Shelley’s eyes widened. He’s asking me for a date?”
Nicole couldn’t stifle a smile. “He’s asking” both of us.”
“Oh.” Shelley appeared to be thinking. “Sure.”
“Shelley accepts,” Nicole said into the phone. “So do I. But we have to be back early because it’s a school night.”
“I know a great little pizza place. It’s rather secluded, and I really shouldn’t been seen with you because of the investigation. Would that be all right?”
Nicole ignored her slight hurt over being regarded as a liability. “We love pizza.”
“Good. Tell me where you’re staying and I’ll pick up you ladies around six.”
3
Cy Waters stepped into his small home, kicked off his shoes, and sighed. He stood still in the entrance hall for a moment, sniffing appreciatively. Rich smells drifted from the kitchen. Unusually rich smells.
“Cy, that you?”
Aline had been calling this out every evening for the thirty-two years she’d been Mrs. Waters.
“No, it’s Sidney Poitier,” Cy returned.
“Make yourself at home, Sidney. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Cy walked into the perfectly neat if comfortably worn L-shaped living room. Pictures of the three children who had kept this room in chaos for years hung on the walls. Cy glanced at them. Good kids. Attractive kids. Smart kids. And as much as he loved them, he was glad the last one had left to go to college in Dallas last fall. Being alone with Aline felt like they were newlyweds again, and Cy was enjoying it.
Aline, tall, full-figured, and stunningly attractive at fifty-one, walked into the room carrying Cy’s glass of tonic with a slice of lime. “Hard day?”
“Brutal.”
“You always say that.” She sat down beside him on the couch.
“Something smells damned good in the kitchen.”
“Beef Stroganoff.”
Cy’s eyebrows shot near his graying hairline. “What happened to that low-fat, low-calorie, low-flavor stuff you’ve been starving me on for the past three weeks?”
Aline took a sip of her own tonic. “I thought we needed a break.”
Cy closed his eyes. “Praise the Lord.”
“Cy, I spend a lot of time on those meals. I’m a nurse. I know what I’m doing. Besides, the doctor recommended that diet for you. He said in a few weeks you’d adjust to it.”
“Sure. Bet he wouldn’t go on it unless he had a gun to his head.”
“Don’t be such a grump.” Aline touched one of her gold stud earrings absently for a moment, then said, “Speaking of being shot in the head, I heard you had a rather interesting case today.”
“Yeah.” Aline looked at him expectantly. “Where did you come by that information?”
“I have friends who are married to cops and friends who are cops.”
“Okay. Today’s business was pretty bad.” Aline continued to stare at him. “You want to hear about it?”
“Might as well. Dinner won’t be ready for twenty minutes.”
“But you never want me to talk about work.”
“That was when the children were home.”
“No, just two weeks ago—” Cy broke off. He smelled the delicious meal bubbling in the kitchen. He looked into Aline’s lovely doe eyes, and he understood. “You know who’s involved in this case, don’t you?”
She smiled sweetly. “You bet I do, honey. I was on duty in the emergency room when Nicole Sloan was brought in after those two animals almost killed her, remember?”
“Yes.”
“Poor little thing was beaten to a pulp. They had to do plastic surgery to repair her face. It really got to me because she was only a couple of years older than our Carrie.”
“I know.”
“It isn’t just that,” Aline explained. “There was something about that case that bothered you. You tried to talk to me about it, but I wouldn’t listen. The whole thing upset me too much. But I want to hear now.”
Cy nodded. “It always bothers me when slime like Magaro and Zand go free. Zand bought that alibi that got him and Magaro off. Everyone knew it, but no one could prove it.”
Aline shook her head. “That’s not the part I’m talking about. I’m talking about the murders of Zand and Magaro.”
“All the evidence pointed to Paul Dominic.”
“But you had doubts.”
“Until he ran. If he was innocent, he wouldn’t have taken off like that.”
Aline raised an eyebrow. “Cy, I know you. I know something bothered you even after Dominic disappeared. And I know it’s still bothering you now. I hear it in your voice. And it’s connected to the murders this morning at Nicole’s house.”
“Okay, you’re right. But can’t this wait until after dinner?”
Aline shook her head. “No. No details, no Stroganoff.”
Cy groaned. “So that’s why I’m getting the good dinner tonight. Bribery.”
Aline grinned. “That’s right. So start talking, honey. I want to hear everything.”
Sixteen
1
Village Pizza Inn was small, cozy, and uncrowded at such an early hour on a Thursday. They sat at a table covered with red checked tablecloths. After a deep perusal of the menu, Shelley decided on an eight-inch veggie pizza. Then she pinned Ray with a stare. “Jesse was missing this morning. Is he home yet?”
“Not as of three o’clock, when I was last at the house,” Ray said.
“Do you have any leads?”
Ray seemed nonplussed by Shelley’s language. “She watches a lot of police shows,” Nicole told him.
Shelley nodded. “NYPD Blue is my favorite. Are you conducting a search for Jesse?”
Nicole was glad Ray looked at the child without a trace of condescension. “No, Shelley, we aren’t as of yet. Today we were working on other things. Besides, he hasn’t been missing for twenty-four hours. It’s also our belief that Jesse will come home in the next day or two.”
“Do you know who killed the two men?”
Ray’s dark eyes shot to Nicole. “I told her,” she said. “She took it very well, like the brave, grown-up girl she is.”
Shelley rolled her eyes. “Mommy, you’re making me sound like a dork.”
“Excuse me,” Nicole said wryly. “I meant it as a compliment.”
“I know.” Shelley looked at Ray. “Well?”
“You’re more demanding than my lieutenant.” Ray smiled. “No, Shelley, we don’t know yet.”
“Any leads?”
“No, ma’am.”
Shelley sighed. “After twenty-four hours, the trail gets cold.”
Ray burst into laughter. “Shelley, you’re a pistol.”
“What do you mean?”
“He means you ask too many questions,” Nicole said, getting irritated with the child’s demanding tone. “Give him a break and be quiet.”
“It’s all right,” Ray said. “Shelley, I meant you’re very smart. Do you want to go into police work?”
“I’m not sure.”
“She’s torn between police work and acting,” Nicole explained.
Ray nodded. “Just go to college like your mother did. That would help you in either field.”
“But if I don’t know which I want to do, how will I know what classes to take?”
“You could have a double major in criminology and drama,” Ray said. “It would be unusual, but possible.”
“I guess,” Shelley said without enthusiasm. Not many nine-year-olds were planning their college majors. “Did you go to college, Sergeant DeSoto?”
“Yes. And why don’t you call me Ray?”
Shelley looked at Nicole. “Is that all right?”
“Yes, if he says it is,” Nicole said, glad that although the child spouted police terminology like an adult, she at least remembered her childhood manners.
“Where did you go to college, Ray?” Shelley asked sweetly.
He leaned back in the booth
, seeming to be enjoying himself. “I went to college in New York City.”
“That’s far away,” Shelley commented.
“I’d spent my whole life in Texas,” Ray said. “I lost my mother when I was young and I was raised poor. I’d never even been on a vacation, so when I got some extra money and it was time to leave for college, I wanted to see a different part of the country.”
“I bet you’re a real good policeman.”
Ray smiled. “I hope so.”
After they ordered, Shelley asked for money to play the jukebox. Ray and Nicole each offered a dollar bill, and Shelley headed toward the machine.
“She’s quite a kid,” Ray said.
“That’s an understatement. I’m sorry she’s so persistent tonight. She’s scared about the murders, and especially about Jesse. She’s not usually so annoying.”
“She didn’t annoy me. She’s just precocious.”
“I know. She gets that from her father. Roger is brilliant, although his behavior has been less than exemplary lately.”
Ray looked into her eyes. “I’m sure most of her intelligence comes from her mother.”
Nicole smiled slightly. “Thank you, but believe me, I’m not brighter than Roger. He’s been running circles around me for the past year.”
“In what way?”
She didn’t want to tell Ray about Roger talking her into a move to Texas so he could follow his girlfriend. It was too humiliating. “He just is, believe me.” Ray’s eyes probed hers, and she dropped her gaze, sipping her lemonade. “Can you tell me what you found out about the murders today?”
Ray looked over his shoulder, making sure Shelley was still out of earshot. “Don’t worry. For Shelley, picking the correct songs is like choosing which wire to cut on a bomb. It’ll take her forever.”
Ray laughed. “Okay. For one thing, we did find your house keys in Izzy’s pocket. That wasn’t a surprise.”
“But what about the other man? The one who killed Izzy?”
“There’s no trace of a second person having broken in. Maybe he came in with Izzy, although that doesn’t sound very likely. Maybe he followed Izzy in.”
“That doesn’t sound very likely, either, unless he was following Izzy.”
“I know. We’re still working on that. Anyway, both Izzy and the cop were killed with the same gun.”
“An automatic?”
“Yes. Your revolver will be returned to you. We didn’t find the murder weapon.” A song by Hootie and the Blowfish began to play. “The cop had only one wound—the gunshot to the temple. He died instantly. Izzy wasn’t so lucky. All the blood in your hall probably came from the wound in his back.”
“His back?”
“Yes.” Ray pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket and began reading. “According to the autopsy, he was stabbed with a four-inch blade. We didn’t find the knife, either. Anyway, it penetrated through an inner space in the lower dorsal spine, transecting the spinal cord.”
“Transecting the spine. That would have paralyzed him.” Ray nodded again. “But certainly he would have cried out. Why didn’t I hear anything?”
“There were terry-cloth shreds in his mouth. The killer must have stuffed a washcloth in it before Izzy got over the shock of the stabbing. Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she managed, swallowing hard. “It’s just so awful.”
Ray’s expression didn’t change. “Keep in mind that Izzy might have killed you if someone hadn’t gotten him first. In fact, we think that’s what he intended to do. We found a small roll of eighteen-gauge wire in his pocket. Ten years ago he tried to strangle his father with wire. He probably intended to do the same to you.”
Nicole was astounded and repulsed. “Why wasn’t he in prison?”
“For the attack on his father? He was a juvenile and they claimed temporary insanity due to drugs. He was out in the streets in no time. We had another, similar murder a couple of years ago, which I think Izzy committed, but we couldn’t prove it.”
“But why would he want to kill me? Just so he could rob the place? There’s nothing of any real value in my home.”
Ray hesitated, his gaze shifting from hers to the window beside them. “Nicole, we found three thousand dollars in Izzy’s room. We haven’t had any robberies in the past few days where that much cash was taken. Nor was Izzy at any of the pawnshops lately. Besides, the money couldn’t have been there long or he would have spent it on drugs. We believe he was paid, probably yesterday, to kill you.”
“What?” Nicole blurted, ignoring the couple across the room who turned to look at her. “But who…”
“Your husband is the most likely suspect.”
Nicole stared at him for a moment, then shook her head violently. “No. Roger and I certainly aren’t having an amicable divorce, but he would not do something like that. Besides, you don’t have any proof this Izzy person was paid to kill me.”
“Believe it or not, Izzy had a girlfriend. Glorious young lady by the name of Jewel Crown. Honest to God, that’s her real name. I think her mother knew she’d grow up to be either a hooker or a stripper. We questioned her today. She told us about his being paid for a hit. I quote,” he said, his voice suddenly changing, becoming high and nasal. “ ‘On somebody’s wife—she’s a teacher or somethin’. She’s got a kid, but Iz wouldn’t hurt no kid. Just the wife.’ ” Ray resumed his normal voice. “Now, as I said, this young lady is a prostitute. She’s also a coke addict. She’s not your ideal witness, but still…”
Nicole couldn’t take it in. She felt cold, stunned, but stubborn. “Ray, I’m telling you, Roger wouldn’t do something like that.”
“Are you sure?”
Her mouth went dry as she thought of how he’d tricked her into coming to San Antonio, of how erratic his behavior had become, of how determined he was to get full custody of Shelley. “Three thousand dollars isn’t a very high price to kill someone.”
“For Izzy, three thousand was probably a fortune. We’re checking your husband’s bank account for any recent large withdrawals,” Ray said, just as their drinks were delivered.
Nicole took a gulp of her lemonade, wishing it were something stronger, although after last night her stomach rebelled at the thought. “I still can’t believe it,” she said finally.
“Who else might want you dead?”
“No one. Except maybe…”
“Paul Dominic?”
Nicole took another sip of her drink, then said slowly, “When I first thought Paul was back, I believed he might want revenge for my wrecking his life.”
“But now you think Dominic killed Izzy to protect you?”
“Maybe.”
“And the patrolman watching your house, Nicole? His name was Jason Abbott, he was twenty-six years old, and he had two little kids. Did Dominic kill him to protect you, too?”
Nicole drew back, the breath flooding out of her. “That’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I feel like it is, especially if Paul did it because of me…”
“You’re not responsible for Dominic’s actions.”
Nicole knew any good psychiatrist would say the same thing, but as Shelley returned to the table, she thought of the young patrolman Abbott’s fatherless children. She’d never been convinced Paul killed Magaro and Zand, but if he had, it had been to avenge and to protect her—they had almost killed her, and if given the chance, they might have tried again. If Paul had killed Izzy Dooley, he had probably saved her life. But Abbott? Would Paul have killed an innocent man to maintain his own safety and anonymity?
“Mommy, you don’t look so good,” Shelley commented when she returned to the table.
“I’m fine, sweetie.”
But as she forced down her food, everything tasted like cardboard that wanted to stick in her throat. Someone, maybe more than one person, wanted her dead. And she had a terrible feeling one of them would be successful.
2
/> Jewel Crown was on her way home after a long, disappointing evening. Not one john. But she supposed she understood it. She wasn’t putting her heart in her work tonight. Izzy hadn’t exactly been a girl’s dream, but he’d cared for her. When she had a bad week, he’d always given her money to get by, to buy enough food and coke to keep her going. And he always said she was pretty. Not like the Johns did because they wanted sex. Just because he meant it. Now he was gone.
Jewel hadn’t liked talking to the police about his death. Hell, what hooker did like talking to the police? And the way Izzy had died. God, it made her sick to think about it. It also made her sick that the police took the three thousand dollars Izzy was paid, even though they gave her a little something for her story.
Jewel knew she shouldn’t be afraid. She’d told the truth—Izzy had been paid to kill a woman, a teacher. He said she was a horrible person, a crazy woman who was hurting her kid, otherwise he wouldn’t do it, and Jewel had understood. She didn’t like it when kids got hurt by their parents the way she had. The only problem was that she wasn’t supposed to know who’d paid Izzy, but she did. Iz had told her. Of course, she hadn’t told the police who that person was. They couldn’t have dragged the name out of her, no matter what they did. But maybe the person who hired Izzy didn’t believe that. Maybe they thought she’d blab everything. Maybe they thought that just because she was a working girl, she was stupid. Or greedy, planning on blackmail. Jewel Crown was neither stupid nor greedy.
She turned her foot on a spike heel and cursed. Her feet hurt and her leather skirt and gold mesh top felt tighter than usual. She stopped and took off the shoes. There was nothing she could do about the skirt and top unless she wanted to walk home naked because she didn’t wear underwear. The pavement felt cool under her bare feet. She’d elected not to wear the black fishnet stockings tonight. They were Izzy’s favorite, but she was in mourning for him, so they remained in her dresser drawer.
Jewel turned down a dark street. She was tired, more tired than she could ever remember. She hadn’t slept last night. Tonight she would sleep deeply and she knew Iz would understand. She was on her own now. A few more bad nights like this one and she’d be in trouble. She needed rest to get rid of the circles under her eyes and put some spring back in her step, give her the attitude that made her so popular with her clients.
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