Raining Men and Corpses: A Fun Cozy Mystery (A Raina Sun Mystery Book 1) (18 page)

“She’s gone now. You’re lucky the bartender didn’t give you away,” Raina said.

Natalie sat up and grabbed her drink. The ice cubes clinked against each other. She took a sip and stared into space.

“Didn’t you just go to rehab?” Raina asked, eying the glass.

“Is it true? About my brother?”

“Yes.”

“What did Holden do with the money?”

Raina took a deep breath. “Did Holden ever talk about me? Did he seem to care?” The last question came out in a whisper.

Natalie shook her head. “He seemed to like you well enough. Or at least he talked about you. He never mentioned Olivia.”

Raina nodded and averted her gaze. Maybe she’d never know why Holden left without saying good-bye. This was an open sore for her, never knowing why the men in her life just up and leave her. It wasn’t as if she was in love with him, but she’d been in love with the idea of them while they were together.

How about Matthew? Was she only in love with the idea of being in a couple with him, too? No, her relationship with Matthew was a roaring bonfire compared to the candle flame of her relationship with Holden.

“Holden kept a journal in his tablet.” Natalie’s lower lip trembled and a tear slid down her cheek. “I’ll keep an eye out for it when I go through the house.”

A jolt ran through Raina. She’d forgotten about the tablet in the last three days with all the stuff happening between Matthew, Eden, and Sol. Maybe the closure she needed could be found there. Maybe she could find something to help her move on with her life.

They sat in silence for several long minutes, letting the clanging slot machine and the jazz music fill the space between them.

“According to a friend of mine, he’d been paying off your loans,” Raina whispered. “I think that was why he’d been trying to get money out of everyone…including me.”

Natalie's face collapsed. Her chest heaved and strained against her top. She jerked to her feet and rushed out, bumping into the same dancing couple Olivia did earlier.

Raina sighed. She did the right thing. At least now Natalie knew her brother helped her behind her back. In some strange way, it felt right to have people grieving Holden’s passing.

The waitress came back in time to watch Natalie hurry out. She frowned and shook her head. “Sorry, hon, but you're stuck with her tab.” She left the bill on the table and cleared off the empty tumblers.

“Oh, joy.” Raina opened the bill wallet and her bank account had heart palpitations at the amount. “Good God, does she always drink this much?”

The waitress gave her a sympathetic smile. “Kendall gives her free drinks when he thinks no one is looking so her tab is much smaller when he’s working.”

“Was she here Tuesday morning last week?” Raina pulled cash from her purse and laid it on top of the bill.

The waitress shrugged. “Morning, noon, night. She's here all the time.”

Raina pulled out another twenty and added it to the cash on top of the bill. “I’m just interested in last Tuesday morning.”

The waitress glanced at the money and licked her lips. “She came in shortly after I started my shift. About eight in the morning and left around one. She was in that booth in the back corner scribbling on her notebook.”

“You guys open that early?”

“The casino is open twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. They prefer their patrons drunk.”

“How come you remember when she left?”

“That's when Kendall came to fill-in for our other bartender.” The waitress tipped her chin at the Goth woman working behind the bar. “She felt lousy all morning and after she threw up for the second time, the manager called him. She’s probably pregnant again.”

Raina frowned. “Any idea why Natalie left after Kendall came in? I thought they were best buds?”

“They started fighting even before he made his first drink. And no, I have no idea what they were fighting about.”

While Raina didn’t believe Natalie was her brother’s killer, she was relieved Natalie had an alibi. She handed the bill wallet to the waitress. “Thanks.”

Raina scooped up her purse and made her way to the slot machines to search for her grandma. She hoped she'd been right to reveal the Campos boy's paternity test result to Natalie.

Holden had his reasons for supporting the boy for the last two years and paying for his sister’s debts without her knowledge. Though his method for obtaining money to support both endeavors was flawed, she couldn't help but feel better the man had some redeeming qualities.

It made the bitter pill of choosing to date him much easier to swallow. It wasn't lost on her that somehow her thoughts circled back to herself. Pride was on her list of things to improve, kind of like her hair. Too bad they were both on the bottom of her long list.

A
fter a quick lunch
at the buffet, Raina dragged a reluctant Po Po to her car, promising to take her to Bingo Night the following weekend.

“I was on a roll.” Po Po stuck out her bottom lip. “I need to find a new hobby, especially since you won't let me sleuth with you. Something to keep my mind sharp. Staring at the hair growing out of the mole on my big toe is not working for me.”

Raina laughed as she backed out of the parking spot. “You don't have a mole on your toe.”

“How would you know? When is the last time you looked at my toe?”

Raina glanced at her grandma’s sandal and open-toed boot. “I can see your toes from here.”

Po Po harrumphed and crossed her arms.

Raina softened her voice. “What's going on? Why this sudden decision to move to Gold Springs without discussing it with anyone? I thought I was your favorite granddaughter.”

“As if I can pick a toe to be my favorite.”

“I’m the one with the toe ring.”

Raina glanced at her grandma's mulish expression and decided to wait her out. The back roads to town took an extra ten minutes. If she had to get “lost” on the drive back, then so be it. She'd pushed her family concerns to the back burner long enough.

As she drove past green fields, farm animals, and scattered homes, she reviewed the murder suspects. Natalie had the most to gain financially from Holden's death, but she had an alibi.

Cora wouldn’t kill Holden since he was worth more alive than dead with his child support payments and health insurance. Now the family was scrambling to make up for the loss since they’d known the boy wasn’t Holden’s son.

Her thoughts wandered to Sol and she hoped for Eden's sake the man was more an opportunist than killer. Her intuition told her he wasn’t devious enough for murder, not if he could get caught so easily while he was searching for his research material.

Olivia Flaky Skin blamed her current troubles on the Merritt family. Not only was she an older woman conned out of her money, she also had her love, or pride, thrown back into her face when Holden had threatened to charge her with sexual harassment. However, Raina believed Olivia would shoot Holden rather than poison him. Poison seemed too underhanded for the department head.

An odd noise intruded into her thoughts. A flapping sound that came from the front. Raina glanced at her rear-view mirror. A white SUV rode her bumper. With the sun’s glare reflecting off the windshield, the driver was a faceless shadow.

She frowned at the road in front of her. There was no shoulder where she could pull over in this stretch of the road. The deep ditch with the overgrown weeds mocked her earlier decision to take the long route back to town. She rolled down her window and waved her hand, hoping the other driver would pass.

The flapping sound grew louder. Yep, definitely from the front. The breeze threw her curls into her eyes and she shook them off her face. The steering wheel rumbled under her hand. Her stomach swirled with each roll of the tire.

“Sounds like a flat tire,” Po Po said.

Raina eased her foot off the gas and pressed the hazard light button on her dash. The small driveway ahead of her would have to suffice. Her car drifted to her right and she corrected, slowing even more. Just another hundred feet and she could pull off the road.

Her car ran over something with a loud thunk, probably her tire. The steering wheel shook under her hands. She had to turn her steering wheel to the left to drive straight. She must be riding on the rim of the front passenger wheel. Sweat beaded at the small of her back. Less than fifty feet. She was now crawling at thirty-five miles per hour and the SUV was still on her tail.

“The car is making me nervous,” Po Po said, her voice shrill and tight. One hand clutched the door handle.

Raina gritted her teeth. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

The other vehicle pulled out from behind her. She fought for control as her car continued to pull right. The other driver pulled up next to her. Did the other car drift closer to her? She tried to correct, but it was difficult to gauge because the car no longer drove straight. The driveway was less than thirty feet in front of her.

The SUV closed in on her left. What was the driver doing? Geez, there was plenty of room for him to pass.

“Watch out!” Po Po screamed.

The SUV drifted over and tapped her driver side and knocked off her side mirror. Then the other vehicle roared and hightailed away.

Raina’s sweaty hands slipped off the steering wheel. Before she could grab the wheel, her car hit a bump and flew head first into the ditch.

Her heart leapt to her throat.

Poof!

The airbag exploded on her face. The material enveloped her and she couldn’t breathe. Her mouth opened, but she choked. Only her ears seemed to be working. Po Po screamed.

The front end bounced as it settled into the ditch. Then there was silence.

Raina could see again. She batted the airbag away from her, coughing and choking at the dust. The strong acrid odor burned her nostrils. The passenger side lay in the ditch while the driver side stuck above it like a tipped cow. She didn’t smell gasoline.

She turned off the engine and unbuckled her seat belt. Her hands shook, but she ignored them. From previous car accidents, Raina knew she had minutes before the adrenaline surge would evaporate. She needed to get her grandma out now or she’d be useless once the shaking started.

Raina glanced at Po Po. “Are you okay? Anything broken?”

A fine white powder covered Po Po. One hand still gripped the door handle and the other batted at the airbag. The bruised nose on her grandma’s face brought tears to Raina’s eyes. She’d feared there would be more damage on her tiny grandma. Thank God she’d moved the seat away from the dash to accommodate the boot.

Po Po coughed. “This stuff stinks.”

“We’ll have to get out from this side. I’ll get out first and pull you through.”

“I don’t think I can get my foot out.”

Raina gasped. “Any bleeding?”

“It’s the boot.”

Relief spread across Raina’s chest. “Let me unbuckle it for you.” She squeezed her head and torso into the gap between the dash and her grandma’s feet. Her sweat-slicked fingers grasped the Velcro tabs and pulled them open. She leaned back on her seat, panting. “Can you wiggle your foot out?”

Po Po's voice wavered. “Yes.”

Raina opened the door, but the angle of the car made the door swing shut so she held it open against her back. A fresh breeze drifted into the car. She braced a foot against the middle console. “Let me pull you over.” She dragged her grandma across the console.

Po Po blinked at the whirling white dust around them. “Rainy, I need to get you some new underwear.”

Raina stared at her grandma in confusion. Did she hit her head? “Huh?”

“I can see up your baggy shorts. The ones you’re wearing would be classified as granny panties. I don’t even wear underwear with that much coverage.”

Raina burst out laughing. It was either that or cry. Her grandma was making an effort to regain her equilibrium and Raina wasn’t going to spoil it for her. “TMI! I have to burn my ears. I don't need to hear things like this.”

Her grandma gave her a wobbly grin. A shadow fell across her face. The weight of the door eased off of Raina's shoulder blades. She glanced up and relief flooded through her. Her legs threatened to collapse at the concern on the stranger’s face.

A man held the door open. The sunlight glinted off his bald head like a halo. “You folks okay?”

Raina sucked in a breath of dust. Her body coughed and didn’t stop until tears streamed down her face. She waved at the concern on the stranger’s face. “I’m okay.”

“Grab my hand,” the man said.

“Close your eyes, Po Po,” Raina said.

The man pulled while Raina scrambled on the seat, stirring up white dust. He turned to help Po Po.

Raina walked around to inspect the front of her car. Where there was once a new tire on the passenger side was now a gaping hole. She shivered. New tires didn’t blow off by themselves.

T
he next few
hours were a blur. Officer Hopper arrived on the scene at the same time as Bob’s tow truck. For once, Officer Hopper took Raina’s statement without any passive aggressive snide comments. Half an hour later, Raina and Po Po rode squashed together in the cab of the tow truck.

Bob dropped them off at the hospital on the edge of town. After they were inspected and bandaged, Raina called Eden for a ride home. She was too shaken to think after her surge of adrenaline wore off. The only thing she remembered during the short drive home was her grandma’s trembling hand and wan face.

Raina fell into a deep sleep until a loud argument outside her apartment woke her. Eden's voice was angry and Matthew's was sarcastic. She swung her legs off the bed, careful not to wake her grandma, and closed the bedroom door. Her koi clock showed nine. They’d slept through dinner.

She opened her front door and diffused light spilled onto the pair and exaggerated the scowls on their faces. Stepping outside, she closed the door, plunging them into darkness. “Can you two be any louder? If you wake my grandma, I'm going to have to break your knees.”

Eden gave her a sheepish look. “Your detective here can come back tomorrow to get your statement. You need your rest.”

Matthew glared at Eden. “Your friend here needs to mind her own business.”

“Raina is my best friend.”

“I'm family,” Matthew said.

Eden jutted her chin and rested a hand on her cocked hip. “Uh-huh. I'm more family than you. You haven't been part of her life in years.”

“She’s my wife.”

Raina raised both hands in the air. “Stop.” She pointed at him. “Our marriage got annulled. You have no claim on me.” She gave Eden a hug, ignoring the questioning look. “Thanks for looking out for me, but I think I can take it from here. I'm sorry about dinner. We'll catch up tomorrow?”

Eden nodded and said goodnight. She threw another glare at Matthew and crossed the courtyard to go back to her apartment.

Matthew closed the distance between them and drew her close. He studied her face, sucking in a breath. His finger grazed the cut on the side of her face. “Poor Rainy. It's been a bad week for you.”

The dim moonlight gave Matthew carry-on-sized eye bags. Did some of the load come from her? “I’ve had worse.”

“Too bad I can't tie you up until I solve this case.”

She cocked her head and studied him. “What are you doing here? And cut the bull about the statement.”

“I want to make sure you’re okay.”

She tucked her chin under his head. “I can’t do this anymore.”

His heartbeat was slow and steady. Steady and reliable, unlike the person she held in her arms.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair.

Tears sprang to her eyes and dampened his shirt. He was toxic. Raina had never given any relationship a fighting chance because she had her ears glued to the floor, waiting for his footsteps.

“As my mom loves to tell me, my eggs are shriveling into dried husks. I don't want a family right away, but I do want a man who would stick around to start one later.”

Matthew stiffened. “I can't.”

Raina stepped back into the shadow. “I need to get you out of my system.” For the first time, she saw the truth in her words. She'd told herself this several times over the years, but she never acted on them. There was only one way to make him stay away from her. She was too weak to stay away herself. It was the only way.

“I told Holden I was pregnant.” Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. “I wanted him to marry me.”

Matthew’s jaw tightened. “I see.”

She gulped air and stepped back. Her heart became a dead weight around her chest. “I need to sleep. Good-bye, Matthew.”

“Wait. Here.” He handed her a set of keys. “Use my car until you get yours fixed.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Good night, Rainy. Take care of yourself.”

Raina went into the house and closed the door. Her fingers tightened around the keys. She’d said good-bye. Her chest ached at the suppressed wailing she wanted to do, but she didn't dare let it out. Instead, she kept blinking renegade tears and telling herself she was having a delayed reaction to the car accident.