Madison Westin 02-Deception in Paradise (3 page)

“When he retires. That’s the part about his job I hate. It’s dangerous to have friends.”

“I had a girlfriend back in South Carolina whose sister worked for the CIA and, by mandate, never discussed her job. I knew it worried her family.”

Dickie rushed over. “Thank you, Madison.” He threw out his arms in an attempt to hug me.

I jumped back. “Oh.” I didn’t do handshakes or hugs.

Dickie didn’t seem to notice that I had stepped away from him. “Cruz was great,” he gushed.

“You’re not behind bars?” Fab asked.

“Cruz convinced the judge it was all a mix-up due to the lawyer change; my bail got reinstated. Cruz’s going to try to get the charges dropped or reduced. He’s pretty confident, not like Tucker, who had me doing prison time.”

“If Raul doesn’t know about any of this, you need to be the one to tell him,” I reminded him. “Don’t let him hear about it from someone else.”

“If you ever need my services, I’ll do something special.” Dickie waved as he walked away.

Fab and I looked at one another and laughed.

“Are you going to play matchmaker and get Raul and him back together?” Fab smirked.

“It was good advice.”

“Did you meet Raul at your aunt’s funeral?” Fab asked.

“No, I didn’t. I wonder what he’s like.”

“The whole dead people thing creeps me out.” Fab looked at her watch. “I have to go. I’m working another case and have a meeting in an hour.”

“Another bail jumper?”

“No, the less I do of those, the better. A friend had a shipment of knock-off purses stolen off a delivery truck.”

“Be careful. And if you’re paid in purses, I want one.”

“Don’t worry. If I need backup, I’ll call you.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.”

“You so owe me.” Fab smiled, tossed her long brown hair, and walked to the stairwell.

I left the courthouse and started down the steps. The fresh air felt good. I was happy I wasn’t the one entangled in the legal system. I’d had a couple of brushes with the law since moving to South Florida and found it to be nerve-racking. Just as I reached the top of the stairs, someone grabbed my arm and jerked me around.

“You bitch,” Tucker Davis hissed in my face.

He had me trapped on the concrete steps, and I was sure he was going to push me down them.

“You stay out of my business.” He tightened his grip. “Vanderbilt was my case, until you stuck your nose in.”

I tried not to show fear. “Let me go.”

He shook me hard before loosening his grip. “If there weren’t so many people around, I’d push your ass down these stairs and be done with you.”

I stepped back. “Leave me alone.” So much for self-defense class. I was conscious of the steps behind me and afraid that any sudden movement toward him might backfire and have me tumbling backward.

“Just remember this: I get what I want.” He turned and walked toward the courthouse doors.

The ferocity of his final statement had me more afraid than angry. He’d never forget or forgive that I’d stood in the way of his development project. I gripped the railing and walked down the stairs.

CHAPTER 4

I sighed with relief when I turned onto the Overseas Highway, where traffic was light. I needed to go to The Cottages and talk to Joseph. I loved going to the Miami area for shopping and restaurant hopping, but driving was like navigating land mines. There were nothing but nut jobs on the road, honking, cutting off other cars, and waving with their middle finger.

After inheriting The Cottages from Aunt Elizabeth, I took over day-to-day management and my top priority became a makeover of each unit. At first, I did it to keep busy, then I found out I was good at painting, decorating, and searching flea markets for fun pieces. I turned the corner and was pleased to see the palms and tropical flowers planted. I had gone to every nursery in town, tracking down hibiscuses in every color. My initial plan was to do all the planting myself, until reality set in. When I planted my first sago palm, I knew I was in over my head.

A young girl had ridden by on her bicycle. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” she declared.

“Anyone can dig a hole,” I shot back, not letting on that the work was harder than I imagined.

“That’s a terrible location for that ficus tree. Do you even have a plan?”

“Let me guess. You’re the expert.” I pointed to her T-shirt, which read “Gardener Girl.” She also had a pair of gloves hanging out of her short shorts.

“Without a plan, you’re not going to be happy with the overall effect. My name is Jami.”

Jami was outspoken and full of energy, and I liked her immediately. I was an easy sell. I had her finish the planting, and then hired her for regular maintenance. She listened to what I wanted in tropical plants and annuals, and I was happy with the finished project.

I swung into a guest parking space. Everything looked quiet. There were five cottages on each side of the driveway and a pool at the opposite end, which overlooked the beach. The new manager Mac was sitting on a bench outside the office, her face upturned as she enjoyed the sunshine.

I remembered the day she tracked me down by the pool. I’d been trying to understand the directions in the new water test kit.

“I heard you’re looking for a manager.” She picked up the box, took out the vials, and put the chemicals in each one before handing them back to me.

“You have a pool?” I asked.

“No, but I know enough about more than a few things to make me useful and dangerous.”

I’d only voiced the thought once or twice about getting a manager, but word that I was hiring had spread through the neighborhood like wildfire. Was I ready to surrender control? The job required someone to be in the office every day. I was a poor choice; I lacked the necessary patience for sitting behind a desk.

Mac and I had sat by the pool and talked. I found her to be direct, a little off center, and someone I’d bet heavily on in a bar fight. She was the opposite of whom I thought I’d hire, but she charmed me, and it turned out she was good with the guests and the regulars. She had a nose for trouble and knew not to rent to the riff-raff. When they came to visit, she kicked them to the curb and made it clear it wouldn’t be in their best interest to come back. Kevin Cory, one of the sheriffs who regularly patrolled the neighborhood, had stopped complaining about all the nuisance calls.

I took off my heels, threw them in the back of the car, and traded them for a pair of flip-flops.

Mac Lane was tall, heavy at the hip, and on the high side of forty. She had a look that said she didn’t tolerate any shenanigans. She showed off her body in a tight hot-pink top and painted-on jeans; on her feet a pair of lime-green fuzzy slippers with big eyes and a smiley face embroidered on the top. I thought they only existed under her desk; I didn’t know she wore them outside.

When I hired her, I found out Mac was short for Macklin and she’d been named after her grandfather.

“Hey, Mac!” I called out. “How are you?”

“You know I’m fine,” she said, opening her eyes. “I stopped complaining when I was at the drugstore last night and walked by the lice and wart section. I thought to myself, I don’t have either one of those, so it’s all good.”

I was lice and wart-free, too, so by that standard, it was a great day. “Is Joseph around?”

“His probation officer picked him up this morning.”

“Did he leave in cuffs?” I asked.

“No cuffs. All seemed good. He left early, and I don’t think he’s come back. He tries to sneak around like Creole, but he’s terrible at it.”

“I’m still annoyed at Creole, moving out and then back in without asking,” I said. “It didn’t occur to him to find out if he was still welcome? He just left rent money under the office door.”

“That one is a tall, cool drink of water,” Mac purred.

Creole, lean and lethal, had skin color the same as my caramel latte and kept his dark hair pulled into a ponytail. I knew he carried a gun; I noticed the familiar bulge in the waistband of his well-fitting jeans. Too bad he didn’t stay around long enough to exchange a word of conversation. “Yes, I noticed. Have you learned anything about him?”

“As far as I can tell, no one knows anything about him. He’s the ideal tenant. He’s not around much. Pays on time and never any trouble,” Mac said. “All’s quiet with the regulars. We’re booked on the overnight cottages, starting this weekend and going out a couple of weeks. Word is getting out, and we’re getting good feedback.”

“Happy to hear that. Seems quiet around here today. How’s Miss January?” Miss January was one of my aunt’s first tenants.

“She looks like walking death, but I’m beginning to think she’ll outlive us all.”

Miss January was a bony, frail-looking woman in her forties that looked twice her age. Two years ago, her doctors had told her that her life was over, and she’d be dead any day. She’d given them the figurative finger and lived her days inside of a vodka bottle, taking an occasional break to smoke a cigarette.

“I’ve had about enough of that cat of hers,” Mac said. “I told her yesterday Kitty was dead and needed to be buried.”

“No, you didn’t,” I gasped. I wasn’t sure how long Kitty had been dead, but it was long before I took over.

“Oh my lord, girl, she started howling. The most pitiful noise I’ve ever heard. I couldn’t have felt worse. I told her she misunderstood me and the cat was fine just so she’d stop with the noise.”

“I don’t like that she has a dead cat for a pet, either, but we’re going to have to ignore it. I thought about getting her another cat, and then decided I didn’t think she could take care of one that was alive. At least Kitty doesn’t smell.” I looked over at Miss January’s cottage; she must have still been asleep because her door was closed. “I don’t know who did the stuffing, but they sure as heck didn’t do a good job because Kitty’s lumpy.”

Mac stared at me. “To look at you, you’d never guess the weird people you attract. Anyone else would give them the boot but, oh no, not you.”

I stood up. “Don’t tell Joseph I want to talk to him. I’d like to surprise him.”

“Uh oh, what did he do now?”

I shook my head. “You know I keep my peeps’ secrets.”

“That’s not right. How am I supposed to stay on top of everything?”

“Talk to you later.” I waved and started toward my SUV.

“Liam!” I called when I saw him sitting in the barbecue area. I walked over and sat down next to him. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”

“My mom has a new boyfriend. He’s in the
I want to impress you
stage.”

“Do you like him?”

“I liked him better when he was married to my aunt,” he said, looking down.

“Are you okay?” I brushed his blond hair out of his face.
Married to his aunt
?

“Just downloaded a new game on my phone.”

“Who’s that?” I nodded toward the sharp-featured wiry man with a pencil-thin mustache, shuffling across the driveway. I’d have been afraid if I ran into him at night.

“Uncle Daddy.”

I laughed. “Who?”

“My mom’s new boyfriend. That’s what he wants me to call him.”

“What’d you say?”

“I asked him if he was drunk.”

“Bet he didn’t like that.”

“My mom doesn’t make good choices when it comes to men. She’s too nice. Her sister kicked him to the curb. I thought when he was coming around, we should be nice to him because he was getting a divorce. I knew it was serious when he and my mom showed up together at my grandmother’s house. He’s got to go and soon. I’m working on a plan.”

“If you need help with that plan, I know someone who can drop-kick his butt into the next state.”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Do you have my number in that fancy phone of yours? Nice, by the way.” I fumbled in my purse and pulled out my cell phone. “Here, use my phone to call yourself, and then we’ll have each other’s numbers.”

“You have a cool phone, too.” He checked out my programs before handing it back.

“What about Kevin?” Kevin Cory was his uncle and a local sheriff. He could be overprotective, but it was because he loved his sister and nephew.

“I can’t do that to my mom. Kev would come over and blow everything out of proportion, and I’d have to go stay with him until my mom got rid of Uncle Daddy. I hate going there for more than a day. Kevin treats me like a baby. The first he thing he’d do is take away my phone.”

“Why?”

“He thinks twelve is too young for a phone. I think it’s because I have a better phone than he does. Besides, my mom needs me; I watch her back. Kev is by the book. All he thinks about is his job and catching criminals.”

“If you ever need anything, you can call me anytime, twenty-four hours. This guy I know is big and scary, and no one messes with him.”

“Thanks. You’re cool.”

“You’re not bad yourself. Just remember, you’ve got my number.”

“Thanks.”

I couldn’t resist asking, “So, have you called him Uncle Daddy?”

He rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding?”

“How do you get around it?”

“He’s a dumbass. I don’t talk to him, but if I have to say something, I look his way and start talking.”

I laughed again. I loved that kid.

CHAPTER 5

I dropped my keys and purse on the bench in the entryway, kicked the front door shut, and walked into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, I was happy to see there was still some iced tea. I poured myself a glass, added ice, and started for the living room.

I screamed when I saw a man sitting on my couch. “What in the hell are you doing here?” Jackson Devereaux lounged against the couch cushions, Jazz in his lap and the remote in his hand.

“Honey girl, is that any way to talk to your husband?” he drawled.

“
Ex
-husband. How did you get in here?” I had to admit he looked good. He had on white shorts, showing his long tan legs and bare feet. His usual brown hair was much lighter, evidence he’d been spending a lot of time in the sun. Apparently, he brought his own beer. Anyone walking in would think he lived here.