The Good Die Twice (25 page)

“Put the gun away,” Luke ordered.

Mince wrinkled his pudgy face. “I don’t think
so. There’s more going on here than just a pair of earrings. Talk
fast.”

Edie looked at Luke. Luke looked at the gun.
“Okay.” Luke proceeded to tell them about the Williamsburg
Collection. By the time he was done, Mince had placed the gun down
and slowly sank into the chair.

“Four hundred million?” Joey licked his
lips.

“Don’t get any ideas.” Edie draped the scarf
over her lap, lit another cigarette, and dabbed a piece of tobacco
off her tongue. “You’re not about ready to suck more money out of
us.”

Propping a foot up on the coffee table, Luke
regarded the situation. His gaze shifted to Edie, whose determined
look was a dangerous blend of greed and power. Joey and Mince, on
the other hand, just reeked greed.

Luke glanced quickly at Edie and then told
the two men, “I’m sure if we’re successful there would be a nice
bonus for you two.”

“How nice?” Mince pressed.

Edie took a long drag off her cigarette,
staring at Luke through the smoke. “You guys can iron that out
later. We have more pressing matters.” Setting the scarf aside, she
said, “Let’s think this through. There are only two people who
could have the other earring.”

“The cops are one,” Luke said.

The word cops brought a chill to the
room.

“Sweet jezzus,” Mince whispered. “I ain’t
goin’ to jail. I can tell you that right now.”

“Where the hell did you hide the body?” Edie
demanded.

“It’s in one of the new townhouse freezers at
the Dunes Resort,” Luke replied.

“Oh, lord.” Edie planted an elbow on the
armrest and pressed a hand over her eyes. “That’s a sure way to
lead the police right to me.” Shaking her head of auburn waves, she
lit another cigarette, fingers trembling. Inhaling long and deep,
she cleared her head and let the wheels churn. Taking another long
puff, she let the smoke out slowly. Finally, Edie said, “No, I
don’t think it’s the cops. Newspapers would have plastered it all
over the front pages. I think it’s Dagger. It was his client who
supposedly witnessed the murder. He would have been the one to comb
the area, pick a lock or two, and find the body. “We have to find
Dagger’s weakness.”

Luke agreed. “What about his fiancée? Isn’t
she the daughter of that rich guy?”

Edie shook her head. “Dagger broke it off
with Sheila. I don’t know him that well, but from what I could
tell, he would probably throw her to the dogs before trading her
for the earring.” She took a swig of cognac and smiled slowly. “One
thing I do know—he is very protective of Sara.” Edie explained, “If
you hurt any of Dagger’s friends you are his enemy for life. You
can anger him by beating up his friends or even stealing his
parrot. But Sara, she’s our key. I think he’d trade Sara for the
earring.”

“Sara.” Joey’s mouth turned up in a sadistic
grin. “Oh, yeah.”

CHAPTER 40

“A part of me didn’t believe you, Dagger.”
Robert’s hand shook as he dabbed at his eyes. Rachel had looked as
if she were sleeping, accept for the blue tinge to her skin and the
bloodstain on her dress. “It feels like it was a lifetime ago that
she died. So much time has passed.”

Robert followed Dagger down the hall to a
waiting room. The grieving husband had just finished identifying
his young wife’s body. Robert silently gazed out of the picture
window. Next door was the county court house and beyond that, a
large building circled by a high fence. It was a youth correctional
facility.

Robert lowered his body onto the hard bench
and slumped against the backrest. “If I had only taken her call
more seriously.”

Dagger took a seat next to him, leaned
forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped. “You have to quit
beating yourself up.”

Padre appeared in the doorway with a cup of
coffee, which he handed to Robert. “Thought you could use
this.”

Robert thanked him and set the coffee on the
end table.

Padre rolled a chair over to the bench and
took a seat across from them. He pulled a notepad from his pocket
and leaned forward. Dagger knew Padre’s routine by heart. He liked
to lean close, speak in a soft tone, as if he were in a
confessional. The tone was always congenial, understanding.

Padre asked, “Did you pay the crew five years
ago to say that Rachel sailed with them that night when she
actually didn’t?”

Robert sighed, closed his eyes briefly. “No.
Where on earth would you hear such a thing?” He looked from Padre
to Dagger. “I thought all the questions had been answered?”

“You hired me to do a job, Mr. Tyler,” Dagger
said. “And I’ve come up with some issues that contradict what was
reported to the police five years ago.”

Robert’s shoulders sagged, his face looked
haggard. The county morgue was no place to interview a victim’s
relatives. But they couldn’t do it at Robert’s home or the precinct
without police or the press being curious. As it was, they didn’t
have much time before the medical examiner’s report became public
knowledge.

“As far as I know Rachel boarded the yacht
that night. If the crew were paid by someone to say she was never
there, the money didn’t come from me.”

Dagger thought back to Pete’s reaction to the
woman on the yacht. For someone who supposedly was paid to lie
about Rachel being on the yacht as Nick professed, Pete had some
pretty vivid and fond memories. Dagger asked Tyler, “Were you aware
that Edie knew Rachel before you two were married?”

Robert shook his head. “That can’t be
true.”

“We have pictures of them together. But Edie
had blonde hair back then,” Padre said. “I have a tail on Edie now.
I wouldn’t bet my pension, though, that we would find a blonde wig
or two in her room. If she’s as smart as I think she is, she got
rid of all the evidence five years ago.”

“Damn, what a stupid old fool I’ve been.”
With a disbelieving shake of his head, Robert said, “That makes no
sense. I could provide Rachel with everything. She had no reason to
steal anything. And why would they keep it from the family that
they knew each other?” His haggard eyes looked to them for answers,
they had none.

After a few moments, Padre turned to Dagger
and said, “By the way, I ran those plates through the computer. The
pickup was reported stolen two days ago. It’s a lousy way to lose
your Mustang.”

“Mustang, hell. They almost killed Sara.”

Robert turned an ashen face toward Dagger.
“Don’t tell me she was almost killed because of this case.”

Padre nodded. “Afraid so.”

Robert’s gaze drifted from Padre’s face down
to the open collar of his shirt where portions of a bandage was
showing. “I really feel bad that you were almost killed, too,
Sergeant.”

“There’s an upside to it.” Padre grinned, “It
means we’re getting close.”

Robert picked up his coffee cup and retreated
to the window. Padre and Dagger exchanged unspoken signals. A
lifting of his eyebrows meant Padre had no reason not to believe
Robert.

Dagger asked Robert, “And what about Rachel’s
will? Maybe there’s something in it that mentions the
kangaroo.”

Robert shook his head. “We had our wills made
up together. There were no surprises. She would have been well
taken care of had I died first.” He left his cup on a cart next to
the doorway. Shoving his hands in his pockets he slowly paced,
shoulders slumped. “You know, gentlemen, I didn’t build a billion
dollar business on stupidity. I know Rachel could have had any
young man she wanted. I know money is a magnet for beautiful women
like Rachel and Edie. I’m not that blind.” He studied the
thread-worn carpet as he paced, wondering how many other grieving
relatives had walked this same path. The worry lines in his
forehead deepened. “I know there were rumors that Rachel and Eric
had a quick fling but they both denied it and I believe them.”

“Did Rachel leave any jewelry to your
daughter-in-law?” Padre asked.

Robert chuckled. For the first time since he
had seen Rachel’s body, he actually displayed an emotion other than
anguish. “Funny thing was, Rachel didn’t like the real stuff. She
insisted on only costume jewelry. She knew too many friends who had
their real jewels stolen either from their house or right off their
bodies. Check our wedding pictures. Other than pearl earrings, all
she’s wearing is a plain gold band and a gold cross necklace her
mother gave her.”

Dagger looked quizzically at Padre and after
a few minutes, they wandered down the hall, leaving Robert in the
waiting room with his anguish and memories.

“You get the same impression I did?” Padre
asked.

“Maybe. I’m thinking Rachel may have been
completely unaware she was being used to move the jewels from
Australia. Who better than a model with suitcases full of costume
jewelry? But once she got home and realized what she had, she could
have camouflaged the earrings, hid the necklace, maybe threatened
to go to the police.”

They looked back at Robert, one of the
richest and most powerful men in the state. He could buy just about
anything he wanted and usually did, from his thousand-dollar suits
to fancy cars and high-priced resorts. But all that power and all
that money didn’t protect him from the one thing everyone
experiences eventually, no matter how rich or poor…grief.

CHAPTER 41

Dagger was up early the next morning.
Whenever he couldn’t sleep, whenever his head throbbed, whenever
the angry side of him wanted to rear its ugly head, he practiced
Tai Chi. If he had practiced it daily, the way he was supposed to,
he wouldn’t be clenching his teeth at night.

What had happened to Skizzy brought out
feelings that had seemed foreign to him. Every time he closed his
eyes, he saw a disturbed, phobic man, sinking even lower into his
schizophrenia, not that Skizzy ever appeared to be improving.

Facing the expansive living room windows,
Dagger inhaled deeply, inspired by the daybreak peering through the
trees. His arms moved slowly up, bringing the good Chi toward him.
Exhaling, he slowly moved his arms down, while placing his weight
on his heels and pivoting to his left. His movements were
deliberate in a practiced rhythm. He wore white drawstring pants
and a loose-fitting white shirt. His mode of dress coupled with the
bandana around his forehead made him look like a martial arts
instructor. Matter of fact, used properly, Tai Chi was an excellent
method of self-defense.

Just as on the other mornings he practiced
Tai Chi, he felt eyes on him. Even in the winter when it was so
dark at five in the morning that he could barely see one hand in
front of the other, he could still feel eyes peering at the back of
his head.

“It’s called Tai Chi,” Dagger said softly,
not wanting to break his concentration. From his peripheral vision
he saw Sara rise from the top stoop outside her bedroom and descend
the stairs. “It’s the ultimate exercise for body, mind and spirit.
Reduces stress, strengthens the immune system, and is actually a
self-defense technique.”

He broke his pattern briefly and turned to
face her. When does she ever sleep? Sometimes he would go to bed
before her yet she was up before him. Maybe it was youth that kept
her looking rested, vibrant, no matter how little sleep she had.
Maybe she napped when he wasn’t home.

“Come.” He guided her in front of him, both
facing the windows. “Dip your knees slightly, like when you sit on
the edge of the bar stool.” He placed his hands on top of hers.
“Hold your hands apart as if you are holding an imaginary ball.
Don’t let the fingertips touch.”

“What does this do?”

“Shhhhh. Don’t talk. Just feel the Chi. Turn
slowly from the waist, first to the left.” Their bodies moved in
unison. As they turned, their left hands slowly rotated to the top
and their right hands to the bottom of the imaginary ball. As they
turned back toward the center, their hands moved back to the
starting position. “Exhale when we are facing straight ahead.” His
voice was soft, soothing. “Slowly inhale again, moving the right
hand on top as we turn to the right.”

They continued the pattern for several
minutes. “Do you feel it?” The heat pulsated, radiating between
their hands.

“Yes,” Sara gasped. “How does it do
that?”

“Energy.” As Dagger inhaled he realized he
was smelling Sara’s hair, her skin. Not only was their heat between
their hands, but they were generating a good deal of it between
their bodies. He could hear Simon’s voice in his head, ‘Sooner or
later, you be looking at her in a whole different light’.

Dagger dropped his hands. “You keep
practicing. I’m going to go take a shower.”

“Sweetheart, you aren’t going to believe
this.” Sheila’s voice gushed through the speaker phone.

“WICKED WITCH, AWK.” Einstein recognized
Sheila’s voice.

“What did you do this time?” Dagger closed
both doors to the aviary, while Einstein cranked his neck trying to
find out where Sheila’s voice was coming from. Dagger checked the
clock on the wall. “It’s nine in the morning, Sheila. Usually you
aren’t up until the crack of eleven.” He sat down and propped his
feet on the desk. He picked up outdated notes and dropped them into
a trash can.

“You’ll be proud of me. I actually checked
this out on my own. That ingrate Worm. I’m going to fire his
ass.”

Dagger clasped his hands behind his neck and
stared up at the skylights. Even Sheila’s voice was beginning to
grate on his nerves.

Sheila continued, her voice more excited. “I
had a friend do a title search on Sara’s property. Guess what?
There’s no record of ownership. We can buy it free and clear.”

Dagger looked up at the catwalk to see Sara
standing there, her face sullen, eyes accusing. She turned and
walked back to her room.