Tempest in the Tea Leaves (20 page)

Relief swirled through me. I wasn’t ready to deal with my feelings or lack thereof. I needed to make a move. Do something to shake this case up a bit. Maybe if I forced the killer to act, he or she would get sloppy. All I knew was that I was sick of waiting around and doing nothing.

Let my partner sneak off to play footsie under the covers with some floozy. I planned to do a little undercover work of my own. I had a case to solve and a killer to catch. If he could work alone, then so could I.

I looked up at Sean with a determined expression. “Give me your biggest burger, a plate of fries, and a vanilla milk shake.”

Sean’s mouth grew slack, and then he nodded and saluted me as he went in the back to place my order.

I would need sustenance for what I had planned.

 

 

I’d heard Alex Pendleton was a gambling man. Word around town was he liked to live large and live hard. There was a weekly game in the back room of Nikko’s Restaurant.

Nikko’s was an Italian restaurant in direct competition with Papas Greek restaurant. Papas did more business, so Nikko came up with the weekly gambling game as a way to up the competition. Church on Sunday morning and gambling on Sunday night.

Gotta love small-town living.

And to top it all, Alice, the ringleader of the Mad Hatters, was married to Nikko. She turned a blind eye and made it sound like a prayer meeting was taking place behind closed doors. As long as Nikko made money off the gambling, Alice would find a way to justify it. The world might come to an end if she couldn’t afford more hats.

I repeat: hypocrite.

The game wouldn’t start until after the dinner crowd ended, so I had time to catch Pendleton before he left. I hadn’t realized the weather had gotten so nasty out. I didn’t own a TV, but investing in a radio might not be a bad idea.

I cruised the streets in my VW bug until I found his BMW parked in Divinity’s only hotel. A large brick building a few stories high with a patio on the rooftop so the summer tourists could watch the Fourth of July parade down below. Right now it was loaded down with a couple feet of snow.

Pendleton didn’t live in Divinity. In fact, I’d heard no one knew exactly where he lived because he traveled around so much, checking on several projects in various stages of development. It was rumored his suitcase and a hotel room were pretty much his home.

I parked my bug down the block at the Laundromat to disguise my real whereabouts. Everyone knew the bug was mine since no one else in town drove one. And living in Vicky, no one would question that my washer had gone out, and I had to use the Laundromat.

Locking my car, I weaved in and out of the shadows on foot until I crouched beside the BMW once more. Detective Stone might have finally accepted I would be working with him, even if he still didn’t like it, but that didn’t mean he would lend me any supplies. I wouldn’t be getting a gun anytime soon—which was fine by me because I hated guns—but I could use handcuffs and pepper spray. I’d simply “borrowed” them from his apartment, along with the bugging devices.

First I had to break into Pendleton’s car, and then I would plant the device. Something told me a lot of his more interesting conversations took place in the privacy of his car. I held my breath and pulled a bobby pin from my hair. I’d taken to pinning back the strands at my temples since this new cut made it stick out in every direction. Removing the pins, I had to look like Tinker Bell with her finger in a light socket and the strands sticking straight out. Hopefully, I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew.

Straightening the bobby pin, I tried jiggling it in the lock on the driver’s side door. I had no clue what I was doing, but I had to at least make an attempt. I wished I’d paid closer attention to the carjacking I’d witnessed firsthand when I’d lived in the city. If only I’d grabbed one of those coat hangers I’d seen through the Laundromat window. Those always worked in the movies.

I was thinking about going back for one when it suddenly dawned on me. The car alarm hadn’t gone off. Could it really be that simple? I tried the door, and it opened. Guess this really wasn’t the city if even Pendleton wasn’t concerned with crime.

I climbed into the backseat and shut the door, holding my breath until the inside light went off. Lying down on the floor in the back, I reached my hand under the driver’s side seat and planted the bug. Feeling pretty smug, I was about to get up when the front door opened.

I remained perfectly still as Pendleton slid inside and shut the door. Firing up the BMW, he pulled away from the curb. Hopefully, my instincts were right and he was headed toward Nikko’s and not out of town.

His phone vibrated. Cursing softly, he answered with a sharp, “What do you want?” He swore again, then said, “Hang on a sec, my phone’s about to die.”

He reached his hand in the back, and I shrank down as low as I could, sucking in my stomach as his fingers missed me by a mere inch.

“Wait a minute, I might have to pull over to find my charger.”

My eyes bugged. I could not let him pull over and find me hiding in the back. No telling what he would do to me. Squirming, I felt something under my tailbone. I reached beneath me and snagged the end of a cord and then slipped it out from underneath my back. Sliding it onto my stomach, I lifted the edge as Pendleton made one final swipe.

“Yes,” he snapped. “I’ve got it . . . Okay, I’m plugged in. You were saying?”

I wilted in relief.

“No, that’s not going to work. I can’t risk them finding out the truth. You know I’d never survive behind bars. I’m really close to making the deal. Stay calm, and I’ll be in touch.”

He disconnected as he pulled into a parking lot. Once again I held my breath as he opened the door and got out. I heard his footsteps crunch on the snow outside as he walked away, and I nearly cried in relief. Sitting up carefully, I peeked over the backseat through the front window.

Nikko’s.

Keeping low, I climbed out of the car and closed the door quietly. Then I tiptoed away and stood upright as though I’d been out for a stroll. I hadn’t planned ahead and Nikko’s wasn’t anywhere near the Laundromat. Zipping my coat up all the way, I shoved my hands in my pockets and headed for the road for the long walk back to my car.

“You’re Sunshine Meadows, aren’t you?” said a sultry female voice from behind me. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

I turned around slowly and made myself smile, even though the sight of this particular woman made me want to tear her hair out. “You can call me Sunny. And you are?” I feigned innocence.

“Lucinda Griswold III.” She locked up her Aston Martin and faced me, smiling politely, but not quite hiding the sharp, assessing gleam in her lavender eyes. Her sleek black cocktail dress hugged her perfect curves beneath her faux fur coat she’d left open.

She looked fabulous and I felt frumpy as hell, which made me like her even less. “Well, it’s nice to finally meet you. I heard about your generous gift to the library. And then doubling the funds? You must really love to read.”

“I love libraries, especially old ones. I find something so charming about them. And Divinity is simply divine. I want the citizens to accept me. As a fellow outsider, you should know all about that.”

“Hmmm, yes. Some people are harder nuts to crack than others.”

“I can only imagine.” She paused, staring me down. “Especially being a murder suspect and all. Why, you simply must be traumatized. I know I would be.”

“Well, lucky for you, you’re not a murder suspect.” Somehow I doubted even a murder allegation would intimidate this woman. She might play the innocent rich socialite, but something told me she knew exactly what she was doing. “Must be nice not to have to worry about anything except keeping the library open.”

“You’d be surprised. We all have to worry with a murderer still on the loose.”

“I’m sure Detective Stone is doing all he can to close this case.”

“Yes, Mitchell has been wonderful about easing my fears. I hope I’m not next on the killer’s list because of my gift.” She shuddered, but I’d bet my freedom it was forced.

“Speaking of
Mitchell
,” I said between clenched teeth, “I heard you two had dinner together, so why are you at Nikko’s now? Let me guess, the detective is a cheap date. He didn’t feed you enough?”

“On the contrary, everything he fed me was absolutely delicious.” She leaned in close and fairly purred, “And dessert at his place was to die for. A man with good taste who can cook. He’s a rare gem, that one.”

“Ah, yes, he’s something.” My jaw ached from clenching it so tight. “Then why are you here?”

“For the game, of course.”

“But I thought it was a gentleman’s game only.”

She arched a shapely blond eyebrow. “Darling, I’ve got money to burn, and I’m quite entertaining. What gentleman do you know who would turn me down?”

I couldn’t argue with her there.

“The more intriguing question is, what are you doing here, standing by Mr. Pendleton’s BMW?”

“Admiring the model. Although this vehicle isn’t half as impressive as your car.”

“Thank you for noticing. I’m rather fond of Martin myself. Wasn’t that your adorable little . . . bug . . . I saw back at the Laundromat?”

I smirked. “Why, yes. Yes, it was my cute little bug. At least my good ole Punch is reliable, unlike my home appliances. My washer broke, so I was doing some laundry.”

“I get that, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

“I took a walk while my clothes are drying.”

“Impressive. That’s quite a ways to walk, especially at night with the streets being unsafe and all.”

“Don’t you worry. I can take care of myself. Or if I get into any real scrapes, I’ll simply call
Mitchell
.”

“Hmmm, well, lucky you.”

“Aren’t I, though?” I wrinkled my nose.

Her smile stiffened, and then she tipped her head slightly to the side. “It was a pleasure, Ms. Meadows. If you’ll excuse me, I have a game to win.”

“Good luck.”

“Darling, didn’t your mother teach you anything? Luck has nothing to do with it.” Her tinkling laughter trilled out behind her as she strutted into the restaurant with a walk she must have been perfecting all her life.

I spun on my heels and stomped away, counting to one hundred. Mitchell had some explaining to do. Dessert at his place? I mean, come on. That was going a little above the call of duty in my book.

I kept marching along, realizing the walk was much farther than I had first thought. The snow was coming down in droves now, a storm beginning to rage outside, matching the one churning in my insides. I really needed to get some snow tires. My bug would have a hard time getting me home in one piece at this rate.

I inhaled deeply and tried to take my mind off the weather and one truly infuriating detective. I thought back to the phone call Alex Pendleton had received. It had sounded like whoever was on the other end of the line had been pressuring him to make the deal go through.

Had Alex been desperate enough to kill for it? After all, he had said the truth could not come out and he would never survive jail. I still needed some hard evidence to link him to the murder. Hopefully, the device I’d planted under his seat would turn up something more concrete. In the meantime, I’d keep digging.

A weird feeling crept over me, like someone was watching me. I had almost made it back to the Laundromat, but I could swear someone was following me. I’d been too distracted to notice before, but I was definitely getting that eyes-burning-into-my-back kind of feeling now.

I picked up the pace. I couldn’t even call for help. In my haste to sneak into Pendleton’s car, I’d grabbed the bugging device but had forgotten my cell phone at home. Not too smart for a detective. Then again, no matter what Captain Walker said, I wasn’t a real detective. Just an amateur sleuth. Launching myself into a jog, I glanced behind me and was certain I saw a shadow duck behind a building.

My jog became a sprint, and I dropped my keys as I dug them out of my pocket. Unlike Pendleton, I still locked my car even in Divinity. Force of habit I was regretting at the moment. Scrambling to pick them up, my hands shook as I unlocked my bug. I checked the backseat to make sure I was alone, then threw myself inside. I slammed the door, quickly locked it, and frantically searched the street but didn’t see anyone.

I took a moment to wilt down in my seat. When I caught my breath, I turned the key in the ignition and thanked the good Lord for letting my old bug sputter to life. I pulled away from the curb and began to navigate the snow through town toward my house. Looking in the rearview mirror, I did a double take. A car was following right on my behind. I couldn’t get a good look at the make or model or even the driver, so I decided to test my theory.

I turned down a random street, and sure enough, the car followed. A few blocks more, I turned down another street, and once again, the car followed. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I hadn’t imagined anything. Someone really was following me.

Stomping on the gas, I barreled down another street and tried to lose my stalker. I wasn’t even sure what street I was on anymore, I just knew I had to get away. My windshield wipers whipped wildly back and forth now, but I still couldn’t see through the blinding snow very well.

I turned onto what I thought was another side street, went right over the median in the center of town, and into the park. I clipped a tree, went into a 360-degree sideways skid, and ran smack-dab in the middle of an enormous snowbank.

The car behind me stopped, and someone got out. I could barely make out the shape of a human being walking toward my car. I yanked on the handle and heaved my body against the car door, trying to open it. Finally it gave way, and I jumped out, slamming myself into the guy until I lay flat on top of him.