“I can understand why.”
“Funny thing is, most people wouldn’t know the difference between this and a ten dollar bottle of crap. I can’t stomach the cheap stuff anymore.”
I nodded in appreciation. “If I were you, I’d buy this in bulk, put it away for ten years and then sell it for a bundle.”
He scoffed at the comment. “I might be dead in ten years.”
“Good point. Enjoy it now.”
“I intend to.”
While he enjoyed his drink, I had to think of something to talk about. . “How do you like owning your own business?
“It’s harder than most people think. Employees can be a pain in the ass. Especially when they steal from you.”
“Really?” I said, feigning interest. “That’s awful. Does that happen a lot?”
“As far as my insurance company is concerned, it does.”
I gave him a quizzical look. “I don’t understand?”
Gavin sputtered a patronizing laugh. “Never mind. Its highly classified information. Totally above your pay grade.”
“Whatever. I don’t think much of insurance companies. I screw them every chance I get. But you probably wouldn’t have the balls to do something like that.”
“Oh, really?” His eyes grew wide and a devilish smile appeared. “You don’t think I actually paid for those bottles of scotch, do you? I have a little insurance scam up and running, too. You know … to feed my whisky habit.”
“Cool. Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”
“I’ve paid them enough money over the years. Stupid insurance companies think they can scam me? Hell no. It’s about time I started getting something in return.”
“Exactly,” I said, his one person cheering team.
Gavin took a step toward me. “So, shall we get this party started?”
I hoped the expression on my face didn’t tip him off about my anxiety level. I took another sip of scotch and handed the glass back to him. Now that I had his confession, it was time to get out. “What did you have in mind?”
He wet his lips as he gazed at my chest. “You seem nervous, Sarah. You’re not going to chicken out on me, are you?”
I took a step back. “Chicken out on what?”
“Let’s just cut to the chase, okay? I know why you came here tonight,” he said.
“I was hoping to come here tonight to get to know you better.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes and wet his lips again. “Danielle must have told you, huh?”
“Told me what?”
“She told you what I like to do.”
“Um, actually she didn’t give me specifics.”
Gavin took a step toward me and fondled my breasts. “Tell me Sarah, how do you prefer to be tied up?”
My breath caught in my throat but I quickly recovered. “You want to tie me up?”
“One of my specialties,” he said, grinning.
“Right. Well. That sounds tempting,” I said, removing his hands. “Haven’t you ever heard that slow and steady wins the race?”
He leaned over until our faces were inches apart. “Take your clothes off.”
I took another step back and placed my hand on his chest. “Not so fast. I need a few minutes to freshen up.”
He grabbed my arm and squeezed. “I like you dirty.”
“Look, if you let me grab my purse over there, I need to get my inhaler. The dog hair in the house is making me wheeze.”
“It doesn’t sound like you’re wheezing.”
I eyed my purse while trying to wriggle free. “Can I at least go pee?” I asked.
His grip did not lighten as he pulled me closer. “As long as I can watch.”
“Fine with me.” I tried to pull back again but his grasp wouldn’t allow it. “Save the manhandling for the bedroom. It needs to build up slowly … you know, just like an orgasm.”
Gavin smirked. “I know how it works.”
“Can I get my purse, please?”
His grip tightened, cutting off the circulation in my arm. I tried to stay calm. “Do you get pleasure from hurting women, Gavin?”
“Most women like to be hurt. They just won’t admit it.”
I almost spit in his face, but I forced myself to breathe. “It’s true. I love to be hurt. How do you know women so well?”
“I’ve had lots of practice.”
“Do you like to experiment on little girls, too?”
He narrowed his eyes and smiled. “The younger, the better. Only problem is, they tend to run home crying to their daddies.”
“You’re better off sticking with older women like me. We appreciate a good, hard lay.”
“I take whatever comes my way. If you’re willing, I’m able. If you’re not willing, too fucking bad.”
“I like the sound of that. You really know how to turn a girl on. Now, please excuse me. I need that inhaler.”
Before I had a chance to move, Gavin leaned over and grabbed my purse from the stool. “Cute little bag,” he said, unzipping the top. “Allow me to get your medication. It’s the least I can do.”
“No, that’s okay,” I said lunging toward him to snatch the purse. He turned to the right, and I missed.
He started laughing. “Look at you. Such a little spitfire. I like that kind of spunk in a woman.”
“Please, just give me my purse. My lungs are starting to burn.”
Gavin backed up a few steps and opened the purse. He peered inside. “Well, well. What have we got here?” He held the pepper spray in his hand and smiled. “Somehow I don’t think this would help your asthma very much.”
“Oh no,” I said, quickly making up an excuse. “I must have put the wrong canister in my purse. Are you telling me my inhaler isn’t in there?”
Gavin dropped the purse, along with the pepper spray, and kicked the items across the floor to the far side of the room. “Did you think I was gonna hurt you, Sarah?”
Gavin shoved me back against the counter and laughed when I winced. “Do you like that?” he asked. “Cuz I have a lot of hurting to give.”
I had to catch my breath. “Like I said, honey, it’s better if you let the pain build gradually.”
He slapped me across the face. I was so startled I couldn’t speak.
“Didn’t see that coming, did you?” he said, apparently proud of himself. “You sluts are all the same. You say you want it hard, but then you get all weak.”
I could tell Gavin was gearing up for more, but a loud knock on the door surprised us both.
“Shit. Maybe Danielle found out I was here,” I said.
“Go into the bedroom right now. I’ll get rid of her.” He opened a kitchen drawer and pulled out a gun.
“What the hell?” I said. “You’re not going to shoot her!”
“Danielle can be a crazy bitch when she gets pissed. I told you to go into the bedroom.” He nudged me with the gun as the banging on the door intensified.
“Maybe I should just leave,” I said. “I don’t want to cause a fight between you two.”
He gave me a stern look. “You’re not going anywhere.”
If Gavin enjoyed beating and raping, perhaps killing wasn’t out of the question, either.
“Go see if it’s her.” I said. “I’ll wait here in the kitchen.”
I had to act fast. I hoped either Carter or Dylan had come to rescue me, and I didn’t want either one of them to get shot.
The pepper spray canister was clear across the room. I had to find another weapon. I grabbed the thousand-dollar bottle of scotch by the neck.
Before Gavin could open the door, I ran up behind him and whacked him over the head, making a loud thunk. For a second, he just froze, like the blow did nothing but, then, his legs gave out. He collapsed to the floor but he still had strength to hold onto his gun. “What the …?” he said, eyes squinting in pain.
He was a tough son of a gun. Apparently, his head was made of steel. Just as I was winding up to smack him over the hea
d again, someone kicked in the front door and it slammed open against the wall.
Carter stood there glaring at me with his own gun in hand, aimed and ready. He glanced down at Gavin, then back at me. “Are you okay? Your cheek is red.”
“I’m fine.”
“Did he hit you?”
I held up the bottle in my hand. “Yeah, well, I hit him back. Besides, I was afraid he might shoot you.”
Gavin moaned as he tried to lift his head and, at the same time, Carter stepped on his hand to take his gun away. He emptied the bullets in the chamber and threw the weapon on the couch.
“Buddy, I’m going to make it my personal mission in life to make sure you go to jail,” Carter said to him. “Whatever it takes.”
“Come on.” I tugged at Carter’s shirt. “Let’s get out of here. I’ve accomplished what I came here to do.”
As we left Gavin’s house, he sat on the floor with a stunned expression, rubbing the back of his head, probably wondering what had just happened.
Ten minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of a local gas station. I got out, walked over to the black Cadillac and handed Dylan McCormick my necklace. “The whole conversation with Gavin is on this device,” I said. “But I’d like the necklace back when you’re done. It was a gift.”
Dylan smiled and nodded. “I’m impressed.”
“Look, I want Gavin to go down for the insurance fraud as much as you do, but he’s worse than a con man. When you listen to the recording, you’ll see what I mean. I want that monster behind bars. I’ll testify in court in order to make it happen.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Sarah. Tell your man Carter I appreciate his help, too. By the way … nice dress.”
Chapter 25
Four days had gone by since Paul’s death; less than ten people attended his private service. Emily, Linda, two of the CPAs Paul worked with and me stood as the pastor spouted his firm belief that Paul was now one with God, and his soul finally at peace.
The service lasted half an hour - refreshments provided after the fact.
No one seemed to want to talk about Paul, even though it was the reason we were there to begin with.
Emily wore a dark brown suit with polished black shoes. She’d even worn make-up and jewelry for the occasion. No amount of blush and mascara, however, could hide what she was feeling inside.
She approached me at the end of the service, walking with a slight limp. “Sarah, thank you for coming. Your support means a lot to me.”
I leaned over and gave her a hug. “How are you feeling? Is your leg causing you a lot of pain?”
“It’s fine. A minor distraction compared with everything else.”
I gestured to the bouquet of flowers on the table. “I see Paul’s stepsister sent a nice arrangement.”
Emily nodded. “She wanted to be here, but … well, you know how it is.”
“How are you doing?” I asked, and immediately regretted the stupid question.
“Linda’s been taking good care of me. She dotes on me a little too much, but how can I complain about that?”
“Have you been in contact with your parents?” I asked.
Emily looked down at her trembling hands and said nothing. Odd.
“Well, I’d better say goodbye to Paul’s partners,” she said. “I can see they’re anxious to leave.”
“Good seeing you, Emily. Take care of yourself.”
Linda joined me shortly thereafter, an exhausted expression on her face. She leaned in and whispered, “I know funerals are depressing, but this takes the cake.”
“Emily is doing a remarkable job, though. Did you do her hair and make-up?”
Linda glanced around to make sure no one was listening to our conversation. “Yes. She said she didn’t care what she looked like but I told her it would make her feel better. She’s so pretty when she has some color on her cheeks. Any color except yellow, that is.”
“Have you heard from Detective James?” I asked. “Have they officially closed the investigation?”
Linda seemed confused. “I believe so. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about Hector.”
“The Hispanic?”
“Yeah. The whole charade with him pretending to be a landscaper. It doesn’t really make sense. The poisoning, the stabbing, Paul trying to save Emily in the end … I don’t know.”
Linda raised her eyebrows. “What are you saying?”
“Maybe someone else was trying to hurt Emily. Maybe Paul was framed.”
Linda leaned in closer to me. “I told you from the beginning I thought Paul was innocent. But the evidence against him … how can you explain the fact that he bought a bus ticket for that terrible man? Why would he do that unless he was planning something with him?”
“I can’t explain that,” I admitted. “But it doesn’t matter. Apparently, the police are satisfied with their theory. My only concern is for Emily’s safety now. Has she mentioned her brother recently? I take it she hasn’t contacted him.”
“Not to my knowledge,” she said.
“How are things going now that Emily is staying with you?”
Linda shrugged. “Fine. She keeps to herself. I try to get her to talk, but she won’t open up. I’m starting to think maybe she resents me for being Paul’s friend.”
“How can she resent you?” I asked. “You’re going out of your way for her.”
“I just wish there was something I could say … to give her hope.”
“That’s a tough one.”
Linda looked over to where Emily was standing. “Sarah, you should come by the house tonight. Maybe it will perk Emily up. She really likes you.”
The only plans I had consisted of pizza delivery. “Sure. What time?”
“How about five?” she said.
“Can I bring something?”
“Yes, bring lots of positive energy. Emily needs that.”
Chapter 26
When I got back to my apartment, my neighbor Jackie was coming down the front steps, dressed for work.
“Sarah, I have a huge favor to ask,” she said. “And I promise to make it up to you.”
“Sure, Jackie, what’s up?”
“I’m going away in a few weeks. Dominic asked me to go to Montreal with him for two nights. He’s got some kind of package deal at this fancy hotel. Anyway, I need someone to take care of Chester.”
“I’m your woman,” I said. “No problem at all but, you haven’t been dating Dominic very long.”
“I know, but he’s super sweet. I think he wants to settle down with someone and I hope it’s with me. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”
“You’re only thirty-two,” I said.
“Anyway, I’d better head to work.”
“Well, I’m happy to help out, as long as you write down where you’ll be staying, Dominic’s full name, his birthdate, social security number and a list of his last three employers.”
Jackie burst into laughter. “I guess that’s what I get for having a private eye for a friend.”
“Can’t be too careful these days.”
“Please,” she said. “Dominic is just a boring computer analyst geek. His idea of breaking the law is taking extra sugar packets from Starbucks.”
“That could lead to bigger stuff. Consider it a huge red flag once he starts taking the straws.”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “Gotta go, babe,” she said, heading to her car. “Thanks again for Chester.”
In my opinion, there is no better aroma than freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. I decided to make a batch to take to Linda’s house. If I couldn’t take Emily’s pain away, at least I could provide a delicious distraction.
I took the cookies out of the oven at 4:30 so they’d still be warm when I got to Linda’s at five.
Or, so I thought.
Just as I was getting ready to go, my cell phone buzzed. I answered the call.
“Hey Linda, I was just getting ready
to leave. I made cookies but is there something else you’d like me to pick up?”
“Um, Sarah? I’m so sorry. Tonight is not going to work.”
“Oh. Is everything okay?”
“We got back to the house after the service and Emily just fell apart. I helped her to bed. I figured she was exhausted and needed some rest after such an emotional day. A few minutes ago I got a call from a woman. She’s a grief counselor from the hospital. She wanted to offer Emily her services.”
“What a nice thing,” I said.
“Yes. I think Emily would benefit from talking to an objective party. Someone who didn’t know Paul.”
“Makes sense,” I said.
“I’m sorry it’s last minute. I took her up on her offer to come over tonight.”
“No problem. I completely understand. Maybe I’ll come by another night.”
“Absolutely,” she said. “I’ll call you.”
With nothing else to do, I sat on the couch with the plate of cookies in my lap. I ate most of them while watching a rerun episode of Hawaii Five-O.
Chapter 27
I woke at 7:45a.m., and decided to go for a run.
It was a crisp morning and I welcomed the cool air into my lungs as I enjoyed the passing scenery. I’d needed this to help clear my mind of all that had happened in the past few weeks.
When I got back to my street, I saw someone sitting on the front steps of my apartment.
“Linda, what are you doing here?”
She looked up, startled. “Sarah. I’ve been calling you for the past hour.”
“Sorry. I don’t usually take my cell phone with me when I’m running. Is something wrong? You seem frazzled.” Linda’s fingernails were all chewed off. That wasn’t like her.
“Can we talk?” she asked.
“Of course. Where’s Emily?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
We headed up to my apartment and Linda plopped herself on my couch. “She’s decided to go to Florida and stay with her parents after all.”
I sat next to her while wiping my neck with a towel. “Really? That’s so out of the blue. Did she say why?”
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