Killer Romances

by Dana Delamar, Talullah Grace, Sandy Loyd, Kristine Mason, Dale Mayer, Nina Pierce Chantel Rhondeau, K. T. Roberts, H. D. Thomson, Susan Vaughan

“Are you tracking me?” Her nod indicated the envelope he’d set aside. “I found that inside my purse. I believe it’s one of yours.”

  His severe expression morphed into one of pure surprise as he reached inside the envelope and pulled out the small device. “Why would I track you?”

  “Because I’m getting closer to finding out what happened to Cassie.”

  A smile of sorts appeared across Gerald’s face. “And you think I’m involved?” His gaze narrowed. “Is that what this is all about?”

  Lucy shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Cassie had taught her well. Never give away too much. Just enough for whomever to form the desired opinion without actually verifying anything. “Why were you at the Starlight Motel Saturday?”

  “What?” Taken aback, he stared at her. He obviously hadn’t been expecting her question. “I wasn’t at any motel on Saturday. In fact, I’ve been too goddamned busy schmoozing Jason McAlbert for the last two days to tail your pretty butt to some godforsaken motel.”

  In the long moment he eyed her, his expression cleared to a shrewd awareness. “So now you’re accusing me along with Frank? And we’re supposed to be in bed with this guy, is that it?” When Lucy didn’t deny it, he sighed and shook his head. “I warned you, girl, to back off. And you didn’t hear a goddamned thing I said, did you?” His stare turned glacial. “You’re fired.”

  Lucy’s jaw dropped open. “But I saw you.” Hell, Mike had spoken to him, but she didn’t dare divulge that information, unwilling to risk her partner’s job too. “Someone was following me with the company van.” And someone tampered with Jack’s brakes.

  “I don’t give a shit about what you think you saw. And I don’t have to justify my whereabouts either.” His nod indicated the door. “Now get the hell out of my office. You have exactly twenty minutes to clear out your desk and your locker.”

  She turned to go. “And a word of advice, Lucy.” His words, spoken in a low growl, stopped her in midpivot. She eyed him warily as he added, “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll lay off the accusations, especially against Judge Cardello.” Gerald Duncan wasn’t the type to threaten. “He pulls a lot of weight and he can see to it that you don’t work another day as an investigator in this state.” Yet his menacing tone alone told her he’d intended it as exactly that. A threat.

  Her hand curled into a fist. Loath to back down now, she stormed out of his office. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she should have expected no less. Gerald was covering Cardello’s powerful ass. She’d underestimated his skill and overestimated her own. Hell, he’d been in this business a lot longer than she had, so of course he was a pro at diversion.

  She’d just have to tread more carefully and gather more proof.

  Unwilling to think about the ramifications of being unemployed, she numbly started for the locker room. If she dwelled on what just happened, she’d fall apart at the seams, and with too much to still do, falling apart was a luxury she couldn’t afford right now.

  After finding a box big enough for her possessions, she quickly cleaned out her locker and once done, headed into the main office to retrieve personal items from her desk. Since it was still early, most of the ten desks in the large open room sat unoccupied, which made it easier to pack without a lot of questions.

  As she emptied her last desk drawer, she reached for a pile of pictures. Glancing at them, she blinked to stave off tears over the memories they produced. Several were from company picnics where Lucy had played softball and shared food and games with her co-workers, including a picture of her blue ribbon, won for her grandmother’s apple pie that she’d baked and everyone had raved about. She squared her shoulders, pushing out regret, and tossed the pictures with the other forgotten memorabilia. Memorabilia that spanned five years and made her wish things could be different.

  “Whatcha doing, Maddox?” Peterson, one of the other PIs whose desk was kitty-corner to hers asked, after grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting to watch her pack.

  “I’m packing up.” At one time, Lucy had fit in here and belonged, but she was no longer welcome. “I don’t work here anymore.”

  He straightened. “You’re kidding.”

  “It’s a long story and I don’t have time right now to go into it.” Lucy reached for the last item on her desk, a plaque she’d always treasured. Until now. Glancing at the script, she swallowed the lump building at the back of her throat. More tears threatened when she read the words “Investigator of the Year.” An award she’d received for going above and beyond. At the time, it had meant everything to her. Right now, it meant nothing. Proof positive she’d never be one of them. Besides, who’d want to fit in with a bunch of liars anyway? Not her. That’s for damn sure. Lucy threw the plaque into the box, then picked up the box and nodded to Peterson. “I’ll see ya.”

  “Take care, Maddox.” As she walked out, she heard his heartfelt, “I’m sorry to see you go.”

  She slowed and turned to look at him over her shoulder, offering a regret-filled smile. “Thanks.”

  A few other PIs began filtering in. Gerald employed ten in all, guys mostly, and one other woman, all of whom she considered family. Blinking back tears, she increased her pace. If she had to stop and talk to any of them, she’d end up crying like a baby.

  Deciding to make a detour to Manny Graves’ house before heading home, Lucy plugged the address into her GPS and drove toward Lexington. Less than forty-five minutes later, she pulled up to a small clapboard house bearing the number she’d programmed into the device. Only two cars lined the street, the silence shouting the deserted appearance louder than a megaphone, as an eerie sensation nestled in the pit of her stomach. Sunlight shining through the trees did nothing to subdue the eeriness of being watched. She patted her pocket and breathed out a sigh of relief when her fingers brushed her .22. If Manny gave her any trouble, she wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

  After working her way up the walkway and onto the porch, she peered through the glass panes on the door and knocked. When no one answered, she knocked again, this time harder.

  The unlatched door opened a few inches. She pushed the door open wider and poked her head inside. “Mr. Graves?” The mess she saw didn’t match the neat and well-tended flower garden on the outside of the house. “Mr. Graves. Are you here?” she said much louder. Once inside, she bent to retrieve her weapon as the eerie sensation returned, only it was a hundred times stronger. She did a quick search of the house, finding no sign of its occupant. But in the bedroom, she found Manny’s computer. Since it was left on standby, it came to life as she moved the mouse. She clicked on various documents and eventually found a few files that were JPEGs labeled “Teen business.” She opened them. Picture after picture showed the same scene. A guy in the throes of passion with some babe sucking him off. She didn’t recognize any of the guys, but was shocked to discover the babes were the girls in Cassie’s files.

  Lucy inhaled sharply at the last picture, noting something familiar. This picture had been taken in Cassie’s house, the same safe house Lucy used to rely on during her homeless years.

  Not bothering to close the files after downloading them onto a thumb drive, she turned and raced toward her car, intending to check it out. Except she didn’t want to go alone. The thought of calling Jack flitted through her brain, but she discarded it, too chicken to face him after her early morning desertion. Pulling away from the curb, she punched up Mike instead.

  “Hey, Mike.” Thankfully he answered and Lucy didn’t have to leave a message.

  “What happened at the office? Did you confront Gerald?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded, having forgotten all about that. “And he fired me.”

  “Wow, Lucy. I’m sorry.” He broke off and said on a sigh a moment later, “But I tried to tell you. We should’ve talked to Graves first.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes. “I know that now.” Especially after checking out his house.

  “So, what are your plans?”


  She spent a few minutes updating him on what she’d found at Manny Graves’ house and that she was on her way to check out Cassie’s safe house. “It’s one she bought for her homeless souls.” She rattled off the address, as a beep in her ear indicated he had another incoming call.

  “Wait. Let me get this. It might be important.” He clicked off before clicking back on less than a minute later. “I think you may be on to something.” Excitement rippled in his voice.

  She sat up straighter in the car and checked her rearview mirror. “What?”

  “Yeah, that was my friend on the force, who called with a lead on where Cassie may be.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “No. And even more bizarre, he thinks she’s at the same house you were just telling me about. He’s on his way there now. Seems someone reported suspicious activity going on there besides the usual. I’m heading that way now. Want to tag along?”

  Unable to believe her luck, she said, “Sure.”

  “Great, I’ll meet you there. Bring any information on the girls and I’ll bring the date book. That way we can compare notes if Jim’s lead doesn’t pan out.”

  Lucy said her good-byes and then gunned the motor, confident she would find Cassie soon.

  Chapter 21

  Jack stepped off the elevator on the fourth floor of the county’s judicial building and headed for Frank Cardello’s office. Having woken up at dawn alone, he suspected Lucy was off on her wild goose chase to prove Frank and Gerald were involved in her friend’s disappearance. She’d snuck away like a thief in the night after all they’d shared in the last two days. Disappointment seemed too simple a word to describe what he felt.

  Hell, maybe he was trying to make it up to Lucy for failing her all those years ago, but no more. Now he was out to prove her wrong. Of course, if he were right about Olivia’s involvement, then Lucy could still be in danger. His gut clenched over that thought.

  “You got a minute,” Jack asked, upon seeing Frank about to enter his inner sanctum.

  Frank turned at his voice. “Just the man I wanted to see.” He frowned, not a good sign, as his outstretched arm indicated the door to his office. “Come on in. We need to talk.”

  Jack nodded and preceded him into the room. Frank moved past him to sit in his high-backed leather chair. Then he perched his elbows on the heavy oak desk, clasped his hands together, and rested his chin on his crossed fingers, patiently waiting until Jack sat. When Jack made eye contact, he said, “What the hell’s been going on with Maddox? I thought you had her under control.”

  Stalling and mentally preparing for the worst, Jack cleared his throat, annoyed as hell that she’d already been busy this morning. “I don’t follow you.”

  “I just got off the phone with Gerald Duncan. Now she’s accusing him. He had no choice but to fire her.”

  Shit. Jack stiffened and kept all emotion off his face. This was exactly the scenario he’d tried to avoid. Did the woman have no sense of self-preservation? Apparently not. And Frank’s body language shouted he was more than aggravated, which meant he’d be harder to manage. The judge hated people second-guessing him, and if anyone questioned his honesty, he usually aimed for the jugular, bit hard, and dealt with the consequences later.

  Jack felt a little testy himself just then. Lucy’s early morning defection hadn’t exactly left him with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Right now, the urge to strangle her was more than a passing thought.

  He swallowed his anger and managed a smile. “Yeah. I thought I had her under control.” He shrugged. “She thinks he’s following her.” He eyed Frank thoughtfully, wondering about their near miss yesterday and the fact that someone had broken into her house. “Still, she has a right to be a little paranoid. I plan to get to the bottom of it.”

  Frank didn’t even blink. “That sounds like you think she has a right to be suspicious of us. You haven’t lost your impartiality, have you?”

  “No. I’m just looking for the reason why someone would tamper with my brakes. And while we were busy staying alive, someone destroyed her computer.” Jack continued holding eye contact. “Someone wants to shut her up, and if Gerald was so innocent, why fire her? Why not just laugh off her accusations?” He crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, more than a little uneasy with both men’s actions. “What’s going on, Frank? I think I have a right to know.”

  “I’ve already told you that reporter was off base with her investigation.”

  “Maybe she had a reason for sticking with it. My gut tells me there’s a connection to the girls in the files along with your niece. It ties in somehow to all that’s been going on and I think you know what that connection is, or rather Olivia does.”

  Frank mulled over his reply. “This stays between us?”

  “Maybe.” Noting his friend’s facial features harden, Jack lifted his shoulders and offered a semblance of a smile. “If you convince me there’s no connection to the kids in the files.”

  “I can’t do that.” He sighed heavily and studied a point on his desk. “Because there is a connection. One of the girls in the file was in the juvenile system for a few months, the same unit Reecie was in. Her record’s been expunged and no one knows of the little blip in her past. And I think it should stay that way.” He broke off.

  Jack waited patiently for him to continue. When he just kept staring at something on his desk, Jack prodded, “Go on, I’m listening.”

  Frank looked up. “Unfortunately, Harding discovered the information through rumor and innuendo and she confronted me, wanting to know more about her.”

  “You already told me about her confrontation.”

  “Yeah, I did.” Frank snorted. “But I left out the part about Harding’s audacity in accusing her along with the other girls on the drive of some kind of teen conspiracy, all of which supposedly drove the Holloway girl to her death.” He hesitated a moment before adding, “Like all rumors, there was some truth behind it, a skirmish that had passed over a year ago. I refused to give Harding details and that’s when she threatened to go public.

  “At that point, I’d heard enough and relieved her of the drive and told her to either stop her investigation or she’d be slapped with harassment charges.” He straightened and his jaw hardened. “I have some pull, after all. And eight innocent lives deserve protection, one in particular. Kids’ misdeeds don’t need to be displayed over the news. Not when a few sometimes get mixed up for a few months and run with the wrong crowd. There’s a reason the court expunges juveniles’ records. They’re too young to fully understand the consequences of their actions. Cassandra Harding had no business dragging any one of these kids into her investigation.”

  “I take it the girl in question is connected to money?” Jack asked out of curiosity, mentally reviewing the files to figure out which girl fit the bill. Frank clearly wasn’t about to reveal her name.

  Frank nodded. “Big money. One of my biggest contributors, to be blunt.”

  “I see.”

  “No. You don’t. The censure and condemnation in your face says otherwise.” He offered a derisive smile. “You’ve never been able to hide your thoughts. I don’t disagree with those lofty ideals you hold so dear, except when they skew perception. Ideals can portray a very black and white view of the world when in fact too many gray areas exist.” He laughed, but as with his smile, there was no humor in it. “In this business, you do what you have to do to survive. Some things I can stomach and others I can’t. I can assure you, there is no impropriety. I’d never lower my scruples to protect someone I thought guilty of a crime. But this girl has made a complete about-face. I’d prefer she remain anonymous, even to you. The press would crucify her based on a few circumstantial facts and without solid proof, I’m not about to let that happen.”

  Jack frowned. “So you’d just let Harding’s disappearance go unnoticed?”

  “Bah.” Frank waved the question off. “I don’t really believe she’s in danger. That woman can take care of herse
lf.” When Jack started to object, he held up a hand. “You have to understand. She’s on a vendetta to trap those girls, along with my niece. There’s no other explanation for her behavior.” He made a fist and pounded his desk. “They’re just kids, for Christ’s sake. The only connection she could make to Reecie Holloway was this girl, my courtroom, and time spent in the juvenile system, which is all circumstantial at best.”

  “Then I’d reassess your opinion of the danger to Harding, if I were you. Something’s not right with her.” Jack went on to inform him of the text message they’d received and why they thought she was in danger. He also mentioned Manny Graves, giving him a rundown on all that had happened before his car brakes went out. “It’s all connected to what Harding was investigating. It has to be. There’s no other conclusion.”

  Frank heaved a heavy sigh. “Let’s go.” He stood.

  “Where’re we going?”

  “To have a talk with my niece.” He reached for his suit jacket. “This has gone on far too long.”

  Jack stood and followed him out of the room.

  The drive to Frank’s house took twenty minutes. Having taken his own car, Jack parked in the long driveway behind Frank. They exited their cars at the same time, meeting on the walkway that led to the house and continuing up the porch stairs.

  “Olivia,” Frank shouted, after unlocking and shoving open the front door.

  His wife rounded the hallway corner. “What are you doing home so early?” Olivia’s smile did nothing to soften her features, in fact, almost made her look harsh. Not soft and feminine like Jack described Lucy last night. And unlike Lucy, who favored jeans and a T-shirt, Olivia, dressed in a chic pink suit with matching shoes, appeared ready for lunch at the club or a meeting with Cardello Department Stores’ board of directors.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing that can’t be fixed with the truth.” Frank gripped Olivia’s shoulders and planted a peck on her cheek. “I need to speak to the girls. Are they around?”