“You are a loser,” Angel said.
It all began to make a sick kind of sense to me. “Mitch came here looking for Angel, didn’t he?”
Hugh rocked his head back and forth between Angel and me. I wished Gabe were there. He’d have known what to ask. What to do.
Still breathing through my mouth, I said carefully, “Hugh, you are in over your head. Mitch is a thief and a killer. You’d better start talking or I’m calling the police.”
He sniffled loudly. “I didn’t do anything. He just asked me some questions about Angel.”
Yeah, right. I thought of the back door to Angel’s house. It hadn’t shown any forced entry. And Angel’s car—how had Mitch known what kind of car Angel drove? How had he found it? How had he gotten the tracking device on it? I grabbed the stun gun from Angel. “And?”
He shrank back. “I told him about Angel and about you. Where you live, work, what cars you drove. It’s business! Mitch said I was going to make lots of money, that you both are going to sell sex toys through your businesses. He does background investigations on all his clients!”
Bile rose up in my throat. Hugh had believed Mitch because he had wanted to. I’d done the same thing with my husband. God. But right now, I saw the danger we were in. I glanced over at Angel, silently warning her to let me do this. Then I turned back to Hugh. “When was that?”
“Saturday.”
“Do you have a key to Angel’s house?”
Hugh shuffled his feet. “I don’t feel good. I need an ambulance.”
I ignored his whining. “Do you have a key? Did you give Mitch a key to Angel’s house?”
He looked down at the floor. “He said he needed to get into her house to replace a defective part in the sample kit he gave her.”
Angel roared, “You gave him a key to my house!”
Hugh turned his face toward her. “What did you expect, after all you’ve done to me?”
I reached over and put my hand on Angel’s shoulder; it was a tight ball of anger. Her face had blanched in betrayal. I didn’t think Hugh realized the danger he had put Angel in, but Angel had still been betrayed by the man who once claimed to love her. I shoved down hard on my sympathy for Angel. We had to focus to keep her alive. “Angel, let’s get the information we need.”
I looked at Hugh. “Has Mitch been back here since Saturday?”
“Last night.”
Dizziness swamped over me. Hugh was an idiot, but Mitch St. Claire had played him. I hated Hugh for what he’d done to Angel, but I hated Mitch more for finding people’s weaknesses and exploiting them. Swallowing, I felt Angel’s hand close over mine as it rested on her shoulder. I got control and asked Hugh, “How did the tracking device get on Angel’s car?”
Hugh’s eyes flooded with tears. “He said he’d kill Brandi if I didn’t do it.”
The foyer of Hugh’s house smelled like beer and puke. I didn’t know why that thought had crossed my mind, except that I couldn’t believe what I had just heard from Hugh.
That he had put the tracking device on Angel’s car for Mitch. She could have been killed!
Angel apparently didn’t have any problem grasping what Hugh had done. She let go of my hand to grab the stun gun from me and turn it threateningly on him. “You did it? You put a tracking device on my car so that Mitch could firebomb it?”
Fat tears brimmed in his small eyes and ran down his face. He sniffled, wiped his arm under his nose, and said, “He said he’d kill Brandi! I didn’t think he’d hurt you. Besides, I stuck a big screw in your tire to keep you safe.”
Silence fell hard. Ali walked over, her toenails clicking on the tiled entryway. She pushed herself between Angel and me.
Angel’s long, lean frame practically twanged with fury and betrayal. “How the hell would a screw in my tire keep me safe? I was a sitting duck for Mitch to get me when I tried to change the tire!” She waved the stun gun threateningly.
Hugh backed up. “But the tire should have been flat before you left your mom’s house. If you’d stayed at your mom’s house, you’d be safe! I had to protect Brandi!”
I reached over Ali and grabbed Angel’s arm before she could zap Hugh again. We needed information and we couldn’t get that if Hugh was unconscious or throwing up his guts. While holding on to Angel, I said to Hugh, “Where is Brandi?”
“Her mom’s house.”
“You’re sure Mitch doesn’t have her?”
He shook his head. “I just talked to her half an hour ago. I have to convince her I didn’t pick up that lunatic you two sent over here.”
OK, Brandi was safe. That was one less thing to worry about. “What about Mitch? Do you have any idea where he lives? What he drives? Anything?”
“I don’t remember! Do you think he’ll come back? Am I in danger? Should I call the police?” His body shook with fear.
Angel snorted in disgust. She handed the stun gun to me, then turned back to Hugh. “Grow some balls for once in your miserable life. Call the cops and get your wife somewhere safe. Your dad will protect you.” She gracefully made her way around the pile of puke and left.
16
I
watched her go. God, Angel had guts and style. I put the stun gun in my purse and said to Hugh, “You weren’t always such a miserable little rat. How do you live with yourself?”
“It’s all her fault! She—”
That did it. I grabbed hold of his sweaty shirt. “Angel was the best thing that ever happened to you, and you hurt her. I’m warning you right now, if Mitch harms her in any way, I will hunt you down and stomp your balls into hamburger. Then I’ll let Gabe have you.”
Ali backed that up with a warning bark at Hugh.
I looked down at my dog. “Let’s go, Ali.” I had to grab her collar and pull her around the vomit mess. We walked out into the night.
OK, what did all this mean? Mitch had gotten his information about Angel and me from Hugh. He was trying to force us to give him the necklace.
But Zoë had the necklace.
We had to find that necklace. Hugh would call the police, and then Vance would believe us and get on Mitch. By this time, Vance must have known that some uniforms had talked to Hugh, and he had backed up what Angel and I told him about sending Zoë to Hugh’s house. When we got home, I’d call Vance and—
Ali growled, then barked, yanking hard against my hold on her collar.
I heard the sound of an engine idling. But Angel didn’t have the keys to the Jeep. I let go of Ali.
She raced across the dead grass and toward the Jeep, which was parked a few houses down. Oh God, was someone putting something on the Jeep? A firebomb? Was Angel in there? I grabbed my stun gun and lunged into a run.
The sound of the engine revved up, then I heard a soft thump followed by an animal yelp.
“Ali!” My heart jackhammered.
Where’s Angel? What happened?
I jumped off the curb into the street and ran hard. I got to the Jeep in time to see Ali get up off the road and break into a run to chase a car that was squealing around the corner.
“Ali! No! Come here!”
She slowed down, turned and trotted back toward me. Had a car hit her? Then she had gotten up to chase the car? Did the car have Angel in it? I took another step toward my dog and tripped. I managed to get my arms up before I landed hard on the street. My forearms and elbows took most of the impact. I started to push up to my knees when Ali stuck her nose in my face and licked me.
Hugh came huffing out of the house and shouted, “Sam? What happened?”
“Ali,” I said, gently moving her nose from my face. I put an arm around her neck and looked up to see Hugh standing there. He must have heard me screaming. He had his cell phone in his hand. “I don’t know!” Looking around, I saw what I had tripped over.
Angel’s purse.
“Oh God. He has her! Mitch has Angel!” As I got to my feet, fury washed over me. “I’m so stupid! He knew Angel would come here. You told him she had already been here. And he used you to get us to her house to see Zack’s body!” Shafts of guilt slammed into me. The skin around my forehead tightened brutally. My neck muscles clenched up and my shoulders squeezed. I looked at the Jeep. Had Angel gotten in and he had dragged her out?
No, that wasn’t right. Her purse lay in the path by the driver’s side headlight. She had been crossing the street, intending to pass in front of the Jeep to get to the passenger side.
Angel had been mad. Maybe a little sick over Hugh’s betrayal. Overwhelmed. Her life was coming apart, and the man she had once loved and slept beside had put a tracking device on her car to help out a killer. She may not have paid attention if someone slithered up behind her and . . .
What?
Clubbed her over the head?
Hugh interrupted my thoughts. “What does Mitch want?”
As soon as I heard Hugh’s voice, I realized how Mitch had gotten Angel. The same way we had intimidated Hugh—with a stun gun. She would have passed out from the shock of the stun gun, and then Mitch could have gotten her under enough control to shove her in his car.
A violent shiver rocketed through me.
I looked up from Angel’s purse into Hugh’s face. He was still breathing hard. He smelled of beer, vomit, and sweat. To answer his question about what Mitch wanted, I said, “A stolen diamond necklace.”
Then I got my cell phone out of my purse and dialed Angel’s cell phone number. It rang once.
Mitch answered the phone. “Samantha Shaw. You are so predictable. I knew you’d call to save your friend.”
Oh God. Painful shivers prickled my spine. He would know it was me from the caller ID on Angel’s phone. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was Angel. “Don’t hurt Angel!”
“It’s very simple. If you want her back alive, get that necklace.”
Bile burned up my throat. “I don’t have it! I know who does, but—”
“One hour. Call me back when you have it. Then I’ll tell you where to bring the necklace. No cops, no heroics. The two of you never had a chance of outsmarting me. I know women. I made a career out of women just like you.” He hung up.
Mitch was crazy. And he had Angel. I had no time; I had to track down Zoë and get that necklace. Quickly, I dialed Grandpa. When I heard his voice, I had to fight back hysteria. Grandpa had been my rock throughout my life. But right now, I had to be strong. I had to find a way to save Angel. “Grandpa.” I swallowed, trying to think how to tell him quickly about Angel and get what I needed. He loved Angel, too. “I’m at Hugh’s house. Angel left the house first and Mitch kidnapped her. I found her purse on the ground by the Jeep. I called Angel’s cell phone and Mitch answered. He said if I want her back alive, I have to get the necklace.”
“Sam, my God! Did you call the police? What can I do?”
His voice was breathless with both love and fear. “I’ll have Hugh call the police.” I glanced at Hugh’s pale, sweaty face. He stood there like a useless toad. To Grandpa, I said, “I need to know if you’ve found anything on Zoë?”
I heard him flipping pages in the background. “I got her cell phone number. She lives up in Washington. She’s part owner in a health club. She has to be staying somewhere here in town, but I haven’t found it yet.”
At least it was something. “OK, give me the cell phone number and see if you can track down where Zoë is staying.” I opened the Jeep door and watched Ali struggle to get in. It looked like her right shoulder was hurt. I hoped she was OK.
Grandpa’s voice firmed up. “Sam, what are you going to do?”
I didn’t lie. “I’m going to find Zoë, Grandpa, and get that necklace. Mitch gave me only an hour.”
“Sam, it’s too dangerous.”
Softly, I said, “He’ll kill Angel. Give me Zoë’s number and I’ll call you back after I talk to her, OK?”
He told me the phone number and we hung up.
Still holding the door to the Jeep, I focused on Hugh. “You have to call Detective Logan Vance at the police station right now. Find him, and tell him Mitch St. Claire has kidnapped Angel. Then tell him everything you told Mitch about Angel, and everything you did. He’ll get you and Brandi to someplace safe.”
Hugh blinked his beady eyes rapidly. “But—”
I let go of the Jeep door and got in his face, ignoring the smell of sweat and vomit. “For once in your wretched life, do the right thing! You got Angel into this, you asshole!” I jammed my right index finger into his soft barrel chest, so enraged that I could barely see. “If she dies, I swear to God, I will come back here and rip you apart. But if you call right now, you just might save her life.” I jerked away from him, got in the Jeep, and yanked the door closed.
I had already wasted five minutes. Ramming the key in the ignition, I started the Jeep and put it in gear. Then I punched in Zoë’s cell phone number, which Grandpa had given me. I let the Jeep idle while waiting for Zoë to answer. Hugh had already slunk back inside his house. He’d better call Vance.
“Hello?”
Thank God she answered. “Zoë, it’s Sam. Where are you? I will tell you who R. V. Logan is. I’ll give you anything. Just tell me where you are.” The fear thinned my voice to begging.
“Do you have R. V. Logan with you? You’ve lied to me, Samantha. How can I trust you?”
Think!
I had to get that necklace. Angel’s life depended on my getting that necklace. Mitch had killed Zack, then made him disappear. He would kill Angel to get that necklace. “Zoë, I’m on my way to pick R. V. Logan up right now. In real life, R. V. Logan is a cop.”
“A cop! Well, of course he is.”
“Zoë, where are you staying?”
“What kind of cop?”
“Homicide.”
“What color are his eyes?”
“Brown. He has sandy blond hair cut short and dimples. He’s sexy and smart. Zoë, please! I need that sex-toy kit and necklace back. Tell me where you are staying.” I’d tell her anything.
“I don’t trust you. Call me back when you have R. V. Logan in the car and I can talk to him.” She hung up.
She was so dead.
I didn’t know what to do. I had to find Zoë and that necklace. Where did people stay when they visited?
Motels.
I took my foot off the brake and swerved into a U-turn. I made a right on Lincoln, then another right on Machado, and headed toward Lake Street. I would start with the motels on Main Street and work my way to the ones off Railroad Canyon Road.
I needed to call Gabe. I punched in his cell phone number and got an out of range message. Where the hell was he? I left a message on his voice mail. “Gabe, Angel’s been kidnapped by Mitch. I’m trying to track down Zoë to get the necklace.” I pulled the phone away to hang it up, then changed my mind and put it back to my ear. My throat thickened. “I know you’re mad at me, Gabe, but I need you.” Then I hung up.
My phone rang before I could put it down. Was it Mitch? Or Gabe? I didn’t look at the caller ID, I just put it to my ear. “Hello?”
It was Grandpa. “Sam, I got it. Zoë’s staying at the Night Haven Motel. I don’t know which room.”
I made a right on Lake Street and broke as many traffic laws as I could. I ran the end of a yellow light at Riverside Drive. “How did you find her?” Did they have some sort of Internet file for motels? Had Grandpa’s Triple M group come through with more incredible connections?
“I started calling motels and asked for Zoë Cash.”
I nearly banged my head on the steering wheel. Such a simple solution, and I had never thought of it. “Grandpa, I love you.”
“Sammy, let me send Blaine to—”
“No!” I got control of myself. “Grandpa, no. I can handle Zoë. I just need to know that both you and Blaine are protecting the boys.”
“I don’t like it. I could take Blaine’s car and meet you—”
“No.” I took a breath. Grandpa loved me and was looking out for me. If I were in his shoes, I would do the same thing. “Grandpa, I need you to find out more about Mitch. I know that’s not his real name, but there has to be some trail. Something. Anything that I can use to get Angel away from him.”
If she’s still alive.
Grandpa used his sternest voice. “You are not meeting with Mitch on your own. I mean it, Sammy. I’ll call the police and have them arrest you right now.”
I believed him, so I thought fast as I made a left on Main Street and swerved around an elderly couple crossing the street from Guadalajara Restaurant to get to their car. I left them gaping after me, but alive. I floored it through a stop sign. I hung a hard right on Franklin.
I knew what would reassure Grandpa that I’d be all right. “I’ve already left a message with Gabe. He’ll help me. He won’t let me meet Mitch alone, either.” I drove past some boarded-up apartments or motels. My mind tumbled through what I knew about Mitch, picking out fragments. Selling sex toys. Using Zack to steal the necklace. Killing Zack. His anger when I spoke to him on the phone in Angel’s bedroom.
In my ear, Grandpa said, “That’s good that you called Gabe. Anything specific you want me to look for on Mitch?”
Something stirred in my memory, then leaped up. Mitch had said,
Zack didn’t grasp the importance of the details. It’s not about fucking the mark. Any man with a functioning dick can do that. It’s the finesse!
But what did it mean? How could that help? Details—OK, I got that Zack had put the necklace in the wrong sex-toy kit. And I understood now that “mark” meant the victim whom he meant to steal the jewelry from. But what about the “functioning dick” and “finesse”? What—
Wait! “Grandpa, can you find out how long it usually was between the Casino Thief’s jobs, and then when was his last job before stealing the necklace from the lady at Daystar? I have an idea, but I don’t have time right now.” I was thinking we were wrong about why Mitch had needed an accomplice.
“I’ll find it, Sam.”
“I’ll call you soon.” I hung up. I pushed speculation on Mitch and his reasons for having an accomplice out of my mind for now. Desperation to find Zoë, get the necklace, and save Angel pressed down on my lungs until I could barely breathe. I passed by a sprinkling of small houses. Then there was only dirt broken up by the ribbon of Franklin Street.