The Devil's Dwelling (5 page)

“How the heck did they know we changed rigs?”

I turned into the city parking garage. It’s a maze to get through I hoped the black sedan wasn’t familiar with the layout of the garage. Tires screeched as we rounded the corners. I drove through every obstacle and couldn’t shake the black sedan. Bullets were zinging off the concrete walls.  Mona was returning fire but never connecting except for maybe a few cars park in the way of her target.  I took the ‘do not exit’’ ramp going the wrong way,  knocking the wooden barricade to the side.  As I exited the parking garage a truck was approaching the entrance.  I glanced off the wall and missed him.  The truck continued into the garage blocking the black sedan. When I hit the street I could hear horns blaring and curse words flying.

“They must know something about Marty Martin’s disappearance. And probably think we are getting too close.” I sighed and exhaled letting out my frustration.

“Let’s head back to Maxine’s Massage Parlor to see if we can get the picture of Marty and maybe Maxine has something she can add to his disappearance.” I turned the Explorer toward the Martin residence.

We parked in the rear parking lot trying not to be too conspicuous. It was almost dark. The motion sensor light lit up the parking lot. The walkway led to a back door. I knocked on the door and no one answered. Mona walked around to the front door and knocked and called Maxine’s name. The place was eerie silent.

I tried the back door and it was locked. The French door was made of small glass panels. Mona wrapped a rag she found on the porch around her fist and busted the glass out. She reached in and unlocked the door.

I ran back to the Explorer and got the big flashlight Sheriff Reagan had given me for a Christmas present last year.

I took my Glock from my bag and slowly opened the door. We made our way into the house. The back porch was cluttered with piles of laundry.

“Someone must be planning on doing their laundry.” I said as I kicked the pile to the side.

We walked through the house shining the light trying to locate anything suspicious. Each bedroom had a name plaque attached over the door. One room was named Tranquility, another Serenity and another was named Pleasure.  There’s massage table, dresser and bed in each room.  I checked the closets and they were empty of clothes. Mona checked the dresser drawers and they were also empty.

“It looks like the masseuse have moved out.” I shined the light farther down the hallway.

“Marty and Maxine’s room must be at the end of the hall.  Let’s take a look.”

Mona slowly opened the door. My nostrils curled up from the stench coming from the bedroom.

“What the hell is that stench?” Mona asked holding her nose.

“That’s the smell of death.”

“What! Let’s get out of here.”  Mona was halfway down the hall heading for the door.

“Mona, get your butt back here. You‘re a bounty hunter not a chicken.”

Mona inched her way back to the bedroom. Holding her nose even tighter with her eyes squinted.

I shined the light around the room. Everything was in disarray.

“Shine the light in the closet.” Mona said holding her nose with one hand and the other on the closet door knob.

She pulled the closet door open and setting on the floor leaning back against the wall was a lady with her chest riddled with bullets. I haven‘t met Maxine but I assume it is her. With her tongue hanging out and her eyes staring into space it wasn‘t a very good scene.  She had been there for a few days. A rat ran across the floor. Mona jumped and screamed.

“Shit, I’m gonna be sick.” Mona ran from the room.

I followed in hot pursuit wiping our fingerprints from the door handles as I ran from the house.

Mona’s head was hanging over, her hands on her knees and she was gagging when I made it to the Explorer.

“Get in the rig we need to get out of here.” Mona stood up wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and got in the Explorer.

“That’s the first body filled with bullet holes I’ve seen.” She gave out a YUK!

I put the Explorer in reverse backed out of the parking space, threw her in drive and headed for the nearest phone booth.

I made an anonymous 911 call trying to disguise my voice.

I gave them the address of where to find the murdered victim and hung up before the call could be traced.

We drove around the neighborhood. Within moments sirens were blaring and coming to a stop in front of the massage parlor.

Sheriff Reagan jumped from his official Tahoe SUV. He motioned for his deputies to surround the house. With his gun drawn he knocked at the door. The deputies were behind their vehicles with rifles laying across their rigs.

“Sheriff Reagan, open up.”

There was dead silence.

The deputies told him the rear door was unlocked.  The Sheriff made their way to the back door with his deputies following.

Sheriff Reagan and a team of deputies entered the house. Within moments they exited the house waving their hands across their face, shaking their heads and gagging.

Sheriff Reagan kept his cool continuing on with his business he summoned the coroner.

“We have a murder victim at Maxine’s Massage Parlor. I need you out here without delay.” He flipped the phone shut and slipped it in the case attached to his belt.

Sheriff Reagan’s deputies were roping off the premises with yellow tape. ‘Caution, Crime Scene Do Not Cross’.

The crime scene investigation truck showed up and set up residence.

Within thirty minutes the local news team was on the scene.  They set up the remote transmitter where they could broadcast on the eleven o’clock news from the murder scene.

I’ve often thought that might be a nice job. Just set around until you are called then blab on TV what you learned. I guess there’s more to it than setting and blabbing.

Mona and I stayed out of sight.  We kept an eye on who was showing up at the scene.

A large white four door Ford cruised past a few times. We were able to get the Texas license plate number. Tomorrow I’ll have Sheriff Reagan run it for me.

Early morning hours came before the body was bagged and put in the coroners wagon.  The deputies dispersed leaving a couple deputies around the perimeter of the yard  guarding the crime scene. 

SIX
             
             

Mona and I headed for Stan’s Diner, my usual hangout for a good breakfast. I took the paper someone had left on the counter, found a booth near the window and set down. Mona followed my moves.  Connie, dressed in her uniform a starched blue skirt above her knees and a button down blue blouse with white collar turned up in the back and white cuffed sleeves above her elbows. Connie’s a tall skinny gal with freckles across her nose.  She hates her job but has little one’s at home to feed.  Connie left high school in her junior year to help out the folks with finances.  She’s been working at Stan’s since the day she quit school.  She tossed the menu on the table and poured us a cup of coffee.

I opened the newspaper and started reading the front page. The headlines read: Murder on Main Street.

I peeked over the top of the paper. “You want part of the paper?”

“Sure, the sale section. You can pick it out easily since it‘s usually colorful.” Mona twisted in her seat as she reached for the paper.

Connie came over to our booth removing a pencil poking out of her bun on the back of her head.

“What’s it gonna be today? Tiffany, who’s your new friend?”

“Connie this is Mona my partner.”

Mona stretched her hand across the table to meet Connie’s outstretched hand.

“Good to make your acquaintance.”

“Same here.” Mona said.

“Partner! You can’t get in enough trouble yourself you need a partner?” Connie laughed.

“Just kidding, what’s it gonna be?”

“I’ll have the usual.” I folded my menu and handed it to Connie.

“What’s the usual?” Mona asked.

“Pancakes and eggs.”

“I’ll have the same.”

Connie threw the kitchen towel over her shoulder and headed for the kitchen.

“Same as usual, make it for two.” She yelled to the cook.

“Tiffany, they are having a sale at Fredericks.  I buy all my clothes at Frederick’s. When we get paid can you take me there? I could sure use some clothes. Maybe more ‘Bounty Hunter’ looking clothes.”

“You got it. Maybe we can get a easy capture and get some cash soon.”

“The sale will run for a week.” Mona said folding the sales section of the paper and  putting it in her bag.

We arrived at the office around ten.  Peewee was pacing the floor. Linda had a stack of

files on her desk.

“Peewee is on the war path this morning.”

Linda patted the stack of files. “We have this stack of files needing some attention.”

Mona poured us each a cup of coffee. I opened the pastry box.

“Jackpot, a jelly donut, strawberry, my favorite.” I  wrapped a piece of waxed paper around it and took a napkin off the counter.  Mona took a glazed donut and handed me a cup of coffee. I licked the red jelly from my fingers and pushed the door open with my butt. Mona caught the door with her stiletto heel, swung it back and stepped in the office behind me.

Linda gathered up the files and brought them into Peewee’s office.  She plopped them on

Peewee’s desk. Turned and walked out of the room.

I patted the stack of files. “What we got here? Anything, better than a murder?”

“No, but your aren’t getting paid to solve a murder. You need to find Marty. Do you have any information on him?”

“We are working on it. Don’t get in a huff. We can work on this stack of files while we look for Marty.”

Peewee looked through the files and tossed one to me. Paper scattered on the floor.

“I’ve told Linda to attach the paper to the file folder a dozen times. I can’t get good help for the front office.”

I gathered the papers and put them in the folder and told Peewee I’d take care of it.

Peewee rolled his stogie between his teeth. “Take care of Boomer. He was a ’no show’ for court over a week ago. He could be out at his place on Route 2.”

“You got it, we’ll get right on it.”

Boomer has been furnishing the guzzlers of the community with his white lightning for years. Mona and I headed for Boomer’s place a  twenty mile drive out route 2. We left the main road and headed up the dirt road to Boomer’s old place. I’d been up here before looking for Boomer over a year ago and got run off from shot gun fire dancing at my butt. This time I took the dirt road that goes up behind the house to get a good look at the situation.  I took the binoculars I bought at Goodwill from the glove box and took a look. His truck was backed up to the Still. 

“Mona, this may be the day he heads out to sell his brew. It looks like he’s carrying something out to the truck.”

I handed Mona the binoculars. “Here use these you can get a better look.”

“You might be right. He’s carrying out a big jug. Do they sell it in jugs?”

“You bet they do. I’m going to drive down to the road and block his exit.”

I put the Explorer in gear and it wouldn’t budge. I revved the engine and still nothing. Mona got out to take a look.

“We are stuck.”

“How can that be?”

“Looks like a big hole filled with water from the last rain. You push and I’ll rev the engine.”

I put the accelerator to the floor. The Explorer didn’t budge. 

Mud sprayed all over Mona. I looked in the side mirror. I caught a glimpse of Mona spitting mud and wiping her hands on her clothes.  She shook her head in disgust.

“We’ll have to get a board and wedge it in front of the tire for traction.” Mona said.