2 Last Diner Standing

by Terri L. Austin

  Roxy leaned forward. “We don’t want you to get arrested. Again.”

  As we drove downtown, I tried to fit all the pieces into the puzzle. Crystal, Marcus, Clay, Stuart. These were my key players. I didn’t think Vi or Brenda had anything to do with bashing Asshat. I still wanted to eliminate Brenda’s husband as a suspect, and they all had motive, but I was convinced it had to do with the missing money. And Sullivan.

  As we sat in early rush hour traffic, my phone rang. “Hello.”

  “Is this Jane?” asked a female voice I didn’t recognize. One that sounded like it had smoked a pack a day since the first grade.

  “Yes, who’s this?”

  “This is Diane Myer. Tracy gave me your number, said you were interested in information on Crystal Waters.”

  After a second, I put it together. Diane was the stripper with the kid, the one who lost a fiancé to Crystal. “Hey, Diane. I was wondering if I could meet up with you, buy you a cup of coffee?”

  “Sure, I work tonight, but maybe we could meet around one tomorrow? How about McDonald’s so my kid can play while we talk?”

  I hung up and looked at Janelle. “Another woman whose man fell victim to Crystal’s open door vagina policy. I have to meet her at one o’clock tomorrow.”

  Roxy popped her head between us. “How you going to do that? I can’t serve lunch by myself.”

  I batted my eyelashes at Janelle. “Pretty please?”

  “Shit, I don’t know how to wait tables.”

  Roxy laughed. “If Rose can do it, anybody can.”

  I slapped the top of her head before she slid back in her seat. “I shouldn’t be gone that long.”

  “I’ll try. It’s the least I can do,” Janelle said.

  We exited the freeway and drove through the downtown business district toward LD’s garage. Buildings with colorfully graffitied initials and cars that could double as tanks lined the streets. Groups of kids in their teens, some in coats, some wearing nothing but baggy jeans and hoodies, huddled together on street corners. Then out of nowhere, suddenly Janelle stomped on the brake, causing me to slam forward and my seatbelt to seize up.

  “What the hell?” Roxy asked.

  Janelle poked her driver’s side window with a yellow fingernail. “That bitch. See that hot pink Camaro?”

  I looked where Janelle pointed half way up a side street. “It’s hard to miss. Looks like Barbie’s dream car.”

  “That’s Chicken Licker’s car.” She wrenched the wheel to the right and rolled slowly toward the Camaro.

  The car sat in front of a three-story brick building. The windows had been busted out and boarded up, the front door chained with a padlock.

  “What’s she doing down here?” I asked.

  “Think she’s squatting somewhere?” Roxy asked, peering up at the abandoned building.

  Throwing her car into park, Janelle yanked her keys from the ignition. She got out and slammed the door behind her.

  Roxy and I jumped out, too.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” I said.

  Janelle slowly circled the car. When she got to the driver’s side, she leaned down and peered through the window, angling her head to get a good look at the interior.

  “Anything in the car?” Roxy asked.

  “Empty Red Bull cans and cigarette cartons,” Janelle said. Then she held up her key and gouged it into the door.

  “Janelle, stop. This is a bad idea,” I said.

  “I know she hit Asshat. And now I’m taking the fall.”

  I glanced around but saw no signs of life. At least there were no witnesses. The afternoon light waned and a blast of freezing wind whipped up trash and debris, and left me chilled to the bone.

  Janelle continued her trip around the car, leaving deep grooves in the hot pink paint. The sound of metal scraping against metal made my teeth hurt.

  Why would Crystal leave her Camaro in the middle of this abandoned neighborhood? It was obviously her baby. She even had pink rims to match the car. Something was wrong.

  Roxy pulled a screwdriver out of her bag. “Let’s see what’s in the trunk. Maybe she’s got the money stashed in here.” She stuck the end of the screwdriver into the trunk lock and wiggled it around until the lid popped open. “Fuck,” she whispered.

  A sense of dread washed over me. I slowly walked toward her and glanced into the trunk.

  Crystal Waters, aka Chicken Licker, was dead.

  Chapter 17

  The trunk light cast a gray pallor onto Crystal’s artificially tanned skin. Her long dark hair, matted with blood, fanned out behind her.

  I felt sick and lightheaded. I heard Janelle and Roxy talking, but I couldn’t stop staring at Crystal. Their voices seemed far away as if I were underwater. I swayed a bit. I’d seen this before. My psycho stalker. His head was bashed in like that. I’d been the one to do it.

  Janelle reached out her gloved hand and shut the trunk lid. “We got to get out of here.”

  I still didn’t move. Poor Crystal.

  “Rose, let’s go,” Roxy tugged on my sleeve, but I stood like a wobbly statue. My knees trembled, yet I didn’t move from my spot on the pavement.

  Janelle grabbed my other arm and they dragged me to the car. None of us said anything on the ride home. I felt shocky, nauseous.

  Finally, as we neared Janelle’s street, Roxy broke the silence. “What now?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “We didn’t see anything. Nothin’,” Janelle said. “Like it never happened.”

  “You going to tell Sullivan?” Roxy asked me. She leaned forward and said to Janelle, “He’s hiding in Axton’s basement.”

  Something snapped inside me. “What the hell part of discreet don’t you get?” I lashed out, not recognizing my own voice. I pressed my fingers over my eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry, Roxy. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  But it wasn’t. This was my issue, not hers. She shouldn’t have told Janelle, but I didn’t have to snap like a bitch because of it. I was still dealing with the fallout from what had happened over six weeks ago, and seeing Crystal’s lifeless body dredged it all up again. The blood. So much blood.

  Janelle shot me a glance. “What’s Sullivan doing hiding out with Ax?”

  “Someone hired a hit on Sullivan. For his safety, no one can know where he is,” I said.

  “Hey, that man got my ass out of jail. My lips are sealed. You got that?” She stared at Roxy in the rearview mirror.

  “Got it. Jeez, I knew Janelle would be a locked box. It’s not like I’m going to go around shouting it from the rooftops.”

  I tried to think, but all I could see was Crystal’s unblinking eyes. Dead eyes.

  When Janelle pulled into her driveway, she sat in the dark, gripping the steering wheel. None of us made a move to get out of the car.

  After a minute, she glanced at me. “I can’t go to prison. They’re going to try and nail Chicken Licker’s death on me, too. I need to take my kids and get out of here. Go to Mexico or something.”

  I shoved down the churning mass of guilt and pain and shock I felt, to concentrate on Janelle and her more immediate problems. “I’m doing everything I can to find out who did this. I talked to Dane today. I’m going to give him a list of suspects. If you run now, you’ll look guilty. Please don’t do anything rash.” I pictured an armed manhunt, hovering helicopters, Janelle’s mug shot plastered all over the news.

  Tears filled her eyes and she nodded. “I’ll hold on for now. But I’m not making any promises.”

  I shifted in my seat. “I’ll go talk to that dancer tomorrow afternoon, then after I get off work, I’ll look for Marcus. The last time you guys saw Crystal alive, she was with him.”

  “I can’t believe Marcus wou
ld do something like that,” Janelle said.

  “He might if he thought he could keep all the money for himself,” Roxy said.

  I patted Janelle’s hand. “Come to the diner at twelve tomorrow and I’ll walk you through the lunch service. You’ll be fine.”

  Roxy and I climbed out of Janelle’s Cruiser and into Ax’s Honda.

  “I agree with Janelle,” she said. “Her kids need her. If she has to flee to Mexico, I say we help her.”

  Frowning, I shook my head. “What if she gets caught? She’s not a criminal mastermind.”

  “Sullivan is. He could help.” I backed out of the drive and sped off toward Apple Tree Boulevard.

  “No, Sullivan has his own problems. The hit, remember?”

  I pulled into Walmart and together we shopped for what one man, one giant, one stoner, and one Axton might like to eat. Basically a lot of red meat and munchies.

  I was on autopilot as I grabbed blankets, pillows, sheets, towels and toiletries. Flashes of Crystal shot through my brain. I could tell Roxy was freaked out, too. She remained silent as we moved through the aisles. Christmas merchandise, Santa figurines, and bright shiny decorations seemed inappropriate after what we’d just seen.

  When Roxy and I got to Axton’s house, we found him in the middle of a video game. Stoner Joe sat zoned out next to him on the corduroy couch, staring at the wall, his eyes glassy.

  Roxy sat down next to Ax and I walked with the groceries into the kitchen. I was shocked to see Henry standing over the stove, wearing an apron that looked like a Star Trek Next Generation uniform. After flipping four grilled cheese sandwiches, he glanced up.

  I set the bags on the kitchen table. “Where is he?”

  “Downstairs. He’s taking care of business so he may not want to be disturbed.”

  I walked closer and leaned against the counter next to him. “Who do you think turned on Sullivan? Had to be one of your fellow employees.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Could be one of the bartenders or wait staff. One of the card dealers or croupiers.”

  “Basically anyone in the organization, then?” That didn’t narrow anything down. “What’s your gut say?”

  “Don’t know. But when I find out, that person will no longer be a problem.” His gaze once more settled on his grilled cheese sandwiches. Henry was a very scary guy.

  “Why doesn’t he get out of town until he figures it out?” I’d been in such a panic the other night, I hadn’t thought about the ramifications of bringing Sullivan to Axton’s house. I hoped I hadn’t put Axton and Stoner Joe in the line of fire.

  “He doesn’t cut and run. We’ll find out who’s behind this. And we’ll take care of it.”

  Note to self: Never get on Henry’s bad side.

  Digging into the grocery sack, I pulled out a bag of Funions and returned to the living room. “Heads up, Joe.” I threw the bag at him, but it bounced off his tuque and landed on the floor. He made no move to retrieve it. Those brownies must have packed quite a punch.

  I headed down the stairs where Sullivan paced back and forth from one end of the shuffleboard court to the other, his cell attached to his ear. “Close it down. No games until you hear from me. I don’t give a fuck. Close it down.” He hit the end button and glared at me. “Did you get everything?”

  I dug into my jeans pocket and pulled out the receipt and his one hundred dollar bill I didn’t use.

  He waved his hand, distracted. “Keep it.”

  Sounded fair, so I stuck it back in my pocket. “I have some bad news.”

  He sighed. “Is there any other kind?”

  “Crystal Waters is dead.”

  Silence. “How do you know this?”

  I swallowed and placed a shaky hand to my forehead. “Her body was stuffed into the trunk of her car outside an abandoned building downtown.”

  “How do you know this, Rose? Was it on the news?”

  “No, Roxy popped the trunk and we found her.”

  “How did she die?” he asked, softly.

  I hugged myself, rubbed my arm with one hand. “Bashed on the head.” I felt cold and clammy at the same time. “Her hair was covered in blood.” The red and white numbers on the floor became a little blurry.

  “Are you okay?” He stepped closer and ran his hand down the length of my back.

  I spun and swatted at his arm. “What kind of lame ass question is that? Of course I’m not okay. I saw a woman who’d been beaten to death. Why would I be okay about that?”

  He stared at me, his gold eyes intense and focused.

  “Would you be okay?” I asked. “Would it even bother you?”

  He didn’t respond. Not even a twitch.

  “I’m not like you, Sullivan. I’m not a fucking robot. I can’t see something like that and not…” Tears filled my eyes. I cleared my throat. “It’s not okay for her to be dead.”

  His gaze never wavered.

  Flushing under his scrutiny, I lowered my eyes, unable to meet his gaze. A sob escaped me. Then another.

  He pulled me to him and cradled me in his arms.

  I hadn’t cried in over six weeks. Not one tear. Now it felt like I would never stop.

  Sullivan stroked my hair, slid his hand up and down my back in a soothing rhythm. He was silent and comforting.

  Eventually, I got myself under control and pushed out of his arms. With the back of my hands, I wiped my face.

  “You have to come to terms with this, Rose.”

  I walked to the hanging orange lamp and brushed my finger over the glass globe. It was hot to the touch. “How do you come to terms with killing someone? Do you just wake up one day and it’s over? You never think about it again?”

  “You’re alive. He’s dead. And there’s nothing you can do to change it.”

  I faced him. “I decided my life was more valuable than his. Why do I get to make that decision? I’m not God.”

  “He got what he deserved.”

  “And what about Crystal? She was a horrible person. Did she get what she deserved?”

  “No.”

  “So where do you draw the line, Sullivan? Who gets to live and who has to die? Is it that easy for you?”

  His eyes became shuttered. “It should never be easy. If it is, you’re in trouble. But stop feeling guilty you saved yourself. You did what you had to do. Now get the fuck over it.”

  I scrubbed a hand over my cheek. He was right. My psycho stalker would have killed me and I fought to live. But hearing Sullivan’s version of tough love wasn’t pleasant. “You are such an asshole,” I whispered.

  We didn’t talk for several minutes. Then, with his back to the wall, Sullivan slid to the floor, balancing his arms on his upraised knees.

  I walked over and crouched down next to him.

  “Have you talked to LD?” he asked.

  “No. We were sidetracked by finding Crystal.”

  “I assume you didn’t bother the police with what you found.”

  “No. That’s the last thing Janelle needs. Speaking of the police, they want to question you about the fire. Your absence has been noticed.”

  “Where did you hear this?” he asked.

  “Dane stopped by the diner to let me know.”

  “I’m sure he did.” He glanced over at me. “I’ll bet he couldn’t wait to tell you. He still wants you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not discussing this with you.”

  “Do you know LD’s address?”

  I raised my brows and nodded.

  “Then let’s go talk to him.”

  “Are you insane?” I asked.

  He gave a tired chuckle. “Maybe. Why?” The stress lines near his gold eyes fanned out like rays.

  “You can’t
go wandering around. You have a hit out on you. You’ve suspended all your business, someone is double crossing you, and now the police want you, too. You have to stay here. Besides, I don’t want you leading anyone back to Axton.”

  He shook his head. “I need to find out who betrayed me. Asshat had the money and LD’s his brother. It’s worth following up. And I’ll be careful with Axton. You have my word.”

  I stopped glaring at him and stared at the dizzying green and white wallpaper. “Okay.” I understood his position. If someone was gunning for me, I wouldn’t want to hide in a rumpus room straight out of The Brady Bunch. I’d want to find the bad guy and put an end to it.

  Standing, I held out my hand. He grabbed onto it and pulled himself up. There was a little spark where we touched.

  He looked into my eyes a moment and jerked me into him, until my breasts brushed his chest. “If you hadn’t killed him, I would have. And I’d have made him suffer.”

  Chapter 18

  The temperature had dropped down to the thirties. My nose, ungloved fingers, and toes were freezing, despite the fact I’d maxed up the heater. I pulled the car into LD’s apartment parking lot and was about to shut off the ignition when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. “Look.” I pointed to the front row of cars next to the building. Through the yellow glow of the parking lights, we watched Marcus walk inside. “Now we can question them at the same time.”

  Sullivan grabbed my arm. “Hang on. Let’s wait a few minutes.”

  “Why?”

  “I’d like to see if they go somewhere. And what are you going to ask them anyway, ‘Which one of you killed Crystal?’ Just give it a few minutes.”

  “What if they sit up in that apartment and watch TV all night?”

  “Then we go up in an hour.”

  I shoved the key back in the ignition and let the car idle. “One hour.”

  “You need to learn the art of patience.” He settled into the seat and leaned his head back. With his hands resting on his thighs, his long legs stretched out as far as the tight space would allow, he seemed perfectly at ease.