skin and birds sang in the trees. I love mornings like this.

  I stretched again and scolded Rupert, who was just below me for peeing on the begonias. He curled his lips back and snarled before turning around, presenting his butt to me, and kicking grass in my direction. "Same to you," I said with a chuckle. Going inside, I got ready for the day.

  Liv stood at the stove frying eggs. A bowl of batter and the waffle iron stood on the counter next to her. She must have found the note I left on the fridge, warning her Ben was coming for breakfast. Ben loved her waffles.

  "Need any help?" I asked.

  "Everything's under control," Liv said. "Get your coffee and come get your plate."

  I got a mug of coffee and added a dollop of hazelnut creamer. Then Liv handed me a plate with two eggs, two waffles, and several strips of bacon.

  "It smells wonderful," I said. "Thanks, Liv."

  "You're welcome, honey. Liv forked another batch of waffles onto a plate. "Tell Ben, if he wants more, they're ready "

  "He's here?" I looked at the kitchen clock. It read eight-thirty.

  "He showed up at eight." Liv smiled.

  I went to the sunroom where my family was gathered over breakfast and the morning newspaper. George and Gram drank coffee and perused the front page while rubbing their eyes sleepily. Aunt Jeannie sipped her coffee and chatted with Karl, who was eating a waffle.

  "Good morning," Ben said, waving a piece of bacon.

  "Morning," I chirped. "Gram are you and George OK? You both look tired."

  "I have to get a new phone," George grumbled. "That boy called three times last night, twice after midnight! Maybe I should give him Ursula so he goes away."

  "I thought Poppy blocked him." I forked off a piece of fluffy waffle and put it into my mouth.

  "The twerp used another phone," George said angrily. "I've had this number for five years, and now I have to get a new one. Why can’t he understand that I don’t want to sell Ursula. And why does he think she’s only worth five hundred bucks!”

  “Kids these days are used to getting what they want,” Gram said, kissing George’s cheek. “We’ll go shopping this afternoon, dear, and you can buy a new phone.”

  George’s cell rang. “See, there he is again! You’d think his dialing finger would be tired.”

  Gram took the phone and turned it off. “How’s your case going, Hallie?”

  “There’s lots to investigate, so Ben and I have to get to work soon,” I said and munched on a thick strip of bacon.

  “How are we going to get inside a storage unit in the daytime?” Ben asked.

  “Which storage complex?” Aunt Jeannie asked.

  “The one on Mill Road,” I said.

  “I know the owner, Cal Springer,” Karl said, pulling his cell from his shirt pocket. “He owes me a favor. I’ll call and ask him to give you a peek.”

  Karl spoke to someone for a few minutes and hung up with a grin. “Cal’s daughter in law is going to meet you there in a half hour. She’ll let you into the unit if you don’t make a mess or take anything.”

  “The only thing we want is Lexi. Thanks, Karl.” I gobbled the last of my waffles and washed them down with coffee. I turned to Ben. “Ready to go?”

  Springer’s Storage is a three-building complex near the Interstate. There’s a fence but no gate at the entrance. I pulled in and parked near the office. A list of rules hung outside the door. Ben and I were reading the list of things you aren’t allowed to store on the premises when a black, late model pickup pulled in and parked next to us. A thin, brunette woman, dressed in worn cut offs and a tank top jumped out of the driver’s seat and waved happily.

  I got out of my car. “Carrie?” I squealed happily. “How are you?” It was Carrie Kremser. She must be the daughter in law of the owner. I’d gone to school with her, but I had no idea who she’d married.

  “Hallie!” She hugged me tight. “You look so good.”

  “So do you,” I hugged her back.

  “Who’s this?” She eyed Ben lustily. Carrie was never good at hiding what she was thinking. But she was a blast to spend time with, almost as much fun as Gabi.

  “This is Ben Gordon. We work together. Ben, this is Carrie ...is it Springer now?”

  “Yep, I've been married fifteen years, and it's nice to meet you, Ben.” Carrie wiggled her eyebrows. “If you’re ever looking for another job, stop in to see me.”

  “Ok,” Ben said with a chuckle.

  “Pop said you’re an investigator on an important case, and you need to look inside a unit,” Carrie said, finally tearing her gaze away from Ben.

  “Yes.” I nodded. “But I don’t know the unit number.”

  “Come on in the office, and we’ll look it up.” Carrie whipped out a huge set of keys and led us inside. She went to a desk and turned on a computer. “Who’s name’s it in?”

  “We think Charlie Dewalt.” I checked in my purse for gloves. Even with Carrie’s permission, this was illegal.

  Carrie typed the name into the system. “Number 40,” she said. “The first building, end unit, on the other side. Come on, I’ll show you.”

  We walked down the well-maintained gravel road between the buildings.

  “I was sorry to hear about Doc,” Carrie said, jingling her ring of keys. “Boy, you never know about people.”

  I smiled weakly. “Thanks.”

  “How’s Gabi? I’m about due for a trim." Carrie got a big eyed, excited look. "Why don’t the three of us go out for dinner sometime?”

  “That would be great.” I handed her my card. “Call me.”

  Carrie slipped the card into her back pocket and stopped in front of a small rolling door, marked 40. She sorted through the ring of keys and selected one, then stopped and looked around. "Damn it!" She cursed

  "What's wrong?" I said. Ben and I stepped next to her.

  "Look, the lock's broken," she said.

  "Open it," I said. A foul odor lingered near the door.

  The door rolled up smoothly, and the three of us shrank back.

  “A rat or something must have died in there,” Carrie said, pulling her shirt up over her mouth and nose. “We tell people not to store food, but they don’t listen. So, we put out rat poison here and there.”

  “That’s an awfully powerful stench for a rat,” Ben said.

  “I agree,” I said, holding the neckline of my shirt over my face. “Are there lights inside?”

  Carrie held her breath and reached inside and to the left of the door. A strip of fluorescents buzzed to life. I saw stack of cardboard boxes, and a mattress that was turned sideways.

  "Are we going in there?" Ben asked with a grimace.

  "Just me, stay back." I snapped on gloves and lay my purse next to the building. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I dove inside.

  The boxes were light, and they moved easily. But the mattress was a little bulky for one person. I wrestled it aside and found the source of the stench. A blue, fifty-five-gallon drum, marked floor lacquer, sat in the center of the unit. The lid was half off, and something in a black trash bag swelled upwards. I saw the mottled gray/black of rotting flesh and brown hair.

  “That’s not a rat!” I ran out and waved Carrie and Ben away from the unit. “I’m calling Andy."

  “What are we going to say to them? Why we were in somebody’s storage unit?” Ben asked.

  “Carrie was here, checking the buildings and noticed the lock was broken. She smelled a foul odor and checked it out. We were here because Carrie and I are old friends. We showed up just before she found the broken lock.”

  “So
unds good to me,” Carrie said with a frown. “Call the cops, and let them get it out of there. It’s going to take me weeks to get that smell out.”

  Ben got a horrified look on his face. “It’s not Lexi, is it?”

  I shook my head. “I think it's an adult.” I dug out my cell and made the call.

  Ben and I waited by my car as the police dealt with the mess in the storage unit. They sent the body, still in the barrel, to the coroner's office.

  Ben was visibly relieved when Andy, Chief of the Herville police, Paul Woods, and Mike Krause all agreed with me that it was an adult and not Lexi Wilson. Ben and I gave our statements, and I got permission to leave.

  "It's got something to do with Lexi," I said to Andy. "I can feel it."

  Andy nodded. "I think so too. We'll be talking to Charlie Dewalt. But since the lock was broken, we can't arrest him without more evidence. We'll wait to see what else we find."

  "Keep in touch," I called on the way to my car.

  "You too," he said.

  Back in my car, I turned on the air. Hot air blowing in my face made me snap it back off and lower the windows. I leaned my forehead on the steering wheel. "I hate finding bodies," I groaned.

  "How many have there been?" Ben looked at me curiously.

  I counted on my fingers. "This was my eleventh."

  "It terrible and sad." Ben looked out the window. "What's up next?"

  The hospital," I said and started the Denali's engine. "I want to talk to Amanda Detweiler's doctor. Maybe he can tell us what she was hit with."

  Ben was quiet all the way to the hospital. I knew he was thinking about his sister. I wanted to pull over and give him a big hug, so I did. He hugged me back before pulling away with a smile. I like it when Ben smiles. We were soon on our way again.

  I parked in the humongous hospital parking lot, and we took a shuttle bus to the entrance. The small bus had air conditioning and was only half full. Still, people moved far away from us when we sat down. We went inside the main entrance and headed for the elevators to the ICU.

  At the nurse’s station, we asked for Amanda's doctor. We were told the physician in charge of her case was off today. Would someone else do? I said I'd come back tomorrow, and we retraced our steps toward the elevators.