Drive-Bye (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Three)

by Amy Saunders

  Jonas squinted across at her. "I haven't met him, so I have no idea. Why do you want to know?"

  "The two women who own the company are both married...but they'd be too old. What about kids? Do they have sons? You said the manager's kids are in school, but are they in Portside for the summer?"

  Jonas looked across at Bennett with pleading eyes. "I am too tired for this, man. What on earth is she talking about?"

  Belinda forced herself from her cozy position on the couch and handed Jonas her computer tablet. "This is the possible house thief." She pointed at the image from Elena's flash drive. "Plus, I have a shot of him entering through the back of Portside House Cleaning–with a key."

  Jonas squinted up at her. "How do you know about this?"

  "Um...he dropped by, actually. More cappuccino?" She held out her hand for his cup.

  "Yes. But, wait–the thief was here? Did you call the police?" She opened her mouth to answer, but Jonas put up a hand. "You know what. I don't even want to know. Just bring me more coffee."

  Before Jonas left, she sent him the photos. They could take a much more direct approach than she could. That was all well and good, but Belinda had a scheme to deal with the little thief herself.

  Her patient, research savvy Bennett, found an old news report and a corresponding photo of their thief–Roy Labonte. He'd been arrested as part of a large theft ring.

  Under Victoria's direction (where had she learned to do all this?), Belinda called the hotel where the closest thief sighting was and, posing as a relative, managed to find out there was a Roy Blanchard staying there. So Bennett, Belinda, and Victoria (with interjections from Kyle) plotted to spy on him and see if he could be their guy.

  When Belinda came downstairs in her hotel maid's uniform, a crop of long, red hair this time, Bennett's mouth curled up immediately and his eyes twinkled. Belinda and Victoria had argued over the amount of freckles she should have. Belinda didn't want to look like a "freckle-puss," but Victoria countered that it would make her less recognizable. In the end, they'd compromised, giving her a medium wash of freckles across her face.

  Belinda twirled, spreading out her arms. "What do you think? Do I get the Bennett stamp of approval?"

  Bennett pulled her in for a kiss as his answer. "You make a pretty hot redhead."

  Victoria stood on the stair landing and cleared her throat. "This is for business, guys. Save it for later."

  Belinda smirked and gave him another quick peck.

  Victoria gave her the master keycard that would open any of the rooms on the floor where Roy was staying, and told her where to go in and find her supplies. Victoria was related to the day manager by marriage (one of her cousins), and had somehow convinced him to play along. Belinda was playing the new girl and she was vouched for. Bennett would be nearby if anything crazy happened. All she had to do was call and let it ring and he'd come running.

  All in all, Belinda felt pretty calm. She was going to watch Roy, see who came by (if anyone), and hopefully search his room when he left. They were seeking proof that he was responsible for the thefts and for anything that might tie him to Elena. If she'd caught him stealing, then maybe he'd killed her to keep her quiet.

  Belinda had expected Roy to be in some degraded outpost outside Portside. Turned out, he was living in style in one of the five-star accommodations smack in downtown. It was a highfalutin brick monument with a horseshoe entrance barely long enough for one car, and a brick wall surrounding the building.

  It was conveniently located between the two main shopping districts, and adjacent to the Historic District. It was an easy walk to anywhere in the main part of Portside. Belinda walked by it often en route to the wharves. She circled around to the staff entrance in the back of the hotel, focusing on just looking like she belonged. She'd driven there separately in a rented car so she wouldn't be seen with Bennett.

  After some meandering around the hotel laundry and smiling and nodding at other staff members she passed, Belinda located the cleaning supplies for the housekeepers and gathered her rolling cart. She found the room right next to Roy's, knocked, and set up shop, propping the door open with the cart the way she'd always seen done. She could hear a TV in Roy's room, so more than likely he was still there.

  Belinda made a pretense of cleaning. She picked up the dirty towels on the bathroom floor and replaced them with new ones. She stripped the bed, attempting to do the crisp hotel corners on the top sheet and failing after five tries. "You just mess them up when you get in anyway," she muttered, covering up her hack job with the comforter.

  She rolled the vacuum around until she sucked up something big and nasty under the bed that made an awful grinding noise. She tried to retrieve it, but it was beyond the rollers and she couldn't reach it.

  As she rolled the cord around the back of the vacuum, deciding it was safer to stick with making beds, she heard a knock outside. The TV in Roy's room got quieter and then a door clicked open.

  Belinda tiptoed closer to the wall to hear better. Roy had let in a woman. An unhappy woman.

  "You're starting to get in the way," she said in hushed tones. "And I'm not the only one who thinks so."

  "You told them?"

  "No. But I think they can guess."

  Roy made some sort of grunt or maybe a groan.

  "Honestly," the woman said, "if I had known you were this undisciplined, I never would've brought you in. I told you this was a sensitive job."

  "I was careful."

  "You went too far. You clearly don't know when to stop. And now there's this."

  Belinda didn't know what "this" was, but apparently it was bad because they were both quiet for a long time.

  "What now?" Roy said finally.

  "You leave. You've caused me enough headaches."

  "What about you?"

  She was silent a beat. "I can't go just yet."

  "Hey! I was kinda hoping..." Roy trailed off. The woman didn't say anything more, though Belinda assumed something had just been exchanged. Maybe money.

  She could hear the door click open again and ran as quietly as possible to the door, kneeling behind the cart. She peeked around as the woman walked down the other side of the hallway to the elevator. She glanced behind her, and Belinda pulled back behind the cart, her heart beating fast. She'd thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar, but more...adult.

  The woman was Christina, Belinda's house cleaner, and she had a bruise on her jaw–because Belinda had punched her at Elena's apartment. Christina was the right size and height.

  As soon as the elevator doors dinged and Christina was gone, Belinda grabbed her messenger bag out of the cart and ran to another room farther from Roy's, calling Bennett while she shut the door behind her.

  "Are you okay?" He answered before the phone even rang.

  "It's Christina!" Belinda almost yelled it, just catching herself. "It's my stupid house cleaner, Bennett. She just told Roy to leave town. She's coming out now. You have to follow her!"

  "Slow down, slow down. What does she look like?"

  Belinda gave a quick, stilted description. "She has a bruise on her jaw from where I punched her."

  "You punched your house cleaner?"

  "She was the one who assaulted Colleen at Elena's apartment. Honestly. Keep up."

  "Huh. I wondered what had happened to your hand."

  "Never mind that. Don't let her slip away."

  "Did she say she was leaving town, too?"

  "No." Belinda tried to slow down the thoughts flashing in her mind. "She said she was, uh, couldn't leave yet."

  Bennett made an unhappy grunt. "That doesn't sound positive. I see her. Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. Go."

  "Be careful."

  "You too."

  Belinda peeked out the door, and Roy exited his room with a duffel bag. As soon as he was out of sight, Belinda ran for the stairs and made the best time ever running outside. She tried to look casual, hugging the brick castle wall and making her
way to the front of the building. She hoped that's the way he came out.

  Sure enough, a blonde man with a giant nose strutted out, hefting a black duffel bag, looking like he was in no hurry. She gave him a head start, then followed, keenly aware that her maid's outfit was no longer appropriate. But what choice did she have? Her car was too far away, though she thought glumly about the change of clothes in the backseat.

  Belinda kept her distance, and focused on the sidewalk. The streets right around the hotel were empty, and she was worried Roy would feel followed. If he didn't have a car, then she guessed he was on his way to the visitor's center to get a bus or taxi. From there, she wasn't sure where he'd go. The airport?

  Belinda followed him into the visitor's center–a strange blue building on the main road into town that looked like it had wings on the roof. She could never figure out that design element. Roy went straight to the main desk, so Belinda entered near the bathrooms, where she could watch and listen behind a wall while pretending to read sightseeing brochures.

  Roy bought a bus ticket to Providence, like she guessed he might, and walked in her direction. She busied herself with reading the brochure, brushing her red hair to hide her face. He ignored her completely and went straight into the men's room.

  What should she do? She couldn't buy a bus ticket because she had no money on her, and how would following him to Providence help? She needed to keep him here. She was a witness that he'd broken into her house. That counted for something, even if he had nothing else tying him to the thefts.

  She felt in her bag...her new present from Jonas.

  Belinda flipped her fake red hair behind her shoulder and confidently swung the door open to the men's bathroom. Roy had his back to her at a urinal.

  Belinda took her gift–a Taser–and pressed it against Roy's back. He tensed. Jonas had given her the present in secret, and told her it was for dire emergencies only. Well, in her mind, this counted as a dire emergency.

  "Trying to skip town, Roy?"

  He turned his head slowly, not a little confusion crossing it when he saw her. "Who–"

  "Pack it up and show me what's in your duffel bag."

  "I don't have any money." Belinda pressed the corner of the Taser firmly into the center of his back and Roy obeyed, bending over to unzip the top of his bag.

  "What's under the clothes?"

  Roy pulled away some shorts and shirts, and Belinda braced for the fact that he could very well pull out a gun from under that pile and shoot her. She kept her finger at the ready. He had a mix of items packed underneath the clothes, including a small toiletries bag.

  "Open it," she said.

  He did so. It looked like any other toiletries bag, but Belinda wasn't satisfied. She pointed at the shave cream canister. "What's in there?"

  He popped the top off, but Belinda wagged a finger. "That's not how you really open it, is it?"

  Reluctantly, Roy replaced the cap, and screwed open the canister, revealing a hollow inside. But it wasn't empty.

  Right on top was Belinda's heirloom cameo pendant, given to her by her nana, just plopped inside a fake shave cream canister. It didn't look like much next to the diamonds underneath, but it meant something to her.

  Indignation stung her eyes. Roy turned around. "Hey, that's not a–"

  Belinda squeezed the trigger, zapping Roy right in the chest. He fell onto the circa 1970s square tiles, a fact Belinda did not envy based on the looks of them. She calmly called the police to tell them–anonymously–she'd seen the Portside house thief going into the men's bathroom at the visitor's center and thought he was leaving town.

  The police station was mere seconds away, and she waited until sure he couldn't run, then strode outside unseen, glancing back at the police cars that had just pulled in. She took the long way around to her car so she wouldn't need to pass the hotel, and called to check on Bennett.

  Christina had just gone back to what looked like her residence, acting like nothing was afoot. Bennett didn't think that was going anywhere right then, but he was staying put just in case. "What happened at the hotel?"

  "Um...I followed Roy to the visitor's center and tackled him in the men's room."

  There was a long silence. "That's it. Get over here now. I can't trust you alone."

  "I–"

  "I leave you alone and you punch people and...and..."

  "Taser them."

  "And Taser them." Bennett paused. "Taser them? When did you get a–"

  "We need to go muscle Colleen." Belinda switched topics before he could finish, pleased with herself for throwing him off balance. You had to keep them on their toes.

  "Once Christina learns Roy's been caught, she'll fly out of here."

  "I know. That's why we need to get information out of Colleen. Now."

  Chapter 16

  Belinda caught up with Bennett near Colleen's minutes later, de-costumed. Well, except for the freckles, which she'd need time to strip off. His arms were crossed, but she planted a heavy kiss on him, forcing him to relax.

  "We are discussing the Taser," he said after.

  Belinda just smiled. When they got to Colleen's, catching her before she left for work, Belinda tried the soft approach to get Colleen to open up. But the woman was stubborn and evasive, and Belinda was out of patience. Potential killers were this close to getting away with everything. So she went for approach B, and pulled out her Taser.

  Colleen's eyes went wide at first, until she realized what it actually was. "Are you going to Taser me until I tell you what you want?"

  "We'll see."

  Colleen sighed dramatically. "You're proving to be more trouble than help. All I wanted from you was Gary Wolman's story."

  "And Elena's rather significant contribution doesn't bother you at all?"

  Colleen's face hardened, surprise crossing it. "Of course it does. If you would just do what you're supposed to, we could get both problems solved."

  "I'm not sure 'doing what I'm supposed to' is in anyone's best interests. This is a much more dangerous game than any of us were prepared for. Including you."

  "If you're so afraid, why are you here? Go home and eat your cupcakes and leave the rest of us to deal with it. All it costs you is him." Colleen glanced at Bennett.

  The only detail about all this Belinda had left out–purposely–had to do with Bennett's retirement. She didn't want to tell him what Colleen had threatened, or about hiring a private investigator to dig up his dirt. She knew she'd have to come clean eventually, just for her own sanity. But now wasn't when she wanted to get into it.

  Just when she was prepared to somehow sidestep Colleen's attack, she didn't need to. Bennett didn't even flinch. "We don't need her. Press the trigger."

  "What?!" Colleen apparently didn't expect that response. Or was as brave as she was seconds ago. "You don't even know what I'm talking about."

  "I can guess." Bennett's arms were still crossed. "Go ahead and broadcast it. You're not using that as ammo against either of us." He glanced at Belinda, a little light in the back of his eyes like he had a secret, and nodded as the signal to go ahead and do it.

  Belinda narrowed her eyes and made to pull the trigger.

  "Wait!" Colleen held up her hands. "Wait. There is something." Colleen motioned for them to follow her upstairs. Belinda stayed wary. Colleen could have a gun stashed somewhere and was using this to get to it. But all she did was pull out a small safe from a false bottom in her wardrobe and open it up. If she had a gun in there, it was inconvenient at best.

  After opening the safe, Colleen stuck her hand to the back and came out with a flash drive. Belinda relaxed her arms. "Another flash drive?"

  Colleen held up the thin plastic device. "It doesn't look like much. But these can hold a world of trouble on them."

  She stuck the device into her laptop on the nearby desk by the window, entered a password, and pulled up a folder full of photos. "There ya go. Your reason for being sued for threatening me with a weapon."
>
  Belinda and Bennett leaned over the computer. The room was cramped, the bed taking up most of the space, and Colleen had to move around to the other side of the bed to get out of their way. "Who took these?" Bennett said.

  "I don't know." Colleen folded her arms. "It wasn't Elena. She's in some of them, and they look like surveillance photos."

  "So where did you find the drive?" Belinda said.

  "I didn't. Someone e-mailed the photos to me at work. I put them on the drive myself."

  Belinda and Bennett exchanged a glance. "When did you start receiving them?" Belinda said.

  "They started coming shortly after Elena was killed."

  Belinda glared at her. "And it never occurred to you to tell the police?"

  "Because you tell them everything you learn, I'm sure." Belinda flushed, and Colleen pulled a snide smile. "That's what I thought."

  "Do you know who sent them?"

  "No. Whoever did was somewhat clever, and e-mailed me from the library from an account with a false identity."

  "What was the name on the account?"

  "Elizabeth Stephens."

  Stephens, Stephens, Stephens. Belinda had heard that last name before. It was someone in Portside. "Well, you're telling the police about this now." She scanned through the photos, pausing on one in particular. "Or I'm coming back here, and so help me, I will Taser you."

  "Where are you going?" Colleen said, glancing at the photos curiously and back at Belinda.

  Belinda turned on her heels. "I'm going to find out what really happened to Elena. Something you should've been doing all this time."

  Colleen looked genuinely stabbed, and Belinda marched out with Bennett following like he knew where they were headed.

  Once outside, she explained the rush. From what she saw, she didn't think any of the photos were exactly case breakers. But that and the e-mailing business did give her an idea of who might have taken the photos.

  "Some of the photos were of Elena at work," Belinda said. "One of the houses belongs to the Stephens."

  "The name on the e-mail?"

  "Yep. And the Stephens are relatives of the Wolmans."