When we finally made our way to the front of the line, we had to pay a cover charge of ten bucks. If we didn’t find Ax soon, I was going to have to get a second job.
I flashed Axton’s picture at the bouncer. “Have you seen this man?” I asked.
He scratched his dark buzz cut and shrugged.
After curling my lip at him, I trudged inside.
Like most clubs, the lighting was low. A long wooden bar took up the left side of the building and two dance floors stretched out before us. On the upper floor, people were line dancing and the lower, larger dance floor held a mass of people moving in a circle.
I grabbed Roxy’s hand and we jostled our way to the bar. I figured the guys would follow.
The wait at the bar was three people deep, but Roxy just shoved her way forward, edging people aside. She got several dirty looks and so did I. I think I was the only one bothered by it.
“Hey,” the bartender, a woman in a Honky Tonk Heaven t-shirt, yelled over the music. “Wait your turn.”
Roxy snapped her fingers in my face. “Picture.”
I handed it over.
“Have you seen this guy?” she asked.
“You have to wait your turn,” the bartender yelled again.
Taking over for Roxy, who was obviously at the end of her patience, I said, “This is my brother. He’s been missing for over a week.” I gave her a very sad, yet worried face that mainly involved furrowing my eyebrows. “He loves line dancing. It’s his passion in life. Please, take a look at the picture. Have you seen him?”
That wiped the scowl off her face. “Oh, honey, you must be worried sick.”
I nodded. At least that part was true.
She took the picture from me and held it closer to her face and squinted. Shaking her head, she frowned. “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen him.”
I nodded and mustered up a brave smile. “Thanks anyway.”
We spent the next three hours winding our way around the place, flashing Axton’s photo to waitresses, bouncers, and people in cowboy hats, but no one recognized him. “I think this place is a bust,” I said. “I just want to go home.”
“Me, too.” She tugged at her skirt. “I’ve had enough of this shit for one night.”
We made our way through the crowd and found the guys exactly where we had left them, standing against a wall by the door. Frankly, they’d been pretty useless.
We all headed out to the parking lot and I handed Steve his jacket, then climbed into my car. I dropped Roxy off at her apartment and even though it was only ten-thirty, I looked forward to crawling into bed. The past few sleepless nights had left me exhausted.
I made sure there were no strange cars in my parking lot, no menacing bad guys lurking in the shadows. When all was safe, I darted out of my car and ran to my building, sprinting up the stairs to my thankfully empty apartment. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I grabbed my blanket and pillow, left the lamp on, and fell onto the futon.
I had just dozed off when something startled me and I bolted upright. I glanced around the room, my heart pounding. I didn’t know what had awakened me.
Then I heard pounding on the door.
Chapter 12
“Open up, Rose.”
It was BJ. I debated what to do. Open the door or ignore him? Open the door, and I’m an idiot. Ignore him, and he’ll just break in. While I’m standing here in my underpants. I didn’t like either option.
“Go away,” I said in my sternest voice.
“Let me in.”
“No.”
“This is me, asking nicely,” he said.
“Why should I? You threatened Axton.”
I swear I heard him laugh. “Are you still holding that against me?”
“Not funny.” I was tired and out of sorts and the last time I saw him I was all pressed up against him. It made me hot and cold and embarrassed at the same time. I threw on some sweats and opened the door. But kept the chain on.
He sighed. “Come on, Rose. I’m not going anywhere until we talk and I don’t want to wake your neighbors.”
Since most of my neighbors were barely functioning alcoholics who passed out before ten o’clock, I wasn’t worried. “I’m listening.”
He reached a finger through the crack of the door and touched the bridge of my nose. “You get a crinkle right here when you frown.”
I jerked out of reach and tried to slam the door on him. He anticipated my move, because he pulled back his finger and wedged his foot between the door and the jamb. His lips flattened into a straight line. “You have quite a temper. Have you thought about anger management?”
I just glared at him.
He sighed. “Open the door, Rose. This is getting tiresome.”
I didn’t want to let him into my apartment. I didn’t trust him. Yet I still wondered if I could get information out of him. Maybe he would slip up and tell me something useful. Besides, his asking to come in was just a formality and we both knew it.
“Just a minute.” I shoved at his foot, shut the door, and grabbed my cell phone. I dialed Roxy’s number.
She picked up on the fourth ring. “This had better be good.”
“BJ’s at my door,” I whispered. “If you hear me scream, call 911.”
“What? No, don’t be stupid.”
“He might know something about Ax.”
“Hang up and call the police right no—”
“Calm down and be quiet.” I tucked my phone in the pouch of my sweatshirt, then unhooked the chain to let him in. “Five minutes or I scream the place down.”
“Okay,” he said. Putting his hands up in a placating gesture, he stepped into the apartment. He was dressed in an expensive suit with a red striped tie.
“I’m not crazy about that tie.”
He looked down and fingered it. “Why not?”
“Did I say that out loud?” God, I was tired.
“Yes, you did.” He walked toward the kitchen. “Got anything to drink?”
I trailed after him. “Not for you.”
He stopped at the sink and turned, wagging his finger in my direction. “I thought you and I had come to an understanding.”
“If that were the case, I think I’d remember it.”
“I remember it quite clearly. You were going to mind your own business.”
“I have.”
“No, you haven’t. You’ve been quite a busy little bee, dashing all over town looking for Axton.”
How the hell was this guy tracking me? I’d checked my rearview mirror frequently all day. I hadn’t seen anyone following me, hadn’t seen Henry lurking about.
He moved toward me and even though I wanted to back up, I held my ground. “You have my property. Or you know where it is.” He stood so close, the front of his chest skimmed my breasts. I stopped breathing for a second.
I craned my neck, looking up at him. “I already told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you’re lying.”
He was so close I could see his pupils contract. And that spicy, citrusy smell enveloped me.
“Tell me what you’re looking for and maybe I can help you find it.”
His eyes narrowed. “If you’re lying to me, you’ll regret it.”
Yeah, he scared the hell out of me, but he also made me angry and a feeling of helplessness got tossed into the emotional mix, too. All of it was boiling inside me. This was exactly how I felt when I tried to pummel him. I found myself wanting to do it again. “Listen, you bastard, this is my house. You can’t just keep barging in here and bossing me around.”
He took a step closer and leaned down until we were nose to nose. “Want to bet?” He smirked and his nose bumped mine. “Tell me, Rose, if you went missing, would anyone care?”
I flinched. “People would miss me. My family…” I clammed up when I realized what I’d almost revealed to him.
“You’re a waitress. You live in this shithole. Except for your sister, Jacq
ueline, and her son,” he paused, tapping his mouth with one finger, “what’s his name?” His eyes hardened. “Oh, yes, Scotty. Except for Jacqueline and Scotty, you don’t have much of a relationship with your family, do you? Would they even bother to look for you?”
I was suddenly freezing. I rubbed my arms, comforted that Roxy was only a phone line away.
He walked around me to the door and opened it, but turned back. “Why don’t you like my tie?”
“Get out.”
I snatched the phone from my pocket and assured Roxy I was all right. Apparently, my sweatshirt muffled the noise so much, she hadn’t heard any particulars of the conversation, so I gave her the Cliffs notes version and hung up.
I turned on all the lights and huddled beneath my blanket. BJ knew everything about me. My dysfunctional family dynamic, my job, my house, probably even my favorite breakfast cereal. Who was this guy? Finding that out was at the top of my short list. If I could find out who he was, maybe I could get the upper hand. Divert him until I found Ax. Knowledge was power and I’d had precious little in this whole thing, that was for freaking sure. And the fact that every time BJ came near me my heart beat a little faster — well, I’d deal with that later.
The next morning I decided against drinking a tankard of coffee, even though I was exhausted. Last time I’d done that, it hadn’t worked out so well.
When I got into work I greeted Jorge and Ray, who waved me at me with a spatula and mumbled a hello. Ma stood in the dining room filling salt shakers. “Good morning, Ma.”
She stopped pouring and looked me up and down. “You look like ten miles of bad road, toots.”
“Thanks.”
“Didn’t get much sleep again, huh?”
Roxy came out of the bathroom. She wore a short shepherdess dress and a schoolgirl tie. “Jeez, you look terrible.”
“That’s the general consensus.”
She glanced at Ma. “She got another visit from BJ last night.”
“He broke in again?” Ma asked. “Oh my God, honey, did he hurt you?”
“No, he just wanted to talk.”
“Talk about what, for God’s sake?” Ma asked, hands on her hips. “And why did he have to break in to do that? Hasn’t he ever heard of a goddamn telephone?”
“Wait until you hear this,” Roxy said between chomps.
My cheeks felt hot. “He didn’t break in.” My voice got quieter as I went on. “I…let him in.”
Ma’s eyes widened. “You let him in? Did you offer him a beer, too?”
“No, I didn’t offer him a beer. I just thought maybe I could get some information out of him.”
“And did you?” she asked.
I took a deep breath. “No.” I walked around the counter and began rolling silverware into paper napkins.
“Oh no you don’t.” Ma wrangled the fork out of my hand. “Finish the story, Rose. Why did he come to your apartment in the first place?”
“He still thinks I have his property.” They waited for me to continue. “And he told me to mind my own business. That’s all, I swear.”
Roxy looked skeptical. “Did he say what would happen if you don’t mind your business? Did he threaten you?”
Totally. “Not really,” I lied. I hated keeping things from them, but the last thing I wanted to do was freak them out any more than they already were.
“Oh, if I could get my hands on that man — I’d have socked him in the mouth, too,” Ma said.
By then we had a few early customers, so we quit talking and got down to business. Ma manned the counter while Roxy and I did our thing. I tried to concentrate on my job, rather than my problems.
When we hit our midmorning slow down, I checked my phone. Still no Axton. But I had texts from Eric, Sheila Graystone, Dane, and two from Kevin.
I used the diner phone and called Eric. He answered on the first ring. “I’ve got something. When can you get here?”
“What? Did you decrypt the hard drive?” I twisted the old, curly tan phone cord around my finger.
“Yeah, I decrypted it, but I still don’t know what it is.”
I wanted to leave work immediately, but I needed the money. Badly. “I’ll be there a little after one.” Ma and Roxy wouldn’t mind if I skipped clean up for a good cause.
I read Sheila’s text next. She wanted to meet at Starbucks. Maybe she heard from Axton or thought of something that might help me. I texted her back and then called Dane. I figured he’d be in court and was surprised when he answered.
“Have you heard from Axton?”
“No,” I said. “He’s still missing. But I checked out some bars from your list and filed a missing person report.”
“I heard through the country club grapevine the police interviewed Packard.”
Maybe that’s why Sheila wanted to talk. Was she upset the police questioned Pack?
“…get together?”
My eyes watered as I stifled a yawn. “What was that?”
He laughed. “I said do you want to get together this weekend?”
“How about tonight? I was going to check out a few more places on that list after I babysit my nephew.”
We discussed the details and I got back to work.
When one o’clock rolled around, I told Ma about Eric’s phone call.
“Of course, toots. Roxy and I can handle clean up.”
I thanked her and gathered my stuff together. Roxy followed me outside. When we reached my car, she stared out at the traffic squinting her blue eyes against sun. “Rose, I’m worried about you. This guy who keeps showing up at your apartment, he could be dangerous.”
“I know.”
“I think you should stay with me. At least until you find Axton.” Roxy valued her space and her privacy almost more than anything else. Growing up in foster care, she never had a real home of her own. Her apartment wasn’t much, but it was hers, and the fact she offered to share it with me touched me deeply.
“Thanks,” I said as I opened the car door, “but I’ll be all right. Honest.” I held up three fingers.
She snorted. “Like you were ever a Girl Scout. I’ll meet you at Jacks’ house at six?”
“Yeah, and Dane’s going with us to the cigar bar.”
She shook her head, her shiny blue hair gliding over her shoulders. “No cigar bar for me. I have plans later.”
“What kind of plans?”
She shrugged and walked back into the diner.
Because I was so excited to see what Eric had found on that hard drive, I blew through two red lights and sped across Apple Tree Boulevard. I snagged a spot in the campus parking lot and practically ran to Blake Hall.
When I burst through the door of the IT office, Eric was alone. He glanced up from the laptop and blinked like an owl.
“What have you got?”
He waved me over. “Pull up a chair.”
I sat next to him and he shifted the laptop toward me so I could see it better. “What am I looking at?”
“A spreadsheet. Although the information was encrypted, first I had—”
I completely tuned him out as I stared at a spreadsheet of one hundred twenty-seven names in alphabetical order. There were numbers and dates next to each. “Oh my God, Eric, do you know what this is?”
He frowned. “I told you. It’s a spreadsheet. Don’t you want to know how I broke the encryption?”
“No.” I looked at him, my eyes wide. “This is a list of some of the most prominent people in Huntingford. The mayor, the chief of police… Holy freaking cow.”
Chapter 13
Eric leaned over and stared at the screen. “Oh.”
“What do we think the numbers mean? Forty-five thousand, eighty-three thousand. Packard Graystone’s name is on this list and his numbers add up to one hundred ninety-six thousand.”
“I have no idea.”
“How does this tie in with Axton?” I asked, staring at the computer.
“I really don’t know.”
I rubbed my hands over my eyes. How did NorthStar Inc. come into play? Or did it? And where did BJ fit in?
Eric reached out and patted my back. “Hey, you okay?”
I shook my head. From the corner of my eye, I saw the door open. Steve popped his head into the office, his gaze darted from Eric to me.
“Hey, Rose, what are you doing here? Is everything all right?”
“I finally broke the code,” Eric said.
“That’s great. So what was it?” He pulled a chair over to Eric’s desk and sat next to me.
“It’s a list of prominent Huntingford citizens with numbers and dates next to their names,” I said.
He looked at the screen. “Hmm. Money?”
I shrugged. “Could be. These are wealthy people. Could be donations for all we know.”
Minutes lapsed as we contemplated the list. With a sigh, I finally stood. “Eric, would you make a copy of this for me?”
“Sure.” He punched a couple of keys and the printer next to him spit out a copy of the list.
I folded the paper and tucked it in my purse. “Thanks. And thanks for breaking the code.”
“Anytime, kid.”
“Oh, there’s one other thing.” I told them both about BJ’s latest nocturnal visit. “And I’m about to meet with Sheila Graystone. Hopefully she’ll have information that will help.”
Steve had been pretty quiet until now. “Whatever you’re doing, it’s dangerous if it’s getting the attention of this BJ character.”
Eric nodded in agreement. “He’s right. You have to let the police handle this.”
“I can’t. The police think Ax is just some stoner who’s run off and I don’t have any real evidence — about anything. I need to find Ax and I can’t count on anybody else to do it for me.”
Eric scrubbed at the stubble on his cheeks and sighed. “I’m worried about him, too. And I’ve been covering for him with the administration, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up. Since he got busted last year, he’s skating on thin ice.”
“I’m going to find him.” I wondered if my expression was a fierce as my voice.
Eric nodded. “All right, kid, but let me help.”
Diners, Dives & Dead Ends Page 8
