Can't Keep a Brunette Down (29 page)

"Especially that last one," Marion said. "When you left, he was still lying on the mat seeing stars. On the upside, no man in that class will ever tell anyone they hit like a girl again. I know you and Thayer have a nasty history, but what was that all about?"

"He shouldn't have called me a wimp. Do you know he and Fabio have never even taken me seriously as a murder suspect?"

"And that bothers you?" Marion rolled her eyes skyward. "Are you nuts? Honey, you should be glad you're not under surveillance twenty-four seven and being dragged down to the station to answer questions about everything under the sun."

"I know." She sighed. "I just hate that he never takes me seriously about anything."

Marion chuckled. "He will now. At least you got a police escort home later. Actually, that wasn't the reason I came over. I was in Café Beanz last night and overheard Chloe tell some guy she needed some muscle to convince Mick to sign his condo over to her."

Gilda gagged on her mouthful of coffee. "Who was she talking to?"

"I've never seen the guy before," Marion said. "I assumed he was one of Gary's goons. He's got people everywhere, the way I hear it."

Possibly, but Gary wouldn't let anything happen to Mick as long as he owed money. Chloe, on the other hand, wouldn't hesitate to use brute force to get Mick's condo and maybe even his businesses.

"Are you okay?" Marion waved a hand in front of her face.

She rubbed her eyes. "I should probably warn Mick and Gary she's up to something."

"Let's go." Marion headed for the door. "I'm off today. I can tag along for moral support."

"I could just text them."

"You could, but Gary's parked out front anyway." Marion peered out the window. "You want me to get him to join us?"

She dropped her head back. "Not until I have a shower and get dressed. Do you want to go for a walk? I need to get out of here and don't feel like being alone or with Gary."

"Sure." Marion took a long drink of coffee. "Just keep in mind, I'm not in great shape. If you make me walk too far, I'll probably collapse. I think I need to start a diet tomorrow."

Gilda smiled. "No torture. Just an easy walk to clear the head and avoid Gary, Thayer, Fabio, and Mick. Maybe you should come to class and get in shape. We could start going for walks instead of for brunch."

"What's wrong with brunch? I need my weekly dose of bacon." Marion stretched her legs. "If I lose too much weight, I'll have to buy a whole new wardrobe, and I don't have the money for that."

Gilda chuckled then got up and glanced out the front window. Sure enough, Gary was parked across the street. Smoke curled out the driver's window, and he sat against the leather seat. Good thing there was more than one way out of her house. Once she got dressed, she led Marion out the back door, through the dew-covered garden, and toward the beach. Breaths of wind swirled off the lake and dried the fear from her forehead.

"You're a sneaky girl." Marion grinned. "I'm so glad we're friends. I'd hate to be on your bad side, especially after I saw you in action last night."

Gilda glanced over her shoulder, watching for any of the current men in her life. "Thanks. Thayer always made me feel so incompetent. Mick pushes me. He seems to know I can do things long before I know I can."

"Like beat up police officers, hold together the karate school, and solve crimes?" Marion asked. "Plus you've got the local bookie on your side and have Mick falling head over heels for you. Thayer will think twice about bothering you now. Honey, when you step up to fix things, you go totally overboard."

Gilda agreed then spotted Gary up the beach. "How on Earth did he find us?"

"Ignore him," Marion said. "Just pretend we're out for a normal walk on the beach."

"We
are
out for a normal walk on the beach."

Marion raised her eyebrows. "Then why did we have to sneak out the back door?"

Gilda sighed. "Because I feel like a fugitive."

Marion let out a loud laugh. "And that is why we're such good friends. Don't worry—I'll run interference for you. If he gets out of control, you can take him down."

"How'd you sneak past me?" Gary, still wearing his dress shoes and socks, ran toward them. "I was waiting for you."

"We ducked out the back door." Gilda frowned. "How did you find us?"

"I know people," he said. "People who tell me I need to talk to you because you're one tough little cookie who can kick my butt if I step out of line."

"Yes, she can." Marion grinned. "I watched her throw Thayer to the ground and knock him around in class last night. I think she convinced him and me to sign up for karate classes."

Gary studied both women then gave a slow nod. "Is Mick still living at the school?"

"As far as I know," Gilda said. "Why?"

He grasped her arm and steered her toward the street. "You and I are going to talk to him and get him to settle up his debt with me."

"What? Why do you need me?" Gilda shoved his hand off and stood her ground. "I have nothing to do with your problem with Mick."

"Leave her out of this," Marion said. "She's not involved in your shady gangster crap."

"Yes, she is." Gary grabbed Gilda's arm again. "She works for Mick, and she's the only person who can get me through that front door. We're going to get this cleared up before I have to get tough."

"What are you going to do—use the same muscle-head Chloe hired?" Gilda stopped on the sidewalk and yanked her arm out of his grip.

"What goon?" he asked, his gaze darting from Gilda to Marion.

"The one Marion overheard her talking to in the café last night. The same one you're going to foot the bill for whether you know it or not," Gilda said.

He raised his eyebrows. "You're shrewd."

"I'm serious." She clenched her teeth. "I'll help you, but you have to tell Chloe to get rid of the goon, leave Mick's condo, and get out of town."

"Or you have to spar Gilda in karate class." Marion nudged Gilda's arm. "Trust me, you don't want to do that."

"Done. I'll ship my little princess off to New York. My brother can set her up with a job or something." Gary stuck his hands in his pockets. "Anything else?"

Gilda shook her head. "Nope. I'm good. Let's track down Mick."

They discovered him in front of the school, unlocking the front door. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, took one look at them, and groaned. "I'm hot, I'm sweaty, and I'm not in a good mood. Can we save the intervention for later?"

"No intervention." Marion held the open door. "Just some problem solving."

"Great." He led the way into the lobby and glanced at Gilda. "Gary, I didn't know you hired female bodyguards. That's an interesting concept, even for you."

"You know why I'm here," Gary said. "Do you have my money?"

Mick stood in the middle of the lobby. "I'll give you the money, but you need to get Chloe out of my condo, away from my Ferrari, and out of town. Do we have an agreement?"

Gary winked at Gilda. "I understand the problems you're having with her and wholeheartedly agree. I thought having her around would be fun, but she's turning into her mother. I'll send her to New York and line her up with some rich plastic surgeon she can ruin."

"So far, so good," Marion said. "Gilda, what do you say we get out of here and let these two gentlemen finish up."

"Don't leave just yet. I want witnesses." Mick led the way to his office and handed Gary a small duffel bag. "I trust cash will be fine."

"Done." Gary took an envelope out of his pocket. "I'll trust all the money is here since your life's on the line. Gilda says I can count on you, so I will."

Mick met her gaze. "Good to know."

The men shook hands, and then Gary left. Once the door closed, Mick slumped into one of the plastic chairs lined up for parents to watch their kids in classes, and let out a deep sigh.

"That's it?" Marion asked, shaking her head. "No shoot out? No fist fight? I was looking forward to a little more mayhem. All you two did was exchange packages. I had more fun watching Gilda take on Thayer last night." She waved a hand. "Call me if you need backup, Gilda. I'll talk to you later."

Once her friend and wannabe bodyguard was gone, Gilda sat beside him on a flimsy chair and frowned. "I agree with Marion. That was too easy. What was really in the bag? It looked too light to be cash."

"Newspaper," Mick said.

"What did he give you?"

"Plane tickets." He opened the envelope and let her take a peek. "He's sending Chloe over later. I'm supposed to give her a ticket to New York and convince her to leave town before the trouble between her dad and me escalates and she gets caught in the middle."

"What do you get in return?" she asked.

"He's moving her out of my condo and changing the locks." Mick tapped the corner of the envelope on his leg. "He came by after Fabio took you home last night. We had a couple drinks and decided it was best for both of us if Chloe was gone. I also settled up my debt."

Gilda narrowed her eyes. "So what was the whole duffel bag exchange about? Gary grabbed me off the beach and freaked me out for nothing."

"He told me he's been following you," Mick said. "In his line of business, it serves him well not to trust people, and there are people around you right now who bother him."

"You and Thayer mostly."

"Mostly." Mick chuckled. "Fabio and Razi, among others."

"In short, he doesn't trust anyone I know." She smiled. Gary was just like her father.

"He trusts you. That's why he wanted to stage our exchange in front of you—to put your mind at ease."

Weird to think she felt all warm and fuzzy that a known bookie thought of her as a step up from his daughter. "I need a shower. You people make me feel dirty."

"I'm assuming that's not in a good way," Mick said. "If I wasn't expecting company, I'd go with you."

As flattered as she was by his offer, she winced. "Who are you waiting for?"

"Relax." He pulled her close and kissed her. "Chloe should be here soon, and then Xavier's coming by to train. After that, we'll go out for lunch. What could go wrong?"

 

Gilda replayed her discussion with Mick while she spent her nervous energy ripping weeds from the ground. She'd repeated their conversation so many times, since she was no longer sure what was fact and what was fiction. Something just felt wrong. Mick and Xavier trained at the school where two other men died. Was one of them the murderer, or did the murderer know they were there?

Hot tea with honey was the best antidote to calm her irrational thoughts. All her frustration bubbled beneath her skin until tears burned her eyes. She didn't want to run down to the school to check on them, and look like a fool, yet she couldn't sit and do nothing. The phone rang behind her as she poured boiling water into her cup. Her hands shook as she set the kettle aside and let the machine pick up the call.

"Gilda. It's Marion." The panic in her voice over the answering machine was palpable and filled the room like bubble wrap. "Whatever you're doing, drop it, and get to the school."

She bobbed the bag in the hot water and struggled to ignore the pressure rising in her chest. Afraid of what she'd hear if she answered the phone, she shook her head. "No way. Mick can take care of things without me."

When the phone rang again, Marion shrieked into the answering machine. "Answer the bloody phone, Gilda. Now!"

Alarmed, she picked up. "What's going on?"

"I'm at work and don't have time to explain. Just go to the school. It's an emergency."

Lately, the only emergencies at the school seemed to involve dead bodies. She set her cup in the sink. Had Mick discovered one of the other black belts dead? Her throat tightened. What if he'd been murdered? She'd never forgive herself for leaving him alone.

"Oh, crap." She bolted out the door then returned for her purse, in case she needed her keys to lock up behind the forensics crew again. She brushed off half the morbid thoughts and raced out the front door.

Gilda spotted the police cruisers from two blocks away and broke into a sprint. This was no prank. Something was definitely wrong. People milled around outside the front door, trying to get a glimpse of what had happened inside.

"Get out of my way. I work here." She shoved through the crowd and flew past the officer who guarded the door. "What's going on? Where's Mick?"

Fabio and Thayer stood over a figure seated behind the front desk. Her desk. Drops of blood dotted the floor. Her breath lodged in her chest as she tried to get a better look at the person in her chair.

"Who let you in here?" Thayer lunged to stand between her and Fabio. "You have to leave now. Go home. We'll talk to you later."

"Let her stay," Mick said.

At the sound of his voice, Gilda's heartbeat slowed enough for her to catch her breath. "What's going on?"

Fabio's already cavernous nostrils flared, and then he and Thayer moved aside.

Mick sat in her chair covered in gobs of blood. When his gaze met hers, he frowned and swallowed hard. Combined with the black eye and contusions from Chloe, at first glance he looked like he'd murdered someone.

Gilda swallowed past the fear that her first impression was right. "Please tell me you didn't do anything stupid. What happened?"

"We don't know yet," Thayer said. "Neither of them is talking."

"Neither of them?" she asked, her eyes widening and her stomach sinking.

On the tatami mats beneath the shrine, Xavier lay on his back, arms and legs sprawled wide. The handle of a dagger stuck out of his chest. The ornate Japanese dagger Mick kept on his desk. A prized gift from Yoshida when they first opened the school.

Footprints had thinned patches in the pools of congealed blood nearby. Mick must have arrived shortly after the murderer left and checked Xavier for a pulse. There was nothing anyone could do for Xavier now except call his family.

Thayer towered over Mick and put on his tough-guy act. Apparently he'd forgotten Mick could knock him to the floor with a flick of his finger. "If you don't start telling me what happened, I'm locking you up for the rest of your miserable life."