“You just told me how dangerous it was to keep looking.”
“Yeah, well, I kind of miss him. But if you repeat that, I’ll deny it.”
I smiled. “I need to find out everything I can about NorthStar Inc. Not just a list of the businesses, but the owner. And how BJ fits in to all this.”
“Okay, I’ll get to work,” Eric said.
Steve stood. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine.”
He ignored me and placed his hand on my arm. “I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”
We walked up the stairs and out of the building. The day was warm, the afternoon sun blazing low in the sky.
With his hand still on my arm, he turned to me. “I’ll do anything I can to help you find Ax. But please, don’t let this guy into your apartment again.” His eyes, the color of dark chocolate, were filled with concern.
“You’re really sweet, Steve. And I don’t plan on letting him in again.”
“Good. Look I know you’re worried about Axton, but you have to eat. There’s this Thai place off the Boulevard—”
“Maybe once I get Axton back?” I had too many men to deal with right now. I waved over my shoulder and jogged to my car.
When I walked into Starbucks, the sharp smell of coffee hit me. I loved that smell — comforting and mouthwatering at the same time. Sheila sat at a two-person table in the corner and waved when she saw me.
“Aren’t you going to get some coffee?” she asked.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the Frappuccino I so richly deserved. I pulled out a chair and sat across from her. “No, I’m good.”
“Thanks for meeting me.”
“Has Packard heard from Axton again?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” I blinked at her. “If you don’t have information on Ax, why did you call?”
She looked down at the table. “This is hard,” she said, more to herself than to me. She glanced back up. “Pack has been acting strange since Axton’s disappearance.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, really. He’s been on edge, secretive.”
“Secretive?”
She gestured with one hand. “He’ll get phone calls and walk out of the room to take them. Even in the middle of dinner. He won’t talk in front of me. I know my husband and something is wrong.”
The thought crossed my mind that maybe Packard was having an affair. Call me Captain Obvious.
“Have you checked his phone history?”
“I don’t feel right doing that.”
“And you’re sure it’s about Axton? It’s not work or…” I left the words hanging in the air.
She got what I was implying and sat up straighter, a haughty look on her face. “My husband is a good man. An honest man. He would never do anything to hurt me.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“I just think Packard’s weird behavior has something to do with Axton, that’s all.”
“Did the police ever talk to Pack?” According to Dane they had, but I wanted to hear it from Sheila.
“An officer called him and asked a few questions. That was about it.”
I sighed and looked out the window. “So, you think these phone calls have something to do with Ax?” I turned back to face her.
“I think so.”
“Why don’t you look at Packard’s phone and get me a list of the incoming numbers?”
She nibbled her lip and ran her thumb over the rim of her cup lid. “I don’t know.”
If she didn’t want to help me, why did she call this little meeting? “Look, Sheila, Axton is missing. The police don’t care and your husband has been acting strange. You said yourself he’s been on edge since Axton’s disappearance.” I looked directly into her brown eyes. “Please?”
She was silent for a few minutes. “My husband is ambitious. He wants to run for mayor. He sees it as a stepping stone for bigger things.” She clutched her coffee cup. “He’s probably just under a lot of stress at work.”
I reached out and touched her wrist. “I don’t care about your husband. I don’t want to hurt him, I really don’t. I don’t care what Packard’s done, as long as it doesn’t involve Axton. Every time I’ve needed him, he’s been there for me. He may be flaky in some areas, but as a friend, he’s as steady as they come. I need to find him.”
Finally, she looked up at me. “Okay. I’ll check his phone tonight.”
I pushed my chair back to leave.
“Rose, if he has been talking to another woman?”
I waited.
“I want to know.”
I mulled over our conversation on the way to my apartment. I hoped the phone numbers would yield some results, but I wasn’t holding my breath. Ax and Pack weren’t close. I wasn’t even sure why Ax called his brother the night he disappeared. It was odd.
As my mind wandered, I drove past a strip mall that housed a tanning salon. Something about it niggled at the corner of my mind. I had seen the name of that tanning salon before.
Making a U-turn, I drove back and parked in front of a row of small shops. I dug in my purse for the list of businesses owned by NorthStar Inc., then looked up at the Sun Kissed Tanning Salon with a big ass grin on my face. Shoving the list in my purse, I got out of the car and walked inside.
A girl in her early twenties stood at the counter, rows of tanning products lined the glass shelves behind her. She smiled when I walked in. “Hi,” she said, “how are you today?” Her skin — the color of a radioactive carrot — clashed with her purple tie-dyed bikini.
“I’m great, thanks, and you?”
“I’m great, too.” She flipped her bleached hair over her shoulder and continuously petted it with two hot pink-tipped hands. “You look like you’re in the right place.”
I raised my brows. “I do?”
“Definitely. You’re really pale.”
For some reason I thought she was going to blurt out everything about NorthStar Inc. and how it was connected to Axton. All my questions would be answered. Instead she just wanted to orange me.
“Are you interested in a spray tan or the beds?” She scrunched her nose. “In your case, I would do both.” Not having tan must be a bummer in her world.
“I’m not really here for the tanning.”
And before I could whip out my picture of Axton, she nodded. “Oh, okay. You’re here to see Manny.”
My hand froze inside my purse. “Yep. I’m here to see Manny.” My heart began to pound. Could this finally lead to a clue? God, I hoped so. I was so tired of chasing my own tail.
“Well, come on.” She motioned for me to follow her down a short hallway behind the counter. Unused tanning beds stood in darkened rooms and posters of sunny beaches covered the light blue walls.
Skin Cancer Barbie opened the last door on the left and stood aside so I could walk through. “Someone to see you, Manny.”
“Thanks, Tif.” A round short man with a Benjamin Franklin hairdo and a green Hawaiian shirt sat behind a desk in the small office. The walls were bare and a computer monitor stood on his desk. He gestured to a folding chair. “Sit.”
I smiled and did. “Thanks.”
“What’s your name?”
Oh, crap. I didn’t know he was going to start with the hard questions. “Sue,” I said.
“Pleased to meet you, Sue.” He picked up a gold pen and began twirling it between his fingers. “Now, what can I do you for?”
I searched for a clue, but there was nothing here. No pictures, no decor, nothing. Maybe he thought I was here for a job. My pale body could be the ‘before’ to Tif’s ‘after.’ “Oh, just the usual,” I said.
“There is no usual, really.”
“I’m just looking at the basics. I don’t want to get too creative.”
“Great. That’s smart.” He tapped his noggin with the pen. “You can screw yourself by getting too creative.”
Kind of like what I was doing at this
very moment. I nodded and smiled.
“I just need the name of your referral and we’ll get started.”
Shit. “I don’t really remember. I’m so bad with names.” I laughed and tossed my hair over my shoulder.
The smile dropped from his face faster than a drunken girl’s bikini top on Spring break. “Well, that’s a shame.”
I smiled a real charmer. “Can’t we just skip the referral?”
“No, we can’t.”
“Maybe you could make an exception?”
“We don’t make exceptions.” His voice was as cold as his pale blue eyes. Manny Ben Franklin wasn’t buying what I was selling.
The vibe in the room shifted from benign to dangerous in a second. I didn’t know what they were doing here, but I knew it wasn’t kosher. Probably wasn’t legal, either. I stood up and smoothed my leg with one hand as I hoisted my purse up my shoulder with the other. “Sorry to have wasted your time.”
I moved to the door, but Manny jumped out of his chair and blocked my exit. “You’re not going anywhere. Who told you about me?”
My breath caught in my throat. I gulped and blurted out the first name that popped into my head. “Packard Graystone.” My pulse hammered against my throat and I audibly heard my heartbeat.
“I don’t believe you.” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer. He wore strong aftershave that made my nose itch and little beads of sweat dotted his massive forehead.
I yanked my wrist back, but Manny’s hand tightened and pain shot from my wrist down my hand. I struggled against his grip, but he didn’t let go. So I screamed. One of those loud, shrill screams that hurts the ear drums. Then I belted him on the side of his head with my fist and brought my knee up at the same time. I didn’t make contact with his crotch, because he brought up his own knee to block it, but he loosened his grasp.
I took advantage and pulled away, then shoved him as hard as I could with both hands. When he stumbled against the file cabinet, I yanked open the door and ran.
Halfway down the hall, Tiff stood in my way with wide eyes. “What’s going—”
Not slowing down, I slammed my shoulder into her arm.
“Ow, that hurt.” She spun to the side as I ran past her and out of the building.
I jumped into my car, jammed the key into the ignition, and without turning to look behind me, I thrust the car into reverse and hauled ass out of the parking lot.
Chapter 14
I pulled up to Jacks’ house just before six. After my run-in with Manny, I’d taken a long winding way home, checking the rearview mirror more than the road in front of me. My hands shook so badly, I gripped the wheel until my fingers hurt. I replayed the conversation with him over and over. I’d found out two things: the tanning salon was a cover for something shady — no pun intended — and Manny knew Packard Graystone. But I didn’t know how either of these facts tied into Axton’s disappearance.
I was still a nervous mess as I got ready for the evening. After babysitting Scotty, I was meeting Dane and wanted to look nice. Not that this was a date or anything. We were just trying to find Axton. Together. At a bar. An un-date, that’s what it was.
As I got out of the car, I adjusted my dress — the nicest one I owned actually. Black, not too short, showing a little boobage, but not enough to be slutty. I thought I looked pretty spiffy.
Then I saw Roxy.
She wore a ruffled blouse with a short black skirt over layers of stiff white petticoats. She topped it off with an enormous black bow attached to her blue sausage curls.
“You look very pretty,” I said.
We walked up to the door and stood on the lighted porch. She glanced at me. “What happened? You run into that BJ guy again?” Her gaze moved over my face. “You look as tense as shit.”
I had been going for casual hot. Apparently I had the holy-hell-I-got-the-crap-scared-out-of-me-by-a-Ben-Franklin-impersonator look instead. “I’ll tell you later.”
The door flew open and I peered down, saw Scotty, and grinned. “Hey Sport.”
“Aunt Rose! We’re having pizza tonight. No salmon.”
“Yay! I love pizza.”
He stepped back to let us in. His blue eyes widened as he took in Roxy from head to toe. “You look like a Bubble Guppy.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
My sister walked down the stairs fixing her earring as she came. She glanced over at Roxy and froze in place. “The two of you are too dressed up to spend the night babysitting.”
“I’m going out afterward,” I said.
“Me, too.”
“Won’t it be kind of late?”
“It’s not a school night, Mom,” I said. Roxy snorted. “Quit worrying about us, just go and have a good time.”
Allen walked into the foyer in a suit and tie. “Hey, Rose,” he said, not looking at me but at Roxy. His brows made a trip north. “Hello.” He held out his hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Allen Smythe.”
“Roxy Block,” she said, shaking his hand.
“That’s a very…unique outfit you have on, Roxy.”
She smacked her gum and nodded. “Like I know, right?”
Jacks slipped a lightweight coat out of the hall closet. “We’ve already ordered the pizza, and the money is on the kitchen counter with a coupon. Scotty will try to talk you into letting him stay up until nine, but bedtime’s eight-thirty.” Allen helped her into her coat. “Don’t let him have sugar. And we should be home between nine and nine-thirty.”
“Scotty,” she called. “Come kiss me goodbye.”
He flew into the foyer and slid across the marble floor. “Bye Mommy. Bye Daddy.” He hugged my sister’s leg and she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.
Allen ruffled his hair. “Be good for Aunt Rose, okay?”
“Kay,” he said before running off.
“Where are you guys going anyway?” I asked.
Allen frowned. “To your parents’ house, of course.”
I looked at Jacks, but she wouldn’t meet my gaze. “It’s a hospital thing. You’d be so bored.”
Realization flitted across Allen’s face as he stood next to Jacks with his mouth hanging open. “Oh yes, bored. God, these things are so boring. Wouldn’t be there unless we had to, right Jacqueline?”
I forced a smile on my face. “Sure.” I waved one hand. “You two go on.”
My smile left as soon as they did. Fact is, I’d rather have my tooth drilled without anesthetic than go to my parents’ house. What did I have in common with a room full of doctors? Still, I knew I hadn’t been invited, not because I didn’t find talk of gallbladders and golf games fascinating, but because my parents were ashamed of me.
“Wow,” Roxy said. “That was harsh.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s all fine. Let’s go find Scotty.”
He was in the den watching Sponge Bob Square Pants. I found it annoying, but Roxy laughed just as hard as Scotty did.
When the pizza came, I turned off the TV and we ate in the kitchen. After he was done eating, Scotty begged me for candy.
“We have a whole new bag of Snickers for the trick-or-treaters.” He pointed to the cabinet above the refrigerator. “That’s where Mommy hides it.”
“How do you know where she hides it, Sport?” I asked.
“Duh, because that’s where she hides the cookies.”
“Well, maybe you can have a piece after lunch tomorrow, because your mom said no sugar tonight.”
“Ah man.” He pounded his little fist on the table. “That sucks!”
Roxy nodded. “That does suck.” She pulled out a piece of gum and stuck it in her mouth.
“Can I have a piece of gum?”
“No, this is special gum. I’m trying to quit smoking because it’s a bad habit, so I chew the gum instead.”
He paused for second, his blue eyes narrowed. “Maybe if I quit picking my nose, I could eat candy.”
I grinned. “It doesn’t hurt to have dreams.”
&nb
sp; We played Old Maid and Go Fish until it was time for Scotty to go to bed. Normally we’d play Candy Land, but since sugar was a forbidden substance, I didn’t want to rub it in.
At eight-fifteen, I watched him brush his teeth, listened to his prayers, and together, we read his favorite book. By that time, he’d just about conked out. When I kissed his forehead and left the room, I felt a pang in my chest. Sometimes I envied my sister.
Back downstairs I flopped onto the sofa next to Roxy.
“Okay,” she said, “spill.”
I filled her in on the decrypted list—‘Names, dates, and numbers? WTF?’—my conversation with Sheila—‘Packard’s totally getting some on the side’—and my run in with Manny—‘Maybe he’s a pimp in charge of a secret prostitution ring.’
“A prostitution ring in Huntingford?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Stranger shit has happened.”
“I just want Axton back.”
“You’ll find him. In the meantime, if you want to know what’s going on in that tanning salon, we could always break in.”
“Who are we, Charlie’s Angels? With my luck, I’d get caught.”
“I never get caught. Well, not since I was twelve.”
“Is that why you spent time in juvie?” I knew Roxy had a tough childhood. She’d mentioned her stay in Juvenile Hall over the years, but never told me why.
She shrugged. “I put syrup of Ipecac in my foster father’s beer.”
“Oh.”
She played with a flounce on her skirt. “He deserved it, trust me.”
“I do.”
“Seriously, though, if you want to break in after hours, I’m your girl.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
Roxy and I watched TV until Jacks and Allen came home an hour later. I gave them an update as Roxy pulled on her cardigan and I grabbed my purse and dug out my keys. “Okay sis, I’ll call you next week.”
“Rose, I’m sorry about tonight. I should have told you we were going to Mom and Dad’s house. It’s just after the salmon incident the other day—”
“It’s okay. Really.” I gave her a quick hug.
She kissed my cheek and said goodnight.
Roxy and I were walking toward our cars when she glanced over at me. “Sorry you didn’t get invited to the hospital thing.”
Diners, Dives & Dead Ends Page 9
