A Wild Fright in Deadwood (Deadwood Humorous Mystery Book 7) (22 page)

“I’m fine,” I told her and returned to my stare down with my computer. “I just need a few more minutes to work something out.”

“You know, when something is bothering me, I either talk to a good friend or write my thoughts down on a piece of paper.”

“Trust me on this, Mona, you don’t want to know what’s going on.” I grabbed a pen and paper, taking her up on her other advice though, and started with what I knew about my current location several miles up shit creek:

—Caly killed Wanda.

—Caly wants to kill me next.

—Caly is an “other” who belongs to the same species as the albino-like twins.

—Caly worked for Dominick Masterson.

—Dominick disappeared the night of the Opera House showdown between Caly and me.

—Dominick warned me, “Now it’s in your hands.”

—Dominick owns the Sugarloaf Building.

—Reid needs to go into the Sugarloaf Building for some reason.

—Katrina is interested in the Sugarloaf Building.

—Something dangerous is living in the Sugarloaf Building according to Aunt Zoe.

—Detective Hawke believes I’m dangerous and that I had a hand in killing Wanda.

—Detective Hawke is a thick-skulled buffoon who dresses like a 1970s private dick.

—Detective Hawke gets all pissy when I call him a prick.

—Cooper says I have to stop making fun of Hawke in front of other police officers, especially while standing in the middle of the police station.

—Cooper believes me about Prudence’s warning to check up on Wanda.

—Cooper wants to meet Prudence.

I laid my pen down and sat back, frowning down at my list. Even though I hadn’t really solved anything during that ink gusher, my thoughts felt a little less chaotic for the time being.

Although that last one still had me spinning.

Cooper had sprung that request on me while we stood outside of the station. I wasn’t sure how to orchestrate such a meeting since the Brittons now lived in the Carhart house with Prudence, or if it was even a good idea. Prudence was a stubborn ghost who played by her own rules. I could try to bring that horse to water, but there was no way of making her drink if she wasn’t in the mood.

The office’s front door opened. I forced a smile and looked up … right into Rex Conner’s sneer. His disheveled blond hair matched his wrinkled shirt and crooked tie.

He stormed over to my desk. “We need to talk outside right now,” he spoke low and tersely.

Mona’s clacking stopped. “Is there something we can help you with today, Mr. Conner?” she intervened.

His glare stayed fixed on me. “I need to speak with Violet in private about a particular location I’m interested in seeing again.”

There was no way in hell I was going anywhere with him, not after how touchy-feely he’d gotten more than once.

“We can talk here about this,” I said, in no mood to boogie to his tune today. I had a revenge-crazed killer coming for me. A selfish ex-lover would have to wait for an opening on my dance card. “Mona is aware of your needs.”

That was a bald-faced lie. She didn’t know Rex was the father of my children. But to hell with it, maybe now was as good a time as any to come clean with her on this mess, too.

“Violet,” Rex’s voice grew more threatening. “Step outside with me.”

I turned to Mona, who was watching the two of us over the top of her reading glasses. “She knows you’re the sperm donor, Rex.” With that cat out of the bag, I focused on the bastard. “Now what do you want?”

His gaze narrowed. “Leave my car alone.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If you think these little games of yours will derail me you can think again.”

“Rex.” I sat back, crossing my arms over my poncho. “Whatever you’re accusing me of is unfounded. I don’t have time to play these ‘little games’ of which you speak. I’m raising two children without any financial support, remember?”

He put both hands on my desk, leaning closer. “Stop calling me every thirty minutes and breathing into the phone.”

My surprise at his words was the real deal. “I haven’t called you.” I didn’t even know where I’d put the business card he’d left. I’d thought it was in my purse, but when I had gone to dig his card out and throw it away before my nosy daughter found it, it had been gone. “I made a point of not retaining your phone number.”

His upper lip curled in a snarl. “I don’t believe you.”

I hooked my foot around the desk leg and yanked. Rex stumbled forward, sprawling across my desk and sending papers and my costume fedora flying. That trick was really starting to come in handy.

I stood, smiling down at him. “Gotta watch this desk. It has a way of bucking assholes.”

He pushed himself back upright. “You did that on purpose.”

“I think it’s time for you to go.”

“We’re not done.”

“Oh, I think we are for now.” I grabbed my hat from the floor and then made for the front door. “I’d hate to have to call my good friend, Detective Cooper,” I fibbed over my shoulder, “and have him throw you out of here.”

He strolled toward me, chin high, back to being cock of the walk. “Is he your new fuck buddy?”

I flinched. I couldn’t help it. Whenever anybody mentioned Cooper in that role it made me recoil. Cooper was way too sharp-toothed and sandpapery for my taste in bedfellows. It would be like skinny-dipping with a great white shark.

“I’m not going to justify that crude question with an answer.” I raised my chin at Rex. “But to be clear, I’m still in a relationship with the guy who lifted you off this very floor and threatened to remove your kidneys.”

He scoffed. “You’re the one who threatened to remove my kidneys.”

“That’s right.” I held the door for him, a blast of cold air finding the holes in my poncho. “Aunt Zoe has the perfect fish gutting knife for the task.”

He paused on the threshold. “Prank call me or touch my car again, and I’ll pay a visit to the kids, tell them a story or two about their mother.”

“Step one foot on Aunt Zoe’s property and I’ll fill you full of rock salt.”

He bent closer, his usually cool blue eyes flashing hot. “You don’t want to fuck with me, Violet.”

“You’re right about that.” I reached up and locked onto his nose in a Three Stooges style pinch, twisting it.

He howled, dropping to his knees in pain.

“Watch where you stick this thing, Rex.” I twisted his nose the other way, toward the street. “The next time you shove it into my life, I’ll break it, I swear.”

With a push between the shoulder blades, I sent him outside nose first and slammed the door behind him, locking it.

Across the room, Mona was standing behind her desk, her mouth and eyes wide.

“Is he glaring in at me?” I asked, my back to the door.

She nodded.

I raised my left hand and flipped him off through the glass, then walked over to the coffeemaker and poured myself a cup of acid-inducer in case I needed to breathe fire on the son of a bitch to make him go away.

“He’s gone.” Mona fell into her chair. Her focus stayed locked on me as I returned to my desk and settled back into my seat. “So, that’s what’s going on between Rex Conner and you.”

I nodded. “Now you know.”

“I thought Addy and Layne’s father left you when you were pregnant and wanted nothing else to do with you and the kids.”

“That used to be correct.”

“But now he’s back.”

“And insisting on me finding him a place to live.”

“Oh, Lordy.” She pursed her lips.

“He’s working at the research lab up in Lead for the next year or so.”

“If he wanted nothing to do with his kids, why is he bothering you?”

“He wants me and the kids to play ‘family’ with him in front of his family-oriented bosses so that he can land some big promotion.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I wish.” I sipped on the black coffee. “If I don’t agree to play the part of loving wife and mother, he’s threatening to tell the kids he’s their father. If I do agree to play his game, we’ll play family for a short time with the kids thinking he’s just a boyfriend. Then he’ll go on his merry way, leaving us alone again.”

“What a dirty rat. Doesn’t he realize how much that might mess with your kids’ heads?”

“He doesn’t care.” Rex was one of those people who only thought of their own needs, in and out of the bedroom. Always had, always would. “I refused to go along with his family act, but he’s determined to get his way in spite of my refusal.”

“Is that why Doc had him pinned up against the wall that time Ben and I came back from lunch early?”

I nodded.

She smiled. “Are you really messing with his car?”

“Not me personally, no.”

“Are you not personally prank calling him, too?”

“I honestly don’t know anything about that.”

Mona’s smile turned upside-down. “You should have told me about Rex before, Vi. I could have insisted that Jerry let me take him as a client.” She tapped her nails on her desktop. “Maybe I still could.”

“I don’t want anyone else here to know who Rex really is.”

“You know my lips are sealed.” She tapped her nails some more. “It all makes sense now.”

“What?” I thought back to the conversations she’d witnessed in the past between Rex and me. “You mean me telling him there’s nothing available to rent?”

“No, his insistence on only you helping him find a place to live no matter how much Ray tried to steal him away when you weren’t here.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ray is such a backstabbing ass-clown.”

She chuckled. “We should make him a World’s Best plaque with that title on it.” Leaning forward onto her elbows, she raised both eyebrows. “What can I do to help?”

My first instinct was to reject her help. She didn’t need to get involved in one of my problems. But then the obvious came to mind. “Help me find him a place to live so he’ll stop having a reason to bug me at work.”

Mona nodded once. “Consider it done. Rex Conner is no longer your client. I’ve just stolen him right out from under you.”

“I think I’m in love with you, Red,” I winked at her, “and your sexy sweater, too.”

She chuckled and straightened her white cashmere sweater that emphasized her chest and then some. “I bet you say that to all of the redheads in your life.”

I thought of Tiffany. “Not really.”

Mona returned to her keyboard, and I went back to staring at the computer screen until it was almost time to leave for my appointment with Katrina King-Mann.

Unsure if I should take any paperwork with me to our meeting, I opted for a couple of business cards and that was it. “I’m going to run home and change into something more suitable for my meeting with Katrina, then I’ll head up the road. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“I brought my lunch today, so don’t worry about having to be back anytime soon. Since Jerry and Ray were going to be working with Ben and the camera crew, I figured I might need to run the ship most of the day.”

“Thanks,” I told her. “For everything.”

“I’m here to help, Vi. We girls need to stick together.”

I collected my cell phone from her on my way out the back door, wondering why Doc hadn’t called or texted yet. I smothered the anxiety smoldering in my gut and trusted that he knew what he was doing and would call later.

Aunt Zoe’s house was empty. I could see a light on in her workshop when I stopped in the kitchen to grab a yogurt from the fridge. I changed in a flash from a professional gunslinger into a boring Realtor and headed up the road to Lead.

Katrina King-Mann’s office was located across the street from the Homestake Opera House in a century-old brick building. Her secretary held down the fort in the front office that looked out on Lead’s main drag. As older ladies went, this one had the sort of no-nonsense stare that belonged in the watchtower of a prison yard. She smelled like she was wearing cheap men’s cologne.

I cleared my throat as I approached her desk, trying my best to smile in spite of the shitty day I’d had so far. “I’m here to see Mrs. Mann.”

“She goes by Ms. King now.”

“Sorry. Ms. King is expecting me.”

“And your name is?”

“Violet Parker. I’m with Calamity Jane Realty.”

The silver haired sentry picked up her phone and hit a button. “A Ms. Parker is here to see you.” She listened and then hung up. “She’ll be right down. You may have a seat over there.” She pointed to a couple of chairs near the front window.

I took a seat, picking up a magazine from the table nearby. I flipped absently through the pages, wondering what in the heck I was doing here. Like I had time to sit and flip through fashion magazines with Caly out there hunting me down and Wilda trying to mind-meld Cornelius into finishing her brother’s botched attempt to kill me.

Staring across the street at the Opera House, I remembered the day I’d watched Dominick Masterson and Caly greet Cornelius outside its glass doors. This office had front row seats for anyone coming and going via W. Main Street. If Katrina King had relocated to the back of the Opera House, she might have been able to spy on her then-husband (like I had) while he felt up his crazy girlfriend in a parking lot a short distance down the street. As we said in the real estate business: location, location, location.

“Ms. Parker?”

I’d been so engrossed in my mental meanderings that I hadn’t heard Katrina King join me.

I rose, holding out my hand toward the very tall, sleek-haired platinum blonde with the extra cake of makeup ringing her eyes. Her face looked around my age, but her neck told an older story.

“You must be Katrina King?”

She nodded, her large-boned hand taking mine in a limp-dick grip that lasted only a second, and then she let go and wiped her palm on her jacket.

Lovely. Apparently, in addition to being a potential murder suspect these days, I also had cooties.

I followed Ms. King past her stoic secretary and up a set of stairs. At the top, it opened up into a spacious loft office with a rather regal sized desk by the plate-glass windows. The desk and visitors’ chairs sat on what I guessed was a very expensive Persian rug. Throughout the room were pricey vases, bowls, and statues—antiques by the look of them.