Peril for Your Thoughts (Mind Reader Mystery) (6 page)

Now that Prissy was out of reach, Wolfgang had turned his attention on me. His enormous tongue made an appearance once more, and his entire hind end moved back and forth with the wag of his tail. His large paw scraped the ground a couple of times, making him look more like a bull than a canine, and then he charged.

Nik commanded, “Stay!” but once again the beast ignored him.

I shrieked, “Don’t let him get me!” as I backed up against the tree.

Nik slid in between us, and Wolfgang stopped short. “Hop on,” he said. I didn’t hesitate. I jumped on Nik’s back and he held on tight, keeping me behind him and Wolfgang in front. “Heel, Wolf. I mean it,” he said louder this time, and finally the dog obeyed, plopping his fanny on the ground and thumping the dirt with his tail.
You are not helping her like us any better, buddy
.

“Ya think?” I sputtered.

“Excuse me?” he asked, and I could hear the confusion in his voice.

I cleared my throat. “Do you think he will stay?”

“Sure,” he said confidently.
But for how long I have no clue
.

“Great,” I said with an entirely different meaning. “You can let me down now.”

“Oh, whoops.” He laughed and set me down, but I could feel his hesitation and regret in his every move as he let go and turned to face me.

Wolfgang jumped to his feet and started his whining again, his massive head trained on me.

I threw myself into Nik’s arms and held on tight.

“Home, Wolf! You want a treat?”

The dog’s ears perked up at the word “treat,” and he ran back to Nik’s sliding door, sitting down and waiting patiently like the most obedient good boy ever. Like he’d known all along it was only a matter of time before the detective would cave. I couldn’t help being a little impressed with the dog’s cunning way of getting exactly what he wanted—he had the detective wrapped around his big ole paw.

Nik’s arms were circled around me gently, and he was rubbing my back. When had that happened? I wondered, but then his words distracted me. “He won’t hurt you, you know.”
Dammit, what is it about you? Why do you make me want to protect you so? I don’t need this complication in my life right now,
I heard him think.

Just then I realized I was
still
in his arms, and for the first time in my life, it hadn’t been horrible. I stepped away and took a deep breath as I stared at him in wonder and shock.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.”
Everything
. Suddenly, I wasn’t afraid that the dog would hurt me, but I had a suspicious feeling that the detective just might.

Monday morning dawned stormy and cool. Not a good sign for the start of my investigation. Detective Stevens had made it clear he didn’t want Jaz or even me butting into this case. He said it was because he didn’t want us to put ourselves in danger, but I suspected the real reason was he didn’t want us to compromise his investigation. I couldn’t blame him, really. I mean, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I just knew I had to do something.

Sinfully Delicious was busy as always when I walked inside. Half the town stopped by every day for their morning coffee and pastries, both of which lived up to the name. Maria Danza really did have a gift. I ordered a cup of coffee with cream and sugar, as well as several delectable delights to bring home to Jaz. Then I wiped down a table with an antibacterial wipe from my purse, earning me a few odd stares. I ignored the looks, which I’d grown accustomed to, sat down, and sipped my coffee, waiting for a lull to question Maria.

Once the crowd died down, she headed right for my table.

“I take it since you’re still here, you want to speak with me?” Maria sat down, her black hair pulled back in a ponytail—encased in a hairnet, bless her soul—and plump rosy cheeks glowing brighter than ever. She looked cherubic, yet her eyes were full of steel. “I’m not stupid. The whole town has heard what’s happened by now. I know you and Jaz are close, so you must know we’re not exactly on friendly terms. What I don’t get is what I have to do with the situation she’s landed herself in?”

Not exactly on friendly terms? I thought. That was putting it as light as a cream puff. According to Jaz, the whole town had heard Maria vow to make Jaz pay for ruining her life. Well, the whole town except for me. If it wasn’t for Jaz, I’d be completely out of the loop since I wasn’t exactly plugged into town gossip.

“She didn’t land herself in anything,” I responded, finding it really hard not to get defensive, yet I knew that would get me nowhere. I folded my napkin into a perfect square and thought about what to say. “Look, you’re right. I know you two didn’t exactly get along, but that’s not why I’m here. Your shop is right across the street from hers. I was just wondering if you saw anything at all out of the ordinary.” That wasn’t completely a lie, and I sensed that if I didn’t come across as more friendly, then she’d probably never open up.

“Oh,” she said, sitting back and relaxing for the first time since I’d entered her shop. “Well, at that time of night, I was sound asleep at home like most respectable people would be.”

“Alone?” I regretted the words the second they slipped out. I’d simply wanted to verify her alibi, not set off the pressure cooker within her.

Her face flushed bright red, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear there was steam leaking out her ears. “I said respectable, didn’t I?” she snapped.

“Absolutely. I meant no disrespect. I just know you come from a big Italian family, kind of like my Greek clan. Just between you and me, we’re never alone, are we?”

Her face cooled a bit, and she nodded on a sigh. “Ain’t that the truth?” After shaking her head, she frowned slightly. “Back to the floozy. She doesn’t have a big family at all, yet she never lacks for company. I see men there all the time. That night was no exception. I was just getting ready to close up shop when I saw her and some big blonde guy stumble into her place. What is it with her and blondes?” she grumbled, half to herself, then continued. “Jaz has a house, but no no no. It’s bad enough she stole my man, and most of the men in town, but to bring them all back to flaunt right in front of my face is just wrong, I tell you. Flat-out wrong. No wonder she has to turn to outsiders.”

“I don’t think she’s trying to flaunt her men in front of you. She just likes the excitement of her nookie nook.”

“Her what?” Maria raised her eyebrow like she thought I was two donuts short of a baker’s dozen.

“Never mind,” I said, wanting to distract her from Jaz’s secret hideaway. “The point is Jaz bringing a man back to her store isn’t unusual. Did you happen to notice anything else that was?”

Maria shrugged. “I thought I saw a shadow peering into the storefront window, but I didn’t have my glasses on. When I finally found my glasses and looked again, there was nothing there. All I saw was the floozy come back downstairs and lock up. And then I went home.”

“Thank you for your time, Maria. The coffee was great.” I held out my hand, hating this part of my so-called gift. At least she had just washed hers.

“You’re welcome. Anything to help put the scum of this town behind bars.” She grasped my palm, and I tried not to squirm.
And by scum I mean the back-stabbing, lying, cheating whore. She deserves to be behind bars. She should have been the one to die.

I pulled my hand away, feeling uneasy by the crazed look of hatred in Maria’s eyes. Attempting to cover my abrupt gesture, I pointed to the back of her shop. “Is something burning? I think I smell smoke.”

Her eyes sprang wide. “My muffins!” She jumped to her feet and bolted to the back without another word—or thought, thank goodness!

Meanwhile, I fetched the hand sanitizer out of my purse, poured a huge amount into my palm, and scrubbed hard. Then I quickly made my escape. Once I was outside in the eerily darkening sky, I pulled my coat tighter and made my way across the street to the front of Full Disclosure.

I played Maria’s words over and over in my mind as I stared through the window much like the killer must have, and then it hit me. If she truly had seen a shadow peering into the store, then looked away, and then looked back to see Jaz lock the front door, then it was possible the shadow had already slipped inside. That was why there was no sign of a break-in. Jaz hadn’t locked up immediately. She’d told me she’d gone to her office first to disable the cameras that ran throughout the store. Jaz might like to play out her fantasies in her nookie nook, but she wasn’t a sicko, and she definitely wasn’t into taping her rendezvous.

The person who had slipped inside could have hidden while Jaz finished with the cameras and then locked up. If they’d wanted to rob the place, they could have easily taken whatever they wanted while Jaz and Darrin were preoccupied upstairs and then made their escape with no one the wiser. But the person hadn’t taken anything, except the throw pillow which could have been used to silence the gun. Looked like Jaz had a secret enemy, and I had my first clue.

And after the look I saw in Maria’s eyes, that person could be her.

Midmorning I was returning home to give Jaz her pastries and tell her what I’d discovered when I saw a truck in my spot in the driveway, right next to Jaz’s car. I parked next door in the detective’s driveway because I knew he was at work. I didn’t know for sure whom the truck belonged to, but I had a pretty good idea.

Johnny Hogan.

Unbelievable. Of all the people Jaz could call to fix the fence, she had to call Maria’s ex-boyfriend and her ex-lover. And of course he’d come running, even though it was clearly about to storm. Who in their right mind would start a fence now? He was obviously here for more than just work. Good thing Jaz didn’t have any neighbors, because if Maria found out, she’d kill Jaz for sure.

I knew what Jaz was up to. She might not want a long-term commitment because she’d seen the toll it had taken on her father, but her mother’s actions had done a number on Jaz as well. She craved attention and affection because her mother was always gone and her father was busy working. Jaz hated being alone, but calling Johnny was not the answer, especially after we’d labeled him a possible suspect. Just wait until I got her alone.

I walked out back with our treats from Maria’s, and sure enough there was Jaz, sipping her coffee and flirting shamelessly with an adoring, drooling Johnny. Today Jaz wore skin-tight yoga pants with a long-sleeve form-fitting t-shirt, her hair scooped high in a ponytail. I could smell her heady perfume from ten feet away.

Johnny had on faded worn-out jeans, work boots, and a tight T-shirt, despite the cool temperatures. His skin was a dark tanning-bed tan, and his hair a sandy surfer-style blond that made my skin burn and scalp itch over the thought of what those rays and chemicals must doing to his insides. Jaz tended to go for big blonde beefcakes. You’d think she would have learned her lesson by now. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

“Morning, John. Care for a pastry?” I asked sweetly as I held up the bag clearly labeled Sinfully Delicious, when all I really wanted to do was give him a lecture.

His eyes locked onto the bag, and his smile faded as he cleared his throat. “Ah, no thanks. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth these days.”

“Interesting,” I said.

“Not really.” Jaz glared at me. “Not everyone is into sweets.”

“Hmmm.” I took one out and nibbled daintily, worried about my arteries clogging but wanting to make a point. “I thought maybe he was on a break, with you out here talking his ear off. Are we paying him by the hour?” I fluttered my eyes innocently at Jaz, earning me a scowl from her as she huffed off back into the house, then I glanced back at the carpenter, who didn’t look happy with me. Time to change tactics. “So, how’s the fence coming? I have to say, I was surprised to see you here with the impending storm, and all.”

“Ms. Alvarez said it was an emergency. Something about a beast.” He eyed me warily and got back to work. “I think you need a bigger fence with your new neighbor sharing the yard.”

I looked next door and saw Wolfgang pawing at the sliding glass door, his long tongue hanging out as he stared at me with pleading eyes.

I dropped my half-eaten pastry back in the bag and said, “Give me the biggest one you’ve got.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Please, call me Kalli,” I said casually, trying to put him at ease. I shot a glance at the house and saw Jaz in the kitchen window doing the dishes and Prissy lounging by the window, safely inside where I longed to be, but I had a job to do. I glanced at the ominous clouds and then focused on the task at hand. “It was nice of you to come out on such short notice. You must be busy now that it’s spring.”

He shrugged a beefy shoulder. “Things are picking up, but our busiest time is summer. Besides, I figure Jaz—I mean Ms. Alvarez—has been through enough.”

“So you’ve heard.”

“Kind of hard not to in a town this small. I knew that guy she was seeing was bad news,” he said more to himself than me. “Crazy woman can’t see what she has right in front of her.”

“And what’s that?”

He blinked as though he just realized he’d spoken out loud. “Uh, you know, a successful store. Good friends. She has everything going for her right here. Why mess it up by getting involved with online dating. It’s a crazy scary world out there. She didn’t know a thing about that guy.”

“I don’t know. What do we really know about anyone? I’m sure we all have our secrets, right?” I borrowed a move from Jaz and leaned forward, giving him a coy smile and placing my hand on his forearm.

His eyebrows shot up, and he stared down at my hand, then back at me. He let his eyelids close halfway and a cockeyed grin hooked the corner of his mouth.
I came here to get even with Jaz for dumping me. Show her what she was missing out on. Maybe the best way to do that is by sleeping with her best friend. I’ve always thought all the Ballases were a little weird, but this one sure is pretty.
He flexed his pec muscles.

I gasped and dropped my hand. “You pig.”

“Excuse me?” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“I said you’re big.” I discreetly rubbed my palm on my skirt, feeling my skin crawl. “Your job must give you a great workout.”

His frown faded and a smug look swept across his overly tanned face. “It has its perks, and I have great genetics.” He took a step toward me. “Big family, big fence, big muscles … I take it you like big.”

“Big mistakes.” I wagged my finger at him as I took a step back. A streak of lightning lit up the sky. “I’ve made my share of them. I’m trying to quit.”

“If you mean quit butting your nose in my investigation, then that’s the first smart idea you’ve had all morning,” said a booming familiar voice from behind us.

I whirled around and sure enough, there stood Detective Stevens in all his naturally tanned glory, looking amazingly handsome in his sport coat and jeans. Not too big, not too small, this one was just right.

“Detective, what are you doing home?” I asked.

“Catching you red handed, apparently.” He grunted.

“What is he talking about?” Johnny looked suspiciously back and forth between us.

“I stopped home for lunch, if you must know,” the detective responded to me, “Only to find you questioning yet another person of interest. First Maria and now him? You don’t listen one bit, do you?”

“Wait, how do you know about Maria?” I asked before thinking. “I mean, I was just picking up breakfast,” I quickly added.

“I know everything,” was all he said, but his eyes screamed he knew much more than he was letting on.

Johnny dropped the piece of fence he was holding and stared at me accusingly. I didn’t need to read his mind to know he was pissed. His expression was plain as day. He knew I was using him, same as Jaz had done, and now I’d made an enemy of my own.