Random Acts of Fraud (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries Book 5)

by Christy Barritt

  I’d just finished setting the table when Alex and Ralph arrived. Alex was expecting her first baby in three months. She was tall, thin, intelligent, and beautiful. She was also ten years older, and she liked to be in charge of everything and everyone—especially me.

  Ralph’s wife had died several years ago in an auto accident, only six months into their marriage. He hadn’t really looked at anyone since then and seemed content to focus on his work. He’d previously been a high school principal and then a school board member before running for the senate. He was nerdy cute and had a propensity toward sweater vests and plastic-framed glasses. He was eight years older than I, and had also been like another parent to me.

  We chitchatted for several minutes about work and schedules and Alex’s baby—generic stuff. About fifteen minutes into our conversation, Alex’s studious gaze fell on me.

  “Why do you seem nervous?” she asked, taking a bite of her coffee cake.

  I’d been contemplating all night whether I should share the news about Blake. They were both smart enough to use discernment with the information. Besides, I wanted to know if one of them had placed the ad.

  “Someone showed up Sunday claiming to be related to Dad,” I started, laying everything on the table.

  They both froze and lowered their food and drinks back to the table.

  I dove in and told them all I knew.

  “You think she’s for real?” Alex crossed her arms, her contemplative attorney look claiming each of her facial muscles. “I can run a background check on her.”

  “She seemed legit.” I’d left out the part about her staying at my house. I didn’t need another lecture. “Besides, why would someone pretend to be related to us? It’s not like we’re loaded.”

  Alex and Ralph both stared at me like I suddenly had a forked tongue.

  “You’re not serious, right?” Ralph said. “Politics. Court cases. State legislation. There are any number of reasons.”

  “I can’t see her doing that,” I said, knowing my argument was futile.

  “But you don’t know her,” Alex said. “You think the best of people.”

  The way she said it made it clear that she didn’t think that quality was an attribute.

  “Don’t you want people to think the best about you?” I asked, holding my frustration at bay. Attempting to, at least.

  There were some things I’d just never see eye to eye about with my family. I’d been more like my dad, and that was just one more reason I missed him. He’d understood me while no one else in my family seemed to try.

  “Of course, but this situation is different.” Ralph pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. “This is someone claiming to be related. We need to be diligent.”

  “Did either of you put the ad in the adoption forum?”

  They both stared at me. No, they didn’t. That was my answer.

  “Why would we do that?” Alex asked.

  “Someone did,” I said.

  “You think Mom did?” Ralph responded.

  “If none of us did, then that only leaves Mom.”

  “That seems so unlike her.” Alex sat back and rubbed her pregnant stomach, appearing deep in thought.

  “So, what should I tell Blake if we speak again?” I asked, choosing my words carefully. “That I need to wait until she’s passed a background check, credit check, and criminal records check?”

  “Of course not,” Alex scoffed with a half eye roll. “We just need more information.”

  “For that matter, I would like to meet her,” Ralph said. “But we need to be careful how close we let her get. Like, we can’t let her into our homes or anything.” He laughed, like the idea was ludicrous.

  I quickly looked away before they could read the truth in my gaze. I’d had my fill of lectures for the week.

  I requested to work at home today, which Ralph was totally okay with. I needed to be at my house because I’d hired someone to come in and install a security system. I had to do whatever I could to prevent someone from breaking in and nearly killing me again. Besides, next time this guy might not nearly kill me. He might actually kill me.

  I shivered at the thought.

  The company had come at nine, and it had only taken three hours to install the new system and teach me how to use it. I worked as the security company worked, and then I took a break for lunch.

  I stared at my phone, thinking about calling the Hookers, but I decided to delay the inevitable act a little bit longer.

  Instead, while munching on some carrots and celery, I did another search for Ronald Dillow and Dillow Mortuary Transportation.

  To my surprise, the company had a pretty extensive online presence. I clicked on Ronald’s picture and studied it again.

  He looked like a nice enough man. Even nice people were capable of murder, however. But I’d met Ronald, and he just didn’t strike me as the type to plan something so thoroughly.

  Next I clicked on Travis’s picture. His bio didn’t contain anything surprising. He was from Columbus. He loved vintage cars. He rooted for the Cincinnati Bengals.

  I continued to scroll through the pictures on the Dillow Mortuary Transportation site until I stopped at one.

  It was the man—the one who’d run into me Saturday night and left the key in my pocket. He’d been right under my nose the whole time. I’d just never thought to look.

  His name was listed as Chuck Rogers.

  He looked different in the picture. He didn’t have that chinstrap beard or whatever Jamie had called it. But I felt 99 percent certain this was him.

  My pulse spiked. I was onto something. Finally!

  I grabbed my phone and called Chase.

  “Good work, Holly,” he muttered. “I’ll go see what I can find out.”

  “Let me go with you,” I blurted.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “Please.”

  He remained quiet a moment. “You promise to say out of this?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll be there in five. Don’t make me regret this. Please.”

  I sat in Chase’s car and watched as he approached Chuck’s front door.

  This could be it. This could be the moment we found some answers, and I’d be able to put this behind me.

  A car sat in the driveway, which led me to believe that Chuck was home. His house was more of a rundown shack with siding that was falling off. The whole place was surrounded by overgrown grass and lots of small trees and shrubs that hadn’t been trimmed . . . ever?

  As I waited, my mind raced, trying to piece together what I already knew. Chuck hadn’t been at the get-together the Hookers had planned. Why was that? His other coworkers were there.

  I chewed on that thought. I needed to find out. For now, it only served to cast him in a negative light—a guilty light.

  I hummed “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” It could be my theme song with the lyric’s sentiments of holding your head up high through trials. I had to pass my time in the car somehow, and humming a song about keeping me head up high seemed to do the trick.

  On the way here, Chase had told me that Dr. Dan Gilbert was MIA. No one had seen him all day. I wondered what that meant.

  But right now, I really wanted to know about this guy. Chuck.

  Chase knocked on the door again, but no one answered still. I watched as he moved around the house. He peered in the front window. He then moved around the house to another window.

  I sensed something change in his demeanor. A sense of urgency emerged, evident in his quickened steps and tight muscles.

  He called someone on his phone before rushing toward the front door. Quickly, he tried the knob, but it appeared locked. Using his shoulder, he rammed into the door. Two tries later, the wood cracked and the door opened.

  I held my breath. Prayed. Theorized what might be happening.

  All I could think of was: Chuck was inside murdering someone. Chase had to stop him.

  Two minutes l
ater, two other police cars showed up, as well as an ambulance.

  This wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. However, I kept my promise and stayed in the car. I gripped the door handle the whole time, desperately wanting to be a part of the action. But I’d given Chase my word.

  Twenty minutes later—twenty long, agonizing moments—Chase climbed back into the driver’s seat. He stared straight ahead, making no move to leave. His grim expression only added to my unease.

  “You were right,” he finally said. “This was Chuck’s house.”

  “What did you find?” Dead bodies? A human smuggling ring? A house full of syringes?

  Chase finally looked at me. “We found Chuck, Holly. He’s dead.”

  I swallowed hard, unsure if I’d heard correctly. “Do you know how?”

  “It appears he was injected with something . . . just like Travis.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Why do you keep fidgeting?” Jamie asked me that evening as she pinned a lock of my hair in place.

  “Sorry. I’m just a little nervous. On so many different levels.”

  We stood in my small bathroom, one that still had Pepto Bismol pink tiles on the floor, half of the wall, and in the bathtub’s surround. It was on my list of things to change, but for now, I was going to tell people I liked the retro look.

  Jamie had come over to help me with a new hairstyle that involved several braids being pinned loosely into a bun. It was a very romantic look, and I needed something to bolster my waning confidence tonight. A snazzy A-line dress with a pretty hairdo could do the trick, but I’d needed assistance.

  Blake, apparently, was still at class. I hadn’t exactly asked for her schedule, though I kind of wished I had. It would be nice to know when she was coming and going, just for my own sanity.

  Sure, I’d told her she could stay here, but I wasn’t crazy about her being in my home without me. While there were very few worldly possessions I held dear, the ones I did value, I’d take someone down for. Like my father’s old record player and his collection of albums from bygone eras. Or the princess figure my father had whittled for me out of an old stick, one that was now proudly displayed on my glass bookshelf.

  “I just have a lot on my mind,” I muttered, staring at myself in the mirror.

  Jamie paused long enough to peer at my reflection. “You’re nervous about this, aren’t you?”

  “Can you blame me? My almost date with Travis ended with him being dead.”

  “That’s not going to happen again.”

  Perry Como’s Papa Loves Mambo crooned in the background, helping me relax ever-so-slightly. Perry was good for that. “Famous last words. Not to mention the fact that someone’s trying to kill me.”

  “That is unnerving.”

  “My last date had ulterior motives for going out with me, and I’m still not sure what they were.”

  “You’re right. You do have a lot to be nervous about.” Jamie placed one more bobby pin in my hair and then stepped back. “There, all done. You look gorgeous.”

  I glanced in the mirror and felt a rush of satisfaction. The look was very Victorian era—soft and feminine. Though I usually preferred the fifties look, the change was nice.

  “It looks good. Thank you, Jamie.”

  She shrugged dramatically and lifted her palm in the air with false humility. “I’ll send you my bill, and, girl, I’m expensive. I’m two dozen gluten-free cookies expensive.”

  “I can handle that.” I grabbed my purse and walked with her toward the door. I was so glad I had a friend like Jamie in my life. “Your friendship is priceless.”

  “I was just reading Bible verses about friendship. Two are better than one. Iron sharpens iron. A friend loveth—and baketh cookies—at all times.”

  I smiled. “Really?”

  “Okay, not that last one.”

  “You forgot this one: bad company corrupts good character.”

  She snorted. “You’re not bad company.”

  “I have almost gotten you killed a few times.” I frowned as I remembered last night.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nor can I believe this Chuck guy is dead.”

  “I did tell you that Dr. Dan has disappeared, right? Chase found out when he went to check out his alibi for last night.”

  “And Ronald was already behind bars,” Jamie reminded me. “So, he’s not behind this either.”

  “There’s something big we’re missing,” I said.

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  “Not if someone kills us first.”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re like a cat with nine lives.” She paused before we exited my house. “So, you’re going to call me and let me know how it goes?”

  “Of course.”

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  I chuckled. “Believe me, I won’t. The fact that I’m going on this date is a big step. Mind-blowing.”

  She squeezed my arm, and her voice turned serious. “I know, and I’m proud of you.”

  We gave each other a quick hug and said goodbye.

  I was officially on my own now.

  I was meeting Drew across the river in Kentucky. Though he seemed like a gentleman, it was better if he didn’t know where I lived. I could only imagine the lectures I’d get about that from my well-meaning inner circle. Drew wanted to surprise me with wherever we were eating and had asked me to meet him in front of a parking garage.

  As soon as I pulled into the garage and found a space on an upper level, another Mustang pulled in beside me. Drew waved and grinned from the front seat, his white teeth sparkling even in the dim lighting of the cement box around me.

  I climbed out, my heart instantly calming when I saw him.

  “Hey, there,” I said, edging between my car and the VW Beetle beside me.

  “Hello, yourself. You look . . .” He looked me up and down before letting out a low whistle. “Gorgeous. Stunning, for that matter.”

  I was pretty sure I blushed. “Thank you.”

  “Shall we?” He offered the crook of his arm.

  I rested my hand there, feeling like a lady. It was easily one of my top ten favorite feelings ever. Maybe even top three. “Let’s.”

  I had to admit that Drew was a classy guy. He was dressed to the nines in a suit and tie, his hair was neat, and his shoes were polished. He was the picture of a gentleman.

  This very well could be a perfect date—but I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

  “So, how was your day, Holly?” he asked as we reached an elevator.

  I remembered the breakfast with my brother and sister, the break-in during the night, Chuck’s death, and my uncertainties about Blake. “It was . . . interesting.”

  “I look forward to hearing about it over dinner.”

  I needed to figure out how much I would share. But, for now, I nodded and stepped onto the elevator. “How about you? Have you had a good day?”

  “It wasn’t very busy, which I suppose is a good thing for the community, right?”

  “Seems like it would be.” I paused, switching subjects in my mind. “Have you heard any updates on what happened to Travis?”

  Had he heard Ronald had been arrested? That Chuck was dead? That was what I really wanted to know.

  He shook his head. “I heard a couple of rumors regarding the investigation—but nothing’s been substantiated yet.”

  “I heard Ronald Dillow was arrested.”

  He tilted his head. “You heard?”

  “I did.”

  “Ronald seems like a nice enough man. And I’m still unclear about why the police think he would do something like this. I just can’t see it.” He let out a soft breath before adding somberly, “Someone else who worked with Travis was also murdered.”

  “That’s got to shake you up a bit.” We stepped off the elevator and started down the busy sidewalk.

  “To say the least.”

  I didn’t ask where we were going, but Drew led me
down the street and past several small, quaint restaurants.

  “So . . .” Drew started, hesitation tinging his voice. “I have a confession.”

  His words caused me to tense. I’d heard a lot of bad confessions before . . . usually right before someone tried to kill me. “Do you?”

  “Don’t get scared. It’s not that frightening, I promise. I need to confess that I Googled you.”

  I released my breath. I could handle that confession. “Did you?”

  “I saw your awards. The one for Volunteer of the Year for the entire city was very impressive.”

  “I was honored to receive that.”

  “But I also saw some news articles about some crimes you’d helped solve.” His words hung in the air. “I knew you’d done some stuff, but I had no idea just how much.”

  I knew he wanted more. Was he testing to see if I was some kind of psychopath who liked inserting myself into dangerous situations? Some people might say yes.

  But this was me. I was a package deal, and I didn’t want to change to suit other people. I was being the person God had created me to be.

  “I like helping people,” I finally said. “And it seems I’m continually placed in situations where people need my help. People who are uncomfortable going to the police or people who don’t know whom they can trust. I have the means and the connections—sometimes—to help them. So that’s what I try to do.”

  “Sounds dangerous.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. But it’s like I always say, God never called us to be comfortable. He never even called us to be happy. I feel like my life has a greater purpose than pursuing those things.”

  I watched his reaction, holding my breath as I waited to see if he understood or not. Not everyone could grasp my mentality. It was counterculture to the world. But I believed it with every ounce of my being. Christ had sacrificed his life for me. I was willing to sacrifice whatever I needed to shine His light in the world.

  Drew continued to study me a moment, and my gut twisted tighter. I’d just lost him, hadn’t I? He’d decided I was too zealous for his tastes.

  It wouldn’t be the first time. And I was okay with that. Disappointed, but okay.