"An evidence technician went over the vehicle," Brian explained. "Remember, these thugs were wearing gloves and hats. Nothing conclusive was found." His mouth twitched at the corners. "You're such a lawyer, Gianna."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, I am. It's my job, and my sister could have been killed last night. I tend to take these things a bit seriously."
Brian clenched his jaw. "And you think I don't take Sally's safety seriously?"
Gianna folded her arms over her chest. "I never said that. Actually, perhaps you're a tad more involved in her life than you need to be."
Heat flooded my cheeks. "Gianna!"
Brian's Greek godlike face had turned the color of a flame and must have mirrored my own. His voice was calm as he addressed me. "Your car is parked on the side of the building, Sally. Now if you'll both excuse me, I have work to do." He turned on his heel and quickly disappeared into the office he'd come out of.
Exasperated, I looked at my sister. "What's the matter with you? It's not Brian's fault that I got attacked."
"No," Gianna agreed. "But it is his fault that he still looks at you like a lovesick puppy. You're happily married and having a baby. He'd better get over this obsession now."
This was all I needed. "Okay, thanks for bringing me down, but I'll be fine on my own."
We exited the building, but Gianna stuck to me like glue until I reached my car. Maybe she was afraid I'd be attacked again. It wasn't likely, especially in a police station lot, but with my track record, I couldn't blame her.
I looked at the fender damage and then made my way around to the driver's side. "It could have been worse. Look, I'll call you later about the fitting. And Gi, please don't embarrass me in front of Brian like that again. If you'll recall, he's been very helpful in the past when I've been involved in some sticky situations. I don't want to lose his friendship."
Gianna pursed her lips together. "I'm sorry, Sal. That wasn't my intention. But I have to wonder if he's deliberately delaying his marriage to Ally because he's still in love with you."
"All right, I am done talking about this." I gave her a hug and got into the driver's seat. "Are you and Johnny going to Mom and Dad's for dinner tonight?"
She nodded. "Johnny will bring Alex, and I'll meet them there. After the baby gets his shots, I'm scheduled to meet with a client at five and not sure how long it might take. Please go home and not to the bakery. Promise me."
"Gi, I'm not five years old. If I want to go to the bakery, I'll go to the bakery." I shut the door in defiance before she could say anything more, then waved to her from my seat.
Resigned, Gianna shook her head and slowly walked back to her car.
I knew my sister meant well, but enough was enough. I had no plans to go to the bakery, but my stubborn streak had kept me from saying so. With a sigh, I stole a glimpse at myself in the rearview mirror. My large dark eyes stared back at me from a rounder, more mature face than before the pregnancy, and I liked what I saw. My skin had never looked better. As my grandmother said to me the other day, "Happiness is an inside job, cara mia, and you have plastered it." Of course, she meant mastered, but my grandmother often mixed up well-known sayings.
I brushed my hair back from my face and, in the process, caught my earring. It fell onto my shoulder, then the seat before I could catch it. Shoot. I moved as much as I could but didn't see it. Maybe the earring had fallen down the back of the seat. Great. Mike had given me the set as a present for my birthday last year. I stretched my hand down inside the space between the bottom of the seat and the cushion.
Instead of an earring, I came up with a white index card. Mystified, it took me several seconds to comprehend what I was staring at. There was a crude drawing of a gun and, underneath it, three lines of hard-to-read printing—almost like a child had written it. The first line had been done with a black Magic Marker, while the lower two lines were in red pen.
2915 Stetson Avenue, Apt. 10
Ho, ho, ho.
Time for you to go.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dumbstruck, I stared at the index card for several seconds, unsure what to do next. This must have been left behind by my carjackers—aka the Jolly-less Santas. A chill swept over me. Were they planning to kill the person who lived at this address? Or was it just a sick prank?
Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I struggled to get out of the car again. The baby gave a sharp kick, and I felt the beginnings of a Braxton Hicks contraction. My abdomen tightened, and I clung to the car door for several seconds while waiting for it to pass. Gianna had already left, so I was on my own. After drawing several deep breaths, I managed to shoot off a quick text to Brian. Please meet me at my car. Urgent.
Less than a minute later, the side door to the building opened, and Brian emerged. When he spotted me bent over, standing there with my hand gripping the door, he rushed to my side. His face was pinched tight with worry. "Sally, are you all right? Did you fall?"
"No." My hand shook as I held out the index card to him. "I found this between the seat back and the cushion. It must have been left behind by the carjackers."
Brian's eyebrows shot up as he read the note. "Maybe it fell out of one of their pockets. I can't believe the guys going over the car missed this."
That was the least of my worries. "What do you think it means? Are the Santas planning to kill whoever lives at this address?" Or maybe they had already.
Brian drew his car keys out of his pocket. "Go home. I'll grab Adam, and we'll drive over to this address to investigate. Don't even think about coming along."
His remark stung like a wasp. "Why would I want to come along? I'd never intentionally put my baby in a dangerous situation."
"Sally, I didn't mean to imply—"
Irritated, I waved him off with my hand. "Never mind. Let me know what you find out." Fuming, I got into my car. After taking a few moments to adjust myself and my coat, which was hanging out the door, I reopened the door, then slammed it shut for good measure.
Brian started to say something to me through the glass, thought better of it, and then ran over to his squad car. A minute later Adam Greensburg, his partner, rushed out the door and jumped into the passenger side. Siren flashing, they zoomed off.
I blew out a breath. Okay, I was probably overreacting. Brian hadn't meant to be insulting, but he did know my track record. I seemed to have a knack for getting into dangerous situations, and was more than happy to let him handle this mess. Time for me and my baby to go back home. I was hungry anyway.
I turned the key in the ignition. It clicked, but the motor didn't start. I tried again. Nothing. With a groan, I thunked my head against the steering wheel. I didn't know much about cars but guessed that the battery might be dead. Great. Why me?
Quickly, I took stock. Who could give me a jump start? The bakery was closer than Mike's current job. I could phone my father to come get me, but I wasn't in the mood to hear about this morning's death blog post. Gianna had already left, and I hated to bother her again. I pressed the button for Josie's cell, and she answered immediately.
"Are you in labor?" she asked excitedly.
Jeez, they were all acting like I was a bomb about to go off. "No. I was wondering how busy it was at the shop. I think my car battery is dead, and it needs a jump. Any chance you could steal away for about 20 minutes?"
"Of course. Dodie's waiting on customers—well, when she's not dropping their orders—and Mickey's here. He's got a delivery in an hour, so I could sneak out until then. Where are you?"
"I'm at the police station."
"Okay. Sit tight, partner. I'm on my way." She clicked off.
For the next few minutes, I busied myself reading about everyone's dirty laundry on Facebook. The temperature hovered around forty degrees outside, and I was starting to get cold. I didn't want to go back inside the station but might have to if Josie didn't arrive soon. My phone buzzed with an incoming call. Brian.
"Sally, where are you?"
"I'm still at the p
olice station. My car won't start."
"Stay there," Brian ordered. "We're bringing this guy in for questioning. You may be able to identify him."
"Brian, if he was one of my carjackers, he was wearing a Santa suit. As you told Mike last night, it would be a little difficult to recognize him."
"It's worth a shot. He denies having anything to do with the incident, but when I suggested he come down to the station, he was only too happy to oblige."
That sounded strange and like a waste of time for me. Plus, I was growing hungrier by the minute. "If he's that willing, then it can't be him. It doesn't make sense. Did you tell him his life might be in danger?"
There was an angry pause on the other end. "Sally," Brian finally hissed out. "Would you please let me do my job for once?"
Yikes. "Okay, fine. I'll wait here." Someone had a short temper today. Gianna's earlier accusation probably hadn't helped either. And how did she know about Ally and Brian delaying their wedding, anyway? Why was I always the last person to know everything?
Josie's minivan pulled up next to my car. She got out and held a hand up to me. "Stay put, and I'll help you. It's icy."
"For God's sake," I grumbled. "I wish everyone would stop treating me like I'm an invalid. I'm pregnant, not dying."
"Now, now," Josie cooed as she grabbed me by the arm. "The end is near."
It sounded like a great line for my father's blog. "There's been a change of plans. I have to stay here and wait for Brian. I found an address stuffed down in my seat, and we think the person who lives there might have something to do with my carjacking. Brian's bringing him in shortly."
We went inside the station and sat down on the wooden bench against the wall. My back immediately began to ache against the hard surface. As I shifted in my seat, the baby kicked. Josie happened to look over at that moment and grinned when she saw my belly vibrate.
"That little dude or dudette wants to come out. For the record, I can't believe you still don't know what you're having."
"We want it to be a surprise."
Josie snorted. "Oh, babies are full of surprises, let me tell you. And it's more practical to know what you're having. What are you going to do with those thirty onesies and sleepers that you got in all green and yellow? Do you really want your kid to be wearing those for the next year?"
Before I could reply, the front door of the station opened, and Brian's blond head appeared in the doorway. He held the door ajar as Adam led another man, about my age, into the building. When the man's gaze met mine, my stomach twisted into a knot. Dark eyes stared keenly back at me, and when recognition set in, his mouth turned up at the corners.
He was very attractive, with smooth-looking skin the color of a mocha latte the result of his partial Spanish descent. Dark hair that was longer than mine had been pulled back from his face in a sleek ponytail. He was dressed in a faded jean jacket and Levi's with holes in the knees. The white Nike sneakers he wore were untied and looked brand new.
Josie let out a gasp. "Holy crap. It's Damian Ruger."
Damian turned his attention from me to my best friend. "Hey, hot mama, how's it going?" Then he smiled in my direction. "And little Sally Muccio. Not so little anymore, eh? Been baking some serious buns in that bakery of yours, I see."
Anger flickered inside of me like a flame. "Nice to see you too. Not."
An officer at the desk motioned to Adam, but Brian remained in place. He folded his arms across his chest as he stared from Damian to me. "You guys know each other?"
"You could say that," Damian smirked. "I'm the first dude Sally ever kissed."
Ugh. After all these years, he still remembered me telling him that. Heat crept up my neck. "We were kids, Damian."
Josie gritted her teeth in anger. "You piece of dog crap. She was only fourteen at the time and thought you were boyfriend material. Hey, we all make mistakes, right? She didn't realize that you were going to turn into a crackhead with the morals of a goat."
Embarrassed, I tugged at Josie's arm. "Uh, these details aren't important. Brian, is it okay if I leave now?" I desperately wanted out of here.
Damian gave a low, husky laugh. "Oh, but they are important. Still hot for me after all these years, ain't ya? I heard that you had to settle for Donovan. Sorry that there's only one of me to go around, but maybe you could try cloning me."
Was this guy for real? "It was 16 years ago, Damian. I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm pretty sure I've been over you since, uh—the tenth grade?"
Brian placed his hands in a stop sign formation. "Okay, let's take a break here. Ruger, I'd like to ask you some questions down the hall." He signaled to Adam, who crooked his finger at Damian. Damian winked at me and then followed Adam into what I knew was the interrogation room. Fortunately, I'd never been in there—yet.
"What a piece of garbage," Josie spat out. "I heard that he's been into drugs since high school and that he even beat one of his ex-girlfriends up. I'd bet money that he's the one who carjacked you."
Once upon a time, Damian Ruger had been one of the most popular guys in our high school—and one of the best looking. Mike wasn't at my high school during freshman year, and I'd had a mad crush on Damian. There was something about those bad-boy types that had always appealed to me.
When Damian asked me to the winter formal, I was on cloud nine. We'd started going out after that and had done the typical hand-entwined-in-hand bit in the hallway or necking by my locker. When I'd invited him for dinner, my family had not been so impressed. The next day, my father announced he was missing money from his bedroom, and I'd gallantly defended Damian's honor. Our dating status lasted an entire two weeks. Shortly after the family dinner, I'd caught him in the cafeteria making out with Magnolia Nunez for all to see. Later that day, Josie had phoned and told me how he'd announced to the entire school bus that he'd dumped me for Magnolia. I'd never been so humiliated in my short teenaged life.
Up until a few years ago, it seemed that it might be my destiny to have men cheating on me. Three years after my brief infatuation over Damian, I'd caught Mike with Backseat Brenda on prom night, but I'd jumped to the wrong conclusion and never given him a chance to explain. Mike had been drinking, but nothing had happened between them. The real icing on the cookie had been my sham of a marriage to Colin, who'd probably been sleeping around on me since our wedding.
Brian placed a hand on my arm. "You can go. I'll call you when I find out what's going on with this guy. He may have been one of the Santas who carjacked you."
"All right." I hoped Damian wasn't one of my carjackers, but if the rumors about him were true, it was possible. But why would the other Santa have a note with his address on it?
Josie put an arm around my shoulders. "Come on, hon. Let's go. I told Rob about your car. He and his brother will be by with jumper cables in a little while and then bring the car back to your house. Do you want me to stay for a while? Dodie will be all right—well, uh, maybe."
"You shouldn't have bothered Rob. Mike would have taken care of it."
"Hey, what are friends and husbands for?"
As we left the station and walked toward her van, I spotted a familiar-looking man talking on his phone and leaning against a black Mercedes. He raised a hand in greeting to me, and I squinted for a better look at him. At that moment, a large white-paneled van stopped between us. After the van moved on, the man got inside his car. I turned to Josie for affirmation. "Did that look like Jerry Maroon to you?"
"Who? The news guy?" Josie glanced toward the car, but the windows were tinted, and it was impossible to see him. Not that it mattered. Jerry Maroon was one man I preferred to avoid. A former anchorman on Buffalo's Channel 11 news, the guy was nothing but trouble. Earlier this year, when Mike had been injured in a robbery, Jerry had tried to sabotage a live interview we'd taken part in to locate the party responsible.
Josie adjusted her sunglasses against the bright sunlight. "I thought he was fired from Channel 11 for harassing one of the female assistan
ts."
"Yes, he was. Last I heard he's working for the Colwestern Journal."
She snorted and stopped for a red light. "Wow. There's a fall from grace for you. Most staff reporters make peanuts. As an anchorman, he probably made twice as much."
I tried to reposition the seat belt across my bulging belly. "He's not a reporter. Jerry has his own daily gossip column. He calls it 'Just the Facts,' but everyone knows that's a load of bull. And I'm guessing that he makes more than the average reporter. Either way you slice it, he's still a creep."
"Lowlife," Josie muttered. "Look what he tried to pull on you and Mike. God knows what he's doing to everyone else."
"Exactly. Gianna had a fit when a client found innocent of embezzlement charges had her name turn up in his column last month. Jerry claimed that she was working as a prostitute to make ends meet. Seems that he had some personal vendetta against her—they went out a few times, and then she dumped him. Anyhow, Gianna was furious and wanted her client to press charges, but she decided to drop the matter. Jerry's nothing but bad news. Yes, pun intended."
"I hope he ends up losing this job over slander," Josie said. "But I've also heard that the Journal's circulation has skyrocketed the past few months, so who the heck knows? Dirty politicians and now dirty reporters. Go figure."
My phone buzzed with another text from Mike—the third one within the hour. Where are you? Is everything okay?
Good grief. "Everyone's acting like I'm a bomb about to go off," I said to Josie as I shot off a quick text to my husband. "This baby needs to come soon."
A sly smile formed at the corners of Josie's mouth as she pulled into my driveway. "Aw, they're just excited, hon. Personally, I think it's cute. My family sure as hell didn't act like that when I was pregnant with Danny."
My heart ached for her and all she'd been through. Josie's first pregnancy had been unplanned at the young age of nineteen and resulted in a shotgun wedding for her and Rob. It hadn't been easy for them the first few years, and they'd almost separated once. Danny had recently turned twelve and was the eldest of their four beautiful boys. I'd always envied Josie her family, and now I was finally going to have one too. The thought warmed me from head to toe with excitement.
Ginger Snapped to Death Page 4
