Mug Shot (26 page)
Authors: Caroline Fardig
He smiled down at me. “You'll do anything to get my attention, won't you?”
I spat out a mouthful of dirt. “Get me the hell out of this hole.”
“That's my girl.”
It took Ryder and two other cops armed with shovels a good ten minutes to dig me out far enough that they could pull me the rest of the way out of the koi pond. Exhausted, I collapsed on the cold, wet grass. Ryder sat down tiredly next to me.
“Babe, how in the hell did you get in that hole?”
I sighed, shivering. “How much time do you have?”
“For you? Forever.” He took his suit jacket off and put it around me, then yelled to one of the other cops, “Hey, can we get a blanket over here?”
He was being very sweet to me. And he totally looked like James Bond coming to my rescue. His super sharp black suit was completely ruined now, thanks to me and the mud.
I asked, “Why did you get all dressed up to arrest someone?”
He smiled. “I was actually coming to get you. I heard Cromwell was headed out here to arrest Savannah for Cecilia's murder, and after you got stuck in the middle of a police bust last time, I thought maybe I could talk you into leaving before the action started.”
“Thanks. It would have been nice to have gotten out before the action started. Next time, come sooner.” My entire body was shivering now.
Ryder pulled me close to him. “There's not going to be a next time, because I've decided never to let you out of my sight.”
I looked up at him and frowned. “Why? It's over. I'm done sleuthing, because now Pete's name can be cleared.”
“That's not what I meant. I'm trying to say that I want you back. I was a total dick when we fought yesterday, and I'm sorry. I just got a little jealous, that's all.” The other cop came by and tossed him a heavy wool blanket. Ryder wrapped me up in it, and I felt instantly better.
“I'm sorry, too. I know I'm not the easiest person to date.”
His face grew serious. “When I almost lost you in the mud, I realized I couldn't imagine my life without you in it.”
That completely turned me into mush. “Really?”
Nodding, he leaned in to kiss me, but pulled away after barely brushing my lips. “You're kind of dirty.”
I made a face. “And probably not in a sexy kind of way, right?”
Trying not to laugh, he said, “I'm afraid not.”
Glancing over at the empty backhoe, I asked, “Where's Savannah? You didn't shoot her, did you?”
“No, I only fired the shot to scare her, and it worked. She snapped out of it and turned herself in. She's on her way to jail for the murder of Cecilia Hollingsworth.”
Wincing, I said, “You might want to add Alejandro Bastidas to her list.”
His eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“His body is down in that hole. On the opposite end from where you found me.”
Jumping up, he ran over to the nearest cop and gestured to the hole, explaining the morbid situation. The cop nodded and hurried to speak with some of the other officers on the scene. It was going to be a long night of digging for some of them. I certainly didn't envy their task.
Ryder sat down next to me again, gathering me back into his arms. “Are you sure you're okay after being down in a hole with a dead guy?”
“I'm good. I justâ¦Even though she tried to kill me, I feel bad for Savannah. She's my friend. Like my closest girl friend.”
Rubbing my back, he replied, “I know she is. And your mixed feelings are completely normal.”
I changed the subject. “So how did you guys know she killed Cecilia? I realized it when she slipped and gave away a detail of the crime scene she shouldn't have known.”
“Kent Fielding ratted her out.”
“Kent? How did he know?”
“He got nervous about his assault charge and decided to throw her under the bus, hoping to get us to cut him some slack. His lawyer nearly had a heart attack when he started blurting everything out. The night Cecilia was killed, Kent saw Savannah running from the tent. He didn't think anything of it until we found Cecilia the next morning. So instead of being an upstanding citizen and going to the police, he blackmailed Savannah. She agreed to give him twenty grand a month to keep his mouth shut. Lucky for us, Kent had recorded all of their conversations. What he didn't think through is that he's going to get charged with extortion, aiding and abetting, and obstruction of justice, just to name a few. He should have taken the assault charge and run.”
Son of a bitch. Stupid Kent knew all along, and he kept Savannah's secret so he could keep getting his monthly payout. Dick.
“That would explain why I saw him with Savannah at the Omni last night. She told me she went there to hook up. She was there to pay him off.”
Just then, Detective Cromwell came ambling up to us. “Well, well, Ms. Langley. Dare I ask?”
“Come on, Cromwell, cut her some slack,” said Ryder easily.
Cromwell smiled at me. “When you get in this deep, you usually know something we don't. Care to fill me in?”
“If I must. Would something like a bloody glove interest you?”
“It might. Where would I find something like that?”
“Savannah's bedroom closet. You'll want to look through all of her hatboxes
thoroughly
. I'm sure you'll find them very interesting,” I said, stifling a chuckle.
He closed his eyes tiredly. “Am I going to find your fingerprints all over them?”
“Maybe.”
“Justâ¦wear some gloves next time, would you?” he grumbled tiredly, stalking toward the house.
Ryder stood up and pulled me off the ground. He put his arms around my waist and asked, “What's so funny about the hatboxes?”
“The fact that Cromwell will have a coronary when he looks through them. There are pictures in there of Savannah and Bastidas that I can't unsee. And
lots
of sex toys.”
Grinning, he asked, “Did you pocket any of them?”
“I don't need sex toys. I have you.”
“That's true. And I'm willing to bet you're going to need a lot of help getting all of that mud off.”
Ryder took me home and, as promised, was
very
helpful in getting me cleaned up. After I was dressed, he took me down to the station. I had to endure well over an hour of questioning from Detective Cromwell about Savannah, starting with finding Cecilia's body and ending with getting buried alive. It was exhausting. Then, I had to give my statement about Savannah trying to kill me to another officer, one of the ones who had helped dig me out. Any way you looked at it, Savannah was in big trouble. Ryder had to make himself scarce, because (since he and I were in a relationship again) he didn't want any involvement on his part to threaten the case against Savannah. I would have liked to have had him there with me, holding my hand, but I was a big girl and could handle things on my own. Besides, he said he was working on something that would make me happy. I didn't know what that could be, except maybe some comfort food and a warm bed.
Once I was done being questioned, Ryder came into the room with a big grin on his face.
“What are you so happy about?” I griped, my head aching from the incessant inquisition I'd had to endure.
“See for yourself.” He gestured toward the door, and Pete walked throughâno handcuffsâwith a huge smile on his face as well.
“Pete!” I exclaimed, rushing over to him and jumping into his arms.
He held me tightly, choking out, “You cut it too close this time, Langley.”
After he set me down, I looked up at him and smiled. “It was obviously worth it. Are you free?”
Ryder cut in, “Sort of. In light of the new evidence and Savannah's confession, Pete's bail has been reinstated. You can thank Cromwell for that, by the way. He found a judge at the Worthingtons' party and strongly persuaded him to come downtown and file the paperwork.”
“He has a heart after all. Who knew?” I said.
Ryder continued, “The department will have to get all of the evidence processed, and the DA will have to charge Savannah and drop the charges against Pete before he's completely out of the woods. But, the short answer is yes, he's free to go.” He wagged his finger at both of us. “But no more criminal trespassing and bar fights, you two.”
Pete and I both nodded vehemently, walking arm in arm out the door.
To Karen Franklin, one of my favorite redheads
I would like to thank the following people for helping me along this journey:
My agent, Ethan Ellenberg, for championing my work. My editor, Julia Maguire, for her vision and constant support. The staff at Random House Alibi, with special thanks to Ashleigh Heaton and Erika Seyfried. Karen Franklin, both for her beta-reading expertise and her friendship. Lisa Hart-Gray, for her meticulous proofreading. Jami Deise, for her help with the synopsis and for giving me a great idea for the ending. Niloufer Wadia, for creating the gorgeous cover. Abby Buttrum, for the hours we spent trying to come up with a title, although my favorite, “Percolator Perpetratorâ¦of Death,” did not make the cut. My friends and family for their love and encouragement. Special thanks to my husband, Matt Fardig, for everything he does so I can keep doing what I love to do.
Y
C
AROLINE
F
ARDIG
The Lizzie Hart Mysteries
It's Just a Little Crush
That Old Black Magic
Bad Medicine
My Funny Valentine
Death Before Decaf
Mug Shot
PHOTO: JENNIFER VINSON
C
AROLINE
F
ARDIG
is the author of the Java Jive series and the Lizzie Hart Mysteries series.
Suspense Magazine
recently named Fardig's
Bad Medicine
as one of the best books of 2015. She worked as a schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom before realizing that she wants to be a writer when she grows up. Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, Fardig still lives in that same town, with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.
