by WL Knightly
“I just want to make sure that he’s okay and hold him.” Raven wiped her eyes, and Darek patted her on the back.
“Yes, ma’am, I understand. You can see him now.” The woman walked on ahead as Raven dried her eyes.
She turned to Darek. “Will you wait until I’m done?”
Lizzy stepped forward. “Darek, I need you at work.” She gave Raven an accusing glance. “We have a murder to solve.”
Darek didn’t know what to think, but he knew that Lizzy was right. He had to get on the case and get caught up. “She’s right. I’m sorry. I texted you the hotel info, and if you go to the desk, they’re all ready for you.”
“Thank you.” She fell into his arms and kissed his cheek before pulling away. “You’re a good friend.”
Darek looked up, and Lizzy was already down the hall. He let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry about her being here. I’ll call and check on you. Take these.” He passed her his car keys.
He hated to walk away, but he knew he had better catch up to Lizzy and make sure that she understood where he was coming from. And that she wouldn’t leave him without a ride. Despite the way things ended, he cared about Raven and would always be her friend. His helping her was the decent thing to do.
He looked back as he got to the door and saw Raven pick up Noah and hug him tightly. That was all he had wanted to see, the two of them together.
He rushed out to the parking lot and caught up with Lizzy. “Wait up!”
“Why, did your baby need one last kiss?”
“It was a slip.”
“Uh huh, and then she shows and you hug all over her?”
“I’m comforting her. Her cousin was just murdered, Lizzy.”
“Yeah, because of the shit she’s mixed up in. I told you from the start that she was involved, and you didn’t listen. Instead, you kept fucking her, and now her cousin is dead, and a little boy is in foster care. And this could very well be the murder to set this damned case on its ear.”
“What did you find?”
Lizzy handed him a small orange card, but when Darek looked at it closer, he realized it was no ordinary colored paper. It was covered in blood. The symbol on the card sent his pulse racing. The symbol was the most familiar zodiac to him. The same sign he’d worn on his arm all those years. “Sagittarius?”
Chapter 24
Bay
Bay turned the image and put it down next to the other. He had studied the damned photos for hours after they’d gotten back to the hotel room, and he finally put together enough pieces of the room behind the woman to piece together something that made sense to him. “Son of a bitch,” he said with a smile.
“You found something?” asked Carter.
“Yes, I did. Look at this and tell me what you see.” He backed away from the laptop and let Carter lean in.
The man got down closer and narrowed his eyes. “Is it supposed to be the worst photoshop I’ve ever seen?”
“It’s the best I could do, but look closely. Do you see that it’s a stack of clothes at least?”
“With a pair of shoes sitting on top?” He leaned in even closer. “Yeah, it’s like a pair of black boots.”
“Not just any boots. Police issue. I’ve seen those things enough to know.”
“Couldn’t they be military?”
“No, look at the little emblem and the stamp in the heel. It clearly reads PD. If I could just make out the letter in front of it. It’s too grainy. But those are blue pants and a blue shirt. Police blue.”
Bay waited for Carter to put two and two together.
“Wait, police blues? So that means the girl with the tits is a cop?”
“No, those boots are not small enough to be a woman’s. Look at them in comparison with the rest of the background. They are huge.”
“That could be a matter of perspective,” said Carter. “Like how objects in mirrors are closer than they appear.”
“Trust me, that chick with the little pussy doesn’t wear those boots.” Bay needed more photos, but Brandy hadn’t let him look through the entire house, especially the safe room, where he had a feeling Justin would have hidden most of the dirt in his life.
“Darek. That fucking bastard. It’s him.” Carter paced the room, raking his hand through his hair. “He had Ken Sin killed.”
Bay shook his head. “No, it’s not Darek. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know who it is, assuming that they are with the NYPD.”
“What if this girl was just fucking some cop, and when he was gone, she fucked around online? How do we know she’s Betty?”
Bay let out a grumble. He didn’t see how Carter could memorize a bible verse, much less a sermon. “Because her phone number was consistent with the one that’s messaging the rest of us. Haven’t you ever gotten any messages?”
He shook his head. “No, but I changed my phone not long ago, number and all. I guess this killer couldn’t get in touch through the office.”
“Why did you get a new phone?”
“Obsessive weirdos wanting prayer. I didn’t have time for it. I directed them to the staff, and they just kept calling me back. I’m not even sure how they got me. Maybe Ken Sin shared my fucking phone number. Who knows?” Carter walked back to the mirror. “I want to go out to eat tonight. I doubt this place has anything good on the menu, and I heard about a club that’s thirty minutes from here I want to check out.”
“How the fuck are you planning to get there?” Bay wasn’t about to let him take his car.
Carter gave him a dirty look. “I thought you’d come with.”
“No thanks. I’m going to finish up with those papers so she can sign them tomorrow and we can get back on the road. I’m sure this town has Uber.”
“I guess I’ll find out.” He walked to the shower, and when he was inside, Bay looked out of the window and spotted the sporting goods store’s sign in the distance. He looked at his watch and looked back at the bathroom where Carter had locked the door and turned on the shower.
Bay called through the door. “Hey, I’m going to go gas up and get me a drink. I’ll be back in a few.”
Carter stuck his head out. “Bring me a soda for when I get back later. And a candy bar or something.”
Bay gave a nod. “Will do.” He grabbed his keys, and after Carter went back to his shower, he headed out.
He drove down to Finch’s Guns and Goods and pulled into the parking lot, hoping Brandy was right on time. He found her truck in the lot, and since it was such a nice day, he decided to wait outside.
He took out his phone and opened his text logs. “Hello, Betty,” he mumbled as he typed.
There was no response. He decided to wait to tell the jerk he was onto them.
When Brandy walked out of the store, Bay sat on the tailgate of her truck with a big smile. She wasn’t as happy to see him. “What are you doing here?” She looked over her shoulder. “Where’s your friend?”
“I think he’s going out to get laid one more time before going home to the wife.”
She gave him an accusing look. “Is that what you’re trying to do?”
Bay laughed. “Is that what you think I’m up to?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know if I’m against the thought of it. I’ve been so lonely. Lately, I’m liable to do anything.” She climbed up on the tailgate with him. “What did you come here for?”
“It’s about the store. It seems that Justin wasn’t as careful with his business as he was his home. And there’s a little something you don’t know that you should. I was one of two people who helped Justin remodel the store after his grandfather left it to him, and I also helped him build the second store.”
“What’s that got to do with the inheritance?” He saw her lip quiver and wondered if she were about to cry.
“Where the stores are concerned, it means that Justin never filed the correct papers, and the stores belong to me and my associate, or if I wanted to be a good friend and say I found proof that J
ustin did, in fact, file the correct papers, you’d still own eighty percent.”
She gave a nervous laugh and shook her head. “You’re just like your friend,” she said. “And here I thought you were the sweet one.”
“No, just the cute one. Although I wouldn’t say Carter Hamilton is exactly a good man, either.”
“What do you want, Bay? Do you want me to sleep with you? Do you want money?”
Bay let his gaze linger down her body. “The sex sounds good, but I’ll pass. The money, however…”
“You two assholes came to pick me clean.” She shook her head.
“Actually, I came to find out who killed my friends. But tell me more.”
Her face fell, and Bay knew he had her. Her eyes and the panicked expression told it all.
“It’s nothing.”
“I know that Justin owed him some money.” He wasn’t going to show all of his cards.
Her back stiffened, her shoulders raising like ice water had been poured on her. “Yeah, again, it’s nothing. He just came to remind me.”
Bay smiled and met her eyes. “I have great admiration for someone who could lose everything dear to them and still come out on top.”
“I didn’t plan this to happen, Bay. I loved Corey. The rest just fell into place.”
“And I might believe that if I were anyone else. But you see, Brandy, details are my business. I know there’s always more to the story. People miss the small details. That’s what I use to trip them up in court. I know how to twist the facts to get the outcome I want. That’s why I can say I admire you. I think you do the same.”
Brandy hopped down from the tailgate. “I’ve got to get back home.”
“I read the report. You told the police that Justin’s gun wasn’t loaded, but that doesn’t sound like the Justin I know. He would have never kept an unloaded gun in the house, especially one he used for self-defense.”
“That’s what happened,” she said with a sharp tone. “I don’t have to explain it to you. I cared about Justin, but he was just as crazy as the rest of you.”
“And what do you know about my crazy? You think I’m a nice guy, remember?”
“I know plenty. Corey wasn’t like the rest of you. He was good. He was sorry for what happened.”
“And what was that?” Bay wanted her to say it.
She looked him in the eyes and shook her head. “I’m not telling you shit.”
“Those secrets Corey told you, they put a target on you. They’ve taken the life of many others.”
“Are you going to kill me, Mr. Collins? Take out all that’s left of Corey?” She put her hand on her stomach.
“Now what good would you be to me dead?” He smiled like a snake, feeling just as dangerous. “I’ve got a proposition for you. And if you’re smart, you’ll take the deal.”
Brandy’s chin quivered. “I don’t like ultimatums or men who abuse women.”
“Look, I’m leaving first thing in the morning. And while I’m taking the preacher with me, I have a feeling it’s not the last time that you’ll hear from him.”
“Corey wanted to take care of me. We were married in New Orleans in the hospital before he passed away. It’s all legal. We would have told the others, but we decided to keep it private.”
“Come on now. There’s got to be more to that story. My friend didn’t come here for the hell of it. He has something on you, something he’s trying to use against you. I can make that go away, along with the property issue. I’ll come by tomorrow, and we’ll work it all out. You can sign the papers, and we’ll get to the bottom of whatever problem you have.”
“What’s in it for you?” she asked with an accusing glare.
“We can work out a deal.”
“Oh, of course, we can.”
“I want the rest of the evidence. I want to go through Justin’s house, all of it. Including the safe room.” She looked away, her jaw twitching with anger.
“Fine. Come over, and we’ll make it happen. I just want this shit over with. Can’t trust any of you.”
Bay stepped up where he was only a breath away from her. He looked down into her eyes, seeing the anger. “I can promise you this, Brandy. I’m a much better partner in crime than the preacher man.” He had hoped that she would own up to her marriage not being legal, but neither one of them had the brains to come clean. If all went according to his plans, he’d get everything he came for.
Chapter 25
Carter
Carter opened his eyes when someone knocked on the door of his hotel suite. As he rolled over, the warm body next to him stirred.
As it turned out, the club he’d found had a similar style as Taunt. Unfortunately, it was much harder to get rid of the hook up at the end of the night.
“Go away,” he yelled.
Bay’s voice called from the other side of the door. “It’s me, asshole. Get ready. We leave in twenty.”
He got to his feet, stretched, and then walked to the bathroom to take a piss. When he walked back into the room, the woman he’d picked up, who was a sexy redhead with no gag reflex, sat on the end of the bed where she’d left her dress which was wadded up and torn.
“Can I use your shower?” she asked. Her voice was scratchy, and her face was puffy.
Carter tried hard to remember her name but kept drawing a blank. “Sorry, I’ve got somewhere to be. You should leave.” He knew he had to get rid of her fast. He didn’t need her squatting in his room or trying to steal the towels.
He also didn’t need to hear her complaints. He waited as she got her dress on, then stepped into her cheap heels. “It was fun, sweetheart.”
“Fuck you, asshole,” she said as she hit the door with her panties still in her hand.
He shut the door and shrugged. Then Bay opened the door. “Did you get rid of your skank?”
“She was sexy last night and gave a mean blowjob. It’s probably better than what you did.”
“I talked to Lila half of the night. She didn’t shut up, so you’re probably right. But we have to take these papers back to Brandy’s house, and once I have her signature, we’ll be good to go.”
“What took so long on the property?”
“Justin is a sloppy businessman. The stores belong to me and Lane Simon.”
Carter felt the sting of surprise. “You and Lane? I thought she got everything.”
“It’s just something that wasn’t taken care of. I’ve made it right.”
“Oh, so once this is done, she’ll have full access to all of the money and properties?”
Bay grinned. “Full access. It’s all hers.”
“You don’t still think she needs to die, do you?”
“You know, I think she’s growing on me. If I had some insurance that she won’t run her mouth, I’d reconsider.”
Carter wasn’t going to be the one to give him any insurance. He just needed them to get the signatures and get the hell back home. “I don’t think she’s going to say anything. She isn’t worried about our pasts. She didn’t let Corey’s stop her from getting knocked up, and she was going to build a life with him.”
“Well, let’s go. I don’t want to be all fucking day.”
“I need a shower. I have to wash my junk and take a piss.”
“Hope it doesn’t burn, man. I hope you wrapped it up.” Bay left to go back to his room, and Carter jumped in the shower. As he washed, he thought about the trouble waiting for him back home. It would be so easy to say goodbye to it all, to take Ava and the baby and move away, find a place that was just as nice as Justin’s.
Carter’s house was a palace with everything that money could buy, and he hadn’t had to work for any of it. All he had to do was convince people the Lord loved them, and they would shower him with blessings. He had a gold toilet seat that someone had given him, and the floor in his shower was heated, so he didn’t have to stand on the cold marble. It was nothing like the cheap plastic-coated fiberglass at his feet.
Justi
n’s place was homey and comfortable, as well as a place the man could have been proud of. And that bitch was going to have it all to herself. Worse than that, she wasn’t even going to use it. He wondered if he could make it a part of his deal. It would be worth it if he ever wanted to get away.
Bay pounded on the door minutes later as he dried off and pulled on his shorts. “I’m almost ready.”
“You’re worse than a fucking woman.”
As Carter walked out of the bathroom, pulling on his shirt, Bay stood in the middle of the room holding his bags.
“Give me two seconds.” He rushed over to grab his charger and then threw his toothbrush in the bag. He had his shoes on in no time and combed his wet hair back instead of drying it.
Two minutes later, they were on their way, and the best thing about the smaller town was the lack of heavy traffic to slow them down. They made it to the cabin in fifteen minutes, and the last five were spent going down Justin’s long and winding road that still had Carter on edge.
When they pulled up at the house, Brandy was sitting on the porch with a glass of lemonade in her hand and staring at the trees.
Bay got out of the car and shut his door. “I take it you’re ready to get down to business.”
“Yeah, I think that’s for the best,” said Brandy. She turned to Carter and then back to Bay. “I’ve got that stuff you wanted.”
Carter didn’t understand what she was talking about, but it became increasingly obvious that she and Bay had talked about something.
“All of it, and I want to look around.”
“So demanding,” she said
Bay took a few steps closer to the porch. “You have no idea.”
“Let’s get this deal done.” Brandy’s tone sharpened.
“Sign these papers, and we’ll talk about the deal later. I know you’re anxious to have your property free and clear. Then you give me all the information I asked for, let me look around, and I’ll take care of your problem.
