A Few Good Women (Lexi Graves Mysteries, 9)

by Camilla Chafer

  I grabbed the file and loaded it into my purse before heading down to the parking structure to retrieve my inconspicuous black VW. I knew Taylor's neighborhood. She lived in a district off Century Street, the main long road that transected Montgomery and took a hundred years to traverse at rush hour. Her address was a neat looking apartment block with big tubs of flowering plants by the front entry. It didn't look expensive but it didn't look cheap either. If I had to guess, I would say it was resident-owned, which was why they all took so much pride in its appearance. Sitting there, I was mulling over the questions I would ask, when a rap sounded on my passenger door. A moment later, before I could trigger the door locks, Maddox climbed in.

  "Don't you ever lock your doors?" he asked.

  "Usually. How did you know I was here?"

  "Magic," he said.

  "This is the second time you've jumped into my car recently. Given that I haven't seen you in weeks, I have to wonder if you're stalking me," I teased.

  "That would be telling tales. What are you doing here? Another case?"

  "I have to interview someone in that block."

  "You don't seem too happy about it."

  "It's a confusing case," I said, ignoring all the other mystifying cases I had already solved.

  "Tell me about it."

  I hesitated, then thought what the hell? Maddox was a great detective and I needed another good mind on this case. I wondered how he would react to some of the details. "My primary mission is catching someone who is breaking into my client's open houses and vacant rentals."

  "There's a secondary case?"

  "The other one involves Anthony Steadman."

  "Why does that name sound familiar?" Maddox paused, thinking.

  "You remember I used to be engaged, oh, a million years ago?"

  "To a disaster of a man who cheated on you and tried to ruin your life?"

  "That's him."

  "I knew I recognized his name. What has he got to do with this case?"

  "It looks like he’s part of it."

  "Lexi!"

  "I know! Not my choice either."

  "Your ex is in town?" Maddox sounded appalled; and given what I told him, it wasn't surprising.

  "Yes. No. Maybe."

  "Which is it?"

  "All of the above? I don't know. First he turned up out of the blue, saying someone was trying to kill him. Then he jumped to the top of my suspect list."

  "I don't know which question to ask first."

  "Wait until you hear about his wife and two girlfriends."

  "This is like a reality show."

  "Welcome to my life."

  "What does the wife say?"

  "She accused him of stealing two million dollars from her bank account."

  "And the girlfriends?"

  "Girlfriend number one pointed the finger at his wife. Girlfriend number two only just turned up today."

  "Amazing."

  "Is that all you have to say?"

  "No, I have a lot to say but at the same time, I'm speechless."

  "I don't know what to do."

  "Did you find the money yet?"

  "I haven't started looking," I admitted.

  "You should definitely find the money first. I'll bet Lucas can track it down in a couple of hours."

  "Except it was all in cash, not stolen electronically."

  Maddox raised his eyebrows. "Interesting. And not so easy to find."

  "You're telling me."

  "You know what else? That amount of cash isn't so easy to hide either."

  I pondered his point. "That's a very good aspect to consider. How would someone even move that amount of money?"

  "In a large suitcase. Definitely need some kind of vehicle."

  "Where would you hide it?"

  Maddox shrugged. "Depends on how paranoid I was."

  "Imagine you stole it and someone wanted to take it from you, maybe even kill you for it. Where would you hide it then?"

  "In a place the authorities would never equate with me; or a place so far from me that I could lay low until the heat faded before picking it up."

  "What about burying it?"

  "No! I wouldn't put it anywhere that someone else could stumble over it and snatch it. That would seriously ruin my payday. My guess would be a storage locker somewhere outside of town."

  "What about a hotel room?"

  "For a curious maid to discover? No way. Maybe in an empty building. Not a foreclosure, necessarily; that would be too risky. Someplace that I knew would be unoccupied for a while. An off season cabin by Lake Pierce would work."

  "Or a house where the owners go out of town for long periods," I mused. There were several places on the realtors’ books and they were all huge mansions. Could I realistically check out every single one from top to bottom?

  "Where have you been anyway?" I asked, changing the subject.

  "I told you. Paris."

  "I know that; but what were you doing there?"

  Maddox tapped his nose. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

  "Seriously?"

  "No, but the people I work with might."

  "That sounds ominous. What the hell were you doing?"

  "That's a story saved for another day."

  "I got your postcard. Thank you." I found it in my mailbox before Maddox disappeared on me and now it was tucked into my notepad. I was surprised and pleased that he thought of me.

  "You're welcome."

  "So are you home for good now? Or are you preparing for another secret adventure?"

  "That remains to be seen. The job was interesting and complicated, so maybe. It's been a long time since I had a case like that."

  "So it was a case? For the FBI?"

  "Ish."

  "You are so full of mystery."

  "That's me. International Man of Mystery. I have to get to a meeting now but let's catch up later in the week. I want to hear about this crazy case of yours." Maddox reached for the door handle and flashed me a killer smile that would have made most women weak in the knees.

  "You won't when you hear the details."

  He released the handle, sitting back. "Oh? What the hell was Solomon thinking by taking a case like that?" Maddox's voice filled the car and I winced at his disapproving tone.

  "He didn't. Anthony stumbled into the case and may have gotten himself killed. If I walked in a moment earlier, I could have seen everything..."

  "Whoa! Back up! You almost walked in on Anthony being murdered?"

  "I think so. Only we didn’t find any dead body, just so much blood everywhere so..."

  "You almost walked in on your ex being incredibly violently murdered? And you're okay with that?"

  "No! Not particularly, no. It was very traumatic, especially when Garrett took me in for questioning."

  "What? No, wait, don't answer. Here's another question. Steadman stole the money and disappeared?"

  "His wife thinks so."

  "What kind of case have you gotten sucked into this time?"

  "A very complicated, very messy, case."

  "You're not kidding. I almost don't want to get out of the car. I kind of want to shadow you just so you don't get hurt. Wait, is someone shadowing you? Has Solomon at least given you a bodyguard?"

  "No."

  "Some boyfriend," muttered Maddox.

  "Excuse me?"

  "If we were still together, I wouldn't let you out of my sight with all this intrigue going on. I'm worried about you. Do you have your gun?"

  "No."

  "Unbelievable! No bodyguard, no gun, and a crazy ex who might have been murdered."

  "That seems to cover it."

  "Can you promise me one thing before I get out of this car?"

  "Yes?" I asked, wondering what he had in mind.

  "The minute you get worried about anything, anything, call me. Even if it's just a squeaky floorboard. I'll drop everything, I promise."

  "You don't have to do that."

  "Someone
has to." Maddox leaned over and kissed my cheek in a display of affection that hadn't existed between us for a long time. "Remember, anything."

  "Anything," I repeated, not sure if I were agreeing with him, although his sincere concern touched me. I believed him too. Despite our sad breakup, we always remained friends. I was pretty sure there were times when Maddox hated me. Truth was, no one was to blame for the breakup. It was a terrible misunderstanding. By the time it was all cleared up, we'd already moved on. Or rather, I had; and Maddox was hurt by my move.

  I was also sure that Solomon wasn't thrilled with our friendship, and Maddox would have rather I dated just about anyone else besides Solomon. I'd never been too sure about their history but I did not fail to miss the irony when their roles seemed to reverse. Once upon a time, Solomon was the mystery man; now we shared a laundry basket. I once shared a lot of things with Maddox too, but now I barely knew what he was doing or where he went. I had to remind myself that Maddox's life ceased to be any of my business.

  "Anything," he said again after a long pause. "Take care, Lexi, and watch your back." He got out of the car before I could reassure him I'd be fine. He crossed the street before climbing into his SUV, and waved as he took off. I waited until he turned the corner before I got out and walked over to Taylor's apartment. I was hoping the interview would be simple and not as horrifying as finding Anthony's body stuffed inside her closet.

  Chapter Eleven

  "I wish I'd never met Tony Steed," said Taylor. "He's really not a dotcom billionaire?"

  "No, he never was," I said.

  Taylor shook her head but didn't whine. She believed me despite how much she didn't want to. "I really got taken in by him. He talked the talk, and had the car, the nice watch, the casual clothes that all the hipster, rich kids wear. He showed me a bunch of photos of all the properties he owned to give me ideas of what he was looking for. Was any of it real?"

  "I very much doubt it."

  "How can you know that so fast?"

  "Anthony Steadman — that's his real name — has been pulling off cons like that for years. You weren't the first woman he duped."

  "I feel so stupid."

  "Don't. He's very charming and gives you every reason to believe him. Can you tell me more about him?"

  "I don't think I can tell you anything. Everything was a lie."

  "Perhaps you can remember some details that might help me tie him to the break-ins."

  "Let's see. He was on the list for all the homes that were broken into and my boss compiled it. I suppose he could have easily accessed my keys." Taylor brushed a hand across her face, and left it resting on her jaw as worry lines furrowed her brow. "He doesn't seem like a criminal."

  "He's a con man. He can be whatever he needs to be."

  "We went on a date! He must have thought I was pathetic."

  "No, he thought you were an easy mark." I paused, knowing exactly how it felt to have my confidence broken by him. "He just got lucky that you're smart, pretty, and kind."

  "He wasn't my type but I was flattered. I hadn't gone out on a date in months and he was so persistent..."

  "Do you remember where he lived?" I interjected.

  "Yes, but I don't think he lived there full time. It was an apartment but he said he lived in New York."

  "Did he tell you why he was supposedly moving to Montgomery?"

  "He said he had family in the area and wanted to start his own one day. Said he wanted to raise his kids in a place like this. Fresh air, good schools, low crime."

  "So you showed him family homes? Mostly larger residences?"

  "Yes, the bigger, the better. Our most exclusive homes too, like Meadow View."

  "Was there anything in particular he asked you for?"

  "Um, let's see. He wanted a home that was a little remote, so nothing too close to town. He said he wanted clean air and great views. Um... he asked a lot about security but I thought that was because he didn’t want strange people getting onto the property. He looked at some of our lease homes too, saying, he might like to try living here before committing to a purchase since he was ready to move."

  "Was there anything particular inside the houses that he commented on? Or anything that you thought attracted him?"

  "He liked the open plans but preferred lots of rooms. He said something about privacy. The more bedrooms the house had, the better."

  I looked up from my notes, confused about that peculiar request. "Did he say why?"

  "No. I just assumed he wanted one for each future child, along with a couple of guest rooms. Why else?"

  "I don't know," I answered, feeling just as puzzled as she was. What did Anthony want with so many rooms? Surely a large, open plan space would be the best design for a big party. But how could he make money from a party? Did he charge a cover price for some kind of secret rave? I just couldn't see it. Raves were not Anthony's scene. He preferred a champagne lifestyle, not beer pong. And wouldn't the houses be trashed? Ravers didn't respect the fancy interiors. "But I'm pretty sure it's not for a family."

  "He just seemed so nice. Are you sure it's him? Maybe it was someone else?"

  How could I word it in a way that was absolutely unequivocal? "He's using a false name and has a rap sheet. He committed other crimes."

  Taylor's shoulders slumped. "Oh."

  "Taylor... did you like him?"

  "Yes, but like I said, not as in a partner. He was just funny and charming and he listened. I thought he was a great guy. How could he have used me?"

  "I doubt it had anything to do with you at all. Don't you dare blame yourself and if you do, remember, he's a con artist. That is what he does." When Taylor didn't say anything, I changed the topic slightly, steering her toward a more productive direction.

  "My boss says you can take me around the properties that were targeted. How do you feel about that?"

  "A little creeped out."

  "That's understandable."

  "But I think it'll be okay if both of us go. What's the worse that could happen?"

  The worst? How about finding Anthony's body? Actually, no, the worst thing would be finding someone dismembering his body and packing it into bin liners. However, I decided scaring her with those possibilities wasn't the best way to get her on my team. Instead, I said, "I doubt we'll find a thing. Maybe a clue or two if we’re lucky."

  Taylor brightened. "Maybe it'll be fun. Maybe we'll find out what he was doing with those houses. I can go tomorrow? I still have the master list."

  "The codes weren't changed yet?"

  "No. Your boss and my boss decided not to in order to catch whomever was breaking in. Is that still okay?"

  "Sure," I said, thinking Maddox's insistence on a bodyguard wasn’t a bad idea. What if someone were still in the houses when we searched them? If we were attacked, who could hear us scream? It was strange, but I hoped that maybe Olivia Steadman was right, and Anthony just faked his murder when the situation became too hot. It would be a lot less scary if he were on the run. "I'll pick you up at ten," I told her, resolving to do my job and stop worrying about all the things that would probably never happen.

  By the time I left, Taylor looked a little happier and a lot less guilt-ridden. I was relieved that she hadn't fallen for Anthony's charms entirely, and also that she hadn't been in the house when he was attacked, if that's what really happened! I just hoped she was as blameless as she appeared. The thought that there might have been an inside man at Booth Reality still niggled at me. The more I pondered it, the more I became convinced that the inside man, if he existed, was probably a woman. That would definitely be within Anthony's modus operandi: charm and then, coerce. If he were really lucky, let someone else catch the blame.

  My cell phone rang as I got into the car and I took the call, hoping it was good news. "Hi, Ruby."

  "Hey. So I'm tailing Jord just like you asked..."

  "Did you see him at the café?"

  "I saw him go in and that's it. I didn't see him sitting wit
h anyone."

  "Did anyone go in after him? Perhaps a red-headed woman?"

  "No, and I watched for ten minutes."

  "She might have already been inside. Can you see through the zoom lens?"

  "No, I tried. I think he sat at the back. What do I do now? Should I go in?"

  "No! If you go in, he might see you."

  "Okay, I'll sit outside and watch. I have snacks and no life."

  "You do have a life."

  "That's true. I have a date later. He's six-foot-one and ripped. Ten bucks says the photo I saw is fifteen years old, and he's five-foot-five and has three chins."

  "Online dating?" I queried.

  "Absolutely. At least his messages are funny. His roommate probably writes them."

  "Or he's six-one, ripped, and really funny."

  "Wouldn't that be the trifecta of awesome? Plan B is go to the movies. Alone. I'll call you back when Jord resurfaces. If he's with that woman and doing something scandalous, do you want me to hit them with my car?"

  "What do you consider scandalous?"

  "Breathing. I could reverse over them several times too if you like? No extra charge for the gas."

  "No!"

  "Okay then," said Ruby before she hung up, leaving me to wonder if she misheard my reply.

  I drummed my fingers against the wheel and took a moment to look around in case Maddox suddenly reappeared. When I was sure he wasn't about to jump into my car, I placed a call. I knew someone whom I could talk to about breaking into homes and he was on the right side of the law. A little extra snooping could be a bonus.

  "Hey, sis," said Jord.

  "Hey, you. If I wanted to break into a luxurious, empty house, what would be my motive?"

  "Tell me when I arrest you."

  I rolled my eyes. "I don't need arresting. I just need to know why anyone would do that."

  Jord paused long enough that I strained my ears to hear whom he was with. Instead of simpering laughter or flirtatious remarks, I heard nothing. Lily was so insistent that he was meeting the red-headed woman, yet Ruby hadn't spotted anyone. Perhaps she wasn't there yet. Or maybe she was just extra quiet while he answered the phone to a family member. "You know I'm in the burglary division?" he asked. "I'm a detective."