Diner Knock Out (A Rose Strickland Mystery Book 4)

by Terri L. Austin

  “Morning,” I said.

  “Whatevs.” Roxy folded her arms on the counter and dropped her head. “I got home two hours ago. We’re talking zero sleep here.”

  “Well…you look good.”

  She lifted her head. “I always look good, Rose.”

  As Roxy sipped her coffee, Ma walked through the connecting door. “Problem solved, girls.”

  “What problem, Ma?” I asked.

  “That goddamned Sally Dawkins.”

  I’d completely forgotten. “What happened?”

  She straightened her frames. “While Sally was at Byron’s house, Axton signed her up for a bunch of dating websites. She should have men crawling all over her by the end of the day. And when Byron sees what a tart she is, he’ll drop her like a hot biscuit.”

  Roxy drew a package of gum from her pocket. “That’s brilliant.”

  I frowned at both of them. “That’s not brilliant. It’s dishonest. And you involved Axton in your deception.”

  Ma shrugged. “What’s so terrible, toots? She’s going to meet a bunch of new men, and Byron won’t get caught in her honey trap.”

  I wagged my finger at her. “I do not approve.”

  “I do,” Roxy said. “Sometimes you gotta fight fire with fire.”

  “Remind me never to cross either of you. You’re too vindictive.”

  Ma grinned and bumped her bony fist into Roxy’s. I wished my own problems were so easily solved.

  We flipped the open sign at six on the dot and our regulars trickled in throughout the morning. At ten, during our lull, I parked in a chair across from Henry, who looked bored out of his mind. I snatched a cookie. Oatmeal studded with thick chunks of walnuts, dried apple, and raisins. Mmmm.

  After I gobbled it up, I propped my chin on the heel of my hand. “Question. If you were going to get a big man like Rob Huggins to take a handful of pills against his will and swallow them down with booze, how would you go about it?”

  Henry scratched his jaw. “Spike his oatmeal cookies.”

  “Not funny. But that’s the only way, isn’t it? Drugging him. Either poke a syringe in his ass, which already looked like a pin cushion from all the steroids, or spike his protein shake.”

  “It’s a sound theory.”

  When my phone rang, I roused myself and glanced at the screen. Sullivan.

  I stood from the table and grabbed another cookie. I nodded at Roxy on my way to the office. “Hey.” I kicked the door shut with my foot and hopped up on the desk.

  “We have a problem. Candi Carlucci is missing.”

  “What do you mean, missing? I was with her last night.”

  “She didn’t make it home. No one has seen or heard from her since she went out with you.”

  Dazed, I stared at the dented metal locker in the corner. “She left with some guy named Weed. A biker guy. What about Howie, her bodyguard? He’ll know where Candi is.”

  Pause. “He’s dead, Rose.”

  The cookie fell from my hand. “What…”

  “Carlucci’s men found him dumped at the site of the last fight, with a bullet in his brain. Since Carlucci owns the property, I’d say someone is trying to send a message. Your guess about Wyatt Sanders might be correct.”

  “No. I already thought this through. If Carlucci was the target, why kill Buster?” I couldn’t wrap my head around any of it. Howie had been alive last night. Candi had harmlessly flirted with him only hours ago.

  I rubbed a shaky hand over my cold cheek. “What about that tracking chip? Carlucci should be able to find her using that.”

  “He already found the chip. Shoved inside Howie’s mouth.”

  My blood froze, and my heart pounded so strong and loud, it echoed in my ears.

  “Rose?”

  “Still here.” Shocked. Shaken to the core. But still on the line.

  “I’m at Carlucci’s house. Listen to me very carefully and do exactly what I tell you. I’m sending Pete to the diner. Once he gets there, have Henry come here. He needs to give an account of what happened last night.”

  “I should come with him.”

  “No!” Then his voice dropped. “I don’t want you anywhere near Carlucci right now. He’s out of his mind with worry, and he’s not thinking rationally.”

  “Wait a minute. Does he think I had something to do with her disappearance?” Indignant, I wanted more than ever to explain myself, to prove my innocence. To find Candi.

  “Your name’s been mentioned. You will stay at the diner until your shift is over. Afterward, Pete will take you to my house. Do you hear me?”

  I didn’t like to make promises I couldn’t keep, so I hung up. Stuffing the phone in my pocket, I practically ran back into the dining room, my mind racing in ten different directions. I stopped at Henry’s table, leaned down, and explained the situation.

  Roxy hustled over. “What’s wrong? You look like a corpse, Rose.”

  “Candi is missing. Her bodyguard is dead.”

  “Oh my God. Do you think she’s dead too?”

  Henry’s phone rang.

  I fell into the chair across from him. “Don’t answer it yet. It’s Sullivan. I need to talk this through.” I glanced up at Roxy. “If Candi’s not dead yet, she will be soon. Sullivan said something that finally clicked. This whole thing has been about Carlucci. Someone’s trying to rattle him, punish him. He’s been receiving death threats. Candi’s car accident? Maybe it wasn’t an accident at all.”

  Henry banged his elbows on the table. “This is a disaster. Sullivan’s in serious trouble, you get that, right?”

  I clasped my hands together to keep them from shaking. “Carlucci suspects Sullivan’s behind the death threats?”

  Roxy placed the coffeepot on the table. “Let’s figure this out. Who wants to punish Carlucci? That Wyatt Sanders guy?”

  Wyatt Sanders was a callous businessman. A desperate one at that. He was out of cash, soon to declare bankruptcy. Desperate people didn’t plan long-range torture scenarios. “No. Not Sanders. I’m pretty sure.”

  “Candi could have faked her disappearance,” Henry said. “She could be punishing her father.”

  “That makes sense. She hates her stepmother. She blames her father for her mother’s death.”

  “What happened to Candi’s mom?” Roxy asked.

  “Suicide,” I said. “I don’t buy Candi as the killer. She loved Rob.”

  “So what?” Roxy waved her hands in the air. “He dumped her, played her for a fool. She may have loved him enough to kill him.”

  Was it possible? Candi could have been torturing her father for months, sending notes, poisoning the dogs, making me think she was brokenhearted over Rob’s death. I’d seen her acting skills firsthand. Still, I couldn’t believe it.

  “What about her broken arm?” I asked. “How could she have killed Buster?” Henry’s phone rang again. “Don’t answer it. I’m on the verge of something. Just give me a minute.”

  “Maybe the arm’s not really broken?” Roxy asked.

  “No, it is,” Henry said. “I saw the way she favored it. She wasn’t faking.”

  “Something she said last night in the ladies’ room, something about the accident.” I drummed my fingers on the table. “She didn’t remember it happening. She was hazy.” My gaze met Roxy’s. “What if she was drugged?”

  “Yes,” Roxy said, clapping her hands. “She could have been roofied.”

  “Exactly,” I said.

  Henry rubbed his finger over the scar near his eye. “No offense, Rose, but who the hell cares? We have a precarious situation here. I don’t give a shit about Candi’s accident. We need to know where she is right now.”

  “What about the stepmom?” Roxy asked. “Could she have done it?”


  Jennifer, a weight-wielding murderer? Nope. “Carlucci is Jennifer’s golden ticket. Why would she jeopardize that? This feels more like a revenge scenario.” When Henry’s phone rang for the third time, he reached to answer it. I slammed my hand over his. “Another minute.”

  “I can’t put him off anymore, Rose.”

  I kept my hand where it was and gazed up at Roxy. “You said something a minute ago. ‘Love him enough to kill him.’ Why didn’t I see it before?” I remembered the pictures in Al’s office. The one of him and Carlucci at their first dealership. The snapshot of Al, Will, and Will’s first wife. Carlucci had everything Al always wanted—the wife, the success, the recognition.

  “Who?” Roxy said, snapping her gum.

  I removed my hand from Henry’s. “Call Sullivan back. Ask if Al is at the house.”

  Realization dawned in Henry’s eyes. “Got it.”

  “I’ll call the car dealership.”

  “You think Al is behind this?” Roxy asked.

  “It makes total sense. Al Bosworth loved Carlucci like a brother. Until jealousy and anger wormed their way in and destroyed it.” I yanked out my phone. I quickly looked up the number for Carlucci Motors. A very chipper female voice answered. “I need to speak to Al Bosworth. It’s extremely important.”

  When she put me on hold, Henry ended his call. “Al’s not there. Carlucci’s been trying to reach him all morning without success. Run through this theory of yours.”

  Roxy finally grabbed an empty chair and pulled it up to our table. She plopped down, her knee bumping mine. “I’m all ears.”

  “Will and Al have been best friends since childhood. They owned their first business together.”

  “It was a bust,” Henry said.

  “Al’s been working for Carlucci ever since. That had to sting. From partner to employee.”

  Henry held his hand up to stop me. “Doesn’t wash. Al’s been working with Carlucci for years. Why go off the rails now?”

  A lady at the next table tapped Roxy’s elbow. “Excuse me. We need our check. We’ve been waiting for ten minutes.”

  She glared over her shoulder. “Don’t get your panties in a wad, I’m in the middle of a serious discussion. I’ll get to you in a minute.” She glanced back at me. “Go on, Rose.”

  “Al went haywire because Candi made a life change. She decided to take over Carlucci’s business, legal and otherwise. Al’s worked his ass off all these years, now Candi’s going to swoop in—”

  “Ma’am?” The chipper voice was back on the line. “Mr. Bosworth isn’t in this morning. Can I take a message?”

  I hung up. “He’s not at work. Carlucci can’t get ahold of him. I’m certain he has Candi.” I felt it in my gut. A sense of urgency swept over me. “We need to find her.”

  Henry slowly shook his head. “I’m still not convinced you’re right. Al’s been reaping the benefits of Carlucci’s friendship for years. Great job, lots of girls, gets to hang with Will at all those charity events. So what if Candi takes over the business? Things won’t change for Al.”

  “Won’t they?” I asked. “Al’s been living in Will’s shadow for years. When Candi decided to take over, it must have pushed Al over the edge. He wanted to punish Carlucci, take away everything of value in his life: his top fighter, his sense of safety, his only daughter. He even orchestrated Candi’s car accident. He was there that night.” I turned to Roxy. “Remember? She said she collected the money instead of Al. He wanted revenge, pure and simple.”

  “What about Buster?” Henry asked. “Why would Al kill him?”

  I pushed my chair back from the table. “I don’t know. That’s the last piece of the puzzle. But Buster had something important to tell me that night. Let’s find Al, see if I’m right.”

  Roxy stood. “I’ll come with you.”

  “Normally, I’d love having you as backup, but Al has killed three people.”

  Henry’s phone rang yet again. We all stared at it until it stopped. “You’re not going anywhere either, Rose. The boss was very specific about that.”

  “I think I know where Al might be hiding Candi. I need firepower. We have to hurry. Henry, are you in?”

  He stood and buttoned his jacket. “Abso-fucking-lutely. But I’m going alone. Give me the address.”

  “Nope. I’m coming with you.”

  “No way.”

  Ignoring him, I ran behind the counter, grabbed my purse, and headed out the front door. “I’ll give you the address when we’re on the road.”

  “Shit.” Henry’s big feet pounded behind me. Once he unlocked the SUV’s door, I leapt in and called Sullivan.

  “Rose. Not the time. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Wait! Don’t hang up. Al has Candi. We’re on our way to get her.”

  “What are you doing? Put Henry on the phone.”

  “I’ll call you when we get there.”

  Henry started the engine and barreled out of the parking lot. “Which way?”

  I held the phone away from my mouth. “North. Take the highway.”

  “No,” Sullivan said. “I’ll go. Give me the address. Carlucci and I will meet Henry.”

  “I have to do this the right way. I’m calling Andre for backup. I can’t tell you where we’re going because if Carlucci comes, he’ll kill Al and he might harm Candi in the process.” Oh God. Candi. I hoped we could get to her in time. I hung up as Sullivan was speaking and called Hardass.

  “Good morning, Miss Strickland. Any news?”

  “Whatever you’re doing, stop. I need the address for Will Carlucci’s very first car lot. The one he started with Al Bosworth.”

  “Give me a minute.” My nerves were frayed, but Andre’s emotionless voice kept me from spinning out. When he gave me the address, I plugged it into the SUV’s GPS. “Candi’s missing, her bodyguard is dead. If Al Bosworth has her, I’m pretty sure that’s where he’d take her.”

  “Why?”

  “That place means something to Al. He and Carlucci were partners. After the state started building the highway, the roads were closed, effectively cutting off a direct route to Al’s business. If he’s not there, I’m out of ideas.”

  “Makes perfect sense,” Andre said. “He wouldn’t keep her at his own home. Too risky. Neighbors might see or hear something. He wouldn’t keep her at the dealership for the same reason. Your plan is a sound one, Miss Strickland. I’ll call the police, then I’m on my way.”

  I sat back and tried to calm down.

  Henry’s gaze slid to me. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Just scared for her.”

  “When we get to this place, I want you to stay in the car. I’ll check it out.”

  “I’m not letting you go in there alone, Henry. End of.”

  He didn’t argue, but I could tell he wasn’t done fighting me. His large knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel. “You mean everything to him.”

  “Who?”

  “Sullivan.”

  “You do too, H. You’re the only person he trusts.”

  “He’s learning to trust you. When you pull shit like this, though, it doesn’t help.”

  We stopped talking and my gut clenched tight, hoping we weren’t too late. If Al had taken Candi, he was finally off the chain. He wanted Carlucci to know he was the mastermind behind it all. Yet I still didn’t understand why Buster had been killed. Did he know something about Al? Some dark secret?

  “What’s our plan?” I asked. “We can’t just pull up and announce ourselves.”

  “We’ll get a lay of the land and figure it out once we get there.”

  Although we only drove for another ten or twelve minutes, nervous tension kept my muscles locked down.

  When Henry pulled off Route 2
2 and Junction Road, he drove past the old car lot, its blacktop empty and faded, framed by rusted chains. A boarded-up shack sat near the back of the property. Though Henry never turned his head, I did, my eyes darting back and forth.

  Andre’s words came back to me. Tell me what you see, Miss Strickland. “It’s an old lot, no cars, not even Al’s, unless he parked behind the building, and I can’t see back that far. The shed is a great place to stash a hostage. The front windows and door are boarded up. It’s so tiny, I wonder if there’s a back exit.”

  Henry didn’t slow down, but drove right past it. “Anything else?”

  “We’re passing three abandoned buildings, two restaurants, and what used to be a TV repair business.” Their signs had faded in the sun. The neon letters at the drive-in were broken. “There’s an empty strip mall. So far, I haven’t seen another car or any sign of movement.” After another mile, we hit on a handful of shotgun houses. With sagging porches, missing doors, and broken windows, it was safe to say these homes had been left years ago. Behind the houses, tall, thin trees fought each other for sunlight. “Six empty homes edged by a small wooded area.”

  “Let’s park near the trees and cut back through the woods. That way, I can see what’s going on behind the car lot. Rose, I want you to listen to me.” He did a U-turn and doubled back. “I have a gun. I know what I’m doing. You’ll only be in the way.”

  “I promise I won’t.” I texted our location to Sullivan. “I’ll follow your directions, but I can’t sit on my hands.”

  He pulled into the dirt driveway, next to the last shotgun house. Driving to the edge of the trees, he parked the SUV and glanced over at me. “Okay then. Stay behind me. Do exactly what I tell you to do.”

  We climbed out of the car and Henry removed his jacket and tie, throwing them in the front seat. Then he pulled his gun from the holster and held it against his leg. “Right now, you need to calm your nerves and watch out for snakes.”

  Snakes. Of course.