by Nora Kane
It wasn’t long before Dithers came out of the building. He was an athletic-looking guy so the idea he spent a lot of time in the gym wasn’t far fetched. He looked about ten years younger than his wife even though in fact he was a year older. He wore expensive clothes and drove an expensive car. Margot could see how if he had the desire to cheat he wouldn’t have trouble finding prospects.
She followed two cars behind as he worked his way through town. She hoped he was going to the gym, she took no pleasure catching guys like him, though if she did catch him she wouldn’t feel guilty.
For a while, she was thinking she’d be able to give Mrs. Dithers good news as the caddy was on the route to Mr. Dithers’ gym but when it came time to turn in the parking lot he drove by and turned two blocks later. Dithers pulled into the parking lot for a bar that didn’t look like the type a successful banker would choose to frequent.
Margot drove past and found a parking space on the street. In the rearview mirror, she watched him get out of his car and go inside. Margot noted he took his briefcase with him. She wondered why he’d be taking a briefcase into a dive bar.
She gave him a few minutes and then followed him inside. Margot spotted him sitting at a table in the corner sitting by himself drinking a beer. Margot took an empty stool at the mostly empty bar and ordered a beer for herself. She sipped it while she watched Dithers the mirror behind the bar.
After a short time, a man walked in. He went to the bar and stood next to Margot. He had a lot of scars, muscles, and tattoos. He was wearing a leather jacket and carrying a motorcycle helmet.
When he took off the jacket he reminded Margot of a bigger meaner looking version of the door to door guys she’d met right before the shooting started in that he was wearing a dress shirt and tie but unlike the weather-beaten and faded leather jacket he didn’t look comfortable in that getup. He was dressed like a banker but he was the first one Margot had seen with a neck tattoo.
Margot thought he might be getting ready to hit on her which wouldn’t be the worst thing as long as he took no for an answer. It would keep Dithers from thinking he was being watched. Instead of talking to Margot, however, he ordered a shot of Jack Daniels and a bottle of Bud. When he had both he joined Dithers at the table without saying a word.
Margot began to think this was not the romantic rendezvous Mrs. Dithers thought it was, though just because it was a man joining Dithers didn’t guarantee it wasn’t. Mrs. Dithers assumed it was another woman but she wouldn’t be the first wife to discover it was actually another man.
Margot watched them both. If it was romantic they certainly didn’t act like it. They didn’t appear to be glad to see each other and as far as Margot could tell they didn’t say a word. The young guy with the tats downed his shot and chased it with the beer. Dithers downed his drink and then got up and left without saying a word.
Margot noticed he left the briefcase behind. His silent drinking buddy didn’t chase after him to give it back.
Margot stayed where she was and drank her beer. If she got up to follow it might draw the attention of the guy sitting at Dithers table. She thought Dithers might actually come back inside but he didn’t. Margot finished her beer and then looked at her phone like someone just contacted her. Margot already paid for her beer so she kept looking at her phone as she walked out the door.
The Cadillac was gone. There was a performance bike, a green Kawasaki Ninja, parked on the sidewalk in front of the bar that Margot figured belonged to the guy inside.
She hated that she lost Dithers but it sure seemed like something shady just went down and if her impression was correct at least one of them was eyeing her with some suspicion. Margot went back to her car. Since Dithers’ gym was only a few blocks away she drove over and cruised the parking lot. She was pleasantly surprised to see Dithers’ Caddy in the lot.
Margot parked and walked over to the gym. She was able to see Dithers working hard on a treadmill by the window. Margot hoped he didn’t notice her since seeing her twice might get him to thinking she was following him. Margot kept her head down and went back to her car.
She wasn’t sure what to think. It didn’t appear Dithers was seeing another woman but he certainly was up to something. She drove back past the bar Dithers went to and parked. She considered going back inside, if anyone asked she could say she stepped out to take a call but decided instead to wait outside. Margot figured she would give him fifteen minutes or so. If he was planning to tie one on she didn’t want to be sitting there until the bar closed but if he was just finishing the one beer, which would be prudent if he was riding his bike home, fifteen minutes should be plenty of time.
He walked out fourteen minutes later. He wasn’t wearing the tie anymore but he did have the briefcase. He strapped it on the back with a pair of bungee cords. The way he strapped the case on looked practiced to Margot. She got the feeling he brought the cords for the purpose of carrying the briefcase and the way he easily and quickly secured it made her think he’d done this before.
Margot considered following him but the way he looked around before he took off made her think he was aware of the possibility someone might try to tail him.
She took note of which way he went and where he turned. It was probably a mystery better left unsolved, her job was to determine if Mr. Dithers was seeing someone on the side, what he did beyond that wasn’t really her business.
Margot considered what to do next. According to Mrs. Dithers her husband didn’t come home late enough to both workout and carry on with a mistress. There was no reason to wait for him to finish his workout and follow him home.
If he’d been seeing someone else Margot would have stuck around and gotten as many photos as possible of them going in somewhere together and coming out together so she would have had to stay on him. Since Dithers didn’t appear to be a cheater, at least on gym night Margot felt she’d gained an hour.
She decided to use that hour to check out Marv’s condo.
Chapter 8
Marv’s condo wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods unless being near your crack dealer was a high priority. Margot wasn’t surprised he was having trouble finding a tenant. Margot got the feeling Marv bought it back in the day for illicit use. Since he was no longer an outlaw biker now it was just an empty unit in a bad neighborhood.
Margot drove past the building. It held four units on each of its two floors and since Marv’s unit was 203 Margot figured it was on the second floor. Two of the units on the second floor had lights on. Since Margot didn’t know the configuration of the building it was impossible to know if one of the lit-up units was 203.
Even if the lights were off in Marv’s unit it didn’t mean Mal wasn’t there. If he was laying low, and he should be smart enough to know he should be, he wouldn’t turn on the lights. He’d also park at least a block away so Margot took some time to check the surrounding area for the white Buick. She didn’t find it.
Again, this didn’t mean he wasn’t there. He may not have known about Cassie’s video or how the Buick was out on the world wide wide web for all to see but he had to figure the car was burned this afternoon when they tried to take out Margot. Once it turned from a quick hit into a shootout there was almost no way someone didn’t notice the car.
Margot parked and checked her purse. She had a freshly loaded gun and a spare magazine plus a can of mace and telescoping baton. She was just about to open the door when she thought about what she was doing.
There was a time when she would have never even considered turning Mal over to the authorities but there was also a time when she never would have considered it possible he’d be driving the car for a person looking to do Margot harm.
As much as it hurt to even think it she wasn’t dealing with the same Mal anymore.
She found herself thinking about Radcliff as well. Unlike Mal, he’d never lied to her and never asked her to lie for him. He’d done nothing but treat her well. Considering how she treated him sometimes he was bett
er to her than she thought she deserved.
She wished she could say she never lied to him. It was only hours ago when she committed a lie of omission when she didn’t tell him about Marv’s condo. She knew if things were reversed she wouldn’t be happy. His anger would be even more righteous since unlike her, he’d never done anything similar.
She realized by acting this way she was choosing Mal over Radcliff. She knew it was the wrong choice but it wasn’t the first time she’d done it.
Margot decided this afternoon when she held back information would be the last. Instead of opening her door and heading over to see if Mal was still hiding out in Marv’s condo Margot reached into her purse and took out her phone.
“Are you on your way back? They delivered your door and put it up. You’re lucky you found someone to work so fast,” Radcliff said as soon as he took her call.
“The landlord's maintenance guy is top notch but that’s not why I called.”
“What’s up?”
“I’ve got a possible lead on Mal.”
“You got a lead on Mal while tailing a cheating husband?”
“Not exactly. I talked to Marv today.”
“You too just run into each other at the gas station?”
“No, I went to see him to ask about Mal.”
“I thought you promised to stay out of the investigation.”
“I did but would Marv have told you anything?”
“That’s not the point.”
“It kind of is. He told me Mal could be hiding out at a rental property he owned.”
“Thought?”
“That’s what he told me. He was skeptical but thought it could be possible.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I’m telling you now.”
“Is that so I don’t tell Ames or anyone else?”
“No, you can tell anyone you want to. I should have said something before but I messed up. I let my misguided loyalty to Mal get in the way. I’m sorry and I understand if you’re mad but I’m telling you now.”
“Better late than never but I can’t say I’m happy about it.”
“I understand.”
“Where is it?”
Margot gave him the address.
“Not the best of neighborhoods.”
“I noticed.”
“Are you there now?”
“I’m outside on the street but I’ll go home if you think it’s the right thing to do.”
“You care what I think now?”
“I always have.”
“Stay there Margot. I’ll be there in a few. I’ve got the keys to your new lock so I’ll lock up.”
It wasn’t long before Radcliff pulled up and parked in front of her. He got out of his car and walked over to the passenger side of Margot’s Toyota Prius. She unlocked the door and he took the seat next to her.
“Did Marv give you a key?”
“He did.”
“Shall we go check it out?”
“We? I’m not a cop and this sure feels like police business.”
Radcliff nodded, “I actually like the sound of that. I might have told you to go home but Ames thinks if Mal is there you can talk him down where if it’s just us or worse, a whole S.W.A.T. team there no way he goes down without a fight. He knows too much to kill him if we don’t have to.”
“Is Ames coming?”
“He’s on his way. Is that a problem?”
“No. Is he mad at me?”
“Not as mad as I am. He doesn’t take you lying to him as personally.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Well, I suppose you got around to doing the right thing but it’s got to stop. If you keep going this way I can’t help thinking I’m going to be seeing you either behind bars or in a casket. Sometimes I wonder if that’s what you want.”
“Trust me, I don’t.”
“You say that but your actions don’t always match up.”
“You’re not wrong. I let my feelings for Mal get in the way of good sense in the past but I’m done with that. I think I wanted to save him but I’ve finally figured out that’s never going to happen.”
“It took someone taking a shot at you for you to figure that out?”
“I can be a little slow sometimes.”
Radcliff shook his head and let out a humorless laugh, “I wonder sometimes if I’m the same way.”
“Slow?”
“No, I wonder if I think I can save you.”
“I might have given up on Mal but you shouldn’t give up on me. Not yet anyway.”
“I won’t be able to follow you as far as you followed Mal.”
“I hope you won’t have to.”
“Hope?”
“You won’t have to. They call you the choirboy, well, from now on I’m the choirgirl.”
“I hate it when people call me that.”
“Good, I don’t think I really want to be called the choirgirl. I’m not even sure if that’s a thing.”
Ames pulled up and parked behind Margot. Radcliff lowered his window and Ames leaned in.
“You want some Kevlar Margot? I’ve got a vest in the trunk.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“If I were you I might take up making it a regular accessory.”
“You wearing a vest, Radcliff?”
“No.”
“Good thing for you I brought two extras. If you’re going to be hanging around her all the time maybe you should take it up as well.”
“I suppose maybe I should.”
Ames went to his trunk and Radcliff and Margot got out and followed him.
While they put on Kevlar vests Ames loaded a shotgun that was in the back as well.
“Let us lead the way, Margot,” Ames told her.
“If I’m here to talk Mal into surrendering hiding behind you two won’t do us any good. Besides I’m the one with the key.”
Ames looked over at Radcliff who shrugged before he said, “If she’s coming along, she’s coming along. Front or back doesn’t matter that much.”
“No one is asking why you didn’t get a warrant if I open the door. Marv gave me the key so I think that implies permission for me to enter and once I’m inside I can invite you in.”
“So, technically a legal entry,” Ames said with a nod of approval.
“Not exactly choirgirl behavior but I guess it’s okay,” Radcliff added.
Margot let them into the building. It was late enough no one was on the streets and even if they were this was the kind of neighborhood where armed men and women heading into a building wasn’t as odd an occurrence as it would be in most others.
Margot couldn’t be sure but it seemed like this was one of the units with some lights on. Margot put in the key. She turned it as slow as she could hoping to be quiet. Marv clearly hadn’t oiled the lock anytime in the last decade so it was noisy despite Margot’s efforts.
They all stood to the side as Margot pushed the door open. When nobody shot at them Margot darted inside.
The lights were off in the front room but Margot could see light coming from what she figured was the bedroom. Ames turned on the lights. There was no furniture in the front room so there was nowhere for anyone to hide. They cleared the kitchen finding some empty take-out containers in the trash. The three of them moved to the unit's single bedroom.
There was no one in there either but there was a sleeping bag on the floor. If someone was inside they had to be in the bathroom so opening that door was the most nerve-wracking moment of the night. No one shot at them there either.
There was no one in the bathroom but the floor was covered with blood splatters and so was the countertop and the sink. When Radcliff pulled back the curtain on the shower they found a dark green hoodie that was also covered in blood.
“That look familiar?” Ames asked.
“Yeah,” Margot said as her shoulders slumped.
“This is a good find,” Ames said, “Why the disappointment?”
“I was still holding out hope Mal wasn’t involved. That belongs to the shooter from this evening. I’m pretty sure Marv didn’t give Viuda Negra a key to this place. It had to be Mal. Even if he didn’t drive the car he’s involved.”
“You know...” Ames began.
“Don’t,” Radcliff interrupted sensing his partner was about to tell Margot some version of ‘I told you so’ at a time she didn’t need to hear it.
“It’s okay,” Margot said, “he’s not wrong. I should have seen this a long time ago.”
Chapter 9
With the police now staking out Marv’s condo and APB’s out on both Mal and a woman with a bullet wound there wasn’t really anything else for Margot to do. She went to work planning to tell Mrs. Dithers her husband wasn’t cheating on her, at least on Tuesday, and continue checking social media for people trying to defraud the insurance company.
When Ms. Collins said Mr. Dithers was here to see her Margot she figured she’d misheard and Mrs. Dithers was going to walk through the door but she was wrong.
“How can I help you?” Margot asked the man she followed last night as he came in and sat down.
“She’s already bragging,” Mr. Dithers said.
“Who?”
“My wife, who if she has her way will soon be my ex-wife.”
“I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“She’s your client. She had you follow me.”
“Is that so?”
Mr. Dithers leaned forward and looked Margot in the eye. She got the feeling he felt this was intimidating, to some it might be but after being shot at Margot had a hard time worrying about getting the hard stare from an aging banker.
“You need to tell me what you saw last night.”
“No, I don’t.”
“I’m not asking.”
“Your tone implies a threat and as a banker, I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase don’t write a check with your mouth that your ass can’t cash.”
Dithers leaned back, it was clear he was reassessing his strategy. After a few moments, he said, “She lied to you. She didn’t hire you to catch me cheating she hired you to catch me making the drop. She was well aware of what was going to happen. She either wants you to go to the police or wants to hold the threat of going to the police over my head to shatter the prenup she signed.”
