Blonde and Fabulous

by anna snow

  "Did he ever hurt her?" I asked.

  "He beat her up once that I know of." She slapped one of her gardening gloves against her leg. Her expression had gone stony. "Tammy came here to get away from him, and I talked her into getting a restraining order. Tammy agreed, and we did just that. She was going to get her life together and move in here with me. I have more than enough room." Samantha motioned to the house behind me. "But then…"

  "Your daughter was killed," I finished the sentence for her.

  "He's the only person I can imagine who would want to hurt her."

  I could see by the slump in her shoulders that the conversation was taking its toll on her. After all, Tammy had only been gone a little over two weeks. The wound was still bloody fresh, and I was prodding it with a sharp stick.

  "Thank you for talking to me," I said and stood. "I'm going to do everything I can to solve this case." I shook her hand.

  "Thank you," she said with a shaky voice. "I hope you do."

  I handed her a card from my purse. "Call me if you need anything at all. Anything," I reiterated.

  She thanked me again then showed me out the gate at the side of the house.

  I hurried through the rain toward the office. So far the only suspects I had on the infamous suspect list was Fernando Valenzuela, Kiki's ex, and now Gary no-last-name, Tammy's ex-fiancé and stalker.

  Obvious much? Yeah, I thought so. It was totally plausible that one of the men was the killer, but why would either one of the exes kill both women? Their ex? Sure. Her friend weeks later? One thing was for certain. I had a lot more digging to do to get to the bottom of this case.

  I swung through a Subway restaurant and grabbed lunch then hightailed it to the office.

  I pushed through the office door and came to an abrupt stop. What caused my sudden halt was the huge, silver gray dog lying in the middle of the office floor. I loved dogs, really, I did, but the size of this one caused him to resemble a small tank.

  Mandy was seated at her desk, a piece of pizza in one hand and the phone in the other. Silas and Kelly were seated on the black leather sofa with a pizza box between them, drinks on the table, and they were giggling like teens on their first date. I wasn't upset by any means. Silas was one of my best friends, and he was a wonderful man. After the last relationship Kelly had been in, she deserved to be with someone who would treat her well.

  The tank-like dog raised his head, looked at me through sleepy, uninterested eyes, then relaxed and went back to sleep.

  Kelly smiled over at me. "Hey, Barb."

  Silas waved, his mouth full of food.

  "Who's the tank belong to, and does it have a name?" I asked with a small smile and pointed toward the now snoring dog sprawled on the floor.

  Kelly laughed. "That's Bosco. He was Silas's idea. We adopted him from the pit bull sanctuary downtown a few days ago. He loves kids, people, and other animals. Isn't he great?"

  I looked down at the large blob snoring loudly and nodded. "He's great."

  "And he'll keep me safe when I'm home alone at night," she said confidently.

  I, on the other hand, had a feeling that despite the dog's massive size and I'll-eat-your-face-off appearance, the only thing he'd be biting was a biscuit, if he even woke up long enough to do so.

  I kneeled down beside Bosco and gently scratched his side, unsure how he would react to me being a stranger in his space. It took all of about two seconds to find out that my hesitation was unwarranted. Bosco promptly rolled over onto his back demanding a belly rub. I couldn't help but grin at his goofy, floppy face and scratched his tummy.

  He groaned, and his tongue hung out the side of his mouth.

  "Yeah, you're really dangerous," I said sarcastically, scratched him once more, then grabbed a chair, and took a seat beside Mandy's desk.

  Mandy hung up the phone, and Silas and Kelly joined us at the desk.

  "Did you have any luck?" Kelly asked.

  "Not really." I opened my lunch. "Both parents told me everything I already knew."

  "Well, you might be happy to know that I got the information on Tammy's ex that you asked for this morning." Mandy grabbed a sheet of paper out of the printer tray then handed it to me.

  I wiped my hands on a napkin and took the paper. "Wow. This guy is a real winner," I said.

  "What is it?" Silas asked from his perch on the corner of Mandy's desk.

  As far as I was concerned, Silas was one of us, so I had no problem discussing the case in front of him. I was sure Kelly had already caught him up on what we were working on.

  "Well." I cleared my throat. "According to this"—I wiggled the paper Mandy had given me—"Tammy's ex-fiancé, Gary Hooper, has a rap sheet a mile long."

  "For?" Silas asked and raised an eyebrow.

  "For starters, driving under the influence, public intoxication, and domestic violence. The domestic violence charge, I'm assuming, was the incident involving Tammy when she got the restraining order against him." I looked at Mandy, and she nodded.

  Silas held his hand out, and I handed over the paper.

  "That's right. The domestic violence charge is fairly recent and did involve Tammy," Mandy confirmed.

  "So far the only suspects we have are the women's exes, and if the police are doing their job, they've already looked into them," Kelly said. "Which would leave us at a dead end."

  "That's right," I said and wiped my hands. "But according to Tyler, they have a fairly new detective working the ladies' cases, and he's not exactly thorough. They're looking to transfer him so that the precinct can get back to being dependable."

  Everyone voiced their agreement.

  "Both of these guys look good for the murderer, but why kill a girlfriend then the friend a month later?" I asked.

  "Maybe Tammy somehow found out who killed Kiki. The killer got wind of it and killed her to keep his cover," Silas offered.

  "That's a good theory, but it seems too easy."

  "True." He scrunched his brow. "Then who's our killer?"

  "That's what we're going to find out and why I'm going to pay this Gary fellow a visit. Even if he didn't kill the girls, he might be able to tell me something useful that could point us in the right direction."

  "This guy might be dangerous. I don't like the idea of you going to talk to him alone," Kelly said with a frown.

  "I'll go with her," Silas offered and tossed his pizza crust into the open box. "I don't have anything going on this afternoon."

  "Good, because Mandy and I still have a lot of loose ends to tie up here before Barb's big vacation." Kelly stood and tossed the trash into the garbage can.

  Silas rubbed his hands together. "When are we doing this?"

  "There's no time like the present," I answered and got to my feet, folded the piece of paper, and stuck it into my purse. "The faster we move, the faster we can wrap this mystery up."

  "Mystery? What is this? The Scooby Doo Detective Agency?" Silas grinned.

  "You know what I mean," I said and kicked the side of his foot playfully. "Let's move."

  "Keep us updated," Kelly called over her shoulder as Silas and I stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  We ran across the street in an attempt to keep from getting soaked by the rain and got into my car.

  "What's the address?" I asked as I steered out of the neighborhood.

  Silas pulled the paper out of my purse and keyed the address into the navigation system. "It looks like we're making a trip to the wrong side of town," he said grimly.

  "What's the neighborhood?"

  "Forest-Audelia."

  "Bring it on." I grinned over at him and took the exit that would take us to our destination.

  It wasn't that I was an adrenaline junkie or anything, but I was getting restless. I needed a little excitement sprinkled throughout my days, or I began to feel a bit like a slacker.

  Thirty-five minutes later, we pulled into the Forest-Audelia neighborhood. There weren't carjackings and armed robberies on every corner,
but I'd been to this neighborhood before, and things could go downhill fast, so we were on guard. The GPS directed us to a rundown apartment building surrounded by some deteriorating trees and a parking lot with chipped asphalt.

  The building itself was an off tan almost yellow color that reminded me of old mustard. The paint was peeling, and some of the shutters were hanging on by a single screw.

  I pulled into what I assumed was a parking spot since there were no painted lines and the cars that were parked there were spread out willy-nilly. I was about to shut off the car and step out when my phone rang.

  "Ooo, your man-hunk is calling." Silas pointed to the display and shimmied his chest.

  I reached over and gave his arm a light pinch. "Can it, you boob."

  He laughed.

  I pressed the button on the steering wheel and answered the call. "Hey, Tyler, what's up?"

  "I was just calling to see how your day is going," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

  "It's good so far," I said. "Right now I'm about to pay a visit to one of the ladies' exes. Maybe we can get a lead from him."

  "Who's your guy?" Tyler asked.

  "Gary Hooper. We're outside his apartment building right now."

  "Leave," Tyler said. All playfulness had vanished from his voice.

  "Why?" I asked, now equally as serious.

  "He's a bad guy, Barb. We've dealt with him before. Multiple arrests for public intoxication, and not from alcohol. He's deep into drugs, babe, and you know about the restraining order one of the victims had against him."

  "I know about it," I confirmed. "But at this point, he's one of the only two suspects I have to go on. Detective Ramsey might not be willing to dig deeper into this guy, but I am. Someone has to," I said with more determination in my voice than I'd intended.

  Tyler blew out a breath, and I pictured him running his fingers through his inky black hair the way he always did when I frustrated him, which was more often than not, I'm afraid to say.

  "Please, at least tell me you're not alone."

  "I tagged along," Silas spoke up.

  "Good. You two be careful, and call me as soon as you're finished up there. You know I worry about you."

  "I know. I'll call. Talk to you later," I said and disconnected the call.

  "What's the apartment number?" I asked Silas and peeked over at the paper he held in his hand.

  "2B."

  "Well." I blew out a breath. "Let's get this over with."

  Before getting out of the car, I checked the gun in the ankle holster and concealed it under my jeans. Setting my car alarm drew the attention of a group of guys standing on the corner about a block away. They watched us intently as we approached the building but didn't make a move.

  "Maybe I should get one of those," Silas said and nodded toward my ankle.

  I glanced from my ankle to him and shook my head. "The thought of you with a gun scares me more than being in this neighborhood after dark."

  "Oh, come on. I'm not that bad." He chuckled. "You let Mona have a gun," he argued.

  "Yeah, and look how that turned out."

  "So what? She almost shot the mailman." He shrugged. "He was being a little suspicious," he defended my dear old auntie.

  "Suspicious?" I gaped at him. "He was putting a package on her front porch," I said.

  "The light was dim," he said and laughed.

  "Argue as much as you want," I said. "You don't need a gun, and there's no way in Hades I'm ever giving Mona's back to her."

  "Oh, come on, Barb. She was just a little excited about her new toy."

  "That's precisely why I'll never give her, or you, a gun. It's not a toy."

  "Party-pooper." He fake-pouted.

  Silas and I reached the rusty stairs and climbed to the second-floor balcony. Gary's apartment was the second door on the right.

  "This is it," Silas said from behind me.

  I knocked twice then waited.

  When no one answered, I knocked again.

  "Maybe no one's home," Silas offered.

  I looked over my shoulder at the half dozen cars in the parking area and frowned. "Maybe. There aren't many cars in the lot." I decided to knock one more time, and then we'd try something else. On the third knock the door popped opened an inch.

  The smell of something rotten immediately assaulted me.

  "Oh man, what's that smell?" Silas asked and covered his nose and mouth.

  I already knew the answer. I reached up and covered my mouth and nose.

  "Something dead," I said, moving my hand away just enough for Silas to understand me. Bending down, I drew my weapon from its holster. As quietly as I could, I pushed the door open a little farther with the toe of my shoe.

  I paused for a long moment, hoping my suspicions were wrong and Gary would appear at the door perfectly healthy. When no answer was forthcoming, I whispered over my shoulder, "Call Tyler right now. Tell him to get here, and don't touch anything. Stay outside."

  Silas immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed. "Wait. You're not going in there, are you?" he whispered back.

  "Of course I am. Stay. Put," I demanded.

  "Barb, I don't like this. Maybe you should wait for Tyler."

  "I'll be fine. Just stay here and keep watch," I said then stepped into the doorway of the dark apartment. I couldn't make out anything more than shapes, so I kicked the door open completely. What light there was from the overcast sky outside poured in and illuminated a bulky shape at what I could only assume was the kitchen table. I spotted what looked like a lamp on the end table closest to me and stepped over slowly to flick it on. Bright light flooded the room, and I immediately discovered the source of the stench.

  The body of a rather large male was slumped over the kitchen table. I moved to the dining area then skirted around the body. I surveyed the room and wanted to shake my head at the numerous drugs and syringes that littered the table and floor around the him.

  Silas waved his arms in the doorway to grab my attention.

  "Tyler is on his way," he mouthed. At least I hoped that was what he was trying to say.

  I hurried across the room to Silas.

  "Keep an eye out. I need to make sure we're alone here." I pressed my finger to my lips and whispered, "Shhh."

  "Barb, I don't like you searching alone." He grabbed my arm lightly. "Just come back out and wait for Tyler."

  "I'm fine, Silas. I'm just making sure no one is hiding in here anywhere. I need to know you're safe. So please, stay outside," I said, sidling down the hallway with my back against the wall.

  "And I'd like to know the same about you," I heard Silas mumble in an irritated tone, but I ignored him and sidestepped slowly down the corridor.

  The bathroom door was standing completely open, and the shower curtain was pulled back. Empty. Next I entered the open door at the end of the hallway and stepped into the room, gun drawn and at the ready, but the room was dark. I felt along the wall then flicked on the light switch as soon as my fingers came into contact with it. The room appeared to be empty, but I checked thoroughly just to be safe.

  I holstered my gun and walked back to the living area, through to the balcony where Silas paced. The moment he spotted me, he stopped and put his hands on his hips. "You're alright?"

  "Right as rain," I said and held my arms out to the sides.

  "Well, what do you think happened?" Silas asked as he turned and scanned the area below us.

  "It looks like an obvious drug overdose, but the scene could be staged."

  "Tyler did say that this Gary was into drugs. An overdose would make sense."

  "True," I agreed. "What if he was so obsessed with Tammy that he took his own life after taking hers? The girls at the club, Tammy's mom, and Cindy all said Gary was completely obsessed with her. It would make sense."

  "It would, but there's no way to know for sure at this point."

  "There is one thing I do know," I said and turned to face him fully
. "If he knew anything about Tammy's murder or the person or persons that could have killed her, it died right along with him."

  "And the murder weapons were freaking beauty tools," Silas's aggravation was apparent. "So it's not like we can search for the owner of a specific gun." He shook his head and blew out a frustrated breath.

  "Exactly," I agreed and crossed my arms over my chest.

  We were too afraid of leaning against the rickety railing and falling to our untimely demise on the brown patchy lawn and cracked sidewalk below, so we leaned our butts against the side of the building while we waited for Tyler and his backup to arrive.

  A moment later, Silas and I were both lost in thought when Tyler and two police cars followed by a large black van with the words Medical Examiner plastered on the side pulled into the lot. I watched as Tyler got out of his black SUV and slammed the door then jogged up the stairs.

  "He doesn't look happy," Silas whispered as he leaned close to me.

  "Tell me something I don't know."

  "What happened?" Tyler asked once he reached us. His was in full cop mode.

  "We came to talk to Gary, like I said on the phone. When I knocked on the door, it came open, and the stench you smell right now hit us." I finished telling Tyler exactly what I'd found inside.

  "You went inside? You cleared the place?" he asked.

  "I did." I nodded.

  "I told her not to," Silas said from behind me. "But you know how she listens."

  I glared over my shoulder at him.

  Tyler raised a brow and frowned down at me. "Stay right here," he said and pulled out his weapon. The two officers who had just climbed the stairs behind him followed his lead and then entered the apartment. A few moments later, all three men came back out with sour expressions on their faces.

  "I'd say he's been in there for about a week, maybe longer," Tyler said and took a few steps away from the door.