“Alexia?” I asked.
“You know me?” she seemed surprised.
“Your reputation precedes you.” I delivered the line with such smoothness, I felt like the total boss babe that I was.
Well, if it wasn’t for the ice cream cone. Was this like bringing a knife to a gun fight? I had no idea what the dessert equivalent was.
“Fair enough. Listen, I have a message that I’ve been trying to get Finn, but I haven’t been able to track him.” That gave me confidence. If Alexia hadn’t been able to find Finn, maybe the authorities wouldn’t be able to either.
“What is it?” I asked. If she was planning on killing me, this is where she’d make her move. Hopefully she had a dairy allergy.
But she didn’t strike.
“Tell him it’s not The Sugar King,” she said.
“What? Are you saying that Devonshire is not behind this?” I couldn’t believe it.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“How do you know?”
“How much of the past do you know?” Alexia responded.
“Enough to know that you guys hocked some paintings from Devonshire and you disappeared along with them.” She didn’t have to know that I learned that from Detective Brandle and not Finn.
“Right, so the paintings that we stole, the Rembrandts, they were forgeries, decoys. That’s why Devonshire never came after us.”
“You’re certain?”
“Never been more disappointed in my life.”
“Why did you disappear then?” I asked.
Alexia laughed. It was a rich, throaty laugh. “It was all a con, sweetie. I needed to make sure Finn was on board, one hundred percent. What better way than to make him fall in love with me, or with the person I pretended to be.
I felt my temper flare in a heartbeat. This woman was a piece of work, and I hated her. Hated the way she had hurt and misused my husband. I wanted to pummel her.
“Why come back now?” I asked. My voice held the slightest edge.
“I heard about the ‘game’ and knew it was bull.” Alexia paused. “Finn was a good guy. I didn’t appreciate it then. I see that now. Call it atonement.”
So, the she-devil had an ounce of redemption. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from saying as much. I was using up all my politeness today.
“What now? You going to stay around and help catch the killer?” I asked.
“Can’t. Interpol never stops, so neither can I. Have to stay one step ahead of them.” Alexia winked and turned to leave.
“Hey, before you go. Do you know where Kat is?” I asked.
“Who?” Alexia either had no idea Finn had a sister or she had forgotten.
“Never mind,” I replied. This time I let Alexia walk away.
12
I drove home on autopilot. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I was back to square one, just when I thought I was making headway. The dirt I had on Devonshire was pointless. It wouldn’t do me any good if he was breaking a hundred fundraising laws if it wouldn’t help clear Finn. Who else had it out for him?
I had no idea.
When I pulled into the marina, I spotted my dad outside, chatting with Mr. Murphy. I couldn’t read his expression from the car. Was he coming to make amends or was he coming to pack my bags?
I parked in front of bait shop and joined the two men.
“Right, absolutely, I know. I can’t believe they traded him either,” Dad said.
“And to the Yankees,” Mr. Murphy added. Both men shook their heads.
I wasn’t surprised they were talking baseball. All the men in my life loved the sport.
“Ziva, dear, did you solve the case?” Mr. Murphy asked.
“Working on it,” I said with more optimism than I felt.
“You’ve got one smart daughter there,” Mr. Murphy said to my dad.
He grunted in response but still smiled.
“I’m going to head back in,” Mr. Murphy nodded to his store. “Stop in if you need me.”
“Will do, thanks.”
Neither one of us spoke until Mr. Murphy went inside. Seeing my dad was the one who paid the visit, I let him go first.
“Now don’t go giving me the silent treatment. You know your mother and I are both worried.”
“Yeah, Dad, but you insulted my intelligence and my husband.”
“I know and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.” My dad looked me straight in the eyes. Can’t say I didn’t feel a little emotional at that.
I exhaled. “Okay, apology accepted. “How’s Mom?”
“A hot mess.”
I laughed at my dad’s use of the expression.
“She asked me to invite you over for dinner.”
“Can we do it tomorrow? I have plans tonight.” I didn’t offer up any more details. Of my parents, my dad was the forward-thinking one, but I didn’t think that carried over to psychic pow-wows.
“I’m sure that’ll be fine,” he replied.
“Okay, tell Mom to call me, and I’ll figure out what to bring.” And by bring, I meant stopping by the store and picking something up.
My dad hugged me and turned to leave. “I’m sure you’ll figure this out on your own, but if you need any help, you know where to find me.”
My dad’s offer meant more to me than he’d ever know.
A couple of hours later, I was driving down Highway 17 to The Palms Motel. A number I had come to associate with Adam Cunning from TV 25 came through my phone again. I wasn’t about to answer it, but seeing he was persistent, I thought of a way my attorney could help me.
“Mr. Anders,” I said when he answered the phone. “This is Ziva. Listen, I was wondering if we could craft up a press release. Some type of statement about appreciating the public’s concern, but asking for privacy at this time?”
“I already have one written. I was just trying to touch base with you before putting it out there,” Mr. Anders replied.
See this is why he was paid the big bucks.
“Awesome. Why don’t you send it to my email and I’ll take a look at it. We can get it out tomorrow.”
“Done,” Mr. Anders replied.
“Excellent.” Now it was time to see what Izzy and her friends could come up with.
As planned, I stopped by Kat’s apartment on my way. Her car was in the same spot as before, and no one answered her door. The neighbor didn’t even pop out. Where in the world was Kat?
The Palms Motel was a basic three-star establishment. There was no room service or spa. Even a fitness center was questionable. At least it wasn’t one of the motel’s next to the gentlemen’s clubs about fifteen minutes away. This place was still a family establishment.
Izzy had texted me before I took off to see if I had anything of Kat’s that I could bring. I had to think about that one. Kat and I weren’t the type to exchange clothes. Her style was more daisy dukes and bar shirts. In fact, I was coming up empty until I remembered she had taken off her necklace at our last barbecue before jumping into the water. The necklace was gold and had the initial K dangling from it. I grabbed it out of my jewelry box and put it in purse before heading out.
Izzy was waiting for me in the lobby when I got there.
“Are you staying here?” I asked when I spotted her. If she was, I was the worst boss ever. Not only had she came up here to totally save my butt, but she was rooming in a mediocre hotel to boot. She definitely deserved a raise.
“No way, girl. I’m staying at my mama’s,” Izzy replied.
That got a smile out of me. “Good, and shame on me for not checking with you sooner.”
“It’s not like you haven’t had a lot on your mind,” Izzy said.
“You’re more forgiving than I am.” I looked around the hotel lobby. A small coffee bar was set up behind us. A rack of pamphlets lined the wall beside it and next to that, a trash can. Very basic, but clean.
“What’s the game plan?” I asked.
“Annette is th
e manager here and one of us,” Izzy motioned to the plump, dark-skinned woman behind the reception desk. “She couldn’t get tonight off, but she said we could do this on her break.”
Annette gave me a winning smile over the heads of the couple she was checking in.
“We’re just waiting on Chad to join us. He’ll make up the trio. Speaking of which,” Izzy said. At that moment, a young man with tan skin and warm eyes made his entrance. He greeted Izzy with a kiss on the cheek. I didn’t have to be a psychic to see the sparks fly between them.
“Chad, this is Ziva. It’s her sister-in-law we’re trying to find,” Izzy said.
“Nice to meet you,” he said.
“Thanks for helping,” I replied.
“Are we ready to do this? I’ve got twenty minutes,” Annette said.
We followed her down the cream-tiled hallway and waited for her to use the keypad to unlock the break room. The lounge had a Coke vending machine, another one for snacks, a little fridge, and a small microwave. The Coca-Cola machine had my tummy doing a little flip-flop. Stupid Finn and his love of Coca-Cola. Annette went over to the freezer and took out a microwavable dinner. It was the low-calorie kind. The ones that claim to be healthy but in reality taste like cardboard, so you don’t eat as much. Annette peeled off the cellophane and popped her dinner into the microwave for five minutes.
“Were you able to find something?” Izzy asked me.
“Oh yeah, here you go.” I took Kat’s necklace out of my purse and set it on the center of the table. I wasn’t sure what the protocol was, but I decided to step back to let them do their thing.
“I think it would work best if we held hands,” Annette said.
“Good idea,” Chad said.
Annette took the necklace in the palm of her hand, face up, and Izzy put her hand on top. Chad completed the circle.
They closed their eyes and no one spoke for a few moments. I resisted the urge to fidget, but the anticipation was killing me. The microwave continued to hum in the background and the room started to smell like enchiladas. I started to question if this was working. It was hard to know what was going when no one was speaking.
Then I felt it.
I wasn’t the only one.
“You guys picking up on that?” Chad asked.
Izzy’s face broke out into a huge grin. Annette’s expression looked the same. I suddenly felt abnormally happy as well.
“What in the world?” Izzy said.
“She’s having the time of her life,” Annette said.
“She is?” I asked.
“Wherever she’s at, she’s living it up,” added Chad.
I let out a sigh I didn’t know I had been holding in.
“Any idea where?” I asked.
The trio was silent while they tried to piece it together.
“I taste salt,” Izzy said, smacking her tongue inside her mouth. “Maybe tequila, too.”
“I’m picking up the sand. The ocean,” Chad added.
“A nearby beach?” I offered up.
“No, not close by. We’d see it clearly if she was,” Annette said.
“She’s okay though,” I said.
“Most definitely,” Annette replied.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that she hasn’t been kidnapped,” Izzy said, letting go of Annette’s hand. I noticed she held on to Chad’s.
“That’s a relief.” It seemed like Kat was just off somewhere being Kat. That I could live with.
The microwave dinged and ended the little pow-wow session.
“Thank you guys so much. I really appreciate you doing this.”
“Absolutely. It was fun,” Chad replied. He placed his other hand on top of Izzy’s and held it there.
Annette gave me back the necklace on her way to grab her dinner out of the microwave.
Izzy and Chad seemed to be having a moment together, and with Annette getting ready to eat, I definitely felt out of place. It was time for me to skedaddle. It had been a long day, and I had plenty to think about.
13
The next morning I sipped my cup of chai and thought everything through for the thousandth time. Kat was okay, hurray! Alexia hadn’t killed Cody, and Devonshire wasn’t really after Finn. Now what? Maybe I would run over to Sweet Thangs, nab my favorite beverage done right and tackle this day head on. I mentally made a plan to do just that when I looked over and spotted Mrs. J. Not that she was hard to miss. Hot pink sun hat, matching lipstick and tracksuit. Binoculars pressed to her eyes, staring right at me. Sleuthing Jackson was at it again. I waved sarcastically directly at her. She waved enthusiastically back, not even bothering to look sheepish. That wasn’t her style. Normally I would’ve invited her onboard, but given the circumstances, I ducked back inside, threw on a pair of fresh leggings, a tank top and an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt. I slipped my feet into a pair of flip-flops, nabbed my sunglasses and met her dockside.
“All clear?” I asked her.
“Can’t be too sure right now, Sug’. You see that husband of yours?”
Wouldn’t you like to know, I thought. “Nope, not yet,” I replied instead.
“Well, I’ll keep looking.”
Of that, I was certain.
“Are you packing?” I asked Mrs. J. Her pants pocket had a suspicious bulge that looked an awful lot like a gun.
Mrs. J. pulled out her weapon. “The STUNner 2000. The strongest Taser on the market. This baby packs some power.”
“Is that legal?” I asked.
“Depends on who’s asking. Why, you want me to get you one?”
“Hmm, maybe. I’ll let you know.” Truthfully, I should’ve bought one a long time ago. Maybe for my birthday. Self-defense: the gift that keeps on giving.
“What about the float? Y’all figure out whodunit?”
“Actually, yes.” I never spoke to Inez or interviewed a single suspect, but I was fairly certain I knew who had destroyed the float. That’s one thing I had figured out.
“Well who is it? Who am I arresting?” Mrs. J. asked.
“The puppies,” I said with a smile.
“Puppies? What puppies? What are you talking about?” Mrs. J. demanded.
“Darla’s Dalmatian puppies. Didn’t you see them at the station?”
“Well, yes, I saw them. I ain’t blind.”
“Well then, those puppies.”
“I’m not following. Why would those puppies be so malicious?”
“Come on, Mrs. J. What did the damage on the float look like? Were parts of it thrown about and all chewed up?” I remembered seeing how the puppies had shredded the papers in their play yard.
“Well, I suppose you could say it looked that way.”
“What do puppies do?”
Mrs. J. didn’t respond.
“They chew up everything. It would only take a couple of them getting out to rip that float to shreds. Did you ask Chief Brody about it?” I asked.
“He hasn’t returned my calls,” Mrs. J. said.
“Stop in and pay him a visit. I bet the little rascals got out two nights ago and had a field day.”
“Humph, I’m going to have a word with their mama.”
I was sure Darla couldn’t wait.
I said goodbye to Mrs. J. at Sweet Thangs and grabbed my latte and cream cheese-stuffed cinnamon roll to go. I thought back through this past week and kept coming back to the photo Agent Cooper had showed me. That was key. I was positive. Finn might not have the same photo, but I knew he kept his old yearbooks. The question became where?
I did a bit of a searching while cleaning around the house. I’d open a closet, rearrange a couple of items, fold some towels, while also seeing if there was a box of old memorabilia stashed away. If I thought really hard, I could vaguely remember a light blue storage container that Finn used to keep his high school things stored. I had only seen it a time or two. Finn brought it out once to show me his baseball team photo. The fact that he had played the sport in high school hadn’t be
en surprising seeing he loved the game as much as my father did.
Looking under the bed, I stopped short.
“Sweet sugar, what is that?” I went to reach for the syringe but stopped myself. Absentmindedly my hand went up to my shoulder and rubbed it. The pain in my arm from earlier in the week. It had been from an injection. Why hadn’t ever thought of that? I scrambled up and quickly found my cell phone and dialed Detective Brandle.
“I was injected with something,” I said when our lines connected. “I just found the syringe under the bed.”
“Why didn’t I think of that? Don’t touch it,” Detective Brandle instructed.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t.” I scooped up Captain Jack in my arms and walked over to board him in the kitchen. The last thing I needed was for my pup to get a hold of it. Thank goodness he hadn’t found it before me.
“How long do you think the drug would stay in my system?” I asked.
“Depends on what it is. It’s mostly likely long gone by now. Let me call it in. You want me to come over?”
“No, it’s okay. I can handle it.” While it was completely unnerving to know I had been injected with something, it was also a relief to know I hadn’t slept through someone being shot. There had been a level of guilt sitting over me for not waking up to help Cody that I hadn’t even realized.
“Hey, before you hang up, do you by chance happen to know a guy who drives a motorcycle? His helmet has green flames. He’s a bit, I don’t know, off.”
“TJ?” Detective Brandle asked.
“I don’t know, I didn’t get his name. The Quick & Go store clerk said she saw him the night of Cody’s murder acting jittery. He was just here yesterday looking for Finn, too. He said he heard about Cody.”
“Yeah, that sounds like TJ. If anything could bring him out, it would be Cody’s death.”
“What you mean, bring him out?”
“The kid experimented with way too many drugs. If I remember right, I busted him for selling LSD several times. It seems like he took one too many trips and fried his brain. He never leaves the house.”
Charm & Deception Page 11