Wipe Out: A fun and fast-paced private investigator cozy mystery/beach read (Maggie PI Mysteries Book 3)

by Rose Pressey

  So this guy wasn’t happy with Brett.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “By the way, do you know what Brett looks like?” Dorothy asked.

  I almost fainted. If we asked for him shouldn’t we know what he looked like? Dorothy had the right idea though. How would we find him at the track if we didn’t know what he looked like?

  “You don’t know what he looks like?” The man stared at us.

  “You’ll have to forgive her. She’s forgetful.”

  Dorothy glared at me.

  The man pointed. “His picture is right there.”

  Nailed to the wall in the barn was a group photo of the winner’s circle. Everyone stood by the horse.

  “He’s the one with dark hair.”

  I inched closer for a good look at the photo. As quickly as possible I tried to memorize that face.

  “Can I tell him who’s looking for him?” He eyed me up and down again.

  There was no way I was going to tell him the truth.

  “My name is Misty, and yeah, he owes me a gambling debt.” I tried to sound tough.

  Dorothy made a noise beside me. The guy looked even more confused now.

  I continued, “And tell him that he needs to pay up.”

  He looked me up and down. “Yeah, I’ll tell him.”

  Dorothy and I turned to walk away.

  “Don’t you think that you would know where to find the guy if he was a gambler and owed you a debt? It wasn’t a good story that you gave that man.”

  “Well, that’s neither here nor there,” I said.

  I didn’t bother to look back to see if the man was still watching because I assumed he was. I just wanted to get out of there before my cover was blown.

  Dorothy and I ran some errands before that afternoon heading back over to the racetrack. This time we parked a little bit on the opposite side of the parking lot so that we could enter into the actual track where the horses raced. The place was crowded, so I wasn’t sure exactly how we were going to hunt this man down. With such a large space and so many people there it seemed impossible to cover it all. How would we ever find him? Dorothy seemed a little bit in awe of all the action. She had her purse strapped around her neck so that no one could pickpocket her. We paid for our tickets and entered into the area.

  “I guess we should go find the place where people are hanging out the most,” I said. “I don’t know, what do you think, Dorothy?”

  I looked over and she wasn’t there. Panic set in. I looked around and she was nowhere in sight.

  “Dorothy,” I called out.

  Of course there was no way she could hear me over the loud talking from the surrounding people. I ran back toward the entrance, thinking that maybe I had lost her somewhere along the way, but I didn’t see her anywhere.

  Panic had officially set in now. I walked back over to the spot where I had lost her. Seconds later I noticed something at the betting windows. I raced over there.

  “What are you doing?” I asked. “You scared me to death.”

  She held up the paper with the race bet. “The race is about to start soon. I was looking at the race form and I realized I really needed to make a bet. I mean, look at this horse.” She tapped the race form. “Look at that name. I’m sure it’s going to win.”

  “Dorothy, this is gambling, and we’re not here to do that.”

  “But it’s a racetrack. Of course we have to do that. This is so much better than bingo,” she said.

  I tugged on her arm and pulled her away from the betting window, but not before she had grabbed the paper with her wager printed on it.

  “Come on, number six,” she said. “Lucky six.”

  I spotted Brett. It was practically a miracle that I was able to pick him out of the crowd.

  “There he is,” I said. “We have to catch up with him.”

  Dorothy and I raced across that way, weaving around people. He was walking at a brisk pace, so we were having a hard time keeping up. He had really long legs.

  It was really strange. As we walked along, it felt as if someone was watching me. I scanned the surroundings, but everyone was paying attention to their betting forms or talking with other people. No one seemed to notice that we were racing across the way. When I peeked over my shoulder I saw him. I was almost sure it was Brett. He was looking right at us and following along. Why would he follow us?

  “Don’t look now, Dorothy, but I think Brett is following us,” I said out of the side of my mouth. “Why would he follow us? He doesn’t know me.”

  Of course she looked over her shoulder. I didn’t blame her for looking. I blamed myself for telling her not to look. When would I ever learn?

  “Maybe he just likes you and wants to flirt,” she said.

  “Somehow that narrow beady-eyed look on his face makes me think otherwise,” I said. “We have to try to lose him.”

  “Good luck with that,” she said with a snort. “I thought you wanted to talk with him.”

  “I have to know why he’s following us first. What if he really is the killer? I have to be prepared mentally for what I will say and do.”

  “You should have thought of that before now.” Dorothy unwrapped a peppermint.

  I pulled Dorothy to the side and we were able to blend in with the crowd. I peeked out from behind a column and watched Brett rush on by. He walked through an archway that led out onto the sitting area where the races took place. I dashed around the other side, hoping to keep up with him.

  Luckily, he wasn’t following us now, but that didn’t explain why he’d done this in the first place. However, now I had another problem. Dorothy had vanished. She had gone missing again. Surely she wasn’t placing another bet. Hadn’t she learned a lesson? Plus, this race hadn’t even taken off yet. She should worry about one race at a time. I noticed her standing over by the rails. The horses broke from the gate and she was pumping her fist, encouraging her pick to run faster.

  I marched over to her. “What are you doing, Dorothy? This is work, not play.”

  “Oh, come on, Maggie, you can’t expect me to stop now.” She waved her betting ticket through the air.

  Chapter 10

  Sadly, I’d lost track of Brett and never found him again at the races. Now I had to make other plans. I knew that most of the time it was wise to look to relatives or friends first when someone had been murdered. Jake would be doing the same thing. I wondered if I could beat him to it.

  Bumping into relatives would be a delicate situation, since loved ones would still be dealing with the horrific news. Though they would probably be eager to help find the killer. Unless of course one of them happened to be the killer. I’d be able to tell a lot just by how they responded to my questions.

  I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. A visit to Henry’s place was all I had at the moment.

  Dorothy shoved her knitting needles into her bag. “Where are we going?”

  I stopped at the door. “I need you to stay here and answer calls.”

  “Again, there aren’t that many people calling.” She picked up the phone, and pressed a few buttons. “There. Now the calls will be forwarded.”

  “You call me for help with your TV remote, yet you can forward phone calls?”

  She looped her bag over her shoulder. “What can I say? I guess I’m tech-savvy now.”

  I knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Dorothy and I climbed into the car and headed over to the address for Henry. We pulled up in front of the house and got out. Before I even got a chance to knock on the door it opened and a woman almost bumped into me.

  “May I help you?” she asked.

  “My name is Maggie Thomas,” I said.

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, you’re Maggie. I’m Angela Archer.”

  Well, this was a good turn of events.

  “Nice to meet you.” I stuck out my hand to shake, but instead she embraced me in a hug.

  Next, she looked at Dorothy.

  �
��This is my assistant Dorothy.”

  Angela reached toward Dorothy, but Dorothy rushed toward her at the same time. They hugged. Dorothy hugged anyone who would allow it.

  “Any news?” Angela asked. “I was just here going through a few of my brother’s things.”

  I glanced over her shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of the inside of the house. “I’m working on a few leads. So he lived here alone?”

  “Skye had planned to move in with Henry. My brother owns a few rental houses. He was quite successful.”

  “How was Henry and Skye’s relationship right before she was murdered?”

  “You know, they fought often. I told him I was uneasy around her. There was just something about her that made me fearful… for him. Funny she was the one murdered first and next it happened to my brother.”

  “Again, I am so sorry,” I said.

  “Maggie, I need you to find my brother’s killer. Someone had been threatening him. Plus, he wanted to find Skye’s killer. We know he was innocent. That was why he wanted to speak with you. He had to find out who had killed her. Now we’re looking for his killer.”

  “How did your brother find me?”

  “I believe he knew your uncle. He found out that your uncle had passed. I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Luckily, you took over the business.”

  Angela might have more confidence in me than I deserved.

  “Do you know anyone who might have wanted your brother dead?” I asked.

  “He didn’t tell me much. I guess he didn’t want to scare me. I think he talked to our brother more. You should probably speak with him.”

  “Where can I find him?” I asked.

  “He works at a boating shop.” She looked at her watch. “He’s getting off work soon. This would be a good time to speak with him,” she said.

  “Are you sure he’d be willing to talk with me?” I asked.

  “Yes, of course. He’s really upset about our brother’s death and will do anything to find the killer.” She gave me the address of her brother’s work.

  “Thank you. I’ll contact you as soon as I find anything,” I said.

  After hurrying back to the car, Dorothy and I headed to the brother’s work right away. A short time later, we arrived at the boat shop. I found a parking spot and whipped the car in. As Dorothy and I walked across the lot toward the shop, I noticed a car driving slowly along the other lane. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but it felt oddly like someone in that car was watching us. I didn’t mention this to Dorothy because I didn’t want to startle her. I kept glancing over as we walked in case the car made any strange moves. I wanted to know if someone got out of that car.

  As we neared the shop, the car pulled out of the parking lot and drove off. I supposed I was just being paranoid.

  We reached the shop and I asked the man behind the counter if Mike Archer was working. He went to the back to get him. After a minute, a blond man came from the back room.

  He made eye contact with me. “May I help you?”

  “My name is Maggie Thomas.”

  His eyes widened. I saw the family resemblance with his sister. She’d had the same reaction.

  “I’m investigating your brother’s death. I spoke with your sister. She told me you might be able to give me more information. Do you know how your brother knew my uncle?” I asked.

  “I believe your uncle did a few cases for my brother’s friend. My brother said his friend spoke highly of your uncle.”

  I smiled. “That’s nice to know. I’m sorry about your brother and I’ll do everything I can do find the killer.”

  “I spoke with the detective earlier. What was his name? Oh yeah, Detective Jackson.”

  At the mention of Jake’s name my stomach danced.

  “I explained to him that my brother thought someone was after him.”

  “Why did your brother think this?” I asked.

  “For the past few days before his death a car had been following him everywhere.”

  A flash of the car I’d just seen in the parking lot popped into my mind.

  “Did he mention who may have been doing that?” I asked. “What did the car look like?”

  “The car was black, I believe. Henry had a few people who said he had cheated them out of money, but that simply wasn’t true. Skye was the one who was bad news. She was involved with shady people.”

  “Do you know who those people are?”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “No, I don’t have names. I wish that I did. I just feel sick about it. We talked every night. I asked Henry, but he never wanted to share this information with me. He said that I shouldn’t get involved.”

  In light of what had happened Henry probably had been looking out for his brother.

  “So do you think you can find the person who killed him?” Mike asked.

  “If anyone can do it Maggie is the person,” Dorothy said.

  The man eyed me up and down. “That’s good to hear. You’ll let me know if you find anything?”

  “Absolutely. If I have more questions I’ll give you a call.”

  Mike wrote down his number. Now I had to find out who had been following Henry. Of course, I assumed it was probably the same person who had killed him. I would track them down before they did this to anyone else.

  “Is there anything else you can think of?” I asked.

  He ran his hand through his hair. “No, just look into the girlfriend. I know she was doing something she shouldn’t. Just a gut feeling, I suppose.”

  “I’ll make sure to check her out. Thanks again.”

  Dorothy and I headed back outside toward the car. I didn’t want to alarm her, but I spotted that same car again. It was across the street parked along the curb. Maybe the person was just doing business nearby, but after Mike had told me his brother feared being followed, my mind was in overdrive.

  “You seem stressed. What’s wrong?” Dorothy asked.

  “Oh, nothing, just thinking about solving the case,” I said, trying to sound casual.

  “Why are you walking so fast?” Dorothy asked. “It’s like you think someone is after us.”

  “Of course not.” I laughed nervously.

  Dorothy eyed me suspiciously. Luckily, she didn’t press the issue. Dorothy and I got into the car and I locked the doors right away. Like that would stop someone from getting to us.

  “I swear you are acting strange,” she said as she buckled her seatbelt.

  “We just need to go find out more about Skye,” I said, starting the car.

  I was nervous that the car parked along the street was waiting for us. I didn’t know what I’d do if it starting following me. I supposed I could drive right to the police station. Lucky for us, the car remained along the street. I supposed it was just me being paranoid.

  Chapter 11

  My office door opened. Unfortunately, the person who entered wasn’t someone I wanted to see. Abby stepped into the office as if I had actually invited her in. Blonde hair so shiny in looked like silk fell to her shoulders and framed the delicate sculpture of her high cheek bones. With a powerful grace like that of a panther, she closed the distance between us within seconds. She filled the room with the scent of Gardenias. Which were now officially my least favorite flower. Less was more. Hadn’t she heard that? I might suggest a few less sprays of perfume.

  Without me asking her to have a seat, she ever so gracefully eased down onto the leather chair in front of my desk. I had recently been able to upgrade the chair for my customers. I was still sitting in the metal one that made my butt fall asleep. The furniture and everything that went into the private investigator business had been included when I inherited the place, as outdated as it was, including the old Rolodex and metal filing cabinets that my uncle had used up until he died. I’d urged my uncle to move forward and get with the times, but he’d said there was no point when what he was doing worked.

  “May I
help you?” I asked, staring straight at Abby.

  I had a feeling she was trying to intimidate me, but that wasn’t going to happen. Who did she think she was anyway? I didn’t care if she was Jake’s partner. I wasn’t going to let her scare me. She stared at me for a moment, as if that would make me shake in my flip-flops.

  “I just stopped by to ask you a few questions.” She folded her hands in her lap.

  Did these questions have something to do with the murderer or Jake?

  “I honestly have no idea why you’re here because I know nothing about the murder beyond my location after it was committed. You’re way off base if you came in here thinking that you’re going to solve the crime and I’m the guilty party. So perhaps you should tell me why you’re really here.”

  She glared at me and I knew that I had made her angry, but I didn’t care. She’d brought up the subject first, not me. Sure, that sounded like an argument between two six-year-olds, but at least I hadn’t said it out loud.

  Now she had made me angry. I felt Dorothy shift in her seat. Without even looking over there I knew she was upset too. She probably wanted to jump up and give this woman a piece of her mind. Perhaps I should let Dorothy do that. This woman would probably run screaming from the office and never return after getting a tongue-lashing from Dorothy. Dorothy might be petite and an older woman, but she was a little scary, to be honest. Dorothy could cut some looks that would make even the scariest person shake in their boots.

  I supposed now Abby realized that I wouldn’t give her answers. “So what you’re saying is you have no idea why Henry Archer had your name.”

  “No, what I said was he was coming to me to help him find who killed Skye Clark. That’s why he had my name. What part of that do you not understand?”

  I thought she wanted me to be the killer. Perhaps to get me out of the picture so she could have Jake all to herself.

  She got up from the chair and walked over to the door. I was relieved to see her go. I’d been so tense the whole time she was here that I’d almost forgotten to breathe. I released a deep breath. Though she wasn’t gone yet. Until she was out of here I wouldn’t be able to relax.