Greed in Paradise (Paradise Series) (18 page)

Harder nodded that he’d told Tolbert the disturbing news. “Let’s go get some food before it’s all gone.”

Fab whispered, “Let’s eat fast and get out of here. We can come back when everyone’s gone home.”

I slept lousy and walked into the kitchen to find Fab and Didier all tangled up enjoying their coffee, which only annoyed me. Kissing and cuddling all the damn time only happened in books, not real life. Thank goodness the only thing that stood in the way of me and my coffee was the microwave.

“Didier, she was really mean to me yesterday.” Fab pointed her finger and sulked. She turned her face slightly and smirked at me.

She should’ve waited for this nonsense until I drank my entire cup of coffee
. “You want to see mean?” I exploded, coming around the island.

Didier stepped between us and held each of us by the arm. “As delightful as it would be to see the two of you roll around on the floor, it will not happen.”

I jerked my arm away and yelled at Fab, “I can’t believe you!”

She smiled at me and flipped her hair.

Just you wait,
I silently mouthed to her
.
I gave Fab a phony smile and picked up my phone. “Saying something nice to me would motivate me to help make your legal problem go away.”

Fab glared. “Okay, fine. Thanks or something.”

Didier turned her face to his and frowned, which made me happy. “I’ll tell you later,” she told him. “It’s a ticket and all her fault.”

I called Cruz’s office. Susie, his personal pit bull, answered the phone. She had been frosty to me ever since I cornered her boss at the courthouse without her permission. I had violated protocol; everything went through her first and then she decided if it was deemed worthy of Cruz’s attention.

“Hi, Susie, this is Madison Westin. I have a legal problem to discuss with your boss.” I hit the speaker button and put a finger to my lips.

“Don’t you always,” Susie mumbled. “Mr. Campion is not in. Give me the basics, so he’ll have the information when he calls you back.”

“Fab and I got a ticket for trespassing and we need a lawyer for our upcoming court date.”

Dead silence. I assumed she hung up on me.

“You’re calling one of the best criminal lawyers in this state for a trespassing ticket?” Her voice rose with each word. “Mr. Campion wouldn’t let me bill you enough for wasting his time like that.”

“Are you suggesting that I find another attorney?”

“I’m suggesting that you show up in court and handle it yourself. It’s trespassing,” Susie enunciated. “Worst case: a fine. My guess is you’re guilty.”

“It’s not that simple,” I started.

“It never is with you.”

“Tell Mr. Campion that I’m looking forward to his aunt and uncle’s return visit and if he has any additional requests, I’m sure he’ll have you call me.” If she didn’t hate me before, she did now with my subtle attempt at blackmail.

“I’ll let him know you called.” Susie hung up on me.

“I’m surprised she didn’t bang the receiver on the desk before she hung up. You can do that with business phones,” Fab said.

“I’m calling the owners of the house and getting a notarized statement that we weren’t trespassing. Mac has tentatively agreed to manage their two properties, just waiting to hear back.”

“What’s wrong with current management? They must have some as they live in one of those states that never see sunshine. How much sense does it make to own houses in Florida and live in below-zero weather?” Fab asked.

“Current management has no customer service. They’re retiring in a couple of years and then we’ll be neighbors.” I wiggled my fingers. “Where are my keys?”

“Where are you going?” Fab tossed them to me.

“I have plans.” I smiled and banged the front door closed before she could ask any more questions.

* * *

I zipped into the space in front of The Cottages’ office. So I didn’t have plans, but lovey-dovey got on my nerves.

Mac opened the door, looking pale. “We need to talk before the sheriff gets here,” she said, and motioned me inside.

“You feel okay?” I shook my head. “What now? Let’s sit out by the pool.”

“Well, uh… you might want to sit down. I know I do.” Mac pulled on a full skirt, covering up hot pink bicycle shorts, and threw herself back in her chair, propping her feet on one another. “You want to steer clear of the pool. At least until they haul the dead chick out. Called you and it went to voicemail. My next call was to the sheriff. I got to work at the crack again this morning. I’m going home early and drink myself into a stupor.”

I started to sit and changed my mind. “What do you mean,
dead?
”

“Hell if I know,” she screeched. “I thought she’d passed out, beach towel over her head. I yelled at her to wake the hell up, and didn’t get a twitch. I stomped over to kick the chaise, the towel dropped, didn’t cover her entire face, and noticed she’d turned this weird bluish color and one eye looked half open. I screamed and ran back inside the office, calling Shirl; she told me what to do.”

I paced back and forth in front of the window, my stomach churning, now happy I hadn’t eaten breakfast. “Do we know her?”

“Never saw her before.” Mac twisted her skirt in her hands.

“I’d better call Cruz. A dead body should get me to the head of the line.” It surprised me when someone other than Susie answered, that had never happened before. I explained the problem and Cruz picked up immediately.

“Did you shoot this one?”

I relayed verbatim everything Mac told me. “Two sheriff cars just pulled into the driveway. What do we say?”

“Stick to the usual yes and no answers. If you get cuffed, call back.” He hung up.

“Let’s move this meeting to the barbeque area so that we can see what’s going on,” I said.

Mac started, “You need to send Spoon over here and have him tell Kathy and Ron it’s moving time, and the sooner the better.”

The first thing I noticed, that once again the beach chairs were missing. I knew better, which is why I only sprung for the cheap ones. Everyone in the neighborhood had a hard time hanging on to chairs sitting outside unless they were broken down. Recently, I’d found an old round wooden patio table at Junker’s, a place I discovered while hiding out one night. The table was covered in chipped blue paint and now I’m currently on the hunt for some old Adirondack chairs, and the entire set would be chained down. Thank goodness I hadn’t moved the old cement benches or we’d be sitting on the ground.

“Good idea. Without some major intimidation, I think they’re here for the long run.”

“Yesterday, I wasn’t here long before Kathy pranced out carrying a trash bag in her bikini and some maid apron like you’d see as part of a Halloween costume. I’d already scoped out the pool area and found it to be littered with beer bottles, over-flowing ashtrays, and there were signs of crack use—a glass pipe, which I saw her shove in her pocket. In a separate bag she collected the copper Brillo, stems, lighters, you get the picture.”

“It’s clear to me that she’s more than a partier,” I said. “They have expensive habits and it takes money to do this every night. The Stones have to be dealing. Makes sense with all the late-night traffic.” I shook my head. “I’ll call Spoon. Maybe we should chain the pool gate at night until they move. All I need is for Sheriff Johnson to be the one to get the call to come out and investigate. He’s threatened more than once, since that new law, to close down The Cottages.”

Kevin explained it to me that if you, as a landlord, can’t control your tenants from committing felonies, then the city would take you to court to wrest control of said property.

“Just thought you’d like to know Miss January’s got a new drunk friend. This one’s more her age, or at least the age she looks. They like to get on the Trolley and get off at random places, sit and drink vodka out of a brown bag, then forget how to get home.”

Totally disgusted, I couldn’t control myself and laughed. “So how did they get home?”

“Kevin saw them hanging out in a planter and gave them a ride. He said Miss January started crying, thought she was being arrested again. The other woman forgot where she lived and he brought them back here to sleep it off.” Kevin’s an all-around good guy and deserves a better partner than Johnson, who would’ve taken them to the drunk tank.

The coroner van rolled past us. Must be a slow day, they made it in record time. Two sheriffs approached, looking vaguely familiar; new recruits. One stayed back when his phone rang.

The one standing in front of me looked fresh from the police academy. “Miss Westin,” he drawled, “did you know the deceased?”

“I arrived just ahead of you and didn’t go to the pool area. My manager, Mac Lane,” I said and nodded in her direction, “says no.”

“My guess is that she’ll be in the system,” he said. “Looks like a drug overdose. When the neighborhood wakes up and starts talking, call me if anything would suggest otherwise.” He handed me his business card and left.

“Did that seem too easy?” I asked. “Do you suppose we need the crime scene cleaner dude?”

“These guys can spot foul play in a hot second,” Mac said. “My guess is we don’t need cleaner dude, but I’ll call his weird ass and run it by him. At the least, I’ll get the entire area power washed and more chlorine in the pool,” Mac said.

“How’s Joseph doing?”

“He hangs inside with Svetlana too much. I think he needs to deflate her and find himself a real woman. But I’m afraid she’ll be as bad as the last one he brought around.” Mac looked behind me, licking her lips. “Damn he makes my knees weak.”

“Joseph?” I turned in my chair and felt her smack my shoulder. Creole strode across the drive. He had me in his sights and was not looking happy. “Let’s not bring up the dead body unless he does first,” I whispered.

“Hello, ladies.” He winked at Mac.

Mac let out a giggly sigh. “Always nice to look at you,” she flirted.

He walked over and held out his hand, so I stood up. “Excuse us,” he said to Mac, pulling me out of the far gate to the beach. “Where’s your date?” he growled.

I looked at him. “Are you jealous?” One look and I knew teasing him was the wrong tactic. “I don’t have a date, swear.”

He wrapped his fingers in mine and we walked down to the water, the waves lapping our feet. “I just came from your house and Fab told me different. Both she and Didier were surprised that it wasn’t with me and so am I, quite frankly.”

“How does ‘plans’ translate to ‘date’? And if you would have showed up and I did have a date, you’d do what?”

“Drag you away and lock you in a holding cell until my case is over.” He swept me up and walked me backward onto the sand, where he sat down and pulled me onto his lap. “You need reminding about not dating?” Without waiting for an answer his lips clamped down on mine.

I pushed hard on his chest. “Stop, I can’t think when you do that.”

He chuckled in my ear. “Time’s up, I’m out of patience, not waiting any longer. When I get back, I’m taking you somewhere with no interruptions and will unleash my charm until you come up with an answer I like.”

I ran my fingers through his dark hair.

Why didn’t I just tell him yes, damn it, yes? Fear. What-ifs. Mother.

“You’ll be careful won’t you?” I asked.

“Give me a reason,” he whispered, his bluest of eyes devouring me.

I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth to mine and putting everything I had into the kiss.

“That says yes to me.” He kissed me again. “I have to go,” he said, pushing me to my feet and putting his arm around me. “Walk me to my truck. I have time for one more kiss.”

I held up my finger. “Just one?”

“You know I keep my word.”

Kathy’s store, Beach Chic, was a typical souvenir store. Clothing, postcards, beach paraphernalia one could stuff in your travel bag as proof you had a great time on your vacation. I wandered over to the seashell aisle in case I ran into Kathy and had to purchase something. I spotted a salesclerk displaying bathing suits over next to the side window.

“Is Kathy in today?” I asked.

The young girl looked up, surprised. “She doesn’t work here anymore. She got fired.”

So much for being the owner
. “For what?”

“We’re not allowed to talk about her.” The girl looked to the front, the other clerk busy with a customer.

I reached into my purse and pulled out a twenty, holding it out. “This will be our little secret. Why was she fired?”

She jerked the money from my fingers. “Kathy pertinear stole everything in the store. The boss treated her like kin, and is spitting mad. Thousands of dollars in inventory! Doesn’t understand why or what she did with it all. I did notice she always wore the clothes off the rack but figured she paid for them.”

“How long has she been gone?”

“A week. The police were here talking to the boss lady. That’s why we’re not supposed to talk.”

“Anyone else come by asking about her?” I asked.

“A couple of her friends stopped by right after she got fired and then no one after. I really should get back to work.”

As I walked back to my SUV it dawned on me that the reason Kathy always walked around with price tags attached to her clothes was that she must have an outlet for stolen goods other than the flea market, since she was always around weekends. Not out of the realm she had a fence specializing in stolen merchandise, weekend markets could be very lucrative along with garage sales that were extremely popular.

I sat in the parking lot thinking about what to do next. Kathy had her fingers in too many illegal pies and I didn’t want them exploding on my property. My butt started to ring; I lifted slightly so I could answer.

“Hey, girlie. This is the professor. Why did you tear down the car wash?”

“What the heck are you babbling about? Have you been drinking?”
Where the hell is my aspirin?

“I left early this morning, Clean Bubbles occupied its usual place on the corner, the only thing amiss was that the trash can had been overturned. Came home, and it’s now a vacant lot. Just so you know I don’t start drinking until late afternoon.”