Madison Westin 02-Deception in Paradise (17 page)

“That was easy,” I said.

“I had a message to deliver from Brick,” Fab said. “But when William Clayton didn’t answer the door, I picked the lock. Clothes, tighty-whiteys strewn all over the floor, and he was nowhere in sight. I found the rental contract and keys inside his briefcase. I grabbed them and left.”

“This was fun. I’m loving this new secret life of mine.”

“I’m wearing off on you.” Fab looked at me. “That’s not necessarily a good thing. Your family expects you to behave the way they tell you.” She smiled. “How has that worked for them in the past? Girlfriend, you’re a ‘crazy’ junkie.”

I started to say she was wrong, but she cut me off. “I see the rush you get. And your excitement builds with each new job. I know we were going to meet at your house, but I need a ride back from Brick’s.”

“I won’t be arriving right behind you, so don’t call me every five minutes,” I told her.

Fab sighed. “I’ll try to be patient.”

I got in her car and adjusted the seat forward. I looked in the rearview mirror. A hollow-eyed thug who looked like a drug dealer who snorted his profits, approached the window of the Ferrari and shoved a gun in Fab’s face. My eyes were glued to the unfolding scene as I reached across to the passenger seat and slid my Glock out of my purse. I was too shocked to panic. Fab and I opened our car doors at the same moment. The guy took a step back, and I took aim and blew a hole in his left hand.

He screamed, the gun fell to the ground, his hand covered in blood.

“Take one step,” I yelled, “and I’ll shoot you dead! Fab, are you okay?”

The guy grabbed Fab, who had one leg out of the car, twisted her around, and shoved her in my direction, and then he took off running.

“Where the hell did you get a gun?” Fab demanded.

“You’re welcome.” I reached down, giving her a hand up off the ground. “Are you okay?”

“Dumbass was going to jack Brick’s car. Once the GPS was activated, I would’ve went after him for free.”

“I need to get my phone to call and report this to the police.”

Fab grabbed my arm. “No, you will not.” She walked to the trunk of her car and retrieved a plastic Ziploc bag. With the bag over her hand, she picked up the carjacker’s gun and put it in the Ferrari. “How are you going to explain having a gun? Trust me. That dirtbag isn’t going to be showing up at any hospital.”

“I have a concealed permit. Everything I did was legal.”

“I don’t want to be the last to know anything, I’m not your boyfriend,” Fab said. “You’re one accurate shot.”

“Leave the gun. I’m calling the cops. If jacker dude’s bullet wound gets infected, his arm falls off, and then he dies, I’m not getting arrested for murder. You can leave. I’ll take care of this.”

“Hold off making that call until I call Brick.” She phoned Brick, explained what had happened, answered a few yes-or-no questions, and hung up. “Brick said to wait here. The cops are on their way. I’ll be parked across the street at the corner.”

A few minutes later, a black Jeep Wrangler pulled up and two men dressed in shorts and tropical shirts jumped out. They looked as though they’d spent a few nights sleeping on the beach.

“Madison Westin?” the scruffier of two asked.

I stepped back. “Who wants to know?”

“I’m Paulo, and this is my partner Grove.” He lifted his shirt, showing a police badge and a police-issue Glock 45. “We got a call about a shooting.”

I related all the details. I lifted my shirt, showing him my gun, and handed him my concealed carry permit.

“Hurts my feelings; Fab’s sitting in a car all by herself.” Paulo laughed and waved in her direction. “Where’s the other gun?”

I opened the trunk of the Corvette and pointed to the plastic bag.

Grove walked over and took it out. “Did you touch it?”

“No,” I assured him.

“We’ll take it from here,” Paulo said. “If we need any more information, we’ll contact you through Brick Famosa.”

“That’s fine,” I said getting into the Corvette. I made a U-turn, pulled up behind Fab, and got out of the car. I put my arms around Fab and hugged her. “Just so you know, if he’d shot you, I’d have emptied my magazine into his skinny frame, blowing pieces of him all over the street.”

“You’re going to make me cry,” Fab said. “Drive carefully. Brick has a couple of cousins who are detectives in the Miami police department. They’ll work with Heckle and Jeckle back there to trace the gun so Brick knows where to send the thank you.”

“Did you and Paulo ever…?”

She grimaced. “It was one weekend, and I was drunk. I never think about it.”

“Your indiscriminate sex is safe with me.” I laughed.

* * *

Turning onto the Overseas Highway, Fab blew by me, top down, her long hair blowing in the wind. She looked as though the Ferrari was made for her. I hoped I looked as good behind the wheel of her Corvette.

On the drive back to The Cove, my phone rang.

“Jax and his mangy friends just left in a truck with two other guys,” Mac said.

“Did you know the guys in the truck?”

“No, but they’ve been here before. The last time, Jax didn’t come back until the next morning.”

“When does Liam get home?”

“He’s here now, moping around.”

“Tell him not to go anywhere. I’m sending a surprise.”

I knew Spoon would help me, but I’d made him off-limits since he started sharing cigars with my mother. Asking for favors and keeping secrets was beyond my comfort zone. Instead, I called Slice, Zach’s chief enforcer. I’d seen him in full intimidation mode, and he scared me, even though I’d never been the object of his fury.

“I must have dialed wrong,” I told Zach when he answered the phone.

“You didn’t. Slice handed it to me when your name came up on his screen. You scare him.”

“No one scares him.” I laughed. “I need a favor.”

“What are you up to now?” Zach asked.

I wasn’t in the mood to share. “Put him on the phone.” I sighed. “He can say yes or no for himself, or I can call someone else.”

Silence followed. “Where are you?” Slice asked. “I’m on my way.”

“Calm down. I’m not in trouble.”

“You never call me,” he said.

“I need some Slice expertise.”

“I’m afraid to ask what that means.”

“One of my tenants, Liam, is twelve and very special to me. Had his cell phone stolen. I think it can be recovered if acted upon quickly, and it has to be found in twenty-four hours for me to win my five-dollar bet.” I filled him in on all of the details. “Liam is there now.”

“How far do you want me to go?” Slice asked.

“Don’t kill anyone.”

“I’m doing this because I want an IOU.”

“Done. If you need to get permission from the boss, I can hang on.”

“Very funny. You can start your own fights with him.” Slice disconnected.

My next call was to Fab. “Change of plans. On the way home, we need to swing by The Cottages.”

“What’s going on?”

“Jax and his friends just left the property, and now is a good time to search their cottage for what belongs to me.”

“My lock pick case is in the glove box.”

“I have mine in my purse. I’m prepared like a Girl Scout. You’re my lookout for a change.”

Fab hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

CHAPTER 23

“Brick told me to tell you he owes you one for your discretion,” Fab told me. “He laughed when he said it. He couldn’t believe he was indebted to the ‘crazy redhead,’ as he likes to call you.”

“I’m not squandering his IOU on something inconsequential. It’ll be big.” I laughed. “I hope today’s drama doesn’t come back to bite me.”

“When I left, he was on the phone calling his brother Casio, a hard-ass detective. Carjacker dude picked the wrong car to steal.”

“He needs to be in jail before he shoots someone,” I said.

“You didn’t think about sharing when you got your concealed permit? What’s up with that?” Fab demanded.

“It just came in the mail. Billy at the gun range has been after me to get one. I’m glad I stopped resisting. Today could’ve turned out differently.”

“Seriously, thank you. He looked like he was jonesin’ for a fix, and that makes an addict dangerous.”

“Careful of the dip,” I told Fab. “Drive in like a normal person, so we don’t attract attention.” I opened the door. “Call me if…”

“I know the drill. Mac and I will gossip while you’re busy.”

I snuck around the corner of the building and slid the pick into the lock. It took longer than I expected, but the door finally opened. It was a two-bedroom unit, and I knew in a second which bedroom Apple had slept in, as a g-string hung on the doorknob. I wrinkled my nose. I didn’t care to have the added benefit of butt floss in my underwear. I went straight to Robert’s room.

Robert had always been neat, everything put away, even the bed made. I opened every drawer until I found what I was looking for in the last one. The pink and yellow receipts were clipped together. He’d used three different stores to pawn the lawnmowers, blowers, and yard tools. Everything else he’d sold to a secondhand store for less than he’d get at a yard sale. He had a big ring of keys, but I had no clue as to what they might open. The Iowa driver’s license issued to him under another name surprised me. I found it interesting that he’d made a stopover in Iowa. I held the license up to the light to see if it was real, and it had the state seal. I spotted a wooden box on the dresser. I opened the lid and, to my shock, there was a credit card with my name imprinted on it. I only had two activated cards in my wallet, and that wasn’t one of them.

I quickly went into Jax’s room, carefully avoiding the g-string hanging on the doorknob. Stepping over the dirty clothes, I walked to the dresser and rifled through the drawers. I found more pawn receipts. From the descriptions on them, he’d hocked his father’s watch and ring, but then had redeemed them.

The rest of the cottage was clean, which I knew was courtesy of Robert. The smell of stale cigarettes and alcohol lingered in the air. I looked around to make sure I’d left the place as I found it, pocketed the receipts and the credit card, and then slipped out the door.

Fab and Mac were seated on the wrought-iron bench outside the office. I held up the pawn receipts. “At least I know where all the garden equipment is. You need to keep a close eye on things around here,” I told Mac.

“I’m going to be right up their asses,” Mac said.

Fab and I turned to leave. “What about Liam?” I asked.

“A big, burly guy named Slice showed up. Scared me. I had 911 on my phone ready to push the button. Next thing I knew, he and Liam started laughing and walked to the pool area,” Mac related.

“How long did he stay?”

“Half hour. He stopped by on his way out, gave me his card, and told me to call if I had any problems. I loved his big blues and sexy lips; he was yummy. I put him on my do list.”

After you get past scary, I could see sexy. “Do list?”

“You know, just in case the husband decides he wants a tramp wife,” Mac said.

“Does he have a list?” Fab asked.

“Mostly movie stars. Mine’s more realistic,” Mac said.

“Anything else I need to know about?” I asked.

“I forgot to tell you, Jax fixed Liam’s bicycle. I see the two of them together on occasion, and he has the kid laughing.”

“Kids like him.” I smiled.

“I like Jax minus the other two,” Mac said.

“The only reminder of Apple was a pair of her underwear.” I told Mac.

“Do you have time to take me to Star Pawn?” I asked Fab when we got in the car. “If not, take me home, and I’ll get my car.”

“There’s no way I’d miss this.”

I thought about all the pawn receipts, realizing Robert had screwed me again. Fab cut through the side streets, screeching into a parking place.

I rang the bell. We stood outside the door of the pawnshop, waiting to be buzzed in. A man turned to stare before releasing the lock.

We walked inside, and I produced the ticket for the riding lawn mower. “What’s the amount to get this back?”

The burly man wore a wife-beater shirt and had tattoos up both arms. “You don’t look like a Robert. Do you have identification?”

“I’m not Robert Devereaux, but this is my lawn mower, and I’m here to get it back.”

“I can only release the item to the person named on the receipt.”

“He stole this from me.” My voice was on the loud side. “I want it back.”

The doorbell buzzed again, sounding like a swarm of bees. A young girl stumbled through the door. She wore dirty pajama bottoms, four-inch high heels, and a tank top that accentuated her flat chest. She sported a black eye and her stringy hair hung in pigtails with skull clips. “I have some jewelry to sell,” she mumbled, standing too close to me.

“Hold on a minute,” the man said.

He looked at the newest customer. “Over here,” he motioned. He walked into the backroom and came out with a miniature female version of himself.

“How much are you looking for?” the woman asked her.

The guy came back and stood in front of me. “Now about your supposed ownership of the lawn mower.” He leaned across the counter, getting right in my face. “If it’s stolen as you say, call the sheriff and file a report. Then you still won’t get it back.”

I forced myself not to step back. “Why’s that?”

“When Robert tells the cops this is a scam and says you’re lying, you’ll both be arrested. The cops will pick up the mower, and it’ll stay in impound until the court case is settled, and then it’ll be sold as unclaimed property because both of you will be in jail.” He smiled, displaying gold front teeth.

“How’d Robert get it in here?” Fab asked.

He eyed Fab, his gaze lingering at chest-level. “He rode up on it, in the middle of the day. Pretty ballsy for something you say he stole.” He stared at me.

“Do I have any other options?” I asked.

“Yeah, go get your buddy Robert. The two of you come back with c-a-s-h. He pays, signs off, and we’ll release it. We don’t give a shit who takes possession.”

“What’s the amount?”