The Ties That Bind (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 11) (3 page)

Chapter 5

The dining room was small in size but big on elegance. There were only seven tables, set with white linens, candles, and chairs upholstered in blue velvet. The flame from a lit candle on the table danced across the crystal water glasses.

A cute young woman in her late twenties with long blonde hair appeared out of nowhere and greeted us. “Good evening and thank you for joining us for dinner. Just the two of you?”

“Yes,” Carter said. “Are you Zoe Garcia?”

She tilted her head and smiled as she offered a hand. “Why, yes I am.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Carter and this is my wife Sarah. We are really enjoying our stay so far.”

“You’re the anniversary couple, right?” she said, eyes aglow. “How are you enjoying the honeymoon suite?”

“It’s fantastic,” I said, slipping my hand through Carter’s arm. “We haven’t tried out the bed yet, but we’re looking forward to that later tonight.”

She laughed heartily and clapped her hands together as Carter blushed.

“Well,” she extended her arm to a table near the window overlooking the garden. “Let me show you to our best table.”

Once we were seated, she informed us that there were only three dinner specials to choose from. The braised short rib with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables, a vegetable lasagna, or a lobster ravioli with a butternut puree.

We decided to order the short rib and lobster ravioli with the intention of sharing.

While we waited for the entrées to arrive I took my time to really look around and observe the surroundings. Much care had been taken when choosing the window treatments and decorations. The walls were painted a soothing beige color that complimented the golden framed paintings. Potted palm plants in oversized clay pots gave the feeling of being inside a garden oasis. Only two other tables were occupied besides ours and I wondered if any of them was celebrating an anniversary. 

“So,” I said, keeping my voice low. “What do you think of Perry?”

“I’m surprised he brought up Nina’s murder so soon. I figured it might take a day or two.”

“So what do you think it means?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. He seems truly distraught over losing his fiancée.”

“He’s had four months to rehearse his act,” I reminded him. “But I agree, why would he bring it up in the first place?”

“Well …” Carter took a sip of water. “Maybe he just likes attention. He feels underappreciated around here and is looking for sympathy.”

“Maybe.” Something caught my eye and I looked up to see Zoe coming towards us. She had a platter in her hand and when she arrived at our table, she set it down in front of us. “A complimentary hors d'oeuvre from the chef. Hope you like steamed mussels in lemon butter.”

The wonderful smell caused my mouth to water. “Thank you so much. I love mussels.”

Zoe seemed very pleased. “Enjoy it. Your entrées should be out soon.”

“Please tell the chef we appreciate the kind gesture,” Carter said.

“I certainly will.”

An hour later, after devouring the entrées, Zoe returned to tell us about the dessert specials. As much as I love sweets, my stomach couldn’t handle another morsel. “I’m full,” I said, patting my overstuffed belly. “Next time I’ll try to leave room.”

Carter agreed we were all set for the bill.

“I can charge it to your room, if that’s more convenient for you,” Zoe said when Carter opened the bill folder. He did a fine job of pretending the grand total was not a surprise.

“Sure, why don’t we do that,” he said.

“Thank you so much.” Zoe said. “Hope you have a wonderful evening.”

Carter left three twenty dollar bills on the table before we left as a tip.

“How much did the bill come to?” I asked, as we made our way back to the room.

“More than it cost to stay here for one night.”

I almost fell over.

Back in the room I noticed the time was 9:25. “We could go back to the bar and see if Perry is feeling talkative again.”

Carter removed his blazer and hung it in the closet. “I think it’s better if we wait till tomorrow. Besides, I’m bushed.”

As he started to unbutton his shirt I felt the need to turn away, which was silly. “Okay. Fine with me. You want to sleep or …”

He turned to me with a raised eyebrow. “Or what?”

“Or watch a movie. They have cable.”

“A movie?” He removed his shirt and hung that in the closet, too. I couldn’t help but stare at his muscular back. “Sure, a movie sounds good.”

“Great.” I grabbed my overnight bag and headed to the bathroom.

When I shut the door behind me, I sat on the edge of the tub and gave myself a good, hard mental slap. Why had I suggested watching a movie? A movie was the last thing I had on my mind. With Carter’s rock hard body lying next to me in bed, how would I ever fall asleep? Then again, maybe getting physical with him wasn’t the best idea. It had only been a few weeks since my official breakup with Max. I wasn’t ready and Carter knew that. If I jumped his bones tonight, it would come off as desperate. I didn’t want to be the desperate woman. What I needed to do was play it cool. Not give it up so easily. Let Carter work for it a little.

When I emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, the bedroom was dark and warm. Carter was in bed, under the covers, arms folded behind his head. Looking at me, he said, “I thought maybe you were getting ready to go out again.”

“I needed to refresh myself. You should check out that massaging shower head.” I sashayed over to the bed, wondering if he might comment on the silky pajamas, but all he did was stare at me as I climbed under the covers.

“You smell great.” His eyes fixated on mine. “Good enough to eat, in fact.”

My belly contracted. “How can you think of eating after that huge meal?”

He chuckled softly. “You underestimate my appetite.”

He kept staring at me and I suddenly felt like a teenager, having never kissed a boy. It would have been so easy to lean over and kiss him, to slide my hand across his stomach and explore his body. The urge was there but my head kept talking me out of it.

“It’s okay,” Carter said in a gentle voice, as if reading my thoughts. “We should sleep.”

I turned the lamp off, lay on my back, and rested my head on the pillow. “Is this weird?”

I could hear him breathing in the dark and I could only imagine he was analyzing the question. Finally, he said, “Is this uncomfortable for you?”

“No. This is probably the most comfy bed I’ve ever been on.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“I know.”

I felt his hand reaching for me and it landed on my arm. The warmth of his skin felt so good. I wanted more of his skin, all over me.

“It’s okay Sarah,” he said without a trace of disappointment. “Let’s just go to sleep.”

Was he politely giving me an out, or was he really not in the mood? No, I realized he was just being a gentleman. He didn’t want me to think he expected anything, especially since the sleeping arrangements had been altered last minute.

“Okay,” I said with a yawn. “Good night, then.”

I rolled over to the opposite side of the bed in a fetal position and closed my eyes.

Chapter 6

When I awoke the next morning, I sat up in bed and felt completely disoriented. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was. The sound of running water alerted me to the fact that someone was in the bathroom taking a shower.

Carter.

We’d slept through the night, side by side, without so much as a good-night kiss. Although at one point, I felt his hand on my back or maybe it was just a dream.

When Carter emerged from the bathroom, he was already dressed for the day in a pair of jeans and a white button down shirt. “How’d you sleep?” he asked, stepping into his loafers.

“Great. What time is it?”

“Almost eight. I was thinking I’d go get some coffee and muffins to bring back. Take your time getting ready.”

“Thanks. I could use some coffee.” I threw the covers off, got to my feet and stretched my arms high over my head. “What’s on the docket for this morning?”

“Maybe we should talk with Reggie and Rory’s father today. From what I could find out, he’s been on disability for months so hopefully we can catch him at home.”

“What do we expect to find out from him?”

“It would be nice to know if he’s come into some money lately. If the boys were paid to kill Nina, the money is somewhere. We just have to find it. I figure we start with him.”

“Does Perry really strike you as the kind of guy who would hire two kids to kill his fiancée? How could he trust them?”

“I don’t know but first we have to prove he even knew them. Maybe the father will help us with that.”

When Carter left to get breakfast, I continued on to the bathroom to perform my morning beauty routine. Then I changed into jeans, a short sleeved blouse and leather sandals.

When Carter returned fifteen minutes later, we enjoyed a quick breakfast, and were on the road by 9:15.

* * *

We followed the commands of the GPS and found ourselves driving into the more urban town of Harwich. Hard to imagine that such a wealthy town like Ivorydale could be neighbors with a town like Harwich, which basically consisted of rundown apartment buildings and empty strip malls that echoed the recession.

Frank Perez lived in one of these rundown apartment buildings on the first floor, Unit 5.

When we knocked on the door, an obese man wearing a wife beater answered the door with a slightly annoyed expression. He smelled like body odor and bologna.

“Mr. Perez?” Carter asked.

The man looked at Carter, then at me, his eyes scanning my entire body. “What do you want?”

“We’d like to talk to you about your sons, Reggie and Rory.”

He peered at Carter’s face in confusion. “Why? Who are you people?”

“I’m Carter and this is Sarah.” He nodded in my direction. “We’ve been hired by Bernice Chapman … Nina Chapman’s mother.”

The name registered, because Frank blinked rapidly. “I don’t understand. My boy’s in prison, the other one’s dead so what more do you want?”

“Can we come inside for a few minutes and talk?” Carter persisted.

“I don’t know anything.” Frank stepped back and tried to close the door in our faces but Carter shoved his foot in front of the door.

“Please,” Carter said. “There’s some money in it for you if you decide to cooperate.”

Frank released his grip on the door. “How much money are we talkin?”

“Fifty bucks if you answer our questions.”

Frank scratched his double chin. “What kind of questions? I told you I don’t know anything about what them kids did to that girl.”

“You might know more than you think you do,” Carter replied. “Just give us twenty minutes, okay?”

“I’m not a sucker, you know. I’ll need that fifty bucks before I agree to this.”

Without delay, Carter reached into his wallet and produced the money. Frank quickly grabbed it from him then shut the door in our faces.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the man’s audacity. “Well, that worked out great.”

Carter looked at me, an expression of utter disbelief. “Does this guy really think he can get away with that?”

“Apparently he does. What are we going to do?”

Carter inspected the door, then took a step back. Next thing I knew, he kicked the door open and slammed hard against the inside wall.

“What the hell?” Frank yelled as we walked into his apartment. “You’re gonna pay for a new door.”

“I already did,” Carter said, pointing to the fifty still clutched in the man’s fat hand. “Now, can we try this again like civilized people?”

Frank chuckled. “Sure, whatever you want.” He backed up slowly, reaching toward the table and the pair of scissors sitting on top of a pile of magazines. Before I could speak up, Carter moved swiftly and seized Frank by the scruff before he had a chance to grab the scissors.

“This is not the way to treat your guests,” Carter said calmly, guiding him away from the table. “Let’s have a seat, shall we?”

Frank’s eyes bulged and, for a split second, I thought he might try and fight Carter off; but he must have realized that it would be a bad decision. “Fine.”

The apartment was a disaster and smelled like a dumpster. My gag reflexes were working overtime. I desperately wanted to go open a window but I was afraid to touch anything. Empty bottles of alcohol littered the kitchen, if you could even call it a kitchen. Frank didn’t invite us to sit down, but it didn’t hurt my feelings in the least.

“How did your boys know Nina Chapman?” Carter asked Frank.

He shrugged. “I already told you, I don’t know nuthin.”

“I think you do,” Carter said. “But just to be fair, let me ask you a different question. Were you at all surprised that your sons raped and killed a girl?”

Frank sighed in contempt. “That was all Reggie. He was always causing trouble since he could walk. Rory was a different story. He was sweet and innocent unlike his older brother. He’d do anything Reggie asked him to do. He idolized him.”

Carter regarded Frank with disgust. “So he’d assist in killing a girl if that’s what Reggie wanted?”

“Sure, anything.”

“Do you think it’s possible that someone put the boys up to it?” Carter asked. “Maybe it wasn’t their idea.”

“Maybe. But it’d have to be a damned good reason.”

“Did they get some extra money before they were arrested?”

Frank seemed surprised. “Money? If they had money, I would have seen it. They would have spent it on drugs or weed or booze.”

“Maybe your sons gave the money to someone for safekeeping. In case they were to get out of jail someday.”

Frank shook his head. “I’m the only one they got. They don’t have no friends, and never did. They always hung around with each other.”

“Did either one of them have a girlfriend?”

Frank burst out laughing. “Girlfriend? Hell no. Those boys couldn’t have a girlfriend if they paid one. Girls were scared of them.”

If the boys were anything like their father, I could understand why. He was creepy and his personal hygiene, whew, you could smell him coming a mile away. “Mr. Perez,” I said, trying to keep the disgust out of my tone. “You spent some time in jail a few years back didn’t you?”

He turned to regard me with a smirk and the gaps in his teeth reminded me of a jack- o-lantern. “I was wrongly accused, of course. They got the wrong man. But let me ask you this, how can you rape a hooker?”

I sighed with frustration, feeling my blood begin to boil. “Getting back to your sons, could you tell us how they knew Nina Chapman?”

“No idea. They never told me nuthin about what they did to her or why.”

“Is there any other family around? Cousins? Aunts or uncles? Who did the boys live with while you were in prison?”

“My sister, Helen.” Frank swatted at a fly buzzing around his head. “She moved to Nebraska a few years ago.”

“Assuming the boys were hired to kill Nina, who would they have given money to?” Carter asked.

“Believe me, there’s no money. The boys wouldn’t have trusted anyone with it besides me.”

“Were did the boys hang out when they weren’t in school?”

“School?” Frank snorted. “They both dropped out their junior year.”

“Then what did they do all day long? Just hang out at home? I find that hard to believe.”

“They’d go to the mall sometimes and watch the girls, but that stopped after they got caught stealing. Those mall cops wouldn’t let them back.”

Carter breathed out with measured patience. “Okay, where else?”

“Sometimes they’d hang out at Buster’s Comic Books. It’s a few miles down the road from here. Other than that, I have no idea what they did all day long.”

Carter waited a beat before finally backing up a few steps. “Mr. Perez, thanks for your time. I’m sure that fifty I gave you will more than cover the cost of a new lock for the door.”

Frank shrugged. “Who needs a lock anyway? Nothing here anyone wants to steal.”

Amen to that, I thought to myself.