I shook my head. “Screwing drug dealers was a really bad idea.”
“Tomas warned Pavel that, no matter how little he took, they would find out.”
“The Byce family has millions. Why would Junior peddle drugs?”
“Greed is the usual motive,” Fab said. “When Pavel turned up dead, Tomas decided it was time to go back home to Louisiana and work in the family business.”
“I can see where ripping off drug dealers would get you dead. I remember a dealer came by the house once and told me he was going to kill Jax over three hundred dollars. I asked him, ‘You’re really going to kill someone over three hundred dollars?’ He said, ‘Pay up or he’s dead,’ gave me a friendly wave, and left.”
“Let me guess, you paid the bill.”
“I paid and threatened if I ever saw his face again, I’d call the police and report him as a dealer. In retrospect, the threat was probably a bad idea. That’s what happens when you lack drug dealer social skills.”
“What’d he say?”
“He laughed and told me I was ‘ballsy and stupid,’ but I never saw him again.”
“Tomas thinks the shooting was related to the drugs. He doesn’t know for sure, but he’s not taking any chances that he might be next,” Fab said.
“Why didn’t he pack up and leave immediately?”
“Pavel talked him into laughing it off. Pavel assured him no one saw them, but then he was murdered. Tomas didn’t want to draw any attention to himself. He’s afraid if they knew about Pavel, then they know he was with him.”
We sat in silence for a moment.
“Tomas wants to become a pastry chef,” Fab said. “I told him to go home and make his name in the family business. Blow the doors off one dessert at a time. Make a successful Cuban restaurant even more so.”
“Sounds like really good advice,” I said.
“I can rise to the occasion. Here’s another guy, never been in trouble, now he’s in over his head with drugs he didn’t even use.”
“You really surprise me sometimes, and in a good way.”
“So who shot Pavel?” Fab asked.
“Who knows? How long between the time they broke into the warehouse and Pavel turning up dead?”
“Two days.”
“What can we prove?” I asked. “All we have is Tomas’s theory, which makes more sense than stranger murder. They’re running an import-export drug business off those docks, and Zach’s man turned up nothing? He should be fired, or Zach’s full of it.”
“My guess is the latter.”
“I wonder what else he didn’t bother to tell me. He knew how important this was to me personally, and he lied to my face. That’s just great.”
“Don’t look at me for an answer. Here’s a better question. You think Zach’s a bastard now, what happens when he finds out about your shoulder? How are you going to lay low long enough for it to heal?”
“I’m not hiding from anyone. Here’s our story, and we’re both sticking to it.”
Fab rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother.”
“Look, friend of no faith in my stories, we stay unified and stick to the plan. No one, and I mean no one, is going to find out we were snooping on the docks in the middle of the night.”
“Let’s hear your story,” Fab said.
“You and I went to lunch and shoe shopping at Aventura Mall. I started down the steps, a little kid bumped into me, I lost my balance, fell, and landed on my shoulder.”
“You’re blaming it on a kid?”
I shook my head. “Oh, don’t even try to look shocked. If you knew anything about kids, you’d know it’s the perfect story.”
“I know about…”
I tried not to laugh. I could see she was trying to figure what she did know about kids. “It’s not like I fingered a particular kid, and said, ‘Hey, it was that one.’ The story works because little kids never watch where they’re going. What part of the story isn’t believable?”
“Actually, I think it’s good,” Fab conceded.
“Does Zach know about Dr. A?”
“No, and I don’t want him finding out.”
“Good, we’ll keep him as our own secret. Having a doctor, lawyer, and CPA on speed dial is a good thing.”
“I have a surprise for you. I forgot to tell you last night.”
“A good one?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t put it in the good category, but you’re going to want to hear it anyway. I got you a visitation appointment for tomorrow with Jax at the jail.”
“How’d you do that? I called this morning, and the soonest I could get an appointment was next week.”
“Connections, girlfriend. My manicurist’s brother works the counter at the visitor center. I gave her a sad story about how you lovebirds were trying to work out your relationship, and you were going crazy not being able to talk to him.”
“Once again, I’m impressed.” I smiled.
“How’s the whole Jax drama going to work out for you?”
I shrugged. “I get what I want, and he gets my help.”
“What about his lawyer? You remember Tucker Davis, don’t you?”
“I’m going to end run around Tucker and hope he doesn’t find out until I want him to,” I said with confidence, though the idea filled me with dread.
CHAPTER 30
I threw my arm sling onto the passenger seat of my SUV before walking into the Miami jail visitor center. I produced my identification for the guard at the desk. After checking in, he directed me to one of the cubicles. All of the television screens were turned on, and I could see the inside of Jax’s jail pod. A couple of impatient-looking tattooed inmates sat on each side of where Jax would sit. They looked on edge waiting for their visitors to show.
Jax was probably eager for the visit; this place was dreary. Who else would come? Apple couldn’t stay sober long enough to make it past the guard desk, and if she made the mistake of showing up drunk, they’d arrest her. Robert had an old outstanding warrant from Virginia; the beauty of a warrant is that it seldom goes away. Besides, he would never put himself out for someone else unless there was something in it for him.
When Jax and I were married, the sheriff had shown up early one morning. Robert was sleeping on the couch in our living room. I got up to answer the door, and Robert had disappeared. The sheriff was collecting money for a children’s charity. I laughed when I found Robert hiding in the pantry closet. He told me about the warrant for unpaid child support for two more children he neglected. He had fathered five children and still hadn’t been neutered.
Jax walked into his side of the visitor cubicle, looking as if he hadn’t slept since his incarceration. With his pale face and bloodshot eyes, he looked sick. His orange jumpsuit was an unflattering color on him, but commenting on that would start a fight. We both picked up our germ-ridden red phones. The visit was a maximum forty minutes from the time the visitor picked up their phone. The screen would eventually flash the two-minute warning, and once we reached the allotted time, the screen would go black.
“I’m so glad you came to visit,” he said, resting his head on his hand. “I hate it here.”
“Are you sick?”
His face was damp with beads of sweat. “I’ve been barfing all night. They gave us hotdogs last night, and half of us started puking. I think mine is combo food poisoning and nerves.”
“I stopped by the cashier across the street and put money in your commissary account.” Twice a week, inmates could place orders for miscellaneous clothing, toiletries, and junk food.
“I love you,” he said.
“A part of me loves you, too, but it’s not enough. Is it?” I felt sad.
“You were the best thing that ever happened to me.” His eyes filled with tears. “When I get out of here, think about giving me another chance.”
“You get your life together, and then give me a call.” I figured that was a safe answer.
“Get me out of here.”
His tears made me uncomfortable, but that place would make any person an emotional wreck. “What the heck happened? Why did they hike your bail?”
“They deemed me a flight risk, that fucking violation of probation in South Carolina. Then, when Harder found out the case was settled, he lost his excuse to keep me locked up and boosted the bail. That Harder dick keeps threatening me with more charges. He really dislikes you.”
“That’s not a newsflash.”
“Watch yourself. If he could put you in here with me, that would make his year.”
Talk of Harder made me nauseous. “What’s Tucker doing about a bail reduction?”
“I’m pretty sure that bastard wants me to stay in here. That way he knows where I am, and I can’t skip town.”
“If I get you out of here, what assurances do I have that you won’t be skipping anywhere?” The word skip filled me with anxiety; I’d have a whole new plate of problems.
“If I run now, they’ll file murder charges against me for sure, charges I wouldn’t be able to beat. I didn’t murder Pavel, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in prison. Or worse, be introduced to Sparky.”
“You could choose lethal injection,” I said. “After a few incidents of people’s hair catching fire instead of electrocuting them to death Sparky turned into a public relations nightmare for the state.”
Jax hit the wall with his fist. “Is that supposed to be reassuring?”
“Calm down, you jerk. All you succeeded in doing with that display was to hurt your hand.”
He cupped his hand over the phone. “Get me out of here.”
“I’ll get you out. But listen up. If you so much as get in spitting distance of the county line, there won’t be anywhere you can hide, and you’ll go back to jail and rot there for all I care. I’ve made a few interesting friends since moving here, and I’ll sic them on you.”
“There’s one more thing that you’re not going to like.”
“What now?” I demanded.
“In exchange for Tucker representing me for free, he demanded that I sign the papers for the lawsuit. He’s filing it today.”
“I wonder why that took so long. I’ve had legal advice, so I’m not as worried as before. Whether you like it or not, this will be the one time that you’re going to keep your word. You know the old ‘wash my hand and I’ll wash yours’?”
“You mean ‘wash my back.’” He smiled.
“I’m having a dismissal of the lawsuit drawn up by my lawyer for you to sign. Just to be clear, it will include a clause that says there’s no chance you can re-file.”
“I can’t do that,” he said.
“Why not?”
“The only reason Tucker is representing me for free is because he wants your house. When he finds out I signed a dismissal, he’ll drop me, and I’ll be stuck with the public defender. Unless you can get Cruz Campion to represent me. I hear he’s better than Tucker.”
“Cruz won’t represent you for free, and I’m not paying that bill. Here’s the deal. You sign the dismissal, and I won’t file it until your BUI is resolved in court. That way, you get to keep your free lawyer. He’s a sleazy bastard, but a good lawyer.”
“Do I get out today?”
“More like tomorrow, if you hold up your end. My lawyer will come over with a notary to get the dismissal signed. And I need to make arrangements to post the bond.”
He smiled. “Thank you. I really mean it.”
“Why did you join ranks with Tucker to begin with?”
“Samuels was a front man for Tucker. He doesn’t want you knowing about this side deal, or all bets are off. If it makes a difference, I was never going to let this case go to court, and I still won’t. In the interest of disclosure, Tucker offered me money to make sure I kept quiet. I’m giving you half of it for the pawn fiasco.”
I needed to stay calm. Trying to con a couple of unscrupulous lawyers was making me sick. “Well, I should leave.”
“Don’t leave until the end of the visit.” He reached out and touched the screen.
“We know how the food is,” I said, hoping to make him smile. “What goes on here?”
“It’s noisy. Nobody shuts up all night long. Maybe if I could get some sleep, I’d feel better.”
“How’d you hook up with Tucker?” I asked.
“He found me right after the boat accident and offered to make all my problems go away.”
That was more honesty than I’d expected from him. “Why does he want my house?”
“He said you stole it from him, that it was all meant to be his. He talked about your Aunt Elizabeth. I think he had it bad for her and she wasn’t interested. It all went sour between them over a business deal.”
“So Tucker was scorned.” He couldn’t get back at Elizabeth, death cheated him, so he wanted to get his revenge through me. “Did it bother you at all you were screwing me?”
“I was so desperate to get out of trouble, and I thought I had it handled. I didn’t really think it through.”
Of course he didn’t. I would be happy when all the papers had his signature on them. “What do you do all day?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged. “I lay on my bunk. We got television privileges taken away because one of the numbnuts got caught smoking in the bathroom.”
“I thought they did away with smoking in jails.”
“They did. One of the guys was out on work detail, and a friend of his from the outside smuggled him cigarettes. When you get back to the jail, they make you strip and then give you a clean uniform, so he shoved them up his ass. After he cleared check-in, he and his high-IQ friends went into the bathroom and lit up. The smoke set off the alarm.”
“I’ve got to ask, does the whole pack fit up there?” The image made my butt muscles clench.
He laughed. “You wrap the cigs in a piece of plastic and then insert.”
“How desperate do you have to be to do that?”
“That would’ve cured me of my habit a lot sooner.” He shook his head.
“Staring at the ceiling must be a bore.”
“They have a book cart, and I found a couple of spy novels to read. Not many of the guys here read.”
The screen flashed the two-minute warning. “You hold up your end of the bargain, and I’ll get you out of here.”
“I’ll sign, and I won’t leave town.” He put his palm on the screen.
“In that case, I’ll be here when you’re released.” I pressed my palm to the glass. “You know our usual spot in the waiting room.”
“Somehow, I’ll make this up to you,” he said, and the screen went black.
I’d already planned my escape. I cut down the side aisle, so I wouldn’t get caught in the crush of people racing for the exit. “I made it out,” I mumbled as I walked away from the building. I was happy to suck in the fresh air and have the sunshine on my face, not to mention the freedom to go where I wanted.
CHAPTER 31
“I’m calling to check in on you,” Mother said. “What are you doing?”
“Sitting out by the pool, making out a to-do list.” She didn’t need to know the list was what Fab and I knew about Pavel, and the questions we still had. My notepad was filling up fast.
“I wanted you to know, Brad called. He came back with a full catch, unloaded, then got the boat cleaned and stocked and went right back out.”
“That was fast. I haven’t talked to him since he dragged Jax out of my house,” I said. “Is he still mad?”
“No, he’s not. He made a point of saying so. He’s working hard, running back-to-back trips. He plans to take off a couple of months at the end of fishing season.”
“I guess he forgot my phone number.”
“Don’t be like that. He wanted me to tell you that we talked and he said hello.”
“What’s up with him and Jax? According to Mac, Jax doesn’t hang around The Cottages very much.”
“Jax has been working with Moron on someone else’s boat since
ours was towed. I’m wondering if we’ll be sued,” Mother said.
“For what? I didn’t murder Pavel. I want this case solved so our family isn’t forever linked with murder.”
“I would like it to be over. A little normal would be nice,” Mother said. “I asked Jax what his plans were when the court case was over. He told me he’s going back to South Carolina.”
“When was that conversation?”
“Jax and I talked when I stopped by Moron’s to see the progress on the boat for myself. I ran into Zach at the Bakery Café and he thinks you took his advice and stopped snooping around asking questions. I think he has a lot to learn.” Mother laughed. “You’re in big trouble if you get hurt.”
“Don’t worry so much.” I couldn’t think of anything else that wouldn’t start a fight.
“Spoon and I have decided that we’re better off just being friends. So when my friend Jean asked if I wanted to take a road trip to go gambling in Seminole, I said yes.” Jean Stewart was one of her blue-haired friends who lived down the street from her in Coral Gables.
I was so relieved, I struggled to be sensitive. “Are you okay?”
“I need the diversion. It’ll be fun. We’ll gamble, shop, and overeat.”
“Play a twenty for me at the blackjack table. When are you coming back?”
“A few days. I’ll have my phone with me. I hope because we don’t see eye to eye on this Jax situation, you won’t use that as an excuse to hide things from me.”
“I’m getting pretty good at keeping you up to date,” I said.
“I’ll call you when I get back.”
Madison Westin 02-Deception in Paradise Page 18
