Crime Seen (24 page)

I grabbed my gym bag and with one hand on the steering wheel, I tried to open the zipper to get my purse and cell phone out. I glanced again in the rearview mirror and saw that the Hummer was gaining ground. ‘‘Dammit!’’ I swore when the zipper on my bag wouldn’t easily open. I glanced back up to the road in front of me and jumped on the brakes. I’d nearly rear-ended the car in front of me. My heart was pounding hard in my chest, so I inhaled and exhaled deeply.

Glancing back up, I noticed that the Hummer had disappeared. I almost breathed a sigh of relief when I watched it whiz by me. Candice was several car lengths in front of me and she ducked under a yellow light just as it turned red. The Hummer accelerated and bolted through the intersection. ‘‘No!’’ I shouted as I braked in front of another car at the light. To my horror I noticed that I was blocked in on all sides.

Reaching over to my gym bag, I used both hands to get it open and haul out my purse. With trembling fingers I rummaged around, trying to locate my tiny cell phone. When I glanced back up, I could see Candice’s rental car and the Hummer gaining ground on her. I looked back to my purse and finally found the cell. I quickly flipped it open and dialed Candice. Her phone went straight to voice mail. ‘‘Candice! Look in your rearview mirror! The Hummer! It’s right on your tail!’’ I yelled as much into the phone as into my windshield.

In front of me the light turned green and cars began to move. I dropped the cell phone in my lap and concentrated on driving. I could see the Hummer and Candice, about half a mile up the road. Spago’s was off to the left, and as I wove through traffic, punching the accelerator, I could see Candice’s car make the turn, followed by the Hummer. I picked up my cell again and hit redial. Again, Candice’s phone went straight to voice mail. She must have turned it off when we were working out.

I tore up the street at increasing speeds, both hands on the wheel as I focused on getting to Spago’s. Finally I was at the turn, but I had to wait for four lanes of oncoming traffic to clear before I could go. I kept looking into the parking lot, trying to catch a glimpse of Candice or the Hummer, but Spago’s parking lot is in the rear of the building and I couldn’t get a good view of it.

Just then a break in traffic opened up and I punched the accelerator hard. Behind me I heard a horn—the hole had been a wee bit tight—but I didn’t look back as I zoomed into the parking lot and took the sharp corner with a squeal of my tires. I spotted Candice’s blond head right away. She was over in the corner of the lot, her car blocked in by the Hummer. A gargantuan man was towering over her, shaking his finger.

I headed straight for them, and for a moment I had the lovely idea of ramming my Mazda into his Hummer. Granted, my SUV was decidedly smaller, but I might at least distract him enough for Candice to get away. Still, as I approached it was clear that Candice was too close for me to risk it.

The gargantuan must have heard my car coming, because he turned slightly as I approached. I stamped on the brakes and skidded to a halt not five feet from him. He grabbed Candice roughly and jerked her over to the side with him.

Jumping out of my car, full of adrenaline and bravado, I yelled, ‘‘Let her go!’’

Gargantuan looked somewhat confused, but then he said, ‘‘Stay outta this!’’

It was then that I noticed he had a gun pointed at Candice’s chest. The look on her face pleaded with me not to push it. I raised my hands into the air and said, ‘‘Don’t hurt her!’’

‘‘Get back in your car and drive away,’’ said Gargantuan. ‘‘Now.’’

I glanced at Candice. She gave me a curt nod, but I found it hard to breathe and even more difficult to move. ‘‘Let her go,’’ I pleaded.

‘‘I said get outta here!’’ yelled Gargantuan, pulling the gun away from her and pointing it at me.

Then I saw Candice’s hands move in a blur of speed and precision. With a maneuver far too fast for me to track, she had the man’s hand twisted back and his gun flying skyward. A second later she was holding the gun and he was on the ground, writhing in agony. His palm was facing up and bent back at an angle that had to be painful.

Next, she kneed him right in the nose, but didn’t let go of his palm. He recoiled and she pulled up on the arm as he let out a howl of pain. Pointing the gun at his face with her free hand, she said to me, ‘‘You got your cell phone, Abby?’’

‘‘Yes,’’ I said, stunned at the quick turn of events.

‘‘Call the cavalry and let’s put this slime behind bars for a while.’’

Two patrol cars and one unmarked car arrived at the scene. Milo, dressed in a gorgeous black suit and a crisp white shirt offset by a metallic pink tie, got out of the unmarked car and walked up to us just as they were putting Gargantuan into the patrol car. ‘‘Why is it that when there’s trouble in this town, Abby, I always find you in the middle of it?’’ he asked with a grin.

‘‘Animal magnetism,’’ I deadpanned.

‘‘Miss Fusco,’’ he said to Candice with a nod.

‘‘Mr. Johnson,’’ she said back. ‘‘Abby and I were rammed by another car when we were upstate the day before yesterday, and this is the guy who did it.’’

Milo turned to me. ‘‘Does Dutch know you were rammed by another vehicle the other day?’’

I pumped my head vigorously. ‘‘Of course. I told him we’d been in a car accident.’’

Milo scratched his chin thoughtfully. ‘‘I seem to remember him telling me that you said it was a ‘fender bender.’ ’’

‘‘Absolutely,’’ I said, still nodding my head. ‘‘Our fender was most definitely bent.’’

Milo grinned and gave a wheezy little laugh. Turning to Candice, he said, ‘‘Is there any way I can get a
straight
answer out of you?’’

‘‘Depends on what the question is,’’ she said easily.

‘‘Great,’’ he said, removing a small notebook and a pen from his pocket. ‘‘Taking a statement from two wise guys is just how I like to start my mornings.’’

Candice and I cooperated fully with Milo, except about questions pertaining to the case that we were working. Candice did most of the talking, and when it came to filling Milo in on the details of who we were visiting up in Jackson and why, she wouldn’t divulge a word. ‘‘That’s confidential, detective,’’ she said when he asked.

‘‘Why?’’ Milo wanted to know.

‘‘Because I don’t need the police butting in on a case brought to me by a private citizen. I have my client’s confidence and privacy to protect.’’ I shot Candice a grateful look.

Milo scratched his head, then eyed me, thinking perhaps I might crack and give up a name. ‘‘Abby?’’ he said. ‘‘Want to elaborate on who you spoke with upstate and why?’’

‘‘Can’t,’’ I said, doing my best to look apologetic. ‘‘Candice has hired me to assist with her investigation, which makes her my boss. And if my boss won’t give it up, then I’m sure not going to.’’

‘‘I see,’’ he said. Behind us we heard a loud rumble and we all turned as a huge tow truck pulled into the lot.

‘‘Did he have any ID on him?’’ I asked, curious about who this guy was.

‘‘Oh, yeah,’’ Milo said as he tugged on his chin thoughtfully. ‘‘He had plenty of ID. We found three different driver’s licenses in his wallet, and one in the car. I figure all four are fake, and the fact that he’s carrying so many probably means his prints are in the system. We’ll take him back to the station, fingerprint him, identify him, then book him on assault with a deadly weapon. And once we tow in the Hummer and collect the forensics to match the damage done to your car, Candice, we’ll get him on attempted murder too.’’

‘‘Awesome,’’ I said happily. I could rest easier knowing the guy who wanted to kill us was off the streets.

‘‘Not so much,’’ said Milo seriously. ‘‘This guy stands a chance at posting bond, and he’ll probably be out within a day or so. I would recommend that you two call your client to tell them this case is too dangerous and you’re dropping out.’’

Candice flashed him a sardonic smile. ‘‘I appreciate that, detective. However, I’d rather not change the name of my agency to Candice Fusco, Chickenshit PI, just yet.’’

I stifled a giggle. When Milo shot me a look, I pushed out my chin and said, ‘‘Yeah. What she said.’’

‘‘Is that the way it’s going to be, Abby?’’

His steely glare made me a bit nervous. ‘‘You’re not going to tell Dutch about this, are you, Milo?’’

Milo gave me a sly smile, obviously smelling a weak spot. ‘‘Oh, I’m gonna tell him all right, and you
know
how he loves hearing about the antics of his girlfriend from the Royal Oak PD. That’s a phone call I can’t
wait
to make, Abby.’’

Damn
. ‘‘Fine,’’ I said, flipping open my cell phone again. Dialing some numbers, I put the phone to my ear and began speaking after the beep. ‘‘Hey, Dutch, it’s me. Listen, Milo’s got this really funny story to tell you about that fender bender Candice and I were in the other day, and he may feed you a big fat lie about some guy in Spago’s parking lot trying to shoot Candice, but I want you to know that Candice handled it, no problemo, and Milo’s just a big fat fibber. Anyhoozel, we should have dinner again soon. That Thai food last night was da bomb. Oh, and I love the new haircut—it suits you. Okay, gotta go, love-ya-mean-it, buh-bye.’’

I stuck my tongue out at Milo as I pocketed the cell phone.

He shook his head at me and gave another wheezy laugh. ‘‘You know,’’ he said, ‘‘Dutch has handled some serious trouble in all the years he’s been in law enforcement, but you, Abby . . . well, you just take the cake.’’

Once we’d finished with Milo, or he’d finished with us, Candice and I regrouped by her car. ‘‘You still feel like an omelet?’’

‘‘Now I feel more like a Coney Dog,’’ I said, looking at my watch.

‘‘Let’s get it to go,’’ she said, ‘‘and we can take it over to your place. I’d rather talk to you in private.’’

We ordered two dogs, extra chili and extra mustard, along with two orders of chili cheese fries and two large Cokes, then headed back to my house. When we got inside, Eggy jumped off the couch and hurried over to Candice to sniff the bags. ‘‘Does he like Coney Dogs?’’

‘‘Eggy’s not one to discriminate. If I’ll eat it, he’ll eat it, and the worse it is for you, the more we both like it.’’

We sat down in the living room and unloaded the bags. There is no better scent than a steamy-hot Coney Dog and chili cheese fries. Spago’s has some of the best in town, with a sweet, soft bun and extra-spicy mustard. Candice and I chowed down first, not really saying much other than the occasional ‘‘Mmmf, this is good!’’ Afterward we both reclined on the couch, thankful for elastic waistbands.

‘‘So what’d you want to talk to me about?’’ I asked lazily.

‘‘Oh, yeah,’’ she said, straightening up. ‘‘It’s about the guy in Spago’s parking lot. I think our friend Bruce might have sent him.’’

I sat up a little straighter and looked at her. ‘‘You do? Why?’’

‘‘Because when he boxed me in with his Hummer and pointed the gun at me, he said, ‘I got a message from Lutz. He wants you to stay the hell outta his business.’ ’’

I thought about that for a minute. ‘‘I’m not buying it,’’ I said.

‘‘Me neither,’’ said Candice. ‘‘It just seems too easy.’’

‘‘So, what do we do?’’

‘‘We call Lutz to see if we got the message right.’’

‘‘Good thinkin’,’’ I said. Candice dialed information on her cell phone and got the number for Jackson prison. She dialed the directory and asked how to go about getting an inmate on the phone. She was told that a message would be sent to the inmate and that he could call her from a prison pay phone, and all she’d have to do was accept the charges when he called. Candice left her number and hung up.

Both of us were feeling the effects of heavy carbs and full stomachs, so I clicked on the telly and we made small talk. ‘‘I really like your house,’’ Candice said as she looked around.

‘‘Thanks,’’ I said. ‘‘It’s coming together, even though I haven’t spent a lot of time here.’’

‘‘Man, if I had a house like this, I’d never leave,’’ she commented. Just then her cell rang and she answered it. I waited while she took the call, which was short and to the point. When she hung up, she looked at me and said, with eyebrows bouncing, ‘‘Feel like another road trip?’’

‘‘You can’t mean back up to Jackson?’’

‘‘I can and I do,’’ she said. ‘‘Lutz claims that he didn’t have anything to do with that gorilla attack today. In fact, he’s asking to speak to us. He says he’s got some information that he wants to exchange for some help with his hearing, and he insisted we come today.’’

‘‘I’m in,’’ I said, getting to my feet. ‘‘We taking your rental?’’

‘‘Nope,’’ Candice said as she also got up. ‘‘I’ve got a better idea.’’

Half an hour later we were on the road. Candice had returned her rented sedan and traded up for a Hummer, which was a lot more expensive to rent, but she wasn’t flinching. ‘‘I got the idea from the guy who rammed us,’’ she said as we pulled out of the rental lot. ‘‘Fight fire with fire, right?’’

‘‘We are up
high
,’’ I said, looking out my window at the pavement passing by below us.

‘‘Yep,’’ Candice said, grinning from ear to ear. She was having a blast in her big badass car. ‘‘I
love
this thing!’’

I laughed. ‘‘It’s like I’m driving with Moses,’’ I said as I looked at all the cars moving to other lanes in front of us and giving us a clear road ahead.

‘‘Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout,’’ said Candice with a head bob. ‘‘Remind me when we get back to the office to shop prices. I think I might take my insurance money and invest in one of these babies.’’

My right side felt light and airy. ‘‘I don’t think there’s any ‘might’ about it,’’ I said to her. ‘‘And if it’s a choice between a dark color or one in white, go with white.’’

Candice gave me a double take. ‘‘I was
just
thinking that I’d like one in white!’’ she exclaimed.

I gave her a smug smile and tilted the leather seat back. ‘‘I’m napping for a bit,’’ I said. ‘‘Wake me when we’re close.’’