Trading Places

by Fern Michaels

  “I’m just fine, Mrs. Madsen. How are you and your husband?”

  “We’re out in Seattle visiting our daughter and we were having a lovely time till one of our neighbors called this morning to tell us someone broke into our garage last night and stole our son’s car. Gray wants to head home, but I don’t want to. Can you look into it, Aggie?”

  Aggie’s stomach started to heave. “Of course I can. However, you should have your neighbor call in the report. They’ll investigate right away. I don’t get off duty till three o’clock. Do you know when it happened, Mrs. Madsen?” She felt like the scum of the earth for what she’d done. She hoped the end would justify the means.

  “We don’t know. Sometime this morning. Nothing else was taken although they did break the overhead light. The neighbors cleaned it up and locked up the garage. Why would someone want Tom’s car?”

  “I don’t know, Mrs. Madsen. Why did you and your husband want it?”

  “We were angry, Aggie. Actually, Gray was livid when they couldn’t solve the murder. He just marched down to the lot one day and demanded the car and had it towed to the house. It broke my heart to see it so full of bullet holes. Do you think something was hidden in the car?”

  “Mrs. Madsen, I just don’t know. They have me working in the property room, so there’s not much I can do on department time. I can check it out after I get off duty.”

  “Gray and I would appreciate it. Our neighbor told us the police did come around a quarter to five, but all they did was look in the garage. When they explained about the car, the officers got angry. That’s all I know. Melba and Henry live directly across the street at 209. I’d like it if you’d talk to them. I just wish I knew what was going on.”

  “When are you coming back, Mrs. Madsen?”

  “Our daughter wants us to stay till the end of June. I want to stay, too. Gray is all upset now. Maybe when I tell him you’re going to look into things, he’ll feel more comfortable about staying. I’m trying to convince him to move here.”

  “That would be nice for both of you, Mrs. Madsen. Give me your phone number, and I’ll call you when I know something.”

  “Bless your heart, child.”

  Lizzie broke the connection and tried to call Nathan Hawk but was told he was out of the office and on assignment. She left her name and number.

  Lizzie spent the rest of the morning watching the clock move slowly toward the noon hour, when she could take her lunch break. She needed to call Aggie and the girls, and she wanted to talk to Chief Shay.

  Lizzie almost jumped out of her skin when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Her relief was an older cop who refused to meet her gaze. He mumbled something that was unintelligible when Lizzie opened the door to admit him. She’d seen him at the party but didn’t know his name. He wasn’t in any of the pictures Aggie had given her. She made a big show of calling a rental car agency and ordering a car to be delivered to the precinct within minutes. Sometimes being a cop had its advantages. This was one of those times.

  She didn’t bother to say good-bye to the officer because she knew he wouldn’t respond. Like she cared.

  Lizzie made her way to the chief’s office and knocked on the door. She entered when he told her to.

  “Chief, I just need a minute. Tom Madsen’s mother just called me. She said there was a break-in at her house last night and someone stole Tom’s car. The Madsens are in Washington state. One of their neighbors called in the theft. Do you have anything on it?”

  “Nobody saw or heard a thing. No damage was done other than a broken lightbulb. Either the door wasn’t locked or it was picked. I saw that car, Jade. The tires were shot out and flat. I’ve been sitting here asking myself why someone would want that shot-up piece of metal so bad they would steal it. They had to drive it or tow it. I guess you don’t know anything about that, huh, Jade?”

  Lizzie shook her head. “Chief, I didn’t even know the elder Madsens had Tom’s car. When I visited them they didn’t say a word about it. That’s two break-ins for them. What do you suppose it means?”

  “You tell me, Jade. What’s it mean to you?”

  “It means someone is looking for something they think Tom had. If he did have something, I don’t know what it is. How could I know?”

  “The department will handle it. I don’t want you interfering with this investigation, Jade. Are we clear on that?”

  “Crystal. Bye, Chief.” The chief grunted something that sounded like good-bye.

  Outside, a cream-colored Chrysler Le Baron waited for her. After doing the paperwork with the rental car agent, Lizzie climbed behind the wheel, aware of many sets of eyes following her. She admitted to herself that she felt jittery.

  Lizzie drove slowly, her gaze going to the rearview mirror every few seconds as she tried to figure out if she had a tail or not. She did, an old, dark green Chevy Nova. She needed to call Aggie. She reached down for her cell phone and hit the speed dial. Aggie’s voice came over the wire, a happy-sounding Aggie. She got laid. The thought brought a smile to Lizzie’s face. She quickly related the past evening’s events. “What should I do, Aggie?”

  “God, Lizzie, I can’t believe you gave Zack a heads up. What’s going on right now may be the result of that heads up.”

  “No, you’re wrong, Aggie. If it wasn’t for Zack, the cars would be fair game. I think he was right and was just returning the favor. It was no skin off his nose to give me the high sign. You said he was a good cop at one time. I know as sure as I’m sitting here talking to you that they were planning on setting me up. I wish you could have seen Jorgenson’s face this morning when he tried to find out which garage your car’s at. There’s nothing in the damn cars, Aggie, so it has to be a setup. They plan on putting something in the cars.”

  “Did you rip up the seats, Lizzie?”

  “No. Nathan said they looked just the way they came from the factory. There was nothing behind or under them. I guess what you’re saying is, we should have ripped them apart. Okay, I can get Nathan to do that before he goes home from work. Why aren’t you complimenting me on the butterflies? That took some work, let me tell you that. It’s all there, Aggie. Nathan said you were brilliant for coming up with that theory.”

  “Lizzie, you need to get out of there real quick. Bundle all that butterfly stuff up, give it to Nathan, and have him messenger it to Chief Shay. Make photocopies of every single page and mail them somewhere safe. Someplace only you know. I don’t even want you to tell me. Swear on my life, Lizzie, that you will do it. Say the words.”

  “Aggie, I need another day or so. I’ll do it then. I can’t do it before tomorrow anyway since you want me to shred those seats. Two days, Aggie. Just two days. I can handle it.”

  “Okay, two days. Lizzie, you do realize, don’t you, that if this all goes down the way we both think it will, Nathan will write a Pulitzer-winning story on it. It’s what he lives for. I just want you to think about that.”

  Lizzie sighed. “Aggie, why do you always have to rain on my parade?”

  “Because life is not all sunshine and roses, condos and convertibles. Life is real. You’ve been living a fantasy life so long you don’t know what real life is like. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Aggie was right, and Lizzie knew it. “Okay, sis. I’ll call you when I can. You got your stuff…you know, for Plan B?”

  “Yes.”

  Lizzie felt like there were twenty pounds of concrete on her shoulders when she pulled into the driveway of Aggie’s house. She eyed the long black limo with a jaundiced eye. She stumbled and almost fell when she started up the walkway to the front porch where the girls were sitting entertaining a guest.

  “Mr. Papadopolus!”

  “Hello, sweet cheeks. Since Mohammed won’t come to the mountain, the mountain has come to Mohammed. How are you?”

  Lizzie allowed herself to be hugged. She met Noreen’s eyes over Mr. P.’s shoulder. They looked worried and anxious.

  “Let’s
go inside. This is lunch hour, and I have to get back to…I have to leave in”—she looked at her watch—” forty minutes.”

  “Where’s your sister, sweet cheeks?”

  For the first time in her life, Lizzie lied to the gambler. “In a rehab center.” She opened the refrigerator door and took out a plate of fried chicken. “Want a piece?”

  “No thank you.”

  Lizzie watched him as she gnawed on the chicken leg she didn’t want. He looked exactly like what he was, a high roller with money to burn. A fatherly-looking high roller with money to burn. Custom-made suit, custom-made shoes, diamond pinkie ring, Rolex watch. The nails on his hands were buffed and polished, hands that had never done a lick of work other than to strip the cellophane off decks of cards. It hardly counted as worthwhile employment. It was almost beyond comprehension that he was one of the richest men in Las Vegas. Anthony Papadopolus, broker to high rollers.

  He was tanned, his white teeth glistening when he spoke. “Cozy place.”

  “My sister is the frugal type. She’s not one for a lot of show, if you know what I mean.”

  “The dining room is perfect. Tomorrow at eight. I arranged everything. I slipped the girls some bills, and they’re going to sit on the porch all night. Great cover, Lizzie. This is so perfect it boggles my mind. You’ll be eight in number. I took the liberty of ordering the wine and food. It will be delivered in the morning. I hope you have some fancy duds. You’re looking’ kind of like a washerwoman.”

  A devil perched itself on Lizzie’s shoulders. She hated it when people told her what to do and how to do it. She removed her jacket, the shoulder holster obscene-looking. Papadopolus stepped back, his eyes never leaving the holster or the butt of the gun. “What the hell…”

  Lizzie put her finger to her lips. “Let’s go outside so I can show you my flower garden. I know how much you like to putter in your greenhouse.”

  The gambler followed at a safe distance. His eyes were full of questions.

  “I’m pretending to be a cop, Mr. P. My sister, who by the way, is my twin, was involved in a shoot-out and was almost killed. She is in a private rehab,” Lizzie repeated the lie. “I’m taking her place. I’m trying to find out what happened that night. Yes, I know what I’m doing is illegal, but I have to do it. What’s so important about this game anyway?”

  “Two new players. Beaucoup bucks. One of them is a shipbuilder, new to Vegas. The other one is a big arms dealer. Don’t panic. This is the last gig on your contract. Play it out, Lizzie, make me some money, and we’re done. I sense you’re losing your appetite for high living?”

  Lizzie’s mind raced. “Tell me what my percentage is again. This might be a good time to discuss a bonus. A big bonus. Just so you know, Mr. P. We could all end up in the slammer if we get caught.”

  “The boys will be around. Do this for me Lizzie, and you’re set for life.” He whispered in her ear. He laughed when her eyes grew round and her jaw dropped. “Do we have a deal?”

  “Oh yeah. Tomorrow at eight.” Lizzie bit down on the chicken leg in her hand. She smiled. “See ya,” she called to his retreating back.

  Alice, released from the laundry room, ran out to her along with the girls, who all jabbered at once. “We didn’t know what to do, Lizzie. He drove up, got out, and we couldn’t leave. We were just sitting on the porch drinking coffee. He gave us a rundown and handed us each a thousand dollars. We can pull it off, Lizzie. I know we can.”

  “God, I hope so.”

  “Where did you get that car, Lizzie?”

  Lizzie told them just enough so they wouldn’t worry about her. She knew they would still worry about her because they were her friends.

  “Listen, I know this vacation has been a bummer. I’m going to make it up to you. I can’t let Aggie down. She’s depending on me. It’s time I did something worthwhile in my life for a change. I actually want to do this for her and try to make it right. So, give me a rundown on the guys and how it’s all going. I have five minutes.”

  They squealed and jabbered for a full five minutes. The bottom line was they would return to Vegas at the end of the week, and the guys would remain in Atlanta. Vacation romances were just that, vacation romances. Lizzie thought she saw tears in their eyes, but she could have been mistaken.

  She dropped to her knees and hugged Alice, who lathered her with kisses. “Take care of my dog. I just need to get some more clothes. You’ll see me when you see me. I will be here tomorrow evening. Take charge, okay?”

  “You got it,” Noreen said quietly. “Take care of yourself, Lizzie,” she said, pointing to the shoulder holster.

  “I will.” She hugged each one of them before she got her clothes, grabbed her laptop from the dining room table, and raced out to the rental car.

  She was literally running down the hall to the evidence room so she wouldn’t be late when she ran into Luke Sims. Tom Madsen played poker one night a month with Luke and the other guys. Aggie had said the guys thought Luke was too dumb to cut him in on anything. She wondered if it was true. Luke was an honest country boy, round in shape and sincere in mind.

  “Whoa, Aggie. Hold on. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to talk to you since you came back. It’s good to see you again. Is everything okay? How’s Gus?”

  “Everything is fine, Luke. I’m running late. Gus is coming along. I’m going to retire him. The truth is, I’m thinking of retiring myself.”

  “That’s understandable. I just wanted to tell you I’m getting married in September. Carol said yes over the weekend. We thought we’d do it right after Labor Day. I hope you can come to the wedding.”

  He was walking in step with her. She had no other choice but to reply. “I’d love to attend your wedding, Luke. Congratulations.” He looked so young, baby-faced actually. Aggie said he wasn’t the sharpest pencil in the box but he was dedicated to law enforcement.

  “I heard this morning that someone stole Tom Madsen’s car. I got so mad when I heard that. Can you imagine anyone doing something like that? It’s evil.”

  “Yeah, I heard that, too. Well, gotta get to work. You on days now or what?”

  “Yeah. They keep shifting me around. No one wants to partner with me. They think because I look young, criminals won’t take me seriously. You and I are pariahs.”

  “Yeah. Look where they stuck me.” Aggie waited for the cop to open the door to the evidence room. He didn’t acknowledge her or Luke.

  “See, that’s what I mean,” Luke said. “Everyone is buzzing about you, Aggie. You need to watch your back.”

  Concern? A warning from this baby-faced cop? What? “You know what else? Holly Azure is back. She’s taking over Zack’s spot. Oh, hey, wait till you hear this. Zack was supposed to call in when he hit the Keys this morning, but he didn’t. They wanted to make sure he got there safe and sound with Millie. I heard he never got on the plane. What do you make of that?”

  Lizzie felt her heart start to flutter. She shrugged. “Maybe Millie got sick, and they were delayed or something.”

  “Oh, no. He checked out of his motel last night after the party and left. He didn’t go to Florida. They checked.”

  Lizzie busied herself opening her laptop. Was this guy for real or not? “Who is they, Luke?”

  Luke pulled a face. “Joe Sonders for one. Sadie for another. Of course, she was more worried about Millie than she was about Zack. By the way, she was looking for you a little while ago. If you want my opinion, I think there’s something fishy going on. You talked to Zack at the party. Did he say anything about changing his plans?”

  Was the guy fishing for information? Lizzie couldn’t decide. “Not to me, he didn’t. He said he couldn’t wait to get there to start fishing. He said Millie had good days and bad days, and she was going to read and do crossword puzzles while he fished. He looked to me like a guy who couldn’t wait for morning so he could begin his new life. Gee, I hope everything is okay.”

  “Me, too. He always treated me nice. Gu
ess I’ll leave you to your work. I have crossing guard duty all week. I’m real glad you’re okay, Aggie. I missed talking to you while you were gone.”

  Lizzie looked him in the eyes and made an instant decision. “Luke, are the guys on the take? Do you know what they’re up to?”

  Luke actually looked relieved at the question. He didn’t miss a beat when he said, “Yes, and no to your questions. No one talks around me. I pick up stuff here and there. Just be careful, okay? I’m not one of them, so you don’t have to be afraid to talk to me.”

  “That’s nice to know, Luke. Again, congratulations.”

  “Thanks, Aggie. See you around.”

  “Yeah, see you around.”

  When the door closed behind Luke, Lizzie yanked out her cell phone and hit her speed dial for the second time that day. She asked for Nathan and was told he was still out on assignment and no, he had not picked up his messages or called in.