by K. J. Larsen
He smelled of whiskey and his unfocused eyes darted wildly. He sniffed and I suspected he was snorting more than sinuses.
“Here’s an idea. Forget the diamonds, go to rehab and take your life back.”
“I’ll just take the rocks. Where are they?”
“I told you. In my purse.”
“You’re jackin’ me.” He tightened his grip, my eyes stung and I couldn’t breathe.
“Help!” I choked barely audible to my own ears. A dark wave crossed my vision and I collapsed on the ground.
“Give up the diamonds or I’ll cut that pretty face.”
A chilling voice growled from the shadows. “That would be a very bad idea.”
Devin spun around and Chance Savino kicked his legs from under him. He rolled to the ground with an astonished snort, and clambered quickly to his feet. Savino lowered his shoulder and charged like a bull. They crashed in a tangled blur of thumping fists. Devin collapsed on the blacktop, wrenching a gun from his jacket pocket. Chance kicked it away from his hand and hammered him unconscious with his own weapon.
Chance knelt beside me and hung his jacket around my shoulders.
“Did he hurt you, DeLucky?”
“Look at my dress. My heels are ruined.” I threw a hand at my battered heels stranded on the asphalt.
Chance jogged across the parking lot and salvaged my shoes. The leather was scuffed, but he carefully put them on my feet and assessed the damage. I was a mess. My arms were scraped, my legs bloody, and I’d mopped the parking lot with my dress. I stared at my strappy metallics and blinked back the tears.
Chance studied Devin’s face. “Isn’t that Jack’s nephew? The guy you can’t marry?”
“Yep. Devin smashed your head last night and took your diamonds.”
Chance studied me curiously. “Oh? I thought that was you.”
“Me?” I flung my finger at Devin accusingly. “He’s the one who schmucked your head with a crow bar and grabbed the stones. I thought the cops arrested you. I did the happy dance because I had proof you were alive.”
“Happy dance? I heard what Devin said to you. He didn’t have the diamonds. He was trying to get them from you. Maybe you and Devin are partners and you double-crossed him. I didn’t figure you for a thief.”
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”
“I want those diamonds, DeLucky.”
“Screw you.”
He gently pulled me by the lapels of his jacket and kissed me. His lips were soft and warm and a little groan escaped my throat. His tongue touched mine and a flame rushed through me.
The cobalt blue eyes crinkled the hint of a smile.
“Happy birthday, DeLucky.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
The door flung open and music jammed the parking lot. My sister stepped outside. She caught us in the shadows, Savino’s arms around me, his face close to mine. Sophie squawked triumphantly and raced inside.
“Great! Just peachy.”
“Who was that?”
“My big-mouth sister.”
Chance brushed his lips against my hair.
“Keep the diamonds warm for me. I’ll be back.”
The door exploded and the entire party rushed outside. Sophia always was a tattle tale.
“There they are!” My sister pointed an accusing finger and Uncle Joey swept a blinding flashlight on my torn dress and bruises. My friends cried out and rushed to my side. I turned to Savino but he had vanished behind the building. There was only me there, bruised and bleeding. Plus the guy who beat me up. It seems I’d knocked him senseless.
Papa hugged me and ground his shoe into Devin’s fingers. My lip quivered and the dam broke. There was no stopping the tears. Mama fussed and promised cannoli. My sister glared and I winked at her. Max brought the car around and helped me inside.
“Did you get your purse,” he said.
“I didn’t bring one.”
“Whose jacket are you wearing?” My sister snickered.
“I, uh, borrowed it before I ran outside.”
“You didn’t have…” Melanie began and I stopped her with a look. Her eyes widened and she bit her tongue.
“Take the coat and return it later,” Mama said. “You need the warmth.”
“Shouldn’t someone call the cops?” someone said.
“We are the cops.” Uncle Joey’s eyes didn’t match the smile.
“You’ll call it in, won’t you?” I said.
“Don’t worry, baby.” Papa rested a shoe on Devin’s face. “Your Uncle Joey will take care of it.”
Melanie wrung her hands. “How can such a terrible thing happen?”
“It’s those damn dirty pictures,” Mama said sorrowfully.
I waved.
Max cruised out of the parking lot onto the street. He glanced in the rear view mirror and jumped. Roger and Ginny sat in the back seat.
“How’d you two get here?”
“I need my family at a time like this,” I said.
“Who was that terrible man?” Ginny said. “Why did he want to hurt you?”
“Devin is on drugs. He needs treatment.”
Max glanced sideways. “Did he say anything about the diamonds?”
“Devin didn’t mention them,” I said.
“Diamonds?” Roger’s voice perked.
“You’re a stage four guy,” Max said. “Step away from the jewels.” He glared at me.
“You took a big chance leaving the party alone. I’m your bodyguard for chrissake.”
“I was after Savino. He was standing by the door.”
“Of course, the dead man.” Max shook his head. “Tonight I had a date with a beautiful woman. This isn’t how I hoped it would end.”
“We had fun. You got to meet my family, didn’t you?”
“Don’t ever leave me alone with your sister.”
“The twins liked you.”
“How do you know? They never left the buffet.”
“And papa gave us his blessing.”
Max shuddered. “I thought he was showing me his scar. I never want to be that close to a man’s naked butt again.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Ginny and I awoke at nine to a gentle knock on the door. I was sore and my skin hurt when the sheets rubbed against it but for the most part my birthday had been a success. Bambi and her tattooed husband were in the slammer, I got the diamonds back, and Elvis rocked. On the down side Melanie ate my cake and I got my butt kicked. Again. My fabulous dress was trashed but the aroma of hot coffee and bacon wafted in from the kitchen. It was a brand new day.
Inga lay flat on her back between Ginny and me, paws up, wagging her tail.
“Anyone hungry?”
Max opened the door wearing dark wash, low rise Levis and a dazzling white tee-shirt. You could see every muscle ripple and the affect, I noticed, wasn’t lost on Ginny. Her eyes were saucer-size, glued to his six packs.
Ginny sat up and tucked the covers under her chin. “Is Roger awake?”
Max made a face. “Bambi’s been calling all night. Can you believe it? She wants him to bail her out of jail.”
Ginny gnawed a lip. “He isn’t doing it, is he?”
Max shook his head once, sharply. “He made waffles.”
“Good. I love waffles,” I said.
Ginny and Roger had sat by the fire late into the night. They talked about computers and time travel and Bambi. Roger’s eyes busted a faucet and Ginny held his hand and listened. They were two big geeks with enormous hearts. Roger’s was broken.
“How is he?” Ginny said.
Max grinned. “Ask him yourself.” He ducked out of the room.
We tugged on robes and slippers and tromped off to the kitchen. Roger slumped at the table over the newspaper. I doubted he’d slept much. His eyes were puffy but they lit up when he saw Ginny.
She brushed back a strand of her long black h
air. “Good morning, Roger,” she said shyly.
Roger kicked his feet self-consciously. “Thanks for listening, last night.”
I poured juice and coffee. Max pulled bacon and a platter of waffles from the oven and set them on the table.
Roger slapped the paper in front of my cousin. “There’s a Star Trek Convention in Cleveland next October. Can you believe it?”
She caught her breath. “We were talking about Star Trek last night.”
“Trekkies,” Max said. “Who would’ve guessed?”
“Maybe William Shatner will autograph your Captain Kirk doll,” Roger said.
Ginny’s doe eyes widened. “What are you saying?”
Roger stared at his shoes. “If you’d like to go to the Star Trek Convention with me, I’ll reserve a couple rooms.”
Ginny hugged her arms and giggled. “Cleveland! Wow!”
Ginny doesn’t get to travel much.
We ate breakfast and Roger told Ginny about Cleveland.
“It’s an extraordinary city,” he said.
“Would that be the same Cleveland that’s in Ohio?” I said.
A loud smack thumped the door. “What’s that?”
Max pulled his gun from its shoulder holster. “Sounds like someone clobbering the front door with his foot.”
“Wait here,” Roger said boldly and followed Max to the living room.
Ginny shuddered. “Do people always want to kill you?”
“It’s been a busy week,” I said, licking blueberry syrup off the knife.
We listened. Loud voices, accusations, tense conversation, and familiar snorting. I dropped my fork. Suddenly I wasn’t hungry anymore.
Roger led the way to the kitchen and Max pushed Devin ahead of him. He was a mess. His hands were bandaged, fingers smashed, an arm in a sling, and I gathered from his posture some ribs were broken. I was cheered considerably.
“I can see why you knocked with your shoe,” I said.
Max smacked him in the head. “Jack is waiting outside for Devin. Your Accord is back.”
“The Silver Bullet? Wow.”
“Jack said you won’t get a bill. He’s all worked up over what happened last night.”
“Who told him?”
“Your Uncle Joey brought Devin home.”
“After he was hit by a truck,” I noted.
“I wanna talk to Cat alone,” Devin said.
“Over my dead—”
“It’s OK,” I said, and Max smacked him again.
“I’m right outside this door.”
“Me, too,” Roger growled and Ginny kicked Devin’s shin on her way out.
I tugged the sleeves of my robe to cover my bruises. “What do you want, Devin.”
“About last night,” Devin began. “I was—”
“You were an ass. If you ever touch me again I’ll shoot you.”
“Your uncle worked me over good.”
“I’m surprised you made it home.”
“He and Jack go way back.”
“Lucky you.”
“Joey found a pipe in my car. He gave me a choice. Six months in drug rehab or go back to prison.”
“Bye bye.”
Devin shrugged. “I can’t hang around here. Some guy wants those diamonds.”
“Sucks to be you.”
Devin looked hideous with a black and blue eye and a fresh cut on his cheek. I almost felt sorry for him.
“Damn shame, Cat, those diamonds were sweet.” His swollen eyes swept the room.
I stiffened. “The diamonds are gone. I turned them in.”
“Yeah? Joey didn’t know nothing about diamonds.”
“It’s FBI. They were smuggled from Australia.”
Devin stared hard trying to decide whether to believe me.
“I don’t care if you kept the diamonds, Cat. I ain’t coming back for them.”
The left eye twitched.
“Max!” I called. “We’re finished here.”
***
Ginny took Inga for a walk around the neighborhood in my pink Liz Claiborne sweats. They were a bit snug, but in all the right places. Roger’s eyes glazed over when he saw her and I had to pinch my lips to keep from smiling. It would take time before Roger could feel whole again, but there would be life after Bambi.
“Your mama dropped by with your cannoli,” Roger said.
“She came early.”
“She peeked in your room.”
“She was checking on the sleeping arrangements. Ginny’s mama would be in the car.”
“She said Father Timothy would be stopping by. Something about reserving the church.”
I blew a sigh.
“Max is a great guy.”
“I am a great guy,” Max appeared in the doorway with Rita’s laptop under his arm. He placed it between Roger and me on the couch.
“Is this the laptop that belonged to the reporter who got whacked?” Roger said.
My head snapped a double take.
Max laughed. “We had a lot of time to talk this morning. We thought you’d never wake up.”
“I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed,” Roger said.
I hugged him. “Bambi is an idiot.”
Roger flashed a crooked smile. “So, do you think this Eddie Harr is behind Rita’s murder?”
Max stretched out in the leather easy chair and locked his hands behind his head. “A guy named Charlie pulled the trigger but he’s just one of Eddie’s dirt workers. He left a trail of Starburst candy wrappers twisted in little bows.”
“They follow Charlie wherever he goes,” I said.
“Then it shouldn’t be too hard to pin the murder on him,” Roger said.
“It would help if forensics bagged the bows,” Max shrugged. “They went out with the trash.”
I knocked on the laptop lid. “There should be something here to link Harr to Rita.”
“How so?”
“Rita had Eddie Harr pegged for the low life scum he is. But you’d think she was writing a fluff piece on him.”
“Can a computer geek take a look?”
Geek Joey Jr. was still out of town. I shoved the laptop over.
Roger is built like a teddy bear with a round belly and not much leg for a laptop. I watched him scootch, roll, then finally prop up a sofa pillow to even out his stomach-to-lap ratio.
“Let’s sit at the table,” I said. “I’ll make fresh coffee and tempt you with Mama’s cannoli.”
Roger shoved himself off the couch. “Keep the temptation coming. If your client was hiding anything in here, I’ll find it.”
I ground beans and brewed coffee and Max pulled Mama’s Tupperware from the fridge. We dragged chairs on either side of Roger. His fat fingers flew at a furious pace.
When the coffee was ready I filled three cups and left one empty by the pot for Ginny. A deep chuckle gurgled in Roger’s throat. Max jerked forward and I wiggled between them.
“What did you find?”
“Rita’s cache,” Roger said with satisfaction. “Your client was a smart cookie. She gave away just enough to make you think there wasn’t more. No one could have known.”
“Harry Kaplan knew,” I said bitterly. “He was going to let them get away with it.”
“Harry?”
“Rita’s boss,” Max explained. “Harry’s letting her killers get away because his wife is too voluptuous.”
Roger looked more confused than ever.
I plopped a cannoli on Roger’s plate. He took a bite and his eyes melted.
“Ginny has Mama’s recipe,” I whispered in his ear.
Max scrolled down the page. “Maybe your client wasn’t so smart after all. She was squeezing some punk who works for Eddie, a guy she calls AJ. Rita knew this AJ was involved in a hit and run where two children died. She threatened to turn him in if he didn’t roll over on his boss.”
“Did this AJ give her anythin
g on Eddie?”
“Maybe. There’s some numbers and banking info here, I don’t know what it means. Also something about a national charity financed with government and private funds. Rita claims large amounts of cash were diverted from the fund and funneled to dummy accounts. She also believed weapons and contraband were loaded in trucks and shipped south of the border.”
I slapped Max’s shoulder. “See!”
“Where can we find this AJ character?” Roger said.
“We got a phone number,” Max said. “I’ll call Rocco for an address.”
Roger commandeered the computer again and punched some keys. “Here is Rita’s calendar. And this is her final week, the last days before her murder.”
Max leaned close reviewing Rita’s appointments the last days of her life.
“Monday. FBI. WPP?” he read.
“Witness Protection Program,” I said. “AJ wanted out.”
“Maybe. Or WPP could be something else.”
“What? A sandwich order? White bread, pastrami w/ pickles.” I threw Max a look. “AJ agrees to testify against Eddie. Rita goes to the FBI Monday. Thursday she’s dead.”
Max grunted. “You could be right. Tino says there’s a leak in the FBI.”
Roger tapped the screen. “The day before Rita died she met E.H. at 10 a.m.”
“That’s Eddie Harr unless Max can make a sandwich out of it.” I checked the address and sucked a breath.
Max looked at me sharply. “Do you know the place?”
“I was there that afternoon. The fireworks knocked me out of my shoes.”
“Max said they found Rita’s husband in there.”
I smacked Max. “No. This guy had a snake tattooed around his neck.”
Roger shuddered. “Gross, Rita.”
Max drove Ginny and Roger to their cars at the Lodge. I showered quickly and dropped my towel on the bed. The lump under my blanket sighed.
“Cleo wants to replace you with buckshot,” I said.
I blow dried my hair and slipped into a red-ribbed, scoop-necked tee, straight leg linen pants, and beaded flip flops. I slathered on Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker and a few strokes of mascara before trotting to the kitchen for a snack.
A clatter froze me in my tracks and I slapped my mouth to squelch a scream. The refrigerator door was open, two new suede shoes visible beneath the door. My intruder’s head was buried in my food stash. He was perilously close to Mama’s cannoli.