Tangled Passions (Task Force Hawaii Book 4)

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Yeah?”

  Del nodded. “I’m hoping it is that easy. But, just in case, we need to keep up the ruse.”

  His mother smiled. “See. I told you.”

  He gave Del a nasty look, because Drew could tell from the smile Del was sporting, he knew exactly what he was doing.

  “Well, I better go,” his mother announced. “I’ve got some shopping to do also. Sunday dinner, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  He watched as she walked out and then looked at Del. “That was crappy, boss.”

  “Aw, just go do it, because you can’t lie for shit, Franklin,” Del said as he started to head back into his office.

  Drew walked back to interrogation where he found Cat standing outside the room.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “I think we have her,” Cat said.

  “I heard her lawyer is talking plea bargain.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, so I think this one is tied up, thanks to you.”

  He smiled, then it faded. “I have to go by PC.”

  She glanced at him. “Why?”

  “The owner called and said I needed to fix some paperwork. Del thinks I should keep up the ruse until we get everything settled here. I would have blown it off, but my mom told on me to Del.”

  “When did you talk to your mom?”

  “Just now. Seems your mother stopped by the restaurant and said something to Mom about me being at your house.”

  “Huh.”

  “Yeah. I sidestepped that, but I got a Sunday invite, and it was clear she wanted you there as well. Anyway, Del gave me permission to go to PC, so I might as well do it now.”

  “You know, you could just wait. Or at least take someone with you.”

  “Really? Because I am pretty sure that my mother already has reminders set to tell her to text me about it.”

  She chuckled. “You’re a sweet man.”

  He grabbed her T-shirt and pulled her forward. “Yeah? Not sure I like that description.”

  “Well, you should,” she said, rising to her tiptoes and brushing her mouth over his.

  “I guess I will take it as a compliment,” he said as she backed away. “I’m going over there now, then I’ll text and see what’s up with Lana.”

  “Cool. Be careful.”

  “Always,” he said, then he leaned back in for a long kiss. “You be careful too.”

  He turned and walked away, wanting nothing more than to get this damned thing over with as soon as possible.

  “I think it’s odd that her lawyer wants to plea her out so fast,” Cat said as she chewed on her thumbnail.

  She hated the habit because it always made her think of her mother, who berated her for it. And, well, it was kind of disgusting in a way. But the truth was, she couldn’t stop right now. Her nerves were wired tight, and she didn’t know why. She would normally say it was the case, but there was something else bothering her. It was as if she forgot one bit of important information. It felt like an itch beneath her skin she couldn’t seem to scratch.

  “Yeah, it is weird,” Adam agreed. “But maybe she wanted to have it over and done with.”

  She shrugged. She had been surprised about how fast the lawyer had said he wanted to make a deal. Most people would at least try to play hardball, but this guy did not. He just rolled over right away. Maybe he had something else to play with. There was always a chance there were other victims they did not know about. These people always looked for an angle to avoid the death penalty. That didn’t matter in Hawaii though, because they didn’t have the death penalty.

  “I hear Drew went to PC?”

  She nodded. “That Collins woman called and said he needed to get something fixed on his application.”

  Before he could respond, the lawyer tapped on the glass.

  “I guess that’s my cue.”

  “Need any help?” Adam asked.

  She shook her head as she opened the door and went inside. Lana looked calmer, ready to take some more questioning.

  “So, Ms. Cho, you want to tell me what you would like me to know? What is this plea that you two are interested in?”

  “She will plead guilty to solicitation with immunity on the other thing.”

  Cat blinked. “What?”

  “She wants immunity on leaving the flowers.”

  Cat looked at the woman, then at the lawyer. “What the hell are you talking about? She’s being charged with murder.”

  “Because of the fingerprint on the card and envelope?”

  She nodded. “Her car was seen in the area.”

  “Exactly. She was delivering the flowers.”

  “And this solicitation?”

  “Through Premiere Connections. Ms. Cho is willing to help you in your investigation with that.”

  Just as she opened her mouth, someone tapped on the window, hard. She tried to ignore it, but the tapping turned into banging.

  “Excuse me for a second.”

  She rose from the chair and stepped out into the hallway. Charity was standing there with Adam. After she shut the door, Cat settled her hands on her hips and stared at the forensics tech.

  “What the hell, Charity?”

  “You need to read this,” she said, waving the papers around. “I tried to call, but you know this is a dead zone.”

  She grabbed the papers. “What is this?”

  “That is another name for Alice Collins. She was known in California as Alison Marks, in Arizona as Monica Sellers, and in Texas as Alicia Walters.”

  “Which one is her real name?”

  “I haven’t found that, but one thing I know is that there are murders in all those locations. Always wealthy men who used a dating service.”

  Her blood iced over as she started reading through the report. Without a word, she opened the door to the investigation room. “Ms. Cho, was it Alice Collins who sent you to place the flowers?”

  Before her lawyer could stop her, she nodded.

  The ramifications of that one little nod sent fear lancing through Cat. She left the room, slamming the door behind her. She started for the conference room, because she had to get to Drew.

  “Call him,” Adam said

  She pulled out her phone and hit his number, straight to voicemail “Dammit, what a day to forget to charge.”

  “What?”’ Charity said as she hurried behind them.

  “Drew just left for PC and doesn’t know he’s meeting with the killer.”

  Drew walked down the sidewalk to PC and wondered why he was even bothering with this. Well, other than the boss told him to. He had a feeling that Lana Cho would plead out and all of this would be finished. He opened the door to Premiere Connections, and found it empty. There were no clients or employees, and the place was dark. There was a light on near the desk, but other than that, no sign of life. He fought against the icy finger that slid down his spine.

  “Alice,” he called out.

  No answer. The entire office was devoid of sound. Even the PCs were silent.

  “It’s Drew Franklin. You called?”

  Silence filled the air around him. There was a different atmosphere today. He had expected the place to be filled with other people. That had to be it.

  “Ms. Collins?” he said, checking one more time.

  He was about to turn to leave when he heard her speak.

  “Yes,” she said from the back area. “Do you mind coming back here?”

  “Sure,” he said, even though he was feeling a little creeped out. He didn’t want her to know that, so he needed to fake it. Besides, it was probably because of the office being empty. He always found offices kind of weird at night.

  He walked through the doorway to another darkened room. Creepier and creepier.

  “Alice?”

  Nothing. He stepped in further, then he heard a noise behind him. He turned, but not quick enough. Alice hit him over the head with something hard in her hand. He fell back, stumbling into a desk and then a chair. He hit his head
on the table as he descended. The floor came rushing at him as everything around him faded to black.

  21

  Cat rode in the passenger seat, still trying to reach Drew, as Adam drove. The sirens were blaring and her nerves were strung tight.

  Voicemail.

  She hung up and tried to call again.

  “Still nothing?” Adam asked.

  “Of course, there’s nothing. Would I be redialing again if he picked up?”

  Then she realized how screechy she’d just sounded.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Adam shook his head. “Don’t worry. I completely understand.”

  Again, it went straight to voicemail. “Jesus, this is horrible.”

  Her fingers shook as she hit the redial again. And it was all her fault. She had been against this from the beginning, but she should have been more forceful. She should have insisted on someone else. Drew wasn’t ready for this kind of work. He could already be hurt, or dying. She couldn’t think of anything other than getting there and saving him. Every damn thing, her fault.

  “Don’t,” Adam ordered.

  “What?”

  “Don’t blame yourself.”

  She didn’t say anything to that, but she got a text. Graeme, Del, and Marcus were on their way. They would, at least, have backup after they arrived.

  “The rest of the team is right behind us.”

  Adam nodded as he swerved around a sedan and then turned down the street that lead to PC. He had barely parked the vehicle when Cat jumped out of it and onto the street. Before she could take off, Adam grabbed her and pulled her back.

  “Stop,” he ordered.

  She tried to struggle free, but he gave her a gentle shove and stepped in front of her.

  “We have no idea what’s happening in there. She could be hurting him right now,” she said.

  She shouldn’t be freaking out, but there was no way she could stop herself. Not right now, not when she could lose Drew.

  “Even more reason to get our heads together and make sure we don’t go charging in there.” He leaned down into her face. “You will get control or I will take over the operation, do you understand me?”

  She closed her eyes and called on every bit of control she could find within her. Cat knew she needed to keep it cool. Drew’s life depended on it. Adam was right. If she went in there with guns blazing and looking for blood, she could end up getting Drew killed.

  She sucked in a deep breath then released it slowly. When she opened her eyes, she was centered and ready to go in.

  Adam nodded. “Good. Let’s get going. I’ll follow your lead.”

  With a renewed sense of purpose, she started on her way. It was time to go save her man.

  A slap to the face woke Drew up. He blinked, trying to focus on his surroundings. He moved his head and instantly regretted it. An explosion of pain rattled his brain.

  “You shouldn’t move,” a soft voice said.

  “Alice?”

  She stepped into the light. She looked much the same at first, but when his eyes finally focused on her, he realized she didn’t look quite like when he’d first met her. Her clothes were wrinkled and stained. Saying that her hair looked unkempt would be an understatement. It looked as if she had been rolling around in an alley.

  This woman was not well. The best way to bide his time, so he could come up with a way to escape, was to act like he was concerned. Which he was, because she looked like she had gone completely over the edge.

  “Alice. Are you okay? What happened to you?”

  She snorted. “Like you don’t know.”

  She stepped closer, and he could finally see her eyes. Good lord. There was no sanity left.

  “I really don’t,” he said and tried to lift his arms. That’s when he realized that she’d tied them to the chair with rope.

  “It took a lot of work to get you in that position. I would hate to have to hit you again, so stop doing that.”

  He stopped struggling and started thinking of another tactic. One that would at least stretch out time or get her distracted. It would be hours before Cat would notice he was missing or start to worry. No one at work expected to see him. This was a worse case kind of scenario. Distraction would work best, in his opinion. Playing to her vanity might work best.

  “So, you’re the one who sent the flowers?”

  She smiled. “Yes. Did you like them?”

  Lord, she was definitely pupule. “Yes. They were amazing.”

  She clapped her hands. “I’m so glad you liked them. I had Lana drop them off.”

  “You know Lana?”

  “Yes. She’s a customer.” She leaned closer and it was evident Alice hadn’t bathed or brushed her teeth in a long time. “Well, she also works for me.”

  He blinked, trying to make sense of the conversation. “Works?”

  “Yes, for the service.”

  Service? What the hell was she talking about? Then, the memory of the initial rundown of the investigation hit him.

  “Premiere Collections is an escort service?”

  “Yes. Well, sort of. Some of the dates are just that, but a lot are like yours. It gives that sense of a real business, and it takes the authorities forever to figure it out.”

  “You’ve done this before?”

  She nodded as she walked over to the desk and poured a drink. The liquid was brown, and he was assuming it was probably whiskey or bourbon. That could go either way. It could make her sloppy, or mean. When she slammed the glass down, he saw the gun next to it on the desk. That must have been what she hit him with. That didn’t bother him as much as the red scarf did.

  “Yes, I have done it before, but this place…it was easier. I thought I would be here just a few months, but I realized after I got here, that it was a goldmine. It’s amazing that so many people on such a small island can keep so many secrets.”

  “And so you set up the business, and then you were going to go to…”

  “Japan. They don’t even mind there. Or maybe Australia where it’s legal in some places to run an escort service. Doesn’t matter. I stayed here.”

  “Why?”

  “I told you,” she said, her voice rising. “With the tourists in and out of here, it made it easy…so easy.”

  “And, being smart, you stayed.”

  For a moment, she stood still. Then she approached him. The smile transformed into an insane grin.

  “I knew you would understand.”

  Cat had her gun out as she approached the door cautiously. Adam followed her lead.

  “Is there a back way out of there?” Adam asked over the communications device.

  “I’m not sure. I’m assuming there is because it’s a shopping center. Why don’t you try to check it out?”

  “Copy that,” he said. “Remember, keep your cool, Kalakau.”

  “I’ve got nerves of steel,” she said.

  It irritated her that people kept telling her to remain calm. She was sure that the boss got the same warnings about Emma, but she was damned sure it didn’t sound like an order. She knew they meant well, but it was screwing with her concentration.

  “When it’s someone you care about, it fucks up your focus. Just remember, the important thing is to keep your head screwed on straight so we all make it out alive.”

  “We have no idea if she’s armed or if she even knows what’s going on.”

  She sensed his nod before he left to look for a back entrance.

  Although, looking at the situation now, it was odd. The lights on the front of the store were out. Even at night, they should be on. As she made her way to the door, her pulse ratcheted up another notch. Sweat rolled down her back.

  She made it to the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. With a slow and easy movement, she opened it and waited. No sounds came from inside, and no chime sounded, so she was safe, for now. Maybe they were overreacting, maybe Collins hadn’t figured out they were onto her. She slipped through the opening, c
areful to cover all the corners.

  “I thought I would never get caught here. And I thought you were truthful.”

  “Truthful?” Drew asked.

  Relief filtered through her and for once quick moment, she sent up a prayer. He was safe. For now.

  “You said you found out about me because of the investigation, but you were part of it. Then you had to take up with that whore.”

  “I think you need to watch your language.”

  Dammit, of course, Drew would get pissy about that. She heard the smack and knew Alice had hit him. Her finger itched to use the trigger, but she held back. The need to rush in there and save him grew with each step she took. But she knew she needed to wait, to assess the situation. Still, it irritated the living crap out of her.

  She thanked the good Lord for the carpet on the floor, which kept her footsteps quiet. She kept her back to the wall as she followed the light from around the corner. The sound of voices seemed to be coming from the same direction, so it was a safe bet that they were together.

  “I told you before not to contradict me. Men are always doing that.”

  “And that’s why you make them pay?”

  “That and because they are the lesser beast. You know, I thought maybe you were different. You were nerdy and sweet and cute. And I thought you would be…I don’t know, faithful.”

  “I am faithful.”

  Cat peeked around the corner and found them. Collins had him tied to a chair, and she was standing in front of him. There was a light on the table beside Collins. Cat saw the liquor, the gun, and the red scarf.

  “Really? Because you were dating Lana and fucking that bitch detective.”

  She ground her teeth together when Collins called her a bitch. It took all of her control not to rush in there and beat the shit out of her. Then, there was a loud bang at the back of the store. Apparently, Adam had found the back door. He banged on it a couple of times.

  “What is that?”

  “I don’t know,” Drew said quietly. “It’s not my store.”

  Collins muttered something and walked toward the rear of the store. Cat knew that this was the perfect time to get Drew out of there. As quietly as she could, she hurried to him. When she finally saw his face, she growled. He had been hit at least once with something heavy. Blood dripped down his face, and he had a split lip.