I’d forgotten all about Jeff and Livingston. Thank heavens for those two.
I gave a small chuckle until worry set in again. “Is Jeff okay?” It was just now occurring to me that Griswald had kicked him in the ribs before he’d forced us into the van. “The detective kicked him pretty hard.”
“He seems okay, but I’ll take him to the vet to be sure. Anyway, I know it sounds crazy, but he led me here to this place, which is called Packson, FYI.”
Packson. That explained the building Skinny had been talking about. “The distillery, right?”
Higgs’s brow furrowed into deep lines. “How’d you know that?”
“Griswald’s picture on the CCPD page. It was taken in front of this place.” How stupid of him to have his picture taken at the scene of the crime. “Speaking of Griswald, where is he? Coop really had a hold on him. I hope she gave him a big fat black eye.”
Higgs’s face went bleak, his body stiffening against mine as we sat on the plastic-covered floor. “He’s dead, Trixie. Oz had no choice.”
I shivered and licked my dry lips as someone draped a blanket over me and more activity rose and swelled around us. “It’s okay. He was a monster. He killed Dr. Mickey and Skinny, and a guy named Beaver. He was really awful.”
“Hey, you know,” Higgs said to Coop, who sat beside us. “You were really a savage over there. I’m pretty impressed with how well you held up, Coop. Where’d you learn to fight like that?”
She looked at him dead on, expressionless. “I grew up in a tough neighborhood. I learned how to take care of myself very early on.”
I gripped her hand. “Thank heavens for you, Coop. Thank you for saving me when I couldn’t save myself.”
Coop stared down at me. “I will always save you, Trixie Lavender. Now, you do know your shoulder is dislocated, don’t you?” she asked as people moved about some more and I heard Tansy shout orders. “It must be taken care of straight away.”
Before I had the chance to even answer her, she grabbed onto my arm and yanked, making me scream out and buck in Higgs’s embrace. “Cooop! What the heck?” I yelped as a searing pain tore through me.
“Stretch your arm, Trixie. Your shoulder should be fine now.”
I did as instructed, though quite tentatively, and gave her a look of wonder. She was right, it felt much better. “Hey, where you’d learn to do that, Coopie?”
She looked at me, sending me that signal with her eyes that said her next words were our little secret. “In the very rough neighborhood I grew up in.”
I guess it didn’t get any rougher than Hell…
As Higgs helped me up off the floor, using his arm around my waist to brace me, the wonder of Jeff and Livingston saving the day finally sank in.
“Jeff and Livingston, huh?” Jeff was in for a huge steak on me, and Livingston was going to get a whole package of Oreo cookies, Double Stuf and everything.
As he walked me out of the House of Horrors, with Coop behind us, he said, “Yeah. It was as though they knew what was going on. I mean, who knew Jeff could scent like that? He led me right to this place. I have to admit, it was a little surreal and otherworldly.”
“Yes,” I heard Coop agree. “It sounds otherworldly.”
I laughed so hard, I thought my spleen would come out through my nose. I couldn’t help it.
Poor Higgs. If he only knew.
If he only knew.
Epilogue
Halloween Night
I gave Coop a big hug from behind, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as we watched Lazlo from the hallway of his hospital room. The sterile hall of the wing had been temporarily transformed by floating ghosts, bats and colorful balloons.
As I looked out the windows in Lazlo’s room at the dark, rainy night, I gave her a hard hug. “You did good, Coopie. I’m so proud of you.”
She thumped my hand in her awkward display of affection. “Lazlo needs his family, Trixie. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’ll find out. He has a long road ahead of him, but he must do it with his family behind him. Family is so important. The most important.”
Tears filled my eyes as I watched Lazlo—who was now in a bed right beside Griffin’s—with his son Jeremy and his granddaughter Patty. They talked in hushed tones. Patty, wearing the most adorable Elsa costume ever, tentatively reaching out a hand to her newfound grandfather before snatching it back and giggling.
Jeremy, sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes warm as he held the straw for his father to sip some water. And Hazel, quietly sitting in the corner, knitting Lazlo a hat.
Lazlo was going to live—even with the crack to his skull and the failed attempt to take one kidney, which, as we found out, Dr. Fabrizio had planned to sell to the highest bidder.
Detective Griswald—dressed as a gorilla, just like Solomon had said—had hit him on the head but good then knocked him out with a needle full of drugs before taking him to Packson.
Fate had somehow intervened and given Lazlo a reprieve when Dr. Fabrizio was called away to his office by, of all people, the unsuspecting Amber and Nadia, to handle some sort of urgent business.
The idea still made me shudder in fear, but I set that aside in favor of how brave Lazlo had been to somehow escape. In as much pain as he’d been in, he’d miraculously managed to get back to the shelter to warn people.
He hadn’t totally succeeded, but he’d made a darn good attempt at it, and that feat spoke volumes about not only his military training, but his tenacity.
Lazlo was a tough old bird, and I refused to let him say otherwise.
And now, he was here with his family courtesy of my Coop, who’d become our research queen. Somehow, there but for the grace of perseverance and her enormous heart, she’d located Lazlo’s family in Washington, and we’d contacted them together via Skype.
After some time spent with Higgs and a therapist at the hospital, Jeremy and Hazel listened to their advice and, after being made fully aware of the mental issues Lazlo suffered, had insisted they bring him back home so he could begin seeing doctors and healing.
Griffin, too, was rapidly healing. Thankfully, his wounds were minor, if not mentally, then certainly physically. I hated what happened to him, but we’d shown him the pictures of the police taking Dr. Fabrizio and Detective Griswald’s bodies away, and each time he became frightened, we showed them to him again.
With time, all wounds would heal. I’d make sure of that.
I’d showered Jeff and Livingston with so many kisses and so much gratitude, they started to cringe every time I walked into the room. But they’d played a huge part in saving our lives, and they had the steak and some cookies to show for it.
Amber and Nadia had offered one last time to pay me for my services, but I’d turned them down and directed them to Higgs where their donation had made for a healthy supply of winter clothes and food for the men of Peach Street.
We’d decided to celebrate on this All Hallows Eve with a small party for little Patty, who was missing out on her annual trick-or-treating, with balloons and candy and face painting, courtesy of Knuckles and Goose.
But she didn’t seem to mind much, and with Knuckles and Goose making balloon animals and showering her with full-size candy bars, why would she?
“Do you think Lazlo will get better now that he has the proper help, Trixie?”
I poked my head around her body and smiled. “I have a feeling everything’s going to be all right, but only time will tell, and we’ll keep in touch to make sure. But it’s like you said, he has his family, and family is the most important thing.”
She nodded, her lush hair poking out of her nun’s habit. And then without warning, without much ado at all, Coop smiled—wide, beautiful, ethereal…and as breathtaking as the rest of her.
Her lips went upward and the corners of her eyes crinkled when she said, “I love that, Trixie. I love that so-so much.”
I gave her one last squeeze, my heart so full for her, I almost couldn’t breathe. “Me, too, Co
op. Now go on with you. I know there must be some Sugar Babies in there with your name on them.”
Her face returned to its normal blank canvas almost as quickly as she’d smiled, but she knew what she’d done, and I had no doubt, she’d do it more often now.
“Trixie?” Higgs called from down the hall, holding up a coffee cup with a smile.
We’d had a little chat about my silly outburst and the way he’d acted. We both agreed that we’d been a little anxious and tired and, from here on out, we were going to talk out anything that made us angry. We’d made a deal that no one left the conversation until we’d worked things out.
I smiled at him and his crazy blonde wig. Yes, he’d put back on the Nicki Minaj costume for one last repeat performance for Patty, just as Coop and I had put our costumes from the party back on, too.
“Aw, Nicki, you really do know the way to my heart, don’t you?”
He swiveled his lean hips and laughed. “All hail caffeine. How ya feelin’?”
“I feel pretty good, considering my liver and kidney’s were on the chopping block,” I joked, because it was the only way I could handle the horror.
Higgs’s grip on his coffee cup tightened ever so slightly. “You know, Griswald didn’t even bother to hide what a jerk he was. Talk about hiding in plain sight.”
“What do you expect from a guy who not only killed his partner, but took payoffs for years from known drug cartels? He wasn’t kidding when he said he was just waiting for retirement. There was no shame in his game.”
We’d both thought it strange that Griswald’s involvement in harvesting the organs with Dr. Fabrizio had appeared so sudden. What made a detective of some twenty plus years suddenly go bad? Upon closer inspection, that wasn’t the truth at all.
He’d been in the midst of an internal investigation when they’d shipped him off to CCPD. No one could prove his crimes at that point and he knew it. The fact that he’d stumbled upon Dr. Fabrizio’s little side-business had been sheer luck, but the fact that he took part in kidnapping the homeless was, as it turned out, by design.
Apparently, it was his way of padding his coffers in case they ever found the proof they needed to prove he was a dirty cop. He wouldn’t need retirement money to live on or for his escape when he was taking a huge cut from Dr. Fabrizio.
“Hey, have you seen Tansy yet?” Higgs asked. “She said she wanted to talk to you. Just saw her down in the cafeteria.”
“Nope. Not yet. Have you talked to Solomon? He’s still a little shaky.” I hitched my jaw in the direction of the row of chairs outside Lazlo’s room, where Solomon sat, looking quite pensive.
Solomon, my crafty Solomon who didn’t like being in unfamiliar situations, had taken advantage of the staff member watching him the night we were abducted. Solomon hates when he can’t have a particular bed at the shelter, and he’d made his displeasure known before sneaking out and that’s how Griswald had caught him.
In the way only Solomon can, he’d apologized for putting everyone in danger and we’d had a long talk about how some rules are made for his own good.
But he appeared at peace knowing his friend was all right now, and he’d had a small part in helping to find Lazlo, even if it was inadvertently, and I’d remind him of that every time his demons taunted him.
Higgs’s earrings shimmied against his stubbled jawline as he shook his head. “No, but I will. Thankfully, he doesn’t remember much from that night. Just the part where someone shoved him into the van. But if he does remember, I’ll be there for the fallout.”
Yes. Yes, he would. Higgs was always there. Dedicated to the men of the Peach Street Shelter, dedicated to service, and my heart tightened at his devotion.
“Miss Lavender?” I heard Tansy call my name as she made her way down the hall toward me, a bottle of water in her hands, her navy blue blazer and skirt wrinkled.
“I’m going to go sit with Solomon and see if I can’t cheer him up with some Gobstoppers. Dinner later? Just us?”
I smiled at Higgs, and my heart did that fluttery thing it was doing so much of lately. “As long as you promise to wear the booty shorts and eyelashes,” I teased, batting my eyelashes.
“You, Sister Trixie Lavender, are on.”
As Higgs went off to comfort Solomon, Tansy smiled at me in greeting.
I planted my hands on my hips. “Hey, Detective Tansy. What brings you to our little soiree?”
Her smile grew as she hitched her jaw to a quiet corner. “Can we have a chat?” she asked as she strolled to an area where a waiting room and an empty room sat side by side.
“Only if you promise I’m not going to get in trouble for being at the scene of another crime. I’m telling you, Tansy, I couldn’t help—”
“It,” she finished for me with a chuckle, mimicking my accent. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
I grinned at her and nodded my head. “Nice American accent there, Detective Tansy. Well done.”
“Tell me, love, do you think it’s as good as your southern accent?”
I blanched and winced. Caught. Red-handed. “You know about that?” I asked sheepishly, eyeing her over my Styrofoam cup.
“What kind of detective would I be if I didn’t find out?”
“Point. So am I in trouble?”
“You’re not. You’re massively brilliant, is what you are. Now I have two questions for you. Are you ready?”
Scratching my head, I wondered if I needed to sit down in the empty wheelchair. “Ready.”
She looked at me for a long moment with her cheerful blue eyes before she asked, “First, have you ever wondered who Higgs’s anonymous source at the station is?”
I licked my dry lips. I felt caught, but I had no choice but to be truthful. “Er, you know about that?”
She chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ears, leaning back against the wall. “I know everything, Miss Lavender. Now answer the question.”
“Of course I have. I wish it were my anonymous source. Of course, Mr. Anonymous would never get anything done with me always bugging him—”
“That’s Mrs. Anonymous, to you,” she said slyly.
I blinked. Oh, good heavens. “It’s you?” I squealed, glancing around to see if anyone had heard me.
“’Tis, love, and I’ll thank you to keep your wee mouth shut about it. Understood?”
I made a zipper motion with my fingers across my mouth. “Understood. But can I ask why?”
“Because Higgs was one of the best we had, and we could certainly use some of the best with the shambles the department is in as of late, most especially after this debacle with Griswald. We look positively looney, Miss Lavender. I’d beg Higgs to come back if I knew it would do me any good. But he’s happy with his new life, and with you in his new life. Also, you’re not as bad at this as you might think. With the two of you together, your heads banging out ideas as a team, well…it could only benefit me. Now, should you decide to blab that about, I’ll deny with fake outrage. I’ve used a burner cell to cover my tracks, so there’s no tracing my shenanigans back to me.”
“Well, aren’t you a clever bunny?” I joked. “Thanks for trusting me enough to throw a bone my way.” I felt quite honored, quite honored indeed.
“Speaking of a bone, that brings me to my second question.”
Leaning against the cream-colored wall, I asked, “And that is?”
“You’re a good egg, Trixie Lavender. Because you’re such a good egg, I have a proposition for you.”
“Oh, yeah?” I said in a teasing tone. “How’s Marvin going to feel about that?”
“Still as funny as ever. That’s not what I mean and you know it, love.”
She’d piqued my interest now, and the fact that her eyes were dancing made me that much more curious. “Then what do you mean?”
She placed a hand on my shoulder, warm and reassuring. “You’re good with people, Trixie. Brilliantly good with people. Surely it has to do with your warm nature an
d your ease with words, but there’s more. I can’t put my finger on it, but people are drawn to share with you, they find comfort with you. That said, I’d like, in a very, very unofficial capacity, for you to consider being a liaison of sorts for CCPD.”
I was taken aback. “As in a grief counselor or something?”
“Not quite, though you’re well-versed in soothing a soul, no doubt. No, I mean more of a consultant. Of course, I’d love it if you were available to keep the grief-stricken calm, but I’d also like you to do some poking around, too. You’re quite good at getting people to spill the beans. Maybe not all of the beans, but enough that it certainly helps us along during an investigation.”
I can’t tell you the effort it took for me to keep my excitement to a level just below ecstatic. “Does Higgs know about this?”
“He does, love, and he agreed you were perfect.”
My eyes widened with delight as I clapped my hand against my thigh. “Ooooo! Does this mean I get the decoder ring and my very own magnifying glass?”
She looked down at me with hesitant eyes—or was that fear? “Something like that…”
Then I frowned. “But no gun, right? I really don’t think that’s a good idea. Unless you want to teach me how to shoot it. I’m pretty sure I could get the hang of it if you—”
She shook her head rapid-fire. “Absolutely no gun, Miss Lavender. Absolutely no gun.”
“Taser?” I asked in a teasing tone.
She began to walk back toward Lazlo’s room, where everyone was still chatting and laughing softly. “There will be no gadget with which you are presented in your title as liaison, Miss Lavender.”
I laughed and nudged her. “Aw, c’mon. Not even one of those sticks? What are they called over in the UK? Something club…”
“Billy club, and you will absolutely never be allowed one of those. Never, ever.”
“That’s a long time, Detective Primrose. How about some pepper spray? I promise I’ll be very careful.” I held up my hand in Scout’s honor.
House of the Rising Nun Page 18
