Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set (43 page)

Chapter 3

Having a boyfriend who likes to cook is a mixed blessing, especially when said boyfriend is seven years younger, in great shape, and makes a killer Tiramisu. Max could eat four servings without gaining an ounce.

I, on the other hand, would have to starve myself for days.

“
Thanks for making dinner tonight,” I said while lying on the couch, my injured foot in Max’s lap. “The lasagna was delicious.”

“
No problem. You’re going to take some time off, right? No more jumping fences and dodging bullets for a while, I hope.”

Max liked to poke fun at my budding career, so I wasn’t surprised at the remark. He meant well, so I let it go this time.

“
Yes. Now that Carter and I are both laid up, things are on hold.”

“
Carter needs to understand you’re not his personal undercover agent. Private investigators don’t have the authority to break into people’s homes and steal things. I’m surprised you agreed to it.”

“
Gavin is a slime-ball and needs to be stopped.” I always shared information about my assignments with Max, despite Carter having warned against it. And as a surveillance expert, Max understood the rules of conduct a little too well.

“
You could have been arrested. Did you ever meet the client?”

“
Danielle? No, apparently she’s the niece of one of Carter’s friends.”

“
And she works with Gavin?”

“
I guess so. She’s a cocktail waitress or something at the bar he owns.”

“
Why does she still work for him?”

“
Beats me. Maybe she can’t find another job. Speaking of work, what time is your flight tomorrow?”

“
Early. I wish I could blow this seminar off, but I need to network. Will you still be able to drive me to the airport with your screwed-up ankle?”

“
Please. It’s not like my foot’s been amputated.”

Max laughed. “Hey, let’s take a drive up to Concord when I get back and stay at one of those bed and breakfast joints. We could both use a little vacation.”

“
That would be awesome. Something to look forward to.”

“
What are you going to do while I’m gone?”

“
Probably spend time with my other boyfriend,” I teased. “He’s even younger than you are.”

We often joked about our age difference. It didn’t bother me a bit when younger women flirted with him—which happened quite often. I took it as a compliment. I’d never been one of those high-maintenance, insecure women who needed a lot of extra attention. Max knew it, too, but still made a point of reassuring me every once in a while that I was a very sexy forty-four.

“
I’ll miss you next week,” he said, as if reading my thoughts.

I poked his dimpled cheek. “I’ll miss you more.”

* * *

I was too restless to sleep after Max went to bed.

My ankle was throbbing so I took some pain meds, then sat on the couch to check my e-mail. There was a message from Linda Barrett, a high school friend I’d become reacquainted with after attending my twenty-fifth high school reunion.

She was a psychologist; and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of her male patients were in love with her. She had the kind of face sculptors drooled over: high cheekbones, a straight nose, and large almond shaped eyes. Thick auburn hair only added to her striking features.

Like clockwork, I’d received weekly e-mail reminders that we needed to get together. I was out of excuses, so I decided to respond and make myself available over the coming weekend.

A reply e-mail came a few minutes later. She suggested O’Donnell’s Pub, Saturday night at seven.

Linda was the popular girl back in high school. She’d always had a boyfriend, and ended up marrying the star football player---who turned out to be an abusive alcoholic. Their marriage ended after three years.

Linda was still a catch at forty-five, but according to our brief conversation at the reunion, she’d sworn off men.

Once I had committed to seeing her, I looked forward to catching up again.

Chapter 4

O’Donnell’s was a cozy, high-end Irish pub located in Bridgeport’s historic district. I managed to arrive on time wearing brand new jeans, a silk blouse, and a pair of tall leather boots.

Linda and I had been friendly competitors in everything back in high school, but she’d always won the boy’s affections. I ended up being her awkward sidekick, with frizzy hair and clothing from K-Mart. Not that it had ever really bothered me. I knew my place in the world, and it didn’t involve dating the popular boys. Linda never rubbed it in my face. Instead, she’d tried to help by introducing me to the padded bra. That was like discovering a pot of gold.

I walked into the dimly lit bar and saw her sitting there. The male bartender was chatting her up, no doubt captured by her charms. The ambient lighting reflected off her auburn hair, giving it a golden glow. The smooth curls spiraled down her back, the sides pulled up into a crystal barrette. Her stylish suit looked like it was straight out of Vogue Magazine.

I took the empty stool beside her and nudged her arm. “Hey baby, is this seat taken?”

She spun around in surprise and laughed with that familiar husky tone. She leaned in and air-kissed my cheek then turned to the bartender. “Dennis, let me introduce you to my dearest friend, Sarah Woods.”

We shook hands and I ordered a glass of wine. When he disappeared to fetch a bottle of red, I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Look at you,” I said, climbing on to the stool. “Still breaking hearts wherever you go.”

She waved the comment away. “Must be my friendly face.”

“
I’m sure your gigantic boobs have nothing to do with it.”

Linda laughed again, but didn’t disagree. She looked down at my foot. “So, what happened? Did you sprain your ankle or something?”

“
It’s just a flesh wound,” I uttered with my best
Monty Python
impression, our favorite flick back in the day.

Linda chortled. “Oh my goodness, we only watched that movie a hundred times. My mom wanted to burn that VCR tape.”

“
I’m sure she wanted to burn all of our movies. Remember Crocodile Dundee? I thought I was going to grow up and marry Mike Hogan.”

“
And I was going to marry Ralph Macchio. Can you believe The Karate Kid is over fifty, now? How did that happen?”

“
I can’t believe I have a kid in college. He doesn’t even know who Ralph Macchio is.”

Linda wrapped an arm around my neck. “Oh, Sarah, I’m sorry for not keeping in better touch over the years. I feel like we missed out on so much.”

“
Well, we can make up for it now.”

The bartender set my wine in front of me as Linda ordered another dirty martini.

“
So what’s your secret, Linda? How do you stay so trim and gorgeous?”

“
Spin classes. I go religiously four times a week.”

“
Religious—as in praying to God to end the torture?”

“
Seriously, have you ever taken a class before?”

“
No. I don’t really like gyms that much. I prefer to run outside and let the wind blow through my hair.”

“
That’s right. I remember you did track, but only for a little while. Why did you ever quit?”

“
I didn’t quit. I got kicked off the team.”

“
I can’t remember why.”

“
I skipped one of the track meets to go on a date with Jimmy Bernetti. Remember him?”

“
Was he the kid with blue rubber bands in his braces? He only wore AC/DC t-shirts, right?”

“
He’s the one.”

“
Wow. I wonder what ever happened to him.”

“
I’m friends with him on Facebook. He’s bald and fat, but at least he has straight teeth.”

“
Speaking of boyfriends,” Linda said as she fondled the stem of her glass. “That guy who accompanied you to the reunion. What’s his name again?”

“
Max.”

“
Ah, yes. Max. I like that name; masculine and sexy.”

“
I don’t like to brag, but you’re right.”

“
How long have you two been dating?” she asked.

“
Almost a year. Pretty much since my divorce.”

“
Daniel was your husband’s name, right? What happened with him?”

“
We grew apart. I hear he’s doing that online dating thing.”

She lifted her martini glass for a toast. “Well, good for you. Too many people settle and I’m of the mind that it isn’t worth it.”

“
So, what about you? Are you dating?” I asked.

“
Didn’t we already have this conversation at the reunion?”

“
A lot can change in a few months.”

She gave me a sly smile. “No, not really.”

“
Not really?”

She made a pained face. “I have emotional scars, Sarah. I don’t think they’ll ever heal. My ex did a number on me.”

“
I know. I’m sorry.”

Linda’s features softened. “Anyway, I finally came to the conclusion that men are only good for one thing.”

“
What’s that?”

“
They’re an adequate replacement when the batteries go dead in my vibrator.”

I nearly choked on my wine. “Then you should stock up on batteries.”

“
Anyway, enough about men. At the reunion, you mentioned you sold your massage therapy business, but you never said what you’re doing these days. Did you make enough on the sale to retire early?”

“
No, I wish. Actually, I’ve been doing odd jobs here and there to supplement my income.”

“
Odd jobs?” She raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“
I’m doing an internship with a private investigator. Been working with him for over a year now.”

“
What type of cases do you two take on?”

“
Mostly cheating spouses. But we get all kinds of requests.”

“
Do you carry a gun?”

I laughed. “No, but I carry a loaded cell phone.”

“
A cell phone?”

I pulled my phone from my purse and handed it to her. “You’d be amazed what this single device can do.”

She inspected it closely. “Like what?”

“
It decodes messages, hacks into computers, and if you push this little button here, it creates a laser beam that cuts through glass.”

Linda looked up, eyes wide. “Are you yanking my chain?”

“
Absolutely.”

She slapped my arm, roaring with laughter. “Good one. You had me going for a second.”

“
Actually, the only weapon I carry is pepper spray.”

“
Have you used it?”

“
Not yet.”

Linda’s expression turned serious. “I happen to have a friend who’s looking to hire a private eye. It’s a very sad story, though. Maybe we should talk about it some other time.”

“
I don’t mind discussing it now.”

Linda leaned in closer to me. “This friend of mine, well, she’s dying of liver disease. She needs a transplant and if they can’t find a donor soon, she probably won’t last six months.”

“
I’m so sorry to hear that. What’s her name? Anyone I might know?”

“
Emily Hodges. Her husband is Paul.”

“
Doesn’t sound familiar.”

“
Anyway, Emily has a brother named Benjamin. They had a falling out years ago, and she lost track of him. She wants to try and reconcile before it’s too late. Plus, there is a chance that he might be able to donate part of his liver. Did you know the liver is the only organ that grows back when you cut a piece off?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat with a swig of wine. “Amazing stuff. What about other family members? Isn’t there someone who might be a donor match? Does she have kids?”

“
No kids. Both of Emily’s parents are too old to donate. You have to be younger than fifty-five to have the operation. Her only sibling is Benjamin.”

“
Has she tried Facebook, or other online social media sites?”

“
She’s tried everything.”

“
I’ll be honest, because time is of the essence, she’s probably better off finding someone with more experience.”

“
Sure, I understand.”

“
However, if she doesn’t have any luck finding someone else, give her my number. It couldn’t hurt to go and talk to her. I could always get some help from Carter.”

Linda smiled. “Is he the private eye you spoke of?”

“
Yeah, he’s the one.”

“
Emily will be thrilled. Thank you for considering it.”

“
Don’t thank me yet.”

Linda ordered another martini. I thought back to the first time she and I had experimented with alcohol as teenagers. I’d been reluctant to try the “mystery punch” at our senior year party. The punch smelled like Pepto Bismol mixed with Tang, but that didn’t dissuade Linda from guzzling three or four cups of the nasty concoction. I’d never
seen anyone puke so much in my life. Now, twenty years later, Linda showed no signs of slowing down on her alcohol consumption.

“
Is everything okay, Linda? Or are you just upset about Emily?”

Linda blinked rapidly, her eyes moist. “I wish there was something I could do. I went to visit her last week. She looked so thin. Her skin and eyes were yellowing, and it just hit me; my friend is going to die and there’s nothing I can do.”

“
Just be a friend. She needs that right now. How is her husband dealing with it?”

“
Paul is keeping his chin up, but I think he’s still in denial. He works a lot, probably to keep himself distracted.”

“
Really? Why isn’t he taking time off to be with his wife right now?”

“
Everyone deals with pain differently, Sarah. I’ve counseled many patients to assist with their grieving.”

“
How long have they been married?”

“
Almost three years. I attended their wedding in Hawaii; most beautiful ceremony I’d ever been to. Well, that is until Emily’s brother showed up.”

“
So when was the last time she talked to him? And what about their parents? They must know how to contact him.”

“
According to Emily, Benjamin is
persona non grata.
I don’t know too much about it.”

“
Does Emily still work?”

“
Sadly, no. She used to be some bigwig executive for a paper company. She had to resign a few months ago.”

“
Where do they live?”

“
They have this humongous house in Green Haven. The place is gorgeous, just a block away from the country club. They used to golf quite a bit. Not anymore.”

“
What does Paul do?”

“
He’s an accountant. Doesn’t make half of what she makes, or used to make, but he’s very intelligent.”

The bartender asked if we’d like to order dinner. Linda chose a few appetizers for us to share, and another round of drinks.

A few hours later, I offered to drive Linda home. I’d lost track of how many martinis she’d consumed, but I could tell she was in no condition to drive.

“
I’ll just call a cab,” she said. “My house is out of your way.”

“
Really, I insist.” I grabbed Linda’s arm and we headed out to my car.

Linda must have noticed the pained expression on my face when I depressed the brake pedal as we were backing out. “Sarah, are you okay?”

“
Yeah, it’s just my ankle. I think one of the wounds opened up. I’m sure it’s fine.”

“
You never did explain how that happened.”

“
Well, I was trying to escape from a rapist’s house with stolen goods. I jumped the fence, but not before his killer dog took a chunk out of my foot.”

She slapped my arm and burst out laughing. “I’m not falling for another one of your tall tales.”