For Old Crime's Sake (Chase Charley Mystery Book 1) Read online

  “Hello, Officer,” I said in a singsong voice. “How are you?”

  “Did I ask you to speak?” he barked.

  Being the smartass that I was, I had to respond. “You didn’t ask, but I was curious about your wellbeing.”

  Why didn’t I ever use my better judgment? For someone who didn’t want to go to jail, I was sure giving it my best shot.

  “Do you know why I stopped you?” His voice held no mercy, only anger.

  I had a feeling, yes, but I decided to go along with his little game.

  “No.” My voice was full of saccharine sweetness. I wondered if he would fall for the batting eyelashes trick. Considering he looked as if he wanted to rip my face off, I doubted it.

  “You have a busted taillight. I’m going to have to give you a ticket for that.” He pulled out his official ticket-writing notepad.

  “But…”

  He glared at me and I knew that it would only get worse if I said anything else.

  “License and registration, please.”

  I handed him the items. He turned on his heel and marched back to the car. The other officer was still beside the car. I guess he was assigned to keep an eye on me.

  “You doing okay?” he asked as he leaned down against the car.

  I frowned. “No, actually I’ve had better days.”

  He stared at me under his thick eyelashes for a beat. “I’m really sorry about that.”

  “You know my light wasn’t broken, don’t you?” I asked.

  He studied my face, but didn’t answer. Finally, he pulled out a card. “Call me if you need anything.”

  I looked at the thick white paper. Another officer’s name had been struck out and in pen underneath was written Marc Marquez.

  I tapped the card with my index finger. “Are you Marc or the other name?”

  A touch of red colored Officer Marquez’s cheeks. “I don’t have my cards yet. So I’m just using those until I get mine.”

  Oh, great, an officer who had been on the force for two days. That would be a lot of help.

  I motioned toward the back of the car with a tilt of my head. “What’s the other officer’s name?”

  Officer Marquez paused and glanced toward the police car. “Phillip West.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  He flashed his brilliant smile at me and then leaned back from the car when he spotted the other cop returning.

  Stomping back to my side, Officer West thrust his hand forward and handed me a ticket and my items back. “I trust you will get that light fixed right away.”

  I stared at him. “Yes, of course.”

  “And you won’t get in any more trouble, right?” He focused his death glare on me.

  I nodded. “Of course not.”

  He stared and then walked away. Officer Marquez followed him and they climbed into their car. I made eye contact with Officer Marquez. He seemed sympathetic, but what good would that do me?

  I had gotten the message loud and clear. That didn’t mean I would listen though. I had to find out what this cop Phillip West was trying to keep quiet.

  Chapter Four

  I parked my car in front of the salon on the other side of the street. Cars passed down the street one after the other. After waiting for several cars to pass, I crossed to the other side.

  I still couldn’t get the bad cop out of my head. Something about Phillip West wasn’t right and I knew it. I had to find out what he was up to and what he had done with the body in his trunk. It sent chills down my spine knowing that I had been that close to a dead man.

  A man played the saxophone at the corner of the street and a delivery truck was being unloaded on my right. I pushed open the door and stepped into the salon. Varying shades of teal colored the space and black and white photos of the city decorated the walls. To my right was a sitting area with uncomfortable modern metal chairs. A glass coffee table sat in front of the chairs with hairstyle magazines and tabloids on top.

  The receptionist’s desk was currently unattended. It always was. It wasn’t because they didn’t have a receptionist, it was because she was always in the back talking on her cellphone. I had no idea who she talked to so often. I had the feeling that the owner cared a lot though. I had no idea why the owner didn’t fire her.

  I grabbed a magazine and was about to sit down when I spotted my stylist Jessie. She smiled and motioned for me to come back. I tossed the magazine on the table and hurried back. I’d have to read the latest gossip about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie later.

  Jessie motioned for me to sit in the chair. The salon was full and the other clients and stylists watched me as I made my way to her station.

  Jessie wore high heels every time I saw her. I had no idea how she stood for so long in those things. She had short blonde hair with pink streaks. Today she wore a denim skirt and pink blouse.

  She pulled out the cape. “So what’s going on?” She started to drape it around my neck.

  “I didn’t come for a style. I need to know what the deal is with that house you sent me to last night,” I said.

  “What do you mean? How was the party?” She leaned against the small table next to her.

  “The party was a bomb. No one was there. The lights were off and everything.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “There was some man there and he was stuffing a body into the trunk of his car. Turns out he’s a cop. Needless to say, he recognized me from TV and called my boss.” I stared at her through the mirror.

  She made a timeout signal with her hands. “Wait. Back up. I am confused. There was a dead body?”

  I nodded. “Yes, but of course I’m sure he would deny it was a dead body. I know differently though.”

  She nodded. “Right.”

  “You don’t believe me, fine, but I need to know who was supposed to throw the party.”

  Jessie looked around, and then, when she was sure no one was listening to us, she said, “Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but the party was supposed to be hosted by no other than Bentley Miles.”

  “The actor?” I asked.

  “How many other Bentley Miles do you know?” She grabbed her scissors.

  “What about this cop? Why would he be at the party?”

  “Oh, I bet he was there for security. Do you think Bentley killed someone and they covered it up?” Her eyes widened.

  “I don’t know, but that seems farfetched.”

  “He’s a famous actor.” She pointed with her scissors.

  “That doesn’t mean he didn’t kill someone.”

  She placed her hand on her hip. “True, but still… I will try to find out what happened.”

  I nodded. “Thank you. That would mean a lot.”

  “Are you sure you’re not ready for a touchup of color?” she asked, looking at my head in the mirror.

  I stared at my reflection. “I’m okay for now.” I looked for any gray hair, but couldn’t find them. “So what about this cop? Do you think you can find out any information about him?”

  She shook her head. “I can try but I can’t make any promises. Why are you so interested in him?”

  I looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “He had a dead body in his trunk. My investigative mind will not let that go.” I wondered if I should tell her that he had stopped me.

  She looked around the salon again. No one seemed to be paying attention to our conversation. And it was a good thing because they may have called the police on us.

  “You don’t know for sure that it was a dead body.”

  “What else could it be?” I asked.

  “It could have been a bag of laundry,” she said.

  I thought about that for a moment. She had me doubting what I’d seen for a moment. Then I shook my head. “No, I am sure of what I saw. Plus, that Dangerfield guy came around too. I am almost positive that he saw it too, although he denied it. I think he’s investigating the same story for his segment.”

  “Oh, he
is handsome. You two would make a great couple.” A dreamy look filled Jessie’s crystal-blue eyes.

  I frowned.

  She grimaced. “Sorry, I forgot you don’t like him.”

  I pushed to my feet. “I am sure the feeling is mutual. Anyway, thank you for the help. It really means a lot to me.” I draped my purse strap on my shoulder and marched to the door.

  The receptionist still hadn’t reappeared when I left. Fighting the traffic again, I crossed the street and climbed into my car. As much as I wanted to pursue this cop, I had to get other work done or my boss would have me in the office again.

  I just knew that Dangerfield was going to figure this out before me and I couldn’t let that happen. He thought he was so slick. I’d show him.

  I pulled away from the curb. I looked in my rear-view mirror and thank goodness I didn’t see the cop car this time.

  After sneaking back into the office, I managed to get enough work done on a pyramid scheme story that I figured I could go home and do more research on Phillip West. I grabbed some takeout from the Chinese restaurant around the corner and headed toward my apartment. It seemed like an eternity since I’d thrown the so-called hexed sticks into the water. I hoped that I didn’t have to deal with my lovely neighbor again tonight.

  I parked my car around back, and walked down the sidewalk to the front entrance door. The last rays of sunset turned to shades of deep navy and I had flashbacks to last night when I’d been parked out in front of the house staking out Bentley Miles’ party.

  For a moment, I thought about heading over there again, but I figured it would be pointless. What were the odds that Phillip West would be back again tonight? Although if they had another body to get rid of, I supposed he would be there, since he’d possibly been hired to work for the actor. I made a note to research who owned the house. I opted to do the research from the comfort of my own apartment.

  I inched into the building and peered down the hallway. So far, there was no sign of Nosy Perkins. All I had to do was make it to my door before she heard me. One voodoo spell was enough for one day.

  Inside, I switched on the TV. Mainly I wanted it for background noise. I hated the quiet. It reminded me of how lonely it was to live alone. After making a trip to the kitchen for an apple and a little peanut butter, I sat down in front of my computer. I typed Phillip West’s name into the search engine, but all that came up was a few articles about drug-related arrests that he’d been involved with. That didn’t give me much to go on. I needed more personal information. How long had he been a cop? Was he married? Where was he from? Had he always lived in the city?

  I stared at the screen wondering what I should do next. It was clear that I wasn’t going to find any information about this man tonight. I clicked off the computer and made my way over to the sofa. Maybe it was time to just zone out in front of the television.

  I picked up the remote, but stopped just before I turned the channel. I hadn’t even realized that I had the channel on the competing station. It was time for Dangerfield’s segment. He was so smug because he had a spot on the nighttime news.

  His face appeared on my screen. I should have just flipped the channel, but for some reason I couldn’t make myself turn him off. Tonight he was doing an investigative report about a local restaurant that didn’t clean the kitchen. Boring stuff. I studied his face. He really was handsome, but that didn’t make up for his cocky attitude. At the end of the report, he hinted at another big story that he was working on. He’d better not be talking about the same case that I was working on. I’d beat him to it if it was the last thing I did.

  I clicked off the TV and headed for bed. As I brushed my teeth, I couldn’t stop fuming over the fact that Dangerfield had been at the scene last night. He had been trying to get the scoop just like me. But what else had he seen? I needed to find out what he knew. The only problem was that meant I would have to actually talk with him. There was no way I would do that. There had to be another way.

  I washed my face, turned off the light, and climbed into bed. I couldn’t believe the last thing I was thinking about before falling asleep was Bill Dangerfield.

  Chapter Five

  The next morning, I slipped out of the building without my neighbor noticing. I wouldn’t be able to avoid her forever.

  A few fluffy white clouds dotted the blue sky, but the heat hung over the city like a blanket reminded me that the day wouldn’t be perfect, as if I needed a reminder. Nonetheless, it was still a beautiful morning to walk to work.

  I wasn’t going to let anything get me down today. My boss had no reason to call me into the office this morning. I’d stayed late last night getting him the pyramid scheme story that he wanted.

  I walked the short distance to Café Mojo. It was a double-latte kind of morning. I was going to treat myself.

  When I stepped into the shop, I froze. Dangerfield was here.

  Of all the people to run into. Was he following me? Sure, he had to get coffee too, but couldn’t he find it at another shop? I was feeling particularly territorial.

  So far Dangerfield hadn’t seen me and I wanted to keep it that way. Dangerfield wore a white shirt, blue tie and neatly pressed tan trousers. Of course he looked picture-perfect. It took me hours of preparation to look that pulled-together.

  He was standing at the counter ordering. I could have just walked out, but that little voice at the back of my mind told me not to leave. That voice usually got me into trouble. I’d be better off if I went with my first instincts, but I rarely did.

  I eased out the shop, stepped around the chalkboard menu, and stopped by the side of the doors. A few people walked by and looked at me as if I was crazy. In my line of work, I was used to those types of looks. I just hoped that Dangerfield didn’t see me because this would be embarrassing. He’d probably think I was following him.

  He paid for his coffee and then walked across the shop floor. I ducked behind the door as he turned out the door and down the sidewalk. It was a good thing he had turned the other way or he would have seen me hiding behind the door.

  There would have been no way to lie my way out of that one.

  I peeked out as he made his way down the street. He was headed to work too. Just then, a couple men stepped out from the alleyway and followed him. Dangerfield didn’t turn around, so I figured he had no idea that they were back there. Something gave me a bad vibe about the men.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone was following me. Thank goodness I didn’t notice anyone. There were a few people back there, but they weren’t concerned with me at all.

  Now I really wanted to know what the men were doing, so I decided to follow all of them. I hoped they didn’t turn around and notice me. If they did, I would try to act casual, as if I wasn’t trailing them.

  What kind of trouble had Dangerfield gotten himself into this time? He was just lucky he had me to watch out for him. And he didn’t even know it. If these guys meant him any harm, I would be there to save him.

  Dangerfield turned into his office building. The men stood around for a few seconds, probably trying to figure out what to do next. They turned around and I ducked into the alleyway. I held my breath as they walked by. They were headed in the direction of Café Mojo again. I decided it would be best if I followed.

  I made it all the way back to the café without the men noticing me. I was pretty proud of that accomplishment. When they stopped at a black Ford, I stepped over behind a sign. I wasn’t sure if it would be enough to hide me, but I had few other options at the moment. They didn’t look back, so it seemed I was in the clear.

  The men climbed into the car and pulled away from the curb. I pulled out the phone from my pocket and snapped a photo. The license plate number was all I needed.

  I had a friend who could sometimes make a call and find out the info on a license plate number. But she was worried that she would get in trouble, so I didn’t want to ask just yet. If it came down to a life or death situation, I would ask
her, but right now I didn’t think it had escalated to that level. I certainly hoped that it didn’t happen. I was just glad that they hadn’t seen me. How would I find out who the men were and what they wanted with Dangerfield? What was Dangerfield into now?

  That was when I remembered the business card for the rookie cop in my purse. Officer Marquez had given me his number in case I needed anything. But I couldn’t call him up and ask for a favor when I didn’t even know him. Or could I? No, it would be the wrong thing to do. But I could ask him about the cop. Would he really give me any dirt on his partner? It was highly unlikely. Maybe I could trick the information out of him. Yeah, that plan wouldn’t work either. I wasn’t clever enough to fool him. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t try though. I’d give him a call the first chance I got.

  Chapter Six

  As I walked toward my office, I spotted a black Ford ahead. Sure, it was a common car, and that didn’t mean that it was the men who had just followed Dangerfield. What would they be doing parked in front of my office building? I didn’t know if I should continue on to my office, or turn around and run away.

  When one of the men looked in his rear-view mirror, I made my decision. I decided to run away. Well, it was more like a fast shuffle. No need to freak out the other people sharing the sidewalk with me. I turned in the direction that I’d just come from and ran as fast as I could.

  I ran for several seconds without turning around, but when I finally did look back the men weren’t back there. That was a close call. Maybe they hadn’t been after me.

  I paused on the sidewalk to catch my breath. My boss wasn’t going to be happy with me for being late yet again. That one report I’d done yesterday wouldn’t make up for this.

  I had a strange sensation that someone was watching me. I looked over my shoulder, but didn’t notice anyone paying any attention to me. When I glanced to my left, the black car with the two men had pulled right up to the curb beside me.