Joey shook his head. “This guy would have to be plain stupid to dogjack Lucie. My father would put his head on a stick.”
Lucie sucked in a breath, felt the burn all the way to her lungs. On rare occasions, she heard about her father’s business, but it never sat well with her.
“Oh, relax.” Joey shook his head at her. “It was a figure of speech.”
Right. Figure of speech.
Sure it was.
Chapter Fifteen
Late Tuesday afternoon, a sunny day that made Lucie anticipate warmer weather and ice cream cones by the lake, she and Joey sat in his SUV across the street from the Hubbard Bar & Grill. They had completed the dog walks for the day and, despite her exhaustion, she’d pushed herself and Joey to track down this Neil character.
Supposedly Neil frequented this place, but they’d been here an hour already with no sightings of a blockhead. She pulled a nail file from her purse and began sawing.
The waning sun shined through the windshield, the meager heat radiating off the dashboard. Such a nice day.
Joey focused on Hubbard’s and Lucie followed his gaze. Nothing. “What is it? Did you see him go in?”
“No. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
Eat. Was he insane? They were on a stakeout and he wanted to march right into the place so he could feed his insatiable stomach. “We can’t leave the car. What if he shows up while we’re eating?”
Joey pointed at Hubbard’s. “We’ll eat there.”
“What?”
“Why not? They serve food. We can eat and spy at the same time.”
“What if someone recognizes us?”
He shrugged. “I’ll tell them we were in the neighborhood and got hungry. I ate here with Dad a couple of times. Everyone knows I know the place. If Neil comes in, you’ll get an up close look at him. Think about it, Luce. This is a great plan.”
Before she could protest, he stepped out of the car and waved at her to hurry up. Nothing came between Joey and a meal.
“Jiminy Crickets. Give me a second.”
She hesitated a minute longer, ran the plan through her mental strategizer. It could work. Finally, she scooted out of the car and followed him.
If the place wasn’t a throwback, she didn’t know what was. The lack of windows made it impossible to know whether it was day or night outside. Minimal can lights didn’t help. An L-shaped bar sat to the right and a handful of unoccupied captain’s tables and wooden swivel chairs filled the remaining space. The only sound came from a wall-mounted television tuned to SportsCenter.
The four men at the bar turned toward them then quickly looked away. Apparently, not anyone Joey knew, because he pointed to an empty table with vinyl upholstered chairs that reminded Lucie of ones her mother had back in the seventies. Still though, the place was clean and the scent of grilling meat hung in the air. Maybe she was a tad famished herself.
Upon finishing their meal, Joey lingered over a beer. His second. “I’m driving home,” Lucie said.
“You think I’m loaded on two beers?”
“I don’t care. I’m not taking a chance on you getting pulled over. That’s all we need. The cop would take one look at the name on your license and he’d throw you in lockup.”
Joey didn’t argue. It could happen.
The door opened and two male voices boomed. “I banged the hell out of Gonzo’s sister last night,” one guy said.
Ignoring her better judgment, Lucie turned to look at the two men. If her father were here, he’d be up and beating the heck out of the guy who dared to talk that way with women present.
“Turn around,” Joey said, his voice sharp, biting even. “That’s Neil.”
A gush of excitement left a metallic taste in her mouth and she spun back. This was it. Finally.
“Take a casual look,” Joey said.
She pretended the voices drew her attention and glanced toward the door. Well, Frankie was right about one thing. The guy had a square head. Truly fascinating.
Unfortunately, she didn’t recognize said squareness. That wouldn’t make Frankie very happy. If she’d seen that head before, she’d remember it.
An older man followed Neil and the other guy through the door. Lucie turned back to Joey. “Mickey just walked in.”
“Got it.” Joey smiled big, maybe a little too big, and held his hand up in greeting. Mickey walked to the table, shook Joey’s hand and kissed Lucie on the cheek. Ick.
“Good to see you, Joe. What’re you doing here?”
Joe. Nobody that mattered called him that.
“We were doing errands for my ma and I got hungry.”
Mickey nodded. “How’s your father?”
“He’s good.”
“Glad to hear it. Give him my best.”
Gag.
Mickey turned to Lucie, stared at her a minute and hit her with a slow moving, grease drip of a smile. “Lucia, I heard you got laid off. You let me know if you need anything.”
That’d be the day. But because she was on a mission here, she smiled. Not too big, not too small. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
No sense being rude to a serial killer. At least that’s what Ro called him.
Neil took a seat at the bar and turned to see where Mickey had gone. Lucie made eye contact and Neil, with the speed of a man running from a grizzly, turned front again. No wonder Frankie was obsessed. Neil’s behavior didn’t lend itself to innocence.
Still though, he wasn’t anyone she recognized. Too bad. The glimmer of we’re-gonna-fix-this-mess hope went bye-bye.
Lucie checked her watch. “Joey, we should go.”
“Right.” He stood and held his hand to Mickey. “Take it easy, Mick. I’ll tell my father you were asking for him.”
“Thanks, Joe. And Lucia, remember what I said. Anything you need.”
Don’t hold your breath. But Lucie nodded her thanks and they left the bar.
When they reached the sidewalk, Joey halted. “Well?”
The fading sunlight, in contrast to the darkened bar, seemed an instant relief and Lucie tilted her head skyward. “Nada. I’ve never seen that guy before. And with the shape of that head, I’d remember.”
“Say goodbye to your boyfriend then, because we’re gonna have to commit him.”
Lucie snorted, but she wasn’t sure Joey was kidding. Frankie was becoming a bit compulsive about this. “Back to searching the house, I guess.”
“Did you finish in the attic?”
“No. I have another seven boxes. No diamonds so far, but I did find grandma’s coffee grinder. The wooden one we used to play with when we were kids?”
“Holy crap. Mom still has that?”
“You should see some of the stuff up there.”
They reached the car and Joey turned to her. “Maybe you should think about not selling any accessories for a while. Let this blow over.”
Fat chance. “Believe me, I’ve thought about shutting down, but I don’t want to give in to these people. I don’t get it, Joey. I can’t find any more diamonds. We know none of the dogs are wearing them and we’ve been through my entire inventory, including what I’ve sold. There are no other diamonds. It’s just the one in my safe deposit box and, according to Frankie, his father already spread the word that we hid that one. Why, if these people are so bent on getting that one back, aren’t they coming straight to me?”
Joey, clearly remembering she expected to drive home, held his keys to her. “Whoever is doing this doesn’t want Dad to find out who they are. Even with him behind bars, nobody will screw with him.”
She took the keys, flipped to the thick black fob and pointed it at Joey. “Unless they had a darn good reason.”
* * *
Lucie slipped in the back door just after dawn the next morning, wearing last night’s clothes. It wasn’t her fault. She’d been conned into going to Frankie’s to report on Neil and had been seduced by the master. For a good long time.
She gently closed the door beh
ind her and winced when the lock snicked. Please don’t let anyone be up.
“No sense sneaking.” Her mother’s voice severed the quiet air and Lucie shot upright.
Mom wasn’t naïve enough to think Lucie was a virgin—not after three years with Frankie—but she didn’t want her daughter sneaking around like a ho either.
The aroma of freshly ground coffee melted into Lucie making her mouth water, and she turned to find her mother dressed in her yoga gear, sitting at the kitchen table, having her morning wake-me-up. A magazine sat open in front of her.
“I’m sorry,” Lucie said. “I was at Frankie’s and fell asleep. He didn’t want to wake me.”
Not a lie. Totally. She did fall asleep. After a few rounds of marathon sex. Hot, slick sex that made her skin come alive and left her body limp.
Mom watched her with those expressive hazel eyes, and Lucie, expecting to see disappointment, saw nothing. No anger, no disappointment, no judgment. She curled her toes. How humiliating.
“You’re a grown-up,” Mom said. “Do you want breakfast?”
Not in last night’s clothes. “No. Thanks. I need to get ready for work.”
Mom closed her magazine and ran her hand over the cover, her movements slow and intentional. A prickle cruised up Lucie’s neck.
“Are you happy?” Mom asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I feel like I’m being selfish with Coco Barknell.”
Only her mother could think that. The woman had been literally working her fingers until they bled and she feared she was being selfish.
Lucie slid into the chair next to Mom and linked fingers with her. “How could you think that? I owe you so much.”
A moment, maybe two, fell away with Mom gazing at their entwined hands. Finally, she brought her damp gaze to Lucie’s. What’s going on?
Lucie scooted a bit closer. “Why are you upset?”
“Because I’m enjoying being part of something. With your father gone, I’ve been on my own and, well, bored. The sewing gives me something to look forward to. But I want you to be happy.”
“Even if it means you being unhappy?”
“Of course.” Her mother smiled at her. “Welcome to the world of parenting, honey.”
“You don’t have to sacrifice for me anymore.”
“When you’re a parent, you’ll understand. It doesn’t matter how old you and Joey are, you’re still my babies. I’ll do whatever necessary to protect you.”
Lucie shook her head. “You’re amazing. After all these years, putting up with Dad and his antics—not to mention Joey—and you still have the energy to take care of us.”
How the heck did Lucie get lucky enough to have a mother like this? One who put her life on hold for her family. Particularly when her father was…well…who he was. It seemed unfair, yet, her mother carried the weight of all their burdens on her sturdy shoulders, never allowing outsiders to see her falter. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, and you never answered my question about being happy.”
Caught that, did ya? Lucie shrugged. “I’m happy about certain things. I hate that I lost my job, but the dog walking has its advantages. I’m not cooped up in an office all day and Coco Barknell lets me use my creative energy. My old job was all numbers and proofreading.”
Mom looked toward the back door. “And what about Frankie? I take it you’ve reunited.”
Sticky business here. She couldn’t say they were dating. Her mother wouldn’t understand that after she’d just busted her doing the ultimate walk of shame. Or would she?
“We’re trying to start over. We never dated and didn’t get to know each other like two people who met at a supermarket would.”
Mom laughed, but it was more of a “huh” sort of laugh. “I could see where that would be a challenge, considering you’ve known each other all your lives.”
“Exactly. I didn’t really know him. I knew that he liked baseball, but I didn’t know that he thrived on it. That his dream made him feel whole. And that when he lost it, he had to figure out another way to be whole. Those sorts of things.”
Her mother tilted her head. “I understand.”
“I have to say, it’s fun. We got all dressed up the other night and went out for dinner and dancing. I enjoy doing those things with him. We had gotten into a rut where we would just sit home and watch a movie. It’s a nice change. We’re taking things a day at a time.”
“He loves you, Lucie.”
That, Lucie knew without a doubt. In every touch, in every smile, in every word. “He does. What I need is for us to want the same things.”
Her mother scoffed. “How incredibly boring.”
“Mom!”
“Oh, please.” she stood to freshen her coffee. “Why would you want that? Wouldn’t it be fun to explore different wants? That’s part of the journey. He wants things and you want things. As long as you both agree to be a team, you don’t have to want the same things.”
In Lucie’s mind, this wasn’t an option. Not with the one big want that she needed. The one Frankie couldn’t compromise on. And then it hit her. Her mother could never have wanted a lifetime of gossip and trials and a husband in prison.
“Like you and Dad?” Ouch. She smacked her lips together. Of all the rotten, hurtful things to say. “I didn’t mean that.”
Her mother waved her off. “It’s true. I’ve always let your father do things his way. I spoiled him. Now he expects me to always go along. It’s not fair, but I helped create the monster he’s become.”
“He took advantage of your good nature.”
Mom returned to the table; cup in hand, steam rising from its contents. After the crack Lucie made, the steam should have been coming off her mother. “I allowed him to take advantage. It’s as much my fault as it is his.”
“Still.”
“With him gone, I’ve had plenty of time to think about it and decided to make some changes. I’m done doing things his way. When he comes home, he’ll have to learn to compromise. I’ve been alone for two years now, and I’ve learned it’s okay to want what I want instead of what he wants. He won’t be happy about it, but he’ll have to adjust.”
Yay, Mom. The steely determination in her mother’s eyes let Lucie know her father was in for a rough time when he got out. Good for him. Prison would seem like a cakewalk compared to the changes around here. They were his family, not his servants.
This was the difference between her parents’ relationship and her and Frankie’s. Frankie never insisted things be his way. He didn’t scream or demand or manipulate. No, he always tried to find the compromise. Even if they fought, he would eventually agree to a compromise.
“I like that plan, Mom. He needs to appreciate you more. He’s going to hate it that you’ve become a career girl with Coco Barknell.”
She grunted. “Yes, he will, but there’s not much he can do about it from a cell.”
And there it was. The emotion her mother never showed. Anger over the humiliation of a husband in prison and for expecting her to keep their life in order without him.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know if I’m happy.” Mom opened her mouth to say something and Lucie raised her finger. “I’m not unhappy though. I’m somewhere in between.”
Given what was going on with the dognapping’s, this was something to be thrilled about. Her mother, thank God, didn’t know about all that drama.
“I raised a strong girl in you, Lucie. Don’t ever settle.”
“I won’t. There’s too much life out there to settle.”
“Amen to that. If you love Frankie and he’s the one, tell him. If not, let him find someone who loves him as much as he loves you.”
A sudden hole opened in Lucie’s chest. Let him find someone else? What did that mean? Another woman? Frankie with someone else would be beyond her pain tolerance. “Did you hear something? About him and someone else?”
Her mother pulled
a face. “Frankie? Heavens no. He’s a good boy. He’d end it with you before he went with someone else. I just think it’s unfair to both of you, all this back and forth. If you love him, love him well. He deserves that. And so do you. That’s all I’m saying.”
Love him well. Had she done that? Did constantly asking him to make changes in his life represent loving him?
Could she get beyond the fact that he was happy living in Franklin surrounded by his family and the life? Maybe she was the one who needed to make changes?
Like her mother did regarding her father. It took her mother thirty years to make those changes, and Lucie wasn’t about to wait that long.
She leaned over and kissed Mom’s cheek. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For being you. You’re the best. You always help me. Even when I don’t know I need it.”
Mom smiled big. “Well, thank you. It’s nice to hear.”
“I’ll tell you more often. I promise.” She straightened. “I need to get showered. Frankie is helping me with the dogs today and I want to be on time. I have a few things to say to him.”
Thirty minutes later, with her mother out for yoga, Lucie headed up to the attic to continue the diamond search.
“You up there?” Frankie hollered from the base of the pull-down stairs in the hallway.
“I’m here. Come on up.”
A minute later, his head poked through the opening.
“Hey.” He took a long look at her V-neck T-shirt. “You look hot today. Maybe we’ll stop at my place on the way to the dogs.”
She rolled her eyes. The man was insatiable. “No. The schedule is tight enough.”
“I can be quick.”
She burst out laughing. “Somehow a five-second lay doesn’t sound like fun for me.” Still, she was grinning because she found comfort in Frankie’s sexual appetite. Everything came back to sex with him. Sometimes it was like a buzzing bee around her, but there could be worse things than a man constantly wanting to love her.
He boosted himself into the attic, shoved a box aside and crawled over to her. “I’ll make it fun.”
“I know. I also know it’s important to you that I’m happy. I love you for that. I love you for not giving up on me when I constantly ask you to change the things you don’t want to. I love you because you’re you and I don’t ever want to be without you.”
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