Rock Around the Corpse

by Lizbeth Lipperman

  If he were being honest, he’d have to take the blame for not sniffing out a set-up that day at the track when the two men approached and offered him the deal. It was too coincidental, now that he thought about it. They’d shown up less than thirty minutes after he’d lost over twenty-five K on a pony that was supposed to be the “surprise” of the day.

  Some surprise! The filly had started out strong and then had faded back into the pack before the second turn. Since last place didn’t come with a pay-out, Gary had been royally screwed.

  Knowing Digarmo and his thugs would be breathing down his neck the second he walked into his apartment, he hadn’t even hesitated accepting the offer. This was the first time he’d ever done anything like this in his life—unless you counted that one time in Oklahoma City when he’d jacked up the price of supplies on a big job after Digarmo let him know, in no uncertain terms, what would happen if he didn’t pay up. He’d nearly choked when he found out the bank holding the loan on that project was run by none other than Kershaw’s brother. After an audit uncovered the forgeries, the good judge had stepped in and was ready to throw the book at him if he didn’t make good. Gary had to hang his head, swallow his pride, and ask his dad for a loan, knowing the old man would never let him forget what a loser he was.

  This time, his choices were either to crawl back to his dad for another loan or take a trip to the hospital with too many broken bones to count—or worse. Neither one of those options appealed to him, and skimming off the top of the renovation budget seemed like the way to go.

  He figured Haley Rockford would never suspect that the quality of the flooring was inferior, having worked in an office all her life with no knowledge of building codes or procedures. But as soon as the first box was opened and he’d gotten a look at the planks, he realized that only a miracle would prevent her from not noticing. The stuff was pure crap, but it had been too late to change it out, even if he could have.

  For now, all he had to do was stay out of Kershaw’s way until the weekend was over, and he’d never see the man again. And the good news was…after using the money he’d skimmed off Haley to pay off Digarmo, he still had a couple thousand in his pocket. The minute the limo dropped him off at his apartment on Sunday night, he intended to jump in his car and head to Grand Prairie to catch the last few races.

  He smiled to himself, thinking about the tip he’d received from the man in charge of the stables at the track. He intended to put the two grand, along with another twenty thousand from the bookie, on Deep Dark Secret, who came with forty to one odds in the last race. According to the tipster, the three-year old stallion was predicted to win by a nose. If things went as planned, by the end of the weekend Gary would have more money than he knew what to do with. He’d be able to celebrate in style with some high dollar hooker in Mexico taking away all his stress and making him feel good about life again.

  No more Brent Kershaw nipping at his heels, ready to take him down.

  He slid out of bed and made his way to the bathroom where he got his first look at himself in the mirror. The dark circles under his eyes were a testament to the half-empty bottle of Crown Royal on the dresser. Fortunately, he still had the master key that Haley had given him three months ago when he’d started the renovations, and he’d been able to pilfer the liquor from the kitchen while everyone slept.

  After relieving himself, he walked over to the dresser and poured two fingers of the amber liquid into the glass. If he was about to face Brent Kershaw this morning, he’d need more than coffee. Knowing the honorable judge as he did, the day promised to be a challenge.

  That asshole was no more honorable judge than the criminals he sent to jail. Kershaw had been a major pain in the butt ever since that episode with his brother’s bank. Gary suspected he’d even sabotaged a few of his bids on high dollar jobs in the city.

  When he’d first spotted Kershaw across the room in the dining hall last night, Gary had hoped the man wouldn’t recognize him. He figured since the judge dealt with hundreds of cases every month, surely he wouldn’t remember that one little incident. But apparently, the guy had the memory of an elephant. At first Gary suspected he had something more going on with Haley Rockford than investing in a spa, but that notion was quickly dispelled when the good judge had blatantly pawed Deena Rodriguez right in front of Haley.

  And who could blame him? Although up until last night he’d thought of the interior designer as being a little gun-shy when it came to men, she’d come out of her shell around Kershaw. Definitely sexy looking, she’d always been sweet to him, so he’d never made a serious move on her himself, although the thought had crossed his mind a time or two while they’d worked together. It seemed like such a mismatch seeing a woman like her flirting so openly with a snake like Brent Kershaw.

  Maybe I should just bide my time until the lawyer shows his true colors and she comes looking for a real man.

  He refilled his glass, thinking about his upcoming sit-down with Kershaw. Gary had no delusions about how hard the man would come down on him after he got a look at the books. Lucky for him, the only thing the judge could do without proof was make accusations. It would be at least Monday morning before he could follow up on those accusations with visits to the flooring vendors. Hopefully, by then, Deep Dark Secret would have crossed the finish line by that one nose, and Gary could disappear with a sinful amount of cash in his pocket until things blew over.

  He walked back into the bathroom to brush his teeth and gargle with the mouthwash. No sense giving Kershaw something else to get bent out of shape about—not that it was any of his business if he had a few drinks before lunch. Hell, it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend. The lawyer prick needed to mind his own business.

  Still in his suit from last night, he took off his jacket and threw it back onto the bed. A quick shower would have to wait until after he had a little food in his stomach. All that liquor was rumbling down there, and he was thirsty enough to drink the water from the bathroom tap. As he leaned over to scoop up a handful, he stopped short when he noticed a huge wine stain on the front of his white dress shirt.

  Shit! He’d borrowed the shirt from his neighbor in Dallas just for the party last night. Thank heavens there were no other dress-up dinners planned—at least not ones he intended to grace with his presence. After breakfast he’d have someone in housekeeping take a look at the stain and use whatever magic cleaner they had to make it disappear. The last thing he wanted to do with his winnings was to buy the guy a new shirt.

  Staring at the stain, a niggling thought ran through his mind. He hated wine, thought it was a sissy drink. So how had he ended up with it all over the front of his shirt? Touching the still damp spot, he brought his fingers to his nose and sniffed. Definitely a metallic odor. As realization hit him, he shoved his hand under the facet and turned it on full blast.

  The red stain was blood, not wine. Remembering the sound he’d heard earlier, he stripped off the shirt to see if a wild animal had somehow gotten into his room and attacked him while he slept. It was a long way back to civilization and a good emergency room, and he’d have to leave immediately if his injuries were really bad. Staring at his naked chest, he became even more baffled. Other than the fact that he was seriously in need of a little sunshine, there were no wounds or scratches.

  Just then he heard another ear-piercing scream, but this time he recognized the unmistakable high pitch of a woman close-by. He opened his suitcase, plucked out a t-shirt and pulled it over his head, then grabbed the master key and stepped into the walkway.

  The minute he was out of his room, he could see the commotion was coming from two doors down. Kershaw’s room. He picked up the pace and stopped right in front of the young couple who’d sat across from him at dinner the night before.

  “What’s going on?”

  Sam Mason shook his head. “One of the guests was murdered last night.”

  “Kershaw?”

  The younger man, who’d probably just rolled out o
f bed himself, nodded. “Looks like the designer did it.”

  Gary was speechless, and for the first time since he’d gotten out of bed, he didn’t notice the volcano that had been building up in his stomach all morning anticipating his confrontation with Kershaw. There would be no meeting—no humiliation or accusations now.

  Kershaw was dead.

  A slight smile tipped the corners of Gary’s lips, and he tried hard to look concerned. But today the gods were shining on him, and a major weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

  Good news like this called for another trip to the kitchen to confiscate one more bottle of Crown Royal.

  *****

  By the time Maddy and Kate came out of Brent’s room, Deena had calmed down a bit. Her respirations had slowed, and she could no longer feel her heart beating in her head. Although the headache was still there, it had dulled and now allowed her to open her eyes without pain.

  “Deena, do you want something to drink?” Kate asked as she approached. “I can fix you a cup of coffee just the way you like it.”

  Deena tried to smile at the youngest of the Garcia clan. “I’d kill for…” She slammed her hand to her mouth and gasped. “Oh God! I didn’t mean that.”

  Kate reached over and squeezed her hand. “I know, honey. I’ll be right back.” She turned to her other two sisters. “Do either of you want a cup?” When both of them declined, she headed off toward the kitchen.

  “Vince Hogan—he’s the limo driver—went down to the registration desk to call the local police. They should be here within the hour.” Maddy leaned closer to her sister to whisper. “You and I need to talk before they get here.”

  “Shouldn’t you put her under arrest or something?” Theo Elliott asked, still breathing hard from rushing out of his room all the way on the other side of the building. His injured wife followed close behind, breathing heavy as well.

  Maddy shot him a look that had him immediately closing his mouth before he could say anything else. “The police are on the way, Mr. Elliott.” Then she turned to his wife, who’d supposedly been in so much pain the night before after tripping on an edge of the flooring that had lifted up. “It’s good to see you running after your accident last night.”

  The older woman colored, then frowned. “My ankle still hurts this morning, but not nearly as much. It’s amazing what a little adrenaline can do for you. When I heard all the noise, and someone mentioned murder, I hightailed it over here.” She glanced directly at the owner of the spa who was now off to the side by herself. “We’ll still need to fill out an incident report, Haley.”

  Deena left the comfort of her sister’s arms and walked over to the owner who was staring at nothing in particular, her face ashen. “You have to believe that I didn’t kill Brent.” She lowered her eyes. “At least I don’t think I did.” She met Maddy’s glare, knowing her cop sister didn’t want her saying another word. But Haley was her friend, and right now, she needed prompting. “You should say something to your guests before mass hysteria erupts.”

  The distraught woman finally looked at Deena. “What should I say?”

  “Tell them Maddy and Kate have both examined the body, and right now, all we can do is wait for the police to arrive and take over. Let them know you have everything under control. You might also tell them to start packing so they can leave right after the police are through talking to them.”

  “Did you kill him?”

  Deena froze, wishing she could say without a doubt that she had not. But, she couldn’t. She didn’t remember anything about the night except for her strange dream. “No,” she lied, hoping she sounded convincing.

  “Then who did?”

  Maddy had been watching the conversation from a few feet away and now rushed over to grab her sister’s arm. “I’m taking Deena back to our room, Haley. When the police arrive, could you send someone to come and get me? I want to be involved in the investigation.”

  “You didn’t see or hear anything last night?” Haley pressed, totally ignoring Maddy.

  Even before she opened her mouth, Deena knew how ridiculous she was about to sound. “The room was lit up with colors,” she began, keeping her eyes on Maddy. “And I saw the stone clad monster coming toward me, calling my name.”

  Maddy immediately nudged her sister away from the owner, whose eyes were now wide with disbelief. “That’s enough for now, Deena. We need to get some caffeine into you before the police arrive.”

  As they made their way over to Kate, who had returned with the coffee and was now standing with Lainey, Deena’s attention was diverted to the sound of footsteps. When she glanced up, she saw the limo driver, running hard toward them, and from the look on his face, he wasn’t bringing good news. Her first thought was that the Oklahoma officer he’d spoken with had instructed him to lock her up somewhere until they arrived. Her heart sank at the thought of being separated from her sisters when she needed them the most.

  “The phones are missing,” Hogan said when he skidded to a halt in front of Maddy.

  “What? How could that happen?” Maddy twirled around to face the spa owner. “I thought you said you had them locked up.”

  By now a little color had returned to Haley’s face. “They’re in the safe in the back office. William can get them for you.”

  Hogan shook his head. “They’re gone, and so are the smart phones and tablets you took from the guests.”

  Deena gasped. “You’re positive?”

  He nodded again. “And there’s more bad news. Every tire on my limo, including the spare, has been slashed. I checked the garage.” He focused back on Haley. “The tires on your SUV have also been slashed.”

  “Oh my God! They’re going to kill us all,” Annie Elliott shouted at Haley. “Do something. Surely, you have a gun somewhere in case a wild animal attacks.”

  For an instant, a flicker of hope flashed in the spa owner’s eyes.

  “That’s gone, too,” Vince interrupted and dashed it out.

  Deena made eye contact with each of the stunned guests standing outside Kershaw’s room. Without exception, the glares that stared back at her were accusatory—and fearful. In their eyes she was the killer, and she couldn’t even deny it. But there was an odd comfort in the fact that someone else had gone to all the trouble of slashing tires and stealing satellite phones. Although she still couldn’t remember anything from the night before, she had never been given the combination to the safe—had no reason to have it.

  But if she hadn’t killed Brent Kershaw, then who had?

  For the first time, she thought about the safety of all the people in front of her, including herself, as a wave of fear gripped her. There was a killer walking among them who had obviously isolated them all from any chance of getting help. With no weapons to defend themselves, they were virtually helpless.

  Chapter Six

  Maddy positioned herself in front of Deena, protecting her from the condemning circle of faces that surrounded her. To them she was guilty, and the ridiculous story she’d just told about the stone clad monster only proved she’d committed the crime and was probably setting herself up for an insanity defense.

  “The way I see it, we’re stuck here in the middle of nowhere without any means of communication. Whoever killed Brent Kershaw knew exactly what to do to isolate us from the rest of the world,” Maddy said, addressing the accusatory crowd. “I believe my sister was just a pawn, a way to shift suspicion from themselves. Anyone who has ever had any contact with Deena Rodriguez knows there’s no way she could’ve carried out this atrocious act.”

  “She was so drunk she doesn’t remember killing the man,” Annie Elliott said. “No disrespect to you, but you can’t be sure of anything right now. I’m—”

  “That’s true,” Maddy interrupted. “But even though I’m one hundred percent sure my sister isn’t our killer, I’ll see to it that she doesn’t get treated any differently than the rest of you.”

  “What do you mean the rest of us? Surely,
you don't think any of us killed Kershaw,” Annie said, nudging her husband to agree with her—which he did by nodding his head up and down almost comically.

  “Right now, I have no idea who killed the judge, but as the only law enforcement person among us, I guarantee I’ll do everything in my power to find out so that when the police finally do arrive, they can be that much closer to locking up the one responsible.”

  “For all we know, you and your sister may have been in cahoots to kill the guy,” Naomi Patterson shouted above the crowd noise.

  Maddy shot Naomi a look that should have made her shrink back into the crowd, but to her credit, the woman Haley had introduced as her youngest investor held her ground.

  After thinking for a minute while the buzz of whispered conversations escalated, Maddy finally held up a hand to silence them. “I suppose you’ll just have to trust me. For those of you who don't know, I’m a Texas police officer, and I’m officially putting myself in charge of the investigation into Brent Kershaw’s death. That means I’ll be speaking to each and every one of you about what you saw or heard since you arrived here. Sometimes, even the slightest detail can be important. ”

  “You can’t be in charge when your sister is the one who killed him,” Gary Wharton hollered from the back of the crowd. “Isn’t that a little like asking OJ’s mother to lead the investigation into his ex-wife’s death?”

  Maddy’s eyes flashed the anger she felt. “First of all, Wharton, no one else here knows the first thing about solving a crime.” She glared at him. “And right off the bat, one might ask where you were last night. Seems you may have had a pretty good reason to want Kershaw out of the way before he had a chance to rake you over the coals about the flooring in the dining room.”