E is for Exposed (Malibu Mystery Book 5)

by Rebecca Cantrell

  “Yeah, but I’m pretty much the expert when it comes to this stuff.”

  “You are?”

  Aidan gave a how-could-anyone-question-it shrug. “In this office, yes.”

  “Says who?” She stopped herself. She didn’t have time for this. She really did have to be in Glendale. “If I have any problems, I’ll give you a call.”

  “Come on, what’s the case?” Aidan shouted after her, as she headed out of the office.

  23

  Before Sofia could get out of her car, her mom was running out of the house. Sofia opened the driver’s door so they could speak.

  “Everything okay?” said Sofia, a little panicked. If her mom couldn’t wait the two seconds for her to walk around to the front door, something must be wrong.

  “Yeah, fine. Marcie’s here. But I wanted to speak with you first.”

  Sofia grabbed her stuff from the passenger seat and got out. “You’re sure everything’s okay?”

  “Here’s the thing. Marcie is still a nervous wreck. I was thinking, if you needed evidence, maybe I could help.”

  Sofia held up a hand. “Whoa. What are you suggesting?”

  “That I go undercover. He already gave me his number, so we know he’s interested.”

  “Mom, aren’t you forgetting a couple of things?”

  “Like what?”

  “For a start, Python isn’t blackmailing you because, y’know, he doesn’t have anything to blackmail you with.”

  “I already thought about that,” said her mom.

  Oh, dear Lord. Sofia made a mental note to try to avoid involving Janet in any further investigations..

  “Won’t you at least hear me out?”

  Sofia really didn’t want to. But she didn’t want to hurt her mom’s feelings either. “Okay, what’s your plan?”

  “I don’t have to do anything with him,” her mom said.

  “Then how can he blackmail you?”

  “Okay, let me start again. I don’t have to do anything physical. He already gave me his number.”

  Sofia still wasn’t sure where this was going. “Okay.”

  “So what if I meet with him and say I would do, whatever, but I’m already terrified Tim would find out. I could really lay it on about how my husband is a jealous type.”

  Sofia had never seen Tim as the jealous type. The only thing he was really possessive about was his golf clubs.

  “Anyway,” her mom continued, “I meet with him, tell him how I’m terrified my husband would find out, and maybe drop in some stuff about having just inherited a bunch of money as bait. Then he might blackmail me without me having to do anything serious.”

  Sofia thought it over. It wasn’t the absolute worst plan in the world. In fact, it was better than she’d anticipated.

  “This way Marcie doesn’t have to be involved,” her mom threw in.

  The problem was that they’d have to wait for Python to take the bait. And there was no guarantee he would. He had already proved pretty cautious. There was a good chance he would sniff this out as a setup. Con artists were usually adept at working out when someone was trying to con them.

  Marcie’s blackmail was already further along, and it was genuine. He would probably read her nerves as a good thing, a sign she was about to cave.

  “Sorry, Mom, it’s great that you want to help your friend, but this is something she needs to do if we’re going to wrap it up before someone tells Wade.”

  “Hey, did I hear my name?”

  They whirled round to see a guy in an LA County Sheriff’s uniform walking up the drive towards them. His stomach was spilling over his belt and he had sweat-stains under his arms. His facial expression was that of someone who desperately wanted to pass gas. No one would ever call him a sex symbol.

  “Hey, Janet, have you seen Marcie?”

  “Marcie?”

  Sofia cringed. Her mom had said it like she’d never even heard the name before, never mind knew anyone with it. Her going undercover was a bad idea.

  “Yeah, my wife.”

  Wade had that cop stare. As if he didn’t believe anything anyone said – ever.

  “Oh, yes, she’s inside. We were just having coffee. You want me to get her?”

  Wade dug into his pocket. His pants were so tight that it was a struggle. Finally, he fished out a set of keys. “No, just give her these. I got called in and I don’t think she took keys.”

  “Okay, great,” said Janet, taking the keys from Wade’s sweaty hand.

  “Listen, Janet, has Marcie told you that something’s bothering her lately? She seems kinda out of sorts.”

  Sofia’s mom furiously shook her head. “Bothering her? No. She seems . . . fine.”

  Wade switched his attention to Sofia. “You’re Janet’s daughter, the actress, right?”

  “That’s me.” For once Sofia was happy to have someone remember her as an actress. This was one time she wasn’t about to remind anyone she had given up that career for her current one.

  Wade extended a sweaty hand. Sofia shook. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Sofia was just dropping something off for me. A casserole dish.”

  Wade gave her the same cop look. Sofia just smiled politely.

  “I’d best get going.” Wade turned and began to walk back down the driveway.

  Sofia and her mom watched him go.

  “You think he suspects anything?” her mom whispered.

  “He knows something’s up. He just said as much.” Plus, Janet had been acting shady as hell. But she couldn’t say that.

  “So what do you think? Should I go instead of Marcie? You know, take one for the team.”

  Sofia winced at the idea of her mom taking one, or any number, for the team. “Tell you what, let’s speak to Marcie first.”

  “I thought that the whole point of me hiring you was so that you dealt with this?”

  Her mom had been right. Marcie wasn’t keen to go undercover to get the goods on Python.

  Sofia didn’t blame her. She’d done the undercover gig a few times now as part of her work. She’d been a hooker, and a drug addict, which was weird because those were the roles she’d probably have been playing if she’d stayed in the acting business. Now she thought about it, it was kind of depressing. Two totally different jobs, actor and private investigator, where, if you were a woman, your choices were playing a prostitute or a junkie.

  She had learned that going undercover, like so many other scary things in life, the fear you experienced before you did it was usually the worst part. It was like waiting to jump into a swimming-pool. Once you got past the initial shock of the cold water, you were fine.

  “And we are,” Sofia replied. “But if we’re to end this, without your husband finding out, we need something concrete to use against Jared.”

  “Who’s Jared?” said Marcie and Sofia’s mom simultaneously.

  “That’s Python’s real name. Jared Chadwick. So, what do you say, Marcie? If we can have him on camera making the threat, we can probably have it wrapped up tomorrow. He’ll be out of your life for good, and Wade never need know.”

  Sofia could see Marcie beginning to crack. This way the whole thing could be over. Even if it meant a few nerve-shredding minutes talking face to face with the man who was blackmailing her.

  Marcie took a deep breath. “I’ll do it.”

  “Great. Why don’t you call him and set up the meeting? I’ll make sure the equipment’s working. Then we can get you hooked up and go do this.”

  “I have the number here,” said Sofia’s mom, waving her cell phone.

  She was getting into this way too much for Sofia’s liking. “Okay, but the call has to be made from Marcie’s phone. You never had Python’s number, did you, Marcie? I mean, he called you but the number was withheld.”

  “That’s right,” said Marcie.

  Sofia’s mom held up the number on her phone. Marcie tapped it into hers. Sofia reached over, and plugged a wire into one of the jacks. It le
d to a device that would automatically record the call.

  Marcie stared at her cell phone like it was a bomb detonator switch. “What do I say?”

  Sofia had already thought about that. As much as Marcie wanted to avoid her secret being exposed, Python wanted the cash. That was their leverage over him.

  “Okay, tell him you need to meet him to discuss paying for the footage. If he asks whether you have the money, or anything else, say you can’t discuss it over the phone. You need to meet him. Give him a location and time, then hang up. He’ll be there, believe me.”

  “What location?” Marcie asked.

  Sofia had already thought about that. It had to be close to where he lived so that he was comfortable. But not too close that he believed Marcie knew his address. Somewhere busy enough to make it safe, but not so crowded that he was worried about being overheard. They wanted him to incriminate himself, and he wouldn’t do that if he thought people were listening.

  “What if goes to voicemail?”

  “Leave the same details and hang up.”

  Marcie’s hands were trembling. Sofia got it. It was fear of the unknown. She reached out and took Marcie’s hand in hers for a few seconds. “It’s okay to be scared, Marcie. Now, you’re going to take three deep breaths, nice and slow.”

  “Okay.”

  Sofia kept holding Marcie’s hands as she breathed in and out. Then she handed her back the cell phone. Marcie tapped in the number and put the phone to her ear.

  After a few seconds, Python picked up. “Yo.”

  24

  Sofia sat in the front seat of her mom’s car opposite a frozen-yoghurt place on Hollywood Boulevard. She checked her cell phone where she could watch a live feed from the tiny camera they’d clipped to Marcie’s blouse.

  “I want to listen too,” her mom said.

  Sofia tapped on the screen to turn up the volume.

  Marcie was sitting at a table near the back, facing the street. Now all they needed was for Jared Chadwick, a.k.a. Python, to show. It was five minutes past the agreed time, and Sofia was getting nervous.

  “You think he’s going to show?” her mom asked.

  “He will,” said Sofia, sounding more certain than she actually was.

  Marcie had insisted that Janet come along as moral support. Sofia didn’t see the harm in it, although she wasn’t sure Brendan or Aidan would agree. Sofia’s only worry was that her mom was getting way too into this. Not that Sofia blamed her. Running a wire to catch a stripper-turned-blackmailer had to be more fun than whatever else her mom usually had scheduled.

  Right on cue, Sofia saw a black Porsche 911 roll past them, then make a right into a parking structure. Python was driving, and someone was in the front passenger seat next to him, but she couldn’t see them clearly.

  That was a worry. Sofia was confident she could handle Python on his own. But if he’d brought some muscle they’d be in trouble. Maybe she should have asked Aidan for help after all.

  There was no point worrying about it now. Aidan and Brendan were a good hour’s drive away in Malibu. She’d have to work with what she had. If things really got out of control, she could always call the LAPD.

  On screen, Marcie was spooning down a frozen yoghurt like it was about to be banned. Sofia watched the plastic spoon rise and fall towards her mouth. On about the third spoon, a glob of yoghurt fell, and must have landed right on the tiny camera.

  “Damn it.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Sofia tilted the screen so that her mom could see. “We have frozen yoghurt on the lens.”

  “Oh, no,” said Marcie.

  Good, thought Sofia, she’d noticed.

  Marcie must have grabbed a napkin to wipe it off. The screen went white as Marcie presumably dabbed at the blob of melting yoghurt with a napkin.

  The view on the camera came back, but this time it was smeared and blurry. Sofia made a mental note to avoid anything that involved food the next time she ran a sting operation.“Uh, hey,” said Marcie.

  At least the audio was still clear.

  There was the sound of a chair being pushed back and the silhouette of a large male figure sat across from Marcie. With the yoghurt smear across the lens it was hard to say for definite if it was Python, but going by Marcie’s reaction it had to be.

  “You have the money?” Python asked.

  Sofia shot her mom a thumbs-up. This was an excellent start. He was getting straight down to business and mentioning money was one third of what they needed, the other being mention of the incriminating footage, and the final third being that one was required for the return of the other.

  “Not yet.”

  “So why did you want to meet me?”

  “I’m not sure I can give you fifty thousand to make sure you don’t show my husband the video of me and you having sex.”

  That’s my gal, thought Sofia. It was a little what an actor would call ‘on the nose’—in other words, too direct—but sometimes the situation called for getting something out there. Considering what a nervous wreck she’d been, Marcie was doing great.

  There was a long pause. What they needed was for Python to make the threat. Either she found the money or he sent Marcie’s husband the video.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Python.

  Uh-oh. That was not the answer Sofia had been hoping for.

  “What do you mean? You said if I give you fifty thousand dollars you won’t send my husband the footage you have of you and me.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “Listen, lady, you get me all the way down here to meet, and then you start talking crazy. I have no idea what you’re talking about. None.”

  There was the sound of the chair scraping back, and the Python-shaped blob seemed to get up from the table and walk away.

  “Wait,” Marcie called after him.

  It was no good. Sofia glanced across at the entrance to the yoghurt place just in time to see Python appear, put on a pair of designer sunglasses, and walk back towards the parking structure where he’d left his Porsche.

  “What do I do?” said Marcie. “Should I go after him?”

  Sofia grabbed her cell phone. She shot a Marcie a text telling her to hang tight where she was. Maybe Python would come back.

  “What happened” asked her mom. “You think he knew she was wired?”

  “Maybe.”

  “What will he do now? You think he’ll send that stuff to Wade?” her mom said.

  “I doubt it. He does that and he has no shot at seeing any money, which is kind of the point of the exercise. Plus, Wade might just come after him for fooling around with his wife. Python will circle back round. See if can get the cash without incriminating himself.” Or at least that was her best guess.

  “We’d better tell Marcie all that because she’s going to completely freak out.”

  A few seconds later, they watched as the black Porsche reappeared. It drove out of the parking structure, made a right onto San Vicente, and roared off. There was still someone in the passenger seat, but Sofia didn’t get enough of an angle to see who it was. She was almost sure it was a man, but that was as much as she could glean from the split-second view she had.

  She opened the car door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get Marcie – and some frozen yoghurt to go, with sprinkles.”

  Sofia figured that if any situation merited having sprinkles, it was this one. Consolation sprinkles. Her mom popped open her door.

  “I want sprinkles too.”

  “You want whipped cream with that?” the server asked Sofia.

  “No, I’m good.” Sofia glanced over her shoulder to the table where her mom was doing her best to console a hysterical Marcie.

  “Oh, my God, my marriage is over. I’m going to die alone,” wailed Marcie, as the other customers shot nervous glances towards her.

  “Are you with that lady?” the server aske
d Sofia.

  “Yeah, she’s a little upset. I’m sure she’ll be fine in a moment.”

  Marcie’s wailing went up an octave. “My life is ruined!”

  “You want these to go?” asked the server, with pleading eyes.

  Sofia knew a hint when she heard one. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

  Her mom stood and headed over to her, leaving a sobbing Marcie by herself. She fished for something in her handbag. Her hand came out balled into a fist.

  “Here, better put this on Marcie’s,” said her mom.

  She opened her hand to reveal a crushed white pill.

  “What is it?”

  “Xanax sprinkles.”

  Sofia looked at her mom, horrified. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Hide it under some of the chocolate ones. She won’t even taste it.”

  “No!” Sofia was starting to think she ought to bring a narcotics test kit to family dinners.

  25

  Sofia dumped the surveillance kit on her desk.

  “Hey, careful, those things are two grand a pop.”

  Aidan got up from his desk and stalked over to her. He reached past her and picked up the surveillance kit. He opened the rigid plastic case, took out the tiny camera and examined it.

  “What’s this on the lens?” he said, peering at it.

  “Frozen yoghurt. Don’t worry, I was going to clean it before I put it back.”

  Sofia let out a sigh. She really was not in the mood for any of Aidan’s crap. The drive back to Glendale had been a nightmare. Marcie had wailed like a toddler the whole way. Her mom, having been told that it was probably illegal to spike someone’s low-fat dessert had eaten it herself to show that it was a perfectly safe dose and promptly passed out. That had left Sofia alone to try to reassure Marcie that all was not lost. This was a temporary setback, she explained, a bump in the road.

  “Frozen yoghurt? How the hell do you get that on a camera? Making some kind of arty film?” said Aidan.

  “You set up a surveillance operation at a frozen-yoghurt place. Duh!” Sofia said.