At least I had an address that I could trace.
Chapter Thirteen
When I got home, there was a note from Jax Jackson that was slipped under my door. First he wanted to know why I didn’t have a cell phone and two he wanted to verify our plan to meet up at The Cracked Egg after I made my drop off with Trigger Finger. He had my first set of instructions.
First set? He had another thing coming to him if he thought I was doing more than one.
Henrietta didn’t move an inch throughout the night after we had gotten home from the orphanage, but I did. Trigger Finger Tony, Jax Jackson, having a hand gun, and a possible address from my past rolled around in my head like a hamster on a wheel. And lying in bed didn’t help matters.
Thoughts of Trigger Finger pinged in my head only to bounce off an idea about Jax Jackson which made me think about the gun and so on. Nothing was getting solved. Only more of a stomachache which made me wonder if I had some crazy family sickness.
All this talk about Trigger and mobs was taking up all the breathing room for my brain. The whole mobster thing was getting to me.
I surfed the Internet looking at all sorts of images of Trigger Finger Tony. I even saw the guy from the boat and the docks that the caption referred to at Nicoli Fabrizo. He was in a lot of Trigger’s pictures, wearing the same head-to-toe white outfit and his finger.
Quickly I got showered, fed Henrietta, and grabbed my bag along with my new little gun friend before I left to go see Derek to get one of his old cell phones he had promised me.
“You’re here early.” Derek was already in the garage bay working on the same car he had been working on earlier in the week. “Your passenger needs a ride?”
“What? How did you know?” I couldn’t believe it. “That Gia!” I was going to give her a piece of my mind for telling him about Trigger Finger.
“Calm down.” He wiped his hands off on his already dirty rag. “Why are you getting so worked up? You are the one who told me about Jax Jackson needing a ride to and from Morty’s while he’s in town for that music festival.”
“Oh, yeah.” I sucked in a big deep breath, so happy he didn’t know about Trigger. I was more on edge than I realized.
The phone rang which caught Derek’s attention, taking the focus off of me. He walked in the office to answer it. I heard a few mumbles before he slammed down the phone.
“Got to go!” He ran out of the office with one of his coat sleeves hanging off his shoulder while he tried to finagle the other one on and also shut the bay door. “A little help?”
“What’s the rush?” I pushed the remaining opened part of the large garage door down with my foot so he could lock it up on the rail.
“Fresh body!” His eyes sparkled like his toothy grin. “First dead body I’m going to get to see in the line of duty!”
He grabbed his set of truck keys off the hook he had nailed by the door and rushed me out in front of him.
“The phone! I need a phone!” I punched my finger in the air toward the office and watched him run to his truck.
“It’s going to have to wait.” He jumped into his truck, leaving me standing there.
“Damn.” I sauntered back to the Old Girl.
Click, click, click. The sound of a dead battery made me turn around. Click, click, click. Looking through the back of the truck window, I could see Derek smacking the hell out of the steering wheel.
“Piece of shit! Piece of shit!” he screamed and spit on the ground. Not to mention a little stomping.
His eyes slid over to me.
“Laurel, I need a ride.” He ran over to the Old Girl and got in the passenger seat without me agreeing to cart him around.
“I’m, I’m…,” I looked at my watch. I had to be on time to pick up Trigger or my finger wasn’t going to be able to hold that gun Derek let me borrow. I opened the door and got in.
“Drop me off.” He put his hands in the air. “That’s all I’m asking. River Road!” He pointed ahead.
There weren’t any words exchanged between us.
On the way there, he did all the talking about how it was his first case and he couldn’t wait to get started on it. Plus he was going to put more hours in at the station and work more nights at the garage. Yada-yada.
“I’ll wait right here to make sure I can leave you.” I told him before he hopped out of the car—like a kid who just woke up on Christmas—when he saw the group of police gathered on the side of River Road.
He gave me the backward wave. I watched as he walked up to the group. The sheriff seemed to be filling him in on the deets.
I craned my head, trying to see around them. They were definitely interested in something more than just a dead body. Not that a dead body wasn’t bad enough. They were all bent down shaking their heads. A few of them covered their mouths.
Not Derek. He stood up and turned around. A big grin planted on his face made his dimples even more adorable. Too bad he was like my brother because he was going to look damn good in a cop uniform.
“You can go on. I’ll catch a ride with Jimbo.”
Jimbo Warren had been with the police station for over forty years. He should’ve retired a long time ago, but Susie, his wife, said she’d go crazy if he was home all the time meddling in her business.
It was no business of mine or my tale to tell, but I heard that maybe Jimbo needed to meddle a little more in Susie’s business. As he wouldn’t be so happy with her extracurricular activities with a certain jailer in our town, Bobby Flynn.
I leaned over and rolled down the passenger window.
“What’s going on?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Dead guy. Didn’t recognize him.” He scratched his head. “His finger is missing.”
“Missing?” I asked. My neck ached from the tension that was traveling up my body. “Like his pointer finger?”
“Yeah, how did you know?” he asked and bent down to the window and leaned in on his elbows.
“That’s the only finger name I know besides fuck you.” Lady like, I put my middle finger up.
“Funny, Laurel.” He rolled his eyes. “He’s not from here either.”
“Don’t recognize him and he’s dressed funny.”
“Funny?”
“One color. Head to toe.” He gestured.
“As in white?” My head did flips with the images of Nicoli Fabrizo flipping through my head like a rolodex.
“How did you know?” Derek’s eyes narrowed. His brows cast a shadow down his cheeks.
“I could see the sun beating off of something white.” I pointed out to the dead body, which I couldn’t see, and the sun was nowhere beating down.
“Huh.” Derek stared at me a moment too long before he said, “The more I think about it, the more I want you to really stay away from Jax Jackson. He can rent a car. Besides, Trixie wouldn’t approve.”
“What?” Why would he say such an absurd thing? “You aren’t my dad.”
“Think about it Laurel.” Derek gave me that look. “He shows up to town. Someone turns up dead.”
“Oh and he did it.” I laughed, though he did plant a seed of doubt in my head. And I couldn’t tell him that Jax was an FBI agent. “So when I went to New York City, all the city’s homicides should have been pinned on me?”
“Good question if we lived among eight million people.” His voice escalated, “Walnut Grove has twelve hundred people.”
“I gotta go.” I looked at my watch. I had exactly a half hour to get to Trigger Finger or Derek was going to be finding my dead body minus a finger.
Chapter Fourteen
Now what Derek had said about Jax and the murder being tied wasn’t exactly wrong. Jax did tell me about Trigger Finger and Google confirmed it. Plus Jax was in some of those dead FBI agent’s funeral photos. So I was going to have to stay on the side of where I was getting paid. The FBI and the mob.
As he had been the last two days, Trigger was waiting in the lobby and came out as soon as he saw m
y car approaching. Today he was in the same sort of suit but a little more grey. He wore the same slicked back hair, white button up, and rings, minus the finger.
“Good morning, Laurel.” He slammed the car door. “I need to go to the church. I have a little sin I need absolved.”
“I don’t want to hear about it. Lalala!” I sang into the air, images of Nicoli’s finger and what I could only imagine his body looked like taking space up in my head. Nicoli’s blood wasn’t going to be on my hands. The less I knew, the better.
“You women.” He shook his head. “That’s why I need to go ask for God to forgive me. I had images of me using my little friend on my side piece.”
“Oh God, please, please don’t tell me about you killing Ni…”
He interrupted, “Just like that.” He flung his hand in the air toward me. “She interrupts me all the time. I have no idea why I need a side piece when I have a perfectly well suited ass at home. She knew she was a side piece and I give her a little task and she goes all fucking crazy on me.”
“Side piece?” Surely he was talking about his right hand man, Nicoli.
“Yeah, side piece. You know.” Loosely he rolled his hand in the air in a circular motion. “Piece of ass…er.” He looked at me like he forgot I was a lady. “It’s common to keep a mistress in my job.”
“What is your job again?” The question flew out of my mouth. There was no way I was going to be able to take that one back.
“You worry about your job of getting me back and forth. Got it?” His jaw clenched. The stress lines between his eyes deepened. “And hopefully it will only be a few more days. I gotta get back to New York. I need a good meatball sandwich.” He shook his full hand at me. “That’s one thing this little town needs. A good Italian restaurant.”
“Is that so?” I asked under my breath. I spoke up a little louder, “I don’t know if Pastor Wilson is going to be able to help you.”
I wasn’t sure Pastor Wilson could help himself, much less a man who had been fornicating with a mistress and wanted to off her.
“I told her. I had bad feelings about my side piece.” He stared out of the window.
“Break up with her.” It seemed like a simple solution.
“Do you know the thunder Big Manny would stir?” Cough, cough. “I mean, she has a very important family that wouldn’t be too happy with me.”
“What about your wife? That seems to be the important factor here.” To me it was obvious who he needed to take care of.
“I’m done with this conversation,” he insisted with returning impatience. Another wad of cash dropped from his fingers, landing with a thud on the seat. I swear it was the biggest stack yet. “Just take me to the church.”
There was complete silence until we pulled up in front of Friendship Baptist. I pulled along the side of the curb and put the car in park.
“What the hell is this?” Trigger looked out the window. His nose was curled and his brows furrowed.
“The church.” Duh. For a mobster, he wasn’t that smart.
“I need a priest!” he spat, spit droplets shooting out of his mouth.
“We…don’t have a Catholic church here.” I turned around and looked at him.
“Drive,” he muttered through gritted teeth and opened up the suit coat showing me his little friend. He said a few more expletives that weren’t recognizable, but his tone told me he wasn’t happy.
Suddenly I felt numb. Almost paralyzed. There was nothing good coming from this situation. How was I going to defend myself?
I jumped out of my skin and almost pissed myself when someone tapped on my window. My heart fell with relief when I saw Derek standing there. I looked back at Trigger. He gave me a keep-your-mouth-shut look with a little nod. I rolled down the window.
“Hey.” I planted a fake grin on my face. Oh no. My heart pounded when I saw Derek was wearing a sheriff’s uniform. “Nice duds.”
“How do you like me now?” There was pride on his face. “I have to get them altered. Cool though, right?” He held his arms out to show me the fit. “I wish I would have had this on this morning when the Louisville Channel Five News got wind of that dead guy on River Road. They must’ve burned up the roads getting down here to get the scoop.” He ducked down into the window and looked at Trigger. “You here for the festival too?”
“Festival. Yea.” Trigger gave one word answers.
“Cool.” Derek gave me the stink eye.
“Yea, cool.” I took a deep breath. I wished he wouldn’t have said anything about Nicoli. “Did you get your truck fixed?”
“Nah. That old thing.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m walking over to see Clyde right now to see if he or Baxter has something I can borrow until I get the truck fixed. Are you ready for your big date that Gia mentioned the other night?”
“Shut up, Derek.” I pushed his arm off the door. “You better not show up there either.”
Ahem. Trigger cleared his throat.
“I gotta go.” I waved and smiled.
“See ya, Laurel.” Derek tapped the door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he hollered after I drove off.
“Take me to the docks,” Trigger demanded. His words were suddenly raw and very angry. “Remember our little agreement, Laurel. No need to be here tonight, but I expect you to pick me up the morning after tomorrow at nine a.m..”
I didn’t say a word. There was no way I was able to forget our little agreement. I looked down at my fingers. And I couldn’t forget my agreement with the FBI.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I screamed when Trigger got out of the car. I turned the Old Girl back down River Road and headed straight to see Johnny Delgato.
I raked the wad of cash from the passenger seat and stuck it in my bag. The stress was killing me and it was high time I took back my life.
I was going to forget all about Jax Jackson and Trigger Finger Tony. First stop would be to get a new phone, apply at Quick Copy and get my life in order. After all, I was on the up and up, not the way back down. Trigger was going to have to find his own way back to his hotel. When the day was over, I was going to tell Derek everything I knew. Everything I had seen go on at the docks between Morty and Nicoli, along with the FBI plans to use me were all going to go in my file that I was going to give to Derek.
Who could possibly need a phone this early in the morning? I had to park the Old Girl across the street in the K-Mart lot because all of the off-road parking was taken.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Laurel London,” Johnny Delgato whispered my name, seductively. He flashed his most deadly weapon that I had no defense against. His white teeth.
There was something in a smile that I loved on a guy. His smile was worth a million dollars. They twinkled just as much as his steel blue eyes against his tan skin.
“You bring a double-edged sword.” He held his hands to his heart. “Pleasure to look at but painful to know you aren’t mine…yet.” His eyes narrowed. His chiseled jaw clenched. His stare hurt.
See why I have tried to avoid Johnny Delgato? He makes me lose all my senses.
I reached down in my bag.
“Whoa!” He stuck his hands up in the air. “You don’t have any walnuts in there do you? I was just kidding about the hot thing.”
“Delgato, I need a phone.” I pulled out the five hundred in cash. “If I did have a walnut, I would’ve already pelted you with it.”
For a girl, I had a mean throw. I mean a throw that would hurt someone. In fact, when I got tired of Johnny Delgato’s wandering hands, I armed myself with walnuts. I mean the big green walnuts that are all over Walnut Grove, hence the name.
Anyway, I kept a few in my bag and when Johnny Delgato tried to get fresh with any girls at a high school game or even the bowling alley, I’d chuck one right at his head. Most times he’d duck, but once he didn’t and got knocked right out. Granted, he had to go to the hospital for a concussion, but it taught him a lesson.
“Did you rob the bank again?” Joh
nny stepped back. “I don’t want any of your dirty money. You can go right on over to K-Mart and buy a phone from them.”
“No asshole, I didn’t rob the bank. It’s my money. Now.” I walked over to the counter and pointed to the latest phone. “I want that one and keep the plan I have with my flip.”
“I’m going to have to ask Trixie about that because she still pays your bill.” An evil grin crossed his lips. “Why is that? Are you still ten?”
“Shut up, Johnny.”
“Seriously, Laurel. It’s like she’s still trying to keep some type of hold on you.” He stood with his mouth open, eye narrowed like he was thinking something.
“Hold?” I laughed. “Johnny, she raised me like I was her own. I was the only orphan that never had a foster family or even had a chance to be adopted.”
“Hasn’t that ever made you wonder way?” he asked a great question. “Even your pal Derek had a few foster families.”
“Just get me the damn phone.” I shoved him to the right so he could walk around the counter and get my phone. “Call Trixie if you have to. I don’t give a shit.”
Cautiously, Johnny walked around the counter and took out the phone I had pointed to.
“You think you can handle that particular phone?” The smart assed Johnny was back. I could feel his stare. I didn’t look up. “I could come over and show you all the bells and whistles tonight after work,” he leaned over the counter, mere inches from my hair and whispered.
“Watch it.” I jerked back. I didn’t want to make a scene in front of all the people in his store. “Just get me the damn phone.”
He smiled. I glared. There was always a sort of sexual tension between the two of us and I would have put money on it that we would have great sex, but it wasn’t something I was willing to do. One night stands were Johnny Delgato’s trademark. Gia knew all about that.
“Fine.” Johnny proceeded to walk around the counter and disappeared into the back room. There was a little window in the wall where you could see a few of his technicians working on customer phones. I watched him take my new phone out of the box. He said something to one of the guys. They both turned and looked at me.
Checkered Crime: A Laurel London Mystery Page 11
