“Rose! Rose!”
I spun toward Roxy’s voice. She stood with Janelle, Ma, and Axton near the door. I wedged through people, not caring if I stomped on toes or shoved someone out of my way. Once I reached my friends, I almost sobbed with relief.
“We have to leave now,” I yelled over the crowd.
Roxy’s gaze fixed on something behind me. I swung around to see Martin Mathers standing near the dart board. The smile he gave me caused tremors to race through my whole body.
I fled the bar, the others hot on my heels. When the heavy wooden door closed behind us, it cut off the noise and the smell of alcohol.
“What happened?” Axton rubbed my upper back. “Are you okay?”
“Martin Mathers is one evil son of a bitch,” I said. “And he threatened Sullivan.”
“Sullivan can take care of himself,” Ma said. “It’s you I’m worried about. That man could be a killer. You can’t be alone with him again.”
“Let’s get you home.” Janelle pressed her hand into mine. “And if that cop comes near you, you scream, girl. You hear me? You scream your ass off.”
I nodded. As we hoofed it to the car, my mind kept going over the conversation with Mathers. He was a horrible man and being on the receiving end of his anger was terrifying. But had he killed Delia? If he’d killed her in a fit of rage, I could buy it, but the way she died…it just didn’t add up.
I insisted on driving, even though I still felt shaky. I dropped Janelle off first, then I took Axton back to Divak/Dale’s house. When I pulled up in front of Ma’s home, she urged me to come inside.
“Have some cocoa. Or better yet, both of you girls spend the night. We’ll have an old-fashioned slumber party.”
“Thanks, Ma,” I said, “but I’ll be fine.”
When I dropped Roxy off at her place, she turned to me. “You don’t have to pull that Braveheart shit with me. He scared you.”
I nodded. “Yeah, but I’m worried about Sullivan. What if Martin gets vindictive and provides evidence against him? Sullivan could go away for a long time.”
“Ma was right, Sullivan can look after himself. You, on the other hand, get yourself into all kinds of crap.” She reached out and patted my cheek. “Be safe. Or I’ll kick your ass.”
When I got home, I called Andre again.
“Thomas,” he answered, sounding groggy. I wondered if he had a girlfriend with him. And if so, what was she like? I shook my head to focus.
“It’s Rose. I ran into Mathers tonight and he threatened me.”
“Are you all right?” Instantly alert, concern colored his tone and for the first time, he seemed almost human. “You should file a report.”
I fell onto the futon. “I’m not doing that. He was pissed that I followed him. God knows what he’d do if I made a complaint.”
“Followed him? I never took you as a stupid woman, Miss Strickland. You’re proving me wrong.”
“I’m predisposed to bouts of stupidity. What I want to know is how you got hooked up with such a dick?”
He sighed. “I told you, he took me under his wing. Now, of course, I suspect he was just looking for another yes man, but at the time I was young and flattered. Are you familiar with the Batman comic books?”
“Just the cartoons. And the movies. Not the TV show, though.” Okay, I lied about the last one. Ax had bootleg discs. I didn’t want to watch, but when he bribed me with Eskimo bars, what was I going to do, turn them down?
“Then you know all about Two-Face,” Andre said. “That’s Martin. On the one hand, he’s a kind, generous man, if it benefits him. But get on his bad side, and you’ve made an enemy for life. He’ll destroy you without batting an eye. I’ve seen him do it.”
“And you stay on his good side?”
“I try. But I’m not blind. I know his faults.”
“Faults? Try moral chasms,” I said.
“People tried to warn me, but I always wrote the rumors off as professional jealousy. Now I know better. Whatever you do, stay away from him. It was wrong of me to entangle you in this. You’re just a civilian. Forget the whole thing.”
I couldn’t forget about it. Sullivan was involved and somewhere along the line, I’d fallen in love with him. And I’d do whatever it took to protect him. Whether he liked it or not.
“That’s not going to happen, Andre. Listen, I want to meet with your Captain Bentley.”
Andre drew out a Sullivan-worthy pause. “I already told you, that’s not possible.”
“Mathers was meeting David Ashby tonight. Since Mathers forced your Captain into disgraced retirement, and since Delia was having an extra-extra marital affair with Ashby, he might know something interesting. Tell him I want to talk with him? Please?”
“I’ll ask, but he may not agree to it. And if he doesn’t, I want you to leave him alone. The man has stage four lung cancer. He’s dying.”
Chapter 18
The next morning was harried. Grouchy Monday people wandered in, demanded coffee, and didn’t bother leaving much in the way of tips.
Roxy barely let the door shut behind the last customer before she attacked the closed sign.
“What is wrong with people today? Is there a full moon or something?”
Ma rubbed her ribs. “I woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning myself. And I think I pulled something when I was dancing last night.”
“Are you okay, Ma? Why don’t you sit down? Roxy and I will do clean up.” As she shuffled over to a stool, I poured her a cup of coffee.
“I’ll take you up on that, toots. I hate to say it, but I ain’t as young as I think I am. That skinny white kid spun me around so many times last night, the Romulan Ale did the jitterbug in my tummy.”
I pulled an Advil out of my bag and handed it to Ma. She swallowed it and sipped her Joe while Roxy and I cleared away dishes.
I’d just finished bussing the last table when Ax ambled into the diner, holding his backpack in one hand. “How you doing, Rose? You’re okay after last night?” He popped a squat next to Ma.
“I’m fine.” I had a tiny bruise underneath my chin where Mathers had grabbed me, but I’d covered it with concealer.
There were five remaining donuts today and I placed them all before Ax, then poured him a cup of coffee. As he scarfed, he pulled a folder from his bag.
“Got some info on that Julia Baxter chick,” he said, squirreling a mouthful to one side of his cheek. “Changed her name eight years ago from Shawna Platte, resident of Illinois.”
Roxy stood beside me, slapping a towel into her palm. “I’d change my name, too. Shawna Platte?” She shuddered.
“Turns out, she has a record. Charged with accessory to receiving stolen property along with her ex-boyfriend who’s now doing a dime in the federal pen. She testified, bargained down, and got parole.”
“Look at you, using fancy crime lingo,” Ma said. “Doing a dime. I like that.”
“Can you get a realtor’s license with a conviction like that?” I asked.
“You can. But you’re supposed to disclose all that crap, and she didn’t. I traced her through her old SSN. She now has a new one, claiming harassment from her ex forced her to assume a new identity. Julia Baxter’s living a lie.”
“Julia attends poker games with Judge Keeler,” I said. “Delia attended with Martin Mathers. Maybe the two women talked and Delia found out about Julia’s secret life. That was Delia’s specialty after all, finding secrets and using them for evil.”
Roxy nodded. “If Delia spilled the beans, Julia would lose her license.”
“And maybe her meal ticket,” I said. “If Keeler didn’t know the truth about Julia, he might be very pissed off at learning he’d been duped. He’s crazy about her now, but that could all end if he discovers her criminal past.
Julia could have killed Delia in order to keep her quiet.”
“But how did she get into the house without breaking in?” Roxy asked.
“Speaking of Keeler,” Ax said. “His wife died of cancer two years ago.”
“That’s sad,” Ma said. “But just like a man. His wife dies, so he takes up with a younger floosy. I’ve seen it happen a million times.”
“And this floosy has a rap sheet,” I said. “We’re meeting up with Julia this afternoon. Maybe I can ask her a thing or two about Delia.”
“She’s going to show Rose some fancy condos,” Roxy said. “We should totally corner her and quiz her about her new identity, too.”
“My thought exactly. It’s like we share a brain,” I said, tugging on her blue curl.
“Hey, I found out about Jason Hall too. He lives in one of those cheap apartment complexes off Cedar Ridge. And according to his tax returns, dude’s got a very spotty work record. Mostly, he bartends, but he’ll go for months without working at all.” He licked sugary glaze from his pinky. “By the by, I didn’t find any trace of our missing Captain Kirk uniform. And Brian fixed it so we could talk to the SPuRTs tonight.”
Looked like I’d be missing my Criminology class. At least I was getting real world experience. That counted for something, right?
“You should go with, Roxy,” Ax said.
She shrugged as though she didn’t care one way or the other, but I saw the way she’d flirted with Brian at Club Saturn. She was interested. I wasn’t impressed by him, but if he could help her get over her Tariq, I was all for it.
“Don’t worry about dinner and stuff. I’ll order pizza. Be at my place by six,” Ax said. Then he opened his mouth as wide as he possibly could and crammed the last two donuts in. With a wave, he scooped up his backpack and left.
“Boys are gross,” Roxy said.
“Sometimes,” I agreed.
“Frank had some of the most disgusting habits I’ve ever seen,” Ma said. “And he could clear a room with one fart. But you learn to overlook these things.”
I wondered if Sullivan had any bad habits. Our time together was usually measured in hourly increments. We’d never even spent a full night together, so I didn’t know if he snored or hogged the blankets. Couldn’t picture it though. All in all, he seemed pretty perfect. Except for his less than legal behavior.
Roxy slapped the sugar caddies on the counter in front of me. “Earth to Rose. Move your ass.”
I got my mind off Sullivan and we finished scrubbing, sweeping and refilling salt shakers. I wished we had time to stop by Jason Hall’s apartment before meeting Julia, but it was clear across town. Fortunately, since both Roxy and I were starving, we did have time to drive thru Paco’s Tacos for the Monday special—chicken burrito with green chili sauce. I ate while I drove and wound up with dribbles of chili down the front of my pale pink t-shirt.
I tooled over to the ritzy side of town and pulled into the semi-circle drive of Huntingford Towers. Looked like at least thirty stories and covered in smoky glass.
“Fancy digs. Wish you could live here for reals?” Roxy asked, shoving two pieces of gum in her mouth.
“It’d be nice to have a real bedroom, I suppose.” We climbed out of the car and at the same time, Julia exited her black Mercedes.
“Good to see you, Rosalyn.” Julia wasn’t looking at me when she said it. She only had eyes for Roxy.
Dressed in a red velvet jacket with bright gold buttons, a matching short skirt, and a heart-shaped eye patch covering her right peeper, at least Roxy was free of green chili stains.
Julia shook hands with her, unable to look away from the awesomeness that was the Victorian-majorette-lady-pirate ensemble. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Roxy said.
“So, we ready to look at condos?” I asked. Julia’s gaze finally meandered my way. Her eyes widened slightly at the faded jeans and the burrito leftovers staining my shirt.
“Yes, let’s go.” Flashing a smile that was as artificial as her persona, she led us to the building. “I used to live here, before I moved in with Mills.”
“How did you two meet?” I asked.
She stopped and pinned me with her stare. “You’re wondering about the age difference?”
“No.” I shrugged. “I—”
“His wife had died and he was downsizing. He hired me as a realtor. I care for him. Deeply.” Defensiveness crept into her tone the same way two patches of pink slowly filled her cheeks.
“Got it. I don’t judge, Julia. What people do is their own business. As long as it’s, you know, legal.” I locked onto her gaze and held it with my own.
“Yes, I can see that by your choice of friends.” She marched into the building.
Roxy swiveled her head in my direction. “You’re going to drop hints about her real identity and hope she comes clean? Draw out the torture? I can respect that. But why is she so bitchy about screwing an old dude for money? It’s not like we don’t know the score.”
“If you bang it, own it,” I said.
“Totally.”
We proceeded into the building and Roxy let out a whistle. I agreed. The lobby was impressive. Shiny glass everything, a cherry wood front desk, black quartz flooring. And dear, sweet Lord, no.
My mother.
She’d taken one look at Roxy and sucked in her cheeks so hard, she resembled a goldfish. She stepped forward to kiss me hello. “Rosalyn.”
“Hello, Mother. I didn’t realize you’d be joining us today.”
Julia’s gaze shifted between my mother and me. “Barbara called to confirm the time of our appointment.”
I smacked my forehead with one palm. “How could I have forgotten? And Mom, you remember Roxy, don’t you?”
Of course she did. The last, and only, time she’d seen Rox, Barbara had called her a blue-haired freak. Ah, good memories.
“Yes. Roxy.”
“How are you Mrs. Strickland? Things cool on your side of the world?”
My mom audibly pulled air through her nose—her huffing correlated directly with her anger. Like a bull. And she was steaming right now. “Yes, things are fine. Please, Julia, why don’t we continue?”
“As you can see, this is a full service building.” Julia nodded at the doorman. “Round the clock security. There’s a spa, a gym, a lounge.”
My eyes travelled over the expansive lobby. “It’s lovely. And having a doorman would certainly alleviate some fear. When I heard about that dead girl, Delia,” I snapped my fingers, “what’s her last name?”
“Cummings,” Roxy supplied.
“Right. That really freaked me out.”
Julia’s lip curled back. “The elevator is private. You’ll be issued your own key.” She used one to unlock the elevator and press the button.
“I heard she was very close to Martin Mathers,” I said.
The shiny silver doors reflected my mother standing behind me. “Yes, as his assistant, she would be. Poor Annabelle was distraught at the news.”
Julia said nothing, but she started tapping her toe as we waited.
“Did Mills know her, Julia?” I asked. “I hate to sound like a gore whore, but surely he would have met her, since he’s a judge and the dead girl worked for the police chief.”
Her shoulders stiffened and she began fidgeting with her hair. “If so, he’s never mentioned it to me.”
Julia was a hideous liar.
When the doors slid open, her brittle smile was just a little too wide. “We’re going to the third floor.”
We climbed onto the elevator and I turned and looked directly at her. “Delia was stabbed in her bed. At least that’s what I heard. Is that what you heard, Julia?” I stressed her fake name to see if it rattled her. And it worked. As the blood dr
ained from her face, the bright lipstick she wore looked garish against her chalky, pale skin. Clearing her throat, she glanced away and watched the numbers ascend at the top of the car. When the doors opened once more, she briskly walked down the hall. “Come this way.” She removed her phone from her Calvin Klein leather bag, along with a little device she stuck into the USB port.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“An e-key. Technology never stops.” She punched in a code, then pointed the e-key at a bulky blue lock covering the door handle. When the infrared light hit the lock, a drawer slid out from beneath it, dropping onto the carpeted floor. She bent down, picked it up, and dug the condo key from inside.
“This unit is a one bedroom.” She opened the door and walked inside.
I started moving forward, when my mother’s hand latched onto my sleeve and tugged me back. “Go ahead, Roxanne, we’ll be right with you,” she said.
Roxy raised both brows. “Whatevs.”
“What were you thinking, bringing that girl here? Are you trying to ruin everything?”
I jerked my sleeve from her grasp. “What are you doing here? That’s the question.”
“And what in God’s name is she wearing? Does she have a black eye or something?” My mom pointed to her own.
“It’s a fashion statement.”
“What’s the statement? ‘Hello world, I have a lazy eye and dress like a screwball?’”
I took a really deep breath. So deep, the oxygen almost made me pass out. I shook my head to clear it. “So, why are you here? I’m supposed to be gathering information from Julia.”
Her lips disappeared. “You’re going about it all wrong. I told you, you can’t bludgeon these people with questions. Use a lighter touch.”
These people. A part of me longed to tell my mother all about her country club peeps. They were cheaters and thieves and liars. And one of them could very well be a murderer. I’d take Roxy and her unique fashion sense any day. And sure, Sullivan might be a criminal, but at least he was upfront about it. He didn’t hide behind a respectable façade, pretending to be something he wasn’t.
Diner Impossible (A Rose Strickland Mystery) Page 15