Bodies in Paradise

by Deborah Brown

  The kid calmed down in a blink and became the picture of innocence when approached by the cop. He sat up straight and answered all the cop’s questions respectfully. From the anger etched on Fab’s face, I guessed he was lying.

  The other cop, after questioning Mother, came over and had a few for me. I told him what had gone down, and that there were a lot of witnesses, even though a few had jumped in their cars and roared off the second the cops arrived. A handful of stragglers had wandered over and weren’t going anywhere, a couple with phones in their hands.

  Mother sidled up next to me when the cop went to confer with his partner. “That was a family beatdown,” she confided. “Here’s the worst part: it’s not the first time the kid beat her up.”

  I gasped. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “She was a heck of a lot calmer than I would’ve been. Turns out she has asthma, and in a fit of rage, her son tossed her inhaler out the window. That’s why she was bent over; she couldn’t catch her breath, and as you can imagine, it was freaking her out. I about lost patience when she was more worried about her son than herself. I told her she needed to calm down.” Mother shook her head. “You’ll be happy to know that I didn’t offer my parenting advice, which would’ve been to kick his ass down the street.”

  Ass, I mouthed with a shocked face, reminding her of her longstanding rule: no bad words allowed. “There’s my mother; she was hiding for a second.”

  Mother made a face.

  “If the kid doesn’t get control of his anger, he’s going to land in prison. I’m not sure how the cops will handle this case, and I guess it depends on whether the mother presses charges. It’s probably not the first time they’ve responded to a call regarding those two.” I gave Mother a side hug. “It was nice of you to rush to her side and lend support.”

  The one cop cuffed the kid and put him in the back of his car, and after an exchange of words with his partner, he drove off.

  The other cop walked back over to Fab, and they talked. After a few, he walked back to the SUV with her, and she pulled out a business card and handed it to him. He went inside the convenience store.

  Fab waved Mother and I over in an impatient gesture—hustle it up—as if we were kidlets and had been the ones to irk her last nerve.

  “Did you know they’re mother and son?” Fab demanded in a frustrated tone once we were all seated and the doors closed.

  “I told Madison,” Mother said.

  “Here’s something you didn’t know: the mother doesn’t want to press charges—it was all a misunderstanding. My you-know-what,” Fab said in disgust.

  “The cops pretty much know that’s baloney, and they did arrest him,” I said.

  “I asked what they planned to do. I got a ‘none of your business’ look, although he was nice about it.” Fab laughed. “Curtis, the youthful offender, was excited to be going for a ride in the back of the cruiser. Didn’t seem the slightest bit worried about being hauled off to jail. I suspect, from his blasé attitude, that it wasn’t his first encounter with the cops, and if he walked the other times, he probably figures he’ll be doing the same today.”

  Fab’s phone started ringing, which she ignored. It stopped. And started ringing again. She hit the connect button and handed it to Mother, who didn’t skip a beat but hopped into the role of Fab’s assistant. I groaned and leaned back against the seat, hoping it wasn’t one of her more outrageous clients.

  “This is Madeline Spoon, Mr. Gunzelman,” Mother said in an overly sweet tone. “I’m Fab’s occasional assistant, and she’s told me several times you’re one of her best clients. And favorites,” she added conspiratorially. “At the moment, she’s busy with another client, but the second she’s free, I can have her call you. Or I can help you.” It was clear she preferred the latter option.

  I covered my face. I didn’t want to listen, but leaned forward to make sure I didn’t miss a word.

  “What time is convenient for you?” Mother asked.

  If she was going to play assistant, she needed to use the speaker button.

  “Don’t you worry; she’ll be waiting on your arrival.” Whatever he said, she giggled, and the two hung up.

  “Just a little reminder, Mother—you have a husband and shouldn’t be giggling with the likes of Gunz,” I said. “Spoon will dispose of him faster than you can blink.”

  “Mr. Gunz was one hundred percent professional.” Mother grinned.

  I’ll just bet.

  Mother turned her attention to Fab. “Gunz is on his way to your office; he’s got an important case he needs your input on.” She turned to face me. “We can reschedule this shopping trip for another day. I’ll plan it and make sure we all get a little of what we want.”

  “That sounds nice.” I didn’t have to see Fab’s face to know she was smirking.

  “This has been fun.” Mother rubbed her hands together. “And more to come.”

  “If it’s fun you’re wanting, Mother, how about we ditch Fab and hit up all our favorite in-town stores?”

  “We can’t hurt Fab’s feelings by leaving her out.” Mother smiled at her. “Since I haven’t seen your new office or met Lark, now would be the perfect time.”

  I nudged Fab’s shoulder. “It would make Mother’s afternoon if you showed off a couple of your shortcuts.” I gave Mother a couple of days before she was back on the streets trying to retrace the route. She’d find out it wasn’t as easy as Fab made it look.

  I leaned back and closed my eyes.

  Fab jetted us over to the office, and we all got out and stopped to watch as Lark tossed a frisbee to Arlo, who was more than willing to run and fetch. She waved and ditched her play partner, walking over. I introduced Mother to Lark and was pleased at the look of approval on Mother’s face.

  The four of us trooped inside, and I took drink orders. It was an easy one—we all wanted water—and I retrieved the bottles from the fridge and passed them around. I sat at the conference table with Mother and Fab, and Lark rolled her chair over at Mother’s insistence.

  “I thought you were, ah…” Creole said, coming out of his office. He eyed us, sitting around the table, and stopped.

  I stood and yelled, “Gather around, gentleman.”

  Didier appeared right behind Creole and brushed Fab’s head with a kiss before sitting down.

  Brad was the laggard. He kissed Mother’s cheek before sitting.

  “You were supposed to be shopping.” Creole’s intent expression told me he was trying to figure out what happened without having to be told. Too bad that almost never worked.

  “Stuff happened.” I smirked at him. “Listen up, everyone; it’s a good story. Fab and Mother were the stars of the morning. Thankfully, Mother didn’t put herself in a position to get her butt kicked. As for my part, I corroborated everyone’s story, and if the little bastard had tried to jump me, I’d have nicked his butt with a bullet.”

  “Really, Madison,” Mother admonished, then grinned.

  Now that I had everyone’s full attention, I flourished my hand at Fab. “You’re up, girlfriend, and you need to sauce up the details after this introduction.”

  Fab stood and bowed, then sat back down and launched into the events of the morning. She ended her recitation with, “If the kid had been a man, as I originally thought, I’d have given him an extra kick or two. I got caught off guard by him being a teenager and then finding out that he and the woman were related. That bit of good sense probably saved me from a ride to the police station. We haven’t had need of bail money of late, and I’d like it to stay that way.”

  Didier hugged her. “You okay?” She nodded.

  “I’ll ask Xander to keep an eye out for any news items, so we can find out what happens with sonny boy,” I said.

  “I’m surprised you ladies stopped by to tell us in person.” Didier smiled at us.

  “You can thank Fab’s assistant.” I pointed to Mother. “Fab foisted a business call off on Mother, which wasn’t professional
, by the way.” I squinted at Fab and tried not to laugh. “Knowing Mother, she decided in an instant that coming here would be much more fun than shopping, so she set up the meeting.”

  “You’re so dramatic,” Mother admonished. “I’m more than happy to help Fab.”

  “Like you had another option,” I interjected.

  “Anyway…” Mother stared at me, my cue to be quiet so she could finish. “That sweet Gunzelman called, and I was trying to be supportive when he mentioned he had a family emergency and needed Fab’s help. What would you have done?”

  “Me?” I pointed to myself. “Hung up on him.” I swear, the guys didn’t know whether to roll their eyes or laugh.

  “He’s just a big ole sweetie,” Mother said.

  I did roll my eyes and kicked Fab’s foot under the table as she struggled not to grin. “I, for one, can’t wait to find out what his third cousin’s granny wants.”

  “No wonder the man told me you try his patience,” Mother said.

  Now everyone was in agreement and laughed.

  “I call Pot on that one,” I said. “So you know, from this moment on, I’m keeping an eye on you.” I winked at Mother. “Your husb would flip if he thought you were sharing a laugh with that felonious fellow, no matter how reformed, and I won’t be blamed.”

  “I just won’t tell him,” Mother announced proudly.

  “Take it from me, since I’m probably the sneakiest of the bunch,” Fab said, “that doesn’t always work, and then you have to suffer retribution.” She leaned over and whispered in Mother’s ear, and her cheeks burned bright red. “Oh look, Gunz just pulled in. Time to adjourn upstairs.” Fab stood.

  Brad covered Mother’s hand with his. “You can keep me company.”

  Mother snorted and jerked her hand back. “I’m going.”

  “Hate to throw your words back at you, Mother…” I said, although clearly not. “Making noises like that will give you big nostrils.”

  Brad and I traded a smile.

  “I’ll catch up with you two,” I said as they headed to the elevator. “Need to talk to Brad.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  I stayed seated, and Creole and Didier went back to their office. “I don’t have anything new on Cassie. She’s dropped out of sight, which is probably not good news, based on the kind of people she’s hung out with in the past. You were probably her first romp with a good guy.”

  Brad winced. “I read all the reports Xander sent me, and her background surprised me. She put on a good ‘girl next door’ act. Has Xander been able to trace her phone?”

  “Turned off, and he thinks she removed the battery. Did Cassie leave anything behind that would give a clue where she might have gone?”

  He shook his head. “She took all her personal belongings. I can’t help wondering how she could walk off and leave her kid. But then, Logan’s not hers. Still, he’s family.”

  “Maybe whatever she was running from—” Or to, I left unsaid. “—she thought you were the better option for Logan. Considering the legal document she left behind, she gave it some thought, and it doesn’t appear that she plans on coming back. At least, not anytime soon. And since I know you’re going to ask—” I paused. “—Xander hasn’t been able to find anything on the other grandparents.

  Brad’s hand covered mine. “Do I say thank you enough? I talked to Tank and updated him on everything you’d found out, and he said that chances are next to nil that I’d be granted any kind of custody, since I’m not family. The POA she left is worthless.”

  “Did he have any good news?”

  “He suggested that I apply to be a foster parent.” Brad shook his head. “I should’ve been the one to make the trip to the Glades.”

  “Bad idea there. They were, to put it nicely, an odd family. They tolerated our visit since we weren’t perceived as a threat, but you… not sure you would’ve received the same reception.” I’d thought back to that trip a few times, and my neck hairs told me there was a lot going on out there in the wilds. “Have you asked Allegra to move out yet? I noticed her car in the parking lot, and when I find out who opened the gate for her, I’m kicking butt.” I planned to invalidate her entry card after I talked to the Chief.

  “I don’t want you going off half-cocked and committing bodily harm. I have no desire to explain to my daughter about prison—the ugly uniforms and horrid food.”

  I sighed. “You want me to calm down—message received.”

  “Allegra thinks you’re unstable.”

  “Let her think that.”

  “She and I had a long talk, and I told her she needed to move ASAP, that she owed me that much for the screwing she put my life through.”

  “Bet she was all broken up.” I didn’t even try to curtail my sarcasm. “Any explanation as to what the…” I was losing the battle to control my anger.

  “Turns out she’s still working for the FBI and says it’s a big case, still ongoing. She befriended Cassie to get information about the head of the criminal ring she has ties to. She didn’t think about us getting together, but when we did, it was convenient.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Does Allegra know where Cassie is?”

  “She said that Cassie dropped off the radar right after she packed up and left. She didn’t say it, but I gathered she didn’t think there’d be a good outcome.”

  “There’s something we agree on. I’m surprised, if Allegra is working this case, that she’d leave the area. Unless her involvement has ended?”

  “I think she’s more worried about what you’re going to do.” Brad laughed. “I didn’t bother to tell her you probably wouldn’t lose it and shoot her anytime soon.”

  I didn’t care what the woman thought of me. But in light of what I just learned, I needed to not provoke her. “Is she going to continue to work for the Chief?” I nodded to the floor overhead.

  “I wanted to ask what he knew or didn’t know, but decided a little ignorance was a better option. I need to get along around here. Allegra did tell me that I needed to get with a lawyer and get the legalities of Logan’s living situation worked out.”

  “At least she didn’t send over Social Services, which she could have easily done. That would’ve been the last you’d have seen of Logan.” That would’ve been a sad outcome all around. “So you know, I’m working on finding you a top-notch family law lawyer.”

  Brad nodded at something behind me.

  I turned and saw Gunz holding the elevator door for Mother and Fab. I lowered my voice and said, “So sad that I missed hearing the latest about whatever relative’s life has gone off the rails.”

  “How many does he have?” Brad eyed the man as he said his goodbyes.

  “A wad-load. I think the blood relatives suck in every friend, acquaintance, and probably stranger to dump their problems on him. Gunz never says no. At least, not that I’ve heard.”

  Gunz winked at Lark, who giggled. He waved as he went out the door. That’s when I noticed the bouquet on her desk.

  “You better institute a ‘no dating Fab’s clients’ policy, or yours for that matter,” I told my brother, who shook his head, not willing to stick his nose into someone’s personal business, unlike his sister. “I promise that it’ll come back to bite you, and not in a pleasant way.”

  “Are you two discussing Logan?” Mother asked as she sat down. “You could’ve waited for my input.”

  Fab—about ready to burst, smug look and all—also sat down.

  All eyes were on Mother, and nobody said a word.

  “Keep him. There’s always room for one more in the family. His bio family sounds…” Mother made a face.

  “It’s not that simple,” Brad told her. “Once I’ve spoken to a lawyer, I’ll let you know my options.”

  Mother’s suggestion didn’t surprise me; I didn’t think there was anyone in the family that wouldn’t support Brad’s decision to do just that.

  “Isn’t anyone going to ask how the meeting went?” Fab bubbled with
excitement.

  “I’ll bite,” Brad said.

  “You’re going to be sorry,” I murmured.

  Fab whipped out her phone. “I have to set this up, since I wasn’t able to capture everything on video.”

  “You give me that.” Mother attempted to whisk the phone away, but Fab was quicker, and she came up with air.

  “My best client comes in to avail himself of my services, and it’s not a boast when I say I have an impeccable record for dealing with his issues.” Fab waved her phone.

  Brad looked at me like I was the one who snorted. I pointed to Mother. He shook his head, not believing me.

  “Gunz gets comfortable and starts to detail the job. He’d just gotten started, and that’s where the video begins.”

  Mother glared at her.

  She held up her phone, pressing play. It showed Mother jumping up from her chair and slapping the desk with her hand. “Now you listen to me, young man.”

  Young man. Both Brad and I smirked.

  “That’s not the kind of job Fab will agree to take,” Mother told him in no uncertain terms. “For one thing, her husband will kill her. Well, probably not her, but you anyway.”

  The video showed Gunz grinning at Mother and enjoying every minute of his rebuke.

  “It’s in your best interest to find someone else.” Mother shook her finger at the man.

  “Don’t you think we should hear what Fab has to say?” Gunz asked.

  “You already have your answer.” Mother turned a squint eye on Fab. “You better not think about sneaking around.”

  Brad and I laughed. We’d heard that speech before. Behave or else something you hated would befall you.

  “The end,” Fab said with a flourish, looking disappointed.

  “The video doesn’t enlighten us as to what kind of job it was,” Brad said.

  “Convenient, huh?” I exchanged a smirk with Brad. “So sad that neither Creole nor Didier got invited to this little show, not to mention Spoon. He’s going to be irritated to be the last to know. Sauce it up with a private showing.” I winked at Mother. “Be sure you forward a copy of that video to Mother,” I said to Fab, then stood and yelled, “Hey guys, get out here.”