Can't Keep a Brunette Down (25 page)

"At least leave your drink here." Mick chased her through the shrubs and grabbed her hand. "We don't want to give Thayer a legitimate reason to throw you in jail."

"Fine," she said.

Mick pulled her back through the greenery then set both their bottles around the corner. He dropped his arm across Gilda's shoulders. "You, my dear, are enough to make a man drink some days. Most days, actually."

"I know more about you than most people do, so don't blame your drinking on me." She pushed through the rhododendrons. "How long have you known Xavier's an alcoholic?"

"I've tried to get him help, but he keeps going back for more," he said. "He's never come to the school drunk, or I'd kick him out. I should have kicked him out a long time ago."

"You think? It's no worse than covering up Walter's past." She snorted then turned to face him. "No, actually, they're both really bad. What on earth were you thinking?"

"That I need people who are good at karate even though they've made bad decisions," Mick said. "Those weren't my calls to make. Don't you think I want our karate school to have the best instructors possible?"

Dizzy, she closed her eyes, sure the world was spinning around her. There was no way Razi had drugged her, since he'd opened her drink in front of her. "Yoshida overruled you."

"Damn straight he did. If I didn't go along with his demands, I'd lose the school." He cradled her chin between his finger and thumb and pressed his forehead to hers. "Please, do us all a favor and don't ask any more questions. Razi and Xavier are good men, and I'd trust each of them with my life."

Glad to know she wasn't alone, Gilda met his gaze. "I still want to go home."

"I know you do." When he kissed her, he tasted like beer with a hint of mint gum. Just when her knees threatened to buckle, he inched away but remained close enough to probably feel the burst of heat surging through her body. "Come on, Sherlock. Let's get you home."

She hesitated, temporarily disoriented, until he steered her to the sidewalk. The kiss had altered her senses, dulling them drastically, and wiped her mind blank. What had she been so worried about again?

"You got quiet." Mick gave her hand a squeeze as they approached the beach. "Did I miss something?"

She waited for the tingling in her fingers and toes to subside. "No."

"I'm sorry about what happened back there. I wouldn't have brought you if I'd known that was going to happen."

"The kiss?" She was breathless.

"I meant with Xavier," he said. "Is that what's bothering you? Me kissing you?"

A surge of heat rose inside of her. "No. Xavier. Of course."

"Liar." Mick nudged her off the sidewalk toward the lake.

"What are you doing?" Panic swallowed her whole. "Just take me home."

"I will. In a bit." He led her to the edge of the water where the waves rolled in and crested with little caps of foam.

Her flip-flops filled with grit, she kicked them off and picked them up with two fingers. The sky darkened beyond the usual velvety black, which meant they would have another half hour or so before the rain hit. At least her garden would be happy and full of snails by morning.

"What are we doing down here?"

Mick tossed his towel onto the sand then took off his shoes. "Going for a swim."

"I don't want to swim." She clung to her flip-flops. "I want to go home."

"Exactly my point."

Gilda's jaw dropped. "Are you drunk?"

He locked her in the circle of his arms with clasped hands. "No. All I had was what I drank at Razi's tonight with you. Look, I know you think I'm insincere, unreliable, and do nothing but drive you crazy—"

"Sometimes." She was too nervous to look him in the eyes. What was he up to? "Most times."

"—but I've been trying to pour my heart out to you for the past year. Just like I finally did the other night."

Yes, and she'd mistaken his flirtations for teasing until he finally kissed her. "You mean when I kicked you?"

"Yeah." He shook with a stifled laugh. "That was a very good kick, by the way. I'd like to see you do that in class. Just not to my groin."

Her face burned. "Thanks, but what does all this have to do with me going for a swim?"

"Dive in, Sherlock." Mick moved her hands to his shoulders and pulled her closer until every curve of their bodies seemed to touch. "Take a chance."

Gilda's breath came in a shudder. She didn't want to get her hopes up. "How am I supposed to trust you? I already know you too well. The ex-wife. The girlfriends. The gambling. Yoshida."

"I know," he said. "I'm not the greatest catch in town, am I?"

She laid her head on his chest. "And you think I am? I'm the crazy woman who beat up Thayer and aggravates Yoshida."

"Which makes you definitely worth the frustration, in my book." He gave her another squeeze. "You ready to go for that swim?"

"You're serious?"

"Completely," he said. "What do you say? Are you coming with me?"

"Definitely." She tossed her flip-flops onto the sand, then tugged her towel off her hips and walked into the water with him as the incoming storm blew the waves higher.

 

Mick was long gone by the time Monday morning rolled around and the storm had ended. He'd walked her home in the pouring rain, helped towel try her hair, then left around midnight. His musky scent, a remnant from the long, lingering kisses he'd left her with, stayed with her until well after dawn when sleep finally found her.

Still smiling, she pressed her black dress and hung it in the bathroom, then sat on the front step with her coffee and listened to the mourning doves. What the hell did she think she was doing? Mick was the worst possible man for her to get involved with. She knew that, so why didn't her hormones? Sure, he was handsome and built like a marble statue, but still…

"You look like a cat that swallowed a whole bottle of cream." Thayer walked through her front gate. A scowl darkened his face as he sat next to her on the step. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Heat burned her chest and radiated upward to the roots of her hair.

"That's an awfully bright color for nothing." Fabio, carrying a tray with three cups of coffee, joined them. He checked the cups then handed her the one with a big black
G
on the white lid. "Vanilla latte. I had the girl froth the milk and add cinnamon and chocolate curls."

"How thoughtful," she said. "Are you here to arrest me or something? If you want to ask questions, we can go downtown."

"Now that sounds like something straight out of a gangster movie." Thayer grabbed his coffee, which sloshed onto his right hand and shirt cuff. He frowned, juggled the cup to his left, and wiped his right hand on his pants. The hot coffee left an angry red mark behind. "Where were you last night? We stopped by to talk to you, but you were gone."

"Staff meeting." She sipped the coffee and got a mouthful of mostly foam and cinnamon. "Things are a little crazy at the school lately. Mick wanted to make sure we were all on the same page."

"With each other, or with the police?" he asked. "We checked the school to look for Xavier, but no one was there. I think Mick wanted to close ranks against us."

Fabio rolled his eyes and indicated the porch swing. "Do you mind if we sit up there? My sciatica's acting up. That storm kept me up half the night."

"No problem." Gilda and Fabio sat on the swing and left Thayer the wicker chair with the lumpy cushion.

When Fabio took the lid off his cup, froth clung to the inside. "I imagine the deaths of two instructors is causing a bit of an uproar. It can't be easy to go to work every day."

"No, it's not." She blinked back tears.

"Do you have any suspects in mind?" Fabio asked. At least he tried to befriend her, not like Thayer, who barged into her life and offended everyone, mostly her.

"Not really," she said.

Thayer snorted. "Sure she does. She's probably got a ton of evidence against Mick but won't turn it over because she's in love with him and doesn't want to lose her job."

Of course she didn't want to lose her job, but in love with Mick? Gilda wasn't ready to make that leap and refused to let him goad her. She sipped her coffee and scalded her tongue but refused to let him see her pain.

"She already gave us the evidence she found, remember?" Fabio said. "Why don't you go down to the beach and see if anyone there saw anything strange Thursday night or Friday?"

Thayer grumbled but rose and sauntered to the gate. "Don't think I don't know you're trying to get rid of me."

Gilda smirked. "He never seems to know when I'm trying to get rid of him."

Fabio waited until Thayer was several houses away before he sat back and turned his full attention on Gilda. "Some days he's smarter than he looks. You're lucky you got away before you were stuck with him for good. I have to work with him until the chief ships him off to Alaska or the Everglades."

"I'd really work on that if I were you," she said.

"I know you and Mick work together, and it's hard not to be loyal." He sipped his coffee. "Mick and I trained together for years, both karate and at the gym. When I got shot, he made sure I had what I needed. I know there's no way he'd murder anyone."

Tears blurred her vision. Finally something about Mick she didn't know. "So who's on your suspect list then?"

"Aside from everyone in town? Razi and Xavier are at the top of my list, but I hoped you could tell me more about Yoshida. I stopped training with him a long time ago."

"Yoshida? Seriously?" Her eyes widened. "Was he always so strange?"

Fabio shifted his weight, rocking the swing. "From what I hear lately, he's got a few more screws loose than he did back then. I know he's been hanging around Sandstone Cove more than usual since his wife dumped him six months ago. Any idea why?"

"Chloe told me she ran into him in the store." She hesitated.

"Relax, Gilda," he said. "I really don't suspect you of anything either. Well, not unless you're dating Yoshida. I don't think you're seeing anyone, are you?"

"No." Not unless hanging out with Mick at the beach last night and running home in the rain with him counted? Probably not. It wasn't like they did anything but talk or swim—her face warmed—and kiss several times.

"I'm sure the right guy will come along soon enough." He patted her knee and winked.

"Are you trying to set me up?" she asked.

Fabio grinned. "Just giving unwanted advice."

"Is that why you're really here?" She sipped and savored her latte. She'd have to remember to put cinnamon and chocolate in her lattes more often.

"I want to know who's on your short list. Two of your coworkers were murdered. I assume you have a few ideas about who would want them dead."

Gilda's stomach churned. "I thought I did, but now I'm not sure of anything. Everything I thought I knew about everyone was way off base. I don't even know if I can go back to the school after this past Friday."

"I'm sure no one would hold that against you." He studied her. "Who gave you the shiner and fat lip the other day?"

"Yoshida." She winced. "We did
kumite
in our workshop Tuesday. Ask Mick."

"I'm guessing that's who tagged Mick's face as well."

"Yoshida lost it." The memory sent shivers up her arms. "He came to spar me then went completely nuts. Mick stepped in. I should've been able to fight back, but the look in Yoshida's eyes scared me. It was like he was possessed or something."

"Possessed or stoned?"

She froze. "I don't think he does drugs. Does he?"

"Just a story I heard at Happy's. Something Marion Yearly told Happy." He paused. "How well do you know Marion?"

"She's one of my best friends and took me to the hospital when I got hit on the head. Chances are, if it was something serious, she would know. Of course, if it was gossip, she'd know that too."

"Good to know. Would you do me a favor? If you hear anything or find out anything else, let me know." He handed her a card. "My number's on the back. Don't worry about Thayer. I'll deal with him."

"Sure." She stared at the card.

"Keep in mind, if you're keeping things from either one of us, we may have to arrest you for your own protection. I'd really hate to see you behind bars, though. Just make sure whoever you're protecting is worth it."

Gilda sucked in a sharp breath. "What makes you think I'm protecting anyone?"

"Call it a hunch." He patted her leg again and pushed to his feet. "I hope you know exactly what you're doing, honey. By the way, tell Mick to work on his back stroke next time you two go for a midnight swim."

 

Erik lay in his casket Monday afternoon looking more like an elegant mannequin than a corpse. He was the best-looking dead guy she'd ever seen. The makeup artist at the funeral home must have had a crush on him. His funeral was far different from Walter's. The crowd at Walter's service was older, more refined. Most people who came to say good-bye to Erik were younger, more beautiful, and spent more time texting than talking. Across the room, his stepmom held his younger sister, a teenager with heavy black makeup streaked across her face, while his dad, with a frozen smile, greeted people.

Gilda sat on a pew, her heart heavy. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. Her friends and coworkers were supposed to drop dead after long lives of hard training and making her life miserable. Even Erik.

"I thought he was moving to his mom's place," said a tall, blonde woman in a black dress, which barely concealed all her assets. She stood with two men and a woman. All four wore pouts and could have been posing for a magazine cover rather than attending a funeral.

"He was." A dark-skinned man wearing a dark shirt and a thick gold chain shifted his weight. His gaze darted toward the casket. "He said he told off his boss at the moving company and couldn't wait to tell Mick to kiss his lily-white butt before he left town."

A raven-haired woman laughed. "Oh please. Mick's a pussycat. Did anybody see that creepy old dude he did karate with? He's the one I'm worried about. Did you hear how he beat Erik up after we had that party at the school? The dude was livid."