Death Rub

by Ashantay Peters

  ****

  Cam waited on my porch. Looked like I’d get lucky. You know, about finding out what he remembered of Travis’s comments to Nicole. Although his bodacious bod had my girl parts humming, I still craved sleep.

  I drew closer and saw a pizza box on the seat next to him, an open can of beer in his hand. “Hey, Big Guy. Whatcha doin’? No chairs available at the inn?”

  He put down his beer, stood and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Thought you’d like dinner in tonight.” He toed a small cooler at his feet. “Dessert.”

  “My kind of man.” I massaged his neck with my hands. His lips were another matter, and massaging just wouldn’t do when I could sip, nip, and lick them instead.

  Untold minutes later, I stepped back and unlocked the door. “I’m glad you’re here.” I helped him cart the food and set the table. After I had inhaled one slice and eyed a second, I felt my blood sugar climb. Sure, chocolate is a food group, but I’d needed protein.

  “I planned on calling you.”

  “Oh, yeah? Booty call?” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned. “My answer is yes.”

  I didn’t know whether to roll my eyes or laugh, so I did both. “Actually, I need some information first.”

  “First?” He licked his lips. “Sounds promising.”

  I leaned across the table toward him. “Do you remember, last Saturday night, when Travis and Nicole joined our table?”

  He looked like he’d bit into a lemon instead of the banana peppers that dotted the pizza. “I’m afraid I do.” He eyed me. “How important is your question?”

  “Important.”

  He set his pizza onto his plate and sat up straight. “Hit me.”

  “Right before Nicole left the table, Travis said something to her about watching her butt. Do you remember exactly what he said?”

  Cam shrugged. “Sure. He didn’t tell her to watch her butt. Travis said her investments might bite her in the butt.” He rubbed his chin. “That’s as close as I can remember.”

  “You’re sure?”

  He smoothed his thumb over my cheek, brushing off wayward crumbs. “Yep, caught my attention. He’d looked on his way to a champion drunk until the catfight started. Then he almost appeared sober. When he made the comment, he meant his words, no mistake. Of course, that didn’t last long.”

  Cam was right. Travis had hit the booze from the time he sat down. After Nicole left, his imbibing increased. Ginger told me that after Cam and I left, two of his former basketball team buddies dragged Travis home so he didn’t pass out at the table.

  “Is that it? Your only question? Because I like cold pizza and hot women.” He smiled. “Not necessarily in that order, you understand.”

  I blinked. He’d caught me cogitating on the investments biting Nicole statement. I didn’t doubt Cam had gotten it right. “Wait a minute. You think we had a cat fight with Nicole?”

  He grinned. “You hadn’t gotten to the hair pulling yet, but it sure looked like a cat fight.”

  “So you like cat fights, hmm?” I bent toward him, and his eyes went to my cleavage. “Hey, Tom Cat. Wanna spat with me?”

  His pupils turned big and dark. He put a hand behind my head, yanking me toward him. Our kiss began hot then turned feral.

  I heard clattering and knew he’d pushed our dinner off the table. He moved fast, rounding the wooden slab, and encircling me from behind. Hot, wet kisses covered the back of my neck, his teeth scraping my skin. His large hands cupped my breasts.

  I fought to regain just one small thought process. Instead of saying, “let’s move to the bedroom,” I heard my husky whisper voice another sentiment. “Hurry. Here. Now.”

  Thank the heavens he listened. I knew my idea of “tabling the matter” had undergone a radical definition. And “doggie style” would forever be renamed in favor of felines.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cam and I shared a hot and heavy night, so once again I didn’t get my needed eight hours. Not that I cared. I could run on love fumes, no problem.

  I toddled into the spa and another full day’s appointments. Knowing life’s unpredictability I gave every client my best massage. I’d made my rent and then some this month, but I had an ongoing practice to maintain. I hoped.

  When I left the room at my lunch break, I saw that Dolores had tacked a note to my door. My new door. Dolores had created a space for me after Liz returned from the beach. Even though the crime scene tape had been taken down, emotionally I couldn’t return to my original room. Dolores had also lent me her old table. After checking with the cops, I’d tossed the table Clarice had died upon. No amount of spiritual cleansing would make a difference.

  The note read, “Katie and Ginger, lunch at the Chocolate Fix today.” Mona didn’t serve sandwiches, so unless my friends brought me food, I’d be running on love and sugar until supper.

  They waited for me, waving as I walked in the door. Their gestures made it clear I should get a move on. Katie looked smug while Ginger couldn’t sit still. I felt my pulse pick up and slid into a chair across from them.

  “You won’t believe what I learned,” Ginger said. “I can’t wait to tell you.”

  “I can’t wait, either,” Katie added. “She wouldn’t say anything until you got here. I was ready to drag you out of the spa by your hair.” She turned to face Ginger. “You’d better go first before you vibrate out of the chair.”

  “Maggie should eat.”

  “Just for that, I’m making you wait.”

  I defused the standoff. “I’ll go first. Cam heard the exchange between Travis and Nicole.” I repeated what he’d told me the night before. “So it sounds as if she had more going on than we suspected.”

  “I’ll say she did.” Katie leaned forward and lowered her voice. “My boss knows everything about construction in town, including the underhanded stuff.” She held up one hand palm out. “Not that he’s involved in that crap, but it’s a small town.”

  We all nodded. Sometimes Granville Falls felt too little for comfort.

  “Anyway, he’d heard Nicole had entered into some shady dealings.”

  She looked over her shoulder and we joined her in scanning the room. No one paid us attention, but that meant nothing. Some of the older ladies sitting across the shop had ears like bats.

  Katie’s voice dropped to just above a whisper. “Jim said Nicole worked in cahoots with her daddy. Seems Papa the Mayor helped her cut a few zoning and code corners when she built her subdivision. Jim heard he stepped on some toes in the planning department.”

  Ginger’s eyebrows rose and mine resided just below the ceiling.

  “I knew Nicole had bad blood. I can’t figure how she killed Clarice, but I still nominate her for the honors.” Katie sat back with a satisfied smirk.

  Ginger’s eyebrows dropped when her forehead wrinkled. “You think Nicole killed Clarice? That doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t the same person have murdered both women? Besides, she’d stayed in another room, fixing her face after getting a massage. You know how relaxed Maggie’s work leaves you.”

  Katie waved her hand and Ginger’s comments away. “Who’s to say Nicole didn’t do it? I’m keeping her on my bad guy list until proven only half-assed bitchy. Jim told me the construction on those houses sucks. If you stand in the basement looking up, you’ll see more nails sticking out into air than driven into floor joists. The floors will buckle. If Daddy Dearest didn’t push the inspectors to overlook problems, how did her houses pass? She was always bad news.”

  I turned to Ginger. “So does any of this information tie in with what you learned about Clarice?”

  She shifted in her seat, looking like she performed a chair dance.

  “I’m still gathering facts, but it appears Clarice’s goody two-shoes reputation had tarnished.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook. “I took notes after the meetings so no one knows why I asked questions.”

  She flipped open the cover. “Clarice told varying stories about
her business. Some people thought she’d inherited a bunch of money from a great aunt in New York, while others had the impression she ran a small consulting firm. And I also heard stories that she and her husband invested together, and he funneled money to her for tax purposes.”

  Katie tapped the table with her fingertip. “Smart cookie. I’d never have suspected her of deceit. She was always so quiet in school.”

  “Yep,” I agreed. “Docile. When I remember Clarice, I think of lambs or bunnies. The odd-ball group, like Brad.” Hadn’t Clarice been a part of that clique? I seemed to remember she had.

  “Hey, even mice have teeth,” Katie reminded us. “I’m not revising my opinion of Nicole, but maybe those two were more alike than we realized.”

  “I’ll say.” Ginger leaned in. “Because some folks heard Clarice’s last investment had been, guess where?” She raised her eyebrows but didn’t wait for our answers. “Nicole’s subdivision.”

  “Clarice as mystery partner?” Katie snorted. “No way. I don’t believe that. Clarice hated Nicole. Remember that bit about her husband being seduced by our Prom Queen?”

  Ginger flipped a few pages, marking a spot with her forefinger. “Katie’s right. Here’s Clarice’s husband listed as an investor. The amount doesn’t match what Nicole needed for startup. Tax papers listed a corporation as the developer, but I couldn’t find the company listed on the Dow.”

  Sometimes I forgot that Ginger isn’t just a pretty face. After her husband Rob lost a chunk of her inheritance with bad investments, Ginger taught herself to read and follow the financial markets. By all accounts, her skills were acknowledged as top-notch.

  “I’m still researching, but I’d say it’s a dummy corporation. Most likely one of a series of holding companies designed to hide the money’s origins. It may take a while, but I’ll keep digging.”

  Katie rubbed her forehead. “This is starting to sound serious. Land swindles, do you think? Insider trading? Money laundering?”

  Ginger shook her head. “Probably more along the lines of tax evasion with a hint of political corruption.”

  My stomach muscles cramped. “Either way, we should just let the cops handle the investigation. I don’t want anything bad happening to you two.”

  Katie stared at me as if she could reassure me with her gaze alone. “I’ll let Dirk know the scuttlebutt without naming names, but you saw the papers, right? He’s getting pressured to make an arrest. He may not have time to follow all leads.”

  Ginger placed her hand over mine. “We’ve faced worse. At least no one is shooting at us.”

  “Hush your mouth.” Katie nudged her friend. “If you’d all listened to me, we could’ve nabbed the bad girl right away, but nooo. Nobody believed me then.”

  Ginger and I prudently refrained from answering.

  “We’ve got your back, Maggie. We won’t retreat from a little politics as usual.”

  I wished Katie’s comment made me feel safe and secure but it didn’t. Katie’s reminder of my proximity to a jail cell gave me the shakes. Ginger reached across the table and enfolded me in a hug. Katie isn’t a hugger, but I felt her concern and support wrap around me when she patted my hand.

  “If anyone can find the information, it’s you, Ginger.”

  I agreed with Katie’s declaration. Ginger looks like a model but she’s got a spine and brains. “So where are we? How can I help?”

  “First, you can eat this salad I brought for you.” Ginger reached into her bag and pulled out a covered bowl.

  Katie pushed a paper wrapped roll toward me. “I got Dora to make you a sub sandwich.”

  Mona approached carrying a tray. “I thought you might like chocolate for your conference.”

  Stunned, I looked at the women who had my back.

  “Ah, crap.” Katie’s forehead crinkled. “If you cry, I’m leaving.”

  Ginger shook her head. “I thought you were working on a kinder, gentler Katie?”

  “A work of art takes time.”

  I choked out a laugh. Wiping away a stray tear or two, I caught Mona’s attention. “Do you mind if I eat this here? Will you get in trouble with the Health Department?”

  Mona smiled and handed me a stack of napkins. “The department manager’s wife is one of my best customers.” She waved a hand. “Just don’t make this your regular lunch stop.”

  My chest tightened. “Thanks, and I won’t.”

  I tucked the sandwich into my bag. “Thanks, Katie. I’ll save this for my next break. I’m working late tonight.” Then I started on the salad, hoping I didn’t spill on my blouse as I scarfed an excellent mixture that deserved more of my attention.

  The bell above the shop door dinged. We looked up as one and saw Brad. He spotted us, took a few steps in our direction then veered to the counter when Mona greeted him.

  Katie’s eyes narrowed. “What’s he doing here? I mean it’s not like Brad is a chocoholic. He didn’t even eat the dessert at dinner on Friday.” She tapped her finger on the table. “When I asked him if he liked cheesecake, he told me that sugar is poison and he wouldn’t “sully his temple.” As if.”

  Ginger choked back a laugh. “He does have a pretty impressive temple these days. Did you offer to eat his dessert for him?”

  “Ha. Funny.”

  “An aversion to sugar is no reason to distrust a man, Katie.”

  “Brad told me he’s visiting his mother this week,” I chimed in.

  “Yeah?” Katie’s voice held a hint of suspicion. “Why would a man whose mom complains he’s never home for long spend two weeks here now? I get why he came for the reunion, I guess.” She glanced over her shoulder to the counter. “He just looks and acts so different. It’s mind boggling, but how much has he changed inside?”

  Shooting another look toward Brad still talking with Mona, I contemplated the misperceptions caused when you hold onto the past. My thoughts were interrupted when Brad, who’d misinterpreted my blind musings as interest, approached us.

  “Ladies. Are you having a nice lunch?”

  I murmured an answer, my reflections still centered elsewhere. All contemplation ended when Brad asked Katie a question.

  “So, any news on the murders? I was surprised the cops didn’t make the whole class stay.”

  Katie threw me a glance I couldn’t interpret. “They’ve got everyone’s contact information. Unless you’re a millionaire with Swiss bank accounts and multiple off-shore properties, anyone not living off the grid is easily found.”

  “I guess you’re right,” he answered. “Still, with the mayor’s daughter involved, I’d have thought an arrest would be made the first day.”

  Katie’s clipped out an answer. “Sure, maybe on television. Sometimes finding the real killer takes longer.”

  He tilted his head. “I’m glad the police are being careful.” He caught my gaze. “I’d hate for the wrong person to get convicted.”

  My breath caught. I shoved my hands under the table to hide my shaking.

  Ginger stepped in to what felt like a developing fray. “So would we.”

  “Perhaps all that’s needed is a little incentive.”

  I wrinkled my forehead. My forehead did that a lot, lately. I figured I could plant spring crops in the furrows my frowns left. That’d be the only way I’d get fresh veggies in prison. Shaking off dread I asked, “Incentive?”

  “A reward. Cash for information.”

  Katie’s expression remained stoic, but I sensed her interest. “What kind of reward?”

  He looked at the ceiling. “I’m thinking $25,000 for information leading to an arrest.”

  “Why would you spend that kind of money, Brad?” Katie’s voice held an edge. “Do you think the police aren’t doing their jobs?”

  His answer came soft-voiced but tense. “I guess you didn’t know, or maybe you don’t remember. Clarice dated my friend, Sam Sievers, back in the day. She treated me nice when a lot of other people didn’t. I want her killer caught.”

>   My face warmed, and I wondered how I’d acted toward Brad. I couldn’t remember, or rather, had chosen amnesia about those years.

  “In case it matters, you three never made me feel bad. I always liked you girls.”

  Thankful he hadn’t mentioned his crush on me, I blew out a breath. My stomach churned. This reunion had made me realize that I’d been a shallow, unconcerned person for a lot of years. It’s hell facing your actions and finding you lacked human decency.

  Brad held up a small Chocolate Fix bag. “Anyway, I just stopped by to pick up chocolates for my mom. She loves this place.”

  “So how long are you in town, Brad?” Katie’s tone held a smidgen of challenge. Apparently his reasons for offering a reward hadn’t softened her attitude toward his inferred slap at GFPD.

  “A few more days. I hope I’ll see you around. Have a nice day.” He strode for the door and left without a backward glance.

  “Really, Katie.” Ginger shook her head. “Why did you berate him? He’s offering help.”

  Katie tapped a fingernail against her teeth, her attention still on the entrance. “Moi?” She faced Ginger. “I get the feeling he’s only talking reward for his own benefit.”

  I stood. “Sorry. If I don’t leave right now, I’ll be late for my next massage appointment.”

  A series of hugs and heartfelt thanks followed, then I raced back to the spa. As I readied my table for my next client, I pondered the scene with Brad. The incongruity of Sad to now Bad Brad still had my thoughts spinning. I couldn’t help feeling Brad’s motives for putting up a reward were rooted in his high school years. This was his chance to play big man on campus and live down his Sad Brad nickname.

  Did we ever outgrow our teen-age angst?

  If I survived this situation unscathed, I’d run the next time the past reared its ugly head.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I dragged my exhausted self home, grabbed the sandwich I hadn’t finished earlier, and polished it off. Cam was stopping by, and I figured a quick shower would energize me. At least I hoped it would.

  As I slipped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapping my hair, I heard the phone ringing.