by Diane Bator
“That I need people who are good at karate even though they’ve made bad decisions.” Mick rubbed his jaw. “Those weren’t my calls to make, babe. Don’t you think I want our karate school to have the best instructors possible?”
Gilda closed her eyes as the world was spun around her. There was no way Razi had drugged her, since he’d opened her drink in front of her. “Yoshida overruled you.”
“If I didn’t go along with his demands, I’d lose the school.” He cradled her chin between his finger and thumb and pressed his forehead to hers. “Razi and Xavier are good men. I’d trust each of you with my life.”
Glad to know she wasn’t alone, Gilda met his gaze. “I still want to go home.”
“I know you do.” When he kissed her, he tasted like beer with a hint of mint gum. Just when her knees threatened to buckle, he inched away but remained close enough to probably feel the burst of heat surging through her body. “Come on, Sherlock. Let’s get you home.”
She hesitated, temporarily disoriented, until he steered her to the sidewalk. His kiss had altered her senses, dulling them drastically, and wiped her mind blank. What was she so worried about again?
“You got quiet.” Mick gave her hand a squeeze as they approached the beach. “Did I miss something?”
She waited for the tingling in her fingers and toes to subside. “No.”
“I’m sorry about what happened back there. I wouldn’t have brought you if I’d known that was going to happen.”
“The kiss?” She was breathless.
“I meant with Xavier,” he said. “Is that what’s bothering you? Me kissing you?”
A surge of heat rose inside of her. “No. Xavier. Of course.”
“Liar.” Mick nudged her off the sidewalk toward the lake.
“What are you doing?” Panic swallowed her whole. “Just take me home.”
“I will. In a bit.” He led her to the edge of the water, where the waves rolled in and crested with little caps of foam.
Her flip-flops filled with grit, she kicked them off and picked them up with two fingers. The sky darkened beyond the usual velvety black, which meant they would have another half hour or so before the rain hit. At least her garden would be happy and full of snails by morning.
“What are we doing down here?”
Mick tossed his towel onto the sand then took off his shoes. “Going for a swim.”
“Are you drunk?” Gilda’s jaw dropped as she clung to her flip-flops. “I don’t want to swim. I want to go home.”
He locked her in the circle of his arms with clasped hands. “All I drank was what I drank at Razi’s. I know you think I’m insincere, I’m unreliable, and I do nothing but drive you crazy.”
She was too nervous to look him in the eyes. What was he up to? “Most times.”
“I’ve tried to pour my heart out to you for the past year until I finally did the other night.”
Yet Gilda mistook his flirtations for teasing until he finally kissed her. After Thayer toyed with her and tossed her aside, she’d given up on men and focused on what she wanted in life. Aside from work and training, all she had was her garden.
“You mean when I kicked you?”
“Yeah.” He shook with a stifled laugh. “That was a very good knee kick, by the way. I’d like to see you do that in class. Just not to my groin.”
Her face burned. “Thanks, but what does this have to do with going for swim?”
“Dive in, Sherlock.” Mick moved her hands to his shoulders and pulled her closer until every curve of their bodies seemed to touch. “Take a chance.”
Gilda’s breath came in a shudder. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. “How am I supposed to trust you? I already know you too well. The ex-wife. The girlfriends. The gambling. Yoshida.”
Mick chuckled. “I know. I’m not the greatest catch in town, am I?”
She laid her head on his chest. “And you think I am? I’m the crazy woman who beat up Thayer and aggravated Yoshida.”
“Which makes you definitely worth the frustration in my book.” He kissed her and gave her another squeeze. “You ready for that swim?”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.” He met her gaze. “What do you say? Are you coming with me?”
“Definitely.” She tossed her flip-flops onto the sand then tugged her towel off her hips and walked into the water beside him.
Chapter 27
Mick was long gone by the time Monday morning rolled around and the storm had ended. He’d walked her home in the pouring rain, helped towel try her hair then left around midnight. His musky scent, a remnant from the long, lingering kisses he’d left her with, stayed with her until well after dawn when sleep finally found her.
Smiling, she pressed her black dress and hung it in the bathroom then sat on the front step with her coffee to listen to the mourning doves. What the hell did she think she was doing? Mick was the worst possible man for her to get involved with. She knew that, so why didn’t her hormones? Sure, he was handsome and built like a marble statue, but still…
“You look like a cat that swallowed a whole bottle of cream.” Thayer walked through her front gate. A scowl darkened his face as he sat next to her. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” Heat burned her chest and radiated upward to the roots of her hair.
“That’s an awfully bright color for nothing.” Fabio, carrying a tray with three cups of coffee, joined them. He checked the cups then handed her the one with a big black G on top. “Vanilla latte. I had the girl froth the milk then add cinnamon and chocolate curls.”
“How thoughtful,” she said. “Are you here to arrest me or something? If you’re asking questions, we can go downtown.”
“Now that sounds like something straight out of a gangster movie.” Thayer grabbed his coffee, which sloshed onto his right hand and shirt cuff. He frowned and juggled the cup to his left while he wiped his right hand on his pants. The hot coffee left an angry red mark behind. “Where were you last night? We stopped by to talk to you, but you were gone.”
“Staff meeting.” She sipped the coffee and got a mouthful of mostly foam and cinnamon. “Mick wanted to sit down and make sure we were all on the same page.”
“With each other or with the police?” he asked. “We checked the school, but no one was there. Is Mick trying to close ranks against us?”
Fabio rolled his eyes and indicated the porch swing. “Do you mind if we sit up there? My sciatica’s acting up. That storm last night kept me up half the night.”
“No problem.” Gilda and Fabio took the swing and left Thayer the wicker chair with the lumpy cushion.
When Fabio took the lid off his cup, froth clung to the inside. “I imagine the deaths of two instructors caused quite an uproar. It can’t be easy to go to work there.”
“No, it’s not.” She blinked back tears.
“Do you have any suspects in mind?” Fabio asked. At least he tried to befriend her, not like Thayer who barged in and offended everyone, mostly her.
Gilda sighed. “Not really.”
Thayer snorted. “Sure she does. She probably has a ton of evidence against Mick, but won’t turn it over because she’s in love with him and doesn’t want to lose her job.”
Of course she didn’t want to lose her job, but in love with Mick? Gilda wasn’t ready to make that leap and refused to let him goad her. She sipped her coffee and scalded her tongue but refused to let Thayer see her pain.
“She already gave us the evidence she found, remember?” Fabio said. “Why don’t you go down to the beach and see if anyone there saw anything strange Thursday night or Friday?”
Thayer grumbled as he rose and sauntered to the gate. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to get rid of me.”
“That’s funny.” Gilda smirked. “He’s clueless when I try to get rid of him.”
Fabio waited until Thayer was several houses away before he sat back and turned his full attention on Gilda. �
�Some days he’s smarter than he looks. You’re lucky you got away before you were stuck with him for good. I have to work with him until the chief ships him off to Alaska or the Everglades.”
“I’d really work on that if I were you,” she said.
“I know you work with Mick and it’s hard not to be loyal.” He sipped his coffee. “Mick and I trained together for years, both in karate and at the gym. When I got shot, he made sure I had whatever I needed. There’s no way he’d murder anyone.”
Tears blurred her vision. Finally something positive about Mick she didn’t know. “So who’s on your suspect list then?”
“Aside from everyone in town? Razi and Xavier top my list, but I hoped you could tell me more about Yoshida. I stopped training with him a long time ago.”
“Yoshida? Seriously?” Her eyes widened. “Was he always so strange?”
Fabio shifted his weight, rocking the swing. “From what I hear lately, he’s got a few more screws loose than he did back then. I know he’s been hanging around Sandstone Cove more than usual since his wife dumped him six months ago. Any idea why?”
“Chloe told me she ran into him in the store.” She hesitated. “He bought tampons.”
Fabio hummed. “That explains a few things. Do you know who he’s seeing?”
“No.”
“Relax, Gilda. I really don’t suspect you of anything either. Well, not unless you’re dating Yoshida. I don’t think you’re seeing anyone, are you?”
“Thayer would have told you if I was.” Not unless hanging out with Mick at the beach last night and running home in the rain with him counted. Probably not. It wasn’t like they did anything but talk or swim and kiss several times. Her face warmed.
“I’m sure the right guy will come along soon enough.” He patted her knee and winked.
“Are you trying to set me up?” she asked.
Fabio grinned. “Just giving unwanted advice.”
“Is that why you’re really here?” She sipped and savored her latte, enjoying the touch of cinnamon and chocolate.
“I want to know who’s on your short list. Two of your coworkers are dead. I assume you have a few ideas about who’d want to kill them.”
Gilda’s stomach churned. “I thought I did, but now I’m not sure of anything. Everything I thought I knew was way off base. I don’t even know if I can go back to the school anymore.”
“I’m sure no one would hold that against you.” He studied her. “Who gave you the shiner and fat lip the other day?”
“Yoshida.” She winced. “We did kumite in our workshop Tuesday.”
“I’m guessing that’s who tagged Mick’s face as well.”
“Yoshida lost it.” The memory sent shivers up her arms. “He started to spar me then went completely nuts. Mick stepped in. I should’ve been able to fight back, but the look in Yoshida’s eyes scared me. It was like he was possessed or something.”
“Possessed or stoned?”
She froze. “I don’t think he does drugs. Does he?”
“Just a story I heard at Happy’s. Something Marion Yearly told Happy.” He paused. “How well do you know Marion?”
“She’s one of my best friends and took me to the hospital when I got hit on the head, but I haven’t seen her in a few days.” Gilda hesitated. “Chances are, if it was something serious, she’d know. Of course, if it was gossip, she’d know that too.”
“Good to know. Would you do me a favor? If you hear find out anything else, please let me know.” He handed her a card. “My number’s on the back. Don’t worry about Thayer. I’ll deal with him.”
“Sure.” She stared at the card.
He placed his hand over hers. “Keep in mind, if you’re keeping things from us, we may have to arrest you for your own protection. I’d really hate to see you behind bars, so make sure whoever you’re protecting is worth it.”
Gilda sucked in a sharp breath. “What makes you think I’m protecting anyone?”
“Call it a hunch.” He pushed to his feet. “I hope you know what you’re doing, honey. By the way, tell Mick to work on his back stroke the next time you two go for a midnight swim.”
Chapter 28
Erik lay in his casket Monday afternoon looking more like an elegant mannequin than a corpse. He was the best-looking dead guy she’d ever seen. The makeup artist at the funeral home must have had a crush on him. His funeral was far different from Walter’s. Where the crowd at Walter’s service was older, more refined, most of the people who came to say good-bye to Erik were younger, more beautiful and spent more time texting than talking. Across the room, his step-mom held his younger sister, a teenager with heavy black makeup streaked across her face, while his dad greeted people with a frozen smile.
Gilda sat on a pew in the chapel, her heart heavy. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to go. Her friends and coworkers were supposed to drop dead after long lives of hard training and making her life miserable. Even Erik.
“I thought he was moving to his mom’s place.” said a tall, blonde woman in a black dress, which barely concealed her assets. She stood with two men and a woman. All four wore pouts more appropriate for a magazine cover rather than a funeral.
“He was.” A dark-skinned man wearing a dark shirt and thick gold chain shifted his weight. His gaze darted toward the casket. “He told off his boss at the moving company and couldn’t wait to tell Mick to kiss his lily-white butt before he left town.”
A raven-haired woman laughed. “Oh please. Mick’s a pussycat. Did anybody see that creepy old dude he did karate with? He’s the one I’m worried about. Did you hear how he beat Erik up after we had a party at the school? The dude was livid.”
They all exaggerated shivers then chuckled.
Yoshida.
The man grew serious. “Anyone know how Erik’s meeting with the karate guys went?”
“No.” The blonde sighed. “We were supposed to go for dinner the night he died.”
He snorted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them lured him to the school after the meeting and killed him.”
Gilda bowed her head. Why hadn’t Mick told her about meeting with Erik? If all the black belts were present, her suspect list hadn’t whittled down any. If not, she was down to Yoshida and Mick, which gave her little comfort.
Across the room, Mick pushed away from Erik’s father, a lanky balding man who looked a great deal like his son. “Get out of my face.”
“All I want is to know the truth.” Erik’s father followed Mick toward Gilda.
Mick’s nostrils flared. “This is neither the time nor the place. You want to talk to me, call me after the funeral.”
Erik’s father was pulled back by his wife, a tiny, blonde woman who grabbed his arm and reprimanded him in a hushed voice.
Mick slid onto the pew beside Gilda and cursed beneath his breath. He hadn’t walked her to the funeral home this time nor had he even called since the night before. It seemed he’d kissed her then run for cover, either afraid of his reaction or hers.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He flared his nostrils.
She raised her eyebrows. “That actually sounded more like a major something.”
“Erik’s dad thinks I killed his son,” he said. “Do you think anyone would have enough brass to go to the funeral of someone they murdered?”
“Guilty people do weird things.”
“Stop helping.” He groaned.
“You asked.” She leaned toward him. “I have to know something.”
Mick patted her thigh. “Yeah, I know. We had a great evening then I left and didn’t call. I’ve been busy answering questions for the cops and trying to get Chloe out of my condo.”
“It’s not about that.” Although that thought weighed on her mind. “I overheard people talking about a meeting you and Yoshida had with Erik the day he was killed. Rumor is one of you lured him to the school and killed him.”
He paled. “Can we talk abou
t that later?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you met with him?” she asked.
His attention was riveted on the doorway. “Yoshida’s here. Time to start kissing up. At least him putting in an appearance takes some heat off me.”
Gilda’s gaze followed Yoshida through the crowd. He was one man who could probably kill a man then attend his funeral and do karate on his grave later. Cold as a frosted glass of beer. Yoshida spoke briefly with Erik’s parents then stood over the open casket longer than she’d expected.
“What’s he up to?” Gilda murmured.
Mick leaned closer. “What do you mean?”
She inched away. Mick’s cologne was distracting. Disorienting. “Until Walter died, he rarely came to the school, yet he’s shown up at both funerals and at the school several times the past two weeks.”
“Maybe he’s putting on a good front.” He shrugged. “Two murders in a week does make our school look bad. We need a little good publicity. We’d look even worse if people found out we were robbed on top of everything.”
Gilda raised her eyebrows. “The missing merchandise?”
Mick held a finger to his lips. “Yoshida’s gone. Let’s go make sure no one left another kanji. ‘Integrity’ will be next. If the murderer is following the sequence and leaves the kanji in the casket.” He grasped her hand and pulled her along behind.
“What’s the hurry? He’s not going anywhere.” She stumbled into him when he stopped.
“No, but we might be.” Mick draped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to the casket. “See anything unusual? Anything in his pocket?”
“Aside from the fact he looks like he should be on a date with Barbie? Just the usual.” She kept her voice tight.
“No kanji? Focus, Gilda.”
She huffed. “What do you want me to do? Search him?”
“Do we have time?”
“You’re a sick puppy.” Her gaze fell a piece of material before she whispered, “It’s in his hand and I’m not touching him.”
