Euphoria Lane (21 page)

He lifted a brow. “You think she left her husband?”

“She was angry.” Andi caught the concern in his eyes. “To tell you the truth, I’m glad you’re with me. You’d recognize her before I would. I’ve only seen pictures—you know her.”

The Lancaster turned out to be a dead end. They visited ten hotels and motels before they found anyone who could help. The manager behind the desk of a sleazy, pay-by-the-hour establishment recognized Doctor Owens in the picture. He held a hand magnifier close to the glossy print.

“Yep, that’s him.” The manager peered through the lens once more. “He was here last night. Paid for one night’s stay in cash.” He handed the photo back with a hairy, liver-spotted hand while he ran the other over his bald head. “I don’t remember names, but I never forget a face.”

“And the woman?” Andi asked, wondering if the manager had mistaken Doctor Owens for someone else.

“She stayed in the car.” He pointed toward the parking lot next to the empty swimming pool, both a good distance from the office door. “Same blonde hair in the photo. Cut the same, too.” He rolled a newspaper and slapped a fly investigating cookie crumbs on the chipped Formica counter. Without hesitation, he swept the dead bug onto the linoleum floor on his side of the lobby.

So the vet hooked up with his own wife. Why drive to a sleazy motel?

Luke handed the man a twenty and his business card. “Please call me if you see the woman again.”

On the way out, he pulled the front glass door open for Andi. The bell overhead rang, announcing their departure.

“I’ll pay you back,” she said quietly.

“Consider it my contribution to the cause.”

“What cause?”

“Finding the killer.”

She stopped before reaching the asphalt parking lot. “I never said Tess killed anyone.”

“You didn’t have to. Doctor Owens thinks his wife is the murderer. He told his bookie, who told Roxie, who told me this morning. She’s going to tell you later today,” Luke said matter-of-factly.

Andi angled her head, mouth agape. “The doggie doctor has a bookie?”

“Buddy. He’s Roxie’s son.” He chuckled. “I’m surprised no one told you.”

“Let me get this straight. Roxie’s son is a bookie and the vet places bets with him? Do you know if he owes him a lot of money? Does the reverend owe Buddy money? Did Bernice owe him money?”

“Not to my knowledge. And word would have gotten around if anyone owed an unusual amount. Roxie can’t keep a secret.” Luke removed his car keys from his pocket and unlocked the doors. “The murder had nothing to do with the bookie. He wouldn’t hurt an ant.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Buddy is not your movie-type bookie. His business isn’t big time, not even close. He works only with people Roxie knew from her beauty-shop days and a few of her neighbors.” He climbed inside his Chevy and waited for Andi to buckle up before continuing. “You could say Roxie is the muscle behind the operation. Buddy is a five-foot, hundred-pound, amateur botanist. The man loves his plants. His mother is a different story. She got so angry at this one guy for not paying that she broke his kneecap with a rolling pin.”

“I don’t believe it.”

Luke turned the engine over and backed up. “What part don’t you believe? That Roxie’s son is a wimp, or that she’s his enforcer?”

“The part where Roxie owns a rolling pin.”

Luke pulled into the complex to drop Andi off. He reached the end of the street and was about to make the wide curve to turn the car around when he spotted Doctor Owens at the mailboxes. He gestured with his head, and Andi straightened in her seat.

“Let’s have a talk with the good doctor,” she said. “I want to know why he’s keeping secrets from me.”

Not sure what to expect, Luke rolled to a stop in front of the curb near where the vet stood. Andi was the calmest Stevenson sister—unless she was extremely angry. At the moment, he wasn’t sure if she was upset or confused. He would soon find out. They both climbed out of the Chevy, anxious to hear what the man had to say.

Andi walked right up to him like a woman on a mission. “When was the last time you saw your wife, Doctor Owens?”

Luke leaned against his car, studying the veterinarian’s expression for signs of deceit.

The man had spent the night with his wife and hadn’t bothered to tell the detective he supposedly hired to find her. Why?

Doctor Owens shut and locked his mailbox door, taking his time, as if deciding whether he should admit the truth. “Late last night,” he conceded.

Oh, no. She is not going to be happy.

Luke remained close to his car, waiting for the explosion.

Andi stiffened her stance, anger set in her jaw. “Is there a reason you didn’t call and let me know you found your wife? I could have followed her. Found out if she was working alone or with a partner. Instead, I wasted hours—hours I will bill you for—searching for her when you’d already met up with her.”

Doctor Owens calmly removed the Wednesday ads from his stack of envelopes and placed them on top of the massive metal box where the entire community received their mail.

“She threatened to kill me if I told anyone that I met up with her. All she wanted was money and a place to spend the night. She swore I would never see her again if I didn’t give them to her.”

“So you spent the night with her at a motel?” Andi crossed her arms over her chest.

“Certainly not,” he spat. “I paid for the room and dropped her off.” He stepped off the curb and turned back to her. “How did you find out about the motel?”

“I work for a detective agency.” She slid the abandoned stack of ads off the top of the mailboxes and into her waiting hands.

“Tess needed a place to stay. I told her not to come home because the police are investigating the murders. I thought for sure she’d say it didn’t matter, that she was innocent, but she didn’t.”

“You have to tell the police,” she demanded.

“I can’t. She will kill me if I turn her in.”

“Helping her makes you guilty of aiding and abetting.” She shot an unsure glance toward Luke, as if asking if her comment was true.

He wanted to shrug, but couldn’t without Doctor Owens noticing, so he merely lifted a brow in answer. Luke had no idea what the justice system would call the actions of the vet, other than highly suspicious.

“I was afraid for my life.” Doctor Owens stiffened his spine. “Bernice is dead and two other people almost joined her in the cemetery. That has to count for something. It’s not like I
wanted
to help her. She made me. Besides, I don’t think I can legally be compelled to testify against my wife.”

Andi paused for a moment, and Luke wondered if that was the end of her questioning. If it were up to him, he would press the man for more. He had to know something that would help the police find Tess.

Andi’s gaze locked on the doctor like a hunter about to strike its prey. The vet’s dominating demeanor did little to intimidate her. “What did you do to help, other than arrange for the room?”

“I sold her engagement ring. I found it in my car, next to the garage remote.” He pulled a business card out of the pocket of his tailored slacks. “This is the name of the man who bought her ring.”

Andi took the card he offered. After she perused the print, Luke held out his hand for the card. She took several steps in his direction to hand it to him.

Doctor Owens raised a brow in his direction. He obviously wondered what Luke had to do with the investigation.

“I’m giving the lady a ride,” Luke admitted.

“Thanks to Harry,” Andi snapped.

The vet nodded as if the mention of Harry’s name explained everything strange that went on in Euphoria.

Luke peered down at the business card. It belonged to a dentist named Sid, in Peoria. The card promised a pain-free smile. He had the feeling he already knew the sleazy answer to the next question he couldn’t help asking. “What is a dentist going to do with a used engagement ring?”

“His new fiancée doesn’t know it’s used.” The veterinarian’s brow furrowed. “Don’t look at me like that,” he demanded. “The guy paid ten thousand for a ring worth twice that much.”

Luke wondered if the man’s fiancée would consider it a great deal, especially if the previous owner turned out to be a murderer.

“Did you give Tess the whole ten thousand?” Andi asked. “Or did you use part of it to pay off your bookie?”

Doctor Owens ran his hand through his hair. The vein near his temple throbbed. “How do you know about the bookie? Did Roxie squeal?”

“Nope. Not a word.” She angled a smug look in the vet’s direction. “I told you—I work for a detective agency. I’m good at my job.”

“Too good.” His gaze locked with hers. “Be careful, Miss Stevenson. Tess is dangerous.”

“Where is she now?” Luke asked, wondering how close he should stick to Andi. He couldn’t lose her before they even had a chance to start over.

“Tess said she was leaving town. I didn’t ask any questions.” He played with the mail in his hand. “I was thinking. If you find Tess and I get my money back, your agency can keep it. I heard Reverend Nichols was offering a reward to clear his name. My life is worth more than ten thousand and your fee. Besides, I won’t feel safe until she is behind bars.”

That’s a lot of money for just snooping around and asking questions. No wonder Andi joined the agency.

In his line of work, Luke never saw a bonus anywhere near ten thousand.

“Don’t worry, Doctor Owens,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where your wife went, we have resources. We’ll find her and turn over her location to the police. It’s just a matter of time now.”

“You and your boss have proven you can handle the job,” Doctor Owens admitted. “But you had better let Lenny take the reins from here. The woman I spoke to is no longer the woman I once loved. She’s lost her sanity.” Anguish revealed itself in his gloomy expression. “Her eyes are vacant. She has no conscience.”

“I’m not afraid,” she said, her jaw set with determination.

Doctor Owens shook his head. “You should be.”

Sunday evening, Andi sat across from Luke in a dimly lit Italian restaurant. Candlelight flickered, casting dancing shadows over the red-and-white checked tablecloth.

Seated in a corner booth near the front windows, she observed the small gathering of customers across the room and the occasional couple walking past on the sidewalk outside. Those old feelings for Luke stirred deep inside. During their time together, back in college, she had considered herself lucky to have him in her life. Every day after class, she would freshen up in her dorm room and anxiously await his arrival. She didn’t care if they ate out, watched television, or studied together.

“There’s that smile I remember.”

His voice yanked her out of her thoughts.

“Smile?” She felt a blush sweep over her. “Was I smiling?” Unwilling to discuss
why
she was smiling, she chose to change the subject. “I’m glad you accepted my dinner invitation. I wasn’t in the mood to cook, and I did promise you a meal for driving me around today.”

“I agreed to come—I haven’t agreed to let you pay,” he said dryly.

“But you drove.”

He covered her hand, resting on the table, with his. “It was fun watching you play detective. Besides, I remember your cooking. Eating out is safer.”

She chuckled. “Since you have chosen to insult my cooking again, I
will
let you pay for dinner.”

“That was my plan all along.” He removed his hand from hers to reach for his glass. “Here’s to our paths crossing again.”

Paths crossing?

She joined in the toast, trying not to overanalyze the statement.

Sauvignon blanc swirled in his glass as he lifted it to his lips for a generous sip. He swallowed and set it down. The mood suddenly shifted, becoming more serious.

“I was shocked when I realized you had moved to Euphoria,” he admitted. “What are the odds of you moving into a community I manage?”

Considering her luck lately, the odds seemed good that she’d see him again under the worst possible circumstances. If she were lucky, she’d be living in a community where the homeowners’ association was run by group of do-gooders who helped their neighbors.

“I was shocked to discover you were the property manager. I never expected you to walk through my door again.”

When he scooted his chair closer to the table, she caught a whiff of his earthy cologne. It reminded her of the countless times he had held her in his arms. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.

“You’ll love the lasagna here,” he promised. “It’s almost as good as my grandmother’s.”

“I could have made you lasagna.”

He grinned and wisely chose not to say a word.

“My cooking’s not
that
bad,” Andi protested, trying to forget the burned hamburger she once served him.

They both burst out laughing.

“Okay, it’s that bad,” she conceded. “But my baking is better than ever. I’ll make you a plate of assorted cookies to prove it.”

Her mind wandered to the first time the realtor had showed her the condo. Her thoughts had filled with daydreams of baking cookies on lazy weekends during the fall, decorating with twinkling white lights for the winter holidays, sitting on the porch with a warm cup of coffee on crisp spring mornings, and reading mystery novels near an open window during summer rain showers. It would have been truly euphoric—if it hadn’t been for Harry.

Luke leaned back, making room for the waitress, who wore a bright-red polo shirt and white slacks. The employees all matched the tablecloths.

Andi imagined how life could have been different. Say if Luke didn’t manage Euphoria, and if they had run into each other at a grocery store instead of the day he showed up on her doorstep with a violation letter.

Reaching for her fork, Andi was grateful for the chance to eat and not talk. She shoved a bite of cheese-and-sauce-covered pasta into her mouth. She needed a moment of quiet to strategize, to come up with a plan to convince Luke he should forgive her once she told him Jessie owned Lenny’s Detective Agency.

Her mind began to wander as she chewed. He had done a lot to help her out lately. She should tell him the truth. Tonight. Before it was too late to salvage their new, growing relationship. But she couldn’t. It wasn’t her secret to tell. Her heart thudded in her chest. Keeping secrets was the exact reason he had left her before.