by Diane Bator
“True.” All the things she’d told Xavier’s wife in confidence came back to haunt her. Nothing about the black belts, just her own pathetic life. “What lawsuit?”
“Trust me. You don’t want to know.” He dropped onto the flowery couch she’d inherited from her great-aunt. The springs squeaked and Mick sank about four inches lower than she normally did. His foot tapped against the hardwood floor in no particular rhythm. “What’s wrong with your couch?”
“It’s old. Antique, actually.”
“You need to buy a new one.”
“You don’t pay me enough,” she said.
Mick glanced up, probably to make sure she was kidding.
Gilda was completely serious. “How would anyone tap your phone? Wouldn’t they need to have access to it? That’s not likely because you hardly ever let go of it. I wouldn’t even know how or where to buy the bug.”
“That’s because you don’t have a mean bone in your body, babe. Do you have some coffee or something?” His hands twitched. “I could use a drink that’s not alcohol based.”
“Water?”
He got up. “I’ll stop at Café Beanz on the way back.”
“On the way back where?” Her neck tingled.
“The school. I have cleaning to finish before I meet Xavier for dinner.” Mick averted his gaze. “He wants to talk about the instructor’s position that suddenly opened up.”
“Walter’s job,” she said. “That seems kind of ghoulish.”
“I know.” He frowned then scrubbed his face with both hands. “This is not the way things were supposed to go.”
Gilda hugged her stomach and sat on the edge of the wicker chair. “How were things supposed to go?”
“Walter was supposed to take over the Sandstone Cove school. Razi and I planned to set up a second school in Erie that he could run. I still wanted to train, but worry more about the other things I was working on.”
“Flipping houses.”
“How did you know about that?” His mouth dropped open.
Gilda doubted his new occupation had anything to do with Walter’s murder anyway. “Xavier mentioned it. I was surprised you didn’t tell me.”
“Yeah. I’ve been busy.”
“It’s none of my business.” She got up and peeked through the curtains. No sign of Gary’s car or of Chloe. No one on the streets. All that moved in her yard were bees in the flowers. “So who do you think tapped your phone?”
Mick stood behind her, the length of his body warmed her back, and leaned over her shoulder. His breath sent a shiver down her arm. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just being paranoid and forgot who I told what.”
Likely, but that didn’t explain his shaking hands or the sudden concern for his personal safety. So much for “I’m a samurai. Nothing can hurt me.” That theory hadn’t helped Walter any either. All thoughts of Walter disappeared when Mick’s hand rested on her shoulder.
She wanted to melt beneath his warmth. “I guess that’s the problem with secrets.”
“I guess so.”
“Did you call Chloe?”
“No.” Mick backed away and left a warm spot on her shoulder when he returned to the couch and resumed bouncing his feet on the floor. “I can’t call her.”
“Is everything okay? Not that I want to pry, but...you just seem off.”
His gaze darted around the room. After professing his love for Chloe repeatedly over the past few months and even taking her to Jamaica for a week, it seemed odd he was now barricaded inside Gilda’s house. “Everything’s fine. Just fine.”
Tired of non-answers, Gilda sighed and went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
“Are you making coffee?” Mick followed. “I could really use a cup.”
She plugged in the kettle. “Chamomile tea. You’re too wound up for coffee.”
He paced the kitchen then wandered back to the living room window and peered through the curtains again. Even for Mick the behavior was unusual. When Gilda brought out a bag of cookies, he shot across the room and grabbed the bag from her hands.
“Either sit down or go home. You’re scaring me,” she said. “Are you stoned?”
Mick sat at the table. “I haven’t taken drugs, if that’s what you’re asking, but I haven’t felt right since lunch. It’s like my brain turned to soup and my whole body’s vibrating.”
“Where did you have lunch?” She grabbed two mugs. Teacups wouldn’t hold enough tea to calm him.
“At my place with Chloe. She wanted to talk so we had a late lunch. We needed to settle some things between us.” His gaze dropped.
Apparently, they’d already made up after arguing in front of the school that morning. Gilda had no right to be jealous, yet she was. “What did you eat?”
“Antipasto. Cheese. Sangria.”
“You do know Sangria is wine and fruit, don’t you?”
He frowned. “Chloe said it was grape juice.”
“Nobody gets drunk off grape juice.” Gilda tried hard not to laugh while she added a teabag to each mug. “Did it taste weird?”
“How would I know?” He shot her a scowl. “I don’t drink wine or Sangria.”
She rolled her eyes. “Did it happen to taste like almonds?”
“It was sweet and she made me eat something after every sip.” he said.
“Did Chloe drink any?” she asked.
“I don’t think so. I didn’t notice.”
Either Chloe didn’t want him flat-out drunk or she didn’t want him to taste whatever she’d laced the sangria with. Why would his girlfriend want to drug him? If she’d wanted to kill him, she’d failed miserably. Mick’s eyelids drooped and his head lolled to the left. If she wanted to incapacitate him, she’d done a good job. So much for his dinner with Xavier.
She unplugged the kettle and led him to the living room. “Why don’t you lie down on the couch for a minute? I’ll call Razi or Xavier to pick you up.”
“Can’t I just stay here? You have such a cozy place.” His words slurred as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. His gaze locked on hers. “Let me stay here. We can protect each other from Chloe and whoever killed Walter.”
“Why do we have to protect each other from Chloe?” Gilda asked. “Is she dangerous?”
“Because I gave her back her necklace we found at the school. She said she must have lost it after class one day then got really mad when I told her you cleaned it off while I showered.” He breathed in her ear. “When I told her to relax, she gave me another drink and asked me a bunch of questions.”
“About what?” Gilda pulled away from him and pried his fingers off her waist. “About you and me.” He wrapped his arms around her once more. “About Walter and Jade and Yoshida. Chloe knows a lot of stuff about everyone, and she has some serious connections. That’s why I need to stay with you. You’re safe.”
Safe. Her heart hammered. The neighbors would talk and her mother would have their wedding planned by midnight. “That’s not an option.”
“Please, babe, I need you.” Another kiss to her cheek. This one closer to her mouth. “You’re smart. You’re cute. You’re sexy.”
“I’m really flattered, but I’m sober and you’re far from it.” She pried his hands away and pushed him onto the couch.
Mick lay back against the cushions. “Do you think Chloe wants to kill me?”
“I think you need to talk to her once you sober up,” she said.
“Did you know I caught her sneaking around with Walter before he died?”
“What?” Gilda’s stomach lurched.
“They were in the change room one day. I came in early to pick up some paperwork. Chloe and Walter were rolling around on the tile floor. Not the best place to do the deed if they wanted to keep things secret, but at least they weren’t in the dojo.”
Mouth agape, she sat on the floor next to the couch. Mick definitely had motive. “Did they know you were there?”
“Probably not.”
&n
bsp; “Were you mad?” she asked.
“Of course I was. I wanted to kill them both,” he said. “I went to the bank then went to see Jade, which was a huge mistake.”
“Why is that?”
“She already knew.” Mick shrugged. “Apparently, Walter’s had a few girlfriends around town over the years.”
All the more reason for Jade and an accomplice to want to kill her husband. Much cheaper than a messy divorce. “Wasn’t she mad?”
“She had an odd way of showing it.” Guilt covered his face. “She took me into the hot tub to calm down then evened the score. The woman’s a freaking animal. I could hardly walk to my car when she was done with me.” He stopped. “I don’t suppose you needed to hear that part, did you?”
“Are you people rabbits?” Gilda grabbed the phone, unable to stomach any more information.
“They seem to be. Me, I’m just lonely, scared and confused. Ever since my wife left, I...” Mick reached for her again. “Come here, babe.”
“Oh no. I’m not playing that game.” When she pulled away, Mick grabbed the hem of her shorts. “Chloe could have us both killed with the snap of her fingers.”
Xavier wasn’t home, but Razi answered on the first ring.
“Nah, she won’t kill you,” Mick said. “She likes you. Everybody likes you. But you and me, we make such a great team.”
Gilda pried Mick’s fingers off, his hands warm against her leg. “Razi, I really need you to come to my house and pick up Mick. He’s plastered.”
Mick grabbed her wrist and pulled her off balance. “Come on, baby. Gimme a kiss.”
“Why is Sensei Mick at your house, Miss Wright?” Razi asked. “And why does he want a baby to give him a kiss?”
“Because he’s drunk, scared, and obnoxious.” She shoved Mick away. “I have no idea why he’s here or what he wants. I just hope he passes out soon.”
“Sensei Mick rarely drinks alcohol.”
“Well, apparently, he drinks a lot today.” When she hung up, Mick pulled her closer. This time she didn’t resist, but fell against him and rested her head on his chest. When she wasn’t mad at Mick, this was exactly what she dreamed would eventually happen for the past two years, yet she hoped he’d pass out soon. “Get some sleep. Razi’s coming to pick you up.”
“I don’t want him to pick me up. I want to stay with you.” Mick pulled her head to his chest. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head for a long minute before he stopped moving and snored.
She sat up and tried to move away, only strands of her hair were tangled in his fingers. Her mom always told her to be careful what she wished for. Lesson learned. “Ouch! Geez. How’d you do that so fast?”
While Gilda untangled her hair, Mick remained asleep and peaceful. Thankfully. She went out to wait for Razi on the front steps. For a man she thought she knew so well, Mick Williams had her thoroughly confused from head to quivering toe.
She scrubbed her face with her hands and gazed up at the stars. “Man, I wish I knew what was going on with him.”
Chapter 10
Gilda tossed all the blankets off her bed, felt a chill, then pulled them back on and huddled beneath them like they offered protection from her thoughts. They didn’t.
Razi had arrived hours ago, hauled Mick to his car and took him home. She hadn’t heard from either one since. Mick had left the school before Walter’s class that day. Everyone in the school knew he normally locked all the doors when he trained alone to be completely undisturbed. He liked privacy, yet someone entered the school once Mick left and killed Walter.
As far as she knew, no one had stepped forward yet to say they saw anyone enter or leave the school. The only other way inside was through the back door that couldn’t be opened from the outside. Not unless someone either left it propped open or knocked loudly for someone inside to open it.
She deflated. Why hadn’t she checked out the back alley?
She pulled on black yoga pants and a dark hoodie in spite of the evening heat. With her thoughts moving faster than her legs or her sense of reasoning, she grabbed a flashlight off the counter. A late night run was the last thing on her mind as she took her keys and peered out the door. No dark sedans. No yellow Ferraris.
As she blew out a breath and stuck her keys into her pocket on her way to the sidewalk, her thoughts tumbled. Keys. Who else had keys to the school? Walter. Mick. Razi. Yoshida. Herself. Did Xavier and Erik have keys? She couldn’t recall. They must.
Her pace quickened and her thoughts tripped each other up as she ran the last block. Erik, she was positive, no longer had keys. He’d abused his privileges when he brought friends into the school one night for unauthorized training and a party. Mick had refused to let Erik into the school for over a month.
Xavier, in yet another snit about something to do with Walter, threw his keys at Mick in a rage another evening. Mick calmly picked up the keys, tossed them in a drawer, then punched a hole in his office wall.
Which brought her back to Walter.
Her shoulders tensed and her paced slowed. Walter had sparred with a new white belt during the woman’s first day in class. He threw several punches and wild spin kicks and sent the woman running out of the school screaming. The woman and her husband, a lawyer, threatened to sue and go to the media. While Mick managed to smooth things over behind closed doors, there’d been tension between he and Walter ever since.
Gilda doubted they’d changed their minds and walked away. When the woman signed up, she seemed to already know Walter and was wary of him from the start. She was sure there was more to the story than Mick said.
With the school in sight, Gilda glanced around then snuck around to the back alley and turned on her flashlight. She took a deep breath and crept down the alley toward the green rear door of the school, with one eye on the dumpster that stood between the Italian restaurant and the consignment store. Anyone, especially a killer, could use it to hide.
The alley was darker than she’d expected. Odd. She was sure the school had a light over the back door. In fact, Xavier never failed to remind them all how he personally installed the light so he could find his car when he left at night. She shone the flashlight above the door. The light was there, but the bulb smashed. The back door itself rippled in the light like someone had made an attempt to pry it open.
Gilda shuddered. No time to be afraid. She had to do this alone since she didn’t trust Thayer or Fabio. Nor did she want to be alone with any of the black belts, including Mick, until she had proof of their innocence in Walter’s murder.
On closer examination, there was no lock for a key. Someone had pried the door to the point they might be able to insert a screwdriver and pop the latch open. Too bad she didn’t have a screwdriver handy to test her theory. The warped door, however, did nothing to make her feel safer either inside or outside of the school.
Gravel crunched behind her and made the hairs on her arms stood. She aimed the beam down the alley. Her flashlight cast shadows on the gravel. Nothing scarier than a crumpled beer can and a wad of paper towels shredded by a raccoon or skunk. She must be hearing things.
Behind the school were four parking spots, two for the staff of the karate school and two for the Nine Lives Consignment Boutique next door. Since Mrs. Watson, nearly eighty, had backed into the building twice in one week, Mick had installed a gray post with a wide band of reflective tape in front of the far corner. Scrapes marred the post and the tape, tinged with blue paint from Mrs. Watson’s Ford Fairlane. Below the streaks of blue, a silver scrape tore the reflective stripe. A probable match to the paint on Xavier’s car.
The alley brightened behind her as Thayer growled. “You better have a good reason for snooping around the alley in the dark.”
She spun around, blinded by a flashlight beam aimed directly into her eyes. Her breath stuck in her throat for several seconds before she managed to push it out. “I work here. I’m allowed to snoop. What are you doing here?”
He lowere
d the beam out of her eyes. “Mrs. Watson’s grandson lives above the consignment store. He reported a prowler in the alley.”
“I’m not a prowler and you have no legal cause to arrest me.” She poked around some more.
“I should haul you in on principle alone. Let me guess, you forgot your key and need to find another way inside.” Thayer stood so close her hair stood on end.
A far cry from her reaction to Mick.
“Admit it, you just can’t keep your nose out of my investigation. You’re convinced the murderer came out the back way,” he said.
Gilda folded her arms across her chest, careful to aim her light into his face to make him shield his eyes. “Which means you and Fabio already searched the alley and found the same things I found.”
“Then maybe we should compare notes.” He nudged her flashlight down. The beam travelled down his T-shirt and jeans.
“You never even looked back here, did you?”
“Of course we did. We’re trained professionals,” he said. “What did you find?”
She pointed her light at the post. “Several blue scratches from Mrs. Watson’s car. One deep scrape with silver paint. Which could have come from Xavier’s car since his rear bumper had a similar scrape.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s one.” She stood her ground. “What do you have?”
Thayer frowned. “Not a chance. Give me one more.”
“The broken lightbulb over the door.”
He nodded. “Could be something. So could the pry marks. When did someone break in?”
“That’s your job. What do you have?”
He studied her for a long minute then pointed across the alley to a sign marking a school parking space. A deep dent warped the metal post. “It looks like someone was in a big hurry. Who drives a silver car besides Xavier?”
“Walter. Razi. Happy. Fabio. Pretty much half of Sandstone Cove.”
Thayer scowled. “Only the karate black belts are actually on our suspect list.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Gilda shifted. “What about Chloe, Jade, and Gary? They all stood to gain with Walter dead, especially Jade. Chloe might have done it just to get back at Mick. As for Gary...he has connections.”
