The Ties That Bind (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 11) (11 page)

Chapter 23

When I got back to the room, Carter had made a list of names and numbers coinciding with the log from Mr. Garcia’s cell phone.

“What have you found out?” I asked.

“Well. No luck. All of the calls are accounted for. Mostly vendors. A seafood distributor, a butcher and a produce company, all of which makes sense.”

“So that little fainting show I did was a waste of time?”

He closed his laptop and ran a hand through his hair. “Did you talk to Zoe?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well?”

“I asked her about Nina and Chef Glenn. She begged me not to tell anyone about it.”

“What did she say?”

“She said Mary Garcia would kill him if he ever screwed around. I mean, she said it in jest, but think about it. Perry and Graham seem to think their mother has no idea that Nina was pregnant with Mr. Garcia’s baby, but what if she did know?”

Carter raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I like your train of thought.”

“The thing is, she’d never kill her husband. He’s too important to the success of this Inn.”

Carter sighed deeply. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do. I need to find something linking Jason to either Mary or Glenn. Without proof, we don’t have anything but a theory. I need to get inside his place.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to park the car across the street from Buster’s but in a different spot from the other night. Wait there. At some point he’s going to notice you.”

I shuddered at the thought of seeing his face again. “You expect he’ll come out and have another chat with me?”

“Yes. But don’t give him the chance to get near the car. Just drive off. I expect Jason will get in his car and try to follow you.”

“What if he doesn’t? That won’t give you enough time to look through all his things.”

“That’s when I resort to plan B.”

“What is plan B?”

“Maybe it’s better that you don’t know.”

It became clear that Carter had certain plans for Jason and they didn’t merely involve breaking and entering. “I’m not really liking this idea.”

“This man threatened to kill you,” Carter said. “I don’t feel badly about bringing him a little pain.”

“He didn’t threaten to kill me, just shoot me in the knee.”

“Does that you make feel any safer?”

I threw up my hands in exasperation. “Whatever. I trust you. I’m just worried about the repercussions, that’s all. I mean, Jason could have you arrested for assault.”

“I have a feeling he won’t want the cops involved in his business.”

As we drove back to Buster’s Comics, it felt like I had a rock in my stomach. My hands clutched the steering wheel, causing my knuckles to turn white. We were a few blocks from the store when Carter pointed at the stop sign we were approaching.

“Drop me off right here,” he said. “I want Jason to think you came alone.”

I pulled over and shifted into park. “Did you bring your gun?”

He padded his left side. “Right there.”

“And you have your cell phone?”

“Yes, Sarah.”

“You’ll let me know what’s going on…?”

He turned to face me straight on. “Listen to me, as soon as you see Jason come out, you need to leave immediately. Do not wait for him to approach. Got it?”

“Got it. I’ll lose him. Then I’ll just find a coffee shop and wait for your call.”

“If you don’t hear from me, just go back to the Inn, pack your things and find a new motel a few towns away.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “If I don’t hear from you within a few hours, I’m calling the police.”

“Fair enough.”

Carter leaned over and kissed me on the lips. “It’s gonna be okay. Try not to worry.”

Carter got out of the car and headed up the street on foot. I steered the Buick back onto the road and continued up a few blocks until I saw the strip mall where Buster’s Comics was. The hair salon seemed to be doing a brisk business and the diner was in full swing with the lunch crowd. As usual, the parking lot in front of Buster’s was vacant, except for Jason’s Honda.

I chose a shady spot across the street and cut the engine. How long would I be waiting until Jason spotted me?

I lowered all the windows but, thankfully, it wasn’t too hot outside. Still, my white blouse stuck to me like glue. I kept a sharp eye in the rearview window, waiting for signs of Jason. In the first hour, not one person went in or out of Buster’s Comics.

As the second hour approached, my bladder felt like it might explode. If Jason didn’t come out soon, I was gonna have to go to the diner and use their restroom. Peeing my pants was not part of this plan.

My cell phone hadn’t made a peep in two hours and I kept checking it to make sure it was on, or that I hadn’t missed any calls or texts. Nothing. Carter was incommunicado after two hours. Not good.

I had a decision to make. Call the police or just sit tight and keep waiting. There was a third option, of course but Carter would be livid if I attempted it. But what if Carter needed my help? What’s the worst that could happen if I just waltzed into Buster’s and …

My cellphone chirped, letting me know I had a text. When I saw it was from Carter, I nearly cried out in joy.

Everything is under control. Come around back and I’ll let you in.

I grabbed my purse, locked up the Buick, and jogged across the street. Taking a right, I rounded the diner until I saw the back alley where Buster’s back door was ajar a few inches. I saw Carter’s hand waving for me to hurry.

Once inside the store, Carter shut the door and locked it with a dead bolt.

“Are you okay?” Carter’s face was beet red and his shirt was drenched. “Where’s Jason?”

He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “He’s in there.”

I peered into the room but the lights were too dim. Once my eyes adjusted, I could see a figure sitting in a chair. I took a step closer and realized that he must have been tied down, because his arms seemed oddly stretched behind him. His legs were hog tied together. Jason said nothing to me but it was clear to see that his nose was broken. There was blood all over his face and the front of his shirt. The overwhelming smell of body odor and urine almost made me gag.

I turned to look at Carter. “Has he told you anything?”

“Not yet. But he’s going to.”

“So we’re torturing people now?”

He gestured to the door behind me. “There’s something you should see in there. I need you to do me a favor and take a bunch of pictures with your cell phone. We’re going to use them as evidence against this asshole.”

“What’s in there?”

“A makeshift bedroom and Jason’s private sanctuary. Go have a look but don’t touch anything.”

The expression on Carter’s face gave me pause. Something in his eyes told me that whatever was in there would have a profound effect on me. I braced myself for the worst.

I flipped on the light switch and my eyes were immediately drawn to the single mattress bed on the floor with grimy looking blankets. There were photographs taped to the wall next to the mattress. As soon as I got closer, I leaned over to get a better look … and I almost threw up.

The photographs were of Nina Chapman. Her hands were tied to a bed post and her eyes were wide with fear, mascara streaks running down her face from crying. Her clothes had been ripped from her body as she lay helpless. I could only imagine the horror she’d had to endure in her final hours of life.

I stood up and wiped the tears from my cheeks. I couldn’t stand to look at them any longer but I had a job to do. I retrieved my cell phone and shot a dozen or more pictures, while desperately trying to swallow the bile rising in my throat.

I left the bedroom and had to force myself to remain calm. “Why does Jason have those photos?” I asked Carter. “Is he the one who actually killed her?”

Carter shook his head. “He says the Perez brothers took the photos the night she died and gave them to Jason, as proof of the job. The sick bastard obviously gets off on them every night.”

From across the room, Jason started laughing and more blood shot out of his nose and onto his jeans.

“What’s so funny?” I bellowed to him, my hands clenched with rage. “You think raping girls is funny?”

Jason smiled at me and I noticed his two front teeth were missing. Carter must have knocked them out before I got there and I didn’t blame him one bit for doing it. I took three long steps toward Jason, my fist raised high. I had every intention of punching his already broken nose, but Carter grabbed my arm to stop me. I was so angry I could barely see straight but I let Carter lower me into a chair. I tried to calm my breathing but my heart hammered in my chest - felt like it might burst.

Jason laughed again and, this time, Carter stomped on his foot with the heel of his boot which caused him to cry out in pain. I liked the sound of it.

“I’m going to give you one more chance to tell me who hired the hit on Nina,” Carter told him. “And we’re not leaving here until you do.”

“I’m no snitch.” Jason said resolutely. “You’re wasting your time. My buddies will be showing up here soon for poker night. If they can’t get in, they’re gonna know something is wrong. You and your girlfriend won’t make it out of here alive.”

Carter checked his watch. “Sarah, I’ve already searched this place over. Couldn’t find anything that leads us back to the Garcia’s.”

“What about the phone number we found on Mr. Garcia’s cell phone?” I asked. “Have you tried it?”

“Yes. Several times. The number doesn’t appear to belong to Jason.”

“Shit.” I rubbed my temples, trying to get the image of Nina’s frightened eyes out of my head. “What do we do now?”

He rubbed his knuckles contemplatively as he paced the floor. “I’m open to suggestions.”

“Why don’t we put a bullet in Jason’s kneecap,” I said brightly. “That might get him to talk.”

Carter actually smiled as he spun around to face the prisoner. He aimed the barrel of his gun directly at Jason’s knee. “That’s a great idea.”

Jason wasn’t laughing this time. “You guys won’t get away with this.”

“When the police see those pictures on your wall, they’ll have no sympathy for you.”

“Those pictures don’t prove anything. Maybe I found them on the side of the road.”

“I’m only going to ask you one more time.” Carter began to squeeze his finger on the trigger and I almost thought he’d fire. A big part of me wanted him to.

But Carter didn’t go through with it. He was only trying to scare Jason into talking. Obviously it wasn’t working. He took a few steps back and returned the gun to the holster on his hip. He removed his gloves and placed them in a plastic bag. “We’re done here. Looks like we’ll have to find another way.”

“Are you going to untie me?” Jason said.

Carter appeared to think it over then shrugged. “Nope. I think I’ll let you stew in your own juices for a while.”

Jason tried kicking his feet in protest but the ropes were too tight. “You can’t just leave me like this.”

“I thought your poker buddies were coming by later. They’ll help you out.”

“C’mon man, I was joking around. Poker isn’t until tomorrow night.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to be a patient boy.”

Carter grabbed his black duffel bag and escorted me outside.

Back in the Buick, Carter looked at me with an expression of regret. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I want you to know that violence is usually a last resort for me but … when I saw those pictures in the bedroom … I just flipped out.”

“I understand.” I caressed his hand and looked into his yes. “I don’t blame you.”

“Let’s go back to the Inn. This time I think we need to have a serious talk with Perry.”

“Are we going to tell him everything?”

“Yes.”

Chapter 24

It was almost 5:00 by the time we walked into the bar. Perry was giving change to a customer who appeared to be getting ready to leave.

Carter and I assumed our regular stools and waited.

Once the last customer departed, Perry turned to us and offered a nod. His expression seemed anxious. “I was hoping to see you guys tonight.”

“Really?” Carter said. “Why is that?”

Perry glanced around nervously and once he was satisfied we were alone he said, “I don’t know if this is the best place or time to explain.”

“We’re alone right now,” Carter replied. “What’s going on?”

“Can I trust you? I mean, can I really trust you?”

Carter and I exchanged a glance. “Yes, Perry,” I said. “Is this about Nina?”

He nodded gloomily. “Yeah. Nina wasn’t pregnant with my baby. It was my father’s.” He drew in a quick breath as if he couldn’t believe he’d muttered the words out load.

“We know,” I said. “We overheard the conversation you had with your brother last night.” I reached over and took his hand. My finger slid over his watch and found the small bump where the bug was still attached. With the edge of my fingernail, I removed the device and held it in the palm of my hand. “We planted this on you last night.”

Perry stared at my hand and blinked. “What is that?”

“It’s kind of like a mini voice recorder.”

“I don’t understand,” he said. “Why?”

“The reason we’re here is because Nina’s mother hired us to keep an eye on you. She was convinced that you had something to do with Nina’s death.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m afraid so. But after we heard your conversation with Perry last night, we believe your father had the motive. And your mother, too.”

“But my mother doesn’t know. We’re all too afraid to tell her the truth.”

“How do you know that Nina didn’t confess to her in a moment of guilt?”

“No.” Perry kept shaking his head in confusion. “You don’t know my mother. If she found out any of it, I wouldn’t still be here. She would have kicked me out four months ago.”

“How can you be so positive?” I leaned in and lowered my voice. “Let me ask you a question. Who is the person who asked Nina to go to Sam’s Club the day she died? It was your mother, right?”

“I don’t know. Probably.”

“That’s where the Perez brothers carjacked Nina, in the parking lot of Sam’s Club. They have it on video camera. We believe the boys knew Nina was going to be there.”

“But how would my mother even know those boys? How would she convince them to kill Nina?”

“Through Jason Black.”

Perry closed his eyes and leaned against the bar like he was drunk. “What do you need me to do?”

“Find out exactly how your mom knows Jason. What is their connection?”

“How do I do that?”

“Look through her things,” I said. “There has to be something.”

Perry rubbed the back of his neck, agitated. “Look, I’m telling you guys, my mom has no idea about my dad and Nina. Trust me on this, okay?”

Something occurred to me and I turned to Carter. “There must be a good reason why Jason won’t tell us who’s involved. Think about it. He must be very close to whomever he’s protecting, right? He was willing to take a bullet in the kneecap for this person.”

“Okay,” Carter said to me. “So, what are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking Jason is trying to protect a family member.” I got up from the stool. “I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Carter called out.

When I exited the bar I took a right and headed toward the lobby where all the wedding pictures were mounted on the wall. I could hear Mary’s voice in the distance but I couldn’t really tell where she was. The lobby was deserted at the moment so I found the framed photo taken at Zoe and Graham’s wedding. There were about fifteen people in the photo but there was only one face in the group I needed to find. When I spotted Jason, standing in the back row, he barely resembled the black-haired, nose-pierced freak. His hair was combed back from his face and the nose ring was gone, but it was definitely him. Those eyes gave him away. Jason was either a close friend or family member to have been included in this photo. If that was true, however, why hadn’t Perry admitted to knowing him?

I carefully lifted the frame off the wall and was about to head back to the bar when out of nowhere Mary’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Mrs. Carter, is there a problem?”

I looked up to see Mary Garcia standing a few feet away, hands on hips. She was not looking at my face, but at the item I held in my hands.

I held up the framed wedding photo because there was no point in playing dumb. “Yes, I was bringing this into the bar to show Perry. I was curious about his family members.”

“Why?” Her tone wasn’t entirely rude. In fact, she seemed more curious than anything.

I pointed to Jason’s face. “Can you tell me who this person is?”

Mary reached into her front pocket and produced a pair of glasses. She put them on, then inclined her head to get a better look at who I was pointing at. “Honestly, I don’t remember his name, but Zoe will be able to tell you.”

“Zoe knows him?”

“Well, I should think so,” Mary said. “He’s her cousin.”

I almost dropped the photo. “Are you sure?”

“Well, yes. In fact he was one of the few family members she had come to the wedding. I haven’t seen him since.” Mary removed her glasses and regarded me skeptically. “Why are you so concerned about this person?”

I didn’t know what to say as my brain struggled to make sense of it. Staring into Mary’s eyes, I knew she could not be responsible for Nina’s death. There was not a hint of alarm on her face at the discovery of Jason’s face in the photo. After a few moments of internal debate, I decided to go ahead and ask. “Mrs. Garcia, I know this might seem like an odd question, but do you remember the last time you saw Nina Chapman? The day she died.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Perry told you what happened to her?”

“He did and I’m wondering if you were the one who sent her to Sam’s Club that day.”

Mary nodded. “Yes. Usually, I have Zoe run those kinds of errands but she was not feeling well that day as I recall. That’s why I sent Nina.” Her hand quivered as she returned the reading glasses to her pocket. “My poor son is still having a hard time dealing with her death. Please allow me to apologize for him. He really shouldn’t be bothering our guests with his personal business.”

“It’s no problem,” I said, returning the frame to the wall. “Because it is our business after all.”

Carter and Perry came into the room and stopped short when they saw Mary standing next to me.

“Mother?” Perry said with an anxious glance toward Mary. “What’s going on in here?”

“Maybe you should tell me,” she replied.

Perry just stood there with his jaw hanging down. Clearly, he was lost for words so I spoke for him.

“Mrs. Garcia,” I said. “Please let us explain everything later. Right now you need to tell us where Zoe is.”

Mary glanced at her watch. “She’s probably helping my husband prep for dinner. Why?”

“Would you please excuse me for a minute?” I said, grabbing Carter’s hand. “Come with me.”

“What did you find out?” Carter said, trying to keep up with me.

“I realized where I’d seen Jason’s face before. He was in the photo at Zoe and Graham’s wedding. Jason is Zoe’s cousin.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“That’s what Mary just told me.”

As we entered the kitchen, I glanced at the counter to find an assortment of vegetables waiting to be chopped up but nobody seemed to be around. “Where are they?” I muttered.

“Do you hear that?” Carter said, pointing to a door which probably led to a pantry or closet. “It’s coming from there.”

It was hard to hear anything with my heart thumping away like a jackhammer but, since he mentioned it, I could hear a faint moaning sound. I went to the door, grabbed the handle and flung it wide open to find Chef Glenn and Zoe in a very compromising position. His pants were down to his ankles, and Zoe’s bare ass was flattened against one of the shelves. Zoe was the first to notice that Carter and I had joined the party.

She gave out a high pitched yelp as Mr. Garcia craned his neck to look behind him. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stumbled back to grab his pants.

I was about to say something when I heard Mary’s voice booming from behind me. “You son of a bitch.”

Apparently, she and Perry had followed us to the kitchen. Awkward didn’t even begin to describe the events that followed.

Mary grabbed a rolling pin from a shelf and wielded it high over her head as she charged her husband, who lunged desperately for his pants.

Zoe started screaming. “Stop it, don’t you dare hurt him you bitch!”

Mary held the weapon in her hand. “How long has this been going on behind my back?”

“Look honey,” Glenn said, trying to buckle his pants. “This is just a misunderstanding.”

“I want you both out of my house,” Mary said.

“Go to hell,” Zoe screamed. “Glenn is in love with me. We’re going to be together now.”

Glenn was shaking his head in objection, trying to back away from Zoe. “I never promised you anything,” he said. “Never.”

“Now that Nina is gone, you don’t have to worry about her anymore. I fixed the problem. You should be thanking me.”

“What?” Glenn looked at Zoe like she was insane. “What the hell did you do?”

“She was going to have your baby. At some point, she would have told someone and then you would have been in trouble. I made sure she would never tell anyone. I did it for us. You told me you loved me and that Nina was just a one night stand.”

Glenn turned to his wife with pleading eyes. “Honey, none of this is true. Zoe is not thinking straight. She means nothing to me.”

Zoe gasped and pushed Chef Glenn into one of the shelves, causing a row of paper products to rain down on top of him. “You liar!”

Carter grabbed my arm and led me out of the pantry and through the kitchen.

“What should we do?” I said. “Call the police?”

He was already on his cell phone with a call to 911 when Graham ran into the kitchen, frantically looking around. “What the hell is going on? Who’s screaming?”

“Your wife,” I said, pointing him to the pantry. “You might want to go help out. But be prepared for what you’re about to see. It ain’t pretty.”

As Graham flew past us toward the pantry, Carter and I got the hell out of there. We promptly returned to our room and started packing.

“No way am I spending another night in this nuthouse,” I said, stuffing my toiletries into the suitcase. “But at least Zoe basically confessed. Too bad I didn’t have the forethought to record it.”

Carter grabbed his shirts from the closet. “Zoe must have hated Nina, knowing she was carrying Glenn’s baby. I wonder if Graham had any clue his wife was in love with his father.”

“Twisted. That’s all I have to say about this scenario. Twis-ted”

Carter chuckled as he punched in a number on his cell phone. “Bernice is going to flip when we tell her everything. I’ll have her contact the detective who was in charge of Nina’s case and see if he’ll meet with us tonight.”

“What are we gonna do about Jason?”

“We’ll let the police deal with him. I’m sure they’ll be very interested in the photos he’s been coveting in his bedroom and, with any luck, he’ll break down and confess to the part he played in Nina’s murder. Perhaps he’ll throw his cousin under the bus in return for a plea bargain.”

As Carter and I descended the stairs to make our hasty escape, the sound of shouting could still be heard coming from the kitchen. Several guests were milling around the lobby as if trying to figure out what was going on.

Just as we exited the front doors, Perry came running outside waving his arms. “You guys aren’t leaving me here with these crazy people. I’m going with you.”

Carter gestured to him. “Come on. We’ll need you to give your testimony to the detective.”

“Fine,” he said, rushing over to join us. “I’ll let Graham deal with this mess. I don’t want to be here when the police show up.”