Bodies in Paradise

by Deborah Brown

  “That’s when he pointed to the door and ordered us out, threatening that he’d be the one to call the cops,” Didier said.

  “I told you Custer was tetchy and wouldn’t take kindly to strangers wanting information, especially in light of a murder,” Fab said.

  “I didn’t like your idea of confronting the man yourself.”

  “You underestimate your wife’s charm with crotchety old men.” I smiled at Didier.

  “Listen up, you two.” Creole smacked his hand on the table. “If my instincts are right about where you two think the conversation is going, neither of you is to go confront that man.”

  “Look, surly…” I winked at him. “You just don’t want us to show you up.”

  Creole snorted.

  I mimicked Creole and slapped my hand on the table, but not as hard. “A little wager? Dinner? On the water, yum food, and no paper plates or plastic.”

  Creole sniffed the air. “I smell a setup, so no.”

  “Bawk, bawk.”

  “It’s better when you flap your arms.” Lark demonstrated, leaping around the room.

  Everyone laughed.

  The side door opened, and Allegra came swooping in with a nod to the room and went over to Lark. She lowered her voice so we couldn’t hear.

  I glared at her.

  Fab nudged me with her foot.

  I stood and kicked back my chair. “Allegra,” I said in a surly tone, louder than necessary, “your mooching days are over. Next time you need something, go to the store.”

  The guys’ mouths dropped open.

  Allegra nodded and, without a word, moved toward the door.

  “Hold your horses, girlie,” I barked. “Before you trot on out of here, I’ve got a couple questions.”

  “Maybe another time; I need to get back upstairs.” Allegra’s hand was on the knob.

  I drew my Glock and put a bullet in the wall. Oh well, needed to be christened at some point. “I won’t miss if I have to take another shot.”

  “Bitch,” she hissed.

  “You bet I am,” I hissed back. “Why don’t you tell us all what you know about Cassie Winters? I’m betting you knew that she was using her dead sister’s identity when you introduced her to my brother. As if that’s not bad enough, no warning that she’s got a criminal record a mile long.” Convicted or not, no one gets arrested that many times without being hip deep in trouble.

  “How would I know any of that?” Allegra returned my glare.

  “How indeed? You may be a bitch, but you’re not stupid. Ex-FBI and all, or are you? No way are you going to let someone live with you, however temporarily, when you don’t know their background. Or is Cassie part of some case you’re working, and Brad was just a handy tool?” I’d long lost the struggle to dial back my anger and ended up shouting at her.

  “I honestly—”

  “Honest,” I cut her off. “That’s a laugh.”

  Creole stood and put his hand on my arm, and I pushed it away. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but you need to leave,” he told Allegra, pointing to the door. “We’ll figure this out when everyone is calmer.”

  Everyone? He meant me. “If you were any kind of human being, you’d tell Brad what you know,” I yelled as she walked out the door and it clicked shut.

  Brad pointed to my chair. “Sit. Tell me what happened today.” He walked over to the fridge and grabbed cold waters, bringing them back and setting them on the table, handing one to me.

  “Thanks.” I unscrewed the top and downed half the bottle in an attempt to calm my temper. I told him about the trip to the Glades, then paused to drink more water. Fab picked up the story and filled in a few more details.

  “What’s going to happen to Logan?” Brad demanded.

  That was a first on the day—someone asking about the boy and his welfare.

  “Get an appointment with Tank, and he can go over your options and recommend whatever kind of attorney you’ll need,” I said. “Xander’s going to attempt to locate Cassie. You should have that information before making any decisions.”

  Brad nodded. “I talked to Tank a couple of days ago, but now we know that Cassie had no authority to do what she did. My options were slim at the time and are probably nil now. The state will step in and take custody.”

  “I’m guessing that Cassie didn’t get legal custody of Logan. Not with her record. Another thing I can have Xander check out.”

  “The Winters are not the least bit interested in raising the boy,” Fab told him. “And the other grandparents are who knows where.”

  “Do they know about me?” Brad asked.

  “They didn’t ask a single question about who had their grandson. Fab and I are in agreement that they’re doing something illegal and don’t want to be bothered because they’d come under scrutiny and whatever they’re up to might be discovered.”

  “Have you decided what outcome you’d like to have happen?” Fab asked Brad.

  “This morning, I wanted Layne to come back. Now I find out that she has no more claim to Logan than I do. What a mess.” Brad looked sad and overwhelmed. “I’ll be having a talk with Allegra, and if she was using me, or worse Logan, having her next door will be damn awkward.”

  “Say the word. I have movers that can box her junk and have her out by the end of the day.” I trotted out my demented smile.

  “You behave yourself.” Brad shook his finger at me. “Allegra might shoot you just because, so stay away from her.”

  “We’re going to figure something out.” I stood. “I need to go upstairs and talk to Xander.”

  Creole stood. “I’m escorting you. I don’t want you stopping on the second floor and getting in a shootout. I don’t want to visit you in prison.”

  “Allegra’s gone,” Lark informed us. “She was upstairs long enough to grab her purse and then flew out to the parking lot.”

  I walked around the table and put my arms around Brad, who’d stood. “Call me anytime. Don’t worry.”

  “You’re the best.” He hugged me hard.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I had my day all planned out. Creole had gone to the office, and I took a bottle of iced tea and my laptop out to the deck, hoping for a few hours of peace to get some work done. Hopefully, no dead bodies would turn up. It wasn’t long before I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and looked down the beach to see Fab taking her aggressions out on the sand, kicking it everywhere. I continued to watch as she got closer and climbed the steps.

  “If you want something to drink, help yourself before you sit down. I’m not getting up.” I added a smile to my snarky tone.

  “Some hostess you are,” she said and threw herself down in a chair next to me.

  “You’re hardly a guest; more like a fixture.”

  “We need to go back to morning meetings.” Fab kicked her feet up on the railing. “Good food is a distraction from any less-than-pleasant news.”

  I groaned. “You must be up to something. We updated our husbands on yesterday’s trip, and nothing has happened since then.”

  “We’ve got a busy morning, and it’s important that we leave ASAP to make our meeting on time.”

  “You must be mistaken about this ‘we’ business, since I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You know I’m not supposed to go out on a job without backup, and that’s you. Not to worry. I’ll update the guys… but after. We can point fingers, saying we each thought the other called with the update.”

  Fab’s smile alerted me that she was up to something, but that radar had gone off already. “Apparently, you’ve forgotten the part where you’re expected to pony up details before you venture off or it could get you locked in the house. Not that I’d mind being under the watchful eye of Creole for a couple of days with no interruptions.”

  Fab rolled her eyes. “Focus.” She snapped her fingers. “Don’t take away my great enjoyment in dancing those two around.”

  �
�How do I put this and sound nice? What the heck are you up to?”

  Of course, she ignored me.

  Fab gave my t-shirt dress and bare feet a once-over. “Put something cute on, gun up, and don’t forget your tennis shoes.”

  So much for my quiet morning. Tennis shoes was code for the possibility of running for our lives. “I want you to learn from my example.” I stood and gathered up my paperwork. “Look at me—no whining, no complaining, just going to where the heck ever and trusting we’ll get back in one piece.” I had a pretty good idea where we were headed and hoped it wouldn’t be a time-waster.

  “I’ll pick you up out front, so don’t drag your feet.”

  I turned and went into the house as she headed down the stairs. Back in my bedroom, I decided on a full skirt and a short-sleeve top that would cover the Glock at the small of my back and, as requested, slid into a pair of tennis shoes. I shoved a pair of flip-flops into a tote and went out to the front, where I knew Fab would be waiting—somewhat impatiently, even if she hadn’t started to honk yet.

  “How about rewarding my cooperation with some details about where we’re going?” I said as I slid into the passenger seat. If I was wrong, I still had time to jump out of the car.

  “We’re going to go hit up our friend Custer for information.”

  I knew it. “Friend, huh? I could pick him out of a lineup, if that qualifies as a friend; you’re the one that can chat the man up without risking bodily harm. It didn’t escape my notice that you didn’t share that tidbit with Creole and Didier.”

  “The best way to approach Custer is with zero expectations. However, it turns out, you won’t feel like it was a wasted trip.”

  “Do you have a game plan? It’s been a while since we put in an appearance at that hole-in-the-wall. I don’t remember if we left on good terms the last time. Though I do know we didn’t shoot the place up.” I’d already come up with an explanation for Creole—a sweet smile, and an “I didn’t know what she was up to until we were on the road.” I didn’t need to mention we were pulling out of the driveway at the time.

  Custer’s had a reputation for fistfights, not exchanges of bullets, so being gunned up was just an added precaution.

  Fab pulled out to the highway and cruised in the direction of the bar.

  It surprised me when she blew past it. I pointed over my head. “You missed the driveway.”

  Instead of making a U-turn, Fab turned into the neighborhood. “I’m thinking we park a block or two behind the place, cut across a couple of properties, and use the kitchen entrance off the alley.”

  “Better yet, we could stick to the sidewalk.”

  “You know there aren’t any. Our only other option is the middle of the road.” Fab easily found a parking spot.

  We got out and hiked down the block, cut down a path belonging to a four-plex, and ended up in the alley. It surprised me to see the kitchen door propped open and no one in sight. Fab led the way into the bar, where we found Custer watching television—a bickering family drama. He caught sight of the two of us and hit the remote.

  After a once-over of the interior, I ascertained that nothing had changed since our last visit. The odd assortment of furniture was clearly more worn, and nothing matched. The floors hadn’t been cleaned since the last time we were here. Three locals were sitting at the outside bar nursing beers.

  “What do you want?” Custer growled. His gaze ran over the two of us, stopped briefly on me before dismissing me, and zeroed in on Fab.

  “Information.” Fab put up a hand as he opened his mouth. “Before you launch into some diatribe about not knowing anything, you and I know that’s a lie. What we do know is that in the unlikely event that you didn’t know, you could find out.”

  He actually preened at that. “Here’s a tidbit for you. You can lengthen your lifespan considerably by keeping your mouth shut.”

  “Let’s make this quick so you can go back to working hard and we can get out of here.” Fab reached into her pocket, and his brows shot up. She held up her hand, stuffed with cash. “Rick Pierce. What do you know about him and his murder?”

  “He’s far more popular dead than he ever was when he sucked air. You’re not the first to come in here asking questions. What’s up with that?”

  “Your friend Rick told more than a couple of people that all he had to do was hang out here and he could pick up odd jobs.”

  “You and I have known each other awhile, though we don’t tend to acknowledge the relationship, and it’s in our best interest to keep it that way. You want it plain and simple? Don’t stick your nose into that man’s death. He was a braggart, hanging with dirtballs, and thought himself invincible. Look how that turned out.”

  “I’m not paying for ‘mind your own business’ advice. I hear that all the time,” Fab told him in a snooty tone.

  Custer smirked and held out his hand. Fab slapped the cash in his palm. He thumbed through it, counting, and when done, shoved it in his pocket. “It all has to do with the old Theodore Roberts case. You might want to do your homework. Several guys formed a criminal enterprise and did what they wanted for a couple of years until the cops brought it down. Roberts took the fall. The others turned state’s evidence. Roberts got a life sentence, but recently got out, after which his associates met untimely deaths.”

  Just great.

  “So you’ll feel like you got your money’s worth…” Custer smiled at Fab. It was smarmy and made me happy I wasn’t the recipient. “After he got out, Roberts had plastic surgery, so don’t expect him to look like his mugshot. It’s not all fun and games behind bars.”

  “Are you telling me that this Roberts character had something to do with the dead bodies piling up?”

  Custer shrugged. “I would never speculate.” That smile again. “I’d offer you a drink, but I know you’re in a hurry.”

  “Was Rick part of this group to begin with?”

  Custer ignored me, his eyes not leaving Fab’s face. “Word has it that he got paid for a job and didn’t deliver.”

  “Does Roberts still frequent your establishment?” Fab asked.

  “On occasion. If you come in and confront him, don’t say you weren’t warned. Why would you anyway? I never heard of a relationship between you and Pierce.”

  “His sister hired me to check out his death,” Fab lied.

  Let’s hope the sister news didn’t get back to Roberts, because if had one and went looking for her, he might kill her.

  “Thanks for the information.” Fab waved.

  Custer grunted. “Where are you parked?” Fab told him… sort of, pointing in the opposite direction. “Good. You never know who has an eye on the parking lot. You ever bring the cops here, you’re no longer welcome and will be booted out the door next time you show your face.”

  “We’ll just show ourselves out the same way we came in.” Fab grabbed my arm, and we hightailed it to the exit. Once outside, we turned in the direction Fab had indicated and walked a bit; then, after a quick scan of the alley and adjacent properties, doubled back. We didn’t run the entire way, but close, in agreement about getting out of the neighborhood as fast as we could.

  “Pierce got himself killed for a hundred dollars,” I said once we were in the car. “Let’s hope he didn’t brag that he talked to us.”

  “I’m thinking the body dump was a warning to mind our own business.” Fab turned onto the highway and headed toward home. “Let’s hope this Roberts character hasn’t figured out who lives in the compound. It wouldn’t be easy to get the information from public records.”

  “The conversation you just had leaves us with more than a few questions.” I picked up my phone and shot off a text to Xander for a report on Theodore Roberts, his crimes, and where he was now. “Now what?”

  “You can be the one to inform the husbands that we won the bet and got information out of Custer.”

  “They’re not going to be happy. I say we pick the restaurant and trick them into showing up,
then stick them with the check.”

  “I’m suggesting a little tweak to your idea—we hold off until you get the background check back on Roberts, so we don’t have to say ‘I don’t know’ over and over.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  It took Xander a couple of days to complete the report, which surprised me. He was excited when he asked for the extra time, so I didn’t squash his enthusiasm with “Hurry up.” I told Fab to lay off scaring him, as he was the best at ferreting out information, minus the stuck-up attitude of those we’d used in the past.

  We decided it was a good time for our surprise dinner, since we knew that Creole and Didier were coming home early. Fab chose The Shrimp Company, a restaurant located in a marina, which hung out over the water and boasted outside dining.

  On the drive down, I asked, “What’s the ruse going to be to get them to drive down here without asking questions? Besides yelling fire.” It was the next town down, and although it was a short drive, they would want some kind of explanation.

  “I did the hard part and found us a new restaurant. The rest is up to you.”

  I laughed. “So nervy. Let me guess, you exerted yourself and called Mother?”

  “You know, she’s the best for a recommendation. Says the food is excellent.”

  “Nothing so far.” I tapped my temple, enjoying Fab’s smirk. “If your plan is to claim ignorance—’I had no idea what she was up to’—the guys aren’t going to buy a word of it.”

  “Don’t look at me.” Fab half-laughed. “Let’s hope this is one of those fun-and-games scenarios that ends well.” She winked.

  Fab easily found the square turquoise cement building and pulled into the parking lot. The bottom level of the two-story building was a bait store with a drive-up ramp for boaters. The restaurant was on the second floor, with seating wrapped around the deck that overlooked the water, where customers could watch the boats going in and out of the marina.

  Fab had shown up at my door in a black dress that molded to her body, and I’d chosen something similar from my closet. Where we differed was Fab had on heels and I’d slid into wedge sandals.