The Prey Bites Back: A Jesse Watson Mystery Book #8

by Ann Mullen

  Eddie walked over and showed Helene a covered dish. “Minnie made a casserole. I think its tuna fish.” He opened the refrigerator door and placed the dish inside. “Maybe you can have it tomorrow night.”

  The front door opened and Billy walked in.

  Billy’s six-three, a muscular one-eighty-five, and has long, shiny coal black hair (with a few gray strands), and he’s very good looking… but today wasn’t one of his best. He looked ragged, and it hurt me so to see him like that. I wanted to rush to his side, wrap my arms around him and tell him not to worry, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. He was going to struggle until his mother got better.

  Some people are intimidated by Billy. Just the fact that he’s an Indian sometimes scares the crap out of them. They act as if they expect him to pull out a hatchet any minute and whack off their heads. They just don’t know him like I do. He wouldn’t use a hatchet when he has a perfectly good gun to do the job. Men fear him, and women adore him. Luckily, I’m the one who snagged him. I still don’t know why he picked me when he could have any woman he wanted.

  Me… I’m a head shorter; one-thirty five on a good day, and my brown, shoulder length hair has a mind of its own. I might not have the size, but I can hold my own in a gunfight. Maybe that’s what Billy found so attractive about me. We do have a slight age difference. He’s thirteen years older than I am. He’s older and wiser. We make a good couple.

  “I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going to see my father.” He looked around the room and then leaned over and kissed my forehead. “I see you’ve already taken a shower. You look good.” He turned and walked out.

  “Contractions!” I squealed softly. “He’s back to using contractions. I knew he’d get it together. He’s one tough dude.”

  Mom and Helene smiled. Eddie looked confused.

  “If Billy talks stiff English, he’s not in a good way or he’s really unhappy about something,” Mom explained to Eddie.

  “Helene, coffee for everyone!” I said, plastering a smile across my face.

  Mom sat down next to me and whispered, “I need to tell you something about Sarah.”

  “No need to whisper, Minnie,” Helene said, sitting a cup of coffee down in front of her. “There aren’t any secrets in this family.”

  “What about Sarah? Does it have something to do with the case?”

  “Sort of.”

  “This case—we’re talking about a body shop, right? What could she possibly have to do with a body shop? Did she have a fender bender? Hey… maybe she hit her head…”

  “Not exactly. This shop isn’t for cars. It’s a shop for the body. You know, like a spa for the soul. It’s a high class club where rich women go to get their bodies and heads straight. You almost have to be rich just to be able to pay their fee. I’m telling you, Jesse, you gotta see this joint. I didn’t even know places like this existed until now.”

  “Oh, Lord.”

  “Sarah joined a couple of months ago and talked me into joining when Eddie and I got home from our honeymoon, which was spectacular, by the way. Anyway, I wanted to get information about the club and what better way to do it than to join? Besides, I can always use a little pampering, and believe me, this is the place to get pampered. The fee is five thousand dollars a year! Can you believe it? But on the plus side, you get a five-day free trial before you have to pay. They’re very selective. Savannah said they run background checks on everyone. She’s a member, too.”

  “Moving right along,” I said, motioning for Mom to get to the point.

  “On my second visit I had a session with a nutritionist and was given a goodie bag to take home. I guess by then they know they have you hooked. Anyway, I was in Sarah’s bedroom getting her ID out of her purse for Chief Sam when I noticed her goodie bag sitting empty on the dresser. So, nosy me, I went to her bathroom and picked up the bottle of shampoo. Mine smelled so good, I wanted to check hers out. I opened the bottle, took a whiff, and almost gagged. It smelled rancid. Now, that didn’t seem normal. Maybe it had poison in it.”

  “Maybe it had gotten old.”

  Billy walked back into the kitchen and went over to the coffee pot. He looked refreshed.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” I whispered. “I’m sure Sarah’s illness has nothing to do with a bottle of shampoo, Mom.”

  “But what if there’s a connection? This could get bad. Imagine what the Blackhawk men would do if they found out their mother had been poisoned by a bottle of shampoo. They’d be on the war path. It could happen, you know. She washes her hair and the poison seeps in through her scalp. It sounds farfetched, but I’ve heard of stranger things.”

  I looked at Mom from the corner of my eye, brushing the thought aside.

  “Bad? Bad is when you take a long vacation and come home to find your mother in the hospital, headed for the loony bin. Now, that’s bad.”

  I had no idea at the time how close Mom was to the truth, but we all were about to find out. Trouble was headed our way. Bad trouble.

  Chapter 2

  A day later, Sarah had fully recovered and was released from the hospital. Doctor Bryant discovered the cause of her illness had come from a mix-up in her blood pressure medication. After examining the bottle, he found her prescribed Atenolol pills mixed in with another type of pill—Panatral. Tox reports confirmed it.

  Panatral can cause a whole host of problems when taken in large doses, and it seems that Sarah had been taking the highest dosage available. By the time the tests came back, she was on the brink of insanity. Once the medication was stopped, Sarah recovered quickly.

  How the mix-up happened was anybody’s guess. The pharmacist said he never filled a prescription for Panatral and had no idea how they got in her bottle. Sarah, of course, never suspected she was taking anything other than her Atenolol.

  Billy and I would find out how this happened to her, but for right now, we were just glad to have her back home and feeling like her old self. In fact, she was feeling so good, she wanted to throw a party to celebrate her recovery. So, the next night the family gathered at her house for dinner.

  The party came to a halt when Beth announced that she was in labor and the baby was coming right then. There was no time to make it to the hospital.

  Billy’s sister Beth and her husband Adam had suffered through two miscarriages, but this time they were going to get to experience childbirth—the good old-fashioned way. Chief Sam delivered twins—a boy and a girl—on the pool table in the den less than twenty minutes after Beth’s announcement.

  Holding both babies in his arms, Chief Sam showed them to us with pride. “Meet Sammy and Sarah Jane.” A tear slid down his cheek, the first I’d even seen. So, of course, me being me, I cried.

  The paramedics were called to take mother and babies to the hospital and then the party resumed. After all that excitement, the booze really flowed. Billy was well on his way to getting intoxicated. This was the second time today I’d seen something I’d never seen before—Chief Sam’s tear and Billy getting drunk. Billy never got drunk, at least not that I could ever tell, and I’m his wife, so when Mom pulled me aside to talk, I kept one eye on him.

  “Her name is Dakota Stone,” Mom whispered.

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “The woman who runs The Body Shop. Actually, she owns it.”

  “Are we back on that again? Can we pick up on this later? I just can’t go there right now.”

  I looked up and caught Billy swaying. It was time to take him home, while I still could. If he went down, I’d never be able to get him in or out of the car without help. “Excuse me, Mom. I have to take my husband home.”

  “He has had a bit to drink, hasn’t he? I’ve never seen him like this before.”

  “Me, either.” I kissed Mom on the cheek, and then went to fetch my husband. “Having his mother almost die took a big toll on him.”

  Surprisingly, he turned out to be more agreeable about leaving than I had expected. I guess
my lie about having a headache worked. I said the first thing that came to mind. I didn’t know what else to do. Billy crawled into the 4Runner and laid his head back. He was almost asleep by the time we got to the end of the driveway. Four minutes later, he was undressed and crawling into bed. Good thing we lived so close to family, otherwise he would’ve been sleeping in the car.

  “He really tied one on, didn’t he?” Helene stated more than asked as we stood by the bed. “Billy never drinks to excess. He’s going to regret it in the morning.”

  “No doubt. At least he behaved. He didn’t do anything embarrassing. If that had been me, there’s no telling what I would’ve said or done. I can embarrass the best of them.”

  “Yeah,” Helene said, snickering. “I’ve seen you in rare form.”

  “Not funny. How’s the kids?”

  “Asleep.”

  “Thanks for bringing them home. I hate that you had to leave.”

  “Hey, that’s what I do. I take care of the kids and sometimes you and Billy.” She grinned. “Your mother called. I told her you’d call her back.”

  “Lord, help me,” I groaned. “I’m not in the mood to talk about work. I know that’s what she wants.”

  “It might be important. Minnie and Eddie are pretty good at this snooping business. She told me what they’ve uncovered so far. She thinks that body shop is just a cover.”

  “A cover for what?”

  “Murder!” she said with gusto. “Go stretch out in the den, and I’ll bring you a glass of iced tea. Call your mother.”

  “Put some bourbon in that iced tea. I’m going to need it.”

  Our house is pretty big now. A lot bigger than it was when I first moved in. Back then, it had a couple of bedrooms upstairs with a bathroom and a master bedroom downstairs with a bathroom. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were all one room. There was a laundry room off the back of the kitchen. Now, well, let’s just say, if we add another room, we’ll probably have to get a hotel license. Families grow, and we needed more space. My favorite room is the den at the back of the house. That’s the place we all gather at the end of the day. The sixty-some inch widescreen TV is a real plus. I love to watch television. It relaxes me, and I really needed to relax now. I picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and then called my mother on my cell. I stretched out in a lounger and waited. I was happy when my drink arrived.

  “Hello,” Mom said after the first ring. “I’m so glad you called. How’s Billy doing?”

  “He’s asleep.”

  She started talking and didn’t let up. I just sat and listened half-heartedly, until she said something that really got my attention. “Mae Bridges’ husband was a rich investment banker until six months ago when he was shot down on Main Street in Charlottesville. The police have no leads, no eyewitnesses, so the case has pretty much gone cold.”

  “Call Mae and tell her to meet us at the office in the morning at eight. I want to talk to her.”

  “Let me call her right now and make sure that’s a good time for her. I’ll call you right back.” Mom hung up on me without another word. Five minutes later, she called back. “We’re on. Mae said she’d be there promptly at eight, so I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I tossed the cell phone on the coffee table and took a long drink of my tea, but one gulp was about all I could handle. It was awfully strong and my stomach dared me to put more of that stuff in it. I got up, walked to the kitchen, and dumped the rest of the tea down the drain. “I’m going to bed,” I told Helene. “If you’re up early, will you make sure to wake me? I have to meet my mother in the office at eight.”

  “What about Billy?”

  “If he’s not awake, let him sleep in. He’ll probably need to.”

  I went to check on the kids, gave them both a kiss, and then tiptoed into our bedroom in the dark so I wouldn’t wake Billy. Once I stripped out of my clothes, I started feeling amorous. I longed for him to take me in his arms and make passionate love to me for hours. On the other hand, he would probably smell like a brewery. I thought about it for a split second and decided I didn’t care how he smelled. I wanted him. But he was in a deep sleep and didn’t budge when I slipped under the covers… naked and hot, forgetting about everything else. So what if he didn’t brush his teeth before he collapsed in bed? I could handle it. I scooted up close and slowly caressed his body, hoping he would respond to my touch. Weeks with your family in a Winnebago doesn’t allow for much lovemaking, so I was ready for a wild, head-banging night of hard core sex with the man I loved… but that wasn’t going to happen. Sleep was all I was going to get.

  Monday morning I awoke to the sound of thunder. I looked over at Billy, who was still sound asleep, and checked to make sure he was breathing. I wanted to take a shower, but when I saw a flash of lightning, I gave up on that idea.

  “What a way to start the day,” I said to Helene as I walked into the kitchen. “Coffee. I need coffee.” I went to the counter and poured a cup while Athena shadowed me. “What is it, girl?” I bent down to pat her head.

  “You know she’s scared to death of thunder and lightning. I think we should get her some tranquilizers. I’m sure Adam would give us some. Want me to call his office?”

  “No, he’s got his hands full now, but maybe you could get in touch with him later. He’s a vet. He’ll advise us on what to do.”

  “Drugs… that’s the answer. I’ve talked to him before about Athena and her fear of storms. He offered to give us something then, but I said I’d have to talk to you first. Then, I forgot. Why don’t you stop by his office after your meeting? I’m sure they will give you something. We don’t want Athena to have a nervous breakdown.”

  I looked down and saw Athena shaking. I rubbed her soft coat and said, “Do I need to take you to a psychiatrist to help you work through your storm fears and riding in cars?”

  She started barking, twitching, and jumping around. I had to grab her and hold her to quiet her down. “Shhh,” I said. “You’re going to wake Billy.”

  “Too late for that,” Billy said, walking over to the coffee pot looking sexy as ever. “My head feels like it’s going to explode, and this thunder isn’t helping.”

  I walked over and kissed him… and he didn’t smell like a brewery. Maybe I should’ve tried harder last night. I ran my hand around his back and then slowly down his butt. He looked at me and managed a smile, but that was about all. “I feel rough,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. He walked over to the table and sat down. “Remind me to never drink again. Aren’t the kids up yet?”

  Helene handed him a cup of coffee. “Not yet. It’s only five-thirty. Give them time and they’ll be up and ready to get into something.”

  Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the whole room, followed by a loud clap of thunder erupting overhead. Athena took off running down the hall to safety… wherever that was this time around.

  “That was close,” Helene said, looking at me. “Maybe you should cancel your meeting.”

  “What meeting?” Billy asked, glancing at me. “What you got up your sleeve, `ge ya, and why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You’ve been out of it, that’s why I haven’t said anything. Why don’t you go back to bed and sleep off your hangover. I got this one.”

  He pushed aside his cup of coffee and said, “Maybe I should. My head’s killing me and my stomach doesn’t feel much better.”

  “Here,” Helene said, offering him a glass of tomato juice and two aspirins. “Wash the aspirin down with the tomato juice. Great antidote for a hangover.”

  Billy tossed back the aspirin, downed the juice, and then stood up. “Wake me when it’s time for dinner.” He looked at me. “Whatever you got going on, stay out of trouble. I don’t feel like bailing you out of jail, and if Sheriff Hudson…”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll keep it clean. I promise.”

  “God. I feel like I’m going to die,” Billy said and then stopped. He dropped his head.

  I rush
ed to him and engulfed him in my arms. “It’s okay, Billy. You’re entitled to feel sad. I think you’ve held up pretty good considering. All of you have, especially Chief Sam. Your mother almost died, but she didn’t, and she’s going to be fine. We need to be happy about that.”

  Helene walked over and gave Billy a hug. “You’ll feel better as soon as you find out how Sarah got a hold of the wrong pills. I know that’s what’s bothering you.”

  “Someone at the drug store made a mistake,” I added. “It happens. There’s nothing we can do about it, except make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  Billy smiled. “Yeah, you’re both right. I’ll get to the bottom of this if it’s the last thing I do.” He hesitated for a second, and then said, “Sorry, but I gotta go lie down.” He turned and headed straight to the bathroom down the hall.

  “That’s not the…”

  “Let him go, Jesse. He probably has to throw up. You remember what that’s like, don’t you?”

  “Boy, do I ever.” Visions of my head hanging in the toilet flashed through my mind. “I don’t want to ever go there again.”

  “You might want to get an early start,” Helene suggested. “Who knows what it’s like out there? This storm came up in the middle of the night and it’s still going strong. The roads are probably flooded in some places. I’ll be surprised if your mother can even get out. South River Road floods at the drop of a hat. You might want to give her a call.”

  Just then, I heard my cell phone playing Mom’s tune. “Where’s my phone?” I followed the sound to the den where I had left it last night.

  “My power’s out, Jesse, so I had to call you on my cell and the battery’s about dead. Eddie said that South River Road is flooded. I can’t make it out.”

  “Stay put, Mom. I’ll handle it. I’ll call you later.”

  I ended the call and then went to the bedroom to get dressed. I grabbed an umbrella at the door on my way out, which Helene quickly snatched from me, asking if I wanted to be a human lightning rod. She handed me a baseball cap and said, “It won’t keep you as dry, but at least I won’t have to worry about you getting struck by lightning. Now go and be careful. It’s going to be a nightmare out there!”