Grave Danger (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 12)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I don’t think I like that sound of that,” Nick muttered.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet,” Dwight said. “No matter what you’re imagining, it’s worse. Trust me. It’s so much worse.”

  6

  Six

  “I think you should stay here.”

  Nick spent the entire drive to Big Wally’s home turf trying to think of a way to dissuade Maddie from talking to the man. Dwight didn’t say much about Big Wally, but Nick could tell from the taciturn detective’s tone that Big Wally wasn’t the pleasant sort, as if the moniker and Dwight’s original reaction wasn’t enough of a tip off. That meant the last thing Nick wanted was for Maddie to come into close proximity with this particular individual.

  Maddie kept her face placid as she shifted her eyes to Nick. She sat in the backseat, her eyes trained out the window as they drove, and halfway listened to Nick and Dwight talk in low murmurs. She expected this so she refused to fly off the handle and instead remained calm and collected.

  “No.”

  Nick licked his lips. “Mad, I’m not trying to start a fight but … um … I think it’s safer if you stay here.”

  “No.” Maddie rubbed her sweaty palms against her knees and shifted her eyes to Dwight. “What can you tell me about this guy?”

  Dwight was caught in the middle and he knew it. The looks Nick shot him from the passenger seat were downright evil, but Maddie’s expression was so clear, so benevolent, he could never deny her something as simple as answers.

  “Big Wally has been around for a good three years or so,” Dwight started, ignoring the low growl in the back of Nick’s throat. “He started as an enforcer – or that’s the rumor, at least – for one of the guys running bets through the casinos. That guy’s name was Richard Wood.”

  “So this Wood guy was a loan shark,” Maddie mused, running the new information through her head. “You make it sound as if he’s no longer around.”

  “He’s not. Three years ago he was found shot in the back in one of the vacant lots he used to work out of near the casinos,” Dwight supplied. “He had a reputation for only allowing those he trusted – and that was a small list, for the record – to get close to him. Rumors abounded that one of his own people killed him.”

  “What do you believe?” Nick asked.

  “Well, I happen to be one of the people who believes Big Wally had a hand in his boss’s demise,” Dwight replied. “He went from being an enforcer to running book and no one could figure out where he got the money to start his new business.”

  “You think he stole it from Richard Wood,” Nick surmised.

  “Pretty much. We can’t prove it, though. Absolutely no one will give up information on Wally. On top of that, he’s spread his interests to other things – like prostitution and drugs – so he’s extended his reach. As of right now, Wally is one of the biggest names on the street.”

  “I get that and realize I’m out of my element, but why would Wally be hanging out in the lot where a bunch of bodies were dumped if he wasn’t involved?” Nick questioned. “That seems like a stupid way to go about running an illegal operation.”

  “Maybe he was simply conducting business,” Maddie suggested, rubbing her forehead as Dwight parked at a well-lit corner. “Maybe he had no idea someone else was dumping bodies in the lot. Maybe our killer picked that lot in the first place because Wally was doing business there.”

  Intrigued, Dwight put his cruiser in park and shifted so he could face Maddie. “What do you mean?”

  Maddie shrugged, taken aback by his serious turn. “It’s just … um … you said it yourself,” she started. “You said that everyone knew Big Wally was running this particular area so they most likely wouldn’t mess with him. You’ve gone out of your way to refrain from talking about his nature, but I can fill in the gaps and I’m pretty sure he’s violent and mean because he has to be to keep his soldiers in line.

  “He would also have to be that way if he wanted to maintain control,” she continued. “He saw what happened when he took out Richard Wood, the gap that created in the power structure, and wants to make sure that doesn’t happen to him. That means adopting a brutal persona.”

  “You’re pretty smart sometimes,” Dwight noted. “You shouldn’t know anything about this world, but you understand it all the same. I’m impressed, Maddie.”

  “Yes, we’re both impressed,” Nick drawled. “I still think you should wait in the car, Mad.”

  “Well, that’s not how things are going to work.” Maddie’s voice was prim, proper, and full of ice. “I need to go with you to get a feeling for the man. Besides, if he is a killer, the likelihood that at least one of his victims might be hanging around is too tempting to ignore.”

  Nick balked. “You can’t start talking to ghosts in front of this guy, Maddie. You’ll tip him off that we’re up to something and that’s the last thing we want.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes so hard Dwight had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

  “Oh, I never would’ve guessed that, Nicky,” Maddie drawled. “I have no intention of talking to ghosts in front of him. I do want to see if any are present, though. I also want to see if I can get a read on him. You seem to forget that I can do more than talk to ghosts. Under the right circumstances, I can also get a few psychic flashes.”

  “Oh, I remember.” Nick was deeply unhappy as he shifted his eyes to look out the windshield. He wasn’t used to constant fights with Maddie and found he didn’t like her present attitude one bit. Other couples seemed to engage in arguments because it kept the relationship fire burning bright. Nick knew he would never be one of those people and he was downright uncomfortable with the constant arguments. “I’ve been with you several times when you woke up screaming because of them.”

  Maddie let loose with a heavy sigh as she reached forward and rested her hand on Nick’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I have to see him to know, though. You’ll be with me. I promise it will be okay.”

  Nick absently ran his fingers over Maddie’s but remained silent.

  “It will be fine,” Dwight agreed, causing Nick to turn in the grave police detective’s direction. “I have two patrol cars doing a run right now.” He inclined his chin and pointed. “I called before we headed in this direction. You can see them over there.”

  Nick followed Dwight’s gaze. “Doesn’t that hurt our position?”

  Dwight shrugged. “Not really. Big Wally is used to our presence on his turf. He’s turned it into something of a game and gets off from our interactions because he thinks he’s getting away with something. He’s essentially the most insecure pimp you’re ever going to meet. He needs constant validation. For some reason, talking to us makes him think that he’s getting validation.”

  “I don’t know what to make of that,” Nick said after a beat, giving Maddie’s fingers a squeeze before releasing them. “Maddie isn’t going to give up on this, though, so we have no choice but to go with her. I’d rather get it done now than wait it out.”

  “Then let’s do it.” Dwight mustered a bright smile. “Don’t worry about this guy attacking in the middle of the day. He’s too smart for that and, like I said, he gets off on the game. He’s going to be smug and full of himself, but he won’t be aggressive. We’ve been dealing with this guy for years. I know how he’ll react to things. Trust me.”

  Nick wanted to trust Dwight. He liked the man a great deal. Since Maddie’s safety was his primary concern, though, he refused to simply accept easy answers.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Nick said. “The faster we talk to Big Wally, the faster we can put him in our rearview mirror.”

  Dwight nodded. “Let’s get it done.”

  MADDIE’S ENTIRE KNOWLEDGE of pimps and loan sharks came from movies. She wasn’t sure what she expected when she rounded the corner – Nick and Dwight making sure to keep her safely ensconced between them as they entered the lot – but the sight of the absolutely huge man sitting in a
recliner in the middle of an overgrown municipal lot was not what she envisioned.

  “What the … ?” Maddie pulled up short as she furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand what he’s doing.”

  Dwight followed her gaze, his lips curving. “That’s Big Wally.”

  “I understand that,” Maddie said. “It’s just he’s so … big.”

  Big Wally was indeed big. By Nick’s estimate, he weighed a good six hundred pounds, wore a sable fedora that was straight out of the Indiana Jones playbook, and rested a pair of lined Crocs on the recliner’s footstool as he balanced a tray of what looked to be cookies on his huge gut. His hair was dark, his eyes keen, and even though it wasn’t hot there was a thin line of perspiration clinging to his upper lip. He was simply unforgettable. There was no other way to describe him.

  Maddie pulled up short in front of the man, her eyes going wide. “Why do you have a recliner in the middle of an empty lot?”

  Big Wally focused on the lithe blond rather than her traveling partners. “Every king has a throne. This just happens to be mine.”

  Dumbfounded, Maddie shifted her eyes around the lot. Big Wally had security in place – at least ten armed men spread themselves around the fence – but none of them moved to converge on their boss. It was clear this wasn’t the first time Big Wally had faced off with a police presence and no one looked to be in a mood to panic and cause a scene.

  Maddie wasn’t particularly worried about Big Wally – his scent was the most offensive thing about him as far as she could tell – so she didn’t back down. “Your throne is a recliner?”

  Big Wally nodded, his eyes roaming Maddie’s body in a manner that made Nick uncomfortable. “Can you think of a better throne?”

  Maddie nodded without hesitation. “I’m a big fan of that one on Game of Thrones.”

  “Yes, but I prefer a soft landing,” Big Wally noted. “This is a soft landing. If you don’t believe me, you can share the chair with me and check it out for yourself.”

  It took everything Maddie had not to sneer. “I’m good. Thanks.”

  “Suit yourself.” Big Wally’s gaze lingered on Maddie’s breasts before briefly touching Nick and ultimately landing on Dwight. “Detective Kincaid. It’s been a long time.”

  “Not that long.” Dwight kept a polite expression on his face but purposely adopted a relaxed stance. “How are things going, Wally?”

  Big Wally shrugged, noncommittal. “You know how it is on the streets. Things are up. Things are down. You have normal swings and abnormal ones. The only thing you can say with any regularity is that tomorrow is another day and things will probably be different.”

  “I take it to mean that things are down right now,” Dwight said.

  “Things are … fine.” Big Wally’s gaze was back on Maddie. “Who is your friend?”

  “She’s just a tourist,” Dwight replied easily. He had no intention of allowing Big Wally to learn Maddie’s identity. While he wasn’t as worried about Maddie’s safety as Nick – and often thought the younger police officer was something of a whiner when it came to his girlfriend – he was worried enough about Maddie to take proper precautions. “She wanted to meet a big deal operator in the city so I immediately thought of you.”

  Big Wally preened under the compliment. “I am a big deal. I’m glad to see you acknowledge that.”

  Maddie wasn’t used to watching Dwight appease egos – especially when it came to self-avowed criminals – so she was fascinated by the exchange. That fascination turned into outright horror when she realized Big Wally was digging into a small bag at the side of his chair. When he returned with a needle and what looked to be a bottle of clear liquid, she thought there was a legitimate chance she might lose her footing due to shock.

  “What are you doing?” The question was out of Maddie’s mouth before she could think better of it. “You’re not going to shoot up out here in front of the police, are you?”

  Nick licked his lips as he pressed his hand to the small of Maddie’s back. “That’s insulin, love,” he whispered.

  “Oh.” Realization dawned on Maddie and she felt like an idiot. “I didn’t realize … um … I’m sorry. I … well … I’ll just move over here a little bit and let Detective Kincaid ask his questions.”

  Maddie’s cheeks burned as she moved away from the small gathering, forcing her eyes away from an amused Big Wally as Nick ran his thumb over his bottom lip in an attempt to keep from laughing. It was a surreal situation but there was something funny about it and he knew they would be laughing for years to come about Maddie’s reaction to Big Wally and his bag of tricks.

  “You have questions, Detective Kincaid?” Big Wally turned a thoughtful expression to Dwight. “I guess I should’ve known this wasn’t a social call.”

  “I do have questions,” Dwight confirmed, turning serious. “I’m guessing you heard about the body dump down that way.” He gestured vaguely. “It’s been brought to our attention that you do a fair bit of a business in that lot.”

  Instead of reacting with worry or denials, Big Wally snorted. “And you think I’m killing women and dumping them in a place where I do business? That doesn’t sound like a smart plan, and we both know I only operate in a smart manner.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Dwight fired back without hesitation. “In fact, I’m starting to wonder if someone dumped the bodies in the lot simply to frame you.”

  Nick recognized what Dwight was doing from the start and couldn’t help being impressed. The older police officer had managed to stroke Big Wally’s ego and make him out to be a victim within the same conversation. It was a smart move.

  “I hadn’t even considered that.” Big Wally shifted on his chair, his countenance serious. “That kind of makes sense in a weird way, doesn’t it? I would be the easiest suspect if and when those bodies were found. It gives the real culprit a chance to get away.”

  “It does,” Dwight agreed. “I need to know if your people ever saw anyone odd hanging around there.”

  “You’re going to have to give me more than ‘odd.’ Everyone who hangs in this area has a few quirks. You know that.”

  “I do, but we’re talking about a serial killer,” Dwight pointed out. “He has to be familiar with the area and he’s been dumping bodies there for months. Are you sure you didn’t see any of the bodies?”

  “From what I understand, the bodies were discovered toward the back of the lot,” Big Wally noted. “We stayed at the front and didn’t explore. We didn’t see the need.”

  “What about the smell, though?” Nick challenged. “You must have picked up on that. There were twenty decomposing bodies practically stacked on top of each other.”

  “I understand, but it was winter,” Big Wally explained. “We didn’t spend a lot of time there during the cold months, and down here the cold months are November through March. We’re just now starting to spend more time outside. Up until now we’ve made quick stops but no lingering visits.”

  “I hadn’t considered that.” Nick rubbed the back of his neck. “I still don’t understand how no one saw those bodies. How were they hidden?”

  “The lot was overgrown and there were empty and rotting wooden pallets stacked to the north side,” Dwight volunteered. “The bodies were hidden beneath and behind the pallets. No one bothered to check out the area because it was simply assumed there was nothing of worth hidden under a pile of garbage.”

  “I should point out that I rarely spend time on that lot,” Big Wally added. “I do a few stopovers here and there, but it’s hardly as if I was hanging out there for more than a minute or two each night. I didn’t bother to look around because I had better things to do.”

  “Would you have called it in if you did know?” Nick asked.

  Big Wally shrugged. “It’s far more likely I would’ve had one of my associates make an anonymous call. Believe me, no one wants a serial killer working his way through women on our turf. It creates issues and we’re no
t the sort of men who want issues.”

  Nick could believe that. “So you’re claiming you didn’t see or know anything about this?”

  “I don’t traffic in killing,” Big Wally replied. “I traffic in other vices, don’t get me wrong, but there’s no profit in killing.”

  “So where does that leave us?” Nick asked, sliding his eyes to Dwight.

  Dwight shrugged. “Exactly where we were. In fact … .” He didn’t get a chance to finish because Big Wally took everyone by surprise when he jumped to his feet – a movement that was much quicker than his size should’ve allowed – and extended a hand in Maddie’s direction.

  “Hey, girl! Where do you think you’re going?”

  Nick snapped his head toward Maddie and widened his eyes when he realized she was walking toward a large semitrailer parked on the one-way street at the back of the lot. “Maddie?”

  Maddie didn’t answer, instead shuffling toward the trailer and resting her hand on the cool metal.

  “Get her away from there, Kincaid!” Big Wally howled, his face flushed with color. “I didn’t invite her to touch my things.”

  Dwight was instantly alert. “And what are you worried about her finding?”

  “Nothing.” Big Wally tugged on his shirt but it was too small to cover his large gut. “I just don’t want her touching my things.”

  Dwight didn’t believe that for a second. He lifted a warning finger in Big Wally’s direction before taking a step toward the intent blond. “What do you have, Maddie?”

  Maddie’s expression was grave. “There are people inside that truck … and they’re crying.”

  Dwight licked his lips as Big Wally shifted from one foot to the other.

  “She’s lying,” Big Wally offered lamely.

  “Yeah, well, we’re going to need you to open that truck all the same,” Dwight said. “You’d better hope she’s mistaken because otherwise, well, you’re going to be in a whole heap of trouble.”