Random Acts of Greed: Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries, Book 4

by Christy Barritt

  That thought was so foreign to me . . . and slightly disturbing. My mom couldn’t date. It was just too weird. “I didn’t either. Maybe she doesn’t. There was just something about the look in her eyes, though, that made me wonder.”

  Jamie abandoned her celery and leaned toward me. All of her attention was on me in a typical BFF-turned-shrink mode. “How would you feel about that?”

  The question caused all kinds of complexities to twist inside me. “I’m not sure. I mean, I want my mom to be happy. But the thought of her being with someone other than my dad . . . it’s hard to swallow.”

  I felt like I’d be betraying my dad by supporting something like that. After all, the two of them belonged together. They’d had a happy life and were married for almost forty years. They’d still be together if cancer hadn’t stolen my dad away too early.

  Jamie picked up another piece of celery. “Your mom is still relatively young. What is she? Fifty-nine?”

  I nodded. She was almost sixty, and she looked great with her perfectly coiffed blonde hair and trim figure. I only hoped I’d age half as well as she did.

  “She still has a lot of years left,” Jamie continued, waving her celery in the air. “I know it might be hard to hear that she’d be interested in someone, but I also know you want her to be happy . . . Maybe this is a good thing. If she moves on, maybe you can too.”

  I couldn’t deny that. More than anything I wanted my family and the people I cared about to be happy, healthy, and content. It would just be an adjustment when the day came and my mom actually did have another man in her life.

  My cell phone beeped, and I glanced at the screen.

  “Speaking of my mom.” I put the phone to my ear. “Everything okay?”

  “Holly, I forgot to bring some comps on this house with me, and I’m supposed to have a meeting with the owner. Would you be a doll and bring them by? I guess you and I both are a little scatterbrained lately since we have a baby around.”

  “Sure thing.”

  She rattled off the address, and I put Jonah into the car seat.

  Before I made it to the door, my phone beeped again. This time, it was Chase. Why would he be calling again?

  “I wanted to let you know that we just found a body in the Ohio River. It’s a woman, probably in her twenties. We haven’t been able to identify her yet.”

  My heart pounded in my ears. Could this be Jonah’s mom? Was she dead? Just like Gage?

  “This is a cute little house.” I turned around in the entryway.

  Even though it was a bungalow, it had magnificent wood floors and an open design that every host on HGTV would go crazy over. With some fresh paint and new furniture, it could make someone very happy. If someone opened the window for a few hours, the scent of an enclosed space would disappear.

  “Isn’t it cute?” My mom looked around also. “It’s going to be perfect for a young couple who’s just getting ready to start a family.”

  Her words caused my heart to pang. She was right. I could totally picture it.

  The neighborhood itself was blue-collar with lots of other little bungalows. The yards were decent, at least for this area. It was about ten minutes away from my mom’s place and ten minutes from downtown. A glance out the back window showed a stunning view of Cincinnati’s skyscrapers.

  “I don’t think I’ll have any problems selling this,” my mom said, her face glowing a little more than usual. “Thanks for bringing those comps by. Where’s Jonah?”

  “He’s in the car with Jamie. No need to haul him out since I’d be here only a few minutes. By the way, is that really what other houses in this neighborhood are going for?” I’d taken a sneak peak at the asking price when I grabbed her papers.

  She nodded. “Surprisingly low, right? I mean, sure, it’s a small house, but it’s also affordable. It’s refreshing.”

  I knew this area wasn’t exactly sought after by many people. The crime rate surrounding this street was considered high, but this street itself looked like the people who lived here actually cared.

  At once, I remembered the dead body, and sorrow filled me, along with guilt that I was going along with life like nothing had happened. What if it was Katie? If so, Jonah’s life would forever be changed. He wouldn’t get to experience a warm home environment with his mom.

  He deserved that chance.

  “Okay, well I know you need to meet with the owners, so I’ll let you get to work.” I put my hand on the doorknob. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Of course, dear.”

  Jamie convinced me to stop by her favorite pizza place for dinner, and she grabbed a newspaper on the way in. “Check this out. Front page.”

  I scanned the cover story. It was on the three triathletes who’d been injured last year. And right there was Jamie Duke’s byline.

  “That’s awesome, Jamie,” I said.

  I took the newspaper with me to the booth. I slid Jonah’s carrier into the seat against the wall and then read the article. She’d done a wonderful job explaining how the three men had gotten into bicycle racing later in life, how they’d met through a training program, and had become best friends. They talked about how the experience of disciplining themselves for the race had also helped them to overcome the challenges after their accident.

  When I finished, I nodded. “That’s a really good article, Jamie. I’m so proud of you.”

  She practically beamed from the other side of the booth. “Thank you.”

  I stared at the picture on the front. There were three men. Each were in their thirties or forties, if I had to guess. Lightning tattoos graced their necks.

  “Which one is Wesley?”

  Jamie pointed to the man in the middle, her grin widening. The man had a bright smile that shone through his gaze.

  “He’s handsome. Any updates?”

  Jamie’s grin faded a little. “I don’t know. He’s out of town doing a race with Anthony—this guy—” She pointed to the man in the middle. “This weekend. Mark—this one—is out of town at a family wedding.”

  “I meant, any updates on you and Wesley?”

  She let out a sigh and fanned the menu over her face. I knew she didn’t even need to look at the menu because she always got the same thing every time she came here to eat. Something else was making her flush.

  “I like him,” she finally said. “I’m not sure if he likes me.”

  “He would be crazy if he didn’t.”

  The menu hit the table with a slap. “You’re such a good friend. Thank you. I don’t want to be the one who pursues him, but I want to let him know that I’m interested. We text back and forth quite a bit.”

  “Just give it time, right? See what happens.”

  Jonah let out a squeal, and I rocked his carrier back and forth, determined to keep him happy.

  “You’re really good with kids, you know,” Jamie said.

  My cheeks flushed. I knew I was good with kids. I loved kids. But hearing the affirmation heartened me. “Thank you.”

  The waitress came and took our order. Then Jamie pulled out her electronic tablet. “While you were inside with your mom at that house she’s selling, I made some progress that I wanted to fill you in on.”

  “Okay . . .” I tried to guess what she had to say, but I had no clue.

  “So, I went onto GregsList—do you have any idea of how much stuff you can find there?”

  “A lot. Chase apparently found his truck there.”

  She nodded. “You want baby stuff? There’s a ton.” Her fingers scrolled across the screen. “Here’s a baby stroller for sale. There’s a slide. A high chair. Here’s some juice even.”

  “Some juice?” Speaking of juice, I took a sip of my water.

  Jamie nodded. “Five hundred cases of juice boxes. Bought in bulk.” Her voice changed as she read word for word. “I’ve got loads of it for sale. Come get yours for cheap, Friend.”

  “Weird. I don’t think I’d buy food or drink from a
classified site.”

  “It’s a site that a man like Crazy Hands might use.” Her eyes widened and she flexed her fingers with a psycho look in her eyes.

  I made a face, trying to put the man out of my head. “Go on.”

  She turned back to her tablet. “Okay, here’s another one that must have gotten in the wrong category.” She changed her voice again into ad-reading Jamie. “You’ll hit the jackpot with this little monkey. She’s like TNT but you’ll love having her around. It’s a little Yorkshire terrier.”

  “There are weird people out there. Unsafe people out there. You have to be careful when you go to buy anything. You’ve heard the news stories about people who’ve been robbed, beaten, or worse. Anyway, were you going somewhere with this?”

  “Oh, right, right. I went on to look for babysitters with the first name of Sarah.”

  Just like Samantha had said. Katie had found a sitter on the site, and Sarah was her first name. “Any luck?”

  “Well, I found four people named Sarah. I called each of them, inquiring about how many children they watched, etc. None of them are our person, unfortunately.”

  My hopes fell. “It was worth a try.”

  She raised a finger. “Here’s the good news. There are other babysitters listed, but they don’t go by their first names. They might call themselves Happy Times Babysitting or whatever. I’m trying to locate which ones are relatively close to Katie’s house. Once we find out who her sitter was, we might be able to find out some more answers.”

  “You’re brilliant.”

  She shrugged with mock humility. “I try. I’ll call more when I have the chance.”

  She took a sip of her water and then leaned closer. “What did you think of that house?”

  I smiled when I thought about it. “It has a lot of potential.”

  “You ever think about moving out?”

  Her question caused a knot to form in my throat. “I’m not sure. Something is shifting in me, and I keep feeling like it’s time to make some kind of life change. I don’t know what that is.”

  “It’s not getting a new best friend, right?”

  I patted her hand. “No, of course not.”

  Just then, the pizza appeared. In response, my stomach grumbled. Right on time.

  But the thought of finding Katie never strayed far from my mind. What if she was dead? What if the same person who’d killed Gage had killed her also?

  And there was one other question I couldn’t ignore: Who was going to die next?

  Chapter 17

  I was trying to occupy myself by making homemade baby food while Jonah took a nap. It was a bit hit–and-miss, since I’d never done anything like this before, but I was determined to see it through to completion.

  I tried a sample of apple and carrot and made a face.

  This stuff tasted terrible. Just terrible. How could anyone eat this stuff?

  When my doorbell rang, I welcomed the interruption. I wiped my hands on a kitchen towel, smoothed my apron, and went to answer it.

  A man wearing a suit stood on the other side, which instantly put me on alert. I’d never seen him before. His affable smile put me a little more at ease.

  “Holly Paladin?”

  I nodded, keeping the door open only a crack. “Yes?”

  “I’m Jim Dawson with Children’s Services.”

  I studied him a moment but didn’t recognize him. The man was fortyish with light-brown hair in a buzz cut. He was tall and thick, and his inexpensive suit made him appear authentic—social workers were vastly underpaid.

  But still . . . “I’ve never seen you before.”

  “I was working in Elder Protection with Kent Williamson until about three months ago. Then I moved over to the Children’s Services Division with Doris.”

  I recognized those names, which made me feel a little better. “Okay . . .”

  “Bethany Ellis sent me over here because she’s on another case right now. We have good news. We’ve located the child’s aunt. She lives up near Cleveland, and she’s on her way down to take custody of Jonah.”

  My heart leapt into my throat, nearly choking me. Mentally, I’d already begun reeling, trying desperately to find solid ground to hold onto. “I thought there weren’t any other relatives?”

  “It took us a while to locate her. Doris didn’t call and let you know?”

  I’d just looked on my phone and hadn’t seen any missed calls. “No, she didn’t.”

  He frowned and shifted his briefcase from one hand to another. “I’m sorry about that. I know she had a workshop to go to. Maybe she was going to call you afterward.”

  This was the time of year when there were lots of local and state conferences on social work. Doris very well could be at one of those.

  I eyed Jim again, trying to comprehend all of this, yet, at the same time, not wanting to. “So why are you here?”

  “I know this is difficult Ms. Paladin, but I’m here to take Jonah to the office and hand over custody to the aunt.”

  Something inside of me threw on the brakes. Was it because I’d become too attached and didn’t want to give Jonah up? Was that the reason for my caution?

  Or was it something else?

  “Please, Ms. Paladin. Can I come in? Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.”

  I eyeballed the man still. Sure, he knew some names and departments. He could have gotten them online, though.

  Trust no one.

  Did that include social workers?

  “As a former social worker yourself, you know this was a possible—and likely—outcome,” Jim continued, some of his empathy waning and replaced with impatience.

  You knew you were going to have to give him up, Holly. You knew it would be hard. This is what you signed up for.

  Jim waited for my response.

  “One minute,” I finally said. I just needed some confirmation. Or maybe I needed a moment to process, to buy some time. “I need to do one thing first.”

  I was going to call Doris and verify this, I decided. Then I would feel better about the situation. Any respectable social worker would understand that—should even respect it.

  I started to shut the door but something blocked it.

  My blood pressure spiked as facts collided in my head.

  Jim. Jim had blocked it.

  Chapter 18

  I threw my weight into the door.

  But the man was larger and stronger than I was. I caught a glimpse of his face. His eyes had gone from kind to malicious. His frame had once seemed large, but now he seemed like a brute.

  He shoved the door again. I flew back, my body slamming into the wall. My head instantly throbbed.

  I ignored the pain and pushed on the door again, knowing good and well that I was fighting for more than one life right now. I had to do everything in my power to keep that baby safe.

  The man smashed into the door again, sending me spiraling backward into the hard plaster for a second time. My head hit the wall again with a sickening crunch.

  I tried to catch my breath—the air had left my lungs. As I did, the man pushed inside and closed the door.

  He was in my house, I realized. No one outside could see what was going on.

  No!

  Panic welled inside me. I needed a plan. Physically, I was no match against this man.

  “You should have just given him to me.” Jim’s—if that was his real name—eyes suddenly looked dark and shady. His nostrils flared as he hulked in front of me.

  What was he going to do? And how could I stop him? My head ached too hard for me to think clearly.

  The man reached for me, grabbed me by my throat, and lifted me off my feet.

  My air pipe clenched under the pressure. I couldn’t breathe.

  I clawed at the man’s hands, desperate for him to let me go.

  It didn’t work.

  I kicked my legs. Jerked my shoulders back. Tried to scream.

  Nothing worked.

  “
Where’s the baby?” he growled as he leered in my face.

  I tugged at his fingers, unable to answer. Not that I would, even if I could. But I needed air.

  He finally released his grip and lowered me back to my feet.

  I doubled over, heaving in deep breaths and trying to calm myself.

  Before I could, he pushed me against the wall again, his body pressing into mine until cold fear spread through my veins.

  “Time’s up. Where is he?”

  “In there.” I pointed to the living room, trying to buy myself more time. “Taking a nap in the Pack ’n Play.”

  He sneered before grabbing my arm and pulling me with him toward the living room. My muscles and senses heightened with adrenaline because I knew what was going to happen. I might be buying time but only a little. When this man discovered I hadn’t told the truth, he was going to beat me. Maybe kill me.

  Then he was going to find Jonah upstairs. Literally, over my dead body.

  Tears pushed at my eyes.

  Dear Lord, help!

  “Where is he?” the man demanded, squeezing my arm until my fingers tingled.

  I pointed to the Pack ’n Play, my hand trembling uncontrollably as I did so. “I told you. There.”

  He shoved me into the couch and stomped across the room. I held my breath as I watched. He got to the empty Pack ’n Play and grunted. When he turned back toward me, his eyes were full of fire and rage.

  Adrenaline surged in me. I glanced around, looking for something—anything!—to protect myself with. I grabbed a ceramic lamp from the end table and swung it at the man as he lunged toward me.

  He raised his arm and cut me off mid-stroke. The lamp flew out of my hand and crashed on the wood floor.

  Based on the fire in his eyes, I’d ticked him off even more.

  But I had to keep fighting. I couldn’t let him get Jonah.

  I grabbed a spray bottle from the table. It was my mom’s orange, vanilla, rosemary essential-oil spray. Before the man could realize what I was doing, I sprayed it in his face.

  He yelped with pain and rubbed his eyes.

  I scrambled away and grabbed my phone. I hit Chase’s number just before something crashed into my head.