Cliffhanger (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book One) (17 page)

Chapter 20

Belinda and
Bennett scurried off the rocks, Bennett half-dragging Belinda along behind him,
and jumped into his SUV. Bennett kept Lily's car in sight along Ocean Avenue and onto the main strip into downtown. But Lily cut down a side street and
zipped out of sight after a car pulled out in front of them. Bennett muttered
to himself while Belinda checked all of the parked cars on the road lined with
Colonial-age townhouses in the Historical District.

"Do you
think she saw us behind her?" Belinda said. Bennett turned left on the
one-way street they finally came to, creeping down the lane. "There!
There! That's her car." The silver four-door sat with its tires cockeyed
next to the brick sidewalk. "I guess she was in a hurry."

Bennett found a
space just down the road, adjusted his mirrors to see the car and scanned their
immediate environment for any signs of where she may have gone. "Stay here
and keep your eyes on her vehicle. I'm going to see if I can find where she's
gone to."

Belinda yanked on
his arm. "What if she sees you?"

"I'll be
fine, but you keep out of sight." He pointed at her face, his jaw tight.
Belinda shrunk back into her seat, her lips plumping into an unintentional
pout.

Perfectly
kissable lips, he thought as he strolled down the next side street. If he
didn't need to worry about following Lily, he would have grabbed her chin and
given her the kiss of her life. He loved having her along, but she made it hard
for him to concentrate—on his assignment that is. Bennett could focus on her
just fine.

Mixed in among
the residences was a lawyer, his name on a black plaque engraved with gold near
the door. Curious that she was in that vicinity, he picked up the pace,
rounding a corner and heading back up the street they'd driven down. Bennett
ran his hand over his head. Lily could have gone into downtown for all they
knew. This was a convenient—and cheap—place to park. Still, he had a feeling
about that other side street with the office. So he circled to go back there,
glancing at the truck to check on his associate. His heart stopped when she
wasn't in the front seat. Bennett ran over, opening the driver's side and
checking the back. No one. He grappled for his phone in his jacket pocket as it
vibrated and his heart started beating again. A text. From Belinda.

BG. LILY. PARK.

Bennett didn't
know what BG was, but he didn't dare text her back for fear it would ring and
draw attention to her. He stretched his mouth into a sharp line and hiked up
the hill toward the park, deciding to slip down a side street and come up from
the other end. It was only a block long and he would have a good view from
there.

He stood on the
corner and peered around the building he leaned against, spotting Lily Devore
near one of the shade trees, but Bennett couldn't see the man she spoke to. And
he couldn't see so much as a hair on Belinda's head. Good girl.

From the way
Lily's body was turned, Bennett was afraid she would see him come around the
corner and scare them off. Or, more importantly, that he might somehow alert
them to Belinda's presence somewhere in the park. So he stayed put, keeping his
eye on them and their surroundings.

~ * ~

Lily stood with
her arms crossed over her chest and leaned on one leg with her mouth all
pinched up while Bald Guy gestured with his hands, apparently doing most of the
talking.

Belinda's body
was going numb, especially her arm, which she now held up at the elbow with her
other hand, recording the entire conversation Bald Guy and Lily were having.
She had squeaked into a prime location behind a tree with a trunk like a beer
mug, but it was starting to get tough to stand still.

Their
conversation was pretty cryptic. Unfortunately, they weren't offering much
exposition to explain what they were talking about, though she did hear
Jarrett's and Stellan's names more than once. The rendezvous ended with neither
participant looking especially thrilled, and Lily went one way while Bald Guy
chose another path. Belinda panicked and squished up against the tree as Bald
Guy naturally decided to walk in her direction. She held her breath as he
passed, thinking she was in the clear when he turned. His round eyes bulged and
a vein cutting across his skull protruded as his eyes found her cell phone.

Belinda sprinted
but in one step he reached her and clenched her wrist with a hand about five
times the size of hers. She wriggled to pry free but he only tightened his
grip, twisting her wrist at the same time.

"You keep
coming back for more, don't you?" he said.

Belinda wasn't
sure what that meant, but she screamed, louder than the pain actually called
for, and slammed her foot into his shin. A throb in her foot made it plain that
it had hurt her more, but it did distract him and he loosened his grip just
enough for her to yank free.

She lost her
balance in the process and while Bald Guy tried to get a hold on her ankles, he
yelped and doubled over onto his knees. Belinda stood up and backed away as
Bennett held the back of an industrial-strength flashlight at Bald Guy's skull.

"Would you
like another demonstration on the back of your head?" Bennett said to him,
his gray eyes like smoke shooting up from an open fire.

Bald Guy shook
his head no.

Within seconds,
policemen surrounded the park. Jonas sprinted toward them, his light brown hair
whipping up off of his head. Belinda leaned against the tree again, rubbing her
wrist, which she was pretty certain was sprained now that she'd collapsed onto
it on the ground. Once Bald Guy was in handcuffs, Bennett relaxed his
flashlight, but his expression remained leaden. An ambulance pulled up too and
Jonas waved them over.

"He's a PI!"
Belinda pointed at Bald Guy.

Jonas noted that
Bennett had casually (so he thought) moved over to Belinda's side and now stood
near her protectively. "He's actually a lawyer," Jonas said.

Belinda's mouth
gaped, her finger still pointing. "That's a lawyer?"

"Believe it
or not, darling." Jonas planted his feet and looked down at Bald Guy.
"Hi."

"Hi
back," Bald Guy said.

Jonas grinned.
"Assault on a defenseless woman in a park in broad daylight. And it's such
beautiful weather too. What is this world coming to?"

Bald Guy grunted.

Belinda watched
with interest, unsure if she was more scared or excited by the whole
experience. "Do you know him?"

Jonas tilted his
head. "Bennett and I had a run-in with him during our private
investigating days, didn't we?"

Bald Guy declined
to comment.

Belinda's eyes
widened. That's why Bennett recognized her description of him. She tried to
catch Bennett's eyes, but he stayed fixed on Bald Guy.

"During a
case, we found him embroiled in some uncool business practices."

"You never
proved it," Bald Guy growled.

Jonas shrugged.
"You look a little worse than you did the last time we met." He
examined the bruise on his jaw—and his earlobe with a clear hole for an
earring.

A little bit of
pride bubbled up inside of Belinda. Jarrett had put up a fight.

"So
what?" Bald Guy said.

"So
what?" Belinda stepped right up to him, her brown eyes smoldering. His
slits for eyes turned on Belinda. "Don't glare at me, you glorified crook.
I can have you disbarred if I want."

Jonas looked back
at Bennett. He shrugged.

"There's
only one reason someone like Lily Devore would associate with the likes of you,
and it's not because of your charming personality."

Bald Guy's scowl
diminished.

"I don't
care what that plaque on your door reads," Belinda said, hands on hips.
"No one on this side of town would hire a lawyer like you. So that means
that you're affording an office on that street some other way."

Jonas wanted to
clap.

"You should
have seen her the other night," Bennett murmured to his friend. "Blows
this out of the water."

Bald Guy pressed
his lips together tight.

"Don't make
me your enemy," Belinda said coldly.

Bald Guy looked
up at the disheveled woman with fire in her eyes. She didn't look like much,
but something about her told him not to take the warning lightly. "This
has been more trouble than it's worth," he grumbled.

"Cooperate
with the police," Belinda said, "and I'll consider helping you out in
the future."

Bald Guy looked
shocked, all his toughness melting from his face.

"I guess
someone told you about the path up to the Mayhew house," she said
neutrally. "You must be special because that's kind of an inner circle
secret."

Bald Guy sniffed.

"Well, you
mull over what I've said and decide what your freedom is worth. Because if you
don't cooperate," Belinda's eyes turned the color of lava, "you will
be on the losing end of this game, proof or not."

Jonas couldn't
believe it, but he definitely caught Bald Guy blanch at her statement. And it
was a statement. Not a possibility—or even a threat. A statement.

At Jonas'
command, the two officers flanking Bald Guy escorted him to one of the police
cars and left. Jonas lingered, rubbing his jaw. "Now we come to the part
where I ask you what you were thinking."

A paramedic
wrapped Belinda's wrist, a mesmerizing experience, so that Bennett had to tap
her shoulder to get her attention. "Me? You're asking me?"

"You're the
one with the bandage," Jonas said, his green eyes alight with amusement.
If Bennett wasn't so besotted with the pixie, he would have asked her out
himself.

Belinda looked to
Bennett as if searching him for an explanation. "Well," she said,
deciding where to start, "Bennett told me to stay in the car while he went
to find out what had become of Lily."

"And you
obeyed his directions to the letter."

"I intended
to." Belinda hopped off the edge of the ambulance, taking Bennett's arm
with her non-bandaged one. "But I saw Bald Guy in the side mirror and I
couldn't resist following him. Then I saw Lily in the park so I hid quickly and
pulled out my phone." She freed herself to get it out, but Bennett held it
up and handed it to Jonas. "I got video of their meeting. And sound. I'm
positive there's sound."

Jonas pressed
play on the screen and held the phone closer to his face to hear. Belinda had
quite the steady hand with the camera and he watched the tense exchange between
Lily and Bald Guy—as Belinda called Byrne—with interest. "Their
conversation doesn't really help us, but this meeting is an interesting turn of
events. Byrne, er, Bald Guy, is technically an immigration lawyer with a
penchant for moonlighting as an underhanded private investigator. But we do
have a common denominator."

"Who?"

"Jeff."

Belinda tucked
loose strands of hair behind her ear. They would only blow away again, but she
couldn't stop herself from trying. "How is that guy connected to
Jeff?"

"You
remember the note we found in Jeff's pocket?"

"Yes. It was
addressed to Mark. Mark Nichols."

"That is
what we guessed. Based on what the note actually said, or what we could get
from it after its unfortunate sea bath, I'm guessing now that it was addressed
to Bald Guy."

"But his
name is Byrne."

"His last
name is Byrne. His first name is Mark."

Belinda's memory
kicked in. She'd forgotten all about the strange business card that Stellan gave
her, and she was ninety-nine percent positive it said Mark Byrne, Private
Investigator on it. But she would hold off on saying something just yet.
"What did the note say?"

"Something
about paying him but he was quitting."

Stellan's shady
business deals passed through her mind. "A business deal?"

"Some kind
of business, I'm sure."

"You know he
was at the party, right?" Belinda said, glancing at Bennett. "Byrne,
Mark, Bald Guy. Whatever you want to call him. That was the dude Victoria and I
saw in the hallway."

Jonas nodded.
"Then we have a few things to talk about. I'm off to deal with him. Keep
out of trouble you two." Jonas winked at Bennett.

Belinda examined
the bandage on her wrist. She would never be able to wrap it that good.
"Are you mad at me?" she said to Bennett.

"Huh?"

"You look
mad."

"Not at
you." Bennett forced his mouth to turn upwards and took her free hand.
"Stop picking at the bandage."

"So what are
you thinking?"

"I'm
wondering how Byrne is connected. I found his business address scribbled in one
of your notebooks."

Belinda thought
about the business card in her wallet again. She shrugged and grinned.
"It's been a full day, hasn't it?"

"Very
full." He looked at her wrist again. "I think it's time to deposit
you back home to rest."

"Rest? Humph.
Who needs it? I'm just getting started." Belinda took his arm.
"Besides, Carmichael's office is not far from here and he might know more
about Bald Guy. Plus, he'll want to help me all he can to curry my nana's
favor." Belinda smiled wickedly. Bennett agreed that they would pay Carmichael a visit and then Belinda had to go home to rest.

Carmichael
welcomed them into his office inside a marine blue townhouse a few streets over
from the park. He shooed his secretary away and closed the door on her face as
she stood there saying something about how he asked for tea.

"What
happened to you, my dear?" Carmichael said, taking her sprained wrist.

"She was
assaulted in the park."

"Assaulted?"
Carmichael looked from Bennett to Belinda. "Did you call the police?"