Destroyed by a Dangerous Man

by Cleo Peitsche

  “Bragging?”

  “No, actually. But he’s not the most attractive guy. Maybe he’s charming, I dunno, but I’m thinking he’s got a significant second income.”

  “Then why is he kidnapping stuffed bears in order to make sure he gets a piddling paycheck?”

  It was a good question. “We’re not going to solve this before the deadline, and anyway, there’s a storm coming.”

  “Baby, you can solve anything. The storm won’t start until late, so let’s visit the bar tonight. One of the coworkers must know something. See if Rob is free.”

  I appreciated his misplaced confidence.

  One last night. “Fine, but I don’t want to take Rob off of something else.”

  “Shouldn’t that be his decision?”

  “Quit topping from the bottom.”

  He grinned. “I’m merely making a suggestion.”

  Rob’s car was already in Critter Chomp’s parking lot when we pulled in. I could see that he had someone with him.

  Jennifer.

  They both got out. Jennifer jogged up to give me a squeezing hug that smelled like raspberries. Her glossy dark hair was pulled up into a ponytail, accentuating her wide eyes. She was tough and smart, and she looked like a fashion doll.

  “How was Vienna?” she asked. “I’ve never been. Romantic, I bet.”

  “Amazing,” I said, loud enough for Corbin to hear.

  Because honestly, it had been.

  “We’ll have to get drinks soon, and you can tell me all about it.”

  I nodded. “I’m surprised you’re here. Was the bear an undercover operative?”

  “We’d already made plans to hang out,” Rob said. “Plus, you never know when you’ll need someone whose fists are registered weapons.” He grinned, evidently proud of himself.

  And yet they both claimed they weren’t dating. Yeah, right.

  “You guys are just our cover story,” I said.

  “The plan is to get Richard to accidentally give something away,” Corbin said.

  “Pretty much,” I said. “We don’t have enough information yet, so we’re hoping he’ll reveal something.”

  “Did you ever resolve your hypothetical question?” Rob asked.

  I sighed. “No.”

  “This is a nice bonus the owner is getting,” Rob said quietly. “All this work for a discounted fee. People don’t tip private investigators. I know, because I looked it up months ago.”

  I couldn’t disagree with him. “My gut is telling me it’s all connected. But don’t worry; tonight is the last night.”

  “Technically, we know who stole the bear,” Rob said. “Kelly admitted it. Case closed.”

  “But we don’t know who hacked it up, doused it in blood, and dumped it.” I paused for dramatic effect. “Case—”

  “Open,” Rob said, beating me to it. “Six minutes older and six times faster.”

  “Six times as deluded,” Jennifer whispered to me.

  I knew I liked her for a reason.

  17

  Jimmy came over the second we walked through the door, his face lit up.

  “I didn’t realize you were coming tonight,” he said. “Give me a minute, and I’ll see that you get a good table.”

  Jennifer was staring at the shrine to Booze the Bear. “Is all that for the stuffed animal?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “It’s a little creepy, don’t you think?”

  Something told me that Jennifer had seen far creepier things. I’d met her through Corbin. To be precise, it was when Corbin had stashed me in a safe house. Jennifer had been my jailor. Or bodyguard, depending on one’s perspective.

  In other words, she surely had dark, dangerous secrets, just like Corbin did. And even she thought the shrine was weird.

  “In fairness,” Rob said, “it was mutilated and brutally—” He cut off as a group of people entered behind us.

  “This way,” Jimmy said. “Are you here for research or dinner?”

  “A little of both,” Corbin said as we were seated at the same booth as last night. “Could you let Richard know we’re here?”

  “He went home early. That’s why I’m working—one manager per shift. I can answer your questions.”

  I frowned. “Is he sick?”

  “Don’t worry. Richard’s a sturdy fellow. I’m sure it’s nothing serious.” He grinned, oblivious to the possibility that we weren’t worried about Richard’s health.

  Corbin and I exchanged a glance.

  I was ready to leave immediately and track Richard down. Corbin must have seen it in my face, because he covered my hand with his and gave it a squeeze. “What would you like to drink?” he asked.

  “Uh, just water.”

  “I’ll send your waiter right over. You’ve got Pedro. He’s one of our best.” Jimmy bustled away.

  “This is your show,” Corbin said, “but I’d like to talk to a few other employees here, see if any of them can shed some light.”

  “Good plan,” Rob said, but from the way he was scrutinizing the menu, I knew he was only thinking about his stomach.

  “I’m in agreement with that proposition,” I said formally. They needed to be reminded of who was in charge.

  I recognized Pedro immediately. He’d waited on me before, and given that he was over six feet tall and had a Snoopy tattoo on his forearm and a righteous Afro, he was memorable.

  He took our orders without writing anything down. When he returned with beers for everyone but me, I said, “When you have a second, can I ask a few questions?”

  He glanced around the room. “Now is good.”

  “Great. We’re investigating the thing with the stuffed bear. Is there anything you can tell me about Kelly or Richard?” I didn’t see the point of holding back my cards. It was tonight or never.

  “I mostly keep to myself,” Pedro said. “Work, school, work. That’s my life. I don’t have time to get involved with drama.”

  “So, there was drama?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and stood with his legs shoulder-width apart. The pose could have seemed confrontational, but the way he tilted his head made it less aggressive.

  “There was something going on between them.”

  “Romantic?” Rob asked unhelpfully.

  Pedro laughed. “There’s an image. No, definitely not. But what, I don’t really know. I didn’t want to know, and still don’t.” He raised his eyebrows to ask for the next question.

  “Was Kelly stealing?” Corbin asked.

  Pedro gave him a long look. “It was stuff coming in, not going out. Had to be; there’s nothing worth stealing. That’s all I know. That’s it. Let me go check on your food.”

  Rob leaned over and said, sotto voce, “I don’t think he’s really going to check on our food.”

  I laughed a little despite my frustration. “Maybe we should have taken a closer look at the boxes in the office.”

  “Ok.” Corbin got up. “Are you coming?”

  “Now?” I jumped to my feet and followed him. Behind me, it sounded like Rob and Jennifer were also getting up.

  No one stopped us as we walked through the kitchen. Unlike that morning, when my presence in the office had caused trouble, the kitchen workers barely gave us a second glance.

  Was that because they recognized me from last night, or because they were accustomed to strangers traipsing through? That bolstered the theory that something untoward was happening during business hours.

  The door was unlocked this time.

  All four of us went in.

  “What are we looking for?” Jennifer asked as she peered into one of the boxes.

  “A miracle.” I sat at the desk and began looking through the drawers.

  There was nothing useful there.

  “It’s a shared office,” I said. “Unless all the managers are in on the scam, whatever Richard is hiding won’t be in here.”

  My eyes kept drifting toward the wall. What had been painted ov
er, and why had they been in such a hurry that they hadn’t bothered to do the whole room?

  Corbin and Jennifer were halfway through the stacked boxes. I got up and went to help them.

  “Nothing but glasses,” Rob said. He picked up a wine glass and held it to the light. “Quality.”

  “How do you know?”

  He handed one to me. It was feather-light and perfectly balanced. The kind of glasses that Corbin had at home.

  But not the type I expected to find in a middle-of-the-road bar. Even a higher end gourmet restaurant would have gone for something sturdier.

  The door opened, and a shocked Jimmy took one step inside. “What are you doing?”

  I handed him the glass and tried to decide if I should level with him. Technically, he was the one who had come to me.

  “Kelly was running something on the side,” I said. “We’re trying to figure out what.”

  Jimmy’s face fell.

  “I haven’t seen any packing slips for these glasses,” Jennifer said.

  “It was the owner’s idea,” Jimmy said, brightening. “Richard knew someone who could get her a good deal on fixtures and so on. It’s all legit, though. This stuff isn’t stolen.”

  “Quick question,” I said, cutting off my brother before he could get started. “What used to be on that wall?”

  Jimmy looked at it. “Nothing.”

  “Why paint it, then?”

  He shrugged. “I guess it was dirty?”

  I could tell he was wondering why the hell the wall was so interesting. If only I had an answer.

  “Are these glasses part of the deal?” Rob asked.

  “Yeah, I suppose so. We’ll be closing for renovations in a month, but we’ve been bringing in stuff when we can get it cheap. Half the storage room is filled.”

  “Where’s the box of paper?” I asked, cutting Rob off again. “Where’s the printer?”

  “The new printer’s too big for the office, so we keep it in the storage room.”

  “Why is the printer so big?” I asked, aware I was flooding him with questions. “What do you even need one for?”

  “We can make our own posters for the bands and weekly specials. Reprinting menus. It was Richard’s idea. Saves time and money. We got a used one for almost nothing when Shelby Copier went out of business. We got scanners and a laminating machine, too.”

  Corbin and Jennifer exchanged a glance.

  “Kelly used to work for Shelby Copier,” I said.

  Jennifer’s pleasant expression disappeared. She’d gone into work mode, though I didn’t know why.

  “I need to see the printer,” she said.

  “I don’t get what this has to do with Booze,” Jimmy said, “but if you think it’s necessary…”

  “We do,” Corbin said. He was looking something up on his phone.

  Jimmy sighed. “Follow me.”

  Corbin touched my shoulder. “Hold up,” he said, but didn’t speak again until the others were gone. “I just looked up Shelby Copier. They were paying many of their employees under the table. The IRS was investigating them when they closed.”

  “Sounds like heaven for a guy with a background in forgery.” The pieces began falling into place.

  I squinted at the wall. So perfectly gleaming white. “It’s a background for ID photos. Richard needed to disable the front door’s security feed because the clients were coming in that way.”

  “Probably.” Corbin didn’t sound excited. He was probably thinking about the other side of things, about what a headache this was going to be for the people stuck cleaning up the mess.

  My mind raced. “When Shelby Copier closed, Kelly followed the printer here. No wonder he wasn’t doing his job. Do you think Richard knew?”

  “Kelly couldn’t have been bringing people back here without the manager on duty knowing.” Corbin shook his head. “Some of the other employees might be dirty, too. They might be warning him at this very moment. Kelly needs to get picked up before he disappears. I’ll track his current location via his cell phone.”

  Man, was I jealous of Corbin’s top-secret toys.

  He ran a hand over his dark hair. “I don’t suppose I can leave you here while I deal with—”

  “Absolutely not.”

  He shook his head. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  My mind was whirling as I followed him through the kitchen. “Let me find Rob—”

  “No time. You can text from the road.”

  In less than thirty seconds, we were accelerating out of the parking lot.

  I texted Rob with the address and an explanation. Immediately, he sent a reply.

  “Jen says it’s a pro-level printer, no computer,” I read. “They’re going through the boxes of blank paper now.”

  Another text came in.

  I read it off. “Diplomas, transcripts. Mostly low-level.”

  My phone rang.

  “Audrey?” Kelly sounded panicked. “Richard is coming over here with a few of his friends. Says they’re going to beat me to death.”

  “Call the cops,” I said.

  “I can’t. You got me into this mess, so you have to get me out of it. I’m at 1712 Philbus Road.”

  “You can’t blame me—”

  The call ended.

  Slowly, I lowered my arm and looked at Corbin. “You’re not going to believe this,” I said.

  18

  I gripped my seat as Corbin sped through the unfamiliar streets.

  Rob and Jennifer had probably left Critter Chomp by now, but the way Corbin was driving, I doubted we’d be seeing them for a while.

  A new text came in, this one from Jennifer. Fake IDs for underage students. We thought these were coming from China. Jackpot.

  Corbin and I were in a lower-middle-class neighborhood. The small yards were well-kept, and the row houses seemed cared for.

  Corbin came to a jerking stop and turned off the engine. “Stay here.”

  “But—”

  “Audrey, we can’t fight about this every single time.”

  I crossed my arms and smiled. “For all you know, Richard and his posse aren’t here yet. Kelly doesn’t know you. He’ll probably think you’re a hired killer. But for me, he’ll open the door.”

  “I don’t need him to open the door,” Corbin growled.

  Yeah, because Corbin would just go through it. “Don’t you think destroying his girlfriend’s house is overkill?”

  “Not if he’s making fake passports. This isn’t 1900, baby. Fake passports have dangerous consequences.”

  “Who said anything about passports… You know what? I’m done with this conversation.” I opened the door and got out.

  Seconds later, Corbin was right beside me, then in front of me and using his large body as a shield.

  I didn’t protest; this was the compromise he was comfortable with. He’d locked me in the SUV once, and it wasn’t an experience I was eager to revisit.

  I followed him up the steps.

  “He’ll need to see my face,” I said as Corbin pushed the doorbell. “I’m telling you, he’s not gonna—”

  The door opened. The woman standing there took one look at Corbin and said, “That was fast. They’re in the back yard.” She gestured behind her.

  “How many?” Corbin asked.

  “Some guy named Richard.”

  “Just one?”

  She nodded. “If it’s all right,” she said, “I’d rather stay here.”

  Corbin pushed his way into the house, and the woman said, “You’re not in uniform.”

  “They’re at the dry cleaners,” I said, then tracked Corbin through the small house.

  He’d stopped in the kitchen.

  The back door was open, letting in gusts of cool air. I couldn’t see past Corbin.

  He turned toward me. “They’re both out there. Kelly’s got a baseball bat.”

  “No guns? Then I don’t need to hide in the kitchen.”

  A dark look crossed Corbin’s face.
“There’s no point in staying,” he said. “The police must be en route, and—”

  “And I still don’t know who vandalized the mascot. Besides, there’s gotta be reward money for shutting down a forgery ring.”

  He closed his eyes, as if searching for inner strength.

  It was the perfect opportunity to dart past him. He caught me—of course he did—but now I could see what was happening through the open kitchen door.

  Kelly and Richard were standing about fifteen feet apart in a yard that was about twenty feet wide.

  Their bodies were tense, their legs splayed, their arms at the ready. And, yeah, Kelly was holding an aluminum baseball bat.

  “Angry men, close space, deadly weapon?” I said. “I have zero interest in going out there.”

  “My god,” Corbin said, releasing me. “You’ve developed a self-preservation cell.”

  “Cell?”

  “Your behavior two minutes ago tells me it’s not an instinct, so maybe there’s one lonely cell. If I nurture it, it might divide and replicate.”

  Richard took a step to the side, and Kelly brandished the bat.

  “I wish I could hear what they’re saying,” I said. “How are your lip-reading skills?”

  “Poor, when one person has his back to me and the other is turned to the side.”

  I stepped close to the edge of the kitchen. No screen door. Kelly and his classy houses.

  “Hey,” I called out. “Kelly. Buddy, what’s going on? Richard?”

  They ignored me. Of course they did.

  “Yo!” Corbin yelled.

  That got their attention. But, yo? It was so not the sort of thing Corbin ever said. I wondered if he’d picked it up from Rob.

  “Whatever you’re fighting over, stop.” Corbin stepped outside.

  Kelly took a half-assed swing at him, or maybe it only looked half-assed because Corbin caught the bat and ripped it out of Kelly’s hands.

  Corbin pointed the bat’s end cap at Kelly’s chest. “You see that woman standing in the kitchen? Look at her.”

  Kelly’s gaze darted my way, then back to Corbin.

  “She’s been busting her ass trying to clear your name.”