3 Men and a Body

by Stephanie Bond

  “Another couple of hours,” Coop said.

  “Good, we’ll have all afternoon on the beach.”

  “How’s your arm?” Coop asked.

  “Better,” he said, wiggling it. “Those antibiotics must be potent.” And the OxyContin was doing its thing.

  “The shot was strong. But you still have to take all the pills I gave you.”

  “You should’ve gone to Coop in the first place,” Carlotta said.

  “I tried to call Coop when The Carver let me go, but he didn’t answer. I didn’t want you to see me like that, so I called Peter. I thought you’d be happy about that.”

  Carlotta frowned. “Why?”

  “Because I know you and Peter have gotten close again,” Wesley said, talking fast. “He showed me the ring.”

  Carlotta turned around, her eyes wide. Coop jerked the steering wheel and swerved, then corrected. “What ring?”

  “Carlotta’s engagement ring,” Wesley said his sister. He looked at Carlotta. “You didn’t tell Coop?”

  “You’re engaged?” Coop practically shouted.

  “No, I’m not engaged,” Carlotta said, shooting lasers at Wesley with her eyes.

  “So what’s all this about a ring?” Coop asked, still sounding panicked.

  Wesley felt guilty watching his sister squirm.

  “It’s the engagement ring that Peter gave me ten years ago,” she said finally. “I had to pawn it to pay bills. Peter somehow found it and bought it back.”

  “And upgraded it,” Wesley offered. “Had a big-ass diamond mounted on either side of the big-ass diamond that was already there. It’s humongous. And it’s Cartier.”

  Coop’s face was turning gray. “Where is it?” he asked Carlotta, staring at her hand.

  “Peter has it,” she murmured.

  “He’s holding it for her,” Wesley confirmed, then sat back. From the way Coop and Carlotta were looking—and not looking—at each other, he had a feeling he wouldn’t have to create a diversion tonight to keep them in separate rooms.

  His arm twinged, so he reached into his bag to get another pain pill, but his phone rang. When he glanced at the display, his heart surged. It was E.

  Playing it cool, he let it ring twice before answering. “This is Wes.”

  “Wesley, hi, this is E. Jones.”

  “Hi, E., what’s up?”

  “Just checking in,” she said. “Where are you?”

  “I’m in sunny Florida. And the beach is fantastic.” He hoped it conjured up images of him frolicking with lots of scantily dressed women.

  “You really should tell me when you’re going out of town,” she said, chastising him. “I called because I received notification from the court that you didn’t make your weekly payment on your fine. If you can’t afford to pay your fine, how can you afford to go on vacation?”

  He sobered. “I’m actually on a job with Coop.”

  “You’re picking up a body?”

  “Yeah. We’re on our way to—”

  Coop signaled him in the mirror with a finger to his mouth. “It’s confidential.”

  “We’re on our way…there,” Wesley said into the phone.

  “When will you be back in Atlanta?”

  “Tomorrow evening.”

  “And when will you be able to make a payment to the court?”

  “Monday.”

  “Okay, I’ll let them know. But this can’t happen again.”

  “Right. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry, Wesley. Be a man and honor your commitments.”

  The call was disconnected. He sat there listening to the silence for a few seconds as frustration welled in his chest. Be a man like her boyfriend, Leonard, who was up to his dick in bad news?

  “Who was on the phone?” Carlotta asked.

  “My probation officer.”

  “Sorry for interrupting,” Coop said, “but this is supposed to be a quiet job. I had to sign a confidentiality agreement and that extends to the two of you.”

  “Who are we picking up, anyway?”

  “Kiki Deerling.”

  “The celebrity chick with the shaved taco?”

  Coop frowned. “Show some respect, okay?”

  His arm was really hurting now. He pulled out one of the OxyContin pills and rolled it around in his mouth. What was it Chance had said? If you want to feel like you’ve just been laid by the woman of your dreams, chew it.

  It might be as close to having E. Jones in his bed as he’d ever get. Wesley bit down on the tablet and winced against the bitter taste. But as the tablet dissolved, he felt an immediate rush of pleasure. And within a few minutes, he felt better than he’d ever felt in his life. Light. Carefree. Euphoric.

  He put his earbuds back in, cranked up Stone Temple Pilots and settled back against the seat. Damn, he could get used to this.

  15

  C oop rolled down the window. “Smell that?”

  Carlotta lowered her window and inhaled. “The ocean?”

  “Money,” he said with a wry smile. “Boca Raton has some of the most expensive real estate on the East Coast.”

  And it looked it. The buildings were higher and more state-of-the-art. The palm trees were taller and more picturesque, the grass was greener and more manicured. The streets were jammed with beautiful people sporting cruise wear and eye-popping gobs of bling.

  “TV news vans are everywhere,” Carlotta said, pointing out the window. “Everyone is fascinated by Kiki Deerling’s death.”

  “With all this media, how are we supposed to get the body out of town undetected?” Wesley asked.

  “The morgue told me they have extra security, with vans going in and out all the time. No one will know which van the body is in. They’ve even arranged to install a Florida license plate on the back when we get there in the morning so no one will be suspicious when we leave the property.”

  “Wow,” Carlotta said, shaking her head. “The poor girl is more popular now than when she was alive.”

  “Death as a career move,” Wesley muttered.

  “I can’t imagine this many people caring whether I was dead or alive,” Carlotta commented. At her fake funeral, most of the people had attended out of curiosity, to see if her parents would show.

  “Apparently, a lot of us would care,” Coop said lightly.

  She averted her gaze. She could strangle Wesley for bringing up the engagement ring, but she was actually more angry with herself for not being able to deal with all the loose ends in her life. As much as she’d yearned to have Coop in her bed last night, this morning she was relieved that nothing had happened. The news of the ring Peter was “holding” for her made her look indecisive at best. On the heels of a night of unbridled passion, it would have made her look like something else altogether.

  She felt miserable every time she made eye contact with Coop.

  The hotel was nicer than anyplace she’d ever stayed, and Wesley was excited that the pool area featured a half-dozen hot tubs. Despite being so irritable yesterday, he was in a great mood now. His arm had to be feeling better, Carlotta realized, thankful more than ever to Coop.

  When he carried her suitcase into her room, tension still vibrated between them. “Coop, I’m sorry.”

  “About what?”

  “About the complicated mess my life is.”

  He pushed her hair behind her ear. “I guess that’s what makes you so irresistible.”

  “I feel like I’ve ruined this entire trip.”

  “Not at all.” He winked. “Let’s go enjoy the beach, okay?”

  Her heart expanded and she nodded gratefully. “I’ll put on my suit and meet you and Wesley downstairs in fifteen minutes.”

  He left her room and she sank to the bed, letting out a sigh. Would she ever get her act together? Inside her bag, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen and gave a little laugh. It was Hannah calling. She flipped open the phone. “Hello?”

  Silence.

  “Hannah, this is chi
ldish, don’t you think?”

  More silence.

  Carlotta disconnected the call, shaking her head. She unzipped her suitcase and withdrew a Karla Colletto red one-piece bathing suit. With all the cutouts, it was just as skin-baring as a bikini, but was much easier to get on with her cast. She was contorting to get into it when the phone rang again. Ready to give Hannah a piece of her mind, she yanked up the cell. But the display read Unknown. Frowning, she answered, “Hello?”

  “Hey, pretty lady, it’s the bartender from the Holiday Inn. Are you still in town?”

  “No,” she said warily, wondering if the guy wanted to hook up.

  “Too bad, because I just saw Karen Wells.”

  Her pulse leaped. “Where?”

  “At the Pink Pony.”

  “What’s that?”

  “A strip club, honey. She’s onstage right now.”

  Carlotta felt sick to her stomach. “Can you give me the address?” She wrote it down with a shaking hand. “Thanks so much for letting me know.”

  “If you come back to town, doll face, look me up.”

  “Will do,” she lied, then disconnected the call.

  She glanced at her watch and dialed Jack’s number while she continued to struggle into the swimsuit.

  “Carlotta?” he answered.

  “Yes, it’s me.” She juggled the phone between her shoulder and ear, straining to stretch a strap over her shoulder. When the strap snapped out of her hand and zinged her cast, she grunted in pain.

  “If you’re doing what I think you’re doing,” he said, “I’m going to have to find a place to be alone.”

  “Get your mind out of the gutter,” she retorted. “I happen to have a hot tip for you.”

  “I know, I know—get a new tie.”

  “Will you shut up and listen? The bartender from the Holiday Inn just called and said he’d spotted Karen Wells at a strip club called the Pink Pony.”

  “She’s there now?”

  “Yes.” She gave him the address.

  “The employee file was a dead end,” he said.

  “Uh-huh.”

  He sighed. “Something tells me I should have patted you down before I let you leave. Carlotta, it doesn’t make sense for us both to travel the same ground.”

  “Well, I have to admit that I’m glad I’m not there with you to check out this particular lead.”

  “It might not be your mother,” he said quietly.

  Emotion formed a lump in her throat. “If my mother is a stripper, that would just be the cherry on top, wouldn’t it?” She broke off on a choking sound.

  “Don’t do this to yourself.” He sighed. “Look, go have fun…with Coop,” he added tightly. “I’ll call you the minute I know something.”

  She disconnected the call and gulped a couple of breaths to calm herself. Her strength renewed, she stretched the suit over her shoulders and into place. She shrugged into a red cover-up and gold metallic flip-f lops, then stuffed her phone and other necessities into a beach bag and hurried downstairs.

  Wesley was waiting, wearing trunks and a T-shirt. “Coop went down to rent us beach chairs and an umbrella.”

  “That was nice of him.”

  “Yeah. But isn’t there some saying about nice guys finishing last?”

  She narrowed her eyes at her brother as they walked through the pool area and along a boardwalk toward the beach. He seemed determined to steer her attention away from Coop. “Wesley, what was all that about Peter today? It came from left field.”

  He shrugged. “He’s not such a bad guy, and he’s crazy about you. Don’t you want the life you would’ve had if you hadn’t been saddled with me?”

  She stopped. “Wesley, that’s not why Peter dumped me. His parents didn’t want him near me because of what our father did. It had nothing to do with you.”

  “I heard what you said in the van.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When I was hiding, I heard you tell Coop that you only raised me because you didn’t have a choice.”

  She bit her tongue to stave off tears. “I still think you would’ve been better off raised by your own mother and father instead of an eighteen-year-old who couldn’t cook. But I never would’ve left you to someone else to raise. I only meant that Coop shouldn’t put me on a pedestal, because I did what anyone would do. For me, there was no other choice.”

  Wesley’s eyes looked suspiciously moist. “You didn’t do such a bad job, you know.”

  In the wake of rare brotherly praise, she tried to look stern. “So stay out of trouble.”

  “I’m trying,” he mumbled.

  When they got to the beach, they scanned the crowd. Coop waved to them and they wound their way to the patch he’d carved out for them. His smile was a little dimmer today, but he was still his easygoing self. And his eyes lit up appreciatively when Carlotta pulled off her cover-up. If he was remembering what little intimate contact had transpired between them last night, so was she.

  They played a game of spades in the shade of the umbrella. Carlotta tried to keep her mind on the play, but she kept wondering what was happening in Daytona, if Jack had located Karen Wells and if she was really Valerie Wren.

  “You broke the trump suit,” Wesley said.

  She blinked. “What?”

  “You laid down a spade and I know you still have a club.”

  She frowned and pulled her cards back. “How do you know?”

  “I just know.”

  Her phone rang. Wesley was closer, so he reached into her bag and handed it to her. “It’s Jack Terry,” he said.

  “Excuse me a minute,” she said, aware that Coop’s eyes were on her.

  She walked out of earshot and flipped up the phone. “Hello, Jack? Did you find her?”

  “Yeah, I found Karen Wells.” In the background she could hear dance music.

  “And?” Carlotta held her breath.

  “There’s a resemblance, but she’s not your mother.”

  She exhaled. “Oh, thank God.”

  “Yeah. Turns out she’s using a fake name because she has a couple of misdemeanor drug possession charges. I don’t think she had anything to do with the hotel robbery, but I’m still looking into it.”

  “I forgot to ask earlier. Did Liz recognize my father’s voice on the surveillance tape.”

  “She doesn’t think it was him.”

  Another relief. “Okay. Thanks for calling, Jack.”

  “Sure thing. Now you can get back to…whatever you were doing.”

  She smiled into the phone. “Sunbathing.”

  “Wish I was there.”

  “You’ve seen everything I have, anyway,” she reminded him.

  “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind seeing it again sometime.”

  “Goodbye, Jack.” She flipped the phone closed and walked back to the chairs, feeling less burdened. Coop was there alone, reading a book.

  “Where did Wesley go?”

  He nodded toward the surf, where her brother was floating, waiting for a wave to ride in.

  “How’s Jack?” Coop asked.

  “Fine and dandy.”

  He closed his book. “What’s going on, Carlotta?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “For one thing, there’s no Neiman Marcus in Daytona.”

  She winced. “You checked?”

  “Where were you yesterday?”

  “I can explain.”

  “Were you with Jack?”

  She closed her eyes briefly. “He was there.”

  “Where?”

  Carlotta massaged her temples. “At the Holiday Inn.”

  Coop’s head went back as if she’d slapped him.

  “It’s not what you think,” she said. She looked around to make sure Wesley was still in the water, then sighed. “The night that Wesley came home, Jack pulled me aside to tell me that a Holiday Inn in Daytona had been robbed, and when the scene was processed, my father’s fingerprints came up as a match. Jac
k was coming down to investigate.”

  Coop quirked his mouth. “So that’s why you wanted to stop in Daytona?”

  She nodded. “I wanted to check it out for myself. I thought my father might be working there, maybe in disguise.”

  “Was he?”

  “No. But I…ran into Jack while I was there.”

  “I imagine he wasn’t too happy to see you.”

  “Uh, no. But I did give him a lead to follow up on. That was him calling back to say it was a dead end.”

  Coop studied her. “So that’s why you agreed to come with me, so you could hitch a ride to Daytona?”

  “That’s not the only reason,” she said, but she realized how feeble it sounded. She swallowed. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather Wesley not know about any of this.”

  He nodded, but his disappointment was transparent. The rest of the day, she was aware of the emotional wall between them, and she knew it was her fault. Wesley seemed not to notice anything was wrong—the sun and the water agreed with him, she acknowledged. He seemed cheerful, and a little color suited him. She and Coop relied on him to keep the conversation and activities going. The gold-streaked sunset was bittersweet. Carlotta remembered how happy she’d been twenty-four hours ago.

  They had a casual dinner at a beachside bar, then Wesley insisted they go to the hotel hot tub. He held his freshly bandaged arm out of the water along the concrete edge. Carlotta did the same with her cast, but conceded that the warm, bubbly water felt good everywhere else. Still, her chest ached every time she looked at Coop. Their toes occasionally touched underwater. They were sitting a couple of feet away from each other, but as time wore on, they migrated closer and closer together until their thighs touched. She wished the entire world would fall away and leave them alone to explore this powerful pull between them.

  When Wesley climbed out to go to the restroom, silence stretched until Carlotta cleared her throat. “Hannah called again today to breathe into the phone.”

  He smiled, but it faded as quickly. “Has Ashford called again?”

  “No.”

  “Meaning he doesn’t perceive me as a threat.”

  “Don’t go there, Coop.”

  His laugh was hollow. “It’s true. If I planned to marry you, I wouldn’t be so calm about you taking off for the weekend with some other guy.”