‘‘I’m in,’’ I said, getting to my feet. ‘‘We taking your rental?’’
‘‘Nope,’’ Candice said as she also got up. ‘‘I’ve got a better idea.’’
Half an hour later we were on the road. Candice had returned her rented sedan and traded up for a Hummer, which was a lot more expensive to rent, but she wasn’t flinching. ‘‘I got the idea from the guy who rammed us,’’ she said as we pulled out of the rental lot. ‘‘Fight fire with fire, right?’’
‘‘We are up high,’’ I said, looking out my window at the pavement passing by below us.
‘‘Yep,’’ Candice said, grinning from ear to ear. She was having a blast in her big badass car. ‘‘I love this thing!’’
I laughed. ‘‘It’s like I’m driving with Moses,’’ I said as I looked at all the cars moving to other lanes in front of us and giving us a clear road ahead.
‘‘Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout,’’ said Candice with a head bob. ‘‘Remind me when we get back to the office to shop prices. I think I might take my insurance money and invest in one of these babies.’’
My right side felt light and airy. ‘‘I don’t think there’s any ‘might’ about it,’’ I said to her. ‘‘And if it’s a choice between a dark color or one in white, go with white.’’
Candice gave me a double take. ‘‘I was just thinking that I’d like one in white!’’ she exclaimed.
I gave her a smug smile and tilted the leather seat back. ‘‘I’m napping for a bit,’’ I said. ‘‘Wake me when we’re close.’’
It felt like I’d been out for only a few minutes when my shoulders began to shake and I heard, ‘‘Yo, Abs... Come on, sugar, rise and shine.’’
I snapped my eyes open and sat straight up. ‘‘We’re here?’’ I said, blinking rapidly.
‘‘We’re here,’’ she replied. ‘‘This baby can fly,’’ she added with a caress to the steering wheel.
‘‘Thanks for driving,’’ I said as I unbuckled the seat belt. ‘‘I can drive on the way home if you want.’’
‘‘That’s okay,’’ Candice said quickly as she got out of the car. ‘‘I’m fine to drive home.’’
I smiled sideways at her. ‘‘Awww, it’s true love,’’ I said. ‘‘Your gym guy, Simon, is going to be jealous.’’
She gave me a roll of her eyes and we moseyed up to the lobby. Candice moved ahead to the guard at the desk and displayed her driver’s license and PI badge. The guard asked her who she was there to see and she gave Bruce Lutz’s name. The guard wrote down the name and turned to me. I followed suit with the driver’s license and said I was there to see Lutz as well.
We were told to wait in the seating area while Lutz was contacted and told he had visitors. I yawned as we sat down, but my lazy mood was interrupted with a distinct jingle from the old radar. ‘‘We’re not going to be able to see him,’’ I said.
‘‘Who? Lutz?’’ Candice asked.
‘‘Yeah,’’ I said, knowing I was right.
Candice scowled. ‘‘But he requested that we come up.’’
I nodded. ‘‘I know, but the radar’s telling me he won’t see us.’’ There was a heavy feeling to the intuitive thought I was having, and I didn’t know what it could mean. I found out about fifteen minutes later when the guard at the desk called us up front and said, ‘‘No luck, ladies. Lutz is in the infirmary and isn’t taking visitors.’’
‘‘But he was in the infirmary the last time we came and he saw us,’’ said Candice. ‘‘This is really important,’’ she insisted. ‘‘He even requested our visit. We’ve driven two hours to get here.’’
‘‘You don’t get it, lady,’’ said the guard. ‘‘Lutz is in a coma. He’s being moved to County General as soon as the ambulance gets here.’’
I gasped. ‘‘What happened?’’
‘‘Don’t know,’’ said the guard. ‘‘I just screen the people that come in here and send a request for visitation down to central. Any information I get back is minimal.’’
Candice turned to me. ‘‘Come on,’’ she said. ‘‘There’s nothing more we can do here.’’
We got back on the road and headed due east, Candicealone with her thoughts, while I chewed on mine. Finally she said, ‘‘Maybe it would help to talk this thing through.’’
‘‘You mean, what we know and what we don’t?’’
‘‘Exactly.’’
‘‘Fine. Let’s go with the basics. According to my vision and my trusty inboard lie detector, we know that Lutz did not murder Walter McDaniel.’’
‘‘As someone who has been on the receiving end of that radar of yours, I’m willing to accept that theory as true.’’
I beamed at Candice. ‘‘Next, we know that Dick Wolfe is one nasty dude, who ordered the hit on Walter because Walter was sticking his nose into Wolfe’s business.’’
Candice cocked her head slightly. ‘‘Actually, we don’t know that,’’ she said.
‘‘Remember my vision?’’ I said. ‘‘My crew says Wolfe did it.’’
‘‘No, that’s not what I’m talking about. I mean, I’m willing to support you on the theory that Wolfe ordered the hit and may actually have been present for it, but what I’m questioning is the why.’’
That got me. ‘‘You think he killed Walter for another reason?’’
‘‘Anything’s possible,’’ said Candice.
‘‘Okay, I’ll give that one to you.’’
Candice turned her head and winked at me. ‘‘I’ll turn you into a PI yet,’’ she said.
I rolled my eyes a little and got back to the check-list. ‘‘We know that Lutz was attacked with a knife— we don’t know why. We know that he’s confessed to a crime he didn’t commit and that he’s spent the last nine years in jail for it, but we don’t know why. We know that some gorilla tried to smash us off a bridge—and we think it’s because we’re looking into Lutz’s case, but we don’t really know why. And finally, we know that after requesting to see us, Lutz somehow ended up in a coma, and we don’t know why that happened or if it has a connection to us.’’
‘‘You getting the feeling there are a lot of unanswered questions here?’’
‘‘Think you and me better try and start finding out a few of the why’s before we work on any more of the who’s or what’s.’’
Candice gave a firm nod of her head. ‘‘We need to start from the beginning,’’ she said. ‘‘We need to look into Walter’s past. Remember I told you he had all those rental properties?’’
‘‘Yeah,’’ I said as I thought about it.
‘‘Have you been able to find anything in Universal’s computer records?’’ she asked.
I frowned. ‘‘Naw. You need a password, and I haven’t been given clearance....’’ My voice trailed off as I thought of something. ‘‘But you know what? I think I know someone who could get me into the system and help me find out exactly what I need to know.’’
‘‘Who?’’
‘‘One of the girls who works as a processor at Universal now owes me a great big favor. I’m thinking I can cash that puppy in.’’
‘‘Can you trust her?’’
My right side felt light. ‘‘Yeah,’’ I said, ‘‘I think I can. Maybe all we need is to look into a few records and some of these pieces will fall into place.’’
‘‘Let’s hope so,’’ said Candice. ‘‘ ’Cuz I sure don’t like having a gun in my face.’’
I turned to her. ‘‘You know, I gotta tell you, I was really impressed with how you took that bad boy down. Where’d you learn to do that?’’
Candice slid me a grin. ‘‘I’ve got some moves,’’ she said confidently.
‘‘Can you teach me a few?’’
She laughed at that. ‘‘Sure, but if you decide to practice on that hunky boyfriend of yours, you did not learn them from me. Capisce?’’
‘‘Yeah, yeah. And thanks for keeping mum today with Milo. He’d have a cow if he knew I was working on fr
eeing Lutz.’’
‘‘Abby, at this point, Lutz will be lucky to survive.’’
‘‘You think?’’
‘‘Someone wants him dead,’’ she said flatly. ‘‘I think that what we need is a new goal, and that goal should be finding out who wants Bruce Lutz out of the way and why.’’
‘‘I’m with ya,’’ I said. I turned back to the window and watched the scenery flash by. Things looked a lot different from the other day when it had been raining so hard. I settled into the seat and reclined it again.
‘‘You taking another nap?’’ Candice asked me.
I yawned. ‘‘I still get wiped out pretty easily, and this week’s been a doozy.’’
Candice nodded. ‘‘Fine, girlfriend. Go ahead. I’ll wake you when we get back to your place.’’
Chapter Ten
Candice shook me a little while later and I snapped my eyes open again and sat up straight. ‘‘We’re here?’’ I asked sleepily.
‘‘We’re on your street,’’ she said, ‘‘but Dutch’s car was in the driveway, so I thought it might be best to drive around the block for a minute and let you think up a good story.’’
I looked at her, a little confused. ‘‘Story? Why do I need a story?’’
‘‘Remember that snappy voice mail you left him this morning?’’
‘‘Oh,’’ I said, slapping my forehead. ‘‘You’re right. He’s definitely going to want an explanation. Maybe we should go hang out at your place?’’
Candice gave me a warm smile. ‘‘Even I don’t want to hang out at my place,’’ she said. ‘‘Besides, I have a date with Simon tonight and I need to go home and get ready for it.’’
‘‘Crap,’’ I said as we turned the corner and my house came back into view. ‘‘I guess there’s no avoiding it. Okay, drop me off here and I’ll get this over with.’’
Candice stopped, and I jumped out of the car and headed up my driveway. The door opened before I’d made it to the front step. ‘‘Hey there,’’ Dutch said.
‘‘Hi,’’ I said brightly. ‘‘This is a surprise. I didn’t think I’d get to see you again so soon.’’
‘‘Voice mails that include a rambling message about men with guns usually make me to want to check up on my girl,’’ he said as he held the screen door open for me.
‘‘Awww,’’ I said. I gave him a pat on his incredibly flat stomach. ‘‘You’re so good to me.’’
‘‘Have a seat and tell me all about it,’’ he said.
I sniffed the air. ‘‘Is that lasagna?’’
‘‘It is.’’
‘‘Oh, man! I love lasagna!’’
‘‘Like I said, have a seat and I’ll feed you while you tell me all about it.’’
‘‘Is that your mother’s recipe?’’
Dutch answered by sweeping me up into his arms, carrying me over to the couch, and depositing me on one of the cushions. ‘‘Sit. I’ll be right back with food,’’ he said and trotted off to the kitchen.
A moment later he came back with two steaming plates loaded with layers of pasta, mozzarella, and meat sauce. My mouth watered as he set my plate down and took the seat next to me. I dove in and started chowing down in earnest. ‘‘Mmmm,’’ I said with a head nod to him.
Dutch dangled his fork above his meal and asked, ‘‘I hear that Candice is pretty good in hand-to-hand combat.’’ Quickly, I took another huge bite of food, pointing to my mouth to indicate that it was full and I couldn’t comment. Dutch continued, ‘‘I also understandthat the little fender bender you two were in the other day was more like a demolition derby and that Candice’s car had to be hauled up from a ravine.’’
I swallowed but immediately took another enormous bite. Munching furiously, I shook my head. Dutch eyed my dinner plate. I’d already eaten almost half of my lasagna to his one little bite. ‘‘Better slow down there, Edgar. You’ll get heartburn.’’
I smiled as I chewed, trying to think up a diversion, but all I could manage was, ‘‘It’s so good!’’ and I dove again into the pasta.
Dutch smiled politely. He knew that eventually I’d run out of dinner and have no choice but to talk to him. ‘‘I buzzed your cell phone this afternoon,’’ he said. ‘‘It went to voice mail but I was able to track the ring. What were you guys doing up near Jackson today?’’
Shit! I thought. I hadn’t even heard my phone go off. Then again, I’d been deep in slumber until we’d hit the prison. Stalling, I took another huge bite, noticing that I was down to the last little bit. I’d have to think fast if I was going to come up with something believable. I chewed very slowly, holding up my finger to indicate that I couldn’t talk quite yet.
‘‘No problem,’’ Dutch said to me as he took a nice-sized bite. ‘‘I’ve got all night to do nothing but listen to my gal.’’
Just then the phone rang. I leaped to my feet and shouted, ‘‘I got it!’’ and hurried to the phone in the kitchen.
‘‘Guess where I am,’’ said my sister when I answered.
Automatically my radar flipped to the On position. In my mind’s eye I saw a man in a lab coat. ‘‘You’re at the doctor’s?’’ I said.
Light laughter sounded through the phone. ‘‘Damn, you’re good,’’ said Cat. ‘‘Actually, I’m in the emergency room.’’
I gripped the phone. ‘‘What’s happened?’’
Cat sighed. ‘‘I was running around trying to get the kids ready for a birthday party and I fell down the stairs.’’
‘‘Ohmigod! Cat, are you okay?’’
‘‘I’m fine,’’ she said. ‘‘But my foot isn’t so hot.’’
‘‘You hurt your foot?’’
‘‘More like broke it.’’
‘‘Get out of here! Is Tommy there?’’ I asked, referring to her husband.
‘‘He’s at a golf thing. I was actually alone with the kids when it happened, and it took a while to call for help.’’
‘‘Why?’’
‘‘I sent Mathew to call for an ambulance while Michael got me some pillows to prop up my leg. Turns out Mathew kept dialing nine-nine-one into the phone instead of nine-one-one.’’
I suppressed a giggle. Mathew took after me in so many ways. He also had a radar that rivaled my own. Intuitive types like us tend to struggle with numerical sequences. ‘‘Did they eventually send an ambulance?’’
Cat sighed. ‘‘Yes, and didn’t the boys love that experience. I think they’re plotting to push me down the stairs so that they can go for another ride.’’
‘‘Where are they now?’’
‘‘Tommy’s mom is here with them. I’m waiting to hear the results from the X-ray.’’
‘‘Are you in pain?’’
‘‘I am, but I don’t really care.’’
I smiled. ‘‘They’ve got you on some good drugs, huh?’’
Cat giggled. ‘‘Yes indeedy!’’
‘‘Do you need me to do anything? Can I call anyone for you?’’
‘‘No, sweetheart. Tommy is on a flight back home and he should be here in a few hours.’’
‘‘Okay, but call me if you do need anything.’’
‘‘I will.’’
I hung up the phone and headed back into the living room. ‘‘Everything all right?’’
‘‘Cat’s been taken to the emergency room. She fell down the stairs,’’ I said as I sat down.
‘‘Is she all right?’’
Suddenly I thought of something, and I managed to get my eyes to water. ‘‘Yes,’’ I sniffed. ‘‘I think so,’’ and then I buried my head in my hands and shook my shoulders a bit.
Big strong arms encircled me. ‘‘Honey,’’ Dutch said as he pulled me to him. I gave a few more shudders and managed to make a sound like a sob. Dutch patted me on the back and whispered, ‘‘It’ll be okay. She was able to talk to you, right?’’ I nodded slightly but kept up the shoulder shaking and sobbing sounds. ‘‘See? She’ll be okay. Plus she’s exactly where she needs to be—in t
he emergency room where doctors can look after her.’’
I sniffed loudly and gave a hoarse ‘‘I know.’’
Dutch continued to hold me tight and pat my back. ‘‘Listen, why don’t you go and take a bath while I clean up down here?’’
I gave that a few more loud sniffles and said in a whiny voice, ‘‘But I thought you wanted to grill me about the case.’’
Dutch kissed my cheek. ‘‘Oh, babe,’’ he said gently, ‘‘that can wait until tomorrow. You go upstairs and run your bath. I’ll clean up and we can watch a movie to get your mind off your worries. Okay?’’
I nodded and wiped my eyes. ‘‘Thanks,’’ I said as I got up and trudged down the hall. Once I got into the bathroom and began my bath, I took a serious look in the mirror and held up my hairbrush like a microphone. ‘‘I’d like to thank the academy,’’ I said to the mirror, then sighed at my reflection as I thought about how great Dutch had just been. I scowled at my image. ‘‘It was necessary,’’ I said. The face staring back didn’t look convinced. I stuck my tongue out and turned toward the tub, hoping the guilt would wash off with a few bubbles.
The next morning, just as Dutch was waking up, I pounced. ‘‘Hey there,’’ he said with a smirk as my fingers went places they couldn’t go in public.
‘‘Morning, sexy,’’ I purred.
‘‘You’re frisky this morning,’’ he said, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.
‘‘Mmmhmm...’’ I said and shimmied closer. Twenty minutes later, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and Mr. Sexy was drifting back to sleep, just like I’d planned it. Carefully I crept out of bed, grabbed jeans and a shirt, and headed to the kitchen. As Eggy snuggled in his doggy bed I quickly made him his fried-egg breakfast, then headed out the door before Dutch could wake up and pester me with questions.
I knew that eventually he’d corner me, and I really hated hiding the truth of what I was up to from him, especially when he’d been so great about comforting my fake meltdown the night before. But the longer I could put him off my trail, the more time I’d have to figure out who really killed Walter McDaniel and why.