Hired Killer (Biscayne Bay Book 1)

by Deborah Brown

  “You don’t have to take my word for it. Once we’ve had the opportunity to talk facts, you can interview the rest of the players in the case. I can give you a list, since I know them all,” Rally boasted.

  I’d thought he was full of it from the moment we sat down but that didn’t stop me from wanting to hear him out, waste of time or not. “What do you expect in return?”

  “Not money,” Rally said, amused by the idea. “I’d want it in writing that I’d be listed as a co-author, my name the same size as yours on the cover. The upside for you is that my name alone would make it a bestseller.”

  Floyd snorted, which garnered a glare from Rally, who looked quickly looked away.

  “In exchange, you’d be willing to answer all my questions and be available for any follow-ups?”

  “I have a lot to offer to this project. Besides sharing my intimate knowledge, I also volunteer to accompany you on other interviews. Your boyfriend won’t have to take any more time off work.” He looked down his nose at Floyd, who bent forward, and Rally popped back in his chair, almost tipping over.

  “Where my girl goes, you’ll be seeing my mug.” Floyd patted my shoulder with his meaty palm.

  I winked and leaned into Floyd, which garnered another glare from Rally. I had no doubt that with Floyd as my bodyguard, nothing would happen to me.

  Rally regained his composure and straightened up in the chair. “I’m certain that we can come to amicable terms. I’d also need assurance that your threat to call the cops is off the table, now that you know my attempted entry was purely innocent. Not to mention my showing good faith by meeting with you today.”

  His smarmy smile had me shifting farther away from him, even though there wasn’t room to go anywhere. “You did show up,” I said noncommittally.

  “I’m staying at the W South Beach,” he relayed in a snooty tone. “Once you have our contract drawn up and ready for me to sign, we can meet in one of the rooms, where we’ll have plenty of privacy.”

  Floyd slapped his hand down on the table, and Rally’s cup teetered. “There will be no meeting at a hotel. There’s a coffee house on every corner, public library, don’t care, as long as there’s plenty of people around.”

  “Don’t you trust your girlfriend?”

  Floyd hunched up out of his seat. “You little…” he growled, and the smirk disappeared off Rally’s face.

  I grabbed Floyd’s arm… part of it anyway. “Hon, I promise I won’t go anywhere that there aren’t a lot of people.” I felt his muscles relax slightly and turned to Rally. “Before I sign off on you being a co-author, you’ll need to give me something that shows it would be worth partnering with you. Show that you can produce, and to that end, how about setting up a meeting with Cathy Silver? Shouldn’t be too hard, since you’re friends.”

  Rally took his phone out and made a call. “Went to voicemail,” he said to me, then said into the phone, “Cathy, I’m giving Brenda Jones your number; she’s the one I told you was researching Mindy’s murder.” He hung up and sent a text. “I just texted you her number. I can also arrange for you to interview Mindy’s sisters.” Rally’s offer shocked me, and it must have shown because he added, “They’d talk to you if I was the one asking.”

  “I wouldn’t want to upset them by asking questions that make them relive losing their sister.” I inwardly winced at Mr. Graham’s reaction. If he could hear this pompous jerk, he’d have a flipping fit. “I’d rather not involve Mindy’s family, but I’d be interested in the names of any other people you think might be helpful.”

  “If you’re worried Mr. Graham would find out, we could keep it secret.”

  “I understand you are neighbors? You must have a good relationship with the Graham family.” I already knew the answer but was curious what he’d say. “After speaking with Mr. Graham, I could tell his pain wasn’t far from the surface.”

  “Our families are tight. We spend a lot of time together. I spend as much time with Mindy’s sisters as I can; it’s what she would’ve wanted, and it helps lessens my pain. They remind me of Mindy—free-spirited, loving. Even though I have my own business, I make time as often as possible.”

  I hated the idea of meeting the sisters on the sly. “Why don’t we wait and see if we think their input will be needed?”

  Rally nodded, clearly not happy. “Mindy deserves to have the story of her death truthfully told. She’d expect me to step up and do what I had to do to make sure that happened now that justice can’t be served in her case.”

  “You mentioned your business—what is it you do?”

  “I’m an investment advisor.” Rally preened. “You need advice on money, I’m your man.”

  Not a chance in hell. I reinforced the benign smile I’d pasted on. Rally was certainly full of himself, and I’d had enough of him and needed a breath of fresh air away from him. I checked my watch. “I’m happy that we decided to meet,” I lied. I needed a shower from sitting in this humidity, sucking heat, and had no time before meeting Seven. “We have to be going.” I stood. “I promised that I wouldn’t make my hon late for his appointment.” I nudged Floyd, whose smile would’ve made my hair stand on end if I were just meeting him. Now it was reassuring.

  “I didn’t catch your name,” Rally said to Floyd. “What is it you do?”

  “None of your business, dude,” Floyd grumped. “Your business is with my little petunia here.”

  I bit back a laugh. Petunia!

  “I also have an appointment.” Rally stood. “Call me when you have the paperwork. Don’t take too long.”

  “I’ll get my lawyer on it, but it won’t happen overnight.” Actually ever. I’d drag my feet with one excuse or another. Ditching him wouldn’t be easy, so I’d better come up with something good.

  “Don’t get cold feet. It’s the best deal you’re going to get.” Rally trotted off, leaving his coffee cup, even though the trash can was a foot away.

  With a shake of his head, Grey followed Rally at a discreet distance.

  “He’s a lying goat,” Floyd said. “If one thing that came out of his mouth was truthful, I’d be surprised.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Floyd and I walked back to the SUV, and on the way, I handed him the keys. He kept one eye on Rally as he slid behind the wheel. “What now?” I asked, since Grey was nowhere in sight.

  “We sit tight and see what Rally does next. I bet it’s frustrating him that we haven’t pulled out so he can follow us.”

  A couple of minutes later, Rally drove past us in a Lexus, slowing to honk and wave.

  “He’s so full of himself,” Floyd growled.

  Rally drove to the exit and got in line to turn. As the cars stacked up, we lost sight of him. Grey showed up, and took over the driver’s seat while Floyd got in the back.

  “Rally may be interested in a book deal, but that’s not all he’s up to,” Grey said as he slid behind the wheel. “I followed him to the Lexus, which is a rental according to the sticker on the bumper, then zigzagged back through the parking lot to make sure he didn’t catch sight of me.”

  “He creeps me out.” Note to self: check with Avery to see if she ran a background check, since it was something she liked to do. If not, get one. “He spent the time hinting at what he had to offer and boasting of his connections. He did call Cathy, and it will be interesting to see if that pans out.”

  “I wouldn’t trust him for a hot second,” Floyd growled.

  I nodded. “What bugs me is his lame explanation for showing up at the office and attempting to break in. I think he’d like to see his name on the cover of a book, but he’s got another agenda.”

  “He just happened to see you out somewhere? Yeah, sure.” Grey snorted. “We need to be careful.”

  “I agree with Grey. Rally’s got an agenda, and you need to figure out what it is. If you need someone to rearrange his face, I’m your man.” Floyd grinned. “Also, be careful. Rally’s interested in you. He gets you off to himself, th
en what? If he came knocking for one of my sisters, I’d kick his butt clean off the porch.”

  Grey turned and gave me a fierce stare. “You promise me right now that you’ll never go off and meet Rally anywhere. No matter what carrot he dangles.” He glanced at the dashboard clock. “We might as well head to the restaurant; you can bet Seven will be early.” He turned south and headed to the Coconut Grove area, where we were meeting.

  “We didn’t book Floyd,” I reminded him.

  “He’s in. When I talked to him last night, I went over the basics of what you’re up to and these two meetings.”

  “I object to your wording.” Both men laughed. I turned in my seat. “Very happy that you were by my side today. I had no doubts about my safety. By myself, I would’ve been totally creeped out.”

  “Anytime you need a bodyguard, give me a call. Don’t be worried about me blabbing your business.” Floyd held out his hand. “Give me your phone, and I’ll plug in my number.”

  I handed it over the seat. “You can bet that Mr. Graham doesn’t know about the friendship between Rally and his daughters. I wouldn’t want to get them in trouble, but he deserves a heads up that the man is sniffing around. Graham made it clear that he had zero use for Rally.”

  “My guess is that it’s all BS, like most of what he said,” Grey said.

  We rode in silence for several miles. After a while, Grey started questioning Floyd about his personal life, and we learned he was in his thirties, a local boy born and bred, and had a passel of family members nearby who were a close bunch. “Anything else would incur the wrath of my mother,” he relayed with dread in his voice.

  Grey then asked about his interest in becoming a PI.

  “It took a while, but I passed the test for my license. Now I need to put the hours in under someone else’s license,” Floyd said. “Hugo knows I’m ready to move on and this is what I’d like to do. He’s a great guy and is willing to be flexible with my schedule, as long as I can give him a heads up when I’ll be needed elsewhere.”

  Grey explained the type of on-the-job experience he’d need to get his license and what would be required. “Give me a couple of days, and I’ll have the names of a couple people you can contact to get the training and hours you need. I have no doubt you’ll be an asset to any company. I’m happy to use you when I can, but right now, I’m in the process of rebuilding and don’t have enough to keep you busy full-time.”

  “I can be available whenever you need me.”

  “I’ve got the promise of a couple of clients, but so far, nothing’s materialized. When it does, I’ll be happy to throw work your way.”

  Grey turned on Bayshore and into the parking lot of Roma’s, a charming brick restaurant across from the bay. He pointed to another black SUV. “What did I tell you? Seven’s early.” He parked off to the side of the entrance. “I’m going to wait this one out in the car.” He tapped his ear, then picked up my phone and called himself, handing it back to me.

  Floyd and I got out and walked into the restaurant. The lunch crowd was leaving and there were a few empty tables, so Seven was easy to spot at a corner table by himself. The picture I’d seen online didn’t do him justice. We walked over to the table. “Mr. Donnelly?” I asked.

  The forty-something, blond-haired, blue-eyed hottie stood, towering over us. He belonged in the almost-seven-foot club. “Seven,” he corrected, eying Floyd.

  Floyd stuck his hand out. “I’m the boyfriend bodyguard.”

  Seven didn’t seem surprised when he didn’t offer up a name.

  The waiter showed and took our drink order, all of us ordering iced tea.

  In order to cut through the awkwardness, I contributed to it by saying. “I want to offer my condolences on the death of your partner.”

  Seven grunted. “Odd circumstances, since Grey never did drugs.”

  I nodded sympathetically in the ensuing silence. “As you already know, I’m investigating the murder of Mindy Graham for a book I’m writing. Anything you could tell me…” I launched into my prepared pitch. The man clearly wasn’t impressed, judging by his stare.

  He reached into a briefcase that sat on the floor, pulled out an iPad, and handed it to me.

  “That’s really nice of you, but I already have one.” I didn’t brush it away, but I also didn’t take it from him.

  “What I’d like you to do is pull up a website, something you’ve written, or your social media profile to prove that you are who you say you are.” Seven’s smirk seemed permanently affixed to his lips.

  Damn. Of all the people who should’ve had that covered… I could’ve created a fake profile in an hour or two. I struggled not to show my frustration with myself and let his hand hang out there.

  He set down the iPad and shoved it across the table. “Any time you’re ready.”

  “I didn’t want to divulge up front that I’m a first-time writer. I decided to put off creating those sites until I get a publisher. Currently, I’m in the research phase.”

  “Surely you have a personal social media profile, Facebook… something.”

  Now I knew what the deer in the headlights must be feeling. Caught.

  “I can vouch for my petunia.” Floyd slapped his paw over mine. “No one has ever questioned my word.” And if they did, they got the moly beat out of them was left unsaid.

  Seven eyed the two of us. “You know what I think?” he drawled.

  Not really. I wasn’t prepared to be called out and humiliated. My cheeks flamed. “I don’t want you to think I’m wasting your time.”

  “Not thinking that.” He squinted at me.

  “You’d be my third interview. My first was Jeff Graham, and I just finished up with Rally Charles. A quick call to them would verify my story.” He might call my bluff, but I couldn’t actually see him doing it.

  Seven’s eyes narrowed. “Rally’s here in Miami?” I nodded. “He have anything interesting to contribute?”

  “Just that he was friends with all the players. He wanted to work a deal for co-authorship in exchange for his helpfulness.”

  Seven snorted. “Here’s a tidbit that will pay for the cost of my expensive lunch: Rally can’t deliver squat. Just because his father is a millionaire several times over doesn’t mean that anyone’s going to talk to his spawn. He’s got some nerve.”

  “I could test your theory and have him set up a meeting with you.”

  “You do that. If he somehow manages to get in touch with me, I’d agree just to see what he had to say. You can be assured that the meet-and-greet would be turned back on him. Cops didn’t get to question him as thoroughly as they would’ve liked, since he lawyered up. I’d be interested to hear what he has to say after all this time. I doubt he’s got the brass ones to call.”

  Floyd laughed. “It would be fun to watch.”

  “Brenda Jones, is it?” Seven asked, disbelief in his tone. “You’re going to have to show me something that proves you are who you say you are if you expect me to… What are you really up to?”

  “The reason I called is simple—I’m after information about Mindy Graham. I’m sure it’s hard for you to leave your detective training behind and take this at face value, but that’s the truth.” I thought that sounded good, but Seven didn’t, judging by the fact that his eyebrows rose a foot. “You’re kind of young to ditch the force. Bet that’s a good story.”

  “None of your business. I took my awards and left with glowing recommendations. Against my better judgment, you’ve got five minutes. You’re lucky I don’t have it in me to pass up a free lunch at my favorite restaurant—the cost wouldn’t pay for my time, but we’ll call it even.” Seven waved over the waiter, who passed out menus. “Everything here is excellent, so no matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong.”

  My stomach revolted at the mention of food, slowing only slightly from the roller coaster ride it was on before once again kicking into high gear. “What can you tell me about Grey Walker’s involvement in the case?” />
  “Zero. Despite what you read online, no one that knew him thought he did it. Who tried to frame him? That’s still an open question. Surprisingly, the murderer covered their tracks pretty well, and those with ties to the case weren’t forthcoming. I felt bad for Mindy; seemed like no one wanted the truth to come out. My guess is they feared it would uncover more skeletons.”

  I did my best not to flinch under his relentless stare and maintain eye contact. “Why did Detective Walker resign?”

  “The firestorm of publicity didn’t show any signs of dying down. I sat him down several times and told him to be patient and give it time. But it’s hard to ignore it when you’re the one in the spotlight. The chief believed in him and still has the Graham file on his desk. He’d like to solve that case before he retires.”

  “Anything new?”

  Floyd clapped his hand over mine and gave it a squeeze.

  Seven glanced over, amused. “My best advice…” His smirk returned. “If you do uncover any new information that would be helpful in solving the case, turn it over to the cops and let them handle it. Getting your butt kicked is painful and can be deadly. Although I don’t suppose your bodyguard would let you do anything too stupid.” Noting my grimace, he added, “If you don’t feel comfortable calling the cops, you can call me.”

  I’d had enough. I had a couple of personal questions but lacked the nerve to ask… not sure why it kicked in now.

  The server reappeared at the table, ready to take our order.

  I glanced at my watch. “My five minutes are up. If I learn anything of interest, I’ll call.” I reached in my purse and grabbed some cash, handing it to the server. “This should cover his lunch and a tip.” I stood and nodded towards Seven. “The rest is yours.”

  Both the server and Seven looked surprised. The latter nodded but didn’t say anything to me.

  Seven reached in his pocket and handed Floyd a business card. “If you’re ever looking for a more challenging bodyguard job, give me a call. I’ve got contacts, and they’re always looking for someone.”