“He’s a psychic,” I reminded her. “Not a priest. Not a counselor. Not a psychiatrist. Most people would consider him a con man. If he’s legit he’d go to the cops with this information. Besides, he must not think it’s important to keep things confidential. I mean think about it- he told you about the mobster and the drug dealer and the politicians.”
“But he never used any names, Wes. And you don’t know him so you have no right to criticize. Elvis is a professional and behaves like one.”
“Well Bob’s a professional too,” I reminded her. “The thing is-professionals in his field kill people for a living. Focus on staying alive, will you? If we want to keep breathing, we need to return those diamonds to Frankie-sooner rather than later. In fact, I think we should go see Elvis tonight. I don’t care what time it is.”
Destiny shook her head. “We’ll have to wait for morning. Elvis has-let me think-he called it noctiphobia.”
“As in nocturnal?” I asked. “You trying to tell me he’s afraid of the night?”
“I am. He locks up the house at six o’clock and doesn’t open the door until the sun comes up.”
“And this doesn’t strike you as being a little odd?”
She tilted her head back, looked up at the dark sky, and appeared lost in thought. She might be nuts, but she was also gorgeous, so I stood there watching her and waiting. After several moments of silence, she spoke. “I’m not afraid of the dark, but because Elvis is, it doesn’t make him crazy does it? And I think all of us fear germs a little.” She let out a sigh and looked in my direction, waiting for me to agree with her.
“Fearing germs or even the dark is not very unusual,” I admitted. “Obsessing over those things is an illness.”
“So what if he’s a little strange?” she said. “He’s got a real gift and he has never been wrong in any of the prophecies he’s made for me.”
I stared into her blue eyes. They reminded me of a cat I’d owned when I was a child. She wore the same look the cat possessed while playing with a catnip toy, wild and uncontrolled.
“Okay,” I said. I didn’t want to argue with her anymore, so I changed the subject. “Let’s find a place to stay. Any hotels or motels you can think of where they might have a vacancy?”
“At this time of the year? I kind of doubt it.”
“We’ve passed half a dozen small rooming houses with vacancy signs on them,” I pointed out.
“Those places aren’t like the big hotels. It’s four in the morning. It’s not like they have someone on duty twenty-four hours a day.” She stopped, reached into her purse and pulled out a cell phone. “I’ll call Tanya. Maybe we can crash at her place for the night.”
She hit a single button and waited. “Her phone is ringing now.”
All I could think of at the moment was how tired I was, and how surprised I was when I realized Destiny’s phone was still working. I would have thought after the way she’d been slamming her purse around all night, anything inside would have been reduced to rubble.
I looked up and down the street, then wandered away from Destiny and sat down on an open piece of curb. While I waited, I reached up and caressed my temples. Across the street the fronds of a small palm tree danced in the shadows and the early morning breeze carried the scent of the ocean inland. For the first time since leaving the bar I began to relax, and my headache had almost disappeared by the time Destiny got off the phone.
She walked over and stood next to me. “We’re all set. Tanya said come on over. She said we could use the spare room.”
“What did she say when you told her I was with you?”
She sat down next to me on the curb, stretched her long legs out into the street and took a deep breath. I watched her breasts rise and fall, and rubbed my fingers a little more furiously along the side of my head.
“Dammit. I forgot to tell her. I said we were in a jam and needed a place to crash for a couple of hours. I’m sure she thinks it’s me and Billy. It won’t make a big difference to Tanya. I’ll explain it all to her when we get to her house.”
Standing up I thought, this should be interesting. I stretched my back, and reached out my hand to Destiny. She took it, and while she scrambled to her feet I looked around and saw the headlights of a car turn onto the street a couple of blocks down. The car was creeping toward us and although it could have been a lost tourist, I was afraid Bob had found us.
Without a second thought I grabbed Destiny’s wrist and dragged her along while I dove behind a nearby van. When I thrust her up against the van she began to hit at me with flailing fists.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.
I put my lips close to her ear and said, “Shut up. There’s a car coming. It might be Bob.”
She stopped struggling and, when the car approached, I pressed her against the ground where we tried to hide in the shadow of the van.
The car moved down the street, stopping every few houses as if the driver was looking for an address, or perhaps us. When it stopped in front of our hiding place, I reached behind my back and pulled the gun from my shorts.
The driver sat there for what seemed like an eternity, and Destiny began to shiver, whether in fear or anticipation I wasn’t sure. When the car moved on I held Destiny down until the sound of the engine faded away.
This time when I helped Destiny to her feet she held on to my hand and moved in close to me. “Do you think it was him?”
“I suspect so.”
“He would have seen me if not for you,” she said.
“I suspect so,” I repeated. My knees felt weak and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the effect this woman exerted over me. I tried to move away, but she clung to my hand and edged even closer.
“I’m sorry I hurt you earlier.” Her voice was low, and there was a sensual ring to it when she added, “I realize now you only wanted to help. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
This woman was dangerous. She could turn her sex appeal on and off at will, and I was no longer surprised by the fact she’d been able to walk away from an aging gangster with a fortune in diamonds. Right now, I was ready to believe anything she told me. I took my hand back before she could figure out a way to walk off with it.
“You don’t need to do anything for me,” I said.
She held my eyes with hers and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up like an electric charge was passing over them. I was pretty sure she was used to having this effect on men.
She slipped her arm through mine and gave me a squeeze, this time sending a charge throughout my entire body.
“You are kind of cute, you know,” she said, massaging my arm. “I figured if you’re going to help keep Bob and Frankie from hurting me, I should do something for you.”
It took every ounce of internal fortitude I possessed, but I pulled free. “This is not a good idea,” I said. “We need to keep our relationship on a professional level.”
“Fine.” Her attitude chilled and she turned away from me. “But don’t say I didn’t offer.”
I touched her shoulder and she looked back at me. “Yes?”
“It’s also not a good idea to tell Tanya about the diamonds or Bob. No sense getting her involved.”
“Whatever.” She started walking away from me, “Come on, she lives a couple of blocks from here, on Olivia.”
“You sure she won’t mind?”
“Tanya’s a good friend, and this is what good friends do, isn’t it? Besides, she owes me big time.”
“Why’s that?”
“Ask her,” Destiny said, before picking up her pace.
Chapter 7
The temperature dropped fifteen degrees and it began to rain when we turned onto Olivia Street. “You’re a regular good luck charm, aren’t you,” Destiny said.
I hunched my shoulders against the sudden downpour. In the distance, tendrils of lightning lit up the sky over the Gulf of Mexico while a faltering burst of thunder echoed across the
island. I didn’t expect the rain to last very long; it rarely did at this time of the year, but knowing that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable.
Tanya’s house was off Duval and was separated from the street by a six-foot-high picket fence. Destiny stopped in front of the wooden gate, reached inside and drew out a key hanging on a string from the post. Her hands were shaking and she fumbled with the key, but somehow she managed to unlock the gate. Pushing it open with her shoulder, she stepped aside to let me in. While she relocked the gate, I looked around.
The porch light was on and it cast a glow over a hodge-podge of plants and flowers in the yard. A narrow stone path meandered through the tropical splendor. Even my untrained eyes recognized this was a well thought out garden. There was an indefinable symmetry to the landscaping, and I liked what I saw. The yard was wild and free and it told me more about Tanya than I had learned working for her over the previous months.
A wooden porch ran along the front of the house. Two wood chairs and a double swing sat in front of a multi-paned window. A paint-splattered tarp was spread out in the corner. I glanced at the freshly painted ceiling while Destiny ran up the stairs.
She followed my gaze. “The blue on the ceiling is supposed to keep the wasps from building their nests up there. Here on the island you can only paint the houses certain colors. Any changes or repairs have to be approved by some committee or something. I’ve been told dealing with them is a real pain-in-the-ass.”
“I’ve never heard the wasp thing,” I said.
“Personally I think it’s a bunch of crap, but who knows?” Destiny moved forward, shook herself, and knocked on the door before opening it. “Honey, I’m home,” she said in a little girlish voice.
Destiny entered the house, but I hesitated to follow. Standing out on Tanya’s porch I realized I was more than a little interested in her. Since we’d ended the evening with her pissed off at me, I wasn’t too keen on walking into her house with Destiny. The last thing I needed was for her to get the wrong idea about Destiny and me. Somehow, I knew she wasn’t going to be happy when I walked through the door.
“Cut the bullshit, Gail,” I heard Tanya say. “What the hell kind of trouble have you and Billy gotten into now? And don’t move another step until I get you a towel. You’re dripping all over the floor.”
Before Destiny could answer, I took the plunge and went inside. “I could use one myself.”
Tanya looked over, did a double take, and shot me an angry look. She wore little bunny slippers and a silky white robe. When she realized I was staring at her she adjusted the robe, tightening the belt around her waist.
“This is great,” she said in a tired voice.
“Sorry,” I said, even though I couldn’t think of a single reason why I should apologize.
“Sorry. What the hell for? There’s no law saying you can’t hook up with anyone you want.”
“This isn’t what it looks like,” I said.
“Right-let me guess. The two of you happened to be passing by and decided to stop in for a cup of coffee.”
“Oh stop being such a drama queen, Tanya.” Destiny took off her jacket. She tossed it, along with her purse, onto a wicker chair and walked over to the sofa.
“Don’t you dare sit down until you dry off,” Tanya said. She ran over to the chair and snatched up Destiny’s jacket and purse. “I’ll hang these in the kitchen. The two of you wait here until I get back with those towels.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Don’t thank me, but take your shoes off and don’t you dare take another step until I get back.” She started walking toward the back of the house and, when she passed Destiny, she added, “What the hell happened to Billy? I thought he was spending the night at your place.”
“That worm took off and left me in a bad predicament,” she said. “Wes here saved my ass.”
“And let me guess. Now he’s expecting to get a little of it?”
“Don’t be so crass,” Destiny said. “First of all, we’ll only be here a couple of hours. And if it makes you feel any better, I’ll sleep with you and he can sleep in Alvin’s room.”
Tanya didn’t reply. Instead, she kept walking until she reached the hallway where she turned right and disappeared. I heard her rummaging around and a moment later she walked back into the room carrying two blue towels. She threw one in Destiny’s direction and moved over to stand in front of me.
She held the towel out so I was forced to reach for it, and when I took hold she gave it a little tug before releasing it to me.
“What’s your problem?” Destiny asked. “Come on Tanya. It’ll be like old times. Like a slumber party or something.”
“Old times my ass. You should have told me you were bringing Wes with you instead of Billy.”
“I told you, Wes saved my life for Christ’s sake.”
“So that makes him like a little puppy dog or something? You have to bring him home with you and feed him?”
I was getting tired of playing the invisible man so I cleared my throat. When the women looked my way I said, “Maybe it would be better if I leave. I can come back for Destiny in the morning.”
“Shut up,” they said in unison.
“Look, it’s obvious my coming here was a mistake. All I wanted was to catch a couple hours sleep before we go see Elvis.”
“This is about a damn psychic?” Tanya cast a stormy look my way. “You’re crazier than Gail, you know that? What, do you think some psychic is going to tell you who killed your friend?”
“This isn’t about Nick. Destiny’s got herself in a jam and I’m trying to help her out.”
“Her name’s Gail,” Tanya said. “The least you can do is call her by her real name.”
“Thanks for caring Sweetie, but Wes can call me whatever he wants. I’m not ashamed of what I do.” To emphasize her point, Destiny pulled off her top, unclipped her bra, and began to towel her hair. “I’m gonna hit the little girl’s room and get some sleep,” she said, before heading off toward the back of the house. “Tanya, I’ll let you show Wes where Alvin’s room is.”
“You’re so thoughtful,” Tanya said, but the sarcasm was lost on Destiny, who continued walking out of the room.
Tanya spun around. “Did you like the show?” She folded her arms and glared, daring me to say anything. I could feel the heat building within her and I decided to play it safe.
My grandfather once told me that in a confrontational situation, the person who speaks first loses, so I stuck my hands in my pants pockets, tried to act nonchalant, and waited. It didn’t take long.
“I understand you have a job to do,” Tanya said. “I understand your friend is dead and you feel you owe your mother something. But I didn’t expect you to hook up with Gail. She’s not your type.”
“Well, in all fairness you don’t know what my type is. Maybe I’ve got a thing for big girls with big boobs.”
“They’re not real, you know.”
“Maybe it doesn’t matter to me,” I said. “Maybe I’m a shallow letch looking to get laid.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ve watched you at the bar. I’ve seen you shake off a dozen girls while you were working. At first I thought maybe you were gay.”
“I’m not.”
“I know. You shake off the guys who hit on you too. Ever so polite to both male and female.”
I shrugged. “Nothing wrong with being polite, is there?”
“No.” Her lips quivered and for a moment I thought she was going to smile. “Gail likes a challenge. I can see why she might be attracted to you. You’re a little taller than her. She hates short guys. And you’re the strong, silent type. You’re almost good looking in a Lyle Lovett sort of way.”
“I like to think of myself as a Brad Pitt kind of guy.”
“And I’d like to think I look like Jessica Alba, but I don’t. I’m still a little fuzzy on how the two of you got together though. I watched Gail leave with Billy.”
“We’re not together. Let’s just say Billy let her down and I happened on by and picked her up.”
“You’re not going to tell me what happened, are you?”
I shook my head. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes I do.”
“No you don’t. I’m not sure how, but I think this all ties in to Nick’s death. I’m not going to get you involved. Now, were you going to show me to the room, or should I leave?”
Her face softened and she turned. “Follow me.” Tanya led me through the living room, down the hall past a small kitchen, and stopped in front of an open door. “You sleep here. There’s only one bathroom. It’s the closed door off the kitchen. You’ll have to wait until Gail and I are through in there. Good night.”
The hall was narrow and I pushed back into the wall when she passed, very aware of the thin robe she wore. An apple scent rose from her hair, like the smell of an orchard on a spring day. On any other occasion I would have enjoyed standing there with her dressed for bed, but at the time it felt a little weird.
She paused at the end of the hall and looked back over her shoulder. “Are you trying to tell me there’s nothing going on between you and Gail?”
“Like you said, she’s not my type.” I nodded to her, turned, and walked into the bedroom.
The room was cold. The bed and the dresser and the chair in the corner were made of walnut. Dark and heavy and old, they had a masculine feel about them, as if a woman never lived there. The drapes were yellowed and the air smelled of stale tobacco and mildew.
I took a quick peek in the closet, saw it was still filled with Alvin’s clothes, and I thought it must be hard for a young woman to have to toss out all those physical memories of her father. My heart went out to Tanya.
There was a worn paperback copy of a Randy Wayne White novel laying half read, page down on the dresser, along with a pipe rack, a bottle of Old Spice, and a windup alarm clock. The clock had stopped running and not been rewound. It was a depressing reminder that the grim reaper was out there, watching and waiting.
I pulled Bob’s gun from under my shirt, set it on the dresser, and removed the cash from my pocket. Fanning the damp bills I slid them under the barrel so they could dry out. I was tired, and not very pleased with the way the day had played out.
Key Lime Blues Page 5
