Gotcha Detective Agency Mystery Box Set

by Jamie Lee Scott

  He quoted me a price, and I knew he was serious. I countered, and he countered back. I was pretty sure his dad had given him the go ahead for the business deal, and the absolute lowest price he’d take. I didn’t want to lowball him for the car, but it was a replica, not the real deal, so I wasn’t about to pay a king’s ransom. Once we got to a reasonable amount of money, we shook on the deal.

  “How do you want to pay for it?” Max asked.

  “Cashier’s check?” I offered. “Then I’ll come back, do the paperwork, and drive this baby home.”

  Max tossed me a set of keys.

  “What?”

  “I know where you live, and where you work. I know your family, and that you’re good for it. Let’s dust it off and take it for a spin. Then you can drive it home, and I’ll come by your place in the morning. We can have breakfast. Afterward, you can give me the check for my dad, and I’ll give you the pink slip.”

  Max walked into a small office in the back of the barn and came out with two polishing cloths. He tossed one to me.

  “I’ll work this side, you work that side, and we’ll meet in the middle.”

  He started at the back of the Spyder and gently brushed the dust from the car.

  As we worked, I alternately admired the immaculate metallic silver finish of the Spyder’s body, and the rippling muscles of Max’s body, and when we met in the middle at the front of the car, we looked each other for a few seconds longer than was necessary. It didn’t feel uncomfortable.

  “Nice job,” I said. “This has been the best day I’ve had in a long time. Even if I did have to video a dead body after I left you this morning.”

  The smile dropped off Max’s face like a rock. “What the hell?”

  Well, now, wasn’t this an excuse for some interesting conversation to keep the evening going?

  Instead of driving the car home, Max and I met in Carmel for dinner and drinks. I was driving a Spyder again!

  116

  Mimi

  “Do you think he knows?” Cortnie asked as we locked up the office for the night.

  “It’s hard to tell what he knows. He’s kept a lot from us. I mean, he didn’t even tell us that he owned Mojo before they did. His wife sold the damn horse to Pam in the first place.” I closed the drapes in the front of the building.

  “Uta said Jackie called here several times, wanting to know where her stuff was,” Cortnie said softly. “She had it boxed up, but didn’t know if she should do something with it.”

  “I’m not going to take it to her. I’ve had enough of her for one day.” I yanked a little too hard on one of the shades and nearly tore it off the window.

  “Here,” she said, “I’ll finish this. Sorry I brought it up.”

  “It’s okay. I’m so tired of being jerked around by everyone.” I flopped down on the couch and put my feet up.

  “At least all is well with Nick,” Cortnie offered. She wasn’t very tall, so she had to pull the ottoman over and stand on it to get the top shades. “Or so I thought.”

  I closed my eyes and smiled. “It’s all good there,” I said, “It’s the rest that’s so crazy. But having Charles back, and in working condition helps, too.”

  “No doubt.” Cortnie stopped. “I mean, I like working with you, but Charles is Charles, you know?”

  I knew, but I wasn’t letting her off the hook that easily. “I remember you pulling the same crap not too long ago. Didn’t you tell Charles to fuck off back when we were working the decoy operation?”

  Cortnie waved her hand in front of her. “Oh, that. It was just a heat of the moment thing.” She tried to laugh it off. “And it’s a good thing I’m still here, because I’m your girl on this one. You know, the horses, rodeos, and all.”

  Like we couldn’t have done this without her. But I wasn’t in the mood to pick a fight, so I said, “You’ve been a big help. Speaking of which, what’s up with Emmet?”

  Cortnie sat on the end of the couch where I was laid out, “I’m pretty sure her daughter is Bucky’s kid. The only problem, Bucky would’ve still been married to Rayna when Emmet got pregnant.”

  “What information do you have?” I sat up.

  “Emmet’s daughter is twelve years old. She was born in April, so probably conceived around July. Rayna could have been on the road, or Bucky could have been. The beginning of July is Cowboy Christmas.” Cortnie started in on her vast knowledge of rodeo terms.

  “Explain that one to me.” I leaned back on my elbows.

  “Over the July Fourth weekend, there’s a lot of money to be won at several rodeos, but a cowboy, or cowgirl, has to hit it hard, be entered in a lot of rodeos, and do a lot of traveling, to win that money. Not only do they have to be entered, they have to draw up right, and they have to have good runs, so they have good times, and make money in the go-rounds.”

  Yep, half of that was a foreign language, but I got the gist. “Enter lots of rodeos, which means lots of time on the road, perform well, win money.”

  “Right, and that can catapult a person into the top fifteen in money earnings if they have a good run over that time period. It can make or break a person.” Cortnie stood up and finished closing the top shades and pushed the ottoman back.

  “What does any of this have to do with Emmet’s kid?”

  “I’m just saying that if Rayna was away, the mouse will play. Maybe Rayna was traveling at different rodeos that year, or not traveling with Bucky as much. Maybe Bucky had an affair.” Cortnie sat on the arm of the sofa. “It’s been known to happen. I mean, I know more cowboys who have cheated on their wives than those who haven’t.”

  I was still on my elbows, and pushing my way to a sitting position. “Damn. That sucks.”

  “Way of life, I guess. Not all of them are like that, but enough. I’d bet my next year’s salary that Skinner and Bucky have both cheated on their wives on a regular basis over the years.”

  The thought made my skin crawl.

  “Do you think it’d be worth it to pay Emmet a visit?” I asked.

  Cortnie looked at me like I was crazy. “Do you think Nick would skin you alive?”

  “Why? I just want to know why she can’t bid on the horse.” So sue me if I wanted to know more.

  “There isn't even going to be a horse auction. I’d bet, oh, never mind. That horse will be going back to Pam’s place as soon as she realizes the terms of that contract.”

  Cortnie was right. There was no way Mojo was staying on the Cox ranch any longer than needed. Pam wouldn’t want to take a chance that something would happen to her horse. And he was her horse now.

  “So is this Nick’s place to tell Rayna, or should we?” I wondered aloud.

  “Oh, I definitely think it’s our job to tell them.” Cortnie gloated. “We did enough legwork on this to earn the privilege.”

  “I don’t know that we’ve done much of anything.” I jumped up. “But I really do want to go talk to Emmet.”

  Cortnie stood, too. “I’m in. Let’s look her up, and have a chat about her interest in Mojo. Then we can tell her the auction is most likely going to be cancelled, talk to her about Bucky, and find out about that daughter of hers.”

  “That will have to wait until tomorrow, ladies.”

  Cortnie jumped, and I screamed.

  “Damn you, Nick, don’t sneak up on us like that,” I said as I walked over to kiss him on the cheek. “You look exhausted.”

  “Thanks, you look good, too.” He frowned.

  “Why do we have to wait until tomorrow?” Cortnie asked.

  “First, because my dear Mimi and I have a date tonight. Your man is covering so I don’t have to break my plans, and second, Emmet is out of town. She left right after punching Rayna. I have a cop watching her. I didn’t like her attitude toward Rayna, and I want to talk to her myself. I’d prefer you ladies wait until I question her, then I hope you only talk to her about the damn horse.”

  Cornie and I gave each other a knowing look. Of course we’d only
talk to Emmet about the horse. We wouldn’t interfere with a homicide investigation.

  “I’ve gotta head out. If we aren’t going to do anything fun, I’m going home. I’ll look into a few things from my computer at home.” She left the room.

  Nick watched her leave, then wrapped his arms around me and said, “Finally, alone at last. Want to run upstairs for a quickie?”

  Forget arms around me. I grabbed his hand and practically ran up the stairs to the second floor of the house.

  Since the agency was in a Victorian home, and we only used the first floor, the second floor had three rooms and a bathroom. The room that faced the front of the house was still used as a bedroom, and had a queen sized bed with a dresser, nightstands, and a closet with full amenities, as any well-appointed hotel room would offer. We didn’t often have overnight guests, or any that I can think of, but it was there if needed. And right now, it was needed. And I could find a good use for the shower afterward, too.

  We ran up the stairs and rounded the corner when I heard the noise. I stopped. “Did you hear that?”

  Nick looked at me like I was stalling. “No.”

  I waited. Nothing. Maybe it was my imagination. We walked along the hallway, and I felt like we were school kids getting ready to have sex in our parents’ house while they were out. I got a chill. It was silly, but this was fun.

  I stopped before the bedroom door and looked at Nick. He had the sexiest smile on his face, and I could only imagine the things he’d do to me when we got on the other side of that door.

  I turned the knob and pushed the door open. When I turned to enter the room, I screamed.

  Uta screamed, too, and pulled the covers up over her chest.

  The man next to her covered his head.

  Nick doubled over laughing, then stepped out of the room.

  I looked over my shoulder at him, trying to regain my composure, but watching his face turn crimson and nearly blow up as he tried to stop laughing, wasn’t helping.

  I didn’t know if I should say, “Excuse me,” and leave the room, or “What the hell,” and wait for an explanation.

  Uta helped me by saying, “I’m so sorry. I thought everyone had left for the day.” She pointed to the blob under the covers. “This is my husband, Roger.”

  “Okay,” was all I managed. I wanted to leave the room; sex was definitely the last thing I wanted at the moment. At least me having sex with Nick was the last thing on my mind.

  “We are having our house fumigated, and I didn’t think you’d mind if we stayed here tonight. We usually don’t go to bed so early, but well, we were alone and…one thing led to another…”

  I didn’t want to know any more. “Uta, it’s fine. You and Roger stay the night. The TV has satellite, and help yourself to anything in the kitchen. Nick and I will be on our way.” I walked out and started to close the door. Realizing I’d been rude, I said, “Oh, nice to meet you, Roger.”

  From under the sheets, I heard a muffled, “Nice to meet you, too.”

  I closed the door and sprinted past Nick and down the stairs toward my office. I grabbed my purse and briefcase, and headed out to the parking lot. Before I got to my car, I saw Nick walking down the steps of the porch, holding his sides.

  At that moment, we both burst out laughing.

  “That sort of put a damper on the mood, didn’t it?”

  I walked up to him and plastered his body against his car. “But still, to know we’ll still be wanting sex at that age and beyond, makes me want to jump your bones right here in the parking lot.”

  He kissed me on the forehead. “Easy, girl. Let’s go back inside and get Lola, then we’ll go to my house, have dinner, and take it from there.”

  “Oh, shit.” I’d left Lola sleeping in her bed. I ran up the steps, and unlocked the kitchen door. When I opened it, Lola was standing there waiting for me. “Sorry, girl.”

  I went to pat her on the head, but she trotted right past me to Nick. He opened the door to his Crown Vic and she jumped in. “I guess she’s riding with me.”

  “I guess she is. I don’t blame her for being mad at me. I’d pretty much ignored her all day.” I kissed Nick on the lips and turned to get in the Land Rover.

  “Get in my car. I can bring you back in the morning.”

  I wasn’t going to turn down that offer. I pressed the button on my key to lock my car and walked around to the passenger side of the Crown Vic. Nick followed me around to the passenger side and opened the door for me. It seemed all sweet, like he had manners, but he had to open the back so he could put Lola back there. Grudgingly, she moved in slow motion, like she was terrified to jump from the front seat to the ground and took baby steps around to the back door. One foot at a time, she put a paw on the back seat, then pulled it back, as if she couldn’t bear to be stuffed in the back of a cop car.

  “Lola, get in the car,” I snapped. The absolute wrong thing to do. She sat firmly on the cement, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth.

  Nick bent down, whispering in Lola’s ear, which perked up, and she jumped into his car like the cement was on fire.

  “What did you say?”

  “Secret between me and Lola,” he said. He shut her door, then walked around the back of the car and got in.

  I didn’t dare stand outside a second longer, because I knew he wouldn’t whisper in my ear; he’d leave me standing in the parking lot.

  “I’m going to run by the grocery store and grab something for Lola before we head to the house. I don’t have anything for her.”

  He turned onto Central Avenue, then a right on Capitol to West Market. Turning left, we headed toward North Davis Road. At the intersection of Market and North Davis, I saw a familiar vehicle and sat up taller in the seat.

  “Nick, slow down.” Of course, he didn’t listen, so I grabbed his arm and said, “I think that’s Skinner’s pickup.” I pointed.

  Nick did slow down, and we were right next to the truck, only it wasn’t Skinner’s wife in the passenger seat. Nick slowed even more, and we stayed a car length behind the truck.

  “This just keeps getting more and more convoluted.” Nick slid in one car behind Skinner and followed.

  So much for Lola getting her dog food, or me getting my home cooked meal. I was still holding out for some good sex, though. I watched as the heavy traffic moved along, trying to get a good look at how cozy Rayna and Skinner seemed in the vehicle together. Pulling up beside them, Rayna was close to the passenger window, or I’d have never recognized her from my vantage point in Nick’s car. North Davis Road is a busy intersection, and it’s not unusual to see people you know, but it’s so busy you rarely have a second to look away from traffic to wave. Nick kept his eyes on the cars and the road, and I kept my eyes on the people in the pickup.

  “By the way, I checked out the mayor, and he’s got an airtight alibi for this morning. Not that I thought he was a real suspect anyway, but it was good to rule him out right away. I’ve been looking into the auction, and the contract Bucky had with Pam Brown. That had my attention, until now.”

  “Skinner’s wife…” Oh, crap, I hadn’t told Nick I was looking into this case on my end.

  “What about Skinner’s wife?” Nick’s voice changed. The casual conversation turned sharp and crisp.

  “I went to talk to her about the rift between Bucky and Skinner. You know, get another take on it. See what she thought about the relationship between the two men. She’s been married to Skinner almost as long as Bucky and Rayna have been married, so I’m sure she’s seen a lot of the bad blood spilled. Anyway, I wanted to meet her.”

  “Whatever would you be investigating for your client if the other entity is dead, other than maybe my murder investigation?” He didn’t look at me, and I could see the steam coming out of his ears.

  “Fine, I was being nosy. I wanted to see how Skinner’s wife felt about being second fiddle.” I admitted it.

  “Second fiddle to what?”

  “You m
ean who. Rayna. As you can see, Skinner’s in love with Rayna. Has been since the day he met her. Only Bucky swooped in and married her before Skinner could win her over. So Skinner settled and married Naomi. I found out that the horse in the middle of all of the friction originally belonged to Naomi, and she’s glad to see Rayna won’t be the owner anymore. She wasn’t too happy to hear that Skinner was planning to buy him back. They’re barely making ends meet, and the fraud that Bucky committed has ruined their credit. That’s why he hired me, to help him fix his credit and get back on track.”

  “You think she knows Skinner is seeing Rayna?”

  “We don’t know that he is,” I said, defending Skinner for some ungodly reason.

  “We’re sure as hell going to find out.”

  I heard Lola groan. I turned to see her lay down on the back seat and put her paw over her eyes. She wasn’t happy about this turn of events, fearful her doggy friends were going to see her riding in a cop car.

  “Pretend you’re a K9, Lola. Your friends will be proud,” Nick said, like he’d learned her personality as well as Charles had, or maybe Charles had been schooling him. They’d been spending way too much time together lately.

  “By the way, I heard the car shopping didn’t go so well.” I wanted to let him know Charles talks to me, too.

  “Actually, it went very well.” Nick continued on to Laurel Drive, as Skinner continued toward North Salinas. “He found a Porsche 911 E he might buy. And he kind of has a crush on the salesman.”

  Skinner didn’t turn onto Highway 101 toward Prunedale, which would have been back to the Cox place. Instead, they headed into town. This was interesting.

  “Oh, no, he’s not getting the 911 after all. Max came by the office and talked him out of it. I don’t know all of the details, but I do know that he and Max are out on a test drive of another car tonight.” I loved knowing more than Nick.

  “I guess we’ll be getting an earful by tomorrow morning,” he smiled a knowing smile.

  “I know, I almost can’t wait. I’m glad he’s finally looking forward to something.”