Wild Blue Mysteries Boxed Set

by Diane Bator

  He shrugged off the doubts and called Bobby. “I’m heading back to the city. Maddox’s getting antsy and wants to know what I’ve got so far.” He blew out a breath. “We’re meeting at a place called Persimmon. Can anyone be in place to have dinner there around ten?”

  “Can be arranged. There are a couple other officers handling things in the city while I’m here. They can back you up.”

  The change in plans left Danny plenty of time to get back to the city for his meeting with Maddox. He stopped at his apartment to shower and put on fresh clothes. He poked his head out of a fresh shirt then noticed the light blinking on his answering machine.

  “Yo,” Leo said. “Where are you? I’ve got info. See you when they let me out of here.”

  The message was left earlier in the day. Why hadn’t Leo called his cell? Let him out of where? He lifted the receiver and took a bracing breath before dialing. “Where are you?”

  “Home. You?”

  “Same. I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Leo opened his door a crack. “You can’t come in.”

  “What’s going on?” Danny forced his way through.

  His partner limped away. “Not much. How about you?”

  Danny lunged and spun him around. Leo’s face was several shades of blue. Beneath one eye was an ugly purple lump. “What did you do?”

  “I met your friends Al and Chevy the hard way. Fists first.”

  “What happened?”

  “Beats me.” Leo shrugged. “All I did was deliver a package to your pal Maddox, and his wife wasn’t very happy about it. Doctor says it’s just a flesh wound. I’m fine.”

  “What package?” Danny’s stomach sank. He sat on the sagging couch and clasped his hands so Leo could say his piece before he did anything drastic.

  “Donuts.”

  “Donuts?” He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. When had Leo lost his mind? “Why donuts?”

  “Come on, everybody loves donuts. I brought a dozen to his house and said it was a special order.”

  “From who?”

  “I think that was the part that got me in trouble.” He winced. “I said they were from Paulina Chourney. His wife went ballistic and ordered the peons to attack.”

  His jaw dropped. “So you went to his house, got beat up and now they have one more reason to want Paulina dead.”

  Leo frowned. “I didn’t think about that part.”

  Leo’s background as a boxer and martial artist made it impossible for anyone to get the jump on him, especially two apes like Al and Chevy. “You jerk. There’s no way those two could beat you up unless you let them. What were you up to? Why would Maddox’s wife sic them on you? Where was he?”

  Leo met his gaze then hopped to his feet. “Tea?”

  “Sit down.”

  “I’ve got this new blend. Rooibos and vanilla.”

  “Sit.”

  He dropped onto the chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know where Maddox was. His wife wasn’t happy to see me, but at least I got some interesting information out of the deal. Did you know Joseph Roland owns a house near your beloved Packham?”

  Danny stared as though his friend had punched him. “No. Where?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I intend to find out.” He massaged his jaw. “I may have to invest out there. Seems like a real popular place with lots of action. I hear Roland plans to invest in a new gym out there. Through someone else, obviously. Any deals he does now will be scrutinized by the cops. I haven’t found out who the front man is.”

  “How are you going to find out? Are you delivering Chinese food to them next?”

  “Ha. Ha.” Leo paused, a thoughtful look on his face.

  “Don’t. Look, Leo. Watch your step with these guys. I’m still on thin ice with them.”

  “You should have brought me in sooner.”

  Danny blew out a breath. “I know. Things got out of control that night and I should’ve anticipated it. You know the DMR offices are under police guard and no one is allowed inside. Not even the cleaning staff.”

  “I have my ways. You know what we need around here?”

  “A paramedic?”

  “A psychic. Someone who can predict every move our clients make, where the runners go and where the bodies are buried.”

  “Then no one would need us.” Danny stood. “Speaking of bodies, I’ll be a cold one if I don’t get over to see Maddox.”

  Leo rubbed his puffy eye then flinched. “Where this time?”

  “Don’t worry. Bobby’s arranged for backup in case anything happens. After your donut stunt, I’m sure Maddox and his boys don’t have much of a sense of humor left.”

  “Guess that means you don’t need help.”

  “One look at your face and they’d kill us both.”

  Leo frowned. “You want to wear a wire?”

  “No. I have the voice recorder you gave me. The pen.”

  “Fat lot of good that’ll do if they throw you in the lake.”

  “I’m not worried.” Danny headed for the door. “You shouldn’t be either, unless you do something else stupid. If I don’t come back, at least you’ll know where to start looking.”

  Danny met Maddox at Persimmon, a small restaurant on the east end of Newville near a burned out, graffiti-covered warehouse local kids used for parties. He scanned the room and picked out the undercover officers, a man and a woman, instantly. He’d worked with both of them before but never realized they made such a nice looking couple. Maybe when this case was done…

  “Mr. Wild.” Maddox motioned to the vacant chair across the table. “Sit. The chicken is amazing. Very moist.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Danny hadn’t eaten since lunch. Ham sandwiches and warm coleslaw from a cheap deli on the outskirts of the city was a world away from the tacky Asian restaurant. The dining room was a blend of Thailand, China and India. From the aromas, he assumed the menu was as well. He ordered the chicken.

  “I’m tired of games.” Maddox rested his elbows on the table and tented his fingers. “Your job was to find Miss Chourney. Your time’s almost up.”

  To a man like Maddox, that only meant one thing. Danny’s heart pounded and his palms began to sweat. He wondered if they’d throw his body in the lake or bury him in a construction site. “What if I said I’ve seen her?”

  “You’d pique my curiosity.”

  Al and Chevy sat at a little table near the door with Margaret between them. She didn’t look happy to be excluded from her husband’s meeting. Chevy, with one black eye, sipped a tiny cup of tea and nibbled on egg rolls, his attention on the food. Al, a jagged cut down his cheek, focused on Danny. Neither looked as unimpressed as Margaret, who glared at Danny with dark narrow eyes. Danny guessed his appearance had either ruined date night or she wanted in on the action.

  “Where is she?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say.” Danny swallowed hard. “I lost her in a crowd.”

  “Damn.” He slammed a hand onto the table so hard his water glass jumped. “She’s still in the city, isn’t she? The donut guy was right. Tell me where she is, and I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Danny cringed at the mention of Leo and hoped Maddox had no idea Leo was his partner. Not yet. “What’s this about a donut guy?”

  “Nothing you need to be concerned about. Tell me where she is.”

  “I will. Just not yet.”

  Anger clouded Maddox’s face. “Why not?”

  “I need to be sure it’s actually her. You don’t want to pick up the wrong person, do you? I want to be positive it’s her before you send Al and Chevy after her.”

  They fell silent as the server set his plate on the table.

  Danny’s mouth was dry from fear, and the chicken, which wasn’t as moist as he’d hoped, didn’t help any. He glanced at Margaret, who stabbed her steak with a sharp knife. When she cut a piece and raised it to her mouth, thin pink blood dripped onto
her plate.

  “You have one week.” Maddox looked him in the eyes. “If I don’t have Paulina by then, you’ll be a memory. A very distant memory.”

  Danny waited until he was in his car with the doors locked before he called Leo. “I need you to do some surveillance for me.”

  “Yeah, because I don’t stick out like a clown at a wake, right? Who am I stalking?”

  “Margaret Maddox.”

  He whistled. “The Dragon Lady? Are you out of your mind? Dude, she scares even me.”

  Danny related the incident with the steak in the restaurant. “To be honest, she’s sat in on meetings before, but this time she was at another table and had no input into the conversation. It’s almost like he’s got her on a short leash and muzzled. Maybe Dunnsforth’s murder scared him.”

  “From what I saw, I’d say she was the one with him on a short leash.”

  His stomach clenched, a combination of the food and the realization he might have missed something important in all his days undercover at DMR. “What do you mean?”

  Leo tapped his keyboard. “Maddox ruined everything. The business is in limbo, he’s got girlfriends everywhere and a huge amount of money is missing. He’s making her look bad. Maybe she’s looking for more ammunition to divorce him and take everything he’s got.”

  Danny ducked down low when the restaurant’s door opened. Al and Chevy emerged first. Behind them came Margaret, regal and determined, followed by Maddox who gawked around like a frightened chicken. Opposite his persona during their meeting.

  “You might be right. It appears Maddox’s in the doghouse. I think our big dog is on the wrong end of the leash, and he doesn’t look happy about it. I wonder if Margaret’s the reason Maddox set Paulina up with fake ID and told her to run.”

  “I thought Dunnsforth did that.”

  “Dunnsforth didn’t have the desperation. Maddox was on the verge of losing everything. The only thing in his life he still had control over was Paulina. Why wouldn’t he want her to run? He could set her up with a wad of cash and a fake ID then track her down and join her later.”

  “So why hasn’t he found her yet?” Leo asked.

  Danny shrugged. “Maybe he’s not looking in the right places. Maybe she stopped playing his game and following the script.”

  Leo made a throaty noise in agreement. “So you think he wants you to find her so he can join her? That doesn’t sound like the same Maddox. Why? What’s changed?”

  Margaret stood next to the black car, waiting for one of the men to open her door. Even Chevy looked afraid of her.

  “I’d say Margaret’s changed the rules, but I have no idea why.”

  Chapter 27

  Katie

  Katie awoke early the next morning with a goofy smile. She’d recorded the chaos of the previous day in her new coil notebook, focusing on how talented the writers in Hilda’s group were. She wanted to keep track of when their books were published and host book launches for them. The young fantasy guy was debatable. She had no idea what sort of people actually read his books. Plus she didn’t think Mimsy would be interested. She had her secret to keep.

  Katie took her time to shower and dress then applied a little makeup in case Danny stopped by again. Danny Walker the police officer. She dropped her makeup brush into the sink. Crawling back in bed was a preferable option, but she needed more information for her sanity. She ventured down to the kitchen for a cup of Hilda’s killer coffee. Then she’d figure out where and when to confront Danny. For all she knew, his client was involved with Maddox. Or worse, was Maddox. Her level of bravery dropped dramatically and her knees flinched.

  The coffee smelled divine but made better motor oil. Katie poured half a cup and topped it off with milk and a hefty dose of sugar. “Anything interesting in the world today?”

  Hilda sat in her wing chair, her purple velour bathrobe tucked around her legs, her gaze glued to the image on the screen. “They’re talking about some dead guy they found near the lake in Newville a while ago.”

  “Who?” She fingered the remote control so the blonde newscaster’s voice grew louder.

  “Police are seeking help to find a suspect in the murder of fifty-one-year-old Kenton Dunnsforth. Dunnsforth, a former partner in DMR Architectural, was found two months ago shot in the head and left along the shores of Lake Erie. He left behind a wife and two children.”

  Katie tightened her grip around her coffee cup so she wouldn’t drop it on the tile floor. His death hadn’t seemed real when she read about it in the newspaper, not as real as seeing his image at a gala with Heather and then being arrested by police and knowing he was gone.

  “Dunnsforth, pictured here, was arrested earlier this year, along with his partners, Gerard Maddox and Joseph Roland, on charges of racketeering and money laundering. All three men were out on bail at the time of the murder.” Maddox and Roland were both as handsome and dangerous as Katie remembered. She sucked in a sharp breath.

  The solemn newscaster kept talking. “Police are actively seeking Dunnsforth’s former secretary, Paulina Chourney. Ms. Chourney disappeared around the time of Dunnsforth’s murder and is listed as a person of interest. If you have seen her, please call your local police.”

  The photo of her was flattering, snapped by a hired photographer at the firm’s last Christmas party. Platinum blonde hair and twenty pounds lighter, she looked like a different person. Of course, back then she never ate much but drank a lot. Liquid amnesia.

  Hilda glanced to Katie then back to the television screen. “It’s so sad, isn’t it?”

  “What is?” Her stomach wrenched.

  Silence filled the room when the television screen went black. Hilda stared at her. “Paulina Chourney. What would make such a pretty girl with such a bright future get mixed up with men like that?”

  Katie blinked away her sudden dizziness. “Why would you even think about that?”

  Hilda sat back, her gaze on something on the far wall. “I’m a writer. I get curious about people’s motives if the cereal aisle is rearranged in the grocery store. The media has followed this case for a while now. When I see cases like this one, I always wonder why things happened the way they did.”

  “So what do you think happened to her?” Hands shaking, Katie set down her cup then sank to the couch, not so sure she wanted to know. Hilda smiled. “I think the young lady got involved because someone either made her an offer she couldn’t refuse or because they blackmailed her.”

  “Maybe she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got mixed up with the wrong person.” The smell of her coffee made her nauseous. She ached to jump to her feet and tell Hilda “Yes, I’m a fugitive,” but Maddox would find her and come after not only her, but anyone who kept her from him.

  Her landlady’s face lit up. “The more I think about it, the more I’m intrigued. I could write a great little novel about this murder. You know, write from the point of view of a landlady in a small town who ends up harboring a fugitive. Oh, I can’t wait to tell the rest of the writing group. This will be the most fun I’ve had in years.”

  “You’d really want to write about her?”

  “Yes. She’s interesting, not to mention beautiful.” Hilda sat back. “But what if she’s dead? That would be so sad.”

  Katie cringed and hoped Hilda hadn’t figured out who she really was yet. “Yeah, that would be very sad.”

  “How would men like them kill someone? Do you think they’d shoot her and leave her near the lake like that Dunnsforth guy or would they kill her in the woods for the animals to eat?”

  “How should I know?” She wanted to vomit then run out the front door and hail a taxi. It wouldn’t take long before someone like Hilda put the news item and her sudden appearance together. All it would take was a bit of research.

  “On second thought,” Hilda said, “maybe I shouldn’t let anything slip to anyone just yet.”

  Katie’s eyes widened. “About what?”

  “My idea f
or a novel. What did you think I was talking about? Maybe I should do a little research. Find a cop to talk to. What about that nice young man you went to dinner with?”

  Katie frowned. “Danny Walker? Yeah. He might know a bit about murder and stuff.” She didn’t bother to mention she already thought he was looking for her. Donovan Wild was a private detective who could help Hilda as well, but she still didn’t know how he fit in and didn’t trust him as far as she could toss a car.

  Hilda knitted her eyebrows. “Danny hasn’t asked you out again has he? Didn’t your date go well?”

  “I think he’s kind of busy. He is a cop.”

  “Do you think he ever works undercover?” She tapped a finger to her lips. “Just a thought. Could a police officer like Danny, not necessarily him, pretend to be a detective and befriend the missing woman, but really be investigating her and her boss? He would be able to investigate them from the inside, but how would he wiggle his way into the bad guy’s good graces to begin with?”

  “Undercover?” It wasn’t a new thought, but Hilda’s ramblings made it seem more real. “It’s possible. You’d have to ask him. Honestly, you have a way better imagination than me.”

  Hilda straightened the folds of her robe and blushed. “If someone like Danny was hunting for a fugitive, he’d probably be too late anyway. She’d be in the ground with her friend then he’d have to solve her murder, not her disappearance.”

  “Why would you say that?” Katie cringed. A restless silence swirled around the two women. The potent coffee did nothing but make Katie more nauseous.

  “Maybe he was waiting for something. Gathering evidence or trying to get a search warrant or a subpoena maybe?”

  “What if she was a witness? Maybe he needs to keep her hidden. Maybe he needs her to testify and tries to have a relationship with her to keep her close.”

  Which is why he asked her out. Katie let out a shaky breath.