Ladies' Circle of Murder (A Lacy Steele Mystery Book 8) (14 page)

Chapter 12

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Lacy said. Riley was so big that she had outgrown all her maternity clothes. In order to find something to cover her belly while playing dodgeball, she had purchased a man’s triple extra large t-shirt and sweat pants. And they were still tight.

“Believe it,” Riley said. The simple act of walking was making her huff and puff. Her trotters were so swollen that her legs looked like Greek columns. Not only did she look miserable, she wore the expression of someone who wanted to take out her misery on the world. Lacy began to think that dodgeball might be a good idea. Riley was so focused on the idea of throwing a ball at someone that she hadn’t snapped at anyone all day. And now having her play was a necessity because Travis had been called into work. Without Riley, they would have to forfeit. Still, they received their fair share of looks when she waddled onto the court.

“Bring it on,” she whispered, her hands balling into fists at her sides.

“You’re only glaring at the men,” Lacy said.

“It was a man who did this to me. Now they’re all going to pay,” Riley said.

“Yes, but there are women on the opposing team, too,” Lacy said.

“Skinny women. They’ll get theirs,” Riley promised.

“Pregnancy won’t keep you from getting arrested if you kill someone, just a friendly reminder,” Lacy said.

“If life were fair, it would,” Riley said. “I want to see my toes again. I want to go more than twenty minutes without peeing. I want the unceasing pain in my tailbone to go away. I want caffeine. I want to put highlights in my hair. I had no idea it was going to be this hard, and I want this pregnancy to be over.” She sniffled, but no tears fell.

“You’re in the home stretch,” Lacy said, but the platitude fell flat, especially when Riley made a noise that sounded a whole lot like a growl.

The other members of the team made their way over. Riley already knew Celia and Marcia, but Dan hadn’t been introduced. The two shook hands and he had time to mention something about selling her a Cadillac before the whistle blew to start the round.

Like before, Lacy was struck out immediately. She hobbled off to the safety of her bleacher fortress, but unlike before, she didn’t stay completely hidden. She poked part of her head out and kept an eye on the game. When the next round started, she went back in. Riley pulled her aside.

“Stay by me. You were right; no one is throwing at a pregnant woman.”

For a moment, Lacy’s heart was warmed. Her little sister was looking out for her wellbeing. But then she continued.

“I haven’t been able to catch anything because nothing is coming by me. But with you here, I’m going to get lots of opportunity to pick up what bounces off of you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Lacy said, and the whistle blew again. No one threw the ball at her. When the round finished, she and Riley were the last two standing.

“You’re standing too close. People are afraid if they throw at you, they’ll hit me,” Riley complained. “Move over a few feet.”

Lacy didn’t want to move away, however. Being near a pregnant Riley was almost as good as being near Jason—they offered the same level of protection. She could stand and watch the game without getting hit. But Riley was wise to her and began to move away. Lacy followed. The entire third round consisted of Lacy following Riley slowly around the court while no one threw balls at them. Once again when it was over, they were the last two standing.

Riley growled her impatience. “Stop following me. Go away.”

“I don’t want to get hit,” Lacy said.

“I’m going to hit you with more than a ball if you don’t stop tracking me,” Riley said.

“What’s the difference? No one is throwing balls at you, regardless of my proximity,” Lacy said.

“That’s true,” Riley said. “I’m canceling you out. We need to reverse that.”

The whistle blew and the next round found Riley trying to hide behind Lacy. A few balls headed their way, but not with enough force to hit either of them. One landed a few feet away and rolled to a stop.

“Stop staring at it like it’s a dead mouse. Pick it up and throw it at someone,” Riley commanded.

Lacy picked it up and threw it as hard as she could. She nailed Celia in the back and tagged her out. “Sorry, my bad,” she called, waving. Celia didn’t return her wave.

“I don’t know what I was thinking with that. From now on when a ball lands near you, pick it up and hand it off to me,” Riley said.

The new system worked. Enough balls came near that Lacy was able to pick them up and hand them to Riley. Riley, who had always had excellent aim, picked off their opponents, one by one.

By the time the last round came, their opposing teammates were growing tired of being plucked out by Riley. They decided to hit her back, albeit tentatively at first so that she was able to catch the balls and throw them back. Finally one overly-muscled hulk of a guy had enough. He threw the ball with maximum force at Riley. Lacy watched in horror as it torpedoed directly toward her pregnant tummy. She did what came instinctively; she dived in front of her sister’s stomach, ready to take the blow. But her timing was off. She went sailing through the air, arms outstretched as if she were stealing home base. Meanwhile Riley moved her hands in front of her stomach and took the hit on the arm. She moved her arms up, as if she were hitting a volleyball. It zinged back toward her opponent and nailed him on the shoulder.

The ball missed Lacy entirely and she went down in a blaze of glory, landing hard on the wood floor and sliding for a good five feet before bumping into the wall. But when she stood, she was the last person on the court.

At first she wasn’t sure what had happened until her team came forward to congratulate her.

“We won?” she said. Was she dazed because she was the last person in the game or because she had bumped her head on the concrete wall when she slid to a stop? She wasn’t sure, but she had never won a sporting event before, at least not on her own merit. Now she was legitimately the last person standing. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Her teammates took turns shaking her hand. When it was Dan’s turn, he handed her a sports drink and leaned in to whisper. “I need to talk to you privately. It’s urgent. Can you stop by the dealership tomorrow at six?”

She found herself nodding dumbly as she guzzled the drink, not sure at all what she was agreeing to. What could he have to say to her, unless it was about Bob Hoskins? He could still be trying to sell her a car, but his tone had been more urgent than that.

They walked outside as a group. Lacy had walked, and her mom was waiting to pick Riley up. Otherwise there were four Cadillacs parked in a row on the street. Amelia got into one, Celia into another, and that left Marcia and Dan who had apparently driven separately.

“You sold Amelia and Celia cars, too?” Lacy said, though she wasn’t sure why she should be surprised.

“Celia is driving a loaner. She smacked a deer with her decades-old Buick jalopy. I’m trying to talk her into an upgrade while her car is in the shop. Amelia’s is a lease. It’s a bit over her budget, but I’m willing to work with anyone,” Dan said. He gave Marcia a peck on the cheek. “I have some paperwork to finish, hon. I’ll see you at home in a bit.”

“See you,” Marcia said. She turned to Lacy. “Can I give you a ride?”

“No, thanks. I prefer to walk.”
I prefer not to be trapped in a car with a jealous stranger I barely know, trying desperately to make awkward small talk.
“Still coming down off the adrenaline from the big win.”

“Of course,” Marcia said. She gave Lacy a friendly wave and departed. Lacy turned for home. The cool night air made her realize that she was sweaty for once. She wished for water or another one of those neon-colored sports drinks everyone was always guzzling. Except Jason, of course. He tried not to consume things that were unnaturally colored or high in sugar. She wondered how he was doing and what sorts of things he was learning. Dealing with dead bodies on the job was hard for him. Would it be equally as difficult during training? Or was it made easier knowing people had donated their bodies for the purpose of study?

Her mind wandered so far that she was halfway home before she realized it. Suddenly she wasn’t simply aware of her surroundings; she was hyper-aware. The night was dark and moonless, the air chilly and damp. Rain was in the air and coming soon. Lacy shivered, paused, and glanced around. Had she heard a noise? If there had been a noise, it stopped when she did.

She resumed walking. The noise started again. What was it? She couldn’t put her finger on it. Was something stuck on her shoe? She tried to keep walking as she lifted one to check, but that was a mistake. She overbalanced and toppled into a trashcan. For once fortune was in her favor because it was the soft plastic kind so it made no noise when she smacked the side of it and sent it cascading a few feet. She straightened it and resumed walking. The noise started again, too.

Was someone following her? Was the noise someone else’s feet flapping on the pavement? She paused again. The noise paused. She marched in place and didn’t hear the noise. Her phone was in her pocket, but that didn’t provide much security. Who would she call? Jason was out of town, and so was her grandfather. Riley was home by now and probably taking a shower. Her mother was out of the question. Michael was out of town, Travis was at work, and Kimber would be as helpless as she was. She couldn’t call the police, not after her pantless incident the other night. Maybe if she knew for certain that someone was following her, she could give them a call. But she didn’t know that, and she couldn’t take the chance that her mind was playing tricks on her. If she called and reported a stalker that turned out to be a loose branch or something similarly innocuous, she would never live it down. And neither would Jason.

Hey, Detective Cantor, is it true your girlfriend hallucinates and doesn’t wear pants?
No, the best thing to do was to suck it up and hurry home. She was ten minutes away. She could make it.

Just as she put a little pep in her step, the skies burst open and began to pour. Torrentially. When she tried to hurry faster, the wind and rain drove her back. But the weather, unpleasant as it was, also offered her cover. If someone had been following her, they would no doubt give up now. Only a crazy person would continue in this kind of weather.

Overhead thunder rumbled. Lacy looked up to see if there was lightning. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a shape hurtling toward her, but it was too late to do anything about it. A body hit her hard and sent her tumbling to the ground. She landed in the grass, which was now a large patch of wet mud.

Either the rain had made her slippery, or her assailant was an amateur because Lacy easily evaded his/her grasp, at least at first. The attacker pulled her back, but Lacy fought. They were evenly matched in size, strength, and skill. The fight for supremacy went on for a while and became a wrestling match. For a time, Lacy was on top, the unknown person beneath her. Then the stranger gained the upper hand and pinned Lacy, smearing her head and face into the gooey mud.

At some point while they fought, the rain stopped. The moon slipped from behind its cloud, and Lacy learned whom she had been fighting.

“Marcia! What are you doing?” she exclaimed. She sat up and pushed the other woman away, panting.

Marcia was breathing hard, too. She wiped a streak of mud across her forehead. “I was following you, trying to see what you’re up to. But then I got so mad.”

“Mad about what?”

“Mad because you’re having an affair with my husband!” Marcia said. She picked up a handful of mud and slung it at Lacy. It landed with a painful plop against her cheek.

“Are you insane? No, don’t answer, I already know. I am not having an affair with Dan.”

“Then why does he want to see you tomorrow? I heard him whisper, I know he was trying to keep it a secret. Everything is a secret lately, and suddenly he’s working all these hours and taking strange phone calls. I want to know what’s going on.” She put her hands over her face and started to cry. Lacy found herself in the strange position of having to console a woman who had just attacked her. She laid a grubby hand on Marcia’s shoulder and gave it a pat. She was shivering so hard, it was the best she could do.

“Why don’t you confront him instead of following random women?” Lacy asked.

“Why would he tell me the truth when he’s obviously been lying to me for weeks now?” Marcia said.

“Look, I have no idea why Dan wants to see me, but I can guarantee you that it has nothing to do with a romantic rendezvous.”

“Really? How do you know? He wants to see you privately, after hours. You’re an eligible woman, and he’s a handsome man. That spells disaster to me.”

“Fine, I won’t go to the meeting,” Lacy said. She wanted no more of Marcia’s crazy. If the only way to do that was to recuse herself from the meeting with Dan, then so be it.

Marcia suddenly sat up and gripped Lacy’s biceps. “You have to take that meeting and tell me what he wants.” She gave Lacy a hard shake. “I have to know, and you’re my only chance.”

Lacy wriggled free and pushed her away. As much as she didn’t want to become involved in what was obviously a dysfunctional marriage, she had questions. “I will think about it, but you have to answer a question for me.”

“What?”

“Why did Dan and Bob fight? The truth.”

“Bob did a lot of body work for Dan. They had an arrangement, and Bob wanted to end it.”

“What sort of arrangement?” Lacy asked.

“Bob overestimated the cost of repairs to the insurance company. When they paid up, they split the difference and pocketed it. For whatever reason, he had a change of heart about things and wanted out. Dan was mad because he would have to find a new mechanic. No big deal.”

No big deal? Lacy thought insurance fraud was a very big deal. Not only was it illegal, but it might have brought in untold sums of money. Enough to kill for?
I need to talk to you,
Dan had said, and he had sounded urgent. What if he, like Deb, knew that Lacy was investigating Bob’s death? What if he had something to do with it and wanted to cover his tracks? But if Bob had been running an illegal scheme with Dan, it was possible he might be involved in other nefarious activities. Maybe Dan could give her some insight into the deceased man’s character. Either way, she needed to meet with him and hear whatever he had to say.