As Fab and Kevin walked the front perimeter, she talked the entire time. Finding nothing exciting, they headed into the house.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Casio.
“That’s a piss-poor greeting for a friend.” Casio bared his teeth.
I waited for a growl, for him to paw the ground and charge.
“Another break-in.” He nodded at the house. Without dragging his eyes away, he said, “Need a favor. Get friendly with the chick next door. I tried a little come on—” He swirled his hips. “—but we’re just not simpatico.”
“I’ll be the buzzkill: you have a wife and kids.”
“Flirting, not screwing,” he said with a shake of his head. “Back to the friend request. You can do friendly, can’t you?”
“I don’t make friends for the purpose of eliciting information. You’re better off pitching your request to Fab.”
Casio roared with laughter. “If I wanted her tied up and interrogated, I’d do it myself. But I’d have a hard time selling that approach to the chief.” He grimaced. “I think Ruby Dailey knows more about her boyfriend’s death, and it is tied to your break-ins. Got a heads-up that she had a male caller asking for her by name, and she pointed him to your house. And look – here we are – another break-in. I was thinking—” He tapped his temple with a grin. “—another woman could comfort her in her time of grief.”
I shook my head, making a face. Friends, ha! Ruby was about to get two of them.
Casio stuck his hand out. “That info cost me a twenty.”
I wiped away a non-existent tear and left him standing on the sidewalk.
“I don’t know why Brick doesn’t like you,” Casio said from behind me as I opened the door. “You’re much more fun than scary girl.” He followed me into the living room.
“It belongs to Didier,” Fab told Kevin as they came through the patio doors. She had an ugly shoe in her hand, reminiscent of a jail freebie only dingy grey. No chance it ever belonged to the sexy Frenchman.
“Hey, bro.” Casio waved to Kevin.
Kevin looked at him like he’d grown an extra head. “Yeah… uh… Casio?” He swept the big man from head to toe, taking in his grimy clothing and filthy feet shoved into taped-together flip-flops.
I turned and whispered to Casio, “I can tell you two are close.”
“The alarm must’ve scared the intruder off. Or, given that the system is new, it might have malfunctioned.” Kevin flashed a dopey smile. “I’ll take some water.”
Casio raised his hand. “Me too, and how about a sandwich?”
Mother would be thoroughly appalled at what I wanted to say, besides get the heck out of here. An F-word or two popped into my mind. Instead, I waved my hand. “The kitchen is that way. We’re out of Wonder Bread, but I’m sure you can find something.” I added with a touch of snark, “Clean up after yourself.”
Fab moved to my side. “I’d have thrown them out.”
“Dare you.”
“Why is it when I’ve got a good idea, instead of following up, you resort to childishness?”
I pouted and edged around her, following the guys to the kitchen and slipped onto a stool. “What’s the latest on the murder?” I asked Kevin.
“You know I can’t discuss that, with you or anyone.” He pulled out a soda and bottle of water, popping the tab on the can.
“Throw me a tidbit, in the spirit of this new best friendship we’ve got going.” I watched as he downed the soda. “So many new friends lately,” I mused.
Fab sat down next to me, making an unintelligible noise.
“I’m not blowing you off, but really, I’ve got nothing new.” Kevin downed his water, capped it, and looked around for the trash.
Fab pointed. He tossed his trash and helped himself to more water.
“Get me another beer,” Casio said, in between stuffing his mouth with the leftover chicken enchilada he’d found in a to-go container.
“Listen up, boys.” Neither looked impressed. “No one comes to your door and blows you away unless you screwed them or they got the wrong address. How many cases do you get of the latter?” I asked. Kevin shrugged. “I find it hard to believe that someone walked down the street, chose a house, and bam!” I said a little loudly, blowing on my index finger.
Casio and Kevin rolled their eyes.
“Greed makes people do stupid stuff, but I heard…” Fab paused and continued, “somewhere… that there’s no will. Scotch wasn’t married, so I suppose it would go to his parents.”
“Dickie told me that Scotch’s family appeared genuinely distraught over the loss of their son,” I imparted. “If anyone would know, it would be him. Said it was a drama-free, respectable funeral.”
“Who’s Dickie?” Casio wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
“Funeral director. If you’re going to shuffle around our city, you need to get to know the shakers.” I stood and ripped off a paper towel, handing it to him.
Casio snorted. “That skinny little gravedigger?”
“You’re a jerk. The funeral home yields good information… sometimes anyway. Another plus, there’s always leftover funeral food.”
“Thanks for the water.” Kevin added, “Mind if I take another one with me?”
“Help yourself,” Fab said sarcastically.
“We should play some golf sometime,” Casio said to Kevin.
“Not my game. If you’re up for volleyball, we’re at the waterside courts on weekends.”
Judging by Casio’s turned-up nose, I’d bet the answer was “not interested.”
Kevin waved.
“One down, one to go,” Fab said when the door closed behind him.
I confronted Fab. “That shoe never belonged to Didier.”
“Someone was definitely in the backyard,” Fab said. “I found it at the base of the fence I’d guess our intruder used for escape. I snatched it up before Kevin could get his paws on it.”
“Hiding evidence from law enforcement is a bad idea.” Casio scowled at the two of us.
“I’m in favor of hiding the cars and lying in wait,” I offered. “Make it easy for the wannabe intruder and leave the door unlocked.”
“Sounds good to me,” Fab said.
“Another bad idea.” Casio banged his fist on the counter. “Call me and I’ll be a lookout from a different vantage point. Just know that doing a stake-out might not be a onetime deal. They’re are often time-intensive and almost always require more than one-time surveillance.”
Hearing an engine, I got up and crossed to the sink, looking out the garden window. “We’ve got more company.” A white pickup blocked the driveway.
Fab looked over my shoulder. “That’s my guy.”
“I’d like a business card,” I said to Fab’s retreating back. “The security company is finishing the system,” I answered Casio’s inquisitive stare.
To my surprise, Casio picked up his trash and cleaned the counter with his used paper towel.
I flinched. “Not to be rude, but you can go now. I’m out of nice, and I desperately need a nap.”
“When you talk to the chick next door, let me know.” He jerked his head. “Thanks for feeding me.” I nodded, and he left via the backyard.
I hauled Jazz into my arms and headed upstairs. Snow had taken to sleeping on my bed when people invaded the house.
Chapter Forty-One
Before leaving the next afternoon, Fab gave me a one-on-one on how to operate the new alarm keypad. I’d already texted Creole. He was happy that it had been installed and forewarned me that he had a few questions for Fab.
She started with a long-winded speech about the intricacies of the installation, and after my eyes rolled back in my head, I told her, “Skip to which buttons to push.” She was quite proud of her and her accomplice’s work. He didn’t have a business card. Shock! All emergency calls were directed to our rarely used business number. When asked, she assured me the man didn’t have a prison record, but she acted shifty,
and in retrospect, I should’ve included the word “jail.” I wouldn’t make a distinction, but she would.
On the way to Mother’s for dinner, I detoured to pick Liam up at school. I’d already texted him, so he knew I was on the way. Fab grumbled about not going, but since neither of us wanted Didier to find out what I was up to ahead of time, she mumbled something about cooking and I left.
Turning onto the Overseas Highway—the high school was located south of town—I wondered, “Cooking what?” My guess was she’d buy something and Didier would fire up the grill.
Liam had forewarned me to bypass the pick-up line in front of the school. His instructions were forgotten when I turned the corner and spotted him and a couple of friends a half-block up.
After I pulled up to the curb across the street, he crossed in front of the SUV, knocking on the hood. He threw his backpack over the seat and hopped into the passenger seat.
“Your friends need a ride?” I asked.
“They’re all good.” Liam fastened his seat belt. “You never pick me up; you must want something.”
“So suspicious.” I smiled at him. “I’d do cool stuff with you more often, but you know how Mother is at hogging your time.”
“She thinks if she lets me out of her sight, I might stub my toe. We had a talk, and she’s lightening up, as long as I don’t start sneaking around. You did that, didn’t you? Now I don’t get to,” he mock-accused.
“I was the perfect child. Brad, on the other hand…” I laughed.
Liam shook his head, a big grin on his face.
“You’re right about me having an ulterior motive for fetching you home.” I pulled out on the highway away from the cars lined up to get into the school. “How would you feel if I fixed Brad up on a date? Without your approval, I’ll drop the idea. Just so you know, I’m good with the answer either way.”
“Mom and he are throwing out the ‘friends’ word, code for it’s over. She loves Los Angeles, and Brad, well, he’s not leaving here. Not that I blame him. Is this a prank date or for real?”
“Real.”
“Happy he got rid of that Pamela cretin.” Liam raised his eyebrow. “Is the new one anyone I know?”
“Phil.”
He whistled. “I like her a lot.”
“I got the idea when she told me he was ‘hot.’ She’s smart, clever, and a looker, as my grandfather would have said.”
“If I were legal, I’d ask her out. Does she know how bossy Brad can be? Seriously bossy.”
“I’m swearing you to secrecy until this plan unfolds. If Brad gets wind, he’ll bail.” I relayed what Mother and I had already discussed.
“Grandmother must be excited about this; she fancies herself a modern day cupid.” He shook his head. “Does Spoon know?” I nodded. “He wouldn’t care as long as it makes her happy.”
“Grandmother? She finally made a decision.” Mother had tried every variation of grandmother she could come up with, including in Greek, Hawaiian, and a few other languages.
“I can pretty much call her anything except Granny or Madeline.”
I winced at “Granny,” knowing Mother would flip. Brad and I had used it in the past on our own grandmother, but only to annoy her.
I turned into Mother’s complex behind a Lexus, waited while the driver entered the security code, and followed in behind. Guest parking was empty, and I took the space closest to the door.
“Use your lockpick.” Liam made a keying motion. “I want to see how it’s done.”
I groaned. “You can watch, but I’m not teaching you.” At the lobby door, I showed him in slow motion. “Make up some good reason why you need to perfect the skill and sell Mother on it; she might teach you. She knows how; she was Fab’s star pupil.”
“Kevin told me you two were best friends now. I tried not to laugh, thinking he’d lost his mind.” Liam pushed the elevator button, and the doors opened immediately.
“That’s a stretch.”
“I told him to be nicer. He wanted to know why, and I told him everyone else likes you and so should he. It might shine up his image, rather than being known as the cop that gave the old lady a ticket for talking to her bicycle.”
I laughed. “Hadn’t heard that story.”
“True story. Bringing it up annoyed him. He reminded me it happened when he was new on the force, and it was a misunderstanding.”
We got out on the top floor in front of Mother’s door. “No lockpick needed; I got a key.” He smirked.
“I’ll text you the code for the security system Fab just had installed at the house.”
“Fab already did.” He unlocked the door. “Mrs. Spoon,” he yelled, “I’m home.”
“Loud,” I squealed. “The neighbors.”
“I heard you tell Fab to make her presence known, in case they were doing something she didn’t want to know anything about. There are things I don’t want to know about either.”
“She’s on the patio,” Spoon rumbled from the kitchen. He walked out with an apron tied around his waist.
“You need to learn to cook.” I lightly elbowed Liam. “You might hook up with a girl with no culinary skills, the same as the rest of the men in the family.”
“He’s got breakfast down.” Spoon scooped me up into a hug. “I came home early so I wouldn’t miss the scheming.”
Liam dropped his backpack in the corner and disappeared down the hall.
Mother came through the sliding pocket doors from the patio and checked me over from head to toe. Apparently my pink cotton tiered skirt and long-sleeve white top met with her approval. I’d kicked off my sandals inside the door.
“Honey, let’s have wine out on the patio.” Mother took hold of my hand, half-dragging me to the door.
“Stop right there,” Spoon boomed. “You’re to stay where I can hear every word.”
Mother pouted. “I told you I’d share.”
Spoon shook his head. “Heard that before, and it’s not always true. Besides, I’m ready for you two.” He wiggled his fingers between the stems of the three wine glasses and grabbed up the bottle, then swept his arm out for us to proceed.
“It’s beautiful out here,” I said, slipping into a chair and resting my feet on the footrest. The view of the water was spectacular, and quiet, as there was no beach but instead a grassy knoll that ran above where the blue-green water splashed against the rocks.
Spoon sat next to Mother, kicking up his feet. “To not getting in any trouble,” he toasted. When we had taken a drink, he said, “What’s new?” His attention was fixed on me.
“Mother, you keep joking that you’re going to fix Brad up, and you don’t follow through. Time to act. I’ve got the perfect girl.”
Spoon shook his head. “How many times did your mother do that to you and you hated it?”
“Exactly. Which is why it’s Brad’s turn.”
“What about Pamela?” Mother turned up her nose. “What does Brad see in her? It isn’t that she’s not perfectly lovely…” She paused, scrunching her nose again. “She’s bitchy.”
Spoon laughed. “Noticed that right off.”
“Caput. Finito. If Brad tells you they broke up, pretend like it’s the first time you heard it,” I said.
Mother’s gaze zeroed in on me, and I looked away. “You know something that I don’t.” She continued to stare.
“Let’s just say I pointed out that she wasn’t a good fit and he listened,” I weaseled. “I’ve got a much better choice. Time for him to move on.”
Mother’s face was quite expressive, and it was clear she had already starting making plans. “Who do you have in mind?” she asked, skepticism in her voice.
“Phil.”
Mother’s eyebrows shot up. “The bartender?” She went back to her mental scheming. “Phil passed the bar; she’s a lawyer now. It would be nice to have one in the family.”
“Since it’s unanimous that we all like Phil, forget the dating, skip to the wedding,” Liam said from
the doorway.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Mother,” I groaned, “you’ve corrupted your grandson.”
Mother beamed at him.
“Does Phil know about your plotting?” Spoon asked. “Or are you planning to trick both of them?”
“Oh yeah, Phil knows,” Liam answered. “She’s hot for him.” He dropped into a chair.
“Phil gets my thumbs-up. But what if she gets her heart broken?” Spoon asked brusquely.
“We can’t control everything,” I said with a sigh. “We get them together; chemistry does the rest. They both know how to do friendship. Another added plus: neither of them is in immediate need of mental healthcare.”
“I heard a little crazy makes the woman more fun,” Liam said, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
All eyes turned to him.
“Who told you that?” I demanded.
“I got the dude-to-dude talk from Crum. It was rather enlightening.” Liam’s lips quirked; he was clearly enjoying the turn of the conversation.
Mother and I shared the same look of horror. Spoon roared with laughter, shaking his head.
“You.” I pointed to Liam. “Go back and demand the details on how his so-called relationships, more like sexcapades, end. One left on a stretcher, mumbling to herself. There have been others since he barreled into my life. Who knows about before. He’s a horny old whore. He’s takes exception to that description, but it fits.”
Mother groaned.
“I’ve met a couple of them in passing,” Liam said. “When I lived at The Cottages, I closed his bathroom window a few times to keep the screams from bringing the cops. He assured me that he was the King of Passion and the women left happy. I never heard the word ‘help,’ or I’d have called Kevin.”
“If you want to know about…” I paused. “…stuff, there are better people right in our own family to ask questions of.”
“Stuff?” Liam teased. “You mean sex.”
“No more advice from the professor.” Mother sniffed. “About anything. The man wanders around in his underwear, for heaven’s sake.” She motioned for Spoon to fill up her glass.
I wasn’t much of a wine drinker, so I was good with one glass.
Lottery in Paradise (Florida Keys Mystery Series Book 11) Page 23