Stilettos & Scoundrels

by Laina Turner

  Chapter 19

  I was meeting Cooper for lunch at Mama Risotto’s, the town’s improved version of the Olive Garden. We had made plans last night. It was family owned and very authentic.

  I walked into the restaurant and saw Cooper already sitting down, talking on the phone.

  “I ordered you a glass of Chianti. Is that okay?” Cooper asked me. “I know it’s rather early, but I need a drink.”

  Poor baby. He did look stressed out. And I was always up for a drink in the middle of the day. It seemed so naughty. “That’s fine.”

  We gave the server our order and as she walked away, I knew I had to start talking to him about some of what I knew. I should have done it last night but hadn’t wanted to add to the drama.

  “Presley?”

  “I talked to Dirt yesterday.” As I said this, Cooper immediately tensed up. I paused for a second. “He needs your help, Cooper.”

  “Yeah, right.” He snorted.

  “Seriously.”

  “What does he need my help for?”

  “He needs some background information on Simon. Which doesn’t make sense to me because wouldn’t he have known him from the military?” I hoped this would be an easy transition to finding out what had happened all those years ago.

  “Why me?”

  “Cooper, Simon works for you, and you were in the military together. It stands to reason that you know more about him.”

  “I already told you earlier that he was Special Forces before he worked for me. He left the service about five years ago, did some things here and there, and then started working for me. What more is there to say?”

  “Do you do background checks or something? Are you sure he didn’t get into illegal things when he was out doing this and that?”

  “Of course, I do thorough background and security checks,” he replied sharply. “I run a reputable business, damn it.” He pounded his fist on the table. “He’s a good guy.”

  “So why do you think Dirt’s claiming not to know Simon?” I asked again.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, don’t you find that odd?”

  “Yes and yes. I don’t know why Dirt’s acting like that.”

  I didn’t want him to know how much I had snooped, but I couldn’t continue to lie to him.

  He just stared at me.

  “Is there more about this Dirt and Simon thing that you aren’t telling me? After all, isn’t the main goal here to catch a killer?”

  He seemed to think about this for a minute, not saying anything. I kept quiet because I didn’t want to push him. I wanted him to tell me the whole truth.

  “I already told you that Simon Atkins is Simon Palazzo, son of Garrison Palazzo.” Cooper was getting exasperated with me.

  “Right, the guy who owns the Blue Royale Casino, among others,” I said.

  For a second, we both sat there staring at each other. I knew he was still trying to decide if it just happened to be one of those random things, me knowing who owned the Blue Royale Casino in Las Vegas. Or if there was something I knew that I wasn’t letting on. I wondered if I should tell him I Googled him, and more importantly, I wondered if I should tell him what I found out with my Google search.

  A few more minutes went by with the two of us just sitting there, staring at each other, when I finally worked up the nerve to ask him about what I found out. “Cooper, will you promise not to get mad if I tell you something?”

  “That’s a loaded question, Presley. I can’t promise to act a certain way if I don’t know what you are asking.”

  “Then promise you will try not to get mad.”

  “What is it, Pres?”

  “Well, I Googled you the other day and a lot of things came up.”

  He just looked at me expectantly. “And?”

  “And, well, I saw an article from nine months ago with a picture showing you sitting with the Tom and Helen Daniels, but you said you just started working for him six months ago.”

  “Presley, I can—”

  I held up my hand to stop him. I wanted to get this all out. “There’s more, Cooper. I went back even further and found something mentioning Dirt being accused of selling marijuana in the military, and about you being charged with murder along with some other guys. What the hell is all that about and why didn’t you say anything?” I was torn between wanting to cover my eyes and pretend this conversation wasn’t happening and wanting the truth about what had happened and what was happening now.

  “Presley, I wish you wouldn’t have been so nosey. I know this looks bad, but there is good reason for all of it.” Cooper rubbed his temples and sighed.

  “Well, I wouldn’t have been nosey, if I didn’t feel you were hiding things from me all the time,” I shot back defensively. While part of me did feel a little guilty about looking into his past, he could have prevented it by being less secretive, or by not having anything to be secretive about in the first place. The notion that maybe his past was none of my business also briefly entered my mind, but I just as quickly pushed it away.

  “This is complicated, Pres, and I just have to ask that you trust me. I can explain everything. I promise. Just not right now.”

  “We’re not leaving here until you tell me.”

  “I just need you to believe me when I say I didn’t kill anyone then or now, if that crossed your mind.”

  “Don’t get all dramatic, Cooper.” I turned my head to smile at the approaching waitress, who appeared with our drinks and breadsticks and set them down on the table. I turned back to Cooper. “I know you didn’t kill anyone then or now. I trust you, I do, though I’m not sure Helen Daniels does. I just don’t know why you can’t trust me.”

  As I said the words, I realized I did trust him. Even with no idea what he had been doing for the last ten years, I knew in my heart he was a good person.

  “What are you getting at with the Helen Daniels comment?”

  “When I saw her the other day in the warehouse, she mentioned that you had ties to the Mob and might not be someone who could be trusted. Not that I believed her. I just thought it strange she would say that. But then I saw all those other things you have kept from me, and well, this all seems more and more complicated.”

  “She's just a bitch,” Cooper said.

  “Cooper, don’t let it get to you, but why do you think she said that? I mean, she has to have a reason to feel that way.”

  “She knows I know people in Vegas from when we were there and from the senator’s gambling issue. She also knows about the murder charge. It’s not something I hide from potential clients, not in the field I’m in. Ironically, it seems to give me more street cred than anything else. I’m sure she has made up something in her head to explain it all, and now she believes it.”

  “Were you working for them nine months ago in Vegas, rather than just six months ago like you told me?”

  “No. It’s where we first met. They had inquired about my services, and we had a meeting. We all happened to be in Vegas at the same time, so they asked me to come along and we finalized the details after.”

  “What about the murder indictment?”

  “Geez, Pres. Can’t you just leave it alone?”

  “I’m sorry, Cooper. I just want to get it all out and on the table.”

  “I was working security for someone who was trying to get out of his Mob ties. People were after him and there was a confrontation. It was all self-defense, which is why the charges were dropped.”

  “See? Was that so hard? That’s nothing you need to hide from me.”

  He sat there looking into my eyes, his gaze never wavering. It dawned on me that he did care what I thought. It made me want to throw my arms around him and hold on for dear life. I could see from the torment on his face that the possibility of having to tell me about all this had been affecting him deeply for some time. I hated to see him troubled. I wanted to take all that pain away.

  “It doesn’t matter wh
at I think, Cooper,” I said again, reaching out to grasp his hand and meet his gaze. “But if you want to know, I don’t think you did anything wrong. I know what kind of person you are, or at least I think I do, and I know what you are and aren’t capable of. The truth needs to come out though, Coop.”

  “I know it does, Presley.”

  We talked all through lunch about things not related to the murder and I found myself having a wonderful time. I had to admit I really liked him.

  “What are you doing after this,” I asked as the waiter brought the bill.

  “I need to head over to Helen’s.”

  “What? Were you going to keep that from me? I’m going with you,” I said stubbornly.

  “Fine,” he said without putting up much of an argument which surprised me.

  Cooper and I headed up Main Street to Davis Street. Helen lived on the opposite side of Alkon from Mama Risotto’s, so we had to go through town. At this time of day, there wasn’t much traffic, so it wasn’t bad. Hell, there wasn’t traffic at any time during the day. Streets here were so unlike city streets where driving or walking could be like dodging bullets in a war zone. Cooper turned down Davis Street and had to go about another mile. The Daniels house was a mansion, the biggest house in town and probably in all surrounding areas too.

  While Cooper was driving, I checked myself in the mirror. I had taken great pains to blow out my hair so that it would look shiny and straight for lunch with Cooper, and it still looked fabulous. Adding a touch more Red Popsicle lip gloss and some powder to cover the shiny spots made me feel pretty darn good, if I did say so myself. It wouldn’t do to go see Helen without being my best, especially considering my appearance the last few times I ran into her.

  I noticed Cooper glancing at me out of the corner of his eye and hoped he appreciated the view. I had to admit I was happy he was noticing.

  “You look fine, Pres.”

  “I’m not sure Helen will approve of my outfit. Not exactly her conservative style.” My outfit had been planned more around driving Cooper a little crazy, rather than on visiting Helen, so it was sexier than usual. Oh well, nothing I could do about it now. At least I had some killer shoes on—in many ways. These heels were killing me! However, for graphite snakeskin four–inch heels, I could live with a little—okay, a lot—of discomfort.

  “Well, I wouldn’t worry much about what Helen thinks because you, my dear, will be staying in the car.”

  “No, I’m...”

  Cooper cut me off. There was only so far he was going to let me push him. “The deal is you stay in the car. Or I take you back to your car right now.”

  “All right.” I could see by the set of Cooper’s jaw that he wasn’t going to change his mind, so I thought I would just have to try a different angle. I just stayed in my seat and tried to decide my next move.

  Cooper looked over at me and I knew he was probably a little suspicious that I had given up so easily. I looked away from the rear-view mirror and my gaze wandered over to Helen’s house peeking through the trees: a beautiful white colonial with navy blue shutters. The whitewashed porch wrapped around the entire house, which had to be about five thousand square feet at a minimum. The place was huge.

  “I can’t imagine living in a house like that,” I said. I couldn’t imagine anyone needing all this space. It looked like something you might find at Martha’s Vineyard. It had been so long since I traveled this way, I had forgotten how big it was. I was in awe. The house was amazing. It had been in the Davis Family, Helen’s maiden name and hence the street’s name, for years, so it was an older home. There were three sections where the roof peaked up, sort of like turrets in a castle, and all the rooms on the upper level had step–out balconies. Still studying the house, I didn’t notice Cooper had come to a stop until I saw that we were right behind a parked car. Who would be parked here in the bushes instead of parking up by the house?

  I laughed, realizing it was Chris’s car, which wasn’t the same car I saw Helen in before. Hot damn! He was here visiting Helen, and they didn’t want anyone to know, judging, by the way, his car was out here rather than in the driveway. I would find this even funnier if Chris hadn’t just broken Katy’s heart. I just wished I had a camera. This would be great to capture on film, because who would believe it?

  Cooper had pulled up behind Chris’ car and parked in the next somewhat–secluded spot. I asked, “Are you sure we should park so close to Chris’s car?”

  “It’ll be fine. If he’s here to see Helen, there’s no way he’s going to leave before I do.” Cooper opened the door to get out of the car. He shut it and leaned through the open window, sliding his shades to the end of his nose. “Don’t go anywhere, Pres.”

  “Wouldn’t think of it.”

  “Right,” he said and looked at me shaking his head.

  I watched Cooper’s back as he walked away from the car, around the hedge, and presumably up the driveway. I couldn’t see that far. Damn hedge. I pulled a nail file out of my purse, but after a few seconds, I tossed it back in my purse. I was so frustrated that Cooper was up there getting who knows what kind of information while I was stuck in the car. It was so unfair. Forget this. I wasn’t staying put.

  I got out and tiptoed up the driveway, cutting across the yard. It was heavily tree–lined, so I wasn’t worried about anyone from the house seeing me. Plus, I doubted Helen and Chris were sitting in the parlor looking out the window. I knew Helen had a few servants, but I hoped they were too busy to notice me crossing the lawn. So far, so good, I thought, making my way up to the house. Until I saw the police tape. Crap. I had forgotten for a moment that this was the scene of a crime and that there were sure to be police and FBI keeping an eye on the place.

  Undeterred by a tiny obstacle like that, I continued around the back until I was close enough to look in the windows. I slowly lifted my head up and peered in then quickly lowered myself back down because it was the kitchen. It must be a gathering place for the staff. At least I knew where most of the staff were right now.

  The next set of windows showed a view into the senator’s study. It was one of those masculine–looking rooms, with golf paraphernalia and lots of dark wood—and tons of that yellow crime scene tape and white powder all over the place.

  Next was a sitting room. Then there was another room that was empty. Hmm. Maybe they sold the furniture from that room to pay the gambling debts. This was getting boring, and my heels kept sinking into the flowerbed’s dirt. I was probably ruining my shoes. I guessed I wouldn’t make a good private investigator if it required a lot of this tedious stuff. Thank goodness, I only had one more window to go.

  Stepping around the corner of the house, having almost made my way around, I was stopped by the police tape, but I could hear voices. Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t give up too early. I took the chance to peek in the window because I couldn’t make out what I was hearing. I could tell one was Helen, and I thought the other was Tobey, and then, of course, I heard Cooper. Poking my head up far enough to see, I confirmed I was right. I didn’t see Chris, so Tobey must have been using Chris’s car. They were all arguing, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. The thick window glass muffled the sound too well. Based on body language alone, though, I could tell that both Tobey and Cooper seemed to be angry with Helen. What for? I tried leaning in a little closer to listen.

  “Helen, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me exactly who Tom was in debt to,” Cooper said, sounding exasperated.

  “Helen,” Tobey implored, “listen to Cooper. He’s right, you know.”

  “I’ve told you a hundred times. You can’t help me. I’m not taking any risks. I just want this to be done with, and the only way to do that is to pay them off. To do what they want.”

  Cooper said, “Helen, there is no guarantee that when you do pay them off they will leave you alone. You’re just asking for trouble by not letting me or the police help you. Not to mention that when the police find out, and you’re a f
ool if you think they won’t find out, you could be in a lot of trouble. You could be charged with aiding and abetting.”

  “At least tell Cooper what Simon told you,” Tobey said.

  “Please, Tobey. Simon is harmless,” Helen said dismissively.

  “What about Simon, Helen? Is he involved?” Cooper asked.

  “I just said, Simon isn’t a problem,” Helen snapped.

  As Helen went on with her same argument, my foot slipped on the mulch and— thunk—my head hit the window. I fell to the ground, but I could hear noises above me and could only assume they were running to the window to see what had made the noise. I thought it prudent to hightail it out of there.

  I got up quickly and ran down the length of the house until I felt it was safe to cut across the lawn and back down the driveway. All of a sudden I heard, in heavily accented English, “Hey you! Stop! You’re on private property!”

  Shit! I forgot about the people in the kitchen, which, of course, happened to be where I chose to cut across the lawn. I ran even faster, which still wasn’t fast in these heels. I sure as hell wasn’t going to stop. The voice kept yelling, but it sounded farther and farther away, so I assumed no one was running after me. Good thing, since I was out of shape and going slower with each step. I would be fine as long as no one recognized me, and I had no reason to think that any of the house staff would have any idea who I was.

  How faraway is the damn car? It seemed to be taking me forever to reach it. Then my heel caught in a hole and I went sprawling. Umph! Ow! That hurt. I wanted to lie there and wait for the pain to go away, but I could still hear voices. Someone was coming to check out the intruder. I picked myself up and began running to the car again.

  I deserve a margarita after this, I said to myself, as I noticed there was a big tear in my pants. My favorite pair of black Ann Taylor trousers trashed. I took my shoes off so they wouldn’t get any more ruined from running across the lawn and in the mulch. Maybe I should write to Steve Madden and tell him his shoes were not made to withstand cross–country running. In the back of my mind, I knew I should be more worried about what Cooper was going to say to me, or rather yell at me, when he got back to the car. It was obvious I hadn’t stayed put.

  Finally, I saw his SUV. I swore to God that it was farther away than where we had left it. I jumped in huffing, puffing and hoping no one was following me. I lay back in my seat, turned my head to the left, and noticed the keys were still in the ignition. Cooper must have left them in case I wanted to listen to the radio or something. I thought for a minute. No, I couldn’t. He would kill me. But he was going to kill me anyway for not staying in the car, once he got back. So what did I have to lose? He would get over it. I slid across the seat into the driver’s side, turned the key, gunned the engine, and took off, shooting dirt and gravel everywhere. The tires caught the blacktop with a screech—Dukes of Hazzard, watch out—and I took off down the road.

  It had taken a few miles before I was sure no one was chasing me. All that excitement and I didn’t really have anything to show for it. My heart rate was finally starting to slow, and I was feeling back to normal and guilty I had left Cooper stranded. I was ready to turn back onto Main Street when, in my side view mirror, I saw a black Hummer behind me, a full–sized one, not the H2. It was definitely not a typical car for this area, so it piqued my interest.

  I looked in my rearview mirror and was startled to see that the Hummer’s driver had sped up and was closing the distance between his car and mine. “That bastard is right up my ass.” I could not see through the SUV’s tinted glass to identify the driver. “What the fuck?” I muttered as I accelerated, only to witness the larger vehicle gain speed behind me. I flipped off the annoying driver, my middle finger thrust angrily out my window. I was slightly regretful for showing road rage, but after the experience I’d just had, my patience was gone. Jackass should know better than to tailgate someone. That was how accidents happened.

  But the Hummer was still tailgating dangerously close behind, and I began to think that maybe flipping him off hadn’t been the best course of action to take. I got the distinct impression that this wasn’t a random event. The person in that car was definitely following me.

  I turned left on Autumn Street to see if the Hummer would as well, and it did. As soon as I looked back to the road, I realized my mistake: Autumn Street was a dead end. What should I do now? Years ago, there was a cut–through to the next street over at the end of Autumn Street. At one time, there had been a house on the lot, but the house was torn down long ago. What had been two driveways coming in for each side of the house had created a semi–passable cut–through. I figured it was worth the chance.

  I made a hard right and floored it. This shit is bumpy, I thought as my head hit the car’s ceiling a few times. The Hummer hadn’t been expecting me to turn so sharply and took a second to follow me. This gave me a slight advantage, but one that wouldn’t last long since the Hummer was far better equipped to go off–road than Cooper’s SUV. I just prayed there wasn’t anything in this tall grass for me to run over. The last thing I needed was a flat tire.

  After one final bump that almost sent me airborne, I was through to the other street. I gunned it so I could make it past the traffic light at the corner and leave the Hummer behind. I made it, and the Hummer stopped. The driver must have decided they wouldn’t lose me and didn’t want to break the law to run that light.

  I needed to put some distance between us but didn’t want to go home and have them follow me there. I decided to go to Brian’s. I figured he owed me anyway, and his place wasn’t that far away. Plus, I could pull into his garage and hide the car.

  I turned down another side street, taking an indirect way to Brian’s in case the Hummer caught back up to me. Pulling into Brian’s driveway, I kept going right into the shop. Brian looked up from the engine he was working on, startled. He walked over to me, wiping his hands on a rag.

  “What the hell, Pres? Why are you pulling into the garage? I’m trying to work here.”

  “Shut up, Brian, and shut the door!” I jumped out of the car and looked toward the road to see if I could get a glimpse of the black Hummer. I didn’t see anything as Brian closed the door. I was probably safe. Whew! I leaned against the car, my knees were weak. I wasn’t used to being chased through town and began to realize this investigation might be more dangerous than I’d originally thought. Maybe Cooper was right.

  “Presley, tell me what’s going on. You barge in here, scream at me to shut the door, and now you’re trembling and are white as a sheet!”

  “A black Hummer tried to run me off the road. Luckily, they got stopped at a red light, and I was able to lose them, I think. This was the closest place I could think of to hide myself and the car. Besides, you owe me. Is Barbara here?”

  Brian at least had the decency to look a little sheepish at this. “She’s visiting her mother in southern Illinois.” I raised my eyebrows in question. “Everything is fine between us,” he continued. “Her sister is having a baby, and she went down to help out. Thanks for not saying anything the other night.”

  “It’s nothing, Brian. She seems like a great girl, so I don’t know why you were willing to screw that up.”

  “I don’t know, Pres. I guess I just thought...”

  I held up my hand to stop him from saying anymore. “You know what, Brian? Let’s just drop it. Just be smart and don’t do it again.”

  “Thanks, Pres.”

  I knew I needed to tell Cooper and Dirt about the latest development, but I also needed to wait here long enough to make sure the mystery car was gone. As I began to think about my next move, a plan began to formulate in my head.