A Case of Deceit Read online

  “I'm sure you can find something else to be smug about later,” I assure him.

  “Sometimes I don't know if you're joking or not, Dee,” Fedora shakes his head. “The editor said that one of his reporters was working on a story of smuggling in this county a few years ago. An exposé sort of article. He stopped his investigation when he and his family were threatened. He had a wife and a new baby at the time.”

  “Did the editor know who threatened him?”

  “He didn't say, but he did say that when his reporter went to the police to file a report he saw something that made him quit his job and move his family back east. He never would tell the editor what he saw.”

  This was interesting news. Did he have a run in with our Detective Ward? Something certainly put him in fear for his and his small family's life. Ward and the Ashville police department are looking more and more suspicious.

  Knowing Billy is seriously hurt makes me angry, now I need to find out who hurt him and why. Later I will pay him a visit in the hospital and see if he’s in any shape to talk to me. There are too many damn bodies stacking up. I don't want mine or Fedora's to be next.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Fedora and I decide staying at the Hilton is becoming too dangerous. Sid and his crew know we have rooms there, if Ward doesn't know, he will soon. After nixing his idea of renting a room at the next expensive hotel in town and not wanting to stay at the local hooker hotel, I ask Marlene what she could recommend. She has lived in this area all her life.

  I ask her if she knows of an inexpensive, low-key place to stay for a few days. Marlene may be eighty-seven, but she is still one sharp woman. She looks at me for a minute then grins.

  “I got just the place for you, dearie. It's out-of-the-way, quiet and you and your handsome friend can stay out of sight if need be.”

  Then she tells us about a place she owns not too far from the diner. It is her old house.

  "I keep it because it's full of good memories," she says. "It’s clean, well-kept and no one will suspect you are there. There are no close neighbors either. You can stay there." Perfect.

  Fedora tries to insist on paying for our stay; Marlene will have none of it. All she says as she pats our hands is to find out who killed Nick and Tony. We promise we will. I hope that we can live up to that promise.

  Fedora pays the check and I leave a healthy tip. I'll come back here when the case is done. They serve great pie.

  We make a quick trip to the Hilton. While Fedora checks us both out of here, I pack the Harley's saddlebags. It's easy leaving without anyone paying much attention as they are all talking about Billy.

  Fedora follows Tee and me in his car down the road to Marlene's house. It's easy to find with Marlene's directions.

  Now Fedora and I are standing in front of a small clapboard house off a side road on the outskirts of town. It has huge oak trees shading it and a short wrought iron fence dividing the front yard from the rest of the land. I can picture a younger version of Marlene with a couple of young sons living here. I unlock the front door.

  Tee races inside, glad to be out of his satchel for a while. Fedora is behind me with his suitcase in hand, as we step directly into a small kitchen. There are obvious signs that someone, I imagine Marlene herself, was here recently. There are fresh-picked flowers in a small glass vase on the kitchen table. I notice a note beside it. I walk over and pick it up.

  Hello Dearies,

  Just stopped in and made sure everything was ready for you. Stay as long as you need to. I put some food in the fridge for you. If you need anything else, see me at the diner.

  Marlene

  I hand the note to Fedora and open the small refrigerator. Marlene has put enough food in here to feed us both for a week at least. Sweet woman. I grab what looks like a homemade biscuit and bite into heaven. Soft, flaky goodness melts in my mouth.

  I walk into the small living room and see Tee has made himself at home on the worn but comfortable looking couch. There is no TV, but I'm sure, when Marlene visits this place, she needs no TV. Just her peace and memories.

  “Looks like there are two bedrooms, Dee. I'll take the one on the left. Unless you want to share a room,” Fedora looks at me and I can't tell whether he is serious or not.

  His gray eyes lock with mine. For some strange reason, it seems a bit hard to breathe in here.

  “You wish,” I joke as I move to the bedroom on the right.

  “Yeah, I do,” I hear him mutter as he walks into the room he will be using. I choose to ignore his words. For now. I have other things besides sex with a handsome man on my mind. I also choose to ignore the faint yearning in my heart.

  We need to figure out our next move in this game of cat and mouse. Maybe when the case is over I can try to figure out just how I feel about Fedora. Maybe.

  The bedroom is small but cozy. Looks like Marlene's room at one time. There are lace curtains on the windows with small nick knacks sitting on the dark wood dresser. I sit the saddlebags down at the foot of the bed, pull my phone out and punch in Angela's number.

  “Dee! Oh, god, I'm so glad to hear from you. Did you see the news? About Billy? I don't know him like you do, but I'm so scared one of us could be next. When are you coming? I'm still at the office.”

  Angela says all this in a one-breath rush. Something doesn't jive with her. One minute she is cool and collected, the next a raving mess. Something is not right and I'm going to find out what it is. Too much is at stake now for her to be holding out on me. I am pissed off, tired and fed up.

  “I'll be there within the hour. Stay put and I'll phone you when I show up so you can unlock the door.”

  I didn't want to ask her questions on the phone. I want to see her face when I confront her about why she has been lying to me. I end the call before she has a chance to say anything more.

  Tee is still camped out on the couch when I walk out of the bedroom. Fedora and I need to talk about what's next. The case, not our relationship. I'm not ready for that. I have known for weeks that Fedora wants more from me. I'm just not sure what I want.

  I need some coffee. Seems the java is the only thing keeping me going lately. My body is full of aches, bruises, and scrapes. I am sore and stiff. This is worse than when I went to my first Jujitsu lesson years ago. I woke up the next day hurting so much I could barely roll out of bed.

  I had taken off the bandages on my hands before I went into Marlene's Diner. They hurt like hell, but I'll cope. I search the cupboards for coffee. I find the can and start a pot. I hear Fedora talking in the other room, must be on the phone. I sit at the small fifties style metal kitchen table and wait for the coffee to finish making.

  Fedora walks into the kitchen just as I'm pouring my cup of coffee. “What's our next step, Dee? I've cleared my schedule to stay here a few more days if need be.”

  I sit at the table and peer over at him as I sip my coffee. I sometimes forget that Fedora is a rich businessman, that he has meetings and people who need him in his office. I watch him through the steam rising out of my cup as I take another sip.

  “You can leave, Fedora. I know you have a business to run,” I tell him. I don't want him to leave, though. It's nice knowing he's around to help me on this case.

  He finishes pouring his cup of coffee, turns and leans against the counter. His face tells me nothing as he takes a long drink of coffee.

  He swallows and then says, “I'm not leaving.”

  I didn't think he would, but I had to try even though I'm relieved he's staying. “We both have business's we need to run. I understand that. Go, run your business.”

  I tell him that even though I know my business isn't even close to being in the same league as his. But, it's mine. I'll take care of it. He gives me a hard look that I ignore.

  “I'm going to talk to Angela. I told her I'd be there within the hour, so I should get going,” I tell him. I don't move for a few seconds, I'm enjoying the peace the little kitchen gives me.

  “You
're not going without me,” Fedora states after taking another drink of his coffee.

  “I don't want you there when I talk to Angela. She doesn't know you. She might not be as forthcoming with you there.”

  Whether she might or not, I have no idea. I just want Fedora safe. My stomach churns when I think about Fedora getting hurt. I'm not looking too deep into why that is right now.

  “I don't have to be in the same room. I'll stay outside and watch your back,” Fedora tells me as he puts his now empty coffee cup in the sink.

  I know what he is saying makes sense. With so many people set to have my head on a platter, it might not be a bad idea to have him watching my back. Yet, I find my mouth saying completely opposite of what my common sense is telling me.

  “I'll be ok. I don't need you there. If you want to stay, I can't force you to leave. This is my case and I'll run it my way,” I state stubbornly as I start to leave the kitchen.

  Fedora steps in front of me. I stop with just an inch between our bodies. Our eyes lock. He doesn't touch me, yet I can feel his body heat mesh with mine. I refuse to lower my eyes.

  “Dee,” he says in a soft voice. “Don't fight me on this. I have an interest in that back of yours. As well as the rest of you. It makes sense to have me with you. There are too many things going wrong with this case. Too many people who want you out of the picture. Let me help.”

  I still want to say no, to hell with common sense. I don't want him hurt or worse… dead.

  “Please,” he whispers as he slowly runs his index finger across my cheek. My heart races and my breath hitches in my chest. My body betrays me. Dammit. I catch his hand in one of mine.

  “Fine. Just do me a favor. Don't get killed.”

  I step around him and on shaky legs head for my bike outside. My heart is pounding. It's a good healthy fear for him I tell myself. Yeah, that's it. It's fear, not lust I'm feeling.

  I hear him close behind me. I can't deal with my feelings for Fedora right now. I need to close this case, that's all my mind needs to concentrate on right now. I take a big gulp of fresh air, put my helmet on and swing a leg over the Harley. I look at Fedora as he sits in his car waiting for me to start up the bike.

  “Don't get killed or I'll never forgive you. Stay out of sight when we get to Angela’s office. Don't make me regret letting you come with me.”

  Fedora laughs, winks at me and says, “I care about you too Dee. Let's go kick some ass!”

  I frown as I head out. I still hear his laughter behind me. I will never understand the man.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I find Angela's office. It's just getting dark and the place looks deserted. Fedora drives past me, turns around and parks on the opposite street. He has a good view of the place. I take out my phone and call Angela.

  “I'm here, open the door,” I tell her as my eyes scan the street.

  A minute later, the office door slowly opens. I go inside and Angela closes the door and locks it again. All I see is a dim light coming from a partially closed office door further down a short hallway. That's where Angela leads me.

  Once inside the room Angela closes and locks this door too. It must be her office. I see a deep burgundy leather couch with a pillow and throw on it. There's a dark wood table in front of it with the remains of Chinese take out on top of it. Angela is sitting behind her desk, which is surprisingly neat and tidy. She still hasn't said a word to me.

  I watch her for a few seconds as she avoids eye contact and fiddles with a gold-toned pen. I might as well get to the point of things.

  “Why'd you lie to me?” I ask her and watch her jump a bit from the sound of my voice. Why is she so nervous?

  “I didn't lie to you, Dee,” She answers me while still avoiding eye contact.

  I sit in the leather armchair across from her desk and just watch her. One thing I have learned in this private eye business is to know when to say nothing. Now is one of those times. I just watch her nervously straighten the already tidy piles of papers on her desk and wait.

  “I didn't lie to you! I...I...might have left a few details out, sure, but I didn't lie,” Angela cries out as she tosses the pen aside and finally looks at me.

  “I didn't lie to you,” she repeats.

  “Why call me at all, Angela?” This question is chapping my ass. I want answers.

  “It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. I never wanted it to turn out like this. You almost getting killed, me kidnaped and now Billy in the hospital,” Angela shouts as she pushes herself out of her office chair and stands up. “You were just supposed to find out why Tony was killed. I didn't know about all the rest. I swear I didn't!”

  “You didn't know about the smuggling?” I ask her in disbelief. I'm not buying into that one.

  “Yes, of course, I heard rumors. Everyone has heard the rumors of smuggling going on. Tony even mentioned it when we bought the Wenner estate, but I didn't think they were true.”

  “What about the talk that you wanted more than friendship with Tony? You assured me it wasn't like that.”

  Angela stares at me. “What difference does it make now? He's dead. Murdered.”

  “It makes a difference to me because I don't like being lied to. Did you ever stop to think that maybe Tony's murder is connected to the smuggling?”

  “No! How could it be? Tony wasn't a smuggler.”

  Angela's eyes are wide and wet with tears. I'm not sure if Angela knew about the smuggling or not going on at the estate, so I let it go for now.

  “Sit down Angela. Tell me everything you know and this time don't leave anything out,” I motion her to sit.

  Her shoulders droop, she lets out a large sigh and sits. Then she starts talking...

  “I met Tony just like I said I did. I had just broken up with a guy and wanted a fun night out. I saw his routine and he was just so funny. Sure, he was years and years older than I was. For a while, I did think about being more to him than a friend. He just wasn't in it and instead of jeopardizing our friendship, I let it go. We stayed good friends. After a while I saw he was right.”

  She stops talking. I know there is a lot more so I wait for her to go on. She raises her eyes to me and I see tears and desperation.

  “I just want you to find out who killed Tony. I didn't know about the smuggling. I swear I didn't.”

  It’s still hard for me to believe she didn’t know. In college, Angela was known to be a bit naive about things that were happening right under her nose, so I give her the benefit of the doubt.

  I watch as she opens a drawer in her desk and takes a picture frame out. She hands it to me. It's a picture of a cute tow-headed boy of about eight or nine. His smile is huge and he has two front teeth missing.

  “That's Cody. My son.”

  I can see a slight resemblance in the smile. It’s one more surprise from her. She has never mentioned a son. I hand her back the picture.

  “Cute kid.”

  “He's staying with my parents right now. He's my life,” Angela smiles softly at the picture.

  “I got a phone call today. They wanted me to take you off the case and send you home. They threatened my kid.” Angela looks at me and I see the tears have dried up.

  “You can take me off the case, but I'm not going home. Things got personal when they tried to kill me. Things got real personal if they are the ones who hurt Billy,” I tell her. I know she's worried about her kid. I can't just go home. Not yet.

  “I knew you would say that, Dee,” Angela says. “I sent my kid to my parents this morning. They are going on a camping trip.”

  She takes a deep breath, raises her head and looks me in the eye.

  “I want to know who killed Tony. He was my best friend. They threatened my son. I know he won't be safe until these people are found and put in jail. I want to help you catch them. I want to be able to look at my son the next time I see him and know he can be proud of his mother.”

  “Things will get dangerous,” I tell her honestly. Hell
, they already have but I feel proud of Angela.

  “Let's find out who these assholes are and who they work for. They don't get to threaten my son.”

  My phone rings. It's Fedora. “Dee, we got company. Sid and his two sidekicks just pulled up outside Angela's.”

  “Did they spot you?”

  “No. One went around the back alley. The other two are talking in front of the place. What do you want to do?” Fedora asks.

  What do I want to do? That's easy. “Let's kick that ass you were talking about earlier.” I hear him laugh softly as I hang up.

  I'm going to enjoy what happens next.

  I quickly tell Angela what's going on. She looks strangely excited as I tell her to stay in her office. I go out into the hallway and see the silhouette of the two men in the front through the glass windows. I don't want to fight them in the streets. Let them come to me.

  I'm not worried about the man in the back. Fedora will take care of him. Fedora might be a pain the butt some days, but he can take care of himself if the need arises. After we met the first time and he brought a gun on the case of Tee's dognapping, I convinced him to take lessons to show him he didn't need a gun. I really dislike guns.

  “Angela, take the alarm off the door. I want them to come to me.” She comes out and walks to the front door. She pushes a few numbers on the alarm pad.

  “Go back into the office and lock the door,” I tell her when she's through. She runs past me and closes her office door. I hear the lock click.

  I take a quick look around the front receptionist area and see a desk, a few chairs and a low table with magazines on them. I can’t see much else in the low light. I have a good idea where everything is and that's an advantage. These guys will be coming in cold, without knowing the layout of the place. Kirk taught me that sometimes it's the smallest thing that gives you the upper hand in a fight and to always be aware of your surroundings.