The Graves of the Guilty (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 3) (21 page)

Cooper gazed at the floor and imagined taking Columbus, the wounded red-tail hawk her family had rescued, to the field behind her house. She saw the thistles and buttercups waving in the breeze and could almost feel the heat of the sun on her face. Grabbing her stick, she leaned over the table and took the shot. The thirteen ball rolled into the side pocket.

“Eight ball, left corner pocket,” she said and sank it with a definitive strike. The spectators burst into applause.

Smiling, Cooper gave Edward a celebratory embrace. Jorge and his partner were markedly aggrieved over their loss and insulted their opponents using a stream of English profanity punctuated with angry words in Spanish. Fortunately, the giant in the lime-green tracksuit intervened. He shoved the disgruntled pool players out of the area and then turned to Edward and Cooper. “Mr. Albion wants to congratulate you,” he said, staring at Cooper. “Especially you.”

The crowd parted for the man in green and Cooper and Edward followed him to the back of the club. Cooper took a quick glance around the room and spotted Nathan and Jake. The men were eating hot wings and laughing with their waitress.

Failing to catch Nathan’s eye, Cooper focused on the man sitting at a large table with a view of the entire club. This was obviously Albion. He was dressed in a translucent white shirt and cream-colored linen trousers. Like Jorge, his shirt was unbuttoned to show off gold necklaces bearing diamond-encrusted pendants, one of which was a cross. He had a dark beard, protruding eyes, and very pale skin. As the giant in green introduced Cooper and Edward, Albion smiled, revealing a mouthful of jagged, nicotine-stained teeth.

He looks like a vampire,
Cooper thought and did her best to conceal her fear.

“Congratulations, my friends.” To Cooper’s untraveled ears, Albion had what sounded like an Eastern European accent. He fixed his cold eyes on Cooper. “You are pretty and talented. Such a rare find.”

“Thank you, Mr. Albion.” Cooper dipped her head. This act of subservience seemed to please Albion.

“Some champagne.” He snapped his fingers at the man in the tracksuit and then turned to the brunette seated beside him. “Go powder your nose,” he ordered. “I wish to talk to the pool sharks.”

The girl sent Cooper a hostile glare but obeyed without comment.

“If you’ll excuse me for a minute,” Edward told Albion. “I see an old Army buddy of mine by the bar.”

“Please. Take your time.” Again, the tone was unmistakably commanding.

“Where are you from?” Cooper asked once they were alone. “Your accent is
so
attractive.”

“Russia.” Albion’s gaze traveled the length of Cooper’s body. “I enjoy your accent, too. You Southern girls. You sound so innocent but can be quite wild in private, is that not so?” Luckily, the arrival of the champagne precluded Cooper from answering. Albion poured and raised his glass to toast her victory. After a single sip, she removed the Advil from her skirt pocket and placed them on her tongue, turning her back slightly away from Albion as if attempting to hide the action.

“What are you taking there?” he asked curiously.

Cooper decided to go on the offensive. “That’s
my
business. After all, you could be an undercover cop or something.”

This made Albion laugh heartily. “That’s a good one! You truly do not know who I am, do you?”

“I live out in the country. In Louisa County,” she said by way of explanation.

Albion digested this information and continued to stare at Cooper. “If you want to have fun, you should come to me. I’m a famous man in the city. For fun.”

Cooper indicated the envelope of cash sitting in the middle of the table. “What will that get me?”

A greedy light washed over Albion’s face. “Tell me what it is you want.”

Here it was. The moment she’d been working toward all night. Now that it had finally arrived, Cooper was nearly frozen with fear. To cover up her anxiety, she sipped her champagne and pretended to mull over his question.

“If I could pick anything, I’d choose China White,” she replied casually. “I’ve heard it’s the best.”

Albion was silent so long that she was forced to look at him.  “What could be more fun than China White?” She reached for the envelope and gave him a playful smile. “But I can get hooked up later. Thank you for the champagne. You have excellent taste in bubbly.”

Suddenly, his pale hand shot out and closed over hers, flattening her palm and the envelope against the table.

“Relax, baby.” He smiled again, though his eyes remained cold. “Drink your champagne. I can order you food.”

“No, thank you. I’m keeping an eye on my figure.” Cooper glanced at Albion from under her lashes.

“And what a figure it is.” He moved his chair closer to hers. “Would you like to take a ride in my limo?”

Cooper had to struggle not to grimace. “I’m sorry, but I’m not ready to get close to anybody. This guy I was seeing . . . he died recently. I’m still not over it.”

Albion toyed with his champagne glass, his expression one of disinterest.

“I met Miguel when I brought my car in for service.” She saw Albion stiffen. “Even though he tried to get me into bed right away, I liked him. You
men
are all the same. Always after the same thing!” She giggled slightly as if the baser nature of the opposite sex was genuinely amusing. “But I’m holding out for the real thing this time.” Feeling daring, she traced a finger down Albion’s upper arm and looked at him with intensity. “Are
you
the real thing?”

“You should stop playing with squirrels, my pet, and spend time with a wolf.” His crooked yellow grin was repulsive. “First, you come to my Hummer.”

“And you’ll get me my China White?”

Albion slid his hand up her thigh. “As much as you want, baby.”

Cooper drained her champagne. She didn’t want to be alone with this man, no matter what evidence she might acquire. “I need to tell my partner I’m leaving first. Be right back.” She reclaimed the envelope and stuffed it in her purse, her heart hammering. Would this predator even let her walk away without permission?

He said nothing as she turned from the table and headed for the bar. Clearly, he believed that he’d utterly captivated her.

Edward, Nathan, and Jake got to their feet the moment Cooper drew near.

“We can go now,” Nathan told her. “Jake and I have learned enough.”

“But you can’t
prove
anything,” Edward argued.

 “Proof isn’t our job.” Jake raised his voice. “That’s for the cops to handle. I’m a plumber. Nathan’s a computer guy. We can fight the good fight by helping the men in blue.”

Edward opened his mouth, but Cooper clamped a hand on his arm. “What we have will have to do! I refuse to be trapped in a limo with that creep and that’s exactly where he plans to take me. Grab my arm, Edward, and pull me out the door like you’re seriously pissed at me.
Now!”

“No problem.” Edward reacted immediately. As he yanked her forward, Cooper acted surprised and angry but made sure to wave to Albion and mouth
“I’ll be back”
on her way out.

Outside, the foursome hastily crossed the parking lot. A maroon sedan was parked next to Edward’s taxi, and as their little group approached the red car, a man opened the driver’s door. Head bent, he lit a cigarette with a match. The flame illuminated his face.

Edward stopped in his tracks. “Batman.”

If Rich Johnson heard the comment, he ignored it and smiled at Cooper with genuine warmth.

She handed him the case containing the pool cue. “How’d I do?”

He exhaled a plume of smoke. “Not bad for a first-timer. He’s got the product, but he didn’t say anything incriminating about Miguel. There’s no proof that he even knew him.”

“Your pool stick was bugged?” Edward butted in angrily.

“Not the stick. The handle of the case,” Rich Johnson said.

Cooper tried to mollify Edward. “If this was going to be our only shot at Albion, I wanted it to count, so I called Mr. Johnson and told him of our plans.” When Edward didn’t respond, she turned back to the policeman. “And there’s no doubt he knew Miguel.”

“What makes you say that?” the policeman asked while flicking ash onto the pavement.

“He called Miguel a squirrel. When Miguel started working at Love Motors, he told his coworkers that he was ‘done being a squirrel.’ He wanted them to call him
abeja.
The bee. Someone capable of stinging.”

Johnson stared at her. “Nobody stings Albion and lives. You found a connection, albeit a tenuous one. Still, well done. All of you.” He put out his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe. “Now go home. Keep your distance from this place while we build a case against Albion. We’ve picked him up before on possession of a concealed weapon, assault and battery, and prostitution charges, but he’s got a slick lawyer and has always slipped the net. The guy’s an eel. One hundred percent slime.”

“Don’t worry, one visit to Club Satin was more than enough for me,” Cooper assured him.

Johnson unzipped the bugged cue case and handed Cooper the polished stick. “You earned this. Please keep it as a token of my esteem.”

Cooper thanked him and then offered the envelope to Edward. “And you earned this
.
Your idea to enter the tournament was brilliant.”

Edward made no move to take the money. “I wouldn’t touch that. I told you what tonight was about and now we’re even. G’night.” He saluted the group irreverently, got in his cab, and slowly pulled out of the lot.

Once the taxi turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Jake pointed at the envelope. “What’d you score?”

Cooper counted the money. “Three thousand dollars. And every bill feels dirty.”

“Then wash it clean,” Nathan said and closed his hand over the envelope. “Think about those schoolkids and our hope that they might eat healthier foods.”

Cooper beamed at him. Nathan’s generous heart had once again made things clear. “Three thousand dollars could buy lots of apples.” She smiled and linked her arm through his. She turned to wish Officer Rich Johnson good night, but he was staring at the spotlights piercing the black sky with such intensity that she decided to leave him be.

“I’m coming for you, Albion,” she heard him whisper. “And this time, you won’t get away.”

14

Nathan and Cooper were nearly late for Bible study the next morning. Armed with travel mugs of strong coffee, they hurried toward the classroom. They smiled at each other like a pair of flirting teenagers, but Nathan’s good humor dissipated the moment he crossed the threshold.

“Oh, no!” he exclaimed. “It’s my turn to bring refreshments!”

“Phil has bagels in the car,” said a voice from behind them. Cooper turned to see Trish leaning heavily against her husband. “They’re for the Leadership Team meeting, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind running out to get more. Would you, honey?” She smiled tenderly at her husband and he kissed her on the forehead.

“No, really. I can go right now,” Nathan argued, but Phil waved off the protest.

“The girls would love a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel before Sunday school. Let me get Trish settled and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Phil helped his wife slide into one of the student desks. He then put a pillow behind her back and propped her legs up on the teacher’s chair using another pillow. After placing a tote bag containing a pink crocheted blanket, a water bottle, and a box of tissues within her reach, he gave Trish’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and left.

“I have a confession—a dog ate my homework,” Trish joked, but Cooper could see that her friend’s recent chemo treatment had really taken its toll. A bright red rash covered Trish’s hands and face, her forehead was shiny with sweat, and there were several painful-looking sores on her upper lip. Her body looked diminished, and in her loose cotton pants and an oversized sweater, she seemed older than her years. Yet her violet eyes were more luminous than ever and the light Cooper saw there spoke of hope.

“It’s great to have you here today,” Cooper said warmly. “We really missed you last week.”

Trish readjusted the pillow behind her back. “I almost didn’t come this morning. Look at me! If you told me a few months ago that I’d be coming to church dressed in yoga pants and tennis shoes with my face covered in Neosporin, I would have asked you what drugs you were taking, but here I am.”

“Your husband seems to be taking real good care of you,” Jake said.

Trish smiled. “Phil and I and the girls have never been closer.”

Bryant said, “I’ve been inspired by you, Trish.” He opened his thick study Bible. “Paul says, ‘We live by faith, not by sight.’” He reached over and squeezed Trish’s hand. “You remind me that faith requires trust, that we can’t have one without the other.”

At that moment, Phil tapped on the open door of the classroom and entered carrying a cardboard box from Einstein’s bagels. “A baker’s dozen, one plain cream cheese, and one tub of honey walnut cream cheese for the more adventurous.” He put the treats down and wagged an index finger at his wife. “Send someone for me if you start feeling tired.”

Quinton walked over to the box of bagels. “Let me take orders. I’ll prep the bagels and hand them out so we have enough time to go over all our homework questions. I admit that I’d like to hear what happened last night at Club Satin before we go to our morning service. Even though I was with Gloria”—his boyish face reddened as he spoke her name—“I was thinking about you guys.”

“Let’s discuss the subject of false apostles,” Savannah said after giving Quinton her bagel order. “Any volunteers?”

 Bryant raised his hand. “Paul reminds us that evil people can present themselves as holy, churchgoing people. Even Satan was an angel once. Personally, I prefer terms like the Father of Lies or Prince of the World to Angel of Light. It sounds like someone too pure and beautiful on the outside to be corrupt on the inside.”

“I agree,” Nathan said. “When I hear that title, I picture someone in a white choir robe.”

Cooper’s mind conjured an image of Albion in his translucent white shirt and cream-colored pants. She thought of his pale face and a shiver ran up her spine. If Albion was responsible for Miguel’s death, for drug trafficking, and for the other charges he’d managed to accumulate over the years, then he was truly evil.