“Four.” I chuckled. “Before we call it a night, have you heard from Grayson?”
“He doesn’t have my number. He’s got yours.” She slipped my phone across the table.
“No messages. I lost count of how many times I called him today.”
“You think we’ve been snookered?”
“We kept our end of the deal. I got into Nancy’s head and can give her a clean bill of health. He needs to hear that. We don’t know Grayson at all and yet I’d like to believe he was upfront with us.” I suddenly felt wide awake.
“We can drop Heather at school in the morning and then—”
“We can pay a surprise visit to The Billows, if Grayson hasn’t surfaced by then.”
“Let me check the back of your head before you lay down.”
Lizzy followed me to my bathroom, dipped a cotton ball in bottled water and dapped the small bump on my head.
“Does it look bad?”
“Not at all. That was a near miss, Olive. You were darn lucky.”
“Did you tell Dave?”
“To borrow a word from our wacky friend—poshookly no! The last thing we need is him sitting on the doorstep.”
I thanked Lizzy and called it a night. My last thoughts were of Digby. Had he made a connection between the Soprano honey and Nonna’s magical cold cream? As far as he knew the honey was used for baking. Was the secret out?
Lizzy and Jaimie haunted my dreams that night and into the early hours of the next morning. They were trapped in a castle that was falling apart. I tried to rescue them. I had only enough strength to pull one of them to safety. I cried out and woke myself up.
I slammed my hands over my mouth and turned to the bedside clock. It was not yet four in the morning. Puff had migrated during the night. She sat on my pillow and licked my face.
Lizzy came running in from Nonna’s room and knelt at my bedside. “Are you okay? Is it your head?”
“Just a bad dream. Sorry I scared you.”
“Can I get you anything? Water? Aspirin?”
“Really…I’m fine.” Just stay out of castles for the next few days.
Chapter 30
Unlike a certain picky kitty, WonderDog was willing to eat anything. Since I didn’t stock doggie kibble, Lizzy offered him the leftover pizza crusts. He gobbled them with gusto and then left to be walked and emptied. Food in—food out.
Dressed in black slacks, a striped T-shirt and ballet flats I greeted Lizzy and WonderDog when they returned from their morning trot. We packed up Heather’s gear, bid goodbye to Puff and headed for the elevator.
Lizzy eased Heather along with her purple pony knapsack into the backseat of the Beetle and strapped her in. WonderDog squeezed in the other side, a seatbelt across his fuzzy chest. My friend then zipped around the car insisting on helping me get belted in the front. If it made her happy to fuss over me, I’d let her have at it for the time being.
Lizzy pulled up to the entrance of Heather’s school, walked her inside, and returned to the car. With Grayson still missing in action and Jaimie wanting to confess something, my priorities were set. I felt fine—aside from a slight headache, which I attributed to my nightmares not to getting bopped.
“Let’s stop at Jaimie’s first. We can’t be wrong about her—can we?” I asked, closing my eyes as Lizzy pulled out onto Starfish Boulevard oblivious to oncoming traffic.
“I’m gonna kill her if she’s the killer!” Lizzy said. “Why do you keep closing your eyes? Are you hurting?”
“Only when I watch you drive.”
Chip and Jaimie owned a large contemporary house in a gated community. Both Lizzy and I knew the passcode as we were frequently called on to deliver her tipsy butt to the doorstep.
Lizzy entered the code, hung two lefts and drove up a flawless concrete driveway to an ivory-toned brick two-story house with a set of sculpted lions on either side of the staircase.
A khaki-colored van was parked near the garage. The lettering on the side read Starfish Cove Explorers. Chip Toast was loading boxes in the back with the assistance of two teenaged boys. He smiled as he walked towards Lizzy’s car.
“Caught red-handed! You are looking at the leader of the pack. I’m taking the kids tubing in Rainbow Springs,” he said. “I get more good out of working with these kids than they do. We’re going to have one heck of a fun day!”
“What’s this about Jaimie wanting to confess?” I couldn’t keep the admiration from my face. He looked so happy in his Explorers’ uniform. So this was how he spent his time—doing good.
“Jaimie’s not home right now. But if you want to leave her a note, I’ll make sure she gets it.” He lowered his voice. “She has to confess today—it’s the deadline I gave her weeks ago.”
“Can you tell us what it’s about?” I was not in the mood for guessing games.
“Nope. This is strictly between Jaimie and her conscience.”
“We could just call her?” Lizzy said.
“She promised to confess in person. Where will you be later this morning?”
I took out a slip of paper and jotted a note. We’re headed for The Billows to meet with Kathy and Sonny Angel. It’s a surprise visit.
Chip gave us the oddest look as he glanced at the note. “I’ll tape it on her vodka bottle. She hasn’t had breakfast yet.”
We wished him a fun outing and took off. Lizzy U-turned in the driveway and we headed back onto the boulevard.
“Seeing Chip’s secret life makes me feel really good—I had just about given up on the Toasts.” I settled back in the seat and closed my eyes just as Lizzy ran a yellow/red light.
“Anything from Grayson?”
I checked my phone for the umpteenth time. “No messages.” I dialed his phone and let it ring. Nothing.
“Doesn’t look like a good day for tubing. I hope the weather is better in Rainbow Springs.” I watched the sky darken, usually not a good sign. In Florida rain in the morning means rain all day.
At half-past eight Lizzy and I arrived at The Billows. The grand old building looked even more sorry in the lazy drizzle and under the rumble of thunder. Miniature lakes collected in the potholes of the parking lot. Lizzy pulled around to the services side of the building. A rain-slicked white fire escape zigzagged up five-stories ending at the roofline.
“Perfect day to ghost hunt.” Lizzy whispered as she let WonderDog out.
“I just hope that ghost isn’t Grayson.”
“He’s a big man. He can take care of himself.” Lizzy stepped carefully around a puddle, her straw wedgies already showing signs of taking on water.
“This doesn’t feel right. It’s way too deserted.” With my purse slung over my shoulder, and a can of hairspray propped near the unzipped opening, I splashed ahead of Lizzy ready to protect her.
WonderDog followed, a worried look on his grizzled brow.
A cloud opened and dumped a final splash on us as we hurried toward a ragged canvas canopy. A chunk of ornate plaster broke loose, bounced on the awning and landed at our feet.
My right toe caught the lip of an asphalt gap big enough to hold a small farm animal. I stumbled toward the entrance and crashed into one of the huge double doors. It didn’t budge.
A gust of wind blew the other one open exposing a lobby lit only by natural light filtering through gritty glass. The grayish green glow complemented the tattered lobby furniture nicely. Who wouldn’t want to spend a vacation here?
We entered the dreary lobby, skirting pieces of a broken Tiffany window and treading carefully on a split wooden floor. It appeared Kathy had given up caring for the place. Perhaps in death, Brent had won.
Reaching into my purse I felt the reassuring presence of the aerosol hair spray.
Whatever possessed those Vermont honeymooners to sign in? One look at the registration desk should have sent them running to the nearest Holiday Inn.
The dim drizzly daylight provided enough illumination for me to see that I didn’t want to close my eyes
—not even to blink. No telling what was camped out in the dark corners.
A dull zombie-like voice came out of the gloom. “Who’s there?” The male voice brought back memories of the semester I studied the criminally insane. I reached in my bag and took out the hairspray then stood in front of Lizzy.
Chapter 31
Sonny Angel stepped from behind the leaning relic of a reception desk and came towards us. I hadn’t noticed the blank expression on his face before—he’d always been so quite. But there it was—an empty look. Was he on drugs or just naturally devoid of original thoughts?
A frown etched the spot between his eyes. He glared at WonderDog.
An unearthly sound came from deep within Lizzy’s hound. If she hadn’t grabbed his collar he would have lunged at Sonny’s throat. Was he remembering the attack on me in the swimming pool?
I stared at Sonny’s eyes. They weren’t the same as during the lineup. At that time they were dark, so dark that the irises were almost indistinguishable from the pupils. Now they were light blue and chillingly familiar. The Smokey Eyes!
Keeping my expression neutral, I fought the urge to look at his hands for scratch marks, I said, “Is Kathy here?” There was no sense in letting him know what I just realized—it might incite him to violence.
“She’s here but she’s busy. We weren’t expecting company.”
For a guy manning the reception desk in an all but boarded up hotel Sonny was dressed to the nines. The Detroit transplant might be simple minded but he had a thing for complicated duds. Everything about him said clotheshorse, even his tie was made of the same metallic threads as the one Grayson had worn at breakfast. It was the detective’s tie! Not a good sign.
“Hey gals! Whatcha doing here? Come to look at the sorry remains of my beautiful Billows?” Kathy called from the top of a wide ornamental staircase. She looked like a little girl. With a couple of tap dance time steps, she clicked her way down the stairs and came to rest at her brother’s side.
On close inspection the Botticelli angel had morphed into the bride of Chucky. Her hair uncombed, red-rimmed eyes, pale puffy face. She wore a stained T-shirt and tan shorts.
A clap of thunder shook the timbers of the hotel. This was more than a normal Florida storm.
“Nice mess Brent Toast left me with. I guess you know that double-dealer was deliberately trying to drive me out of business? Turns out my friend Nancy Nemo was after my hotel, too! I can’t trust anybody except Sonny.”
She scratched her head. “Maybe I told you about Brent and Nancy already? I get confused lately. Don’t know what I’d do without my brother to keep me straight.” She smacked Sonny on the back but from her five feet to his six feet plus it ended up more like a kidney punch.
“You know Nancy’s going to be charged with Brent’s murder?” I said.
“She was the last person to fight with the creep—wasn’t she?” She ran a hand through her knotted blonde hair, the expression on her face challenging us to push her further. “Nancy Nemo—a killer. You think you know people… Got my work cut out for me if I’m going to get this place ready for the season.”
If she hadn’t lost her mind the screws were loose. The tourist season was finished and so was The Billows.
“Have you seen or heard from Grayson Cod?” I said.
“Grayson Cod? Hmm.” She screwed up her face looking as if she had trouble remembering the man. She nibbled on her thumbnail. Sonny’s eyes were fixed on his sister—taking his cues from her.
“Brent’s business partner,” Lizzy said.
Kathy showed all the signs of posttraumatic stress. She hadn’t even questioned the hairspray in my hand despite that the can was poised with my finger on the trigger.
“Oh yeah. The partner. He came by yesterday.” She glanced at her brother. “You remember, Sonny?”
He nodded numbly. How could I not have noticed his oddities before?
“That Grayson guy is not the brightest man I’ve ever met,” she said. “He tried to convince me that he wasn’t involved in Brent’s dirty tricks. Like I’d believe that. He wants my hotel as much as his partner did. They’re all out to get me.”
She was operating on the edge of paranoia, the wrong side of the edge. I turned my attention back to Sonny.
“Why are you staring at me?” he said.
My answer fell out of my big mouth. “Your eyes. I could have sworn they were almost black.”
Kathy chuckled impishly. “Told you it would work, brother dear! Colored contacts from the Halloween store.”
“Kathy said to wear them even though they scratched my eyes.”
“Speaking of scratches let me see your hands.”
Sonny’s eyes darted to his sister. He extended his hands obediently. My claw marks were visible.
WonderDog growled—the sound made my blood run cold. I turned to look at him. When I turned back Kathy had a gun in her hand, small but a gun.
Lizzy gasped. She grabbed her dog by the collar to restrain him.
“We’re going to continue this conversation on the fifth floor.” Pointing the gun at us, Kathy spoke as if conducting a tour. “Sonny and I have some trash to get rid of up there. I’m sure you’ll find it amusing as you have a personal connection with this particular load of garbage.
She motioned with the weapon. “Unfortunately, the elevator’s broken but the exercise will do you good. Now head up those stairs then we’ll get you some fresh air.”
A lighting bolt cracked. All of us jumped. I waited for the gun to go off. I exhaled when she didn’t reactively pull the trigger.
With her mental state the safest thing to do was to play along and hope for an opening.
How had these two crazies overcome Grayson? Surely he’d been up against trickier adversaries. It would be an inglorious end to a spectacular career.
Sonny led the way. Lizzy followed with WonderDog taking his cues from her. Walking behind my friend and in front of Kathy I was in a position to disarm the crazy lady.
With a quick turn I grabbed for her gun.
And missed.
She fired. The bullet went past my ear and chipped the plaster by Lizzy’s head.
WonderDog broke free and lunged. She fired at him and sent up another cloud of plaster dust. The wall was taking a beating. Lizzy grabbed his collar before he could lunge again.
Kathy stepped back and stumbled but grabbed the handrail. “Well, you helped me decide what to do with you. You’re going to join your friend. It’s a perfect day to die. You and your miserable dog.”
WonderDog and Lizzy sat huddled on a stair one step above me. She held his snout, and whispered soothingly in his ear.
“You can’t kill us and WonderDog,” I said. “This place will be crawling with cops.”
“And all they’ll find will be my big brother. Sonny would never let me take the blame. Now get going!” She motioned with the gun.
We continued our trudge upward.
The fifth flight ended at the roof access. Sonny opened the door and led us out. The roof had numerous vents, the housing for the elevator equipment, and an opening to the old fire escape. Another bolt of lightning and window-rattling thunderclap. Had Dr. Frankenstein entered the building?
“Walk over to the fire escape. Do be careful. The railings are loose. I’d hate to see you fall from such a great height,” she cackled.
“What did you do to Grayson Cod?” I said.
Kathy twirled the gun like an old-fashioned gunslinger. Stupid. Maybe she’d shoot herself in the foot.
“He tripped over that wire.” She pointed to an all but invisible wire strung across the platform connecting the exterior stairs to the roof. “He was coming up the stairs, probably to cause more problems for us. That’s what he gets for sending ghosts to scare off my guests! I’ll make a ghost out of him!”
“Grayson had nothing to with the troubles at The Billows. He was hired to investigate Brent Toast.”
“And I’m Amelia Earhart.”
> Chapter 32
Sonny dragged a body from behind an elevator equipment shed.
It was Grayson Cod, his face bloodied, his hair matted, and tall frame hog-tied with wire. Sonny threw him over his shoulder, carried him over to us by the fire escape, and dropped him on the roof.
Kathy prodded Grayson’s body with her foot. “Get the wire off before you throw him over. It’ll look suspicious if he’s trussed up like a turkey.”
Her eyes were wild. I had to keep her distracted until I could make another grab at her. “Why did you kill Brent?”
“My brother stabbed him—not me.”
“Why?” I looked at Sonny.
“Kathy told me to.” His pale eyes showed nothing—no remorse and no fear.
“And you do everything she tells you to do?”
“She’s my baby sister.”
I had to get that gun. I edged a few inches closer to her. “Kathy, I understand your anger. Brent drove you to it. But why that particular day with so many people around for Nancy’s party?”
She cut me a look that said I was the dumbest person on earth. “Sunday was picture-perfect weather for a murder with the fog so thick. Brent and Nancy were below deck on her stupid sailboat plotting to take The Billows from me. I heard them.”
“Maybe you misunderstood?”
“I understood perfectly. They were out to get me!” Again, she spun the gun around on her finger. “Two birds with one stone. Kill him. Frame her. Sometimes things are just… Seize the Day!”
“Since Brent was out to get you why didn’t you stab him yourself?” I moved another inch closer.
“I didn’t trust myself. What if I didn’t completely kill him? Can you imagine how pissed he’d be? My big strong brother did it for me.” She smiled at Sonny.
“So you would frame Nancy or hang Sonny out to dry? You weren’t choosey.”
“I wasn’t putting Sonny in jeopardy. I knew he’d get away with it if he followed my instructions. I told him to pull the knife out of Brent, wipe it clean, and throw it away.” She allowed herself a self-congratulatory smile. And he got away with it.”
Smokey Eyes Page 13
