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Authors: Jennifer Apodaca

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BOOK: Thrilled To Death
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“Melanie doesn't belong to Cal. You belong to me.”
I sat up straight. “You don't own me, Pulizzi.” God, he irritated me with that attitude.
He grinned, slow and wicked with sensual heat simmering in his gaze.
“Caveman.”
“
Man
, sugar. All man.”
A smile cracked through my irritation. “I noticed. But back to this.” I moved the diagram Gabe had drawn. “So if someone picked the lock in broad daylight to get inside to murder Shane, there might be a witness.”
“I'll go canvass the campground tomorrow morning. You go talk to Nikki. She seemed to have a solid reason to hate Shane. Two reasons if it's her show Shane had been planning to spoil Saturday night.”
“A woman scorned,” I said, thinking about Nikki. “I'll talk to her. Rosy said that Vance had her in the police station this evening. So our two suspects are Bo Kelly and Nikki Eden.” That made me sad for Grandpa and for me. I cast around for a better suspect. “Grandpa and Fletch are looking through the Triple M for anything they can find. Maybe they will come up with something. In the meantime, Lola was hanging around the office making Blaine nuts when Shane was murdered, so she's off the suspect list.”
He nodded. “I saw her there. But Bo and Nikki had motive. We don't know where either of them were during the murder. Do you think either of them can pick open a lock?”
I had to think for a second. “Bo does different illusions based on his superhero theme. He's big on levitation among other things. He could have some lock-picking skills if he's rescuing a chained-up damsel in distress or something. And Nikki, she does some big escapist illusions, so I would bet she knows how to pick a lock.” Lead settled in my stomach as I considered her. “And Nikki would have known the dogs. She could have gotten into Shane's motor home pretty easy, I would think. The dogs would know her.”
“Enough to eat from her,” Gabe added. He looked down at the watch on his arm. “Who is Nikki, Sam? What drives her?”
I tried to get to the core of her. “Smart, young, chip on her shoulder attitude but loves her grandma. Magic saved her, gave her a purpose and kept her out of juvie, when her parents divorced. She credits Grandpa with that. Her show is high concept, meaning big illusions that cost a hell of a lot of money.”
“Love life?”
I shrugged. “My sense is that she takes men when they appeal to her but guards her heart.”
“Until Shane?”
I got this. I understood this. It's why I was good at Heart Mates and at critiquing romances. “He was her soul mate, a bad boy to her bad girl. A man with a chip on his shoulder, a tough life. They shared an understanding of making it in spite of the odds against them.”
Gabe added, “And he betrayed her. Would that drive her to murder?”
I didn't know and shrugged in frustration. “Would she hire me if she had killed him?”
“Sure, you'd be her inside information. Especially if she thought she was smarter than you. That's the thing about killers, they tend to really think they can get away with it. Now what about Bo?” Gabe pressed on.
I shifted my thoughts back to Bo and what drove him. “There's the cartoon character based on him. That's a powerful reason to keep Shane from spoiling his show.” I thought about Bo and his career, and his wife. “He chose magic over his wife. When he realized his being on the road made her unhappy, he let her go. And he loved her.”
Gabe whistled softly. “I can answer that one. He gave up a woman he loved for his career, and now he's making it to the big time and the sacrifices are paying off. I don't even have to ask if he'd kill to keep Shane from destroying that.”
 
I set a cup of coffee in front of Grandpa.
He looked up from his computer screen. “You and Gabe got in late last night.”
That felt downright weird. Gabe had left early to get to the office and help Blaine before heading over to canvass the campground for witnesses. “Uh, Gabe wanted his brother to get some sleep, so he sent Cal home and stayed here.” In my bed. A tight fit, but we both slept. At least until he talked me into taking a shower with him this morning. After that, Gabe had left before the boys got up to go help Blaine get ready for the painters.
Grandpa grinned. “Do we have to talk about safe sex, Sammy?”
I dropped into a chair at the table. “Don't you dare. If you do, I'll tell Mom that you're dating a woman half your age.”
His smile soured. “You're just mean in the morning.” He clicked through some windows on the computer and said, “I got into one of Bo's bank account, but I haven't found any large withdrawals. This is his everyday checking account. I haven't found a savings account. I'll keep looking.”
TJ straggled out, looking tired. I got up and kissed his forehead. “What time did you get to bed?” I had a stab of guilt. I should have been here to make sure he got to bed early.
“I'm always tired in the morning, Mom. We went to bed at ten. Joel and I played video games with Cal. I beat them.” He grinned as he made his way to the table for cereal.
“Who cares?” Joel shuffled out. He looked more awake. “Video games are for geeks.” He stopped by me. “Mom, Cal's totally awesome. He told us about some mega fires he's been in.”
I smiled. “Yeah?”
Joel looked around. “I thought Cal was spending the night.”
“Gabe switched places with him around midnight.” I got busy searching my purse for lunch money.
Joel stared at me with huge blue eyes. “So where's Gabe?”
“Went to work.” I pulled out two fives. It was all I had at the moment. I needed to go to the ATM.
“What about you? Are you working on that magician's murder?” Joel went to the table and picked up the box of cereal.
I heard the doorbell ring and saw Grandpa and Ali get up to answer it. To Joel's question I said, “Yes.” I didn't tell the boys that I was having second thoughts about going after my PI license, mostly because I didn't know what I wanted. I did want to work cases, but I didn't want to lose Heart Mates.
Joel nodded.
TJ stopped eating and looked up. “Is it dangerous, Mom? I mean, Gabe thought we needed a babysitter last night.”
Fletch came into the kitchen just as I poured some more coffee. I got another cup down and filled it for him. Then I took my coffee and the money to the table. I sat down, gave TJ and Joel each a five for lunch money, then said, “Gabe is always careful with us, TJ.”
“Grandpa says it's 'cause he loves you,” Joel said. “If you marry him, are we gonna live at Gabe's house? Can I have my own room?”
TJ stopped eating but stared at his cereal.
Oh boy. Gabe had never said a word about marriage, and I didn't want to marry, partly because I didn't want to leave Grandpa alone. And I was scared to death of marriage. I'd spent thirteen years in a dead marriage. I never wanted to do that again. “Joel, I'm not going to marry Gabe, and he hasn't asked me to. You, your brother, and I are going to stay here with Grandpa as long as he lets us.” I had no intention of leaving him alone.
Joel glanced at Grandpa sitting at his computer. Fletch had pulled up a chair next to him. Then Joel looked back at me and said, “I want to stay here.”
“Me too.” I smiled at him, then looked at my other son. “TJ, I'm certain that you and Joel are not in any danger. But like Gabe, I'm always going to be cautious. If that means having Gabe or his brother hang around, then that is what we'll do.”
TJ rolled his eyes. “I meant is it dangerous to you. Besides your clothes.”
I laughed. “Do you think I should wear old clothes today?” I had on a tangerine-colored silk sleeveless top and form-fitting black pants. “I don't think I'm in any danger at the moment, but I'll be careful.”
TJ glanced at Grandpa, then me. “I think you should stay on it, Mom,” he said, then got up and took his bowl to the sink.
I watched my more serious, older son. That boy was sharp. He had caught on that the one who might be in danger was Grandpa. Somehow it was all connected to Grandpa. In one way or another, all the players were connected to him: Grandpa mentored Shane, then tossed him out of the Triple M; Grandpa introduced both Nikki and Bo to magic and got them into the Triple M, and Fletch too.
Joel got up to rinse his dish and added it to the dishwasher, then both boys went into their rooms to finish getting ready for school.
Fletch's voice interrupted my thoughts. “I think we should look into Nikki's bank accounts.”
I turned around. Fletch sat with his coffee on the other side of Grandpa.
Grandpa looked thoughtful. “I don't really feel right. We had a reason to look at Bo with the fake thumb and all. And Nikki is Sam's client.”
Fletch set his cup down and looked at Grandpa. “But if there's nothing there we can rule her out.”
Grandpa turned to me.
I was uncomfortable. Gabe and I had broken into Bo's motel room while Grandpa had broken into his bank accounts. What if he was innocent? Then what we did was wrong. And Nikki hired me to work for her. “Let me talk to her first. I'll call you after I do that and get to work to talk to Gabe.”
 
Nikki looked like she hadn't slept at all. She wore a pair of black boxer-style shorts and a gray tank top. Her hazel eyes were puffy and her spiky hair wilted. She sat at the kitchen table in the sunny little nook staring at a mug of tea that smelled like lemon.
Rosy stood at my shoulder. “Coffee, Sam?”
“I'd like that, thanks, Rosy.” I sat down and put down my yellow tablet with the list of magicians tucked in the back. “How are you, Nikki?”
She lifted her gaze. “I can hardly believe he is dead.” “Shane?” Of course she meant Shane. But I wanted her to talk. I wanted to figure out her state of mind. Judging by the way she looked, it could be grief, horror, or remorse.
She nodded. “He was bigger than life. Even when he dumped me, he was . . . so alive.” She rubbed her eyes, spreading black mascara residue.
Rosy set a steaming cup of coffee in front of me, then she excused herself to go get dressed. I focused on Nikki.
She said, “I didn't kill him, Sam. I couldn't have. I wanted revenge, but I couldn't have killed him.”
I glanced down at my coffee, thinking about women in love. We were in my territory now—romance. Nikki was watching me when I looked up and said, “You couldn't kill him because you loved him once.” But I knew that love could turn into hate.
She smiled, her lean face softening. “I was going to beat him at his own game.”
“The confidentiality agreement. Nikki, I need to know what that's about.” Did it matter anymore if Shane was dead? It had to do with him, obviously.
“A network special. I was going to host a special to air after Shane's show, showing what goes into building a magic act and how Shane took a shortcut to fame by destroying hardworking magicians. I was going to expose the real Shane Masters to the world, including that he was nothing more than a street thug. It was half a ‘behind the scenes' of magicians and half a biography of Shane.” She looked into the kitchen, her eyes unfocused. “Shane didn't know as much as he thought he did. It never occurred to him that I would get my own TV show.”
That's what Nikki had hired me for, to get her additional information for her TV special. And that's why she approached Shane in the first place—she had been planning to do to Shane what he did to others. It all added up. Finally. Except I had really believed she loved him. But maybe she hadn't. Maybe she had just been using him. “So you didn't love him?”
“I fell in love with him. And I went to his show in Vegas before coming here, ready to tell him the truth and break my contract with my show, if Shane would give up his spoiler shows. We could create a magic show together, like Penn and Teller, or Siegfried and Roy, but I never got past my first two words before Shane dumped me.”
“Oh.” Nikki Eden had a lot of reasons to be pissed. She had been going to give up her prime-time chance at fame for Shane. And he had dumped her. “What were the two words you did get out?”
She looked back at me with her head held high, exposing her long neck. “I'm pregnant.”
14
M
y head spun with the shocking news that Nikki was pregnant by Shane Masters. Sitting across the table, I searched her face. No tears. She looked numb. I could understand that. “Did you tell the police this?” No wonder Vance had her down at the station for so long.
“Every word. And I gave them all my documents. I don't have an alibi for the time of Shane's murder. I was here sleeping, and Grandma was off doing her reading program at the school.”
I nodded, knowing she meant Rosy's volunteer tutoring of middle school kids with lagging reading skills. But I wasn't sure about the documents. “The stuff you were compiling on Shane for your TV show?”
She lifted the cup of tepid tea and took a sip. “Yes.”
That meant her documents were out of my reach if Vance had them. I wished I could have seen them. “What about your TV special? Is it cancelled now?”
“My manager is in talks. He's pitching a couple ideas.” She shrugged.
I got the impression that Nikki didn't really care about the TV show anymore. Numb. She just seemed numb. The shock of being pregnant, of getting dumped by Shane, Shane's murder, then what was probably a grueling police interview . . . she was numb.
Rosy came out dressed in bright pink capri pants and a loose printed T-shirt. She set a thin plastic case in front of Nikki. It appeared to be a CD case.
“Thanks, Grandma.”
Rosy put her hand on Nikki's shoulder. “You didn't drink much tea.”
She smiled. “I'll drink some later.”
Rosy fixed herself some coffee and sat down between us. She didn't say a word.
My admiration for Rosy went up. She was supporting her granddaughter in a tough time.
Nikki slid the plastic case across the table to me. “This is a copy of everything that I gave the police that I had on Shane, Sam. I know I originally hired you to find out everything you could about Shane, but now I want you to find out who murdered him. I know what he was. . . .” She stopped talking and swallowed.
Rosy put her hand on Nikki's arm and turned to me. “She didn't kill Shane. We need you to find who did, so Nikki and her baby can have some peace.”
I understood Nikki's need. She had fallen in love with the wrong man and now she was having his child. I had done that myself. But TJ and Joel were worth every second of my lifeless marriage. I would tell Nikki that another time. Right now, what she needed was for Shane's murderer to be found so she could move ahead with a life for herself and her baby. “I'll do what I can.”
 
I drove right to work, hoping to catch Gabe before he went to canvass the campground. I parked my T-bird and spotted the painters' trucks. The front of Heart Mates looked like an office supply store had thrown up. Chairs, desks, lamps, and office equipment covered in blankets were stacked all over the sidewalk. I wove my way through the mess and caught the pungent smell of wet paint.
My stomach clenched. I'd chosen a pale rose for my side, a light pecan for Gabe's, and cream for the center where Blaine sat. I'd chosen a beautiful wood trim for the floor and ceiling, and the rose, brown, and cream carpet would bring it all together.
But what if Gabe hated it?
“Why are you standing here with that frozen look on your face?”
I turned and saw Cal grinning at me. He had paint splatters on his old jeans and white T-shirt. “Does Gabe hate it?” Damn, I'd meant to say hi and thanks for staying with the boys.
He laughed. “The painters started painting his office that pink color. He was sorted of speechless. Lola figured out the mistake pretty quick and set everyone straight.”
“Bet Blaine loved that.”
“Blaine was out of the office somewhere when Lola showed up. Blaine just got back about twenty minutes ago, and he's about ready to blow.”
“Uh-oh. Why is Lola here, anyway?”
Cal shrugged. “Where else would she go? She doesn't have a job now, and she's at loose ends.”
Blaine stormed out the door. “Get rid of her, Sam, or I quit!” He stomped off to his car and opened the trunk.
“God, I hope he doesn't have a tire iron in there,” I muttered, and turned to go into Heart Mates. The paint smell was stronger. I could see through to my office. It was a sheer rose. “Beautiful.”
Gabe strode across the reception area to me. “They tried to put that in my office.”
I laughed. “Maybe you shouldn't have sicced my mother on me when I went to the stadium.”
He leaned down and kissed me. “So that's your revenge? A pink office? 'Cause Lola already fixed that.”
“Did she? Guess I'll have to think of something else.” I turned and headed to Gabe's side and hung a left down the short hallway, then looked into his conference room on the right. The room was nearly done. There were two men in there rolling on the light-pecan-colored paint. Perfect. I turned to Gabe. “Did you go to the campground yet?”
He shook his head. “About ready to just now.”
“Grandpa didn't find anything on Bo, and I just talked to Nikki. She swears she didn't kill Shane. She says she couldn't have.”
Gabe arched a single eyebrow. “Because she loved him? Lots of women kill the men they love.”
He was so cynical. “Because she's pregnant by him.”
“And he dumped her when she told him?”
I nodded. “She gave me a CD with all her research on Shane.” I summed up Nikki's TV show.
“So she loses the show now that Shane's dead? Would it have been worth losing that chance for national TV exposure to kill Shane?” He took a step back from me and added, “How hormonal is Nikki from her pregnancy?”
Men. “If she were that hormonal, it seems like she would have killed him when he first dumped her, not a couple weeks later.”
“Had to ask,” Gabe said. “We'll see what I get from the campground. What are you going to do?”
“I'm going to try to look at this CD.” I glanced around the office. “Are any of the computers hooked up?”
He shook his head. “Use my laptop. I'll get it for you; it's in my truck. Be right back.”
I followed him back out to the reception area, then watched him walk outside. I was admiring the view of his broad shoulders, trim waist, and tight ass when I heard Blaine swear. Then Cal strode past me, glanced over, and shrugged, flashing his sunny grin.
I heard Lola say, “It was an accident!”
I sighed and headed down the short hallway to the end where it opened into Gabe's office. His heavy desk and been moved to the center and was half-covered with a drop cloth. Lola stood by the desk with her back to me. She wore a pair of capri-length jeans that hugged her shapely Jennifer Lopez butt, a yellow T-shirt, and a pair of wedge sandals. I could see the defensive line of her spine and shoulders.
Blaine stood across the room holding a couple light switch plates and a screwdriver. Furious color crawled up his neck from the opened collar of his blue work shirt. “You spilled a whole can of grape soda on the carpet!”
I looked down. Yep, a can rested on the carpet, spreading a dark stain. I gathered that Lola was trying to cover the desk for the painters and knocked the can off. But so what? The carpet was being replaced tomorrow.
I could see Lola's long, dark ponytail swing as she waved her arm expressively. “I'm sorry! I'm just trying to help!”
Blaine yelled right back. “You're not helping, you're just in the way. Go away, Lola.”
I thought about what Cal had said about Lola not really having any place to go. I felt sorry for her and walked up to stand next to her. “Blaine,” I said softly, “it's okay. We're getting new carpet tomorrow.”
He sucked in a huge breath, exposing a hard line in his face. “You don't get it, Sam. She's useless. Her sole job for that magician was to look pretty and distract the audience. Where's the skill in that? She's living on her looks and doesn't have a skill in the world. She expects me to take care of her. I would have done that once, with pleasure, but no more.”
“I am not useless!”
I needed earplugs. But before I could put a stop to this, Blaine shot back.
“You don't have a job. How are you going to support yourself? Your meal ticket is dead, and now you are following me around like lost puppy thinking I'll adopt you.” He took two steps until he stood in front of her. “I have my own life now, and it doesn't include you. You walked.” His voice dropped to the low thrum of a powerful engine idling. “Beauty only lasts so long.” He stalked past her.
She whirled around, smacking me in the face with her ponytail. “I'm not useless! I'll show you! I'm going to help Sam find out who murdered Shane!”
“What?” I stared at Lola.
She turned to face me. “That's right.” She lifted her chin and thrust out her chest. “I'll be your inside person. I knew Shane. I worked on the act. I can help. I. Am. Not. Useless.”
She was stunning with her Noxzema-clean skin mixed with a Latin sultry face flushed to a glow. Blaine was right that she was beautiful, but he missed her eyes. In those dark eyes, I saw grim determination. Still I tried to reason with her. “Lola, thank you for the offer. I'm sure I'll have some questions for you and you'll be a big help, but—”
Her eyes filled with huge tears. “You think I'm useless too.”
Sheesh. “No—”
Gabe walked in holding his laptop computer. “Hiring more people already, Sam? I thought Lola was a client.”
Lola turned to look at Gabe. “I don't want to be a client. I want to be useful. I know I can help Sam.”
Gabe stared at her, then said, “I'm sure Sam can use the help.” He held out the laptop to Lola and flashed her—swear to God—a goofy smile.
What the hell?
Lola took the laptop. “Where do I start?” she asked Gabe, while staring at him as if he were chocolate and she were having the worst PMS day in the history of womankind.
“Start?” Gabe said.
Lola smiled. “Working. On the case.”
“Right. Shane's murder. The case.”
“Hello!” I said, though it might have sounded like a snarl. “I'm standing right here.” I glared at Gabe, hoping to snap him out of his sexy-beauty-induced stupor.
He blinked and looked at me like I'd suddenly gone stupid on him. “No one said you weren't standing there.”
He was so dead. I turned to Lola and handed her the CD case with Nikki's files on Shane. “Go find somewhere to set up that laptop and open this CD. You do know how to use a laptop, right?”
She nodded. “Thanks, Sam. You won't regret letting me help.” She turned and practically skipped out.
“Nice kid,” Gabe said.
I turned back to my hunky Italian Romeo. “Is your brain powering up again, stud?”
He frowned, going from besotted fool to the darker, dangerous man I knew. “Come again?”
I pointed out the events of the last few minutes. “You were flirting with Lola and you just gave her a job.”
“I didn't . . .” Gabe snapped his mouth shut and turned to stare at the empty doorway. Then he lifted his hand and ran it through his straight black hair. “Humph.”
“Coming back to you now?” He looked so put out that I almost laughed.
He turned his gaze back to me. And took a step. “I wasn't flirting with her.”
I tried to arch one eyebrow, but it felt like a lopsided squint. “So you are hiring a replacement for me?”
Another step brought him toe to toe with me. “I'm not replacing you. I wasn't flirting with her. I just don't like women to cry.”
I gave up on trying to arch an eyebrow and rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Go canvass the campground. It'll save me from having to drag in a hose and cool you off.” I hated being jealous. But I refused to beg for reassurance, not after what Gabe had said at the police station about needing to feed my self-esteem every three hours. I wanted to be a strong, successful woman, not a bottomless hole of insecurity.
Gabe leaned down. “Are you planning on making me hot?”
A skitter of warm desire ran through my belly and almost made me forget my need to be strong. “Don't try to charm your way out of this.”
He grinned. Not the dopey grin that Lola got out of him, but the sexy, wicked, and dangerous smile that promised decadent things. “Sure, babe, Lola is one hot girl. But she's a kid. I would watch her walk down the street, then forget about her.” He lowered his face and softened his voice. “But it's you that makes me want to rip your clothes off and devour you.”
BOOK: Thrilled To Death
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