by Liliana Hart
We finished our lunch and Mo left a generous tip in cash for our waiter, and then we headed back to the van. I noticed a couple of pedi-cabs parked along the sidewalk.
“Let’s take a quick ride,” I said. “Dunnegan and the mystery woman got in a pedi-cab after they left the restaurant. I want to retrace the route.”
“I always wanted to be a detective,” Mo said. “But I like money. And I like knocking some sense into people when I got to. We were created with that animalistic instinct to protect what’s ours—family, possessions, land—and people nowadays don’t know how to take a stand for the things they believe in. What they gonna do? Xbox their enemies to death?” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “The way I see it, my life is reflective of how God intended. I do unto others and all that shit. I protect my family. And sometimes I’m like Jesus at the temple, flipping tables and busting caps in people’s asses when they don’t do what they’re supposed to.”
I didn’t remember anything in the Bible about busting a cap in anyone’s ass, but maybe Mo had a newer translation.
The two pedi-cab drivers saw us coming, and one of them pedaled away before we could get there. I couldn’t say I blamed him. The other froze and stared at us like a deer in the headlights. He was Asian and small of stature, and I was pretty sure I could’ve bench-pressed him if I’d tried. I felt bad about even making him attempt to cart us around. But Scarlet had already settled herself in the middle of the back seat and Mo held out his hand to help me in next to her.
I winced apologetically at the driver and he finally found his words. “A hundred dollars,” he said. “Half up front.” He held out a hand and I was ready to get out again.
We didn’t need to retrace Dunnegan’s steps that badly. But Mo took out his money clip from the inside pocket of his suit coat and peeled off a fifty, and then Mo took his seat on the other side of Scarlet. The carriage sunk under his weight and I hunched down into the seat, and flipped the collar of my coat up for good measure.
“My name’s Moji,” the driver said. “Where are you going?”
“Can you take us to Charlie’s?” I asked.
“They ain’t open, lady. You need a drink this early, your best bet is to head over to the Walgreens.”
“I’ve been there,” I said. “We just need a ride down to Charlie’s and back.”
“Whatever, lady. It’s your money.” And then he stood up on the pedals and pushed down, slowly putting us in motion.
At the pace we were going, I could’ve run circles around the pedi-cab, but it gave me time to let all the information I’d collected scramble around in my brain. I bit my lip in indecision. I was going to need help on this. But there were consequences to every action. Before I could talk myself out of it, my cell phone was in my hand and I was dialing.
“Savage,” he answered.
“So,” I said. And then I let an awkward silence follow.
Agent Matt Savage worked out of the FBI Satellite office in Savannah, and our relationship was a complicated one. Several months ago, Kate had included me in Savage’s investigation to recover stolen Russian gems that had been lifted from a dead courier.
To say that there had been instant sparks between us would’ve been an understatement. Savage was like forbidden fruit. He was a little bit mysterious, a whole lot dangerous, and he liked to break the rules. He was my high school fantasy come to life.
He had a strong Native American heritage with a little bit of something else thrown in, but when you got down to it, he looked like the love child of The Rock and Pocahontas. He was gorgeous. And his body should’ve been used for modeling Calvin Klein underwear instead of the ugly black suits that were FBI standard. It was a damn crime against humanity, in my opinion.
Savage constantly wreaked havoc with my moral compass, but I’d never succumbed to the temptation. And there had most definitely been temptation. But having been on the receiving end of unfaithfulness, I could never do that to someone I loved. And despite the ups and downs, I loved Nick.
I wasn’t afraid to admit that Savage was a teensy bit of the reason I’d told Nick I needed to think about the marriage proposal. There had really been two major reasons. The first was that we’d just come off a big case and it had most definitely been life or death. I wanted to make sure Nick wasn’t proposing because of a knee-jerk reaction since I could’ve died. The second reason was Savage. Right as Nick was popping the question, down on bended knee no less, Savage knocked on the door and interrupted the moment. And Savage hadn’t been one bit sorry.
I hadn’t been happy with him, and had put distance between me and both of the testosterone-driven men in my life. That was, until last week, when I’d been tracking down the Romeo Bandit at a nudist colony. The Romeo Bandit had been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for a really long time, so I’d had no choice but to call Savage in. It hadn’t helped that when he’d gotten there I’d been naked as a jaybird. It had made things…awkward. And I hadn’t talked to him since.
“Addison?” he said.”
“Oh right,” I said, thunking my hand against my head. “I need a little assistance. If you’re available.” I could practically hear his smile on the other end of the line.
“Darling, I’m always available. You only have to ask.”
“Not in that way,” I hissed. “In a federal way.”
“Who are you talking to?” Aunt Scarlet asked.
“Agent Savage,” I answered. The cart was rolling at a snail’s pace and I could tell Scarlet was getting impatient.
“He’s a hottie,” she said. “But I already crossed a Native American off my list.”
“I’m sure he’ll be devastated to hear it.” Savage was laughing in my ear and I rolled my eyes.
“I might be free to offer some federal assistance,” Savage said. “Did you give Nick an answer yet?”
“Whether or not you’ll help me is based on if I’m getting married or not?” I asked. My palms were getting sweaty and I rubbed them on my jeans.
“Of course not. Just curious.”
“Then no,” I answered. “I still have a few days left.” There was another awkward pause. “I cut my hair,” I blurted out.
The brilliant idea came to me that I just needed to make myself seem undesirable to Savage. Savage wasn’t relationship material. Savage was bump in the night kind of material. I mean, it would be a hell of a bump, but there wouldn’t be anything to show for it afterwards.
“Okaaay,” Savage said, drawing out the word.
“Never mind,” I said. “I’ve got this case. A guy, who’s a real ass by the way, walks into a bar, and a beautiful woman sits down next to him. They have some drinks and leave together. One moment he’s a member of the mile-high pedi-cab club and the next he’s waking up in a bathtub full of ice and missing his kidney.”
“Like the urban legend?” Savage asked.
“Yep, just like that. Guy doesn’t want to file a report with the police because he doesn’t want his wife or the media to find out that he’s a schmuck. So he comes to us. And then Kate does a little digging and we find a similar case over in Hilton Head six months ago. Only that time they took the heart, so it was a homicide. Then I’m doing a little more digging and it was mentioned that several years ago the same thing happened to a woman up in Atlanta.”
“What do you need from me?” Savage asked.
“For starters, can you get me information on the woman in Atlanta, specifically her blood type? The connection between the victims is that they all have a rare blood type.”
“Making it difficult for people who need transplants to find donors,” Savage finished.
“Exactly.”
“What else do you need?”
“A nationwide search of like crimes. Just anything that pops. I can look through the details. You can get the information a lot faster than I can and we need to get this one wrapped up.”
“Why? Because you’ve got a big question to answer?”
“Nooooo,
” I said, rolling my eyes. “Because if I don’t wrap this up I’m going to end up doing bodily harm to the client.”
“Have Scarlet take care of him,” Savage said.
“She shot a man’s ear off the other day.”
“Well, there you go.” Savage disconnected and I assumed that meant he was going to help me out.
Chapter Thirteen
Charlie’s was a little dive bar a few blocks away on the corner.
Moji had been right. There wasn’t a soul in sight, and the bar was closed up tight. It said on the doors they didn’t open again until four o’clock. I looked at my watch. Nothing could be done here for a couple more hours.
Something yellow caught the corner of my eye and jogged my memory about the conversation I’d had with Anthony Dunnegan. He’d mentioned he and the mystery woman had ridden in a yellow pedi-cab. It was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack, but if I could find that pedi-cab driver, he might be able to tell us something more about the mystery woman. Maybe he even helped her if she made it seemed like Dunnegan had passed out. Or maybe he overheard a phone conversation.
I’d phone the cab company later and see what kind of records they kept. Probably not good ones, if I had to guess by looking at the ragtag group of pedi-cab drivers. Male or female, all of the ones lined up on the street had an unwashed hippie vibe going for them. They all had varying levels of dreadlocks. Many of them wore long shorts despite the low temperatures, and long-sleeved tees. Tattoos peeked from beneath their clothing and they spoke in a fast-paced code that included a lot of waving hands and knuckle bumps.
The dude in the yellow pedi-cab wasn’t fairing as well as the others. He was asleep in the back of his cab, his long yellow dreads hanging across his face.
“There’s a dead man in that cab,” Scarlet said, pointing. “I’m surprised no one has stolen his hair.”
I looked at her confused. “What in the world would they want his hair for?”
“People steal every damned thing nowadays,” she said. “When I lived in France someone stole my neighbor’s front lawn. Weirdest thing I ever saw. They pulled up all the sod, every plant, and even the garden gnomes. Nothing but dirt left when they were through.”
“Hell, that’s nothing,” Mo said. “I know a guy that had all the gold teeth taken right out of his mouth. Never even knew it. Just woke up looking like a jack-o-lantern.”
“He’s not dead,” Moji said, looking over his shoulder at us. “That’s Raf. He doesn’t really wake up until sometime after three. He says it’s not worth peddling sober people around all day. They don’t tip and always want to ask questions. “
“He sleeps in his cab?” I asked.
“Just some of the time. He gets up early and parks out here with the others first thing in the morning so he can get in the lineup, and then he goes back to sleep until he’s ready for his shift.”
My phone rang and I didn’t recognize the number, but it was a Savannah area code so I answered.
“Addison Holmes,” I said.
“You want to tell me why you’re in a pedi-cab with Ugly Mo and Aunt Scarlet? I can’t imagine why you thought it’d be a good idea to continue your association with him.”
“Hey, I’m a grown woman,” I said. “I can make my own decisions.”
“Damn straight, you can,” Scarlet said. “Who are you talking to now?”
“It’s Nick,” I whispered.
“Is Nick the one you’re thinking of marrying?” she asked.
“Shh,” I said, putting my finger over my lips. “How did you know I was here?” I asked.
“There are eyes all over this city. People are always watching.”
I scanned the streets until I came across Bryan Diamond. He was working mounted patrol and looked miserable. I’d met Bryan last year at the department’s Christmas party when he’d been a captain. Sometime between then and New Year’s Eve he’d been demoted to sergeant and assigned six months on mounted patrol. I had no idea what he’d done to earn the slap down, but it must’ve been really bad.
He noticed that I’d spotted him, and I glared in his direction. He just grinned and pulled at the reins to send his horse in the opposite direction. I guess he had to find his entertainment where he could.
“Tell Diamond he’d better pray I don’t get a hold of him.”
“I’m sure that’ll terrify him,” Nick said. “I believe he was at the station that time you jumped on the desk because a mouse ran across your foot.”
“That’s different,” I said defensively. “And maybe I won’t have to touch Bryan. Maybe his horse will get a bad case of diarrhea while Bryan is out on patrol. I’m sure people would get a real kick out of watching Bryan sitting on a horse that’s shitting all over Savannah.”
“Such language, Addison,” Scarlet said. “But I’m liking the way your mind is working. You’re a Holmes, through and through.”
Nick paused on the other end of the line. “Jesus,” he said. “That’s terrifying. And to think I still want to marry you. I must be a glutton for punishment.”
Nick disconnected and I was feeling oddly upbeat. I’m not sure if it was because I liked the idea of getting revenge on Bryan or because Nick still wanted to marry me.
Moji dropped us back at the van and he was shaking so hard he could barely clasp the other fifty-dollar bill Mo held out to him. I figured he was smart to ask for the hundred dollars. There was no way he’d have the energy to peddle anyone else today—maybe not tomorrow either—and he probably made twice what he does on a normal night.
We got in the van and I debated whether or not to tell Ugly Mo about my run-in with Fat Louie’s man. I finally decided I had enough on my plate without having the added stress of Big Eddie trying to “fuck me up.” Not to mention, word was obviously out about what Scarlet did to Javier’s ear.
“So I have a little problem with the van,” I told Mo.
“Girl, I got a no-return policy. Even if you are entertaining for Ugly Mo. I’m going to line item you for my accountant.”
“I appreciate that,” I said. “But the problem is I met a friend of Fat Louie’s over at the Tiger Lounge the other night while I was waiting for Jasmine to leave for the night. I put a gun in his face, so he’s not too happy with me. And it’s a slight possibility that the guy whose ear Scarlet shot off was also an employee of Fat Louie.”
I told him what happened with the van being spray-painted and taking it over to Magic Mike’s to be repaired.
“That’s damned disrespectful,” Mo said, shaking his head. “There’s no honor in the business anymore. Louie is a disgrace. An embarrassment. His mother was the brains behind his whole organization and he up and killed her. Now he’s just a monster running loose in my city. I can’t have that anymore. And if Jasmine is tied up with him, then I’ll take her down with him.”
Mo stamped his cane against the floor of the van in indignation and I jumped at the sound. I dropped them both off at The Ballastone, so Scarlet could take her afternoon nap and Mo could rearrange some faces. At least that’s what he’d told me he was going to do when he said goodbye.
I had to admit, I’d become rather fond of Ugly Mo. He wasn’t a half bad guy, if you overlooked all the crimes he was committing. And I hadn’t heard anyone say that he was a murderer like Fat Louie, so maybe he wasn’t one of the really bad criminals. Though I should probably keep that opinion to myself. I was pretty sure Nick wouldn’t agree.
Chapter Fourteen
I wasn’t as lucky finding a parking spot going back to the agency. At least not a spot that didn’t require me to work parallel parking magic that I didn’t possess. Instead, I parked six blocks away down a street where one of the buildings was under construction. I assumed there were no cars parked on the street just in case a piece of construction equipment rammed into their car. I was oddly okay with it.
The walk back to the agency didn’t take long, and when I walked up the stairs and into the foyer I immediately smelled cho
colate chip cookies. Lucy was sitting at her desk, her long red nails clacking at the keyboard.
“Who has the cookies?” I asked, closing the door behind me.
Lucy ignored me and went about her typing. Her desk was a big mahogany behemoth that was shaped like a U. I approached the desk and decided to try another approach. “Anything come in for me?”
She kept typing with her right hand and picked up one of the loose notes she kept organized ruthlessly on her desk, and handed it to me.
“Did you hear me about the cookies?” I asked again, but it was of no use. Every tactic I’d ever tried failed. I’d never once heard Lucy say a single word. “They smell good. And I really need one.”
She stopped her clacking on the keyboard and I thought I’d finally gotten through the barrier. Instead she pointed her finger in the direction of the conference room and then went back to typing.
“Someday,” I said with sigh, “I’m going to get you to spill your secrets. You won’t know what hit you.”
I unbuttoned my coat and headed straight for the conference room instead of my office. I was pulling apart the Velcro to take the holster from around my waist when I pushed open the door and came face to face with Savage.
“Need help with that?” he asked, eyeing my midriff.
I froze and stared for a few seconds. He was dressed for work in his habitual black suit and white shirt, but he’d left his tie off and the first couple of buttons of his collar were undone.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“Sure you were. You can’t dangle a case like this in front of me and not expect me to bite.”
I felt my insides do a slow roll when he said the word bite. That conjured images I wasn’t altogether comfortable with.