Margot Harris Mystery Series : Box Set 2 (Margot Harris Mystery Series Two - Twisted)

by Nora Kane

  “Radcliff?”

  “Yeah, it’s Ames and I. Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. Glad you could make it,” Margot replied. She looked over to Cassie’s fake friend and enquired, “Is there anybody else?”

  She shook her head.

  “I think we’re all clear.”

  Margot looked down at Cassie’s fake friend again and asked, “You alright?”

  “No.”

  “Bleeding?”

  “No.”

  “Then you’re alright enough,” Margot quipped as Ames and Radcliff came into the room.

  “Who’s she?” Ames asked.

  “Someone you want to arrest.”

  Chapter 11

  “Any word on who they were?” Margot questioned Radcliff after they’d exchanged the normal telephone pleasantries.

  “Nope, the girl posing as Cassie's friend didn’t know a thing, and after talking to her for a while, the idea she didn’t know anything became very credible. We didn’t find their fingerprints in the system either.”

  “Was the coffee and donuts guy the driver?”

  “Appears so. We found the car, but he must have wiped it down pretty well between jobs.”

  ‘Did he rent the car?”

  “No, the clerk couldn’t identify him, which I suppose is the bad news. We showed her a picture of Mal. Looks like besides letting a killer use his brother's condo, he rented them a car as well. Though it doesn’t look like he was part of the assassination attempt on you.”

  “That only makes me feel marginally better. Any leads on him?”

  “I should ask you. You’re the only one who’s gotten close.”

  “I’ve got nothing. How about Cassie?”

  “She’s still in the wind as well. Probably smart of her to stay that way. Mal’s still out there and whoever sent those two will send more.”

  “There’s another thing to make me feel better. Any idea who they work for?”

  “None. We can guess and we’re still combing Cassandra’s shows to see if we can figure out who she might have pissed off and cross-referencing it with who you pissed off.”

  “Seems like Cartel to me.”

  “Except Cassie's work hardly touched on them. She was remarkably local and the cartel likes to keep a low profile on this side of the border. It’s weird to say, but maybe it’s someone else.”

  “Like whom?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me.”

  “I wish I could.”

  “Keep thinking. I’ve got to go. Are we on for dinner, or do you have to tail and husband with a wandering eye tonight?”

  “No bad husbands tonight. See you after work?”

  “Sounds great.”

  Radcliff ended the call and Margot went back to trolling for insurance fraud. Her phone buzzed again, and Margot answered without looking at the number; it wasn’t unusual for Radcliff to call right back with something he’d forgotten.

  Instead of Radcliff’s voice, she heard Mal’s.

  “Why did you give me up?”

  “Is this Mal?”

  “You rat out someone else this week?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Seems a serious question. I never pictured you giving me up to the cops, even if you’re fucking one of them.”

  “What are you talking about, Mal?”

  “You gave up Marv’s condo to the boyfriend and his asshole partner. I could have been there, and if I had been, I’d be in jail right now. I know we have our differences, Margot, but I never saw you doing me like that.”

  “Doing you like that? I never figured you’d be helping people executing innocent people. I really never figured you’d be helping someone looking to execute me.”

  “I just got the car as a favor. I didn’t know what they were going to do with it.”

  “You knew they weren’t using it to pick up groceries.”

  “I just do what I’m told.”

  “Including letting a couple of murderers use your brother's place?”

  “You asking me or telling me?”

  “How about you tell me who they were?”

  “I just rented a car.”

  “If all you did was rent the car, maybe you need to come in. They were looking for you before and now they’re really looking for you. Let me bring you in. I’ve got good lawyers that will take your case, and it will look good if you get out ahead of it.”

  “I’m going to pass and take my chances. If it pays off, it’ll be worth it.”

  “You worked in law enforcement long enough to know that’s bullshit.”

  “Have I?”

  “Come on, you know this isn’t going to end well.”

  “Look, Margot, I didn’t call you to argue.”

  “Then why did you call?”

  “I’ve known you too long and too well not to give you fair warning.”

  “Fair warning?”

  “The gloves are off, Margot. I would have done everything in my power not to let you get hurt, but after you brought the cops to Marv’s condo, I don’t think you’re returning the favor.”

  “I’m trying to save your life.”

  “I don’t see it that way. Stay out of my way, Margot. If you insist on getting in my business, I’m going to treat you like anyone else who gets in my way, using whatever measure I need to take.”

  “Are you threatening me? Mal?”

  “I’m just telling you how it is. Do us both a favor and don’t make it necessary.”

  Mal ended the call before she could respond.

  Twisted Judgment

  Margot Harris Book 9

  Nora Kane

  Prologue

  “Burke knows this is probably nothing, right?”

  Radcliff shrugged. “We didn’t have to come; we could have let him walk through an empty hotel room by himself.”

  “Where’s Myers?”

  “His kid is having a kid. He and the wife went out to Arizona for the birth.”

  “He’s going to be a grandfather so we get to waste our time with Burke’s bogus tip on Mal?”

  “He might be here.”

  “Maybe. Why is Burke getting tips on our suspect anyway?”

  “It makes sense the organized crime task force would want in on this. Mal’s working for somebody.”

  “Yeah, but we’re the ones looking for him. It’s the Sand Piper Motel, so you know the tip came from a scumbag. How did the scumbag know the OC task force was interested in Mal?”

  “I don’t know,” Radcliff said as he looked in the rearview mirror. “This looks like him, you could ask him.”

  “I just might do that.”

  “He didn’t have to tell us, be nice.”

  Burke pulled in behind them in his unmarked cruiser. They were parked a block down from the Sandpiper Motel. Radcliff had got an anonymous tip that Mal Flynn was holed up there. As Burke got out, Radcliff and Ames did the same.

  “I hear your partner is off becoming a grandfather,” Ames said.

  “Yeah, as if it wouldn’t happen unless he was there. I figured the three of us should be able to handle it, though.”

  “Hell, Radcliff and I could have done it without you. Chances are it’s a dead-end,” Ames remarked as he opened the trunk and got out a pair of Kevlar vests.

  “If it’s nothing, why the body armor?”

  “Because if it’s not, things are likely to get ugly. Mal’s not a big fan of cops in general, but he really hates us. Especially Radcliff.”

  “Oh yeah, I heard. You stole his girl.”

  “Stealing implies possession. She was available.”

  “Hey, I don’t blame you. I bet he doesn’t see it that way, though.”

  “Probably not,” Radcliff agreed as he finished strapping on the vest.

  “I’ve got an extra if you want it,” Ames told Burke as he retrieved a shotgun. He checked and found it was loaded and ready to go.

  “I’ll just let you guys go in first. Did you check with the
motel management?”

  “Yeah, they get a call like this about once a week. The desk guy is meeting us there so he can unlock the door. That way they don’t have to fix the door after we kick it in.”

  They all piled into Ames’ cruiser and drove around the block into the parking lot of the Sand Piper Motel. Ames parked in front of the office instead of Mal’s supposed room. The clerk hardly looked old enough to drive and he certainly didn’t look happy to see Ames. He looked around, clearly hoping no current residents were watching since they wouldn’t be happy seeing him helping the police.

  “Number eleven,” Ames told him.

  “I heard.”

  “Any chance you could tell us what might be waiting for us behind that door?” Burke asked.

  “All I know is they checked in yesterday, paid for the week, and signed the register Mr. Smith.”

  “You haven’t seen him?”

  “I wasn’t behind the desk when they checked in, and nobody asked for more towels, so why would I?”

  Room eleven wasn’t far from the office. The clerk unlocked the door and then ran away. Radcliff opened the door and they all moved away from the entrance. When no one shot at them, Ames yelled, “Police, lay on the floor and put your hands behind your head.”

  He waited for a second to give anyone inside time to obey his command, and then he racked the slide and chambered a shell. The sound was loud enough to let anybody inside know he wasn’t messing around.

  Ames stepped inside with the shotgun raised. Radcliff was right behind him, brandishing his pistol. The room was dark, the lights were off and the curtains were drawn. Radcliff found the light switch. The bed was still made and there wasn’t anything else in the room, but an outdated television bolted to the wall and an old chest of drawers pockmarked with cigarette burns.

  Ames motioned to the bathroom. Radcliff opened the door, and they again stepped aside. When nobody shot at them, Ames went in with the shotgun. He looked in the shower and found it as empty as the rest of the place. The window back there was shut and locked. Even if someone Mal’s size could have climbed out of the small window, they couldn’t have locked it from the outside, so no one slipped out this way.

  “I take it Mal wasn’t in there either?” Burke asked.

  “Nope,” Ames told him. “I didn’t figure he would be.”

  “Too bad, I was really hoping to talk to this asshole.”

  “You shouldn’t have got your hopes up. What’s so important about Mal, anyway? He’s an accessory to homicide at the very least so we want him, but as far as organized crime goes, he’s nothing more than a soldier.”

  “Normally, I’d agree, but there’s a serious shakeup going on, and I think somehow your old pal is in the middle of it.”

  “I wouldn’t call him my pal. What kind of shakeup?”

  Burke shrugged. “I was kind of hoping Mal could shed some light on that.”

  “Anybody else find this kind of odd? I didn’t really think Mal would be here, but I kind of thought somebody would be,” Radcliff said. “Bed doesn’t look slept in, and I don’t see any luggage.”

  “Trash cans are empty too,” Ames added.

  “Somebody paid for a room that they didn’t eat or sleep in?”

  “Maybe they changed their mind after getting a look at the room,” Burke speculated.

  “Kind of weird to get a tip that somebody is in an empty room. Maybe we need to talk to the clerk and find out who was working when Mr. Smith checked in.”

  Burke was the first person out, followed by Ames.

  “Should we get somebody to sit on the place for a while?” Radcliff asked. “Maybe Mal just makes his bed really well.”

  Ames turned to reply but stopped when a car pulled up in front of room number eleven. He turned back to see guns poking out of the front passenger window. He couldn’t tell if it was one person holding two guns or two people each pointing what he guessed to be Mac-10s at them. Either way, he swung the shotgun around.

  The sub-machine guns roared before he could get off a shot. The vest slowed down the nine-millimeter slugs coming him his way, but at this range, it didn’t stop them. Even if it had, there was nothing the body armor could do about the bullet he took to the forehead. He and Burke went down immediately.

  Radcliff was spared the initial volley and fired back, but the extended magazines on the machine guns kept spitting out lead. Radcliff took two in the chest and stumbled back into the room. He fired back from his back until his pistol was out of bullets then kicked the door shut. All he could do then was cover his head as the gunman in the car unleashed another series of shots into the door.

  While he ducked, Radcliff radioed the magic words, “Man down,” to the dispatcher.

  The shooting stopped and Radcliff heard the car speed away. He pushed himself to his feet, planning to go out and do what he could for Ames and Burke.

  His legs didn’t seem to be working and his shirt under the Kevlar felt oddly wet and sticky. He ran his hand along his side and saw his palm was now covered in blood. The vest had stopped a few slugs, but something must have got through. Radcliff’s head began to swim, but he tried to keep going. He pushed the door open and then collapsed on the sidewalk next to Ames and Burke.

  Chapter 1

  Margot called Radcliff on the way home, but it went straight to voicemail. This wasn’t unusual; as a homicide detective, he was often unable to answer the phone, and just because his shift ended, didn’t mean the work stopped. Crime didn’t happen on a nine-to-five schedule.

  Margot said, “Call me when you can,” after the beep and then drove home.

  She was hungry but decided to put off eating until she heard from Radcliff. That didn’t mean she couldn’t pour herself a drink. Margot filled a tumbler with ice and then poured some Maker’s Mark over it.

  She was taking a sip when her phone vibrated. She put down the glass and saw it was Radcliff calling.

  “Hey, you still working?” Margot asked.

  A voice that was most definitely not Radcliff replied, “Is this Margot Harris?”

  “It is. Who is this?”

  “Detective Rodriguez. We met a while back. You were in my office.”

  Margot remembered her; the stoic female who was the chief detective in the homicide division was hard to forget. The day they’d met was even harder. Margot, along with Rodriguez, Radcliff, and his partner, Ames, had watched a dirty cop shoot himself in the head.