Cathy smiled, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Not just flight attendants, not judging by the way he’s been watching you since you got here. I noticed that right off and wondered who he was.”
Julia glanced over at Will. He was still watching her. He gave her another polite little nod, probably afraid she was ticked off because he shoved her into a dark room with dozens of screeching, camera-toting well-wishers. She looked back at her friend. “Was he really looking at me?”
“You bet he was. Couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
“He’s just afraid I’ll get him back for throwing me to the wolves. And I will.”
“I still think he’s sexy as hell.”
“Yeah,” said Charlie, leaning close to them, his eyes twinkling. “He’s sexy, you’re cute as a button, and you two look good together, especially when you’re toting guns and flashing your badges and rounding up the bad guys.”
“Good grief, you guys, enough already about Mr. Perfect TBI. He’s my major competition for Julia,” Max complained, frowning. “Talk about my virtues for a while, for God’s sake. C’mon, Julie, let’s dance.”
Max dragged her out of her chair and onto the dance floor with the other couples. She didn’t want to dance, but she didn’t want to make a scene, either. Max thrived on making scenes—the more outrageous, the better.
“You dance as good as ever,” Max said, smiling down at her.
“We’ve never danced before, and I don’t want to dance now. Let’s go sit down.”
“Can’t. Wouldn’t get to hold you like this if we weren’t dancing. But we can stand still and keep the embrace, if you want to.”
Julia just glared up at him without comment.
Max lost his grin. “Actually, I just wanted to get you alone so we could talk.”
“About what?”
Max took her down in a long dip that was extra embarrassing, then whirled her around. “About your investigation. How’s it coming along?”
Max liked to play dumb and make other people believe he was harmless. She knew for a fact that he was not dumb or harmless. In fact, he was smart enough to persuade all kinds of people to do all kinds of things to help him with his investigations. She didn’t trust his motives, not for a minute. “So now the truth comes out, huh? You’re digging for information about the killer.”
“So do you have any clues as to the identity of the killer?”
“And you’re interested why?”
“I’m a private investigator, and we always nose into things that aren’t any of our business, you know that.”
“Just a one-time warning, Max. Stay out of it. This is a state investigation, and Will Brannock won’t put up with any interference. He’ll lock you up and throw away the key, trust me on that.” She glanced over at Will and found him in the same spot, his eyes locked on her and Max. This time he didn’t give that agreeable little acknowledgment and didn’t look away. He just stared at them.
Max said, “Okay, I get it. I’ll back off, but on the other hand, maybe I got a lead that’ll help y’all out.”
“Then let’s hear it.”
“You gotta promise to keep my name out of it.”
“I’m not promising you anything. And enough of this mystery-novel stuff. Tell me what you know. Or I’ll let Special Agent Brannock ask you, and he doesn’t fool around.”
Max danced her over to the edge of the floor, stopped, and looked around for eavesdroppers. “It concerns the judge’s housekeeper.”
“Maria Bota?”
“That’s right.”
“Go on.”
“I hear she’s holed up in Las Vegas with her little kid. That she’s looking for a job in the casinos.”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“A confidential source. A friend of Maria’s. Can’t tell you her name.”
“Can’t or won’t.”
“Both.”
“Maybe a subpoena would help you out with that.”
They considered each other. Julia said, “Tell me why you’re so interested in this case.”
Max glanced around at the other dancers again, then took her arm and led her off to a quiet corner. “Okay, Julie, here it is. Lockhart’s daughter, Tanya, asked me to look into this for her.”
“How do you know her?”
“She used to bring her mom’s dogs out to Charlie’s for shots and stuff. That’s how I met her. Charlie and I sort of took her under our wing. She had two lousy, obnoxious parents who were always on her case. We really felt sorry for her.”
“She’s not here in Chattanooga yet, is she?”
“Nope. She called me right after she got the bad news.” His face was serious now. “She’s afraid this psycho is going to go after the whole family, herself included. She’s afraid he’s gonna show up at her house.”
“There’s no indication of that kind of threat. Why didn’t she mention that to me when I interviewed her over the phone?”
Max shrugged. “She trusts me. She asked me to find out what I could, so that’s what I’m doing.”
“Maybe Will and I ought to have a sit-down with her when she gets to town.”
“She’s not coming. Said she hated him and couldn’t stand the thought of being around her mother. She hasn’t been back here for five years.”
“She seemed pretty upset when I talked to her.”
“He’s her father. He just ignored her. Her mother abused her. Anyway, that’s why I’m interested in this case and that’s how I found this lead.”
“You need to tell me who this friend of Maria’s is, Max.”
“No can do. Put me in jail, if you have to.”
“I’ve done it before.”
“Yeah, you sure did. And it turned me on, especially the second time when you slammed the cell door yourself.”
“Shut up, Max. This is serious.”
“I know. That’s why I’m helping you out. Thought you’d want to alert the Las Vegas police that she’s out there and they need to look for her.”
“We’ve already got a BOLO out on her. But this will help. They can canvass the casinos. Thanks, Max. I think.” She frowned. “This better not be another of your cons.”
“Me? Heaven forbid. I’m just trying to do you a favor and win your personal regard.”
Julia laughed a little at the feigned hurt expression on his face but headed back to the table, eager to tell Will what Max had found out. Anything that would help get their investigation moving forward was welcome news. She and Max returned to the table with their friends, and Julia sat listening to their conversations, but her mind was back on the case. When the food was delivered to the long buffet table at the rear of the room, guests slowly began meandering over to get in line for the steaming pans of lasagna and spaghetti and pasta primavera, hot crusty garlic bread, and lots of other Italian goodies. J.D. knew her favorites, all right. That’s when Julia caught sight of Tam Lovelady sitting at a nearby table. She decided to go over and say hello.
“Hey, Tam, how’re you doing?”
Tam turned and looked at her, and Julia knew at once she had caught her CPD partner at a bad time. There was the sheen of tears in Tam’s eyes, tears that she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I interrupt something?”
“No, no, of course not. Let me introduce you to my . . . husband. Julia, this is Marcus. Marcus, this is my new partner, Julia Cass.”
“How do you do,” Julia said, feeling like a fool. She had obviously disturbed a private conversation—even worse, an emotional, personal one.
Marcus held out his hand. He was a nice-looking man with kind eyes and an easy smile. His handshake was firm and warm. “You must be J.D.’s sister. He speaks very well of you.”
“Yes, he’s my big brother. He overlooks my faults. At least, most of the time.”
Marcus grinned. “J.D. and I have gone to a couple of Memphis State basketball games together.” They chatted a few minutes longer, and Julia sensed at once that Marcus cared deeply for Tam, if only by the longing way he looked at her.
“Tam’s been telling me about you,” he said to Julia. “She’s looking forward to joining you on your new case.”
“Me too. I could use some help. There’s not a lot to go on yet. The city’s all riled up because of the media’s hysteria about the Tongue Slasher. That’s not helping us. There might just be the one victim. We have no evidence that it’s a serial killer.”
But my gut still tells me it is
, she thought. She turned to Tam. “When do you get to testify?”
“I’m next on the list, thank God. But J.D. and I can’t leave because we’re on the standby list.”
Marcus said, “How about letting me escort you two lovely ladies to the buffet table? I don’t know about you, but I’ve been working all day, and I’m starving.”
Tam smiled at him, and even though Julia understood they were separated, or had been, she knew instinctively that they were well on their way back into each other’s arms. At least she hoped so. According to J.D., they made a perfect couple. Julia wasn’t sure what had caused the strife in their relationship, and she certainly wasn’t going to ask. On the other hand, she knew for a fact that police work wasn’t exactly conducive to happy marriages. She hoped that J.D. and Audrey would fare better, if and when they got married.
The party was going well, her friends back at their table. Julia was supposed to sit at the head table, so she took her plate and headed there, eager to talk to Will. She sat down where her place card was, between Will and Audrey.
“You mad at me, Jules?” Will asked, but he was grinning. He hadn’t been cracking many jokes since they’d picked up the Tongue Slasher case, but what’s amusing about severed tongues and yellow nooses? And he called her Jules only when he was in a teasing mood.
“I’ll get you back, Brannock. Just wait and see. I’ll strike when you least expect it. Like the Phantom.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open.”
He seems different tonight
, Julia thought, and wondered why. But she liked him when he was relaxed and enjoying himself. She liked him, period. Unfortunately.
“I see your beach bum friend is here.”
Will was watching her closely now. “Yes, he and Charlie are good friends. They hang around together a lot.”
“I also saw him whispering in your ear and leading you off to a dark corner.”
Will was a regular Chatty Cathy now, smiling, even. Maybe that was because he was armed and his back was to the wall.
“It wasn’t dark, and he took me there because he gave me a lead on our case.”
Will turned serious really quick. “Is he working on this case, too?”
“Yes. Tanya Lockhart’s afraid the killer’s coming after her and her brother.”
“I don’t think so. She should have told us that when we talked to her.”
“Probably was afraid we were as corrupt as her daddy.”
“What’s the lead and where’d he get it?”
“He won’t say where, but he said Maria Bota’s looking for work in the Las Vegas casinos, and we should get the Las Vegas police looking for her.”
“What else?”
“Nothing. I told him to stay out of it.”
Brannock didn’t say another word but pulled out his phone and headed out to the lobby. Within minutes, he was back. “LVPD’s going to search for her. Keep your fingers crossed.”
The food was good, and everybody seemed to be enjoying it, as well as the liberally flowing wine. Julia enjoyed the sweet interaction between Audrey and J.D. For heaven’s sake, J.D. smiled around like some kind of sappy, lovesick puppy dog when it came to Audrey Sherrod. But why wouldn’t he be so besotted? She was an elegant and gracious lady whose eyes absolutely glowed when she looked at him. Yep, he was pretty much a goner. So was Audrey.
As the night wore on, Julia tried her best to meet all the friends and coworkers who came up to introduce themselves and welcome her. It was a touching gesture, and Will actually carried on a conversation that didn’t include fillet knives, gangs, and autopsies. He made a crack or two about Max and the wisdom of staying away from a private detective fishing for information. And another about Max stalking her. Perhaps this new attentiveness of his had more to do with Max Hazard than it did with her. She smiled at that idea. As Audrey tapped on her wine goblet with her knife, Julia leaned back in her chair. The room gradually quieted.
“First off, I want to thank all of you for coming here to meet J.D.’s sister.” She raised her glass toward Julia. “Here’s to our beautiful Julia. We’re all so happy to have you here with us.”
Julia nodded and smiled. Will saluted her with his wineglass and whispered, “Now we can all sleep better at night with you on the job.” He laughed a little at Julia’s discomfort when Audrey told everybody about Julia’s law enforcement decorations and sharpshooting trophies. Yes, she was going to have to kill him. He was having way too much fun at her expense, but maybe that was a good thing. Both of them had been so intensely concentrated on finding Lockhart’s murderer that letting off some steam was probably the best medicine for both of them. As soon as Audrey took the spotlight off Julia, Julia raised her goblet and drank deeply.