Blood Ties_A Magnolia Novel

by Ashley Fontainne

“Mary Rutherford’s her name. Sweet woman.”

  “Okay, Ms. Rutherford. Did she happen to mention whether they filed some sort of report about the attempted online activity with any authority?”

  Cecil looked confused for a moment, his thin skin furrowing around his eyes as he tried to remember. “Yes, she did. But I can’t rightly recall all of what she said. Somethin’ about trackin’ virtual addresses and such.”

  Karina’s voice was low and soothing. She knelt down next to Cecil and said, “What that means is, they are trying to locate the specific computer used to access their website. All computers have their own address, kind of like a VIN number on a car. Did she say they know where the IP address originated from?”

  Cecil furrowed his brow as he tried to remember. “She might have, but I really can’t remember. I was so upset, all I could think about was comin’ here to talk to y’all.”

  Karina reached out and put her hand on Cecil’s arm. “Mr. Pickard, would you mind if we went back to visit with her? I would like to ask her a few questions, see what the status of things are. Get a better handle on what happened, and what they are doing about it.”

  “I was sort of hopin’ you’d offer. That’s why I decided to come over. Junior told me all about you and your mom, what you went through in California on that case. How can I go wrong with an ex-cop and a private detective in my corner?”

  Karina smiled. “Would you mind if I set up a camera in your apartment, too? The feed will connect to no one but me, and I promise to keep an eye out. I will fix it so it starts recording when it detects motion, and when it starts recording, the video will come straight to my phone.”

  “Do you really think you need to go that far, Karina?” Ruth queried.

  “Yes, Gram. I do.”

  LiAnn cleared her throat. “Mr. Pickard, we should also make a stop by all the locations you have accounts at, and inform them what happened at First State Southern. Make sure they are aware so in case someone tries to open an online account, they’ll flag it.”

  “Yes, great idea, Mom. But I’m thinking we should throw out some bait so we can catch the bad guy, or gal, quicker. Mr. Pickard, what are you doing next weekend?” Karina asked.

  Surprised, Cecil stuttered, “Not anythin’ in particular, other than listenin’ to Jimmy finish reading the end of The Count of Monte Cristo. It’s his last day to read to all of us. Why?”

  Karina let a wicked smirk appear. “How would you like to go to Branson for four days, all expenses paid? Mom’s driving Gram and Grampa. You need to go, too. And make sure you make it known around The Magnolia, especially around this Carmella chick, you’ll be gone.”

  “I, uh…”

  Junior responded first. “Cecil, that’s a fine idea. We haven’t been on a vacation together in years. You and I can fish while the girls shop. You just let my gals do their thing. They’ll figure out what’s goin’ on, and who’s stealin’ from ya. Dontcha worry none.”

  “Junior’s right, Cecil, and we won’t take no for an answer. LiAnn and Karina will make sure you, and your money, are safe,” Ruth offered.

  “Ms. Ruth, y’all is just too sweet. Junior, as I’ve always said, y’alls a lucky man. You’ve been blessed with a fine family. Okay, I’m in! So, what’s the next step?”

  “We all finish eatin’ our lunch before anyone does anythin’, then y’all can start your plannin’,” Ruth instructed.

  All of them mumbled agreement at Ruth’s stern words. Karina returned to her seat and shoveled her food so fast, LiAnn worried she might choke. LiAnn could see the excitement, the spinning wheels, behind Karina’s blue eyes. Her own adrenaline had kicked in, the anticipation of solving a puzzle made LiAnn’s skin tingle.

  23

  Digging Deeper

  Karina parked Cecil’s car in his spot at The Magnolia. She hit the speaker button on her mom’s cell and called her own. “Mom, you all set with my phone? Parked and ready?”

  “Just pulled into the gas station across the street. Ready to get the show on the road.”

  “Awesome!” Karina turned to Cecil and asked, “Okay, you know your role and what to say if asked any questions, correct?”

  Cecil responded, “Yep. When inside my apartment, and if we run into someone who wants to poke their nose into my business, we act like you’re my great-niece, Vivian, visitin’ from California.”

  “Great. Okay, Mom, we’re going in.” Karina looked at Cecil. “You ready?” He nodded and they exited the car. She made sure to keep her steps slow to match Cecil’s. Karina groaned inwardly at the temperature. It had to be over one hundred degrees, and the humidity was so high, it was like standing in a steam bath. She pulled her hair away from her neck and jerked it into messy bun.

  Cecil chuckled. “Ain’t got used to the heat yet, huh?”

  “Nope. Doubt I ever will. How in the world are you not sweating? I think I’ve lost ten pounds in the last few weeks just from loss of fluids.”

  Cecil shrugged his shoulders. “Years of pourin’ sweat dried up my glands, I guess. So, if we run into Carmella, or anyone else, do we just keep goin’, or do we stop and I introduce you?”

  “We don’t want people thinking anything is amiss. Just act natural, and follow my lead. You’re in good hands now.”

  “You know, you amaze me. You’ve got all this fancy-dancy spy equipment, a gun, and yet are as beautiful as any woman I’ve ever met. For the life of me, the only reason I figure you’re still single is because you intimidate men. Hell, I know you and you scare me.”

  Karina laughed. “It’s going to take a strong man to corral me, that’s for sure.”

  “Ain’t that the truth? I mean, you got the information you needed from Ms. Rutherford in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Poor woman’s still probably scratchin’ her head. All that fast, California talk left her discombobulated. Probably will have the same effect on Carmella, if’n we run into her. Southerners don’t talk that fast, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  Karina smirked. “Oh, I’ve noticed. Everything, including speaking, moves slow here. Like investigating a computer crime. I can’t believe the bank isn’t right on top of things. Ridiculous. But, I got all I needed from her, and I promise you, my former partner will have an answer for me,” she glanced at her watch, “in about an hour.”

  Cecil shook his head in disbelief. “Way over my head. I hope I’m wrong about Carmella. There are other staff members, you know, the cleanin’ crews, cooks and such. From what I know, Carmella has been at The Magnolia for years, so why would she start a life of crime now?”

  “Money does strange things to people, Mr. Pickard. Once they get a taste for it, like an addict, they want more, and will do whatever necessary to feed their habit. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I witnessed people do when I was undercover. So, I have a quick question before we start: why Vivian?”

  Cecil’s eyes, which had been full of worry and stress for the past several hours, lit up. “Vivian Leigh is my favorite actress. Oh, when she wore those beautiful gowns in Gone with the Wind, I thought my eyes would pop outta my head. She was the epitome of beauty, grace, and strength. You remind me of her.”

  “Wow, what a compliment! You’re so sweet, Mr. Pickard. I do love that movie, except for the ending.”

  “Why?”

  Karina flashed Cecil a wicked grin. “Don’t tell my mom I said this because she would flip if she heard me, but Scarlett should have told Rhett to shove it up his ass and slammed the door in his face. Now that would have been classic!”

  They both laughed as they drew closer to the front entrance. Sweat pooled under Karina’s armpits and dribbled down her back. By the time they made it up the steps, her shirt was soaked. It wasn’t just from the overbearing heat, either. Her adrenaline was amped up, along with a twinge of worry spreading through her chest. Karina was about to step foot in a place that would bring back disturbing memories. Pushing aside her own mental crap, Karina followed Mr. Pickard inside as he held the door
open.

  Once inside, a cold rush of air slapped her in the face and made goose bumps pop up all over her arms. Karina gave a quick scan of the place, noting the beautiful decor. Her mom was right on target: the place was gorgeous. Breathtaking, actually.

  To her surprise, the young woman at the front desk didn’t even acknowledge either of them as they walked by. She was too busy reading a textbook of some sorts. Her lack of concern for the safety of the elderly residents irked the shit out of Karina. Granted, she had walked in with a resident, but no sign-in sheet? Was the receptionist so lazy she couldn’t even raise her eyes to see who just walked in or even open her mouth to say good afternoon? What the hell happened to Southern hospitality?

  On top of the lackadaisical doofus at the front desk, Karina quickly noticed the cameras in the lobby and front sitting room weren’t functioning. They were throwbacks to at least the early 90s, the big, bulky kind that flashed red when activated. They weren’t blinking. When they reached the stairs, Karina’s mouth twisted into a grimace, for the damn camera wasn’t even plugged in. So much for security footage. The flip side is my worries about listening devices just took a nosedive.

  No one was in the front sitting area, nor on the stairs as they walked in silence to the second floor. The scent of fresh gardenias was strong, mixed with the aroma of whatever food had been served at lunch. The odor was even worse on the stairs. It wasn’t like she didn’t enjoy the smell of fresh flowers, but too much of anything was beyond annoying. So far, other than the pretty decorations, her assessment of the place was dim. The old adage about judging a book by its cover had never been more on target.

  She glanced over at Cecil, who seemed quite nervous. His hands trembled while he fumbled with his key to unlock his door. After three unsuccessful attempts, Karina put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Want me to try?”

  “Sure. Guess it’s a good thing I was just a grunt in the military. Never woulda made it as a spy. Too jittery.”

  With a flick of her wrist, Karina unlocked the door. Cecil stood aside and let her go in first then closed the door with a bit too much force behind him. “Why don’t you have a seat while I check out your fancy digs, Uncle Cecil?” She followed her statement with a slight wink. To her surprise, Cecil winked back.

  “Sure thing, Viv, right after I fix us a glass of cold, iced tea. It’s hotter than a June bug in a fryin’ pan today.”

  For the next few minutes, they traded idle chitchat while Karina walked the living room, kitchen, dining area and front bathroom. She made sure to stop at places with full access to the living area, pretending to admire knickknacks, pictures or décor, but didn’t see any evidence of a hidden camera. A bug would be impossible to find without sweeper equipment, so she had instructed Cecil to continue the uncle/niece charade while she poked around.

  There was one picture on the desk of Cecil’s small family. It sat inside a dark black picture frame, one full of scrolling swirls around the metal edges. It was the perfect hiding spot.

  “What a great picture of all of you,” Karina gushed, picking up the frame. “Oh, yikes. Uncle Cecil, you need to talk to your cleaning lady. She sure isn’t doing a very good job of keeping things dusted! Do you have any Windex and a soft cloth? Maybe in the bathroom?”

  It took a few seconds for Karina’s game to sink in, but finally Cecil responded, “Uh, yeah. Think there might be some in my bathroom. Under the sink.”

  Karina excused herself and went into the master bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she made a beeline for the most obvious areas to hide a camera or a microphone. Nothing. Same with the bathroom. While inside the restroom with the door shut, she pulled her mom’s phone from her back pocket and set it on the sink, turning on the small camera and powering up the mini microphone. Then, Karina waved at the screen. It only took four seconds for a text reply.

  “Got it!”

  Karina gave a thumb’s up and secured the camera and bug to the frame. Once back in the living room, she tossed her purse on the couch and sat down on the chair in front of Cecil’s massive wooden desk. It had the perfect view of the entire living area, all except the bedroom. “There, all clean.” The cell vibrated once in her pocket and she yanked it out. The text read: “Perfect location. Can see and hear everything.”

  She crossed the room to where Cecil sat on the couch. Bending down to hug his neck, Karina whispered, “All set. Remember, act normal. We’ll see and hear everything.” After letting go, she rose and said, “Thanks for a great day out on the town, Uncle Cecil. I’ve got to run, so I’ll call you later, okay?”

  Cecil followed her to the front door. Right as his hand touched the knob, someone knocked. They exchanged glances, Cecil’s full of panic. Karina looked out the peephole and responded with a dazzling smile. “Hot Springs is full of all sorts of adventures, Uncle Cecil!” She jerked the door open and purposefully bumped into the visitor. “Oh, sorry! Didn’t see you standing there! Almost knocked you on your ass! Now that would be an odd way to make an introduction, huh?”

  Karina’s ramblings gave her enough time to size up the woman standing in the doorway. Even without the annoying name tag, Karina knew she was Carmella D’Nucci. The black hair, sharp features and air of authority left no doubt. Internally, Karina laughed at the look of shock on the woman’s face. Karina upped her rate of speech into high gear.

  “Uncle Cecil, now I know why you moved into The Magnolia! Talk about sexy nurses! Hi, I’m Vivian Pickard, Cecil’s great-niece.” She squinted at the nametag, moving her head closer to Carmella’s shocked face. “Carmella D’Nucci. Oh, Italian, huh?” Karina playfully swatted Cecil’s shoulder. “Uncle Cecil, you always did have a thing for Italy, eh? So, nice to meet you, Ms. D’Nucci. You keep an eye out on my uncle here. He’s quite a handful sometimes! Now, I’m coming back to town next weekend, so how about lunch?”

  “Mr. Pickard, are you okay? I heard a loud noise like your door slamming or something. I came to check on you,” Carmella interjected.

  Karina moved closer to Cecil and squeezed his hand. “Oh, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to shut it so hard when we arrived. Guess I don’t know my own strength. Hope I didn’t disturb any of the other residents.” Karina turned her focus back to Cecil. “So, how about lunch next Saturday? Got to get my calendar synced ahead of time, or I won’t remember a thing. You game?”

  “Love to, sweetie, but I can’t. Going to Branson for the weekend with the Tucks and their lovely daughter. Plan on catchin’ me some fish!”

  “Oh, sounds like fun. Okay then,” Karina planted a loud kiss on Cecil’s soft, wrinkled cheek, “then I guess I will see you in a few months on my next trip to Memphis. Love you.”

  Though not looking directly at Carmella, Karina could feel the intense heat from Carmella’s gaze through her peripheral vision. The color had vanished from Carmella’s cheeks and she did look remarkably like Morticia Adams! The woman looked freaked out. No, beyond freaked out. Carmella D’Nucci looked like she was about to vomit.

  “Why, Mr. Pickard, you are full of surprises, that’s for sure. First your lunch table is overflowing with new guests, and now a visit from your niece. And here I thought you didn’t have any family left.” Carmella arched a thin black eyebrow in concern.

  The tone of Carmella’s voice sent waves of anger up Karina’s spine. Even if she wasn’t the prime suspect in stealing from Cecil, Karina still wouldn’t have liked her. The way the woman stared at her with her big, brown eyes, like Karina was a walking corpse or something, was hysterical.

  Deciding to make the bitch even more uncomfortable, Karina touched her forearm. “Ma’am, are you okay? As Uncle Cecil here might say, you sort of look green around the gills, like you’ve seen a ghost or something. Should we call you a nurse? Do you need to sit down?” The woman actually shook Karina’s arm away, like it burned her. Hatred replaced the fear in Carmella’s brown eyes. Though it lasted only a split second, it was unmistakable.

  “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean
to stare. It’s just, well, first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk so fast in my whole life. Still trying to process all of what you said. And, I can’t help but do a double-take. You are the spitting image of…a friend of mine who passed years ago. I mean, it’s sort of eerie. You could be her twin. So, pardon me for staring, and interrupting your visit. Mr. Pickard, if you need anything, please let me know. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Vivian.”

  Karina waved goodbye, not even trying to hide her confident smirk. In five quick, long strides, the oh-so-freaked out Carmella D’Nucci was gone.

  Cecil whispered, “Well, that was…”

  “Beyond odd. She didn’t just look guilty, but scared out of her mind. You buy that crap about me resembling a dead friend?”

  Cecil shook his head. “Nope. You really got her riled up, I tell ya. Think she’ll lay low for a while?”

  Karina patted his hand. “For a few days, yes. But I guarantee you, if she truly is the culprit, she won’t be able to resist an empty apartment while you’re gone next weekend. I’d bet my car on it, and I love Dragula.”

  “Let me walk you out.”

  Karina waved Cecil off. “No need. I know my way. Remember, if you need us, call the house. Simply ask for Vivian, and we’ll know something is wrong. Okay?”

  “Sure. And, thank you. For everythin’.”

  Karina smiled warmly at her grampa’s closest friend. “Not a problem. Glad to be of help.”

  24

  The Perils of Coffee

  LiAnn sat inside the car, the air conditioner on full blast. She watched the small screen as Cecil walked back inside his apartment. He shut and locked the door then stood still inside, a confused look on his face. Cecil scanned the living room, letting his gaze rest on the desk. His arm trembled as he gave a brief, awkward wave. LiAnn didn’t like seeing him look so out of sorts and frail, so she exited the video program.