Throw a Monkey Wrench (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 1) (21 page)

“Right,” she said in a brisk tone she was
far from feeling. “Now that we’re in private, do you mind telling me what’s
going on?”

Hiccupping, Madison grabbed a few tissues
and blew her nose. “It’s j-just like I told you. Sean broke off our
relationship. He’s f-furious with me.”

It didn’t seem possible, but Emma’s heart
sank even lower. “Because he found out about you seeing Kyle on the night Tony
was murdered.”

Madison swiped at her swollen eyelids. “It
wouldn’t have come out if you hadn’t accused Kyle of killing his father.”

The accusation in her tone made Emma pull
back in surprise. “I was only trying to clear Sean’s name,” she exclaimed. “And
why did you see Kyle anyway? I thought you two were through.”

“We are, but…but I felt sorry for Kyle. He
was so down because of his debts. He couldn’t see a way out. His father refused
to help him, and his mother doesn’t have enough cash it seems. Kyle was
worried. These people he owes money to aren’t nice. He was afraid they’d hurt
him. So I agreed to meet him. We just talked, I swear. Nothing else happened.
But Sean doesn’t believe me.” She sighed, her long hair falling over her
drooping shoulders.

“Do you blame him?” Emma asked with a touch
of tartness. “You didn’t tell him about the meeting.”

“Because I knew he’d kick up a fuss.”

“But Kyle was just using you. He was trying
to get between you and Sean because he probably thought he’d get some money out
of you.”

The young woman winced. “I can’t believe
he’d do that.”

“Only you can answer that for yourself, but
Kyle was desperate enough to kidnap me because he thought I was coming between
you and him and because he thought I was colluding with those people he owes
money to.”

Fresh tears shone in Madison’s eyes. “Oh
God, I’ve made such a mess of everything.” She buried her face in her hands as
renewed sobs shook her slim figure.

Emma patted her shoulder until the storm
passed. When Madison had wiped her face dry, Emma opened a bottle of water and
passed it to her. “Here, you probably need some rehydrating after all that.”

After several deep gulps, Madison lifted
her head. “I’m sorry for accusing you like that. Of course it’s not your fault
at all. I lashed out at you because I’m so crushed. And it’s made me realize
how much I love Sean. He’s angry with me now, and I don’t blame him. I deserve
it because I hurt him, but I’m not giving up on him. I’ll find a way to make it
up to him.”

Her conviction touched Emma. These two
people truly loved each other, and the obstacles thrown in their path only
confirmed that.

“I’m glad,” Emma said. “Sean needs all the
friends he can get. It’s only going to get tougher.”

Madison sniffled into a tissue. “Well, I
suppose you should cancel the entire wedding. There won’t be one now, small or
otherwise.”

“I guess not. You do know there’ll be
cancellation fees.”

“Sure. My parents will take care of those.”
Madison waved her hand, as only a woman who had never suffered financial
embarrassment could.

If only she could be that blasé about money,
Emma mused. For herself the cancellation would mean another dip in her income
at a time when she was struggling to stay afloat. She wouldn’t be moving out of
home any time soon, that was for sure. Maybe she’d be forced to mooch off her
dad for years, tiptoeing around him and Janet Ramos. Now that
was
a
depressing proposition.

“I should go,” Madison said with a sigh,
rising to her feet. “Before my parents start calling and asking where I am.”
She took a couple of steps before adding, “It’s strange, but my mom’s been
really sympathetic about all this. I know she’s glad the wedding’s off, but
she’s not gloating like I thought she would. She seems to understand what it’s
like to have a broken heart. And my dad is being surprisingly supportive, too.”

“You’re their daughter,” Emma said. “They
want you to be happy.”

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. If I
hadn’t, Kyle wouldn’t have attacked you.”

“You didn’t drag me into anything. I still
believe Sean is innocent.”

Madison heaved a mournful sigh. “Besides
us, no one else does.”

Emma woke to the
rays of the setting sun pricking her eyes. Squinting, she sat up. She’d fallen
asleep on the couch in her office, and now there was a crick in her neck and
pins and needles in her left leg. Wriggling her foot, she saw it was almost
six, which meant she’d slept for over two hours. Her body had needed it, since
she hadn’t seemed to mind the cramped couch.

But instead of refreshing her, the nap only
left her feeling gloomy. It wasn’t like her to be so negative; she’d pulled
through some tough times, but Tony’s murder was a different kind of tough. The
wrong man was facing decades in prison, his entire life ruined, and despite her
efforts it seemed she was powerless to prevent it.

She may as well go home. And treat herself
to a glass or two of good wine to take her mind off her troubles. Since her dad
wasn’t much of a drinker, she doubted there’d be anything decent at home. She’d
stop by Scott’s liquor store and pick up something nice, she decided, a lovely
cabernet or shiraz with maybe a chunk of blue cheese.

The daytime stores were shutting as she
drove down Main Street, while the nighttime restaurants and bars were just
beginning to come alive. Traffic was light, but she couldn’t help glancing in
her rear view mirror from time to time. Logic told her that Kyle was safely
locked up and no longer a threat to her, but her primitive instincts hadn’t yet
got the message.

When she reached the strip mall where the
liquor store was situated, she swung into the parking lot. The spaces near the
liquor store were all taken, so she pulled into an empty spot in the far
corner. It was probably prudent to stay away from the main traffic, considering
how the last time she’d been there, she’d witnessed a truck full of college
students narrowly miss crashing into the front of Scott’s store.

As she recalled that day, something nagged
at the back of her brain, something that didn’t make sense. Turning off the
engine, she leaned back in her seat and tried to tease out what was bothering
her. She gazed at the liquor store, the parking lot, the security camera, and
then back at the store. What was it that didn’t add up? Was it something
genuine, or was her brain still fuzzy from that knock to the head?

A couple of cars in front of the liquor
store left. Seconds later, a white sedan pulled into the parking lot, made a
wide turning loop, and exited the lot, heading in the opposite direction from
where it had come.

Emma stared at the trajectory the sedan had
made and then up at the lone security camera mounted to the right of Scott’s
store. Her heart began to beat faster. Something definitely didn’t make sense.

Just then, Scott came out of his store to
light a cigarette. She jumped out of her car and scurried across the parking
lot to him.

“Hi, Scott,” she called out.

He looked up in surprise. “Hey, Emma. I
heard what happened to you last night. You must be pretty shaken up. Are you
okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

“That Kyle is a piece of work, isn’t he?”

“Couldn’t agree more.” She shifted on her
feet. “Actually, Scott, I was wondering if you could clear up something for
me.”

Returning his unlit cigarette to his
packet, Scott nodded. “Yeah, sure. Anything.”

“It’s about the night Tony Barnet drove his
car into your store.”

Scott’s eyebrows shot up. “What about it?”

“Well, according to reports, Tony said he
drove into the parking lot to turn his car around and then somehow confused the
gas pedal for the brakes and slammed into your store. But I’ve just seen a car
do that exact maneuver, and if the driver had lost control, the car would have
hit your store at an angle like this.” She stretched out her right forearm
slanted inwards. “But, according to your CC footage, Tony’s car hit your store
like this.” She held up her left forearm also slanted inwards. “See? Completely
opposite angles.”

Scott frowned at her arms as if they were
hieroglyphics. “Um, yeah, I guess so. Tony must’ve driven further into the
parking lot to make that angle.”

To make that angle?
The disquiet that had been tickling the back of her mind grew a
little stronger. “I think Tony did that on purpose.”

Scott looked bewildered. “But why?”

Because he wanted to hide something.
Something incriminating and very damaging to a man in Tony Barnet’s position.

“And after the crash, his car went to
Sean’s repair shop,” she murmured, speaking her thoughts aloud.

“Yeah, it did,” Scott said, looking even
more baffled. “What are you getting at?”

She dropped her arms to her sides as her
mind started to race. She was onto something here, but she wasn’t going to
shoot her mouth off just yet, not until she had more solid proof. After
yesterday, she’d learned her lesson.

The accident had happened two months ago.
Any debris here at the store had long since been cleaned up, but maybe there
was another place that might still have a clue.

“Thanks, Scott.” She turned to go.

“Hey, what’s the big mystery? Where are you
going?”

“Um, I’ll tell you later. Bye.”

Before Scott could ask any more questions,
she scampered back to her car and drove off. She might not be able to prove
Sean’s innocence yet, but she might be able to provide some answers to an
unsolved crime.

***

On a Saturday
evening, the street leading to the auto repair shop was deserted. Most of the
businesses in this industrial estate would be closed for the weekend. But
someone appeared to be there at Sean’s shop, because even though the front
office was dark and locked up, the entry to the workshop was open, and a few
lights were on inside.

Emma parked her car in the deserted lot and
walked into the building. The interior was dim and quiet, and her footsteps
echoed around her, sounding louder in the hush.

“Hello, anyone here? Sean?”

“Yeah?”

She jumped as Sean emerged from the main
workshop out back. His eyes were bloodshot, and face was belligerent. She’d
never seen him like this before.

“Uh, hi, Sean.” Belatedly, she realized why
he must be feeling sore. “I’m sorry about…everything.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “Huh, me too. Last
night I thought the nightmare was over and I could finally breathe again. But I
should’ve known better.” He shook his head morosely “When I was arrested I
thought things couldn’t get any worse, but I was wrong.”

Emma winced. “I know you’re angry with
Madison for not telling you about Kyle, but she loves you. She’s devastated
that you’ve broken up with her. She still believes in you. She still wants to
marry you.”

With an impatient sound, he swatted a hand.
“I don’t want to talk about Madison anymore, if that’s what you’re here for.”

“Actually, I came here to talk about
something else.”

Sean leaned against a bench, looking
listless and uninterested. “What?” he sighed.

“It’s about Tony Barnet’s SUV that he
brought here to be repaired after he drove into the liquor store.”

At the mention of Tony Barnet, Sean’s
eyebrows drew together. “Didn’t we talk about this already?”

“Yes. You told me Larry worked on it.”

He lifted one shoulder. “I guess so.”

“You
guess
so? But that was the
repair bill that you and he were arguing over.”

Frustration briefly animated his face.
“Look, Emma, in case you haven’t noticed, a hell of a lot has happened since
then. I can’t remember every frigging detail!” He threw up his hands in obvious
resentment.

“But you must have records of all your
jobs,” she persisted. “I’m sorry if I’m needling you, but I wouldn’t be asking
if it wasn’t important. Please, Sean.”

He blew out a sigh as the redness in his
face gradually subsided. “All right,” he huffed. “I’ll have to check the logs
in the office. Follow me.”

She trotted after him as he unlocked the
reception office and snapped on the lights. He powered on the computer at the
front desk and tapped in some commands on the keyboard.

“Yeah, it’s as I thought,” he said after a
while. “Larry was on call for the tow truck that night, and he worked on Tony’s
SUV once it got here.”

“Were there any problems with doing the
repair?”

“What kind of problems do you mean?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” She wasn’t sure what
she was looking for, but her instinct told her she’d know it when she stumbled
across it. “Was there anything unusual about the damage?”

Sean squinted at the computer monitor
again. “No. Larry replaced the front left and right panels, the headlights, the
bumper bar, and repaired the hood. He spray painted the entire vehicle. It’s
exactly what you’d expect from ramming a car into a store. I don’t know what
you’re getting at.”

Sean was looking quite perplexed. He didn’t
need to know about her suspicions. He had enough worries in his life.

“I just have a hunch about something,
that’s all.”

Sean frowned at her, and she knew he was
thinking that her hunches could also backfire. But he merely shrugged as he
shut down the computer. “If you want to talk to Larry, he’ll be back in a few
minutes.”

“Okay. I don’t mind waiting.”

The frown lingered on Sean’s face. “I’m
heading home. I’m not good company right now.” He hesitated, and his voice
softened a little. “But thanks anyway for trying to help me…”

Even if she’d only made things worse
. The unspoken words lingered in the air.

They exited the reception office, Sean
locking up after them. With a brief nod to her, he walked off, heading for the
rear of the business where the staff parked their cars.

Alone in the garage, Emma paced about the
oil-stained floor. Her nerves were stringing out again. If she had any sense
she’d stop her snooping and go home. Leave the investigating to the police. But
her stubborn streak was stronger than she’d anticipated. She would wait for
Larry to return and see if he could shed any light on Tony’s SUV. And while she
was waiting, she may as well see for herself if there was any incriminating
evidence lying around. Evidence that might seem quite innocent if you didn’t
know what you were looking for.

Mind made up, she walked into the main
workshop. As before, she was struck by its cavernous proportions, accentuated
by the fact that no one was there. She paced up the center of the workshop,
examining the bays, the equipment, the tall metal cases on wheels that held
each mechanic’s tools. There were only a couple of vehicles in for repair, a
depressing sign of Sean’s dwindling business. Maybe, if the trend continued,
he’d be forced to close up shop.

She stopped in front of one of the cars
being repaired. The lights were on over this bay, and the tool box was open.
This must be one of Larry’s jobs, because Sean wouldn’t go home leaving his bay
like this. Edging closer, she peered into the open drawers of the tool box. The
hand tools lay in jumbled heaps, most of them thick with grease, while the
bench at the rear of his bay was piled with more tools, dirty rags, dog-eared
manuals, and general detritus.

She started as her phone began to ring, its
cheery tones reverberating around the building. Pulling it from her handbag,
she grimaced as she saw it was Owen. If she answered the call, he’d want to
know where she was and nag at her to go home and rest. Well, she didn’t need
one of his lectures now. With a determined press of her finger, she terminated
the call and then switched any further calls to voicemail.

She slipped the phone back in her handbag
and leaned over to examine the contents of Larry’s tool box. A red glint in the
corner of her eye caught her attention. She peered closer into the bottom
drawer. It was stuffed full with dirty rags, but peeking out beneath them was
something made out of red reflective plastic. Intrigued, she drew it out for
closer inspection.

It was a red LED rear light designed to attach
onto the back of a bicycle, and it had a large crack running down the middle.
Now why would Larry bother keeping a broken bicycle light? Turning it over in
her hand, she saw the tiny initials scratched on the back. DC. Someone’s
initials, maybe. Most people wouldn’t bother to put their initials on a bicycle
light…unless they didn’t have much money. A light bulb went off in her head. Of
course. She knew exactly who owned this bicycle light. And if it was here, then
that must mean—

The sound of heavy boots on concrete cut
through her milling thoughts. Instinct made her shove the LED bicycle light
into her bag before she jumped upright. The man who’d been striding into the
workshop came to an abrupt halt.

“What are you doing here?” Larry asked, a
look of total confusion clouding his face.

“Uh…er…” Her mind whirled with desperation.
“I was looking for Sean.”

“He’s not here.” Larry advanced toward her,
his glower intensifying. “Why are you poking around in my bay?”