Rose Pressey - Chase Charley 02 - Seems Like Old Crimes Read online

  I had to call the police, but I’d left my phone in the room. I’d have to run into the hotel’s lobby and use the phone. I hated to leave Dangerfield alone to deal with Jeff though.

  Dangerfield had Jeff on the ground where he’d tackled him. Just then Jeff managed to roll over and now he was on top of Dangerfield. I couldn’t watch this any longer without doing anything. I raced inside the lobby and yelled, “I need to use the phone.”

  “I’ve already called the police.” The man working behind the reception desk looked at me as if I had caused the fight. He motioned with his hand as if he didn’t want me to enter the hotel.

  I guessed technically I had caused the fight, but I certainly hadn’t planned it. I ran back out to the parking lot where I’d left the men.

  When I got near, I stopped in my tracks. Jeff had managed to get up and now he was pointing a gun at Dangerfield.

  I had to move quickly before he used the gun. Jeff was focused on Dangerfield, so if I could just get behind him, maybe I could knock the gun out of his hands. Then again, I could mess up and give him an opportunity to kill both of us. Careful not to grab his attention, I inched closer to Jeff. I decided that I would have to take a risk and try to knock the gun out of his hands. One wrong move might set him off.

  I ran up behind Jeff. Pulling my arms back over my head, with all my strength, I shoved them forward and knocked him in the head with my shoe. It was all that I had at the time. He stumbled forward and the gun fell from his hand. For a second, I didn’t know what to do next, but then I realized I needed to get the gun before Jeff got it again. It was as if I was moving in slow motion, but I managed to wrap my hand around the gun. Now what would I do with it? I wasn’t exactly a skilled marksman. Dangerfield was counting on me to do something though.

  With a shaky hand, I pointed the gun at Jeff. His eyes widened. Maybe he was just shocked that he had actually lost the gun to me. Well, believe it, buddy, because this was really happening. I needed to steady the gun or I would end accidentally shooting something I didn’t mean to.

  “Don’t make any sudden moves,” I said. “Tell me why you killed Tim.”

  He just stared at me, as if he was just a shell, no emotion. If there was emotion, he wasn’t using it now.

  “We know what you did and so do the police.” Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut, but it was hard.

  “It wasn’t me alone.” His lips curled into a cruel sneer.

  Now we were getting somewhere. “So who did this with you?” I asked.

  He stared for a moment, and then said, “Dean Michaels hired me to kill Tim and Kristine.”

  A gasp slipped from my lips and I almost dropped the gun. That was terrible. And to think we had just been in their house. I hoped that Kristine was okay. Now I knew why she’d been acting so strangely. She knew and was trying to tell me something was wrong. I hoped that I could get to her soon. First, I had to take care of Jeff.

  Dangerfield stared at me. He’d been behind Jeff, but now he inched around next to me.

  “Why did he hire you to do this?” I asked.

  “He wanted their money. With Tim gone, Kristine would get all the trust fund money. Then if Dean killed her he would get the money. He wanted to kill Tim’s wife too.”

  “That is disgusting and evil,” I said.

  Jeff didn’t say anything.

  “Were you in a black car the night Tim was murdered?” I had to get more answers.

  He scowled and then said, “No, that was Dean and Kristine. They went to the bar to meet Tim. After they left I confronted him.”

  “Kristine didn’t know what was about to happen?” I asked.

  “I guess not, or she would have put a stop to it.”

  “What do I do now?” I whispered to Dangerfield. My hand was still shaking, but I tried to steady it.

  “Did you call the police?” Dangerfield asked.

  “Technically the hotel employee called. What is taking them so long?” I blew the hair out of my eyes.

  Movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I prayed that it was the police, but when I looked over, I realized I wasn’t that lucky. Dean was the last person I wanted to see right now. He walked toward us with a cunning expression on his face. Either he didn’t see that I had a gun in my hands, or he just didn’t care.

  As Dean moved closer to us, I realized that he held a gun in his hands too. I hadn’t expected this turn of events. Now what would I do? I wasn’t ready to have a shootout with this man.

  “Don’t come any further,” I said.

  He didn’t listen. He just kept walking toward us with a slow and steady pace. Now Jeff’s lips curved into a smug smile. I was beginning to think the employee hadn’t really called the police after all. Couldn’t he see that I was in a dire situation out here?

  An engine revved from somewhere behind me and then a car sped by so quickly that I almost fell forward on my face. The car swerved toward Dean. He jumped out of the way. His arms whirled as he tried to stop his fall. The attempt was unsuccessful and he fell backward to the ground.

  The gun fell from his hands, landing a good distance from his body. Dangerfield took that opportunity to run over. He kicked the gun just out of Dean’s reach and then leaned down and grabbed it. Now he stood over Dean and pointed the gun at him. That was when I realized the car was my Porsche. Courtney climbed out of the car and ran over to me.

  Fear flashed in her eyes. “Chase!” Hysteria sounded in her voice. “My life flashed before my eyes. I had no idea I could drive like that.”

  It would take her a while to calm down from this. She was more jumpy that if she’d mean in a coffee drinking contest at Starbucks.

  “What are you doing here?” My voice was probably panicked.

  “I felt like something was wrong, so I turned around and came right back,” she said breathlessly.

  I was glad that she had. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. What would have happened if she hadn’t? How would we have gotten out of the situation?

  Just when I thought all of the action was over, I spotted Kristine headed our way. I released a sigh of relief to know what she was okay.

  She ran over to me. “He tried to kill me. My own husband tried to kill me.”

  “It’s okay, Kristine,” I said, “The police are on their way.”

  “I can’t believe this happened,” she said.

  “Courtney, can you call to see if the police are actually headed this way?” I asked.

  Courtney pulled out her phone and dialed 911. She rushed her words and frantically tried to explain our dire circumstances.

  “They’re on their way,” she said when she hung up. She’d barely spoken the words when I heard the sirens.

  Then I saw the lights. The next thing I knew, cop cars were all around us.

  “Drop the gun and put your hands up,” the cops yelled.

  Of course I immediately complied. My stomach clenched and my heart pounded. I eased the gun to the ground and then placed my hands up. My heart thumped in my chest.

  I just hoped that when I put the gun down that Dean or Jeff didn’t get away. I suppose the police had it under control from here. At least I hoped they did.

  “They tried to kill us,” I said.

  The police ran over and placed Dangerfield and me in handcuffs. Was that really necessary? I suppose it was. Anyway, I hoped it didn’t take too long to sort this out. Thank goodness they handcuffed Dean and Jeff too.

  As long as I knew that I was going to be let go soon, I was fine with the handcuffs. I hoped that they realized I wasn’t the criminal here.

  Kristine began to explain to the cops what had happened. After a minute, the officer motioned for the other one standing next to us to let us go. I wiggled my hands when he released my wrists from the restraints. Courtney stood beside me taking in all the action. She seemed as if she was stunned silent. I was glad I wouldn’t have to explain to my parents why I was in the slammer.

  “I do
n’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come back,” I said.

  “I think you had everything under control,” Courtney said.

  The police put the men in the back of the police cars and left with them. Now it was just us. My adrenaline was still pumping.

  “What do we do now?” Courtney asked.

  I brushed the hair out of my eyes. “I have no idea.”

  “It is late and I am exhausted. I don’t think I can drive all the way back tonight,” she said.

  I couldn’t argue with that either. The adrenaline was flowing out of my body now, and I was drained. The gravity of the situation was now hitting me and my legs felt like rubber. The strength that had held me together like glue through this whole ordeal was now fading. I could only keep it together for so long. I wrapped my arms in front of my chest, giving myself a hug.

  “We should just stay the night here,” I said. “I have a room already.”

  Courtney stepped closer. “Did you get a room with Dangerfield?”

  I shook my head. “No, we have separate rooms.”

  “Too bad for you.” She sighed.

  Dangerfield pushed hair from my face. “Are you okay now?”

  I nodded. “I may have panic attacks for a long time, but other than that, I’m okay.”

  “You were great. Courtney should have seen you take control of the situation,” he said with a smile.

  “I’m not surprised,” Courtney said. “That’s my cousin. Our family has always been a little crazy.”

  “A little?” I quirked an eyebrow. “We wear that crazy like a badge of honor.”

  A friend picked up Kristine to drive her to New Orleans in the morning. I was glad that she had a friend to help her at a time like this.

  When Courtney and I stepped into my room, my cell was ringing. I pulled out my phone and answered.

  “Chase, I just heard what happened. I talked with Kristine. Are you okay?” Haley asked.

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  “I am so glad you are okay. I am stunned at what happened,” Haley said.

  “I can imagine it is a shock to you. I was surprised too.”

  “By the way, the detective I spoke with a minute ago said Dean admitted that he was the man who broke into my friend’s house and tried to attack me. He really was trying to kill me.”

  “Thank goodness he didn’t get to you,” I said.

  Emotion filled her voice. “Thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome, Haley.”

  “Are you coming back to New Orleans now?” she asked.

  “We’re staying here and coming back tomorrow,” I said.

  “Just please be careful and call me when you can.”

  “I’ll call you soon,” I said.

  She was being strong under the circumstances. It took me forever to fall asleep. I just kept playing over the night’s events in my mind. Plus, I went over the pros and cons for Marc and Dangerfield. Both men had a check mark in almost every category. I hoped that I’d soon sort out my feelings for them. I tossed and turned, staring at the ceiling. Finally, I forced my eyes shut. In a blink of an eye, sunlight was streaming into the room.

  Before we left the next morning, Kristine called to thank me again.

  “I don’t think I need to be thanked. We should have caught on to your hints when we were at your home,” I said.

  “Dean was threatening me then, so it was hard to act natural.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “He had been making my brother move money from his trust to mine and I never even knew until recently. I suspect he hired the person who tried to run me off the road.”

  That explained the bank ledger that Dangerfield and I had found.

  “I’ll be thinking of you, Kristine.”

  “Thank you again for everything.”

  I could tell by her voice that she had been crying a lot, and I couldn’t blame her. The amount of stress she must be under was astounding.

  After I hung up with her, Courtney and I headed out to my car. Dangerfield was leaning next to my door when I approached. At least I had lip gloss in my purse so that I didn’t frighten him with my not-enough-sleep look.

  Dangerfield had stubble of hair along his strong jawline. “Are you headed back?”

  I brushed hair out of my eyes. “Yes, I guess it’s time to go.”

  “Thanks for being so strong. You were a lot tougher than me,” he said.

  I shook my head. “That’s not true, but thank you.”

  “Do you mind if I follow you all back?” He gestured.

  I opened the car door. “I don’t mind.”

  He flashed that movie star smile and headed toward his car.

  “Don’t speed,” I called after him.

  “I’m following, remember?” He waved over his shoulder.

  We pulled out onto the highway with Dangerfield behind us.

  “You two seem close,” Courtney said.

  “I guess when you’re almost killed together it bonds you,” I said.

  “What about Marc?” she asked.

  I sighed. “I have no idea. I guess I’ll see what happens. I’m not one to rush into things.”

  “You married your first husband after two months.”

  “Exactly. I learned my lesson.”

  “I tried to warn you about him.”

  She had, but I hadn’t listened.

  When we reached my place, Dangerfield honked and drove on past. I was a little disappointed he hadn’t come inside. That was something I would have to work out in my mind later. Right now, I needed to hop in the shower. Courtney came inside. She was going to fix us lunch. She was a much better cook than I was.

  “Do you want cheese?” she called out.

  “Of course. Always have cheese,” I said.

  I’d just pulled on a clean t-shirt and jeans after my shower when my doorbell rang.

  “Do you want me to get that?” Courtney asked.

  I popped around the corner. “I’ll get it. You just keep working your magic.”

  I wasn’t expecting anyone to show up. I wondered if it was Dangerfield again.

  When I opened the door, Marc stood in front of me. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I’d never seen him look so casual. It was a good look for him. But then again so was the uniform.

  He shook his head. “It’s a natural gift. That’s the only way to explain it.”

  “What do you mean?” I quirked an eyebrow.

  “How else could you solve this case?”

  I grinned. “I didn’t solve it. I just helped a little.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “I would have called you, but I was all the way in Gulf Shores,” I said.

  “When you want to solve a mystery, you don’t stop until it’s done, do you?” he asked.

  I nodded. “No, I don’t.”

  Mrs. Perkins appeared behind Marc. “Chase, are you okay, dear?”

  How in the world had she found out what had happened? “I’m fine, Mrs. Perkins, thank you for asking.”

  She looked Marc up and down and then smiled at him. That was a first.

  “Just let me know if you need anything,” she said as she turned to go back to her apartment.

  “You do the same, Mrs. Perkins,” I said.

  “And keep the noise down,” she snapped as she closed her apartment door.

  Marc laughed. “She’s spunky. You two are a lot alike.”

  As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.

  Just then the main door to the building opened and Dangerfield walked through the door. Now this was one awkward situation that I wouldn’t easily get out of.

  “Good afternoon,” he said, looking at me and then to Marc.

  Marc said, “I was just stopping by to make sure you’re okay. I need to get to work. Is it okay if I call you later for dinner?”

  I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. There was no easy way to answer that question. I nodded. “Sur
e.”

  Marc smiled, then looked to Dangerfield and nodded. Then he walked out the door.

  “Sorry I didn’t call first,” Dangerfield said.

  “That’s okay. Would you like lunch? I’m sure that Courtney made more than enough.”

  He smiled. “I’d love to, but I just came by to say that I was taking a new case.”

  Chapter 32

  Another knock sounded on the door. I had no idea who it was this time. I hoped that it wasn’t bad news. I hopped up and went over to the door. I peeked out the peephole. Mrs. Perkins was standing in front of the door.

  She leaned close to the hole. “Open this door right this minute.”

  Oh, no. And I thought we’d called a truce. Now what had I done to make her mad? I’d have to open the door. She would wait out there all day and night if she had to.

  I opened the door just enough to see her.

  “Mrs. Perkins, what’s wrong?” I asked in my most pleasant voice.

  She gestured over her shoulder. “I think you need to go outside and take care of that man.”

  My eyes widened. “What man? Is there something wrong with someone?”

  “You could say that.” She pointed with the red and white umbrella she held in her hand.

  “Who is it? Was it the policeman who was here earlier?” I asked.

  “I don’t know who he is, but he’s the one who has been coming around here looking for you,” she said.

  Now I really had to know what was going on.

  Dangerfield had joined me at the door now. “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s something wrong with a man outside. At least that’s what Mrs. Perkins said.”

  “Let’s see if he needs help.” Dangerfield motioned.

  We followed Mrs. Perkins out the main door and down the steps. I didn’t spot anyone right away. I hoped she wasn’t playing a game.

  “Where is he?” I asked.

  She pointed to the sidewalk. That was when I spotted him lying on the ground.

  “Oh my gosh, Bill, over there.” I pointed.

  Dangerfield glanced at me for a split second and then sprinted over to the man. I followed him. Mrs. Perkins came behind me.

  The man groaned and sat up on the sidewalk.