Authors: Deborah Brown
“Really? That’s not the way I felt when I was sitting in back of the sheriff’s car,” I said, trying to control my anger.
“Has anyone said they heard a gunshot? Why the heck was he in the cottage, anyway?”
“All I know is he’s an ex-con, no friends, and no one is willing to step up and claim his dead ass. Who believes that bull, in a town where everyone knows everyone else’s business? Why would they keep their mouth shut?”
Joseph had good questions.
“You want to be mad at someone, be mad at Will. He’s the one who told Harder you were a serial killer,” Joseph laughed.
“I know. Do you have any idea why?”
“Same old thing. He wants control of The Cottages. For whatever reason he’s obsessed by this place, and with you out of the way he can run the property anyway he wants. As far as I can tell, no one has stepped up to tell him he’s spitting into the wind.”
“Well, I will.”
“First you need to open your eyes, and take a good look around.”
I shook my head. “Did Will think that even if I went to jail, he would magically get the property? Anything else going on?”
“The dead body is pretty much the highlight of the week,” Joseph joked. “January and I are the only ones living here now.”
He didn’t think that was news? “What are you talking about?”
“Creole and Will got into another fight when Creole caught Will inside his cottage. It took Forrest to break them up. Two hours later, Creole packed his bag and left.”
“Damn. I never got to meet Creole.”
“Julie and Liam are staying at Kevin’s until the murder’s solved.”
“I hope they come back. I like them both.”
“He’s the only kid I can stand. He’s entertaining,” Joseph laughed.
“What about the neighborhood?”
“There’ve been more break-ins, and they’re becoming a regular occurrence,” he said matter of factly. “It’s been going on for a while now. You know, small items that are easy to sell or pawn.”
“Someone suggested Forrest could be the behind the break-ins. What do you think?”
“I heard the same thing. He’s stupid and walks around as if he owns the town, and he’s not one bit careful. That untouchable attitude. Old man Dale caught him sneaking around the outside of his house about a week ago, and confronted him with a double barrel shotgun. Forrest claimed he was cutting through his yard going from one street to another. Dale says he turned white and ran off,” Joseph related.
“Is Mr. Dale okay?”
“Don’t worry about him. He told me he enjoyed himself.”
“Did you found out Forrest’s last name?”
“Nope,” Joseph shrugged. “I’m telling you, Forrest is a nickname.”
“Call me if anything happens.”
“I’m not sure I want to be involved.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I said, trying not to lose my temper. “Who else would I ask?”
“What’s in it for me?”
“Joseph, don’t piss off your only ally.”
“When you put it that way….”
“Just so we understand each other. And don’t tell anyone I came by.”
“I don’t speak to Will. If he comes this way, I close my door. I don’t answer when he knocks.”
“That’s funny,” I smiled, relieving some of my tension. My phone rang, Fab’s number showed up on my cell. I waved to Joseph and left.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. Pick me up at the Shell store on the highway,” Fab said and hung up.
* * *
“What happened?” I asked as she got in the car.
“I started looking around and I realized I wasn’t alone. Boy, it was creepy knowing someone was watching. I hurried up and left before they showed themselves holding a gun.”
“I’d put money on Forrest being the one watching. Will would’ve confronted you. I’m happy you got the hell out, and nothing happened,” I said.
“One or both is your neighborhood thief. A lot of used electronics were sitting around. My guess is that they’re having a problem moving the stuff, worn out their welcome at the local pawnshops. Too much activity raises red flags.”
“I did find a record book marked ‘cottages’,” she continued. “He’s in the process of setting up a double set of books. My guess is he’s stealing from The Cottages and is trying to cover his tracks. Why else would he keep two sets of books?”
“No wonder he’s been slow to hand over the records.” My phone rang. “This is Tucker’s office. Should be interesting.”
“Madison, this is Ann from Tucker Davis’ office.”
“Hi, Ann,” I said, making a face at Fab.
“Mr. Davis wants you to come into the office tomorrow to discuss your pending murder case.”
“There’s nothing to discuss, I’m no longer a suspect. Tucker should know that. I won’t need his representation in the matter. You can tell him thank you for me.”
“Who told you you’re no longer a suspect?”
I ignored her question. “I’m glad you called. I’ve been meaning to call Tucker, since I’ve hired another attorney to handle my interests in the estate.”
“When did this happen?” she asked. “Who’s your new attorney?”
“Howard Sherman.”
“I’ll convey our conversation to Mr. Davis,” she said. “You can expect a bill.” She hung up.
“She’s always hanging up on me,” I shook my head, looking at Fab. “That woman gives new meaning to the word loyalty. No way she doesn’t know what kind of man he is, and what he’s capable of.”
“Ann’s whole life has been wrapped around Tucker,” Fab reasoned. “She’s been with him from day one. I respect her loyalty, no matter the situation.”
“Really?”
“You’ve heard the saying ‘the end justifies the means’? That pretty much sums up Zach’s opinions. He appreciates my talents when we’re out of options, such as what I just did at The Cottages.”
The ensuing silence was awkward. “I appreciate your going into Will’s. You uncovered two more pieces to the puzzle,” I said, feeling chastised.
“Before I met Zach, I was a completely different woman. For the most part, I use my skills to help catch the bad guys,” she smiled.
I hit the reject button on my phone. “I guess my phone’s going to ring all day. Tucker’s office again. It’s either Ann or Tucker.”
“Tucker likely flipped when she told him you hired another lawyer. Trust me, if he hadn’t been in the office, she would’ve tracked him down,” Fab predicted. “Somehow, Tucker is a big piece of this puzzle. We need to figure out how he fits in. Why would he involve himself with a low-life like Will? I’ll make an after-hours trip to his office.”
“What if he catches us? It scares me to think about what he would do.”
“Us?” Fab laughed.
“Don’t even think I’m going to let you go by yourself,” I said stubbornly. “Didn’t your mother teach you about safety in numbers? Besides, the only reason you’d go to his office is because of me.”
“Zach will kill us both.”
“So we don’t tell him,” I said.
“You won’t keep it from him for long,” Fab said, shaking her finger at me. “He always finds out.”
“If he does, I’ll change the subject to sex,” I stated boldly. We’d only slept together once. How could I be sure that tactic would work, not to mention my own nerve?
Fab looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. I made a face at her.
“Let me know how the sex thing works out for you. If you pull it off, I want the details.”
We both started laughing.
“Let’s not get caught,” I said.
Chapter 27
I felt the bed move. “Come here, Jazz.”
A masculine laugh nearly sent me rolling off onto the floor. Zach’s arm reached out and caught me before I fell. He lay next to me fully dressed. “Did you… sleep here?” I said, recovering from fear and an adrenaline rush.
“You were passed out on the couch when I came by last night,” he said, playing with the ends of my hair. “I carried you upstairs, you opened your eyes, mumbled something I didn’t understand, and went back to sleep. Those are some pills Doc Rivers prescribed.”
“I’m glad he only gave me a few days worth. I’m afraid to close my eyes, and I’m tired of dreaming about dead people.”
“Where’s Fab? She told me she’d be here,” he said, giving me a sympathetic smile.
“I sent her home. She doesn’t need to babysit me.”
“What did the two of you do yesterday?” he asked, looking at me as if he already knew.
“Fab and I went to The Cottages. I wanted an update, so I talked to Joseph. He told me he looked at the body and he didn’t recognize the guy.”
“How did he get to do that?” Zach wondered aloud.
“Harder asked him. He and Harder are friends of some sort. Harder hoped Joseph could identify the body, or at the least tell him if he’d seen him around town.”
“Did he have any new information?”
“No, he said he’d call if there was any.”
“Anything else?”
“Ann called You know, Tucker’s assistant? I told her to inform Tucker that I hired another attorney. Tucker called back instantly, but I didn’t answer. He left a message. I haven’t listened.”
“He’s not a man who likes to be ignored,” Zach shook his head. “He won’t let it go. He’ll call again. He doesn’t play well with others.” Changing the subject, he continued, ““I have an early morning appointment.” He pulled me into a kiss. “I’m glad you woke up before I had to leave.”
“Me, too.”
* * *
The rain had blown through and overcast skies had turned an amazing blue with large, fluffy white clouds. The rain-filled morning had become another hot summer afternoon. I sat by the pool, my feet in the water, making a to-do list on my laptop. My phone rang, and displayed an unfamiliar number.
“Is this Madison Westin?” a female voice asked.
“Yes.”
Now what
?
“My name is Dee Burke. Your manager at The Cottages, Will Todd, also works for my boss, Gavin Patrick, as a private nurse,” she said. “I wanted to discuss Will with you, and inform you of what’s about to happen. Will’s going to be arrested at any minute,” she declared.
I was shocked. “Arrested? Why?”
“He’s being picked up on an outstanding warrant from Georgia. When he lived there, he worked as a private duty nurse to an elderly woman, Mrs. Leary. Before he left town he cleaned out her bank accounts, stole her valuables, took her car, and drove to Florida. In light of this, the real estate deal is off,” she said, her voice full of contempt.
“I’m at a complete loss for how to respond. I had no idea,” I said.
“Mr. Patrick hired Will about six months ago, and we were aware at the time that he’d recently moved to Florida,” Dee began, sounding exasperated. “We did a routine background check, and the report showed no problems; a clean record. We had no way of knowing that he’d assumed the identity of a friend, including the man’s nursing credentials. Recently, we’ve found out that Will’s actual name is Bobby James. Will Todd turned out to be someone Bobby knew in high school. To date, we believe the real Mr. Todd was unaware that his identity had been stolen. Bobby began using the new identity shortly after his release from prison on burglary and drug charges. He’s spent his life as a con artist, pulling one scam after another, with a rap sheet a mile long.”
“When Bobby interviewed with Mr. Patrick, his resume and references were impressive. Bobby was hired to take care of Mr. Patrick, who’s partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.”
“How did you find out Will wasn’t who he said he was?” I asked, disturbed by all of the information. Her story was going from bad to worse. “I’m sorry about Mr. Patrick,” I added calmly, fumbling for something to say. I wanted off the phone, so I could bury my head in the sand.
“I’m the one who figured out there could be a problem with Bobby.” She sounded pleased. “Mr. Patrick, Bobby and I, and a couple of other employees were sitting around the pool last weekend, and Bobby made several comments about his background that I remembered being different on his application. In particular, his birth date. After everyone had left, I pulled his personnel file, confirmed my suspicions, and ordered a new investigation. I had the license plates on his car run, which turned out to be the break we needed. The car had been reported stolen in Georgia, and when I contacted the local police, they filled me in on his background. How much do you know about Bobby James?” she asked.
“Not a lot. I met him for the first time in my attorney’s office after my aunt’s death.”
“If you don’t know him very well, why would you let him negotiate a million dollar real estate deal on your behalf?” she asked.
“What real estate deal?” Panic coursed through me.
“The contract to buy the Tarpon Cove Cottages.”
I tried not to yell. “What? The Cottages are not for sale.”
“From the beginning, Bobby played on the affections of Mr. Patrick and, within a month, they became personally involved. Then Bobby presented him with this real estate deal and, frankly, Mr. Patrick wanted to make him happy.”
The whole story made me sick. “How is it possible he thought he could sell The Cottages without my knowledge?”
“Bobby gave a very professional presentation. He presented Mr. Patrick with the financials, arranged for a tour, and for him to be present for the property inspection. After our accountant went over all the records, Mr. Patrick decided the purchase would be a good investment. Key Title has the original signed contract and other disclosures completed and signed by you, along with a sizeable earnest money deposit. The check cleared our account, and we want our deposit returned immediately.” Her tone informed me that she didn’t believe I was unaware of any of this.
“That crook has been busy,” I murmured to myself. He was very close to pulling off his scheme. What a huge mess that would have been.
“Mr. Patrick is having the entire scam investigated,” Dee informed me. “If we find out you’re involved, we’ll press criminal charges against you,” her voice was chilly.
“Don’t threaten me. Send a copy of the contract and any other paperwork. I’ll turn everything over to my attorney, and I think the best thing would be for your attorney to contact mine.”
“I’ll call Mr. Patrick’s lawyer and he can contact you directly.”