Birthdays Can Be Deadly (8 page)

“You're not going with her,” Eddy said as if his words ended the discussion.

“Fine,” Samantha said. She smiled at the surprised look on his face. “But someone has to go with her. So, if it's not me, then I guess it's going to have to be you.”

“Me?” he asked and shook his head. “I don't think I could keep my cool. I'd want to slap handcuffs on her.”

Samantha struggled not to point out how his comment might be taken by anyone else who heard it. “You don't have handcuffs anymore,” she reminded him. “Besides, the best way to deal with a problem is to face it. Right?”

“I don't know,” he shook his head hesitantly. “It just doesn't seem like a very good idea for me to get in the middle of all of that.”

“Well, like I said, it's me or you,” Samantha shrugged. “I was already planning on joining her, so it's not going to be a problem for me to stick with that plan.”

“Samantha, you know better than that,” he said sharply. “The things that can happen are innumerable. Undercover situations are always unpredictable, and we're talking about real criminals here, with real guns. Not, an article that you're writing.”

“I am perfectly aware of what we're talking about,” Samantha said evenly. “My offer still stands. I'll be happy to avoid putting myself at risk if you would prefer to do the honors.”

“Oh, Sam,” he sighed and closed his eyes briefly. “My life used to be simple you know.”

“I highly doubt that,” Samantha chuckled. “I'll have her meet us around ten in the morning.”

“Fine,” he reluctantly agreed. “I'll be there.”

“Eddy, just do your best to think of Jo as an asset,” Samantha suggested. “She really could make a difference in solving the murder.”

“We'll see,” Eddy replied before turning back towards his villa. As Samantha turned back towards the water she caught the reflection of the sun sparkling along the surface. It reminded her of the champagne they had been drinking not long ago at James' party. She frowned.

“We're fighting to find out the truth,” she said quietly.

The next morning Eddy woke up surly. He thought about not meeting Samantha and Jo. He didn't want to have anything to do with the criminal. On the other hand he did very much want to find out the truth and bring James' killer to justice. Finding out who stole the watch could bring him one step closer to making that happen. Reluctantly, he forced himself out of bed and into the shower.

Everything in his villa had an army green feel, despite the fact that he had never been in the army. The color made him feel at peace in his environment. Even his shower curtain was army green. He kept his shelves bare of anything other than necessities and a few very well read books. When he emerged from the shower he was wrapped in an army green towel. He snatched a pair of slacks from his closet, paired it with a button-down shirt, and a brown suit jacket, then dressed. He paused in front of the mirror only to adjust his hat on the top of his head.

As Eddy was walking down towards Samantha's villa, he received a text on his cell phone.

Meet us by the lake. Act like you don't know anything.

Eddy raised an eyebrow at the message, which had come from Samantha's phone. He put his phone away and changed direction to walk towards the lake. He could see the pair already standing there, deep in discussion.

“I'm just not comfortable with you going alone,” Samantha explained as Eddy walked up behind the two of them.

“Who would go with me? You?” Jo laughed at the idea. Her laughter faded when Eddy spoke.

“What's going on here?” he asked.

Jo looked over her shoulder at him with a mixture of hatred and curiosity.

“It's a private conversation,” she replied shortly.

“Between a crime journalist and a criminal, seems like a bad idea,” Eddy said casually. Samantha glared at him. Eddy pretended not to notice.

“Jo said she has some contacts that might be able to tell us who fenced the watch,” Samantha explained as she looked nervously over at Eddy.

“She's standing right here, can't she tell me that?” he asked as he continued to stare steadily at Jo.

“I wasn't sure that you'd be interested in listening,” Jo countered in an even tone. She was doing her best not to show that Eddy's presence made her uneasy. She knew that she was failing miserably.

“Well, how do you know unless you ask?” Eddy replied in an almost identical tone.

“The point is, that she is offering to help,” Samantha explained in an attempt to keep them both calm. “She's going to check into her connections and see what she can find out.”

“Or, she's going to cover up for the fact that she's involved in all of this,” Eddy accused.

“I already have a meeting lined up,” Jo replied in a sharp tone. “I'm going to meet a fence now who I think might have the watch. If you want to tag along, fine.”

“Let's get one thing clear, I don't tag along with anyone,” Eddy said and shook his head. He glanced over at Samantha briefly. Samantha cringed. She didn't think that the two of them would survive being alone in a car together.

“I'm leaving,” Jo said and muttered something under her breath about ever getting involved.

“We'll take my car,” Eddy said firmly. As the two walked towards the parking lot Walt walked up to Samantha.

“Where are they going?” he asked with confusion.

“Jo set up a meeting with the fence she thinks bought the watch from whoever stole it,” Samantha explained. “And Eddy is going with her.”

“Oh,” Walt frowned. “That doesn't seem like a very good idea.”

“No Walt, it really doesn't,” Samantha agreed. The sound of Eddy gunning the engine punctuated her words.

***

As Eddy steered the car out of the parking lot and onto the road, he could tell that Jo was as uncomfortable as he was. The truth was he had worked with several criminal informants in the past. He was familiar with what it was like to be alone with a felon. However, Jo was different. She had led detectives on a wild goose chase as they searched for her. She was cunning, and manipulative, and Eddy wasn't going to take his eye off her for a second.

“Head to Newton,” Jo instructed him, though she did not turn to look at him. The sharp click of the turn signal switch was the only sound that filled the car. Eddy turned down the highway in the direction of Newton and did his best to keep his focus on the road instead of on Jo.

“I guess you know exactly who I am,” Jo suddenly said. She was still staring steadily out of the passenger door window.

Eddy hesitated a moment and then nodded. “I know who you are,” he replied.

“And I know exactly who you are,” Jo sighed and sank down in the seat. Eddy noticed that she slouched elegantly. She didn't try to hide her body, or communicate a lack of pride, it was more like she was relaxing.

“You do?” Eddy asked. “Why would you know anything about me?”

“I knew a lot about a lot of people that live in Sage Gardens even before I moved in,” Jo admitted. “Turn right up here, on Kent.”

Eddy glanced over at her curiously. Then he slowed down to make the right turn. Once they were on Kent he cleared his throat.

“How do you know so much about the residents?” he asked.

“I knew that no matter what place I picked to live, there was going to be someone who knew something about me. I mean with the burglaries in the paper, it's hard to avoid. However, I was hoping to avoid places that would specifically have people that would cause me trouble,” she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “Guess I made a bad choice.”

“I thought you said you knew a lot about us before you moved in?” Eddy frowned.

“I did, however I didn't really look that deep. I didn't realize you were a retired cop until I had already signed the lease. Then there was Samantha, whose name I would have recognized if she hadn't written all of those articles about me under a pen name,” she sneered with frustration.

“You read the articles?” he asked.

“Yes, I had a good amount of free time in prison you know,” she sighed. “Up here on the left we can pull in, then you're going to want to drive through the parking lot into the next plaza.”

“Seems like you know this place fairly well,” Eddy observed.

“Well, you know what they say,” she shrugged.

“No? What?” he asked and parked the car.

“Keep your enemies close,” she reminded him. “It's hard to survive in this world as a felon without friends.”

“I don't know that you should be considering known criminals, friends,” Eddy pointed out as he tucked his keys into his pocket.

“They're the only ones I have,” Jo replied darkly. She opened the door to the car and stepped out into the parking lot. The business they were parked in front of barely had a sign. The windows were streaked with dirt. Crumpled up papers and leaves littered the sidewalk.

“This is the place?” Eddy asked as he stepped up beside her.

“Yes,” she replied. “I think it might be best if you wait out here,” Jo said as she lingered by the door. The glass was covered with various stickers and sale signs.

“I don't think so,” Eddy said gruffly as he stood between her and the door.

“You still don't trust me?” she asked.

“Did I say that?” he asked and met her eyes.

“You didn't have to,” she replied gravely as she studied him. “It's written all over your face.”

“You may think that's what I mean, but it’s not what I mean,” Eddy said with frustration. “I'm not going to let you go into a place where a known criminal does business, alone.”

“You think that you are going to protect me?” she asked with a smirk. “How sweet.”

“I just think it's best that you don't go alone,” he corrected her sternly.

“Fine,” she nodded. “You can come in with me, but you have to stop acting all cop-ish.”

“Cop-ish?” he repeated. “I've worked undercover before.”

“And I'm sure you were an easy mark,” she sighed and swept her eyes over him. “First you have to lose the hat, it just screams cop on you. On me, it'll be fine,” she plucked his hat off his head and dropped it on hers. Carefully she tucked her dark hair back behind her ears. Eddy stared at her with disbelief.

Before he could say a word she ran her hands back through his light brown hair. He shuddered at the sudden touch.

“Relax cowboy, I'm just fixing your hat hair,” she frowned and smoothed his hair back until it looked slick.

“Stop,” he said with annoyance. “That's enough.”

“Not quite yet,” she replied and grabbed the collar of his dress shirt. She unbuttoned the top two buttons. Eddy shifted uncomfortably but he didn't push her hand away. “Let's let that shirt loose,” she said.

“I'll do that,” he said sharply and pulled out his own shirt. He straightened his belt and then sighed. “All right, do I look enough like a criminal for you?” he asked.

Jo studied him critically. “Maybe if you scowled a little less,” she suggested.

“I don't think that's possible,” he muttered.

“I actually believe that,” she replied with a slight shake of her head. “Okay, now let me do all of the talking. Understand?”

“Whatever you say,” he said grimly. He jerked the door of the pawn shop open and held it open for Jo to walk through. Jo adjusted his hat on her head and winked lightly at him before she walked inside the shop. Eddy followed after her. The interior was fairly dim, which was a big tip off that it was not a legitimate business. Most pawn shops would be well lit and showcasing their electronics and jewelry. In this one he had to strain to see any of the items, and most of the items were not very valuable.

“Roger,” she called out as she walked further into the pawn shop.

“Jo?” a voice called back from beyond the counter. A burly man stepped out from behind a drab curtain. He smiled at Jo, but his smile faded when he saw Eddy standing behind her.

“I brought a friend, the one that was interested in that watch,” Jo explained.

“I don't like friends,” he said darkly and glared openly at Eddy.

“Don't worry, pal, I'm not any competition,” Eddy said casually. “I don't have a lot of time, do you have what I need or not?”

“Yes,” he said and continued to study Eddy with clear disapproval. “You can come back with me, Jo, but he needs to stay out here.”

“I don't think so,” Eddy said sharply. “I don't trust this one any more than I trust you. How do I know you won't be switching out the watch while I'm not looking?”

“Hmm,” Roger shook his head slowly. “I don't know where you find these people, Jo,” he sighed. “Fine, come on back. Let's get this over with.”

He turned and walked back behind the curtain. Jo shot Eddy a brief glare, then she followed after Roger. Eddy stayed right behind her. The back room was filled with neatly stacked boxes and wire shelving ran the length of the walls.

“Here it is,” Roger said when he pulled down a small box. “Now,” he turned to face Eddy with a grim stare. “This isn't the exact watch that you asked for.”

“What?” Eddy asked with displeasure. “You said you had the watch.”

“I did have the watch, but not anymore,” Roger explained. “I sold it almost right away. But, I have a similar watch that I'm willing to offer you.”

“I don't want a similar watch,” Eddy snapped. Jo placed her hand lightly on his arm to calm him.

“Listen Roger, it isn't so much the watch that we're interested in. We want to know who sold it to you,” she tilted her head a little and smiled seductively at the man. “Do you think that's something that you could tell us?”

“Why would I?” he asked in a low growl. “I knew that you were up to something, Jo. I don't hear from you when you get out of the clink, and now you're calling in favors. What is this really about?”

“The watch belonged to a good friend of mine,” Eddy interrupted. “It has sentimental value. I want to find out who stole it so I can pound the life out of them.”

“Oh,” Roger laughed a little. “Well, I guess that makes more sense. Hmm,” he reached up and scratched at his cheek where a few pimples resided amidst stubble. “Well, I didn't catch his name, but I can tell you he has a tattoo on his arm. A snake.”

“You really can't tell us anything else?” Jo pressed.

“He doesn't need to,” Eddy said gravely. “I know exactly who it was. Thanks for your time,” he nodded at Roger and then started to walk away.

“Wait just a minute,” Roger said. “I don't want you causing any trouble on my account,” he growled.

“Too late,” Eddy cast his words over his shoulder. He gestured to Jo to join him. Jo hesitated for a moment as if she might want to smooth things over with Roger, then reluctantly she followed after Eddy. As soon as they were outside she turned to face him.

“What was that?” she demanded.

“What?” Eddy asked innocently and unlocked the doors to the car.

“You know exactly what,” Jo said with impatience. “I told you not to act like a cop. Now Roger is going to know that I associate with the police.”