All About the Money (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 7)

by Ann Mullen

  “That can’t be too healthy.”

  “We survive.” I looked at Billy and smiled. “We live on love.”

  Billy leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. “A fulfilling diet.”

  “Okay… that’s enough for me,” Helene said. “I think I’ll go to bed. I’m beat. If you decide to go out, don’t forget to leave me a note. Don’t bother to wake me up. I’ve gotten so I only sleep an hour at a time anymore. Must be these old bones.” She smiled and then got up from the table, heading to her room. She stopped long enough to say, “Billy, you might want to check on your mom. She hasn’t been feeling well. I asked her if she wanted me to take her to the doctor, but she refused. You know how she is.”

  The look on Billy’s face was that of concern when he said, “I’ll call her right now.” He picked up the portable phone again and dialed the number while Helene vanished down the hallway.

  I could tell from the conversation that Sarah was a little under the weather; she might have a bug, but was doing much better. Billy ended the call and laid the phone down on the table.

  “Is your mother being stubborn?” I asked, after shoveling a spoonful of food into my mouth.

  “She says she’s going to be fine, but she always says that. Perhaps we should keep our eyes on her.”

  “We will. Now… let’s talk about your new plan. I like the idea of changing strategies. I wasn’t looking forward to hanging out in the rain and getting drenched all over again, lightning striking all around me, and then possibly winding up with nothing. What you got in mind?”

  “We’re going to confront Rhodes. We’re going to his house, knock on his door, and accuse him to his face. If that doesn’t get a reaction, we’ll do the stakeout like we planned—only we’ll do it from the car. Keith said there was a fire road between the properties, and it runs right behind Rhodes’ house. We’ll find it and use it, instead of hunkering down in the woods.”

  “Oh, I see. If we don’t jack him up enough to get him to spill his guts to us, he will to someone else, and we’ll hear it all. Sounds like a good plan. What if he’s home alone and has no one to talk to?”

  “He’ll call someone. I’m sure of that.”

  I pulled it together like the good snoop wife that I am, and tried not to be so nervous about the weather. I kept telling myself that it was only a storm. “When do we leave?”

  Lord, help me if the storm gets worse.

  “As soon as we finish eating.”

  “I don’t mind going back out in this woman-killing weather as long as I don’t have to stand under a tree.” I tried to make light of the situation. “I know what happens to people who…”

  “I won’t let the lightning hurt you, `ge ya. I promise.”

  “If I get struck and die, it’s your fault. Explain that to my mother.”

  Billy laughed, picked up our plates and walked over to the sink. He scraped, rinsed, and then put the plates in the dishwasher while I watched. I’m no fool. I know a good man when I see one.

  “We’re wearing our vests,” he said. “I don’t know if this guy is dangerous or not, but we’re not taking any chances.”

  “I’m good with that, but don’t you think we’ll look a little obvious?”

  “Yes, we will. That’s the plan. I want Donald Rhodes to know we mean business.”

  “We’ll truly make a statement.”

  “Also, I want to show you a few things about your new phone.” He pulled his from his back pocket and motioned for me to have a look. After a thorough walk-through, I came to the conclusion that our new phones could do just about everything, except fly us to the moon.

  “Impressive,” I said, holding my phone in my hand. “I think I’m going to like this gadget.”

  My cell phone vibrated, played a nifty little tune, and then Mom’s name appeared on the screen. “Hi, Mom,” I answered. “How’re you…”

  “I just found out that Savannah’s in jail,” she said, continuing without giving me time to reply. “What’s the matter with that sheriff? She’s innocent. He should know she’s not capable of killing anyone. I’m thinking about giving him a piece of my mind. I’m just so upset. I can’t even sleep. I’ve been pacing back and forth ever since I found out. I tried to call you, but your cell phone wasn’t working.”

  Instead of trying to figure out why my mother couldn’t reach me, and then trying to explain it to her, all I said was, “We just switched to new ones. Perhaps there was a glitch at the time you tried to call. It’s working fine now.”

  “What’s the deal with Savannah? When are they going to release her?”

  “I don’t know, Mama. Billy and I haven’t talked about it much since she was arrested. We’ve been kinda busy.”

  “What could be more important than what’s happening to Savannah?”

  “Well… twice, somebody tried to run us off the road, and then finally succeeded the second time around. Billy’s truck is toast. It’s storming like a big dog outside, and we’re getting ready to go back out into the jaws of death. We can’t locate McCoy. Billy’s mom isn’t feeling so hot. Oh, yes… and Billy’s still limping from the accident. And if that’s not scary enough, he wants me to go poke my gun in a killer’s face. I guess that’s about all for now, but I’ll keep you posted.”

  Billy chuckled as he scribbled on a piece of paper—a note he was probably leaving for Helene, telling her that we were going on yet another dangerous mission.

  “And Billy thinks it’s funny.”

  “What’s funny?” She seemed confused. “Are you being serious, or is this one of your… oh, I forget the word…”

  “I’m being truthful in a light-humored, sarcastic kind of way. Sorry. I’m a little stressed out.”

  “Is Billy going to be all right? I’m sorry to hear about the truck.”

  “He’ll survive. The truck won’t.”

  “Don’t worry about McCoy. I’ll bet he’s with Savannah, and you know, they don’t allow cell phones in jail. I’m not worried about him. What’s wrong with Sarah?”

  “She’s got a bug or something. It must be going around.”

  “Then I guess everything’s okay.”

  “In the bigger scheme of things.”

  “Oh, what was that about poking a gun in someone’s face? Y’all aren’t getting into any trouble, are you? I worry about you two.”

  “Not us.”

  “Then… good. Call me when you hear anything else about Savannah. I won’t rest a bit tonight. Do you think they would let me see her?”

  “I don’t know, Mama. Call Sheriff Hudson and ask him.” I was baffled at her intense concern. She had all the signs of an obsessed fan. I had to say something. “Mom, don’t take this wrong, but you sound like a crazed fan.”

  “I beg your pardon. I am not a crazed fan! I care about Savannah. That’s all.”

  “Then give it a rest. You’ll hear something when we hear something. You know we’ll call you as soon as we find out anything. We always do. If you can’t sleep and you think it’ll make you feel better, watch the news.”

  She seemed to let out a breath as if she’d been holding it ever since she found out Savannah was in jail. “That’s not a bad idea. I’m going to do that right now. Goodbye, honey.”

  Obsessed fan Minnie hung up without giving me a chance to say goodbye. Still holding the cell phone in my hand, I looked up at Billy and said, “My mother’s becoming obsessed with Savannah. I’m going to have to get her some medication.”

  “Oh, you know your mom. She’s worried, that’s all.”

  “Don’t bet the bank.”

  “Stop being jealous and put on your vest. I have heap big heads to hunt. Time waits not.”

  “I’m not jealous,” I shot back, slipping into my new bulletproof vest. I stuffed my cell phone in the back pocket of my jeans, grabbed my purse, and then headed for the front door. “Coming Tonto?”

  “Stop teasing me, you sexy vixen. You know how much I like it when you call me that. It ju
st makes me feel all tingly inside.”

  “I don’t know who’s worse—you or my mother. She’s hunting Savannah, and you’re hunting heads. I’m beginning to think you both have some kind of psycho tendencies.”

  “You love me,” Billy said as he kissed me gently on the lips, and then brushed past me in an extremely seductive way. His limp had suddenly disappeared. I’ve noticed that aches and pains seem to go away when men get their mojo back.

  “I don’t believe you. Is there a full moon hiding under those black, angry clouds—the ones that want to kill us?”

  The house phone rang.

  “Go get the 4Runner. I’ll answer that.”

  I ran back to the kitchen and picked up the old wall phone. Boy, did that thing ever bring back memories. With portable phones and cell phones, one would wonder why we still had one of these. They’re cumbersome with their long, always tangled-up cords, but it was the cord on Mom’s phone that helped save her life. I think about that incident every time I see a wall phone. Even with the memory of that day, and most likely because of that day, I won’t get rid of mine.

  “Hello,” I said, almost whispering the word.

  “Jesse? This is Mick Garner. I have a problem and I need your help. Is Billy there with you?”

  “Yes. He’s in the car. We’re getting ready to go over to Donald Rhodes’ house. What’s the matter?”

  Mick sounded as if he was in a panic as he continued. “That’s what I’m calling about. That crazy wife of mine is going to get herself killed. I don’t know what to do.”

  “What did she do, Mick?”

  “She snuck out of the house. She’s gone, and I’m afraid she’s headed to Donald’s. Earlier, she was having one of her tirades. I tried to calm her down, but she said she was tired of waiting on other people to do what she should be doing. She’s so mad. All she can talk about is punishing that man. I’m afraid of what she might do. I’m worried that if I go over there and she’s not there, it’ll make things worse.”

  “Let me call you from my cell phone, Mick. Billy’s waiting for me in the car. I’ll tell him what you said about Flo.”

  “You will call me right back, won’t you? My nerves are frayed.”

  “Yes, of course, I’ll call you right back. I just need to talk with Billy.”

  I hung up the receiver, looked around to see if I’d forgotten anything, and then made sure the door was locked when I walked out. I ran down the porch steps to the car, and when I jumped inside, I told Billy about Mick’s call. “He’s really upset. He’s worried to death about Flo.”

  “Say it isn’t so,” Billy replied. “That woman’s asking for trouble. Mick’s right. She’s going to get herself killed.”

  “That’s exactly what Mick said.”

  “What happened to her bodyguard?”

  “I didn’t ask. Flo’s smart. She probably gave her the slip.”

  “Call Mick back and tell him we’re on our way over to Rhodes’ house. Tell him we’ll call him as soon as we find Flo… if she’s there. Ask him if he has a gun missing.”

  I made the call, but got no response. “He’s not answering.”

  “Keep trying. Maybe he went to the bathroom or something. I doubt if he left the house.”

  Billy sped down the driveway barely stopping at the end of it before making the turn onto Bear Mountain Road. When we reached the stop sign, he quickly scanned for traffic before pulling out onto the main road. After that, he didn’t slow down until we came to the driveway of Donald Rhodes’ house.

  The horrible storm that had lingered on and pestered me so had come to an abrupt halt the minute Billy pulled into Donald Rhodes’ driveway. By the time we got up close to the house, all that was left behind was a light drizzle.

  “Can you believe it?” I asked, looking at Billy. “The storm stopped just as quickly as it started. It’s not out to get me after all.”

  “That’s what it’s like in the mountains,” Billy replied. “Storms are unpredictable here.”

  “You can say that again.” I looked around and sized up my surroundings just like Billy was doing. “Wow!” I said after getting a good look. “And I thought Flo’s house was a bit much. What is it with these people and their big houses? Don’t they have anything else to spend their money on?”

  The two story brick house reminded me of a massive funeral home. It was huge, boxy, and basically non-descript. Other than a perfectly manicured lawn, the only outside decorations were large potted ferns sitting between the columns on the porch. All the lights in the house were on.

  Billy didn’t respond, instead he pointed to a car parked out in front of the house and said, “There’s Flo’s car. Mick was right to be worried about her.”

  Flo drove a green SUV Tahoe with her business logo painted on the back hatch—not an automobile that could be easily hidden.

  “Try calling Mick again. We need to know if she’s armed.”

  I punched in the number for Mick. This time he answered on the second ring. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you.” I didn’t wait for him to answer. “Don’t panic, Mick, but Flo is here at Donald’s. So far, we don’t see any signs of a struggle or foul play, so she must be inside. Billy wants to know if she took a gun with her.”

  “Oh, no. I didn’t think about that. Let me go check the gun cabinet.”

  Mick must’ve been using a portable phone, because I could hear noises in the background even though he wasn’t talking. He finally came back and said, “I think she took the .38. It’s missing, and I don’t have it. I’m scared, Jesse. Flo is terrified of Donald Rhodes. She seriously thinks he’s out to do away with her. I tried to tell her it would be all right, but she just won’t listen. I called her cell, but it went straight to voice mail.”

  I looked over at Billy and said, “Mick thinks Flo took the .38 with her. He says it’s missing from the gun cabinet.”

  Billy motioned for me to hand him the cell phone. “Listen, Mick,” he said in a calm manner. “I want you to sit tight and don’t go anywhere just yet. Wait for my call. Right now, there’s nothing you can do to help Flo.” Billy ended the call and then handed my cell phone back. “Try Flo’s cell phone.”

  “Mick said he tried to call her, but it kept going to voice mail.”

  “Try anyway. You never know. She might’ve turned it back on again.”

  “Yeah, and maybe Donald locked her up in a closet, then she realized her phone was off, so she miraculously turned it back on just in time to call for help. Anything’s possible.”

  “If Flo’s on the edge like Mick says she is, she might’ve pulled a gun on Donald, and now he’s the one who’s locked in the closet.”

  I punched in Flo’s number and the call went through this time. When I heard the first ring, I looked over at Billy and gave him the thumbs up sign. Before the phone had a chance to ring a second time, a gunshot rang out from within the Rhodes’ house. A second gunshot followed.

  Something bad had just happened. Was Flo lying in a pool of her own blood on the Rhodes’ floor? At this point, anything was truly possible.

  Chapter 9

  Billy and I went into auto-mode. Within seconds of the second gunshot, we jumped out of the 4Runner and ran up to the house, guns drawn. We were like members of a SWAT team—minus backup. With our backs to each side of the door, Billy reached over and turned the doorknob. The door eased open without a squeak, but was instantly followed by a chime.

  The voices off to the right ceased. It was too late to be quiet. We took off with our guns pointed straight out. When we burst into the room, the element of shock gave us the advantage of the situation. There was no surprise factor because of the door chime, but we achieved our objective. Nobody moved.

  Even though Donald was holding a gun and it was pointed toward the floor, Billy didn’t stop until he had his gun jammed into Donald’s face, pressed into his cheek.

  I stood taut, my gun raised defiantly, backing up my partner. I looked over at Wyn
ona, Donald’s wife, who looked as if she’d had a few too many drinks, and said, “Don’t move a muscle, or I’ll shoot you in the leg, and you’ll never walk right again.”

  Wynona didn’t budge, but she did wobble somewhat. Yes, she had definitely consumed a fair amount of alcohol. She could barely stand up. She had her hand placed on the fireplace mantle using it to support her well-dressed, petite body. When she could manage, occasionally she would brush an uncontrollable wisp of hair out of her eyes.

  Dressed in a white, button down shirt with his tie loosened and pulled down as if he had intended to remove it, Donald was tall and very handsome—more so than I had expected. His shoes looked as if they were Italian made.

  I gave the room a quick once over and realized that if I fell and broke anything I’d probably be paying for it the rest of my life. The furnishings in this room alone most likely cost more than I could make in a lifetime.

  Two bullet holes marred the hardwood floor, leaving behind jagged, splintered remnants… remnants that could easily wreak havoc on a bare foot. At least the bullets didn’t find a home in someone’s body.

  Flo was slumped down in an overstuffed chair, her ashen face staring back up at me. At first, I thought she was dead, until I saw her tears. Dead people don’t cry.

  “It’s not what it looks like,” Donald blurted out in a hurry. “This isn’t even my gun. It’s hers.” He looked down in Flo’s direction. “She came to my house and accused me of all sorts of bad things. She swears I’m trying to kill her.”

  Donald did not resist when Billy slowly reached down and relieved him of the gun. Donald’s hands went up as if to surrender. Once Billy had possession of the gun, I went to Flo’s side.

  “Are you all right, Flo?” I asked, my gun still aimed at Donald. “You look a little flushed.”

  “I’m a bad person,” she cried, her voice but a whisper. Her tears flowed. “The gun just… went off. My cell phone rang… and it startled me. I squeezed the trigger… two times before I could stop.” She looked up at Donald. “I could’ve… killed you. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t come here to… harm you. All I wanted… was to scare you… to make you leave me alone.”