Can't Keep a Brunette Down (10 page)

"That's because you don't have a mean bone in your body, babe. Do you have some coffee or something?" His hands twitched. "I could use a drink that's not alcohol based."

"Water?"

He got up. "I'll stop at Café Beanz on the way back."

"On the way back where?" Her neck tingled.

"The school. I have cleaning to finish before I meet Xavier for dinner." Mick averted his gaze. "He wants to talk about the instructor's position that suddenly opened up."

Xavier, with his passion for poisons, could have easily fed Walter a tainted cup of tea, waited for the toxins to take hold, then clobbered Walter over the head and stabbed him. If Mick met him at the school alone, he could be in for the same fate.

"Xavier wants Walter's job." Gilda released a long, slow breath, not wanting to alert him to her fear. "That seems kind of ghoulish."

"I know." He frowned then scrubbed his face with both hands. "This is
not
the way things were supposed to go."

Gilda hugged her stomach and sat on the edge of the wicker chair. Xavier was both smart enough and strong enough to pull off a murder or two. "How were things supposed to go?"

"Walter was supposed to take over the Sandstone Cove school. Razi and I planned to set up a second school in Erie that he could run. I wanted to train and to worry more about the other things I was working on."

"Flipping houses."

"How did you know about that?"

Gilda doubted his new occupation had anything to do with Walter's murder anyway. "Xavier mentioned it. I was surprised you didn't tell me."

"Yeah. I've been busy."

"It's none of my business." She got up and peeked through the curtains. No sign of Gary's car or of Chloe. No one on the streets. All that moved in her yard were bees in the flowers. "So who do you think tapped your phone?"

Mick waited until he stood behind her. The length of his body warmed her back, and he leaned over her shoulder. His breath sent a shiver down her arm. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and forgot who I told what."

Likely, but that didn't explain his shaking hands or the sudden concern for his personal safety. So much for "I'm a samurai. Nothing can hurt me." That theory hadn't helped Walter any either. All thoughts of Walter disappeared when Mick's hand lit on her shoulder.

"I guess that's the problem with secrets." She wanted to melt beneath his warmth. "Did you call Chloe?"

 "No." Mick backed away and left a warm spot on her shoulder when he returned to the couch and resumed bouncing his feet on the floor. "I can't call her."

"Is everything okay? Not that I want to pry, but you just seem…off."

His gaze darted around the room. After professing his love for Chloe repeatedly over the past few months, and even taking her to Jamaica for a week, it seemed odd he was now barricaded inside Gilda's house. "Everything's fine. Just fine."

Tired of nonanswers, Gilda sighed and went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

"Are you making coffee?" Mick followed. "I could really use a cup."

She plugged in the kettle. "Chamomile tea. You're too wound up for coffee."

He paced the kitchen then wandered back to the living room window and peered through the curtains again. Even for Mick, the behavior was unusual. When Gilda brought out a bag of cookies, he shot across the room and grabbed the bag from her hands.

"Either sit down or go home. You're scaring me," she said. "Are you stoned?"

Mick sat at the table. "I haven't been taking drugs, if that's what you're asking. Although, I haven't felt right since lunch. It's like my brain turned to soup and my whole body is vibrating."

"Where did you have lunch?" She grabbed two mugs. Teacups wouldn't hold enough tea to calm him.

"At my place with Chloe. She wanted to talk, so we had a late lunch. We needed to settle some things between us and…you know." His gaze dropped.

Apparently, they'd already made up after arguing in front of the school that morning. Gilda had no right to be jealous, yet she was. "What did you eat?"

"Antipasto. Cheese. Sangria."

"I thought you didn't drink. You do know sangria is wine and fruit, don't you?"

He frowned. "Chloe said it was grape juice."

"Nobody gets drunk off grape juice." Gilda tried not to laugh while she added a teabag to each mug. "Did it taste weird?"

"How would I know?" He shot her a scowl. "I don't drink wine or sangria."

"Did it happen to taste like almonds?"

"It was sweet, and she made me eat something after every sip," he said.

"Did Chloe drink any?" she asked.

"I don't think so. I didn't notice."

Either Chloe didn't want him flat-out drunk or didn't want him to taste whatever she'd laced the sangria with. Why would his girlfriend want to drug him? If she'd wanted to kill him, she'd failed miserably. If she wanted to incapacitate him… Mick's eyelids drooped, and his head lolled to the left. Pretty close to success. So much for his dinner with Xavier.

She unplugged the kettle and led him to the living room then bent over to fluff up a cushion. "Why don't you lie down on the couch and catch a nap? I'll call Razi or Xavier to pick you up."

"Can't I just stay here? You have such a cozy place. I like your fluffy cushions." His words slurred as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. His gaze locked on hers. "Let me stay with you. At least we could protect each other from Chloe and whoever killed Walter."

"Why do we have to protect each other from Chloe?" she asked. "Is she dangerous?"

"Because I gave her back her necklace we found at the school. She said she must have lost it after class one day then got really mad when I told her you cleaned it off while I showered." He breathed in her ear. "When I told her to relax, she gave me another drink and asked me a bunch of questions."

"Questions about what?" She pulled away from him and pried his fingers off her waist.

"About you and me." He wrapped his arms around her once more. "About Walter and Jade and Yoshida. Chloe knows a lot of stuff about everyone, and she has some serious connections. That's why I need to stay with you. You're safe."

Safe. Her heart hammered. The neighbors would talk, and her mother would have their wedding planned by midnight. "That's not an option."

"Please, babe, I need you." Another kiss to her cheek. This one closer to her mouth. "You're smart. You're cute. You're sexy."

"I'm really flattered, but I'm sober, and you're…far from it." She pried his hands away and pushed him onto the couch.

Mick lay back against the cushions. "Do you think Chloe wants to kill me?"

"You'll have to ask her once you sober up," she said.

"I caught her sneaking around with Walter before he died."

"What?" Gilda's stomach lurched.

"They were in the changing room one day. I came in early to pick up some paperwork. Chloe and Walter were rolling around on the tile floor. Not the best place to do the deed if they wanted to keep things secret, but at least they weren't in the dojo."

Mouth agape, she sat on the floor next to the couch. Mick definitely had motive. "Did they know you were there?"

"Probably not."

"Were you mad?" she asked.

"Of course I was. I wanted to kill them both," he said. "I went to the bank then went to see Jade, which was a huge mistake."

"Why is that?"

"She already knew." Mick shrugged. "Apparently, Walter's had a few girlfriends around town over the years."

All the more reason for Jade and an accomplice to want to kill her husband. Much cheaper than a messy divorce. "Wasn't she mad?"

"She had an odd way of showing it." Guilt covered his face. "She took me into the hot tub to calm down…then evened the score. The woman's a freaking animal. I could hardly walk to my car when she was done with me." He stopped. "I don't suppose you needed to hear that part, did you?"

"Are you people rabbits?" Gilda grabbed the phone, unable to stomach any more information.

"Nah, but they seemed to be. Me—I'm just lonely, scared, and confused. Ever since my wife left, I…" Mick reached for her again. "Come here, babe."

"Oh no. I'm not playing that game." When she pulled away, Mick grabbed the hem of her shorts. "Chloe could have us both killed with the snap of her fingers."

Xavier wasn't home, but Razi answered on the first ring.

"Nah, she won't kill you. She likes you. Everybody likes you. But you and me, we make such a great team."

Goose bumps rippled down Gilda's spine as she pried Mick's fingers off, his hands warm against her leg. Thayer had used that exact line on her earlier. "Razi, I really need you to come to my house and pick up Sensei Mick. He's plastered."

Mick grabbed her wrist and pulled her off balance. "Come on, baby. Gimme a kiss."

"Why is Sensei Mick at your house, Miss Wright?" Razi asked. "And why does he want a baby to give him a kiss?"

"Because he's drunk, scared, and obnoxious." She shoved Mick away. "I have no idea why he's here or what he wants. I just hope he passes out soon."

"Sensei Mick rarely drinks alcohol."

"Well, apparently, he drinks a lot today." When she hung up, Mick pulled her closer. This time she didn't resist but fell against him and rested her head on his chest. When she wasn't mad at Mick, this was exactly what she dreamed would eventually happen for the past two years, yet she hoped he'd pass out soon. "Razi's coming to pick you up."

"I don't want him to pick me up. I want to stay with you." Mick pulled her head to his chest. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head for a long minute before he stopped moving and snored.

She sat up and tried to move away, only strands of her hair were tangled in his fingers. Her mom always told her to be careful what she wished for. Lesson learned. "Ouch! Geez. How'd you do that so fast?

"Man, I wish I knew what was going on with you." While Gilda untangled her hair, Mick remained asleep and peaceful. Thankfully. She went out to wait for Razi on the front steps. For a man she thought she knew so well, Mick Williams had her thoroughly confused from head to quivering toe.

 

Gilda tossed, threw all the blankets off her bed, then pulled them back on and huddled beneath them like they offered protection from her thoughts. They didn't.

Razi arrived hours ago, hauled Mick to his car, and took him home. She hadn't heard from either one since. Mick was sure everyone except Walter left the school before he did that Friday, yet someone had entered the school once he left and killed Walter. Everyone in the school knew he normally locked all the doors when he trained alone, to be completely undisturbed. He liked privacy.

As far as she knew, no one had stepped forward yet to say they'd seen anyone enter or leave the school. The only other way inside was through the back door, which couldn't be opened from the outside. Not unless someone either left it propped open or knocked loudly for someone inside to open it.

She deflated. Why hadn't she bothered to check out the back alley?

She pulled on black yoga pants and a dark hoodie in spite of the evening heat. With her thoughts moving faster than her arms, legs, or her sense of reasoning, she grabbed a flashlight off the counter. A late-night run was the last thing on her mind as she took her keys and peered out the door. No dark sedans. No yellow Ferraris.

As she blew out a breath and stuck her keys into her pocket on her way to the sidewalk, her thoughts tumbled. Keys. Who else had keys to the school? Walter. Mick. Razi. Yoshida. Herself. Did Xavier and Erik each have keys? She couldn't recall. They must.

Her pace quickened, and her thoughts tripped each other up as she ran the last block. Erik, she was positive, no longer had keys. He'd abused his privileges when he brought friends into the school one night for unauthorized training and a party. Mick was so mad he refused to let Erik set foot inside the school for over a month.

Xavier, in yet another snit about something to do with Walter, threw his keys at Mick in a rage another evening. Mick calmly picked up the keys, tossed them in a drawer, then punched a hole in his office wall.

Which brought her back to Walter.

Her shoulders tensed, and her pace slowed. Walter had sparred with a new white belt during the woman's first day in class. He threw several punches and wild spin kicks and sent the woman running out of the school, screaming. The woman and her husband, a lawyer, threatened to sue and go to the media. While Mick managed to settle things behind closed doors, there'd been tension between him and Walter ever since.

Gilda frowned. She still doubted the couple had changed their minds and walked away. When the woman signed up, she seemed to already know Walter and was wary of him from the start, which convinced Gilda there was more to the story than what Mick told her.

With the school in sight, Gilda glanced around, then snuck to the back alley and turned on her flashlight. She took a deep breath and walked down the alley toward the green rear door of the school, with one eye on the dumpster that stood between the Italian restaurant and the consignment store. Anyone, especially a killer, could use it for cover to hide behind.

The alley was darker than she'd expected since there were no streetlights. Odd. She was sure the school had a light over the back door. In fact, Xavier never failed to remind them all how he personally installed the light so he could find his car late at night. She shone the flashlight above the door. The light bulb had been smashed. The back door of the school rippled in the light like someone had made an attempt to pry it open.

Gilda shuddered. She couldn't be afraid. She had to do this alone since she didn't trust Thayer or Fabio. Nor did she want to be alone with any of the black belts, including Mick, until she had proof of their innocence in Walter's murder.

On closer examination, someone had pried the door to the point he might be able to insert a screwdriver and pop the latch open. Too bad she didn't happen to have a screwdriver handy to test her theory. The warped door, however, did nothing to make her feel safer, either inside or outside of the school.