Checkered Thief (A Laurel London Mystery Book 3) (13 page)

“What about lover boy, Jax Jackson? Does he know you are steaming for Derek Smitherman? Is that why he’s not at your side?” Willie’s breath was hot against my cheek.

“Jax and I are just fine.” I shoved Willie down on the bed and looked out the window on the airbus door. “It’s dark enough for me to get around and I can walk to the Windmill.”

“I’m going with you.” He grabbed his coat and flung it over his shoulder. “You be a good little girl for Mommy and Daddy.” He tossed Henrietta one of her cat treats that were on the counter with the rest of her food.

“She’s not yours.” I opened the door and stepped out. “You are lucky I’m letting you help me.”

“I’m all in now that I know you are one of them little rich girls. I only agreed to help you out for Trixie.” His teeth gleamed in the moonlight.

That was one thing Trixie didn’t skimp on. The dentist for all of the orphans.

“Whatever,” I grumbled under my breath realizing Willie was my only hope.

There really wasn’t anything I could do. He did help me break out of jail and get me a place to hide out. I should be happy that he knew I was innocent before he even talked to me. And he seemed to be following the shadow of the night stars and the moon, skipping from corner to corner of each building until we made our way to Main Street.

“We are going to have to cross at different times. It won’t be a big deal if I cross and someone sees me because I’m not the one in trouble.” He shrugged. “So wait for me to give the whistle.”

“What whistle?” I asked, a bit confused.

“I don’t know. Like you see in the movies.” He darted across the street before I could even know what the hell he was talking about.

Beep, beep!
Skid marks screeched through the nighttime air, a car stopping shy of Willie Ray’s knees.

“What the hell?” Willie smacked the palm of his hand on the hood of the cruiser. Derek’s cruiser.

“What are you doing running out in the road like that?” Disgust dripped out of Derek’s mouth. His expression was hard and resentful.

“Why the hell are you driving so fast?” Willie mocked Derek to a tee.

I bit my lip to keep from cackling out loud and stayed hidden in the darkness.

“I’m not wasting my time on you.” The window began to roll up, and then abruptly stopped when Willie thought it was his cue to safely cross. “Wait!” Derek ordered Willie to come back.

Willie stopped dead in his tracks. With his back to Derek, Willie’s chest heaved up with a big deep breath and a heavy sigh escaped him as he turned around to face Derek again.

“What?” He shook his head.

“Where are you going?” Derek had that cop look in his eyes.

“None of your damn business.” Willie didn’t inch any closer to the cruiser. He kept a good safe distance.

“Have you seen Laurel?” Hearing my name come out of Derek’s mouth sent chills up my legs. He knew. I could tell he knew I had bailed from the cell. But he also knew that Willie Ray was the last person on this earth I’d ever take help from. No matter how much trouble I was in.

“Ah. . . your little casino girl isn’t doing it for you?” Willie Ray asked. “Or is that one night down on the docks with Laurel still tattooed on that pea-sized brain of yours?”

Shit. Shit. Shit
. How in the hell did Willie Ray know about that?

“You know what,” Derek slammed the car in park and jumped out. He was in head to toe cop blues. I closed my eyes. A man in uniform was sexy as hell, but Derek was almost too hot to look at. “They should’ve kept your scam ass behind bars. I don’t know what Laurel ever saw in you.”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be other than here harassing me?” Willie pulled the leather pouch from his back pocket with his cigarettes and dragged one out, placing the tip on the edge of his mouth, leaving it dangle just enough to look sexy.

Derek placed his arms over the hood of the cruiser and folding his hands, he leaned his body forward. “Have you seen Laurel or not?”

“Not.” Like a cool cat, Willie pulled out his Zippo lighter and ignited the flint, catching the cigarette on fire. He took a long draw, his eyes still focused on Derek. He tilted his head and let out a long steady stream of smoke. “Have you tried the orphanage?”

“Laurel got into a little bit of trouble and I put her down in the jail.” Derek did his cop stare.

Don’t move, Willie Ray. He will read you like a book.
I sucked in a deep breath and held it. Derek was a good cop. He was able to read anyone. Even the likes of Willie Ray Bowman.

“Hell, I know where she is.” Willie Ray gave a slight smile, making my heart sink to my stomach. I knew better than to trust that sonofabitch.

I looked around me, appraising my best options to run. There were no good options. Any way I darted, Derek would see me.

“Where?” Derek asked.

“The jail where you said you stuck her.” Willie Ray didn’t lose his cool. “Unless you’re telling me our little criminal Laurel London has pulled a Houdini on your fine correctional facility.”

“Shut the hell up.” Derek jerked back and opened the cruiser door. “You know I can’t help her if she’s on the lam. If she comes to you, which I doubt, have her do the right thing.”

“That would be what? Do you really know what the right thing for her is,
officer
?” Willie Ray was taking too much pleasure at my relationship with Derek.

“Waste of life.” Derek shook his head, slammed the cruiser door once inside and flipped on his siren before speeding back down the road toward the police station.

It felt like an hour before I heard anything sounding like a whistle from across the street. It was my signal to get my ass in gear and hightail it across Main Street.

“What took so long?” I sucked air back into my lungs. It was probably a good idea to get in shape, but I blamed my current state of affairs for my lack of energy. Maybe going to prison for a crime I didn’t commit would be good for me to get in shape. Every single prison show I watched, the inmates were either working out or eating.

“It was five minutes.” Willie Ray took another draw off his cig before he snuffed it out.

“How the hell did you know about me and Derek?” I asked.

“You mean?” He gyrated his hips back and forth. A long time ago that move would’ve sent fireworks to my girly parts, now it just made me sick.

“Shut up.” I think I really did actually loathe him. “How did you find out?”

“Did you forget Charlie knows all?” he asked. “When I came back to town during my prison escape, I was determined to win you back.” His voice cracked. “While I was in prison, time stood still for me. I had no clue you were actually moving on with your life. So when Sally helped me escape back to Curly and Bo’s barn to hide me, I had a sick fantasy that you were still going to wear that Goodwill wedding dress and stand with me in that Nashville chapel.”

The look on his face made my heart ache. Willie Ray was a jokester, but he wasn’t kidding in this midnight hour.

“Charlie told me what he saw and told me y’all weren’t together, but I know you.” He lifted his finger and tapped my chest where my heart sits beneath. “Once Laurel London gives herself to someone, she’s fully committed. Plus, Derek Smitherman would never hurt you like I did.”

“Derek and I were a mistake,” I muttered. Not actually on my part, but Derek clearly saw it as that. “You.” I swallowed and rested my hand on his arm. “I loved you. I would have gone to the end of the world for you. But you knew my history and how much I distrusted men and I felt like you took advantage of me. You left me at the altar; granted I know you got arrested and convicted of a crime you didn’t do. And I have forgiven you for what happened. But my head and my heart have begun to talk to each other now, whereas my heart was the only thing that kept falling in love with you.”

What I wanted to tell him wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to. He nodded like he got it.

“Breaking me out of the jail tonight was a true testament of how much you do believe in me.” I squeezed his arm and dropped my hand. “Do you think Derek really does want to help me? He said it.”

“Are you kidding me?” Willie’s lip snarled. “You are fucking in love with him.”

“I’m not.” I didn’t know if I was trying to convince Willie Ray or myself. “I just have hope that Bethany has convinced him that the story I told him was the real truth and now he is out there looking for me to let me go.”

“You are so damn delusional.” Willie Ray pulled me out of the moonlight and into the shadow as a car was passing.

When it went by, we saw it was Derek going back into town at a snail’s pace. No doubt looking between the shadows for something. Only I knew that something was me.

“Maybe I should let him know I’m okay.” I stepped out, only to have Willie jerk me back.

“I wish your head and heart were working together now,” he pulled me close to him, and whispered in my ear. “We will make our way down to the Windmill like we said we would. If the coast is clear after, we will find him.”

I looked up into Willie’s eyes. I might not be in love with him anymore, but his eyes always led into his soul and I knew I was safe with him. He was determined to help me.

Normally I would never let him lead, tonight I did. I made sure I took every step he took and watched as he sneaked around the backs of all of the shops on Main Street. Even though everything was closed, there was still traffic from all the visitors for the Glitz and Glam.

Since Main Street wasn’t too long, we made it to the Windmill in record sneaking around time. With our backs to the side of the building, we eased our way down and to the front, peeking around to see if anyone was out and about.

The office at the far end was dark and underneath the only light in the parking lot was Derek’s cruiser.

“He’s here.” I jerked on Willie’s sleeve.

“I thought you wanted to get into that Trent guy’s room?” Willie’s lip curled.

“If Bethany told Derek the truth, which he would ask her since I told him the truth about my involvement, everything will be fine.” At least I hoped everything was going to be fine.

“I don’t want any part of this because he will throw my ass in jail for aiding and abetting.” Willie wasn’t on board. “Fine. You stay here until I give you the all clear.”

Willie threw his hands in the air.

“If something goes wrong, you are on your own,” he warned.

“Fine.” I threw my hands in the air mocking him and trotted around the corner like I had no cares in the world.

The Windmill had only ten rooms and they were all on the same floor in the ranch-style hotel. All the rooms were one after the other with a covered porch running the length of the front. The rocking chairs made it look like a Cracker Barrel and it’d been Sally’s idea to make it cozier. Getting around them in the dark was trickier than I would have liked it to be. Starting at room ten and working my way down without really being seen was not fun as I jumped in and out of the light from the exposed bulbs that hung over the door of each room, barely missing each rocking chair. One bad move and I would’ve fallen down and probably broken my neck, then I’d never know if Derek knew the truth about my involvement with Bethany.

When I made it down to Brittany’s room, I pulled out of my pocket the key that I didn’t give back to Louie and slipped it in the lock.

“Here goes nothing.” I closed my eyes, put my free hand on the knob and quickly turned the key and pushed open the door.

The moonlight darted in the room like Henrietta did when I opened the front door of the orphanage and was like a spotlight on Derek and Bethany.

Both of them on the bed naked. Her long brunette hair dangled down over her breast as she sat on him. His eyes soaking her in. His hands rubbing her stomach.

“Laurel!” Bethany jumped up, grabbing the sheet off the bed, exposing Derek in his boxers and scurried to my side.

My gut came back up to my throat as I realized they weren’t doing it . . .yet.

“What the hell?” My mouth dropped looking back and forth between them. “Bethany, tell him the truth right now.”

“Send a unit to Windmill, I have the escaped perp in hand.” Derek was on his handy dandy cop radio selling me down the river.

“Tell him!” I screamed at her, and gave her a stern expression.

“I can’t or she will die,” she whispered. “I wasn’t going to have sex with him. I have to pretend something because he thinks I’m Brittany.” She pleaded in a soft voice, “Please give me another day.”

“Don’t you dare move, Laurel!” Derek yelled at me, getting out of bed and grabbing for his pants.

“You disgust me,” I seethed through gritted teeth before turning to run out the door.

“Good job.” Willie Ray grabbed me and dragged me down the porch.

“Stop.” I looked into the parking lot and didn’t see Trent T. Lyle’s car. I reached back into my pocket and grabbed his key. “In here.”

I jerked the door open and quietly shut it behind us right before I heard Derek screaming my name.

“How do you have these keys?” Willie asked in a hushed tone.

“Shh.” I pressed my hands to the door and put my ear up to it. The small crease where the curtain didn’t fully make the width of the window gave me just enough space to see them talking.

Derek and Bethany were right outside.

“Just let her go,” Bethany urged Derek. “She will show up.”

“Are you joking? I’m the law and she’s the one who stole from you.” Derek played the cop role so well. “Stole from the casino. That is a crime. No matter what my personal feelings for Laurel used to be, a crime is a crime and I’m the law.”

“We aren’t sure if she did and I’m sure she has a good explanation. Don’t turn her in.” At least it was good to hear Bethany on my side. Maybe she was telling me the truth about not screwing Derek’s brains out. After all, how would she explain it to Brittany once I got her the money?

“I don’t know.” Derek shook his head.

The glaring lights of a cop cruiser flashed in the dark night sky and the headlights of Trent T. Lyle’s car pulled in.

“Shit.” I looked at Willie Ray looking through the peephole. “Those lights.”