by Rose Pressey
“I suppose we’ve taken up too much of your time.” I smiled, but she didn’t budge.
She wasn’t a fan of mine, that was for sure. The feeling was beginning to be mutual. She waved her hands and gestured toward the front door.
“You need to get out of my home right now.” She looked over at Dangerfield. “And you can get out too. I thought you were a nice man.”
He stood from the chair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was going to look at your pictures.”
Dangerfield grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. When I looked over my shoulder Missy had her hands on her hips, glaring at me.
“That went well,” I said when we stepped outside.
“With the way you acted I bet she placed a hex on you,” he said.
I smirked. “Don’t say such things.”
“Why? I thought you didn’t believe in that.”
“I don’t believe in it, but you still shouldn’t say such things.”
He laughed. “You do believe in it. I can’t believe Chase Charley believes.”
“I told you.”
Once outside I looked back at the house. She stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. She was making sure that we got out of there. She motioned for us to move faster.
“She really wants us out of here,” I said.
“Yeah, I guess I will have to find a new psychic. You want to tell me exactly what all of that was about?” Dangerfield asked.
“When my cousin and I went to this voodoo priestess’ home we saw a photo there.”
“What were you doing at the priestess’ home? Or should I not ask?”
“Well, my cousin knows her and she thought she might be able to tell us about the voodoo left at my place. Now that you know why, you have to help me find out who this guy Doug is.”
He tapped his finger against his chin. “And why should I help you?”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Okay, fine, don’t help me then.”
He grabbed my arm to stop me. “Wait. I didn’t mean that I wouldn’t help. Obviously, we need to know more about the voodoo woman,” he said.
“Well, that’s a given, but what do you suggest?” I asked. “If we know where she goes then we could go there too. And what do we do when we get there?”
He glanced over at me and then said, “I’ll go talk with the woman.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said, I’ll go talk with her.”
“I don’t think that is such a good idea,” I said. “You don’t know her. What if she places a hex on you?” I smirked. “I can’t go back to her house. She will recognize me.”
“Okay, let me think about this for a second.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Why don’t you want me to go?”
“Because it could be dangerous.”
“What about disguise?” he asked.
I snorted. “What kind of disguise? And why do we need one?” I didn’t bother telling him that I’d had a lame attempt at that already.
“Obviously they are watching us. How will we sneak into the house if they recognize us?”
“Why are we sneaking in the house?” I asked.
“Do you have any other ideas?”
I looked straight ahead. “No, I suppose I don’t.”
“How about police?”
“That could end badly,” I said.
He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “Hey, I have a friend who works at the utility company. I could borrow uniforms from him.”
“Unless we wear masks I don’t really think a disguise is going to help us.”
“You’re right. Okay, so forget the disguises. We’ll just go there and hope for the best.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “We?”
“We’re in this together, right?”
“Yes, I suppose we are,” I said. “You know, the psychic didn’t really tell us anything I didn’t already know.”
“I guess that’s true, but the part about the voodoo was something to consider,” he said.
“Like you said though, we already know that we should watch out for the men. But maybe there is something we are missing.”
Dangerfield started the ignition. “I guess I should have listened to you about the psychic thing. I’m not too proud to admit when I am wrong.”
“Oh, no?” I said. “You could have fooled me. Besides what are you talking about anyway? You should have listened to me?”
“Maybe I should give up on the psychic. She was just telling me random things. I don’t believe what she had to say.”
“Don’t hand me that. If you didn’t believe then you would have never come here in the first place.” He glanced over at me.
“Maybe she was on to something,” I said.
“You’re just saying that now. And don’t sound so smug about it,” he said.
Maybe I did believe in the tarot reading. Not necessarily in her skills, but what she’d said. Maybe she had gotten the message right by pure chance.
“I think she might be on to something about the voodoo,” I said.
“So now you believe?” he asked.
“You are the one who brought me here. Just because she said something you might not want to hear doesn’t mean you can change your mind on whether or not you believe her.”
“Regardless whether or not she is right, we know that this situation is bad.”
“So just to be on the safe side we should do what she said.”
He nodded. “I guess we could do that.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Finally you are listening to me.”
He steered the car and made the next left. “Maybe there was something that I haven’t told you.”
My stomach dropped. “This can’t be good.”
He took a deep breath and then he said, “The men who were at the house, Doug and Russ, talked to me before.”
My mouth dropped open. “Just like they talked to me. What did they want?” I asked.
“They wanted to know why we were there that night when we saw the cop.”
My eyes widened. “So they did know we were there.”
“Yes, they knew. But the cop told them. I’m not sure Doug and Russ were anywhere around at that time.” Dangerfield glanced over at me. “They wanted me to kill the cop.”
My mouth dropped open. I was unable to form words for a solid thirty seconds. “And you are just now telling me this? Why didn’t you say something from the beginning? Are you crazy? No, wait, don’t answer that question. I already know the answer.”
“I didn’t think much of it at first. I mean, they didn’t directly ask me to kill him.”
“Wait, back up. So what did they ask you?” I asked.
“They wanted to know if I would talk with the cop. In private. I guess they wanted to use me to find out what they could about the cop.”
I shook my head. “Well, we have to tell the police. I have a friend who is an officer. His name is Marc Marquez.”
“What, Officer GQ? No thanks.”
“He will be willing to help and that’s more than you’ve got right now.”
“Just so you know, I do have some connections.”
“Well, now might be a good time to use those connections, don’t you think?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I suppose I could ask.”
“That’s a really good idea. I’m glad you thought of that.” I rolled my eyes.
He smiled. “You know, I never get tired of your sarcasm.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Later that evening after work, I met Dangerfield down the street from my apartment. We walked through the dark streets toward the house. Sure, I was feeling a bit anxious, but we were doing what needed to be done. The cop couldn’t get away with this. It was strange to be teamed up with Dangerfield though. As long as I got the story first, it wouldn’t matter.
Dangerfield eased the gate open and poked his head through.
“Do you see anyone? Do you hear any
thing?” I whispered.
“Looks like the coast is clear. Let’s go inside.” Dangerfield motioned for me to move with him.
I knew I had to, but I was still thinking about being here the other night. He walked through and motioned for me to follow. I cast one last glance to my left and to my right, and then stepped inside the courtyard. The night air was warm and still. Stars twinkled in the sky. My anxiety increased the further I got inside the courtyard. After easing across the courtyard, we reached the door which led into the office. Dangerfield claimed to have a way to open the door, but what if the alarm went off? I knew he didn’t have a plan for that.
He twisted the knob and the door opened. He wiggled his eyebrows. “Told you no one was here.”
I hadn’t been past this one room in the house. Apparently it was the one outside door they kept forgetting to lock. Or maybe they left it open on purpose as a trap. Like the spider weaving its web for prey.
“Now what do we do?” I asked.
“You look around in here and I’ll check in the other rooms.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How about you check this room and I’ll look in the other rooms?”
He waved his hand. “Fine. I don’t mind looking in here.”
No matter what he said I always doubted myself. What if he found a clue before me? I couldn’t let that doubt stop me now though. As I headed for the door leading to the hallway, he said, “Yell if you need me.” Dangerfield was just trying to freak me out now.
“I’ll be fine,” I said as I eased out into the hallway.
Underfoot was marble floor and rich mahogany wood detail throughout the foyer. With so many doors, I wasn’t sure which one to take. The entrance at the end of the hall looked as if it led to a living room, so I decided to start there.
After poking my head into around the corner and not seeing anyone I tiptoed into the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered with gold silk drapes lined the wall to my right. Rich leather sofas stood near the large fireplace in the middle of the room. The farther I walked into the room, the more fear crept up through me. I knew this was crazy. Being in this house was only going to get me in trouble if I was caught.
I turned around and rushed out of the room and back down the hallway toward the room where I hoped Dangerfield was still poking around. I’d grab him and we’d get out of there. I had to find a different way to solve this case.
When I reached the door I burst through and hit Dangerfield smack in the chest. He tumbled backward and I fell on top of him. He groaned. I looked into his gorgeous eyes, but for some reason I didn’t roll off him.
“If you wanted to fool around you could have just asked.” He flashed his dazzling smile.
I narrowed my eyes and then climbed to my feet. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Why? We haven’t learned anything yet.”
“I just have a bad feeling.” I pushed the hair out of my yes.
Dangerfield did have a point though. I had come this far and I did hate to leave empty handed.
“You’re right, I can’t leave here empty-handed.” I blew the hair out of my eyes.
“What are you talking about?” Dangerfield asked.
“I need to find something. Like you said, I didn’t come in here for nothing,” I said.
“Chase, you are crazy. I was joking. I’ve looked through everything in this room. You will not find anything in this room.”
“I don’t know that I will, but I want the chance to look,” I said.
He peered around the room. “Okay, but make it snappy.”
I glared at him. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
He held his hands up. “I would never dream of telling you what to do.” Dangerfield paced across the floor as I opened drawers. “You know, I’m getting a vibe now. We need to get out of here.”
I waved my hand. “You’re making me nervous.”
“I’m making you nervous, how do you think I feel? Do you always do crazy things like this, Chase?”
I snorted. “Me? You think I’m the one doing crazy things? You are the king of crazy.”
“How would you like to be my queen?” Dangerfield asked.
“No comment,” I said as I continued my search.
“That’s better than a straight-out no.”
I hid my smile. “Now is not the time for goofing around.”
“Okay, no more goofing off. Now I am serious. We have to go. Don’t make me drag you out of here.”
I narrowed my eyes and said, “I’d like to see you try. You know, you could help me look around.”
He shook his head. “It’s a waste of time.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “It is not a waste of time. And I will prove that to you.”
I grabbed the first thing I saw. It was a black leather briefcase that was sitting on the desk. I’d just take a quick peek inside. It had to be full of good info, right? Honestly, it was my last chance at finding anything, and I knew that Dangerfield was just waiting to say I told you so when I didn’t find anything. I was just ready to set the briefcase on the table when Dangerfield stopped me with a raise of his hand.
“What is it?” I asked.
Dangerfield signaled with his hand. “Did you hear that?”
A noise sounded from out in the hallway. Footsteps grew closer. We were in serious trouble now. And I hadn’t even gotten a chance to look in the briefcase yet. They had incredibly bad timing. Didn’t they know I wasn’t done snooping yet? They needed to give me a chance before they came barging through the door.
The footsteps grew louder and I knew they were headed for this room. Of all the rooms in this giant house, they had to come into this one right now.
I ran for the door with the briefcase in my hand. All I could think about was getting out of there. It was definitely an adrenaline rush. The more I was around Dangerfield the more trouble I got into. He couldn’t see that though. He thought that everything he did was completely normal. I could tell him that he was way off base with that thought. I doubted he would listen to anything I said though.
“You still have the briefcase,” Dangerfield said as we were leaving the house.
I looked down at my hand. “I know. I don’t know what to do with it now.”
“Get rid of the thing. That’s what you do with it.”
I stood there, but didn’t get rid of the thing. My mind wasn’t working correctly under the pressure. The stress was just too much for me. And I thought I worked well under pressure, obviously I had been wrong about that.
This was not good. I hadn’t meant to take the briefcase with me. I panicked and just wanted to get out of the room. Now I was stuck with something that didn’t belong to me. I should have just dropped the thing right there. But I already had it and now I wanted to know what was inside. Either way, this was not good a good situation to be in.
“I guess I have to take it back,” I said.
He waved his hands. “Whoa. You can’t do that now. They are looking for us.”
Hmm. He did have a point. For once he was right about something.
“We can’t take it back. They will catch us and it will be even worse.”
“I could take a peek and then throw it back over the gate.”
“That won’t work either,” he said.
“Why not?” I asked.
“They are probably going to be at that gate at any moment. We need to get away from here as quickly as possible.”
It looked as if I had just stolen the briefcase from the house. I’d never stolen anything in my life. I had to look in it and then get rid of it. But since they were after us, I would just have to bring it back. And hope that the men didn’t catch me when I did.
I suppose I could mail it back to them. That sounded like a much better idea now that I thought about it. I wondered what the street number was for this house.
Chapter Thirty
Dangerfield and I headed around the corner to the little café. We stopped at one of the outside tables
. I handed Dangerfield the briefcase. “Here. You see what’s in it.” I looked over my shoulder, hoping that no one was watching us.
Now that we had the briefcase we had to find out what was in it. He placed it on the table and stared down at it as if he was about to defuse a bomb.
“What’s in it?” I asked.
We were about to find out. I’d hoped that it was a clue leading me in the right direction.
Dangerfield looked over at me. “Should I open it?”
“If you don’t, I will,” I said.
He repositioned the case in front of him. “Okay, I’ll do it.” He glanced over at me one more time before placing his hands on the briefcase.
I nudged him. “You’re killing me with the suspense. Open it already.”
Dangerfield popped it open and I leaned close to him. Of course he smelled good and my stomach flipped.
“What’s in it?” I asked, trying to distract myself.
“I don’t know. Looks like a lot of papers.” He pulled out some of the papers and flipped through the pages. “It looks like there is a list of transactions.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “What kind of transactions?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. They are selling a lot of items.”
I looked at him and asked. “What do we do now?”
He tapped his fingers against the table. “I’m thinking of a plan. Wait for my genius idea to pop into my head.”
“We don’t have that kind of time, Dangerfield. Maybe we can find out if any of these papers mean anything to the murder,” I said.
He lifted up a few more pages and we both froze. I hadn’t expected to see what was at the bottom of the case.
“That’s a lot of cash,” I said.
Dangerfield pulled out a couple of the stacks of bills. We scanned the area to see if anyone watched us. As far as I could tell no one was watching us.
“How much do you think is there?” I asked.
Dangerfield sifted through the briefcase. “It looks like there’s twenty thousand here.”
“Oh, is that all?” I laughed.
“They probably have quite a bit more than this lying around.”
My phone rang and I looked at the screen. I didn’t recognize the number. I was a little leery of any number that I didn’t know.
