Deadly Intentions (13 page)
Authors: Candice Poarch
19
“Our family's crab fry is this weekend,” Lisa said to Brian as she drove. She was still nervous about frying the crabs without her grandmother even though she'd done it for years with her.
“I heard your family talking about it. Will you be able to do it?”
“She wants me to. And she's made everyone promise to go. It's kind of a springtime family tradition,” Lisa said. “My friend from Minnesota is coming, too.”
They made it to the motel. When Brian didn't move to exit the car, Lisa glared at him, puzzled.
“I know we didn't drive all the way out here for nothing,” she said. “What're you waiting for?”
“Drive around the other side of the motel. I'm looking for a car.”
“What car?”
“A blue Mustang. I saw one leaving my grandfather's house tonight.”
They drove around the small complex checking out each car. “Well, there isn't one here now.”
“I can't leave you here alone,” Brian said. “And I have to stay at the house tonight in case the guy returns.”
“I don't want to go back there.”
“You won't be alone,” Brian said.
“I know. It's just . . .” Lisa wavered, then relented.
Tootsie paced the floor of her condo unit. One of the friends she'd made in the artist colony had let her use her car and home while she was studying for a year in Paris and Italy. The friend's car had a parking space in the condo garage.
She didn't know what to do. The police on Paradise Island wanted to question her. She couldn't go back there.
In December they found out she was making a duplicate of the bowl. One of the artists at the colony had killed someone because of it. She'd also discovered Tootsie was making the duplicate and threatened her. They'd fought and Tootsie had escaped. Although Tootsie hadn't been involved in the crime, the police wanted to question her about the bowl.
And now this.
She didn't know if she could continue to trust Justin. She didn't want to go to jail, but she didn't want to die, either. Once Justin had the bowls he wouldn't need her anymore. Although she didn't tell him, she had both bowls. She'd meant to leave the duplicate but the events happened so quickly. After Justin killed that woman she'd escaped.
She'd been so damn stupid thinking they had a future together. She didn't believe in love, but she thought he'd had
some
feelings for her. That he truly wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
some
feelings for her. That he truly wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
She'd been accommodating. She was sick to death of being alone. But alone was a damn sight better than in jail. Her grandfather always used to say, “Be careful what you wish for.” She should have listened.
Maybe she could talk to some of the friends she'd made at the artist colony. Justin wouldn't recognize her friend's car. They could meet someplace and brainstorm.
Tootsie was scared to death. She didn't know what to do. She had only enough money left for maybe a week and a half. She couldn't return to the colony to see if any of her vases had sold. Not since the sheriff wanted to question her. She wasn't quite in dire straits yet. She could always find ways to make money.
She knew Justin was searching for her. But he didn't know her friends and he was keeping a low profile. If he went to Paradise Island and asked questions about her, the news would get back to the sheriff. So he had more sense than to search for her there.
She'd had food delivered. She was safe for now. But she couldn't stay here forever and she couldn't return to her home in Santa Fe. Justin had given the motel a Baltimore address and used a fake driver's license. Most people couldn't tell the difference.
The men in Lisa's family were in charge of gathering the crabs for the crab fry. Her cousin Gabrielle's parents always came from Philly. Gabrielle's mother was Naomi's only daughter. She was already there and her husband had come down with her when Naomi went to the hospital.
Early in the morning her father would go out to gather crabs with her uncles and cousins.
At least they had something to celebrateâtheir grandmother's successful angioplasty. She was home already. But wouldn't it have been something if Lisa had been able to retrieve her grandmother's bowl?
Jackie had been crying about money, so she was supposed to meet Lisa at the Knight house to clean early that morning. She'd hoped to leave Jackie to finish the house while she went to the funeral with Brian.
Jackie showed up an hour late. Lisa had set aside that day for the cleaning and she couldn't change her schedule to another day. She'd already cleaned two bedrooms by the time Jackie showed up, screwing up her schedule. Harriet's funeral was at two. She could only work a couple more hours before she had to shower and dress.
“Why are you late?” Lisa asked, annoyed.
“Girl, I couldn't get to sleep last night. It was the wee hours of the morning by the time I fell asleep.”
“If you were going to be late, you should have called.”
“I didn't think you'd mind. It's not like you haven't shown up to work late a time or two,” Jackie said.
“That's true, but I was wrong to do that when other people were depending on me. Okay, I cleaned some bedrooms. We'll start in the kitchen and go on from there.”
It was a tiresome day. She demonstrated how she wanted the kitchen, the bedrooms, and the bathrooms cleaned and left Jackie on her own. When Lisa was getting ready to dress, she checked on Jackie's progress. She'd only made a halfhearted effort. There were streaks of dust on the dresser in the bedroom. Lint was in the corners of both the bathroom and a bedroom. She only made a halfhearted swipe at cleaning the commode and countertops. Folks wouldn't hire Lisa again if this was going to be the result.
Lisa felt horrible. Jackie had been her best friend and she wanted to help her. But didn't friends have a responsibility to their friends? Wasn't it a two-way street? She'd have thought Jackie would want to do a good job because they were friends as well as cousinsâand Jackie claimed she desperately needed the money.
By twelve-thirty, Jackie was yawning. She laid her head down on the table for a quick nap.
“Why don't you go home? I'll finish up here after the funeral,” Lisa said.
Jackie's head snapped up. “No. I'm not going to leave the rest for you to do by yourself.”
Lisa would have to go over everything Jackie did anyway. She was just in the way. “I'll pay you at the end of the week. But go on. We only work half days at each house.”
After Jackie left, Lisa and Brian dressed for the funeral.
The funeral was well attended. Mrs. Woolsley was liked and respected. Brian and Lisa spoke to her sisters afterward, but did not attend the graveside service.
After they returned from the funeral Lisa spent the rest of the day cleaning. It wasn't that things were out of place, but that no one had lived there for a year. Dust covered most surfaces and the place needed a good going-overâto say nothing of the fingerprint powder. It was greasy and hard to remove. Why didn't police clean up after themselves? She'd have to have a talk with Alyssa. Maybe they'd hire her to clean after them in the future. Business was business.
She made her way back to the island to take care of some paperwork and go over the scheduling, order supplies, and pay bills.
Lisa was exhausted, but she didn't feel like being alone that night. Brian didn't know she was returning to his home, but he was the one who wanted to form a relationship. She tried to keep it in perspective. It was sex, plain and simple, and she was getting what she could as long as it lasted. He was so damn good.
Lisa couldn't help the foolish smile she knew blasted her face at just the thought of being with Brian between the sheets again.
The old ferry captain was on duty and Lisa got out of the car to talk to him.
“You know Patience is back,” he said.
“All dried out?”
He smiled. Patience was his niece. “Didn't smell a drop of liquor on her.”
“Good for her.” Patience Kingsley had made drinking her life's purpose. Who could blame her? Lord only knew what went on in that house when she was married to a necrophiliac. Lisa would've put down a few herself if she'd lived in those conditions.
Of course Patience didn't know about her husband's strange behavior when she married him, but . . . Lisa shuddered. You never knew people.
“Changed her name back to Jones.”
“I would've too.”
“Didn't want any association with that man.”
“Lord knows I can't blame her,” Lisa commiserated.
“So how's that new business of yours coming along?”
“Just great so far.”
“Might get you to clean our house. Give the missus a break.”
Lisa dug into her purse. “Here's a card,” she said, handing it to him. “Call me anytime.” Vanetta had told her to always have business cards and brochures on her. “Here's a brochure, too. Lets you know the services we offer. If something isn't mentioned there just let me know. We're accommodating.”
The captain glanced at the business card, but he wasn't too interested in cleaning specifics. He just folded the brochure and tucked it into his pocket.
Lisa stood on deck to enjoy the evening breeze until it was time to disembark.
The night was quiet as she drove off the ferry and through a deserted area. At least she wasn't alone on the streets, she thought. It was late and the lights shining in her rearview mirror gave her some comfort.
Suddenly the lights came up behind her and a car bumped her on the back fender.
Lisa's head jerked forward and then back hard against the headrest. Lord, she was in the middle of nowhere. She tried to increase her speed, but she couldn't get the acceleration out of her little car to put some distance between her and the fool behind her.
She panicked when the headlights approached again. She geared herself for the impact that came seconds later. Lisa fought the wheel to stay on the road.
Suddenly a hard push propelled her right off the road and down a hill. Lisa's life flashed before her as she came to a jarring stop against a tree.
Slowly, Lisa came to. She opened her eyes. Where in the world was she? What had happened? A bright light shone in her eyes giving her a splitting headache. She shut her eyes tightly.
“Wake up.” Somebody shoved a hand on her shoulder. “The bowl, bitch. The one you stole from the house. I want it back,” a menacing voice said.
“I don't have it.” Lisa's voice was so dry and weak with fear she could barely speak.
“Then you better get it.”
“I didn't take it,” Lisa said. “It's lost. It's been lost for more than a year.”
“Bitch, if you're lying . . .”
“I'm not. My family is searching for it,” she said, hoping he believed her. “Who are you?” She couldn't see anything beyond the blinding light in her eyes.
“Your worst nightmare. If you're lying to me, I'll be back. And you won't like the consequences.”
Suddenly, he was gone along with the offending light. Lisa was cold. Where on earth was she? She glanced around and realized she was still in her car, at least. She moved her hand across her forehead. She was bleeding.
She fumbled for her purse, dug into it for her cell phone, and prayed she'd get reception. She dialed Brian. He picked up on the first ring.
“Where are you?” he shouted.
“Someone ran me off the road.”
“Are you hurt?”
“A little. My head hurts. It's dark and I'm not going exploring in the middle of nowhere.”
“Are your lights on, at least?”
“If he didn't knock them out when he drove into me.”
“I'm on my way. Don't hang up. Give me directions.”
Brian tried to keep his cool, but he was in panic mode tearing out the driveway to get to Lisa. He'd ream her out later for coming to the mainland without telling him. In a sense he was glad she thought enough of him to spend the night, but he wasn't glad she'd put her life in danger.
“You still with me, baby?” he said.
“I'm here, but I'm tired.”
“Don't go to sleep on me. You could have a concussion.”
In another five minutes, Brian was searching the lowlands for her. He finally saw a car imbedded in the woods with only one taillight shining. He called 9-1-1 and reported the location.
20
The ambulance took Lisa to the hospital. It felt like she was stuck there half the night waiting to get patched up. The mainland was a world away from the island. Back on the island, Doc would have patched her up quickly and she'd have been on her way.
One of her cousins was on duty and soon the entire family knew about her accident. Her parents and Vanetta took the ferry to the mainland. Other relatives called or stopped by.
Later that night, Alyssa stopped by. “You can tell your family a load of shit but I want to know what the hell's going on,” she said, all attitude as usual.
Lisa sighed. “I don't know. The driver thought I had Grandma's golden bowl.”
“Now, why would he think you had it?”
Lisa didn't want to get Alyssa involved in this. This was her find, not Alyssa's.
“I'm waiting.”
“Brian's grandfather bought it from somebody, but it was stolen on my birthday.”
Alyssa sighed and plunked down on the couch. “I knew you were up to something. I want the entire story.”
Lisa told her everything she knew.
“I want you on the island where you can be protected,” Alyssa said after she finished.
“I have to work. I have a business to run. I can't hide away on the island, Alyssa.”
“I can't protect you off the island.”
“And I can't run my business from my office.”
“I'll be with her,” Brian said.
Alyssa glared at him, letting her gaze fall to his injury. “And you're supposed to protect her?”
“I can protect her.”
“Just how much do you know about this guy?” Alyssa asked.
“Enough to know I'll protect her and I won't hurt her,” Brian said.
Not many men stood up to Alyssa. Not the way Brian was. As if he was ready to go toe-to-toe with her if she didn't fall in line with his plans. And Lisa had no doubt that he wouldâinjured or notâprotect her. She had to give him points for that. Then too, it felt good for a man to have her back for a change.
“I want to know the minute you get on that ferry to leave the island and the moment you return. You got that?” Alyssa finally said.
“Alyssa, I'm not a child. I'm not reporting to you like a fifteen-year-old.”
Alyssa shot a frustrated gaze at Brian. “If anything happens to her, I'm holding you responsible. I hope you can control her, because nobody else has had any success at instilling some common sense in her.”
Brian gave Alyssa a curt nod. “I've got it under control.”
Lisa bristled at the both of them and headed toward the car. She was out the door before she realized she didn't know where he was parked.
The next day, although Brian protested, Lisa finished cleaning his grandfather's house. She usually cleaned two days a week, but with more business coming in, she was going to have to stop. She'd scheduled another house with Jackie, but she knew now she couldn't count on her to do a good job. After last night, Brian stuck to her like glue. Although she hurt like hell, she had to get her chores done.
Her head was throbbing. She ended up having to call in another worker. She just couldn't do it all. Once her employee saw Lisa's condition, she told Lisa she'd finish it. Lisa was glad to leave.
For some stupid reason Justin believed the ditzy broad. If she didn't have the bowl, then Tootsie had it and had been holding out on him. No, she'd outright lied to him. Why did he keep thinking he had her under his thumb and could control what she did when actually the opposite was true?
His cell phone rang. He turned the volume all the way down and ignored it so he could think without interruption. He rubbed his hand along the stubble on his chin. He needed a shave.
Tootsie was too afraid of him to double-cross him. But she had double-crossed him. She had the bowl. He couldn't deny it any longer.
This was his chance of a lifetime. Could have been a chance for both of them. Another private collector wanted that bowl and was willing to pay a heck of a lot more than Greg. But with Greg right in the vicinity, dogging his footsteps, he had to be cautious. He'd have to give the bowl to him now.
This was his one opportunity to move on and stop being at other people's beck and call. Timing was everything. Didn't make sense to keep at it until he was in jail and unable to live the life he'd worked so hard to build.
It was time for him to call his own shots. If you stayed in this business too long, sooner or later, you got caught. It was much better to have a million in the bank than two in jail. Besides, that dumb-ass Greg was getting too big for his britches. When he had to kowtow to somebody like that, it was definitely time to get out of the business.
He'd already paid for a nice place in the Colorado Rockies. Sturdy log cabin. Big fireplace. Four bedrooms. Second-floor living when the snow climbed over the first floor during winter storms. Ski slopes close by. Ah, it was sweet. He could live life peacefully there for the rest of his daysâhe'd hoped with Tootsie. Right now she was the only fly in the ointment.
He'd taken her to his cabin once for a week's vacation. Took her around town as his fiancée. He didn't love her, but he needed a woman to ward off the winter chill. At the time he'd thought she'd fit the bill just fine. Had even had dreams of growing a beard to conceal his facial features.
But he wasn't going to be looking over his shoulder like some scared rabbit with Greg's brother chasing after him. If Justin didn't provide Greg with the bowl, he'd run to big brother. The private collector was out of the question.
Lisa's friend Kelly Talbot came in the night before the crab fry. Lisa introduced her to Brian when they picked her up from the airport.
“It feels like ages since I've last been here,” Kelly said. “Oh, oh. What happened to you? Don't tell me you're mixed up in another mystery, because if you are I'm getting back on the plane. The last one was just too dangerous.”
“You have a selective memory. You were part of that mystery,” Lisa said. “Your girlfriend was the maniac killer.”
Lisa and Kelly had been kidnapped the year before and held for ransom for the bowl, gold bullion, and doubloons. In the end Kelly's girlfriend had been one of the kidnappers and a guy who had befriended Lisa was her partner.
“So where did that scab come from?”
Lisa touched the scab on her forehead. Makeup didn't quite cover it. “A little accident. My head collided with the steering wheel.”
Concerned, Kelly gazed at Lisa. “You okay?”
Lisa smiled to deflate some of the worry. “Good enough to fry crabs.”
The friends hugged.
Kelly leaned back, frowning. “Daddy said your grandmother was in the hospital. I'm going to help you with the crab fry tomorrow.”
“I can use all the help I can get,” Lisa said. “How long are you going to be here?”
“The entire week. I'm going to help Daddy on his research. Your grandmother gave him lots of information about his family and loaned him some of her documents,” she said. “How is she, by the way? I talked to her a few days ago, but she isn't one to complain.”
“She's a lot better.”
“Good. Think we can get dinner at Cornell's tonight?”
“Of course. It's Friday night and it's going to be hopping.” Cornell started the tradition of opening on Friday nights because islanders wanted a nice dinner after their workweek without having to travel to the mainland. He'd only planned it for the summer, but now the restaurant was open on Friday nights the entire year.
“How was your flight?” Brian asked.
“The worst part was having to change planes a million times. Other than that it was fine.”
“No wonder you're spending the week.”
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