Too Big To Miss (22 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

WALKING WAS DEFINITELY not on my list of favorite things to do on a day off. As I parked my car and forced myself to get out and look for the others, chocolate glazed donuts danced a can-can in my head. The lure of sweet pastry, devoured along with hot steaming coffee, tempted me to forget the whole thing and leave.
    Decisions. Decisions.
    For the time being, good sense won out. I locked the car and wandered over to the starting point. It was about fifteen minutes to six by my car clock. I was early, but thought I could use the extra few minutes to enjoy the morning and reflect on recent past events. I was surprised to see Glo there already, stretching and waiting. When she saw me, she waved cheerfully.
    This was good. Just what I needed. Donuts never looked happy when you approached and were physically incapable of waving. Exercise with good friends never left you feeling guilty, either.
    I smiled at her. "Good morning, Glo."
    "'Mornin'," she said back. "You ready to get that blood movin'?"
    "The spirit's willing, but the body's reluctant."
    "I know what you mean." She stretched a bit more. Today over her usual shorts and t-shirt, Glo was wearing a light wind breaker against the morning dampness.
    Overhead, birds soared. The air was filled with nature's music. The day was fresh and clean, like yesterday had never happened. There was a new beginning every twenty-four hours, like a cosmic do-over.
    There were very few people exercising this morning, just a couple of diehards jogging devotedly. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs to capacity, then exhaling to depletion. Then I inhaled again. A sense of peace washed over me. I really was glad to be here.
    "Wonder if many are coming this morning," I said, doing a bit of stretching of my own as I spoke. "I ran into Ruth on Saturday and she said she'd be here."
    Glo looked at her watch and shrugged. "It's already six. Maybe we should start."
    "Really? I thought it was still a bit early, at least according to my dashboard clock."
    "You know how undependable those things are." She gave a little laugh. "Mine's never worked, except for the day I bought the car. Besides, they can catch up, since it's not like we're speed demons."
    "So true."
    We started down the trail, shoulder to shoulder.
    "So, what's happenin' with this murder thing?" Glo asked. "Do you really think Sophie didn't commit suicide?"
    "Yes, I do. Though I'm not sure yet who exactly was there when it happened. I just know Hollowell had something to do with it, and that executive from your office, Glenn Thomas."
    "Mr. Thomas! You're kiddin'?"
    "No, I'm not. He's John Hollowell's brother-in-law, and has possibly killed for him before." I looked at Glo. "Did Sophie help you get that job at Dakota?"
    She thought about it. "No. Come to think of it, when she found out I'd gotten the job, she didn't want me to take it. I don't remember her givin' me a reason, though. Anyway, I didn't listen 'cause I needed the work."
    "She was probably trying to protect you."
    "From what?"
    "John Hollowell, most likely."
    I glanced back while I walked, but there was still no sign of Ruth. Maybe she'd changed her mind, or succumbed to the evil donut spirit in my place. I turned my attention back to Glo.
    "Seems Hollowell has a thing for big women," I told her. "He likes to woo them and use them. It's probably why none of us knew about him. Sophie was most likely trying to keep us out of his clutches. And, after meeting him, I can see why."
    Glo was quiet for several steps. "Well, thankfully, the job's turned out okay. Even with this thing about Mr. Thomas, the place is still runnin' smooth."
    "He tried to leave the country this weekend," I told her. "But the police caught him."
    "No kiddin'?" she asked again.
    "No kidding. The young man he killed was the only person who could identify who was at Sophie's the day she died."
    Now it was Glo's turn to swivel and look behind us.
    "Guess we're the only ones who made it today," I said to her.
    "Sure looks that way."
    We continued walking until we passed a bend in the path. Thick growth and shrubbery at the curve blocked the view behind us. If the others were back there, they wouldn't be able to see us until they reached this point themselves.
    Suddenly, Glo stumbled. I reached out to help her.
    "Don't worry, Odelia. I just tripped over my own laces."
    She crouched down on the pavement next to the dirt horse trail to tie the laces on her sneakers. Just as she did, I noticed something shiny on her wrist...something familiar. It was the exact same bracelet Sophie had, but in silver.
    I dropped to my knees and seized Glo's wrist.
    "Where in the hell did you get this?" I demanded, holding onto her tightly.
    "I...uh...Blaine gave it to me...this weekend," she said in a halting voice. "It's our anniversary."
    This weekend, my XXL ass. I had seen it before on Glo's wrist, but now the distinctive style meant something to me. With a wrench of her arm, I turned her wrist over to get a good look at the charm.
    "Owwww, Odelia, you're hurtin' me."
    I ignored her and read the disk. It was engraved with two sets of initials, just as Sophie's had been, but this charm had JH on one side, BS on the other. Hollowell was recycling bracelets again. Only this time, he didn't even bother changing the charm.
    "You're one of Hollowell's fat sluts," I said, using Clarice's term. My voice was low, filled with disbelief.
    Glo said nothing, but looked at me in the most peculiar way. Gone was the self-effacing naïveté; gone was the panic; in its place was hatred as concrete and solid as a freeway overpass. The face was the same, but the person I was looking at was not the same Gloria Kendall I knew. Momentary fear pulsed through me like an electrical current.
    This new Glo quickly looked around, searching up and down the path.
    I shook off my initial surprise and fright. "What do you know about Sophie's murder?" I asked in a tone so harsh I surprised myself.
    She remained silent as she brought her eyes in contact with my own. Again, I felt fear try to take hold. Instead of giving into it, I gave Glo's wrist another hard twist. She squealed in pain and reached over with her other hand to try and pry my iron grip from her wrist.
    "Tell me," I demanded, "or I swear I'll beat it out of you." I raised a hand to strike her. "Tell me!"
    Another transformation took place in Glo Kendall. As I twisted her arm, she started to sob. It came out in little, mewing whimpers, growing in volume, and her face returned to the softness I was used to seeing.
    "Tell me," I demanded as I slapped her face hard, my stomach buckling as my flesh struck another's in anger for the first time in my life.
    "It was an accident," she said, choking on her tears. "We didn't mean for her to pull the trigger. Honest. We were just tryin' to scare her."
    "Who's we? You and Hollowell?"
    She shook her head. Her crying grew louder. "No, me and Blaine. It was his idea. He wanted Sophie's customers."
    "You're screwing guys for Hollowell?"
    She dropped her head low. "John Hollowell got me my job at Dakota. In return, I did him every now and then." She was sniveling, not looking at me. "Then John told me I could make some real money entertaining his customers. We really needed the cash, so I said yes. Blaine knew about it. We did okay, and it helped pay the bills, but nothin' great. John said Sophie had all the really rich customers. When he told us how much money she made, Blaine got kinda crazy."
    Drunk with outrage, I raised my hand again. After a split second of hesitation, I lowered it slowly. It just wasn't in me to batter anyone into submission. With my free hand, I grabbed the front of her wind breaker and shook her hard.
    "Sophie helped you, you little ingrate. She befriended you, cleaned you up, gave you hope." Tears flowed down my cheeks in half anger, half heartbreak. "We all trusted you, Glo."
    "I know. I'm so sorry." She let out a wail and covered her face with her other hand, the one I wasn't holding in a death grip. "I swear, we didn't know she'd do it. Blaine thought we should threaten her son, you know, just to scare her."
    "You threatened her son?" I asked, my mouth hanging open in surprise. "You didn't even know she had a son until I told you the other day while walking."
    Glo swallowed hard. "I lied. I knew she had a son. John Hollowell told me once. So Blaine told her if she didn't get out of the business and turn her customers over to me, he'd kill her son."
    She looked at me for the first time since I'd pounced on her. Her face was swollen and splotchy, but something was still amiss. Somehow, I couldn't see Hollowell talking to Glo Kendall about Robbie, not even if he didn't tell her the boy was his. But Hollowell had bragged and been caught on tape, so maybe he would talk to a mistress after a few drinks.
    "What did Blaine say to her?" I asked, still full of rage. "Tell me exactly, then remember it, because you're going to repeat it to the police word for word."
    "What's going on here?" asked a voice from several feet away.
    I looked up. It was a jogger, running in place.
    "Nothing," I snapped at a guy wearing red running shorts and a black tank top. "Just found out my friend here's been screwing my husband."
    He shook his head in disgust and went on his way.
    Glo swallowed. Her nose was runny with slimy mucous. I gave her another hard shake to get her started again.
    She let out another wail and reluctantly continued. "Blaine said he'd tell her son she was a whore, then he'd kill him. But no matter what Blaine said, Sophie refused to cooperate. Just kept sayin' over and over that she didn't know what we were talkin' about; that she had no son and no customers."
    "You've been had, Glo," I said with bitter sarcasm, "and in more ways than one. Sophie hasn't worked for Hollowell in a long time. He told you that crap to hook you into his disgusting world. What else did Blaine say to her? What happened to make Sophie pull that trigger?"
    Glo stared at me and said nothing. I gave her wrist another turn, this time cranking the whole arm behind her back. She screamed.
    "Tell me the truth, Glo."
    "It was all her fault!" she yelled. "She's the one who pulled a gun on Blaine and pissed him off. She shouldn't have done that. She pulled a gun out of a drawer, but Blaine saw her do it and pulled his out first."
    The words spilled out of her like vomit. "Blaine went nuts thinkin' she was tryin' to kill him. He's got a crazy temper. He almost shot Sophie right there and then. Instead, he told her the deal had changed. Now she'd have to die. Her life for the boy's. When she didn't back down, he made up all sorts of gory details about how he was gonna kill the boy." She started sobbing loudly again. "He didn't mean it. He was just tryin' to scare her!"
    "Yeah, sure." I let her go, throwing her down onto the dirt trail. "So the kid from the security company saw you that morning?"
    She rubbed her wrist and nodded. Moving toward me slowly, Glo held a hand out in supplication. "Please, Odelia, help me. I didn't mean to hurt Sophie. I loved her."
    "You sang the Lord's Prayer at her service, Glo," I said in a small voice lost in tears. "You sang, knowing you'd killed her." I felt drained, old, and broken. "How could you?"
    Wearily, I started to get up. It was time to drag her sorry ass back up the trail to my car. Frye could take it from there.
    "You gotta believe me, Odelia," Glo begged.
    Unable to stand the sight of her, I turned and walked a few paces away from where she huddled on the ground.
    "It was an accident," she whined. "We'd never harm Jonathan."
    We both must have realized her slip at the same time because, just as my eyebrows shot up and I spun around, something whizzed by, nicking my shoulder. I looked to the side to see torn fabric, then I felt a sharp sting turning to pain. I clutched my shoulder and blood appeared, staining my heavy t-shirt.
    Frozen by shock, I looked at Glo. She had gotten to her knees and was facing me. Her right hand was in the pocket of her windbreaker and the pocket had a big hole in it. I stood still, numbed by disbelief, as she rose to her feet. Slowly, she pulled her hand and the gun out of her pocket. She waved it in the direction of a stand of trees and high shrubbery.
    "Start walking, Odelia, slowly, in that direction," she commanded, and without a Southern accent.
    I put my hands up and started moving in the direction she'd indicated.
    "Oh, for God's sake, Odelia, put your hands down." Glo laughed slightly. "I'm not robbing you. We're just going to have a little talk."
    "Talk?" I asked. "Talk about what? How you and Blaine killed Sophie?"
    "That's old news, Odelia. And for the record, Sophie died because she was stupid."
    We reached the edge of the trees and she directed me into the grove a few feet. Once we were out of view of the trail, she told me to stop.
    "Now," she said, standing a few feet away with the gun aimed at my ample gut, "let's see if you're smarter and more cooperative than Sophie."
    "I don't understand, Glo," I said truthfully, my eyes glued to the barrel of the gun.
    It was the first time I had ever seen a gun up close and personal. Needless to say, it was making me nervous. Perspiration broke out on my forehead and upper lip. It trickled down the side of my face like hot fudge over a scoop of ice cream. I wanted to wipe it away with my sleeve, but didn't dare.
    "I don't know anything about Sophie's business with Hollowell. I found out about it after she died," I said trying to keep panic out of my voice.
    Glo laughed. "I believe you, Odelia, but it's not the sex business I'm talking about. That was just to throw you off, to buy me time when you surprised me this morning. What I really want is information about her son."
    "Her son?" I asked in disbelief.
    "Yes, her son. More importantly, I want to know about John Hollowell's son."
    "I still don't understand."
    Glo rolled her eyes in disgust. "Blaine should've clubbed you harder Friday night. Just like one of them fat baby seals everyone gets worked up over."
    She took two steps closer and raised the gun so it was aimed at my chest. Forget the sweating, now I had to pee.
    "Don't play dumb, Odelia," Glo said to me. She twitched her upturned nose. "Tell me where I can find Hollowell's son and I'll let you go."