Say You Need Me (2 page)

“Thanks,” Darrell said wryly.

The woman flashed him an I-know-jerks-like-you look, then turned and gave a customer a few seats over a huge grin.

Darrell dug a ten out of his wallet and tossed it on top of the bill. It was way too much for the beer, but he certainly wasn’t about to stick around for his change. Pushing the bill and money toward the bartender, he doubted she would appreciate the tip.

The patio exit was directly behind the table where the crazy woman and her friend now sat. No way he’d go in that direction. He bent to retrieve his small suitcase, then headed toward the interior of the restaurant. It was the way he’d come in and the way he would leave.

As he stepped inside, he threw a glance over his shoulder. The crazy woman and her friend were rising from their seats. Shit. Why were they leaving now? Darrell certainly didn’t want another confrontation, and he couldn’t imagine things being uneventful if they both ended up on the sidewalk at the same time.

Yeah, Cecil had a way of bringing out the worst in women.

Darrell thought better of leaving at this moment and instead headed to the back of the restaurant and the restrooms. He’d hang out there for a few minutes to be sure they were gone.

Thankfully, no one else was in the small, dingy men’s room. He certainly wasn’t in the mood to defend himself for something he hadn’t done. Besides, he wanted a moment of peace to check out how bad his face looked.

He stood over the sink and stared into the foggy mirror. The lighting in the bathroom was pretty crappy, but it was lit enough for him to see a welt on his left cheek. Yeah, she’d hit him good.

God, Cecil. What have you gotten yourself into now?

Again he had his brother to thank for another difficult situation. Cecil hadn’t been in touch much over the past few years, and while he’d missed and worried about him, at least Darrell had had some moments of peace. He’d almost forgotten how it felt to be mistaken for his brother, blamed for his pitfalls, or just plain caught up in trying to get Cecil out of another jam.

And Darrell had actually made the mistake of hoping that the fact that he hadn’t heard from his brother meant Cecil had finally smartened up. Clearly, he couldn’t have been more wrong. Though he was thirty-one years old, Cecil hadn’t grown up, and Darrell was starting to wonder if he ever would.

Darrell was startled out of his thoughts when the restroom door swung open. He checked his watch. A good five minutes had passed since he’d come in here. Surely it was safe for him to leave now.

He stared at the ground as he exited, not wanting to meet the other man face-to-face. But once back in the restaurant, he held his head high as he looked around. Then he started for the front door at a casual yet brisk pace, fully aware that all eyes were on him.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he reached the front
door. Another second and he’d be home free. After this, he’d stick to his original game plan, which was to find his brother and bail him out of whatever mess he’d gotten himself into. Cecil had called him in Orlando a couple days ago, saying that he needed his help. But when Darrell had pressed for more information, Cecil had hemmed and hawed, merely saying that he’d gotten into some deep shit. After a long pause and some frustrated breaths on his brother’s part, Darrell had thought he was going to explain his current situation, but then the dial tone had blared in his ear. Darrell had waited for his brother to phone back, but he hadn’t. He called his brother’s condo and got no answer. A call to Cecil’s other home, business, and cell numbers told him that they’d all been disconnected. Instantly, Darrell had been concerned, and when, a couple days later, he still hadn’t heard from Cecil, his concern had grown to worry.

While he and Cecil were completely different, they
were
identical twins, and on some level they were connected; over the years, Darrell had often sensed when Cecil needed him. This was one of those times. A pressing feeling in his gut told Darrell that Cecil was in trouble. So when Cecil hadn’t gotten back in touch with him, Darrell had dealt with the immediate business that needed taking care of at the small bed and breakfast he owned and managed, then gotten on a plane to Miami.

Darrell pushed the front door open with his shoulder, then stepped outside. He descended the few steps to the sidewalk. The night air was refreshing, but the lively sounds of Latin music did nothing to lift his spirit. His staff was always telling him he needed to take a break, and he’d decided to take their advice. He’d come here tonight
for a relaxing evening South Beach style before starting on his quest to find his brother, but he now wished he’d gone straight to Cecil’s condo instead of taking this ill-fated detour.

He’d known this trip would be grief when he’d left Orlando, but he hadn’t expected it his first night here!

Silently cursing his brother, Darrell turned right. He walked a couple steps, then stopped. Was this the direction of the condo? No, it was the other way, he realized, turning and recognizing the large high rise in the distance.

“That’s him, officers.”

Darrell’s blood ran cold as he saw the crazy woman and her friend standing between two Miami Beach Cops. Standing slightly behind the taller man, as if to shield herself with his body, the crazy woman pointed at him so there’d be no mistaking to whom she was referring. Both burly men, one Hispanic and the other white, marched toward him.

All Darrell could do was stand there in stupefied horror.

“Mr. Montford?” the Hispanic one asked.

Darrell swallowed. “Yes, but—”

The taller, white officer gestured to the side of the road. “Mr. Montford, if you’ll step this way, please.”

His initial fear gone, Darrell stared at the two cops. He was aware that he should cooperate—the kind of thing he’d done all his life—but he’d been embarrassed once for the night, which was enough for him. He wasn’t about to be humiliated in front of the hundreds of strangers who populated Ocean Drive. So he asked, “Are you placing me under arrest?”

“We’d like to ask you a few questions,” the white cop replied.

Darrell looked at the man’s nametag. “Officer Springer, I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood to answer any questions right now.” His gaze wandering to the nutcase, he frowned. “My jaw’s a little sore. So, if you don’t mind…”

He moved to the right, stepping past Springer. The Hispanic cop, whose nametag read Perez, blocked his path.

“Actually,” Officer Perez held up a hand to keep Darrell at bay, “we do mind. This lady says you’ve stolen her property and some money. That’s a serious charge.”

“And what about assaulting someone?” Darrell couldn’t help raising his voice as he glared at the loony lady. To the woman’s friend he said, “You saw her do it. You’re a witness.”

The friend arched a brow at him in a gimme-a-break expression.

“You deserved that,” the woman quickly said. Then she whimpered and dabbed at her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.”

“It’s okay, ma’am.” Officer Springer placed an arm around her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Great,
Darrell thought. The woman could cry on demand. Just what he needed.

“Why don’t you stop with the games?” the friend asked. “Surely you can’t expect to lie your way out of this one. I’m so sorry I didn’t have you checked out before you started dating my sister.”

“Sir.” Officer Perez gestured to the side of the road.

“She’s got the wrong person,” Darrell said. He supposed it would be simple enough to tell them that the woman thought he was his brother, but he wasn’t ready to sic them on Cecil without talking to him first.

Officer Perez said, “We’d just like to ask you a few ques
tions. If this is a misunderstanding, I’m sure we can straighten it out. Show us your ID and if you’re not the man we’re looking for, you can go on your merry way.”

Okay. That was simple enough. Strolling to the edge of the sidewalk, Darrell reached into his back pocket. Reached, but didn’t find his wallet. Where the hell was it?

Damn, he must have left it at the bar. “Uh,” he began, chuckling nervously as he patted down his pants and shirt pockets. “I think I left it inside the restaurant.”

“So you have no ID?” Officer Springer asked him.

“Yes, I have ID,” Darrell replied testily. “I just told you I left it inside. I have to go back in and get it.”

The look both cops gave him said they thought he was full of shit.

“He’s lying,” the crazy woman said, her tone high-strung. “Just like he always does.” Her bottom lip quivered. “Can’t you just arrest him?”

“
Arrest
me?” Darrell leveled an angry gaze on her. “Woman, I don’t even know you.”

The woman looked crushed. “How can you say that?” she asked, her voice cracking. “We dated for two months.”

“It’s okay,” the sister told her, placing an arm around her. “I should have had Geoff check him out, but we’ll know better for next time. And at least he’s going to jail, where he belongs.”

At the sister’s words, Darrell turned back to the cops. “You can’t just throw me in jail for no good reason. This is America, where people are innocent until proven guilty.”

“Innocent?” The sister gawked at him. “Oh, that’s a good one.”

“I’m wondering why you don’t want to cooperate,” Officer Springer said.

“Because you haven’t arrested me for anything. I know my rights,” Darrell added smugly. “Excuse me.”

Darrell took a couple brisk steps, to the side and then forward, but he did so before seeing that someone was immediately in his path. To avoid a collision, he did a quick move to the right, but he moved too far, and his suitcase clipped Officer Perez on the leg.

The wacko and her sister gasped in unison, making the impact seem more serious.

“That’s it.” Officer Perez instantly reached for his cuffs. “You’re under arrest.”

“
What?
” Darrell looked at the cop like he was crazy.

“Assaulting an officer,” Officer Perez explained angrily. “For a guy who knows his rights, you should know that that’s a felony in this country.”

“I’m sorry, officer.” Gone was the indignant attitude, replaced with a contrite tone. “I didn’t mean to—”

“You have the right to remain silent.”

“Oh, come on.”

Officer Perez moved behind Darrell and slapped the cuffs on his wrists while Officer Springer spoke into his radio.

“If you give up your right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

God, this couldn’t be happening!

“You have the right to talk to an attorney and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning, if you wish.”

“This is a crock! This…this
psycho
—who slapped me, by the way—tells you I’m a thief and you take her word for it, no questions asked?” Darrell bellowed as Of
ficer Perez finished reading him his rights. “Let me go back in the restaurant and find my wallet so I can prove who I am.”

“You’ve just added disturbing the peace to the charges,” Officer Springer said.

“Son of a—” Darrell managed to stop himself. He drew in a deep breath, but it did nothing to calm him. “Look, if she hadn’t pointed me out to you two, none of this would be happening.”

“Her accusations of larceny and fraud are another issue,” Officer Perez explained. “Right now, you need to be concerned with the charges of assaulting an officer and disturbing the peace.”

“I can’t believe this,” Darrell muttered.

“Yeah, okay. Ten-four,” Officer Springer said into his radio. He turned to his partner. “Perez, I talked to dispatch and there’s a warrant out for this guy’s arrest.”

God, his brother was in more trouble than Darrell thought. “No, there isn’t,” he protested. “If you’ll give me a second to explain—”

“I’ve told you your rights. Do you understand each of these rights I have explained to you?”

Darrell groaned.

“Do you understand your rights?” Officer Perez repeated.

“Yes,” Darrell mumbled.

“Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now?”

“Will you let me go back into the restaurant and get my ID?”

Officer Perez clearly took that answer as a negative, since he said, “Fine. Let your lawyer advise you.”

As both cops continued to talk, Darrell tuned them out and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he saw that a large crowd of gawkers had formed on the street and the sidewalk around him. All he needed to complete this humiliating experience was to see the crew of
Cops
filming this whole scenario.

Darrell glanced first at the sister, who continued to look at him like he was the world’s biggest jerk, then met and held the crazy woman’s gaze. She was no longer crying. Her arms folded over her chest, she wore a satisfied smirk.

“I’m
not
Cecil,” he told her softly, hoping to finally get through to her.

“Oh, my goodness,” the woman began in a sarcastic tone. “You’re
not
? You mean this is all a big misunderstanding?” She paused. “And imagine, you just happen to be psychic, and know the name of the man who ripped me off. Oh, wait. I know.” The woman snapped her fingers. “Cecil is your evil twin, right?” She flashed him a look of disbelief. “Save your pathetic lies for the judge, Cecil. You’ve scammed your last victim.”

“All right, sir.” Officer Perez gave him a shove. “Come with us.”

The smirk disappeared off the crazy woman’s face as Darrell stared at her, and her eyes filled with grief. “Yes, please. Get him out of my sight.”

Darrell, who’d never been in trouble with the law in his life, was being carted off to jail in handcuffs. God, Cecil would pay for this when he found him.

Darrell stared hard at the dingbat as he passed her, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was resting her head against her sister’s shoulder, while her sister comforted
her. When he looked at the sister, hoping against hope that he’d at least get through to her, she shook her head at him in dismay.

It was obvious Darrell wouldn’t get through to either of them. Yet he said, “I’m telling you the truth. I’m not Cecil, but I do know—”