Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos (6 page)

He turned the item over in his hands, his eyes settling on the stain on the back. “Where did you get this exactly?”

“In an alley behind a club called Sugar…something.”

“
Sugar Something?
”

“No,
Sugar…something.”

“
Sugar Something?
”

“No…Sugar…oh, yeah, Sugar Shakers.”

“The strip joint? You went to a strip joint for lunch?” Jason stepped in closer to where she sat.

“No. They are closed during the day. We were walking by when we heard a cat. We followed the cat and saw the purse on the ground, mostly under the trash dumpster.”

Jason studied her for a moment. “So you found this purse under a dumpster, and decided bringing it home was the best course of action. And you skipped lunch at the strip club because they are closed during the day?”

Oh, crap.
She had slipped, and Jason’s cop ears had caught it instantly.

“Yeah, that’s it, J.J. I eat there at least once a week.” Of course she did, but hopefully the sarcasm-laced words made it sound like a ridiculous concept. “And I grab purses out of dumpsters too.”

“I thought you said it was under the dumpster.”

She threw her hands in the air. “Jason! You know what I mean!”

Jason started laughing but stopped suddenly as he turned the evidence bag over in his hands. “It was a good idea to bring me the bag instead of throwing it out. You see this spot here? It might be blood.”

“Or it might be ketchup. Or red wine.”

“Either way, I am gonna run this into the crime lab. See if they can get anything off it.” He opened the purse and pulled out the same slim black wallet she and Angela had looked at.

“Jenna Stone. Damn, she can’t be a day over fifteen.”

“You should know I touched that, in case someone checks it for prints. I had gloves on but still, I thought they should know.”

“I’ll let the techs know. You and Harper want to come for a ride?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking of putting my feet up and giving my ankle a rest.”

“So, how is that thing, anyway?”

Cyndi exhaled heavily. “It hurts, but I’ll live.”

“How ’bout you and Harper hang around here while I run this thing over before dinner?”

Cyndi dropped onto the sofa and stretched her leg out the length of the cushions. “That sounds like an excellent idea. Maybe Harp will be tired enough to take a little nap. I’m beat.”

Jason leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be back in a bit. You take it easy. We can order a little Chinese food for dinner when I get back.”

Cyndi yawned through her smile. “You are too good to me, J.J.”

“Don’t you know it, baby. See you in a little while.”

She heard Jason stop in Harper’s room and say goodbye, followed by the running footsteps of her little girl. As the front door closed, Harper appeared in the living room. “Daddy says your foot hurts and we should watch a movie while he goes to work.”

“Sounds like a plan to me, little girl. You want to pick something?”

Harper bounced across the room and selected a DVD from the case where all her favorites were. Like a pro, she dropped it into the player and grabbed the remote control. She settled down on the sofa with Cyndi, starting the animated film she had chosen.

“You ready, Mommy?”

“I’m ready.”

Two hours later, Cyndi opened her eyes to find Harper curled up beside her, looking as sweet as an angel. The sun had begun to set, casting shadows across the living room. Working her way off the couch without disturbing Harper was a delicate task, but she managed it.

Cyndi was standing in the kitchen taking some aspirin with a glass of water when Jason finally came into the house. She glanced at the clock on the microwave.

“You were gone a long time.”

“I know. I asked a friend in the lab to run a quick test on it to see if the stain was blood.”

“And?”

“It came back positive for human blood.”

The glass in Cyndi’s hand fell into the sink with a loud crash. A sharp piece of blue glass caught the palm of her hand, spraying blood into the sink.

“Cyndi! What happened?” Jason was at her side with a kitchen towel in a matter of seconds, wrapping it around her hand.

“It’s nothing. I just dropped the glass.”

“You’re bleeding. Did you break it yourself?”

“Nah, it just caught me as it smashed. It’s a scratch, Jason.”

She pulled her hand away and unwrapped the stained towel. “See? The bleeding has already stopped.”

Jason started tossing pieces of broken glass in to the trash can. “Not sure what’s up with you the last couple of days. First the ankle, and now your hand.”

“Must be the weather or something.”

“The weather. Right. Damned sun needs to stop shining.”

Cyndi swatted her husband on the arm with her uninjured hand. “I’m going to get Harper up from her nap. Why don’t you order dinner?”

“You want your usual?”

“Of course.”

It had been a heck of a couple of days. Her ankle throbbed, and her hand hurt like the dickens. Her heart ached too. Human blood on Jade’s purse could only mean one thing, and Cyndi was not looking forward to hearing the rest of the lab results.

Chapter Six

Cyndi: Hello, ladies! It’s 3 a.m., do you know where your husbands are?

Angela: DUI patrol tonight.

Jessy: Off duty and sound asleep. He has a cold…

Cyndi: Aww…poor baby…I bet he whines the way Jason does. Big bad cop man dropped by a tiny little virus!

Jessy: Don’t you know it!

Diana: Well, Donnie is home too but he just got in about 2 a.m. He and a couple of the guys on his shift were out serving warrants so they started after dinner instead of at the usual 9 p.m.

Cyndi: After a little Chinese food take out, I tucked Harper into bed, and Jay and I watched some TV. At least we started out that way. Wink, wink.

Angela: I swear you two are a couple of horny teens trapped in adult bodies! I’m lucky if Matt puts out once a week…you two can’t keep your hands off each other for four hours!

Cyndi: I guess I just got lucky, Ang.

Diana: I’ll say. Donnie is always too tired or at work. Might be why I stick with the sex line job! LOL

Jessy: This being stuck at home all day thing gives me plenty of time to watch soap operas. The perfect reminder of all the romance missing in my life these days. Sam’s been working a lot of doubles to make up for my lost income.

Diana: Any luck on the job front?

Jessy: None.

Cyndi: I am so sorry, Jess…I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose your job like that after so many years.

Jessy: Downsizing is a beautiful thing…grrr…

Angela: You could always go work with Cyndi.

Jessy: LOL Not too sure I could pull that off…I don’t exactly have Cyndi’s youthful figure. If I danced, people would pay me to put clothes back on!

Cyndi: You are much too hard on yourself, Jess…you are absolutely beautiful!

Jessy: Thanks, Cyndi, but I know you are only being your nice self.

Angela: Cyndi and I had lunch today. Well, we met for lunch, never actually got to eat though.

Diana: Where did you go?

Angela: Sugar Shakers!

Jessy: OMG, Ang! Are you joining the ranks of police wife exotic dancers?

Angela: Oh, hell no!

Diana: Then why were you there?

Angela: Cyndi is playing detective.

Cyndi: Angela…

Diana: What are you investigating?

Angela: One of the Sugar Shakers girls has gone missing. Police think she ran away, but Cyndi thinks something else happened.

Jessy: That true, Cyn?

Cyndi: The girl was a runaway with a fake ID and a pimp named Markus. The cops came in and were asking questions on Friday night.

Diana: So why not let them look for her?

Cyndi: They asked the wrong questions. No one is willing to show concern for Jade. Even her best friend won’t make waves…

Jessy: Why not?

Cyndi: Everyone there has something of their own to hide…

Angela: Ain’t that the truth? LOL

Cyndi: Not funny. Anyway, we found something.

Diana: What do you mean?

Cyndi: We found Jade’s pocketbook behind the trash dumpster. It had blood on it.

Jessy: Are you sure?

Cyndi: Yes, I took it home to Jason and he ran it over to the crime lab. Presumptive tests say it’s human blood. They are running it for DNA next.

Angela: I’m sorry, I know you are worried about her.

Cyndi: I really am. She is just a kid…I would guess sixteen maybe seventeen, although the club thinks she is eighteen and the fake ID in her wallet said she was twenty-one.

Diana: Has anyone tried contacting her family?

Cyndi: No one really knows where she is from. Lola might know more than the rest of us, but she isn’t talking.

Jessy: How did she end up in Virginia Beach?

Cyndi: From what I have pieced together, her mother had bad taste in men. Picked some real winners…and Jade was always in the way so she left.

Diana: Is Jade her real name?

Cyndi: I doubt it. I am guessing she picked it up along the way.

Jessy: How did you explain the bloody purse to Jason?

Cyndi: I told him Ang and I followed a mewing cat into the alley behind Sugar Shakers, and the purse was visible under the edge of the dumpster.

Diana: Are you going to tell him the truth so they can start looking for this girl?

Cyndi: I don’t know what I am going to do yet.

Diana: Cyndi, you have to tell the police about Jade.

Cyndi: I told you, they already know.

Jessy: But they don’t know about her bloody purse.

Cyndi: They have the bag and they are running DNA on it. If it’s hers, they will know.

Angela: Not if she isn’t in the system.

Cyndi: She is. Got picked up for prostitution a couple times, also had an assault charge a few months back on a john that turned on her. I am pretty sure they have her DNA. Jade said the guy raped her.

Angela: So the prostitute claimed rape, no one took her seriously, and she went right back to the business.

Diana: Doesn’t it always work that way?

Angela: Silver lining I suppose…at least they have her DNA, maybe they will make an ID on the blood and open up an active case on her.

Cyndi: That is what I am hoping…now if I could only explain the note.

Jessy: What note?

Cyndi: The one on my windshield Friday night informing me the girl was gone for good.

Angela: That means you’re asking the right questions to the right people about your friend. Someone got nervous.

Cyndi: LOL I am not so sure about that. Hard to imagine the fifty-year-old dancer with a penchant for feather boas, the bartender who likes to dress in drag, or the ninety-eight pound hula dancer murdering Jade, and then having the peace of mind to make her disappear.

Diana: That is a colorful crew you have over there at S.S.!

Cyndi: Wait, I forgot illegal bouncer who would give his left nut to avoid a confrontation with the police and not be sent back to Cuba, where he is wanted by the drug cartel for stealing their money.

Angela: I can see why no one wanted to talk to the cops.

Cyndi: If things go the way I want them to, the blood will be enough to make detectives start asking the right questions and someone will figure out what happened to Jade.

Jessy: And you will stop playing detective?

Cyndi: Maybe. I can’t make you any promises.

Diana: Well, I can promise I am beat. Time for me to bid adieu and head to bed.

Angela: Yeah, I guess I ought to call it a night as well. You ladies take care.

Jessy: Night!

Cyndi yawned long and hard as she waited for her computer to shut down. In a perfect world, the police would see that was Jade’s blood and hunt down the bastard who had hurt her. Correction, in a perfect world Jade—or whatever her real name was—would be home with her mother safe and sound without fear of the boyfriend of the month.

The world was going straight to hell in a hand basket.