Maggie Lee | Book 26 | The Hitwoman and the Teddy Bear

by Lynn, JB

  He glanced from the road, over to me, a quizzical expression distorting his features, then returned his attention to driving without making a comment.

  “What if it was Griswald?” I continued.

  I watched as his knuckles whitened as he squeezed the steering wheel. “Well, sure,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “I guess everyone who stayed alive benefitted.”

  “Uh huh,” I muttered.

  He slid another sideways glance my way, then shook his head, indicating I should drop the subject.

  I let out an exasperated sigh. “At least she’ll tell me who wanted me framed for murder now that I’ve gotten the bear for her.”

  “Yup,” he agreed.

  I squinted at him suspiciously. “You know, don’t you?”

  “Yup.”

  “And you’re not going to tell me?”

  “Nope.”

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I pushed my back into the seat behind me. “I thought you were my friend.”

  “That’s what you thought about Mia, too,” he reminded me drily.

  “When we were kids,” I clarified. “When she came back asking me to find Leonard Klugman, I knew she was just using me.”

  “She wasn’t just using you, Maggie,” he corrected. “She was collecting a payday for framing you for murder.”

  “If only she’d known how many murders you’ve actually committed,” God piped up from my bra. “You’d really have been in big trouble.”

  Ignoring the lizard, I glared out the window. I was pretty sure Whitehat knew about some of those. I was already in trouble.

  “It’s all going to work out, Maggie,” Zeke said after we’d been riding in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

  I glanced at him sharply. “It’s not your job to take care of me.”

  He nodded. “I know, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. That I wouldn’t do whatever it takes to help you.”

  I swallowed nervously. Maybe everyone was right. Maybe he was carrying a torch for me. Guilt gnawed at me as I wondered how much trouble he’d already gotten into protecting me.

  “We’re here,” he announced.

  “Here?” I asked, dumbfounded. Usually, Ms. Whitehat preferred our meetings to take place in empty warehouses, restaurants and houses, but this time, Zeke had brought me to a party.

  We were outside a large house on a private road. The side yard was lit up, revealing picnic tables laden with food and drink and chairs circled around a crackling fire pit. The scent of barbecuing hot dogs and hamburgers filled the air.

  A dozen or more people milled around in small groups, talking and laughing. Children streaked past, playing with sparklers.

  “This can’t be right,” I told Zeke.

  “It’s right,” he assured me, climbing out of the car.

  I frowned, gripping the bag with the bear tightly. I was accustomed to clandestine meetings. This made me very uncomfortable.

  God scrambled up to my shoulder. “That’s an awful lot of potential witnesses.”

  “It is,” I agreed.

  Zeke opened my door. “C’mon, Maggie.” He offered his hand.

  Clutching the bag to my chest, I shook my head. “No.”

  He looked at me like I’d gone crazy. “No?”

  “I’m not getting out of the car. I’m not meeting her there. No way.”

  “Maggie,” Zeke wheedled. “It’ll be fine.”

  “No,” I stated firmly, slapping his hand away when he started to reach for the bag. I frowned at him. “This is not smart. This is not safe. I’m not doing it.”

  “Excellent,” a voice said.

  Twisting in my seat, I watched Ms. Whitehat climb into the back seat of the car.

  Zeke startled me by closing my door.

  “You do have some judgment, after all,” the other woman murmured approvingly. “I’m glad to see that, Ms. Lee.”

  Zeke got into the driver’s seat and we began to drive away from the party.

  “You have the bear?” Whitehat asked.

  I glanced from her to Zeke. “That was some kind of test?”

  “One you passed with flying colors,” Whitehat confirmed, her lips curving into the semblance of a smile.

  I fought the urge to punch Zeke’s shoulder for not giving me a heads-up.

  “The bear,” Whitehat prodded.

  I reached into the bag, grabbing Dominic’s loved toy. “I don’t understand why a stuffed animal is so important.”

  Her gaze narrowed thoughtfully. “Because it contains a chip that reveals the formula for a toxic gas. One that, if weaponized correctly, would disperse easily and could prove deadly for thousands.”

  “Like nerve gas?” I gasped.

  “It is believed to mimic the effects of carbon monoxide,” Whitehat explained. “A silent killer.”

  I gripped the bear tighter, trying to make sense of what she was telling me. “You’re saying that the Delveccios are going to kill thousands of people?”

  She shook her head. “They have no idea what they even had.”

  “But—”

  She shook her head impatiently. “The bear, Ms. Lee.”

  I handed it over, feeling a lot less guilty about stealing Dominic’s toy.

  She stared at it in disgust. “I thought you said you had it.”

  “That’s it,” I explained. “Sure, it’s a little worn, but you can see it’s still a bear.”

  “It’s not the bear,” she said through gritted teeth, tossing it back at me. “You stole the wrong bear.”

  15

  An icy chill ran down my spine. “What?”

  “You were supposed to steal the blue bear.”

  I blinked at her. “Nobody told me that. Nobody said anything about a blue bear.” I shot Zeke an accusing look.

  He raised his hands defensively, and I realized he didn’t know about the blue thing, either.

  “I saw a bear on the bed, and I took it,” I continued, rounding on Whitehat. “If you’d just told me what you were looking for instead of playing your stupid need-to-know games…”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zeke giving me a warning look.

  “I wouldn’t have taken the wrong bear,” I concluded.

  “We’re running out of time,” Whitehat muttered. “Now, we’re going to have to take it by force.”

  “Hey, whoa!” I protested. “You’re going to send the ninjas into the Delveccios’ heavily guarded place?”

  “That’s none of your concern,” she said, reaching for the door handle.

  “There’s a child in that house!” I roared.

  Zeke reached for me, probably trying to physically shut me up.

  I angrily batted his hand away. “There’s a little boy who’s already been through too much, and now you’re going to, at best, traumatize him, or at worst, hurt or kill someone he cares about.”

  I was so angry by the time I finished my little rant that I could feel my own heartbeat thudding in my chest.

  Whitehat paused, turning an assessing gaze on me. “You have a point.”

  “Of course I have a point,” I muttered through gritted teeth.

  “So what do you suggest we do?” Whitehat asked.

  “Give me another chance. I’ll go back in. I’ll get you the blue bear. Nobody needs to get hurt.”

  “How?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m going to need more than thirty seconds to come up with a brand new plan.”

  We stared at each other for a long time. I didn’t dare blink.

  “Fine,” she said finally, opening her door. “You’ve got twenty-four hours.”

  “Wait!” I commanded as she moved to climb out of the car.

  She gave me an icy look.

  “What’s your relationship with Lawrence Griswald?”

  I’ve got to give her credit. She’s a pro. There wasn’t a flicker of recognition in her eyes. “Who?” she asked, playing dumb. “Oh
, your new uncle.”

  “I saw you with him earlier,” I spat out, in no mood to play games.

  She sat back in her seat, closing the door again. “You were spying on me?” If it was possible to freeze the blood of your enemies in their veins, I’m pretty sure her tone could do it.

  I swallowed hard. “No.”

  She arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me. “You were spying on him?”

  “I…um…I…” It wasn’t like I could tell her my lizard had told me to tail him. “I was worried about him. My aunt’s concerned. I went to see him and I saw you together.”

  “Do you normally see him in that alley?”

  “I…no…he was driving away when I got to his place. I wanted to catch up with him so I, uh…I, you know, I drove after him.”

  She scowled. “And does he know you saw us?”

  I shook my head. “I had other things to go do, like stealing the wrong bear.”

  “Oh good, you finally did something right,” she spat out.

  I instinctively recoiled from the insult. “I told you the bear wasn’t—”

  She held up a hand to silence me. “How would you explain knowing me to U.S. Marshal Griswald?”

  I blinked. I hadn’t thought about that.

  “He cannot know that we know each other,” she said sternly. “Do you understand?”

  I nodded slowly. “But you still haven’t told me what you were doing with him.”

  “And I won’t. Leave it alone, Ms. Lee.” She threw open her car door, telling Zeke, “Get your foolish friend out of my sight.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Zeke quickly agreed as she climbed out.

  “Twenty-four hours,” Whithat reminded me, before slamming the door for emphasis.

  “Geez, Maggie. What is wrong with you?” Zeke muttered, starting the car.

  “Do not even think of blaming the bear mix-up on me,” I argued, stuffing Dominic’s prized possession back into the bag.

  “The bear, no. But the Griswald thing…” He shook his head.

  I shrugged helplessly. I couldn’t explain the betrayal I’d felt at knowing Griswald was somehow involved with Whitehat. I wasn’t sure Zeke would understand. I’m not even sure I understood. So I just said, “I needed to know.”

  “No. You need to know who was trying to frame you. And maybe you need to know who is after Griswald in order to protect your family. But you definitely do not need to know what his connection is to her.” Normally even-tempered Zeke was shouting by the time he reached the end of his little diatribe.

  “You’re defending her?”

  “I’m protecting you, Maggie. I’m always protecting you.” He pounded on the steering wheel for emphasis.

  I frowned. “Nobody asked you to.”

  He slammed on the brakes and I thought I was going through the windshield. Apparently, from God’s scream of abject terror, he felt the same.

  “What—” I started to ask Zeke, who had twisted in his seat and was staring at me.

  “I love you, Maggie,” he blurted out.

  My heart sank.

  “I’ve always loved you,” he continued.

  Everyone had been right about how he felt about me. How had I never noticed?

  “But you have no idea how often I want to strangle you,” he finished.

  I blinked. “What?”

  “Strangle you.” He reached for my throat like he was going to demonstrate. Then, burst into laughter when I recoiled. “Your judgment can really be terrible,” he said with a chuckle. “With Mia, with Whitehat, with Darlene.”

  I winced at the mention of Marlene’s twin who’d disappeared from our lives, reappeared for a short time, and then abandoned us again.

  “And with men,” Zeke said, shaking his head.

  I squinted at him suspiciously. What did he know about my love life?

  “First, there was that cop that tried to kill you. What was his name?”

  “Paul,” God supplied helpfully, having recovered from the trauma of our sudden stop.

  “Paul,” I repeated without emotion.

  “Then, you’ve got your fling going with the redhead.”

  I opened my mouth to deny my involvement with Patrick Mulligan.

  “Do not lie to one of your oldest friends,” Zeke warned, shaking his finger back and forth.

  I closed my mouth.

  “And then, you’re like, ‘Let’s hook up with the mobster’s heir’,” he accused.

  I shrugged. “I thought Angel was a nice guy.”

  “In high school, you thought Phil Blaze was a nice guy. Do you remember what he did?”

  I nodded meekly, looking away.

  “What did he do?” God asked curiously.

  “He told the whole school I was my dad’s drug dealer on the outside,” I muttered.

  “He made your life a living hell,” Zeke corrected.

  I shrugged. “My life was already hell with thinking Darlene was dead, Dad locked up and Mom living in the looney bin.”

  For once, God didn’t correct me about it being a mental health facility.

  “Phil just made it worse,” I muttered.

  “And he beat me up,” Zeke reminded me bitterly.

  I hung my head guiltily. “I remember.”

  Zeke had confronted Phil on my behalf and gotten his butt kicked for his efforts.

  “I’m sorry about that,” I murmured.

  “Wasn’t your fault. That’s just what friends do. They protect each other.”

  I raised my gaze to meet his. “So you’re saying I endangered you with Whitehat by asking about Griswald?”

  He tapped his ear and jerked his chin toward the dashboard, reminding me that our conversation could be listened in on. “No. I’m reminding you that Ms. Whitehat has tried to protect you, too. You don’t need to go digging into something that’s none of your business.”

  “Okay,” I said softly. Then, thinking the eavesdroppers might not have heard me, I said more loudly, “Okay. I’ll leave the Griswald connection alone.”

  “Excellent!” Zeke beamed and nodded his approval. “I’ll take you home so you can rest up for your next attempt to steal the bear.”

  16

  I was so keyed up with everything; the botched bear debacle, the mystery of who had tried to frame me for murder, and wondering what on earth was going on with Griswald, that sleep was elusive.

  I tossed and turned most of the night. It didn’t help that the warm bodies weren’t in bed with me. I wasn’t accustomed to sleeping alone. DeeDee, Piss, and Matilda were all keeping guard over the family compound. Which was one more reason I couldn’t relax.

  I was up at the crack of dawn. As the furry animals wandered in, exhausted from another overnight shift, I was getting ready to head out the door.

  I scooped up God, skipped coffee, and was ready to head out the door before another human stirred. On my way, I stopped and peeked in on Katie. My niece slept soundly and peacefully. Watching her made me feel a little better. At least she was doing well.

  I heard Herschel’s hacking cough as I stepped outside and realized he was in the barn, probably conversing with Irma. I considered popping over and saying hello, I hadn’t seen much of him since he’d come down with his cold, but then decided I’d be better off getting away before anyone else awoke and made a demand on my time.

  I had a busy day ahead of me, what with stealing the correct bear and visiting Griswald. That was where I was off to at the early hour. I was going to see the U.S. Marshal in the hopes I could figure out at least some of what was going on.

  “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you start the day without coffee,” God remarked, once I’d placed him on the dashboard of my car.

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” I told him.

  “And where is this desperate sojourn taking us?”

  “Griswald’s place. I need to talk to him.”

  That he didn’t immediately come back at me with a snappy reply, made me nervous.
I glanced at him and saw he was staring out the window, lost in thought.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Pardon me?”

  “What are you thinking? You can’t go all silent on me. It makes me anxious.”

  “Usually, you’re telling me to be quiet,” he reminded me drily.

  “Not when we’re alone,” I countered testily.

  He didn’t respond.

  “Come on,” I urged. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “You’ve got too much going on,” the lizard said.

  I shrugged. “What else is new?”

  “No, this is different. There’s too many—”

  A white SUV cutting in front of my car making me to slam on the brakes, causing God to slide and scream across the length of the dashboard.

  I swore as my car fishtailed, and the rear tires slid off the road. Barely able to prevent the vehicle from going into a full spin, we shuddered to a jolting stop.

  “You’re trying to kill me!” God complained.

  “Or someone’s trying to kill me,” I replied.

  The white SUV was only a few feet ahead of us, also stopped.

  Heart pounding, I glanced in my rearview mirror, confirming no one else was on the road. If this was an ambush to whack me, they’d timed their hit well.

  If I lived through this, I was going to have to ask Patrick for another weapon. Being unarmed when someone is trying to kill you is not the best strategy.

  Seeing the driver’s door of the SUV start to swing open, I prepared to gun the engine, hoping to beat a quick retreat before dying in a hail of bullets. I held my breath.

  “What are you waiting for?” God cried. “Go! Go! Go!”

  He really was spending too much time with Benny.

  “I have to wait until the gunman gets out.” I squeezed the steering wheel so hard my fingers ached. “Then, he won’t be able to chase us right away. It’ll be our only chance of outrunning him.”

  A pair of patent leather kitten heels, topped by ivory-colored dress pants, emerged from the vehicle.

  I blinked. Not one’s usual idea of murderwear.

  “Is that—” God began.

  “Yup,” I muttered as Ms. Whitehat emerged from the SUV. The fear that I’d been experiencing morphed into anger. She’d run my car off the road. Furious, I jumped out of the car. “What is wrong with you?”