Highlights to Heaven

by Nancy J. Cohen

  “The quarantine shed.”

  “Didn’t you look there on your tour?”

  “I just glanced inside. They probably figured sick animals would drive off any troopers.”

  “Rightfully so.” She smirked in the darkness. “Let’s move. Standing in place makes me colder.”

  The sounds of rustling leaves and a dry, earthy scent gave way to a squawking of birds and the smell of dung as they neared the compound. Shrouded, knotty trees surrounded them, rising like wraiths in the night. Marla crunched a twig underfoot and cringed as the noise seemed to reverberate throughout the hammock. She skirted a laurel oak, skipping over a clump of roots on the ground and drawing to a halt beside a cluster of ferns when something brushed her face. Imagining a cobweb with a monstrous spider, she bit back a cry. Nearby, a stand of bamboo creaked in the cool breeze. An owl hooted, but Marla’s attention was snagged by a sound much more human.

  Footsteps plodded ahead on a gravel trail. She could hear the rhythmic scrunch of shoes on pebbles. Speech died in her throat. Beside her, Vail stood motionless like a hunter stalking prey. A rabbit dashed past, a patch of fur missing on its rump.

  While they waited, Marla got her bearings. To the right was the aviary. Somewhere in the distance was Evan’s house. Then there were the work buildings, storage areas, and the quarantine shed which she had not seen during her last visit. Did Vail know which way to go? She held her hands out and shrugged, hoping he understood the message.

  He pointed in the direction of the footsteps. Taking the lead, he selected a course parallel to the gravel path. As Marla made her way carefully through the undergrowth, a spicy scent tickled her nostrils, but she pinched her nose so she wouldn’t sneeze. Her gaze flickered between Vail’s broad back and the ground littered with fallen branches, pine needles, rocks, and dried coconuts.

  Voices drifted their way. Vail swung his arm out, bringing her to a stop. She barely made out the outline of a building beyond a pair of cabbage palms.

  “Never mind about the freakin’ birds. There’s nothing wrong with them,” Evan Fargutt’s voice grated in a low tone. “We just keep this quarantine post because of regulations.”

  “I don’t like it,” Cutter said. “We should clean out the lab. Soon as we get the sample back from Goat, we can figure out what variable Yani used on the formula. In the meantime, I’ll hide the stuff at my place.”

  “Bad idea. We’ll move everything to one of the storage sheds. Come on.”

  They slipped into the building, and Marla wondered how she and Vail could observe without being spotted. Moreover, how could they get the evidence Vail needed? She turned to him to ask, but closed her mouth when she noticed a shadowy figure emerging from the trees on the other side of the building. Tapping Vail’s arm, she pointed.

  Catching on, he nodded, the whites of his eyes visible in the moonlight. Without her being aware of it, he’d somehow slipped his gun into his hand.

  The hulking figure bent over, holding something at a tilt as he strode purposefully around the structure’s edge in a slowly moving circle. Marla sniffed the air. Gasoline fumes, or something similar.

  The man stopped, dropping his burden. A moment later, a flame erupted from a device in his hand.

  Realizing Cutter and Evan might be trapped inside the shed, Marla screamed a warning. It didn’t matter that they were conspirators; no one should die in a burning building. Startled, the arsonist tossed his lighter and fled.

  Vail charged after him, shouting.

  Fargutt raced from the building, hollering for his ranch hands. Cutter thumped after him, spotted Marla, and snarled in rage. Men erupted from the shadows, closing in on her position.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “How can they believe it was Goat?” Marla asked Vail. “He wouldn’t set fire to a place, especially not if he believed there might be animals inside.”

  “Fargutt and his friends think Goat tried to destroy their lab. Laredo is out searching for him right now.”

  Vail squirmed uncomfortably, an action that produced a wrench to Marla’s sore shoulder. They were trussed back-to-back together inside the quarantine building, a stuffy, enclosed space with a musty smell. Her shout had brought Evan’s ranch hands upon them, and the detective had been disarmed before he could switch his aim. Evan and Cutter held a huddled conference in a corner, while workers stood guard outside. Birds of prey mingled with exotic cockatoos and macaws in cages on tables around the room. They didn’t like their space invaded. The resultant noise made overhearing Marla and Vail’s captors’ conversation impossible.

  “If we can get a few minutes to ourselves,” Vail hissed, half-twisting his head, “I can free us.”

  “They took my purse, but I still have my cell phone in a pants pocket. They frisked you, but they didn’t think to search me.” Her smug tone hid the fear behind her words. She’d seen the lecherous look Jimmy Laredo had given her as he hauled her inside the shed. She remembered all too clearly her last encounter with Jimbo. He would have been none too pleased about her escape. She just hoped he didn’t take his revenge right away. Her breath hitched when the ranch hand strutted through the doorway to consult with his boss. Three pairs of eyes glanced in their direction. What next?

  “Keep them talking. It will buy us time,” Vail advised as the men stalked toward them.

  “We have a few questions for you,” Evan snapped, his gaze stone-cold. “If you’re wise, you’ll cooperate.”

  “I’m a police officer. Harm us, and you’re in for it. If you’re wise, you’ll let us go,” Vail replied. Marla’s neck jolted as he squared his shoulders.

  Evan gave a harsh laugh. “Excuse me? You two are intruders I caught trespassing on my property.”

  “You took my wallet. Inside is my badge. I’ve interviewed you before. No one will believe you didn’t know who I am.”

  “Sorry, but with all the confusion, I couldn’t tell who was running around outside in the dark. All I know is someone tried to destroy my property. I couldn’t help it if you were caught in the crossfire when we chased the arsonist.”

  So that’s their plan, Marla thought with a hard swallow. Kill us, and claim it was a mistake. “Did you catch him?”

  “Unfortunately, no. But you’ll help us find him.”

  “Let me have her,” Jimbo sneered, his filmy gaze fixed on her body. “I’ll find out what you want to know.”

  Behind her, Vail growled. He twisted his head so he could see the man. “You touch her and you’re dead.”

  “Dalton.” She issued a warning in her tone. He was a law officer.

  Of all people, he had to uphold the justice system.

  “Get rid of him,” Cutter intervened in his effeminate lilt. “Marla will tell us where Goat’s sister lives.”

  “Why do you care about Jenny?” Marla said. “She can’t help you find her brother.”

  “If we hold her hostage, Goat will come to us.” Cutter gestured to his cousin. “Throw Vail in the pond. The alligators will finish him off.”

  Evan aimed a gun. “Separate them,” he instructed Jimbo. “I’ll take care of this.”

  “No, wait,” Marla cried in panic as the rancher leaned forward to loosen her bonds.

  Vail struggled to knock the man over, earning himself a blow to the head that sent him to the floor.

  Freed from her bindings, Marla rubbed her wrists while frantically wondering what she could do to help Vail. “Aren’t you going to show us the laboratory?” she asked in desperation. “We know it’s hidden in here. I’d like to see where you’ve been working on the hair formula.”

  Jimbo thrust his ugly face in front of hers. His onion breath made her cringe. “I’ll show it to you,” he offered with a malicious grin. He grasped her arm, stroking the swell of her breast so she understood his intent.

  She lurched away, but his grip held tight. “Have you succeeded in refining the formula?” she asked Cutter, hoping to snare his attention. Meanwhile, his cousin had prodded Vail t
o his feet. The detective stood with his hands secured behind his back, his expression glum. Marla wondered whether he’d make a move if she weren’t in the way.

  “I don’t see any harm in giving them a tour of our facilities,” Cutter said, ruffling his wheat hair as though nothing mattered but how he looked. He’d even dressed for his clandestine operation in sharply pressed khakis and a new-looking knit top-a far cry from Evan, who wore work clothes, or Jimbo, whose baggy trousers smelled like animal droppings.

  Evan’s gun hand wavered. “I think we should sink them both. We’re wasting time. Whoever tried to torch us might come back.”

  Cutter faced the ranch owner. “This is my project. I promised I wouldn’t expose your little sideshow with Hollander if you let me set up operations here, but that guarantee is off if you don’t follow my orders. I want to show them the lab.” His nasal voice had taken on a whiny note.

  “You goddamned faggot. Your ego always was larger than your dick. If this formula ever works, maybe you should use it to grow hair on your chest.”

  “Shut up.” Cutter signaled for Marla and Vail to follow him.

  “We’re just missing one element in the formula,” he said. “I know it will work with the right combination. Then I’ll be rich.”

  Vail glowered when Evan pushed him ahead of Marla. “Don’t you make enough money from your salon?” Vail asked.

  “Not for what I need. My reputation is growing. People demand my services, my expertise. I have to open more salons so my empire can expand.” He puffed out his chest. “Marla, tell him. I asked you about your location, didn’t I? Western Broward is ripe for development.”

  “Did you finance Carolyn Sutton’s move to Palm Haven?” Marla asked in a flat tone. “I didn’t think she had enough business to carry her weight.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Virginia at the beauty academy told me Carolyn brings in girls from abroad and pays for their training, then she hires them. Carolyn can’t afford that herself. Her last place was rundown and situated in a crummy neighborhood. Now she’s moved into the same shopping strip where my salon is located.”

  “Sucks for you.”

  “Are you edging into my territory?”

  Cutter glanced at her, his gaze shrewd. “It’s not me. Someone else must be supporting her.”

  “Like who?”

  “How should I know?” Cutter halted by the far wall, which hosted a display of tools. Marla eyed the implements with interest. If she could grab that rake…Cutter twisted a hook, and the wall swung aside.

  The ranch hand’s grip tightened painfully on her arm as he thrust her ahead. She wondered how much of a stake Jimbo would get if their scheme succeeded. He had to be in it for less than Evan and Cutter. He also had to know about Evan’s arrangement with Wake Hollander and the Chinese scientist. Maybe there was some way she could convince the other two that Jimbo was a liability, much the same as Goat was. Nor had any of them yet revealed who’d killed Yani Verkovich.

  Ushered inside the makeshift laboratory, Marla glanced around in amazement at the assortment of test tubes, Bunsen burners, and other paraphernalia. Small mammals scurried in stacked cages as the group entered.

  Cutter sneered at her. “Think how famous I’ll be when I present a cure for baldness. Why, I’ll have clients coming out of the woodwork. Companies will ask me to showcase their products. My designs will be all the rage. I’ll be far more well known than Martha Matilda Harper. The general public has never heard of her, but they’ll know me.”

  “You kept all my notes, didn’t you?” She shook off Jimbo and straightened her shoulders. “Goat must have found some of them while he was working here. He’d asked his sister to research Harper. Was it you who stole his mail when I collected it?”

  His pale blue eyes cooled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I did further research myself. You were wrong when you believed the formula to be defective. Wyeth’s hair fell out after your stupid prank, but a short fuzz grew back. I figured we could improve on the formula by altering the ratio of ingredients.”

  “You couldn’t do it on your own,” Vail said, his expression neutral. “When you met Yani Verkovich at a citrus canker workshop, you saw your opportunity.”

  “After I learned Yani worked at a chemical plant, I told Evan about my plans to develop the formula. We needed a lab where Yani could conduct experiments. I’d been waiting for years. Finally, I’d met a scientist who could help me reformulate the stuff.”

  “Yani started coming to your salon as a customer,” Marla stated. “But you soon developed a closer relationship, didn’t you? Is that why he agreed to help you, or were you paying him for his work?”

  Cutter stared at her. “Yani and I had a lot in common, other than the citrus canker business. We never agreed on that topic.”

  “Did Goat come between you? Maybe you meant to kill him that night, and you got your lover instead?” Vail persisted.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Goat is straight, even though he wants you to think he’s not. He’s shy around the ladies, and that’s his way of making sure they don’t approach him.”

  Marla raised her eyebrows. She’d never asked Jenny about her brother’s sexual preferences. Could this be why Goat acted so strange? He was just shy?

  “We’re wasting time,” Evan griped.

  Cutter rounded on his cousin. “I’ll handle this. I won’t risk my reputation over any more of your blunders.”

  “Was killing Verkovich one of your cousin’s blunders?” Vail said in a deceptively mild tone.

  Evan’s eyes flashed angrily. “Yani went to Goat’s place on my orders. Goat had stolen our newest sample of the formula. We offered him cash in exchange for its safe return. I don’t know what happened that night, but obviously Goat double-crossed us. He’s the one you want.”

  “Then let us go,” Vail urged, still in his calm tone.

  “Don’t listen to him, boss,” Jimbo rasped, spittle on his stubbled jaw. “They know too much, and you promised me the girl if we caught her again.”

  “How did Goat get involved?” Marla asked, eager to clear her neighbor. “Was he in it for the money?” If he had a big cash inflow, Goat could afford to buy a farm up north. But she couldn’t believe he was so greedy.

  “Goat worked part-time on the ranch,” Cutter drawled. “He got the job through Hollander, who referred him to Evan. Goat saw Yani conducting skin tests on some of the animals. He snooped around and discovered my notes on the formula. At first I thought he’d stolen the prototype to stop our tests, but then he got smart and demanded money.”

  “Did you put a skinned dog in his backyard?”

  Cutter wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Certainly not. I wasn’t involved in the actual testing. That was Yani’s domain.”

  “What about the other stylists?” Marla asked. “Did you kill them? Or were their deaths truly accidents?”

  “You’d like to know, wouldn’t you? Tell me where Jenny Stanislaw lives, or you’ll be the next one to meet an untimely end.” He tried to give her a menacing leer, but with his effeminate mannerisms, it didn’t quite work.

  As he leaned closer, she caught a whiff of a familiar scent. The same scent her attacker in the garage had worn. It struck her as a combination of holding spray and pungent chemicals from a salon. Was he lying about the other stylists?

  “Those dead girls were all in my class, Cutter. You were our teacher. We were the only ones who knew about the formula. Are you killing us so no one else can stake a claim? Was it you who attacked me in my garage Thursday night?”

  “I haven’t been near your place. Why should I invite more trouble?”

  “Maybe you killed Yani to double-cross your cousin, and now you’re knocking off everyone else associated with our gang. You want it all for yourself.”

  “I haven’t killed anyone. And you’re forgetting, there’s still-” His face paled, and he clamped his lips shut.

  “Who did you bring to the ha
ir show when you ran into Virginia? Was it Wyeth Holmes, whose name is mysteriously missing from our class roster? Or did you bump him off, too?”

  “Nonsense. You’re just jealous of my success. You don’t want me opening salons out west, do you? You’re afraid I’ll pull clients away from you.”

  Marla’s hands curled into fists. “Carolyn’s already done that, thanks.”

  Vail cleared his throat. “Where does Lujan Chang enter the picture? He wouldn’t be bald, would he?”

  “What do you know about Chang?” Evan snapped, raising the gun in his hand.

  Marla’s eyes widened when she realized it was Vail’s weapon. She gave the detective a surreptitious glance. While they’d been talking, she noticed him wrestling with his bonds. Had he managed to free himself? He stood against a counter, where no one could see his wrists. His casual posture might fool their captors, but she knew better.

  “Lujan Chang, whom you also know as Tiger, is involved in a shady dog- and cat-fur operation,” Vail stated. “He collects animals from the local pound, and I suspect skins them on your property where you can dispose of the bodies. That’s a major call for an animal-abuse citation.”

  A corner of Evan’s lip rose. “Like I have to worry?”

  “I’m not the only one in my department who’s interested in your activities. Chang also finances certain illicit shipments of birds on the endangered species list through your middleman, Wake Hollander. Chang doesn’t like it when your shipments are late, does he? Maybe he killed Verkovich to teach you a lesson.”

  Evan’s brows collided in a scowl. “That’s absurd.”

  “You don’t like that theory? Then how about this one: if you had nothing to do with Verkovich’s murder, maybe your henchman here did.” He tilted his head toward Jimmy Laredo. “Were you aware Laredo worked for those two bird breeders who disappeared in central Florida?”

  “You mean Mole and Molly? Everyone heard about them. They owned five acres and had a stock worth about five hundred thousand dollars. Some say they owed delinquent import fees and staged their own vanishing act. Others say it was competitors who iced them. Beats me what happened.” He glanced at his ranch hand. “You didn’t tell me you used to work there.”