3 Men and a Body (9 page)

cast. “But otherwise, it’s fine. I have to go next week for an

X-ray to make sure it’s healing okay.”

“Any pain?”

“The Percocet the doctor gave me has helped.”

He nodded. “You have refil s?”

“Yes, plenty, I think.”

“It’s a miracle you weren’t hurt worse. It’s lucky that Jack

was there to break your fall.”

“And that you were there to take care of me until the

EMTs arrived,” she added.

Coop winked. “My pleasure. I’m sorry about your friend.

Have you spoken with him?”

Just thinking about her former coworker Michael Lane

made Carlotta’s heart squeeze painful y. “No. I heard on

the news that he’s being held in the psychiatric ward at

North-side Hospital.”

“So he hasn’t been charged yet?”

“Not yet.” She fingered the seat belt and changed the

subject. “Wil we drive on to Boca Raton tomorrow?”

“Yeah, but we won’t pick up the body until the day after,

Sunday morning. That wil give us a little time for some

R&R.”

“Her death is al over the news. Have you seen it?”

“Yeah. It’s sad.”

“I can’t believe how quickly the media coverage

exploded.”

“Newspapers keep updated obituaries on file for

celebrities, just in case they die suddenly.”

“Please be kidding.”

“Nope. Especially for someone like Kiki, who was making

the news regularly for partying hard and erratic behavior.”

“Like not wearing panties?” Carlotta asked dryly.

“I said erratic behavior.” He grinned. “If you ask me, not

enough women go without panties.”

She laughed and shook her head. It was nice to see this

fun, flirty side of him. “I do feel bad, though. Hannah and I

were watching an interview with her on TV the other day

and I was actually feeling envious.”

“Envious? Why?”

Carlotta gave him a wry smile. “Young, beautiful, rich, with

a glamorous life. Gee, I don’t know why I’d be envious.”

“You’re young and beautiful.”

“I wasn’t fishing for compliments. But please go on.”

He laughed. “And your life seems pretty exciting to me. I

know my life has certainly picked up since I met you and

Wesley.”

“Exciting isn’t quite the same as glamorous.”

“Neiman’s is a pretty glamorous place to work, isn’t it?”

“It has its moments,” she agreed. “But most of the time I

feel like I’m on the outside looking into the lives of other

glamorous people.”

“You have something better than glam,” he said. “You

have strength and character. I don’t know many women

who would give up everything to raise a younger sibling on

their own.”

She looked at Coop and shook her head. “You give me too

much credit. I didn’t raise Wesley out of a sense of

nobility. My parents didn’t leave me a choice.”

“You had a choice. You could have abandoned him,” he

said quietly, “like they did.”

“I’d never do that,” she stated, her voice tight.

“Exactly. That’s why you’re worth a dozen of those empty

girls who have too much money and too much time on

their hands.”

“But I used to be like Kiki Deerling,” she murmured. “I

guess that’s why I relate to her.”

“Your parents were that wealthy?”

She nodded. “Or at least they lived like they were. Wesley

and I had a British nanny. My parents bought the best of

everything—cars, jewelry, art, vacations. My dad had a

private plane. We even had a chef.”

“Wow, I had no idea.”

“When the charges were brought against my father and he

was fired, my family lost everything. We moved to the

town house where Wesley and I live now. They put it in my

name to protect it from being seized, so at least we had a

place to live after they…left.”

“It was paid for?”

She nodded. “But several years ago I had to take out a

home equity loan to buy a new heating and air-

conditioning unit, replace the kitchen appliances and get

caught up on bil s. I’m stil paying it off.”

“I didn’t mean to pry.”

His pained expression tugged at her heart. “It’s okay. I

don’t know why I’m unloading on you.”

“It’s my big, broad shoulders,” he said rueful y. “Happens

all the time.”

She smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood. “So when

was the last time you had a vacation?”

“I can’t remember. But I take off a couple of days a week

to go hiking, or attend a film festival, or whatever looks

fun.”

“You seem content.”

He nodded. “I am, mostly.”

“Do you miss your old job?”

“As chief medical examiner? I see you’ve been informed of

my checkered past.”

“Just the CliffsNotes version. And none of it was told in an

unkind way.”

He lifted his shoulders in a philosophical shrug. “I do miss

being the chief M.E. sometimes. Dr. Abrams and I didn’t

see eye to eye when we worked together at the morgue.

Stil don’t. But he’s been good enough to contract me for

body hauling. It keeps me on the periphery of doing what I

love, what I’m good at.”

“Sounds like you’re good at lots of things.”

A sly smile curved his mouth. “You don’t really expect me

to brag, do you?”

“No. That’s not your style.”

“I have a style?”

“Yeah,” she said, angling her head. “You’re…understated.”

“Oh, gee, that’s just what every man wants to hear.”

She laughed. “I meant it as a compliment.”

“No, I like it,” he said, pul ing on his chin. “I think I’l put it on a T-shirt.”

She laughed harder. From her bag, her cel phone rang.

She glanced at the display screen and bit her lip. It was

Hannah, who’d made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t

happy about Carlotta being alone with Coop all weekend

at the beach. “I need to get this,” she murmured, then

flipped up the phone. “Hel o?”

Stony silence rang over the line.

“Hel o?” Carlotta said, louder.

Silence.

Carlotta sighed. “Okay, be that way.” She flipped the

phone closed, shaking her head.

“What was that all about?”

“Hannah. She was cal ing to let me know she’s stil giving

me the silent treatment.”

“Oh.”

“She’s got a thing for you.”

“I kind of picked up on that. How long wil she make you

suffer?”

Carlotta gave him a teasing smile. “I guess that depends on

how this weekend goes.”

He grinned widely, but the moment was broken by the

sound of her phone ringing again. She reached for it. “I

hope she doesn’t keep doing this.” But when she glanced

at the display screen, she scowled. J. Terry. She didn’t

want to answer. But on the chance that he had news

concerning her father’s fingerprints, she murmured,

“Excuse me,” to Coop and flipped open the phone.

“Hel o?”

“It’s Jack.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good morning to you, too.”

“What do you want, Jack?”

Coop turned his head toward her, a frown tugging on his

mouth before he looked back to the road.

“I feel lousy about the other day,” Jack said. “You know I

don’t want anything bad to happen to Wesley…or to you.”

He was extending an olive branch, but she didn’t want to

let him get close again. Not when he might be bringing her

father back from Florida. “You were just doing your job,”

she said tightly. “Besides, Wesley is okay.”

“My hands were tied.”

“Wel , Liz is probably into that.”

An exasperated sigh sounded on the line. “I seem to

remember you tying a pretty decent square knot from

your bedpost to my ankle.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Carlotta—”

She flipped the phone closed and tucked it back into her

purse.

Coop looked over at her. “How’s Jack?”

“Same. An asshole.”

He pursed his mouth. “The two of you seem to have some

kind of love-hate thing going on.”

“Not love,” she said, shaking her finger. “Believe me.”

“Okay.” He shifted in his seat. “Wesley said that Jack has

reopened your father’s case?”

“The D.A. had the case reopened, but he assigned it to

Jack.”

“Tough spot for Jack,” Coop ventured.

“He doesn’t seem to think so. He’s enjoying it. He’s

determined to find my father and drag him back to

Atlanta.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“About my father being captured? I’m not sure.” She

hesitated, then said, “But I think Jack is underestimating

him.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father is intelligent…clever.”

“I assumed so. How else could he have eluded capture all

these years?”

Carlotta pressed her lips together, wavering. She stared at

Coop’s profile. She could trust him to keep a confidence,

and she was desperate to share the secret she’d been

harboring. “Coop, my father came to see me.”

He pivoted his head, his eyes wide. “Recently?”

“Yes. It turns out he was at my funeral after all, in

disguise.”

“You’re kidding! The cops were everywhere.”

Carlotta wanted to respond, but a movement in the back

of the van caught her eye. From behind the mesh

partition, a sheet-covered body was rising from the floor

of the van. Her eyes watered and her heart seized with

terror. She pointed, gasping. At last her vocal cords rallied

and a scream exploded from her throat.

10

Carlotta screamed, straining against her seat belt, pointing

a shaking finger at the sheet-covered body rising in the

back of the van.

“What the hell?” Coop swerved, then pul ed the vehicle

onto the shoulder of the interstate and brought it to a

bumpy halt. He flipped on the hazard lights, then jumped

and ran around to the back. With her broken arm, Carlotta

moved more slowly, but stil opened the door, jumped

down and picked her way through the grass, her heart

pounding. She rounded the corner just as Coop yanked the

tangled sheet from the body struggling underneath it.

Wesley sat on top of the flattened gurney, glaring at her,

his hair in disarray.

“Dad came to see you and you didn’t tel me?”

“Whoa,” Coop said, holding up his hands. “What’s going

on? How did you get back here?”

Wes shrugged. “I was in the garage and climbed in when

you went in the house.”

Coop looked like he wanted to shake him—or worse.

“Why?”

“Yes, why?” Carlotta demanded, crossing her arms.

Wesley looked contrite. “I needed to get out of town for a

few days. When I read your note, Carlotta, I thought

coming with you and Coop was a good solution.”

She gritted her teeth. “And why do you need to get out of

town?”

Wesley climbed out to stand in front of her. “Why didn’t

you tel me about Dad?”

Coop emitted a loud whistle and chopped the air with his

hand. “Okay, time out. Why don’t we all get back in the

van before we’re kil ed on the side of the interstate?”

Carlotta wheeled away and walked back to the passenger

door, climbed inside and slammed it. Wesley slid into the

backseat and slammed his door. Coop vaulted into the

driver’s seat and slammed his. They were all silent for a

few seconds, then she erupted.

“You scared us to death. We could’ve had an accident!”

“Just when were you planning to make your presence

known, Wesley?” Coop asked.

“When you were too far down the road to take me back,”

he replied.

“I think we’re there,” Coop said dryly. “If I haul you home

in this traffic, it’ll take us three hours to get back to this

point.” He shot Wesley a hard look. “Or I could toss your

ass out on the side of the road.”

They all knew that Coop wouldn’t do that.

“Why exactly did you have to leave town?” Carlotta

demanded.

“One of my benefactors is leaning on me.”

“You mean one of your loan sharks?” she said, not

bothering to hide her sarcasm.

“Whatever. I thought it was best to lie low for a couple of

days.”

“You couldn’t lie low with a friend?” Coop asked.

“Come on,” Wesley cajoled. “I can help you with the body,

man. Carlotta’s no good to you with her bum arm.”

Coop frowned. “I didn’t ask her to ride along for her

weight-lifting skil s.”

“I know why you asked her to ride along,” Wesley said

pointedly. “This way I can keep on eye on you two.”

“Wesley, I don’t need a chaperone,” Carlotta said, her face

growing hot.

“Okay, okay,” Coop muttered. He dragged his hand down

his face. “You’re here. Let’s try to make the best of it.

Everyone, buckle up.” He leaned forward and put the van

in gear, checking the side mirror for a break in traffic, then

eased back into the flow.

Carlotta sat looking forward, still furious with her brother

for ruining the weekend. So much for her and Coop getting

to know each other.

They were al silent for a couple of miles, each one

stewing. Then from the back, Wesley asked, “So are you

going to tel me about Dad or not?”

She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, then turned

around. “I didn’t know it was him…at the time. This elderly

man—at least I thought he was elderly—came up to me at

the funeral home. He thought Jack was bothering me