Maggie Lee (Book 21): The Hitwoman and the Fallen Angel
Page 15
I returned to my car without seeing Jack, got in, and drove back to Herschel’s place.
I was exhausted and really didn’t feel prepared to deal with whatever chaos would greet me there.
The second I got out of the car, DeeDee ran up to me and began to tell me a story.
“Stole Zippy Loretta’s purse,” she barked excitedly.
“Why would that mongrel steal Loretta’s purse?” God asked.
“Because,” Piss purred, strolling up to us like she didn’t have a care in the world, “the little dog appears to be quite the kleptomaniac.”
“What else happened?” I asked tiredly, slowly forcing myself to walk toward the main house.
“Armani gave everyone hell,” Piss purred with admiration.
I glanced down at the cat. “What does that mean?”
“She told them they were all being selfish and they should know how lucky they are to have each other and to remember that instead of sniping at each other.”
“And how did that go over?” I asked
“Much better than I would have expected,” the cat said. “Everyone has gotten along since.”
“A peace that’s lasted at least three hours,” God mocked.
Before I could walk into the house, Griswald hurried up to me.
I forced myself to smile in greeting for the U.S. Marshal.
“A moment, Maggie?” The tone he used told me it was more than just a friendly request.
I nodded.
“We talked to the escaped prisoners that were here,” Griswald revealed.
I wondered who the “we” were who had done the interrogation, but I didn’t ask.
“Apparently, they’re looking for a skull,” Griswald revealed. He gave me a hard searching look. “Do you know anything about that?”
“A skull?” I countered, hoping he couldn’t tell I knew exactly what he was talking about. But since Ian had lost it, I really didn’t know anything about it anymore.
“A human skull,” he elaborated.
I shook my head. “Why would anyone be looking for a skull?”
“Apparently, it’s evidence in a murder investigation,” Griswald said. I could tell from the way he was looking at me that he wasn’t sure if he should believe me about not knowing about the skull.
“And they thought Archie had it?” I asked as though I was trying to connect the pieces of the puzzle.
Griswald shrugged. “That’s what they said.” I could hear the doubt in his voice. Like me, he knew that Archie had a history of scams and cons and the occasional robbery, but he wasn’t known for violent crimes.
“My dad’s not really the violent type, but I guess we can ask him about it the next time he shows up,” I suggested. Sure, I knew I was throwing my father under the bus a little bit, but I had too much on my plate to contend with. I couldn’t have Griswald interrogating me about the missing skull.
Griswald nodded. “I guess so. It’s better in there,” he said, gesturing toward the main house. “No one has threatened anybody in at least a couple of hours.”
“That’s a win,” I replied dryly.
Chuckling, he strolled off.
I took a second to compose myself before walking into the house. I wasn’t sure what I was going to face, and I felt my mental and emotional reserves were dangerously low. The moment I opened the door, Zippy raced out.
He had a pink toothbrush in his mouth and was running away at full speed.
“No doubt he’s going to bury that, too,” Piss remarked.
I stared at the quickly disappearing mutt for a long moment, remembering that Ian had taken him and the other animals for a little while when Aunt Susan had an anxiety attack. Suddenly, I knew exactly how the skull had disappeared from Ian’s place. As much as the little white dog was a pain, I had the feeling he’d done us all a big favor. It felt like the first thing that had gone right in a long time.
43
After taking a long nap at Herschel’s place, and deciding that the family really was adhering to the uneasy truce Armani and I had brokered, I returned to the hospital to check on Angel.
When I pulled into the lot, a car pulled up beside me. The passenger window was lowered and I saw my favorite redhead watching me.
I lowered my window.
“That kid is still missing.”
I knew that he was talking about Boy, but I wasn’t rising to the bait. Especially now that I’d lost faith in him. “Hello to you, too. Did everything work out okay?”
Patrick Mulligan shrugged. “It wasn’t the ideal ending,” he said.
I nodded my understanding.
“But I’m glad you’re okay,” he added.
I frowned at him. “You saw Fitz grab me,” I accused. “You just left me there.” The anger, and sense of betrayal, that I’d been trying to tamp down since Patrick had abandoned me, rose to the surface, and I felt the urge to make him pay. “How could you have done that to me?”
Patrick shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mags. I knew you were okay, and I had a job to do.”
“Okay?” I asked. “He tied me to the bed.”
Patrick let out a tired sigh. “Honestly? I thought that was probably the safest place for you to be. Out of the path of trouble, for once.”
I scowled at him.
If I was hoping for a better explanation or an apology, I realized I wasn’t going to get one as Patrick gunned the engine of his car and drove away.
“Trouble in paradise,” God remarked from his hiding space in my bra.
Ignoring him, I got out of my car and walked back into the hospital. I wasn’t sure if Angel was registered under his own name or if Gino had put him under an alias. I didn’t have to worry about it for long because I had just walked through the door when Delveccio lumbered up to me.
“Buy you a chocolate pudding?”
I nodded. We walked together in silence toward the cafeteria, bought the food, and settle into one of our old favorite tables.
It felt strange to be sitting there with him, having been through so much together.
I waited for him to speak first.
“I hear you kept my nephew alive,” he said finally.
“It was a team effort,” I told him.
Delveccio nodded. “That’s what Gino said.”
I didn’t say anything, not wanting to get his bodyguard in any trouble.
The mobster fiddled with his pinky ring. “Dominic has been asking for a play date with Katie.”
I nodded. His grandson and my niece had bonded in the hospital and enjoyed each other’s company.
“I can bring her over to play sometime,” I offered.
Delveccio nodded his approval. “I’d like that.” He finished his pudding and got up from the table. “I’d tell you to stay out of trouble,” he said with a chuckle, “but I don’t think you’re capable.”
“Hey,” I called to him as he walked away.
He glanced over his shoulder.
“What room is Angel in?”
“Fourteen sixteen,” he answered and then left the cafeteria.
Angel’s room was dark when I reached it. I peered inside, letting my eyes adjust to the shadows before quietly stepping in. I didn’t want to disturb him.
He was lying on the bed, eyes closed, looking pale.
From the back corner of the room, I saw somebody stand up. “They say he’ll be okay,” Gino said quietly.
“Physically,” I muttered. I wasn’t sure about Angel’s mental or emotional state. He’d been acting so irrationally, it didn’t make sense that he’d let Fitz walk me to my car. And it hadn’t made sense that he was helping them steal a helicopter.
“You shouldn’t judge him too harshly,” Gino said. “Guilt does strange things to people.”
“He had nothing to be guilty about, though,” I told him.
Gino shrugged, and I could tell by the expression on his face that he wasn’t telling me something. I considered him for a long moment, wondering which of An
gel’s secrets he was guarding so closely, and why. “Is he going to be able to keep his job here?” I asked finally.
Gino nodded. “The cop took care of everything,” he said. “I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad that the chopper pilot got away with the heart.” His tone was mild but I could tell he was searching.
I shrugged, not trusting myself to answer him aloud. I’d been thinking the same thing. What had Zeke done?
“Tell him I was here?” I said, pointing toward the bed.
Gino nodded.
I left the hospital and went and sat in my car, trying to figure things out.
“If Fitz put the donor of the heart into a coma,” I said to God. “Does that mean that Zeke was somehow in on it?”
“Don’t you remember him refusing to move, even when there was a gun pointed at him?” the lizard replied. “Plus, it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing he would do.”
“I don’t know,” I said doubtfully. “I’ve done quite a bit for Ms. Whitehat that I didn’t want to do.”
“You can’t fault him for taking the heart,” God said. “They would never have found another appropriate recipient, even if it had gone through all the correct channels, last minute like that. At least this way, we can hope it saved somebody’s life.”
I nodded slowly, knowing he was right, but not liking how things had panned out.
As if he knew we were talking about him, my phone rang, Zeke’s number popping up.
“Hey,” I answered in my most noncommittal tone.
“Hey,” he said. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna have to pick you up tomorrow.”
“For our miniature golf game?” I asked, hopeful, desperate for some normalcy.
“No,” Zeke said tiredly, “because I’m supposed to bring you to prison.”
THE END
Author’s Note
Hello there, reader!
Organ transplantation is used as a plot device in this silly book, but it's a serious topic in real life.
To learn more about how you can become a donor, please visit https://www.donatelife.net/international/
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Hugs and murder,
JB
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About JB Lynn
A Jersey Girl transplanted to the Sunshine State, JB (you can call her Jen) writes laugh-out-loud suspense and mysteries with a dash of romance, but she’s been known to dabble in the occasional goosebump-raising thriller.
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