Hardheaded Brunette

by Diane Bator

  When he hung up, her shoulders sagged. The day had already been one to remember. She doubted she'd be able to get to sleep that night without seeing visions of Charlie Hunt's battered body in her sleep.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  When Gilda still hadn't heard from Mick by eight the next morning, she didn't bother to rush off to the school and the mess that waited. She could at least learn some gossip at the local coffee shop, especially since Marion had worked until late and was probably now asleep. The police still had part of the beach cordoned off, and the school was closed for classes until further notice, or until she gathered the energy to face the massive mess inside.

  The entire town seemed charged with an odd hum of electricity as media vans prowled the streets, seeking anyone with a story to tell about Charlie Hunt. She ducked her head as one van passed by. So far, they seemed to be seeking out the fighters, not the school's receptionist.

  She strolled into Café Beanz, ordered a breakfast sandwich and coffee, then pulled out a trashy romance novel Marion had loaned her. While she didn't really want to talk to anyone, she didn't exactly want to be alone either. The anonymity of the coffee shop struck the perfect balance for a short time.

  "Hey." Thayer slid onto the bench across the table just as she'd taken her first bite.

  She met his gaze then took her time chewing, trying not to scowl or choke. He still wore a badge, still had a high opinion of himself, and, despite her indifference toward him, he was still her ex-boyfriend.

  Thayer drummed his fingers on the wooden tabletop and waited.

  Gilda contemplated ignoring him and taking another bite but wasn't sure how long she could stand the displeasure of his company. "Are you here to question me or watch me eat?"

  "Neither," he said.

  She set her sandwich on the plate and took a sip of water before her mouth could dry out completely. "What do you want?"

  A thin smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as the waitress set a paper coffee cup in front of him. "I've come to the conclusion you really don't know anything."

  "Gee, thanks. What's that supposed to mean?"

  Thayer toyed with his cup. "As far as witnesses go, you're useless in this case."

  Gilda narrowed her eyes. She knew him too well. "But?"

  He lowered his voice. "But you have great connections and could get me in to train with some of your instructors. Maybe I could learn some dirt from some of your students if I become one of them."

  She met his gaze, raising her eyebrows. "You want to go undercover to work with people you've just interrogated in a murder investigation? Are you for real? Some of our students might get knocked around a lot, but none of them are that stupid."

  Thayer's shoulders sagged. "I guess."

  "Didn't get around to doing background checks yet, huh? Or are you just trying to get close to me again." She sipped her coffee. "You know you could have asked Mick. He knows all of them personally."

  He glanced out the window. "I could have, but he was busy consoling the new girl."

  "Mena did seem awfully upset about the murder."

  "Upset?" Thayer snorted. "Cripes, she cried all over him. She couldn't have gotten Mick's shirt any wetter if she'd pushed him into Lake Erie." He hesitated. "I told you Mick Williams was bad news, Gilda. You know it's only a matter of time before he cheats on you, especially with someone like her around. The guy's way worse than me."

  Her mouth dropped open as she picked up her sandwich. "Worse than you? How many times did you cheat on me while we were engaged?"

  "A guy can change, Gilda." His face reddened. "I never said I was perfect. I just don't want to see you to get hurt again."

  "The way you hurt me, you mean?" She slammed her sandwich onto the plate. Bits of egg and cheese flew onto the table. "It took me two years to get over you enough to trust another man. Now that I have, you seem determined to wreck everything. You might as well give up, Thayer. I'll never take you back again. Ever!"

  Fabio chuckled then slid onto the bench next to her. "Well, I see your idea worked like a charm. Shall we try things my way now?"

  Thayer flared his nostrils and growled. "Go for it. She won't listen to me anyway."

  "Look, honey." Fabio placed his coffee cup on the table and turned to Gilda. "You did such a good job helping us before that we've decided to ask for your help to get some information."

  She frowned. "You want me to be a snitch."

  "No." He wiped the small grin off his face. "I'd simply like you to find out all you can about Charlie from the guys who knew him best. We searched Charlie Hunt's hotel room and came up empty. No luggage, nothing. I can't imagine a guy like him traveling without a few changes of clothes and some cash."

  "That does seem strange. Did you check out his car?" Gilda picked up the sandwich and took another bite.

  Fabio nodded. "With the proverbial fine-toothed comb. We found a lot of odd things, but nothing incriminating. Not in this case, anyway."

  While she chewed, she thought then asked, "How do you want me to help?"

  Thayer groaned. "Ask questions. Eavesdrop. Whatever."

  She met Fabio's gaze. "Be a snitch."

  "Fine." He threw up his hands. "Be a snitch. Whatever works for you."

  "What ever happened to you guys interrogating everyone?" Gilda shoved a slice of tomato that had fallen from her sandwich into her mouth. "You are the police after all."

  Fabio sighed. "The fighters have closed rank. Whoever killed Charlie has a lot of friends and supporters. Everyone's protecting him, and no one's willing to talk."

  She sat back. "Who do you think they're all covering for?"

  "That's none of your concern." Thayer folded his arms.

  "I thought you were past the teenage hormonal stage." Fabio grimaced. "Grow up, Thayer. We're supposed to be asking for her help. We have to be honest if we want the same from her." He turned to Gilda. "We're focusing on Kane Garrick."

  "Why Kane?" she asked. "Why not Charlie's bodyguard?"

  Her question was met with blank looks.

  "Because no one even mentioned Charlie had a bodyguard until now." Thayer picked up his coffee cup. "Kane Garrick has a blatant disregard for the law. For one, the sword incident on the beach, plus he's gotten a couple traffic tickets since he got here. He also has more than a few priors that I can't talk about with you. Besides that, he's new in town."

  Fabio didn't bother to comment. He'd taken out his notebook and scribbled a few quick notes. Gilda peered over her sandwich at his notes, not surprised when the word bodyguard and the name Kane jumped out at her.

  "I see, but, for that matter, so is Mena." She took another bite of her sandwich, not sure she wanted to know anyway. "I thought you just told me a guy can change, and here you are judging someone else by the things he's done in his past."

  His jaw hardened. "I'm a cop. Besides, we're not talking about me anymore. We're talking about a cold-blooded killer."

  "No, you're talking about one of the new instructors at the Phoenix school," she said. "What about his girlfriend? Did she tell you she's opening a new shop in town? Kane says it's a voodoo store, but it sounds more like a New Age place with crystals and stuff."

  "Where's she setting up this shop?" Thayer asked.

  Gilda shrugged. "No idea."

  Fabio set his hand on her arm. "Gilda, I don't know what Thayer said to you earlier, but it has nothing to do with the situation we're in. I…we need your help to solve a murder, and you're in the perfect position to gather information. Will you help us or do we have to shut the new school down and get a warrant to search everything and everyone in the place?"

  "You've already shut it down."

  "Only for one day. I meant we'd shut it down long-term."

  Gilda stared at the remains of her breakfast sandwich, no longer hungry. "It hasn't even opened yet. Besides, these are my friends you're talking about."

  "I know." Fabio nodded. "I never said it would be an easy decision."

 
She sat back, her gaze out the window on a dark sedan. "Will I have to wear a wire?"

  "That's not necessary at this point," Fabio said.

  Thayer shook his head but kept his thoughts to himself, which was a first.

  Gilda drew in a deep breath. "I'll do what I can to help. I'm only doing this so I can help my friends. You know that, right?"

  Fabio patted her arm. "We know. I'll have undercover officers at the funeral, and everyone will be on full alert."

  "You think the killer will go to Detroit just to appear at his funeral?"

  "Stranger things have happened." Thayer shrugged. "Call it taking attendance. Maybe it's more who's missing we'll be looking at rather than who's actually there, especially since the funeral is here in town."

  Gilda furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait a minute. Charlie's funeral is in Sandstone Cove? I thought he lived in Detroit."

  "He did, but he grew up here and has family in town, which brings me to the next thing we need to discuss." Fabio took a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. "We need to search your house."

  "Why? I'm not a suspect, am I?"

  "Mildred Palmer used to own your house before she died."

  Gilda widened her eyes. "Excuse me? Who's Mildred Palmer and why would you need to search her old house?"

  "She was Charlie Hunt's grandma," Fabio said.

  A shiver ran down her spine. How creepy was that? "But I've owned it for the last two years. Why would you suddenly need to search it now that Charlie's dead?"

  "We've heard some rumors." Thayer cleared his throat and sipped his coffee. "I can't say any more than that."

  "I see." She huffed. "So this so-called exchange of information that may or may not put my life at risk is a one-way deal."

  Thayer nodded. "Yup."

  "No." Fabio scowled at his partner. "There's nothing for us to tell you just yet. We just want to confirm some suspicions."

  "Suspicions of what?" she asked.

  "That's the part you need to help us figure out." Fabio eased out of the booth and limped toward the door.

  Once he and Thayer left, Gilda unfolded the search warrant. The paper was blank. A mere scare tactic or were they heading over to search her house illegally? She snorted and left the rest of the sandwich, grabbed her coffee, and headed for the door, glad to see both cops walk across the street and disappear into the police station.

  If they planned on picking up a real search warrant, Gilda didn't want to be home when they brought it to her door. She turned left rather than right, walking past the Phoenix school toward Ponderer's Point. Charlie Hunt had been murdered along the point near the lighthouse, where she loved to hang out.

  She couldn't help but stare at the spot where she'd found Charlie's body. No sign of blood or footprints, just soft gray sand. As Gilda shook off the image of Charlie's beaten face, she walked toward her favorite boulder then paused. A familiar figure had already beaten her to the same spot.

  Doctor Ryan Graham, better known to the whole town as Doc, sat on a boulder with pipe smoke swirling into the September air. Taller than Mick, with white hair and a deep tan from the hot summer sun, Doc was dressed in his usual manner with Bermuda shorts, a bright Hawaiian shirt, and, more than likely, his Birkenstock sandals over black socks.

  "Hi." Gilda strolled over, stopping just out of a breath of smoke. The scent reminded her of her dad, who'd passed away far too soon in the line of duty. When she was younger, he sat out on the porch in the evenings and puffed on a pipe while he watched the world go by. He was, in effect, Sandstone Cove's first Neighborhood Watch.

  Doc nodded. "I wondered when I'd see you out here again. I've missed our little chats over the past few weeks. How are the renovations coming at the new school?"

  "Done. The Phoenix is going to be amazing. Mick's hired a yoga instructor and someone to teach weaponry. We had our grand opening yesterday."

  "Yoga?" He raised his bushy eyebrows. "Where do I sign up?"

  Gilda laughed, hopping onto the boulder. "Really?"

  "Young lady, I've practiced yoga since I was in med school. It's kept me in shape for all these years. I haven't had anyone to train with since my wife died, just my cat."

  "In that case, I'll bring you a copy of our new schedule."

  "I'd appreciate that." Doc released a ring of smoke. "So, what's on your mind today? Aside from the dead fighter you found on the beach yesterday."

  Her face warmed. "Good guess."

  "I know you too well."

  Gilda glanced at Doc, her vision instantly marred by the brisk wind blowing her hair in her face. "I know you and the M.E. are good friends."

  He puffed his pipe and shifted on the rock beside her. "Yes, but we never discuss specific cases, if that's what you want to know. Particularly current ones."

  "Even if the man accused of murder is probably going to jail right now?"

  "Who?"

  "Kane Garrick. It doesn't sound like they have any physical evidence against him, just his long, sordid history with Charlie."

  Doc met her gaze. "Kane Garrick? Wasn't he the guy Fabio and Thayer found waving a sword around on the beach and screaming like a lunatic?"

  "They were kiais, not screams. He's a Japanese fencing teacher. He was training." She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt the need to defend a guy she didn't really like. "He wasn't yelling at anyone except imaginary opponents."

  Both of Doc's eyebrows rose. "So he's crazy."

  Gilda groaned. "No crazier than the rest of us. Well, not that anyone's scientifically proven anyway."

  "Is Kane a friend of yours?"

  She hesitated, unsure how to answer. "More like a coworker, I guess you'd say. He's supposed to teach weaponry classes at the school, which we'll have to put on hold now he's in jail. Ironically, that's the one class we have a long waiting list for."

  Doc puffed his pipe. "I see. So you have a vested interest in proving his innocence."

  "I guess so," she said. "He's a friend of Mick's. I just want to help."

  He nodded, eyebrows raised. "May I remind you about the time you insisted my nurse was stealing drugs from my office?"

  "I was fresh out of surgery and had so much medication in my system I was hallucinating. You said so yourself."

  "And the time you set up a killer in the martial arts school and nearly got Mick killed."

  She snorted. "That was not my doing. Mick and Thayer—" When Doc smiled, she paused. "Are you toying with me?"

  "Of course." He patted her arm and slid off the rock. "I'm also trying to warn you to keep out of trouble. I know you have strong feelings for Mick and have an obligation to help, but—"

  "But you don't want me to get in over my head again."

  "Exactly." Doc emptied his pipe and spread the ashes over the rocks to cool then gave her a hug. "I like you just the way you are. Please don't get yourself beat up, or worse this time." He hopped over the rocks, making his way toward the hospital.

  Once Doc reached the parking lot, Gilda frowned and turned to face the lake. This time. He made her sound like a serial crime solver. A habitual truth seeker. Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to take up knitting or painting in her spare time and leave the crime solving in the past. Her dad had been the cop, not her.

  Tears stung her eyes as they always did when she thought about him. Being killed while on duty during a bank robbery had made him a hero, but that didn't ease the pain of losing him.

  "Hey, love. What's happening?" Kane ran toward her up the boardwalk as a blustery wind picked up. His hair was plastered to his forehead and his shorts were blotchy with sweat, while his bare, broad chest shone.

  Gilda gave an inward groan. So much for not getting involved. "I thought Thayer already locked you up?"

  "Nah." He slowed to a walk, wiping his forehead with the back of one hand. "He tried, and heaven knows Mena gave him more than enough ammunition against me. Mick convinced him to do a bit more investigating before he did anything rash."

  "That's go
od," she said, not so sure she meant it.

  Kane raised both eyebrows. "You don't look very happy to see me running loose around town, love. Would you rather I be locked behind bars?"

  Gilda bit her lower lip and hesitated. "I don't know what to think. I heard you and Charlie trained together."

  "He was my coach and mentor." He shrugged. "We trained. We sparred. We traveled. We did everything together."

  "Everything?" she teased, raising her eyebrows.

  "It was like we were married, but I never had to see him naked." Kane met her gaze. "We were a team. He was the brain. I was the brawn. He planned the matches. I just showed up and fought to win. We worked well together for a long time."

  "Did he ever ask you to do anything you didn't want to do?"

  He hesitated. "Daily."

  "Like what?"

  Kane grinned. "You really don't want me to answer that, love. Let's just say I'm not the kind of guy who can look myself in the mirror much. Not the way your boyfriend can."

  Gilda's stomach knotted as Kane started to walk away. Had Charlie made Kane lose fights, or take dives, on purpose, or had he turned Kane into a mob enforcer outside of the ring as well?

  Kane paused. "Hey, where's Armadillo Street from here? I'm supposed to meet Mena there to check out her building, and I have no clue where the bloody place is."

  Armadillo Street sounded like a great place for someone to curl up and hide. She gave him simple directions.

  "Great. Thanks, love." He blew her a kiss, walking backward away from her. "Once I'm done with my run, I guess I'll head over there."

  "Wait. What's her new store called?" she asked. "I might drop in sometime."

  "Spirit something. Healing Spirit. Something lame like that. See you later, love."

  As he ran down the boardwalk through the park, she sighed, filled with far more questions than answers. She needed to find Gary. If anyone had the lowdown on the fight scene, it would be a bookie.

  CHAPTER SIX

  After learning about Mena's new store from Kane, Gilda grew curious enough to make a detour on her way home. She crossed the busy street in front of the Phoenix school then headed two streets over and away from the lake. Armadillo Street held an eclectic blend of quilting shops, kitchen shops, restaurants, a sex shop that made her blush and face the other direction, and an old smoke shop which sold everything from cigarettes to cigars and paraphernalia from around the world.