Saddled With Trouble (27 page)

“Cyn, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said. “It’s better this way. Makes it easier to leave. You loved your uncle and he loved you. Why wouldn’t you assume the worst of me?” Michaela tried to apologize again, but Cynthia shrugged her off. “I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. I’m leaving next week.”

Michaela nodded and left her uncle’s home—
her
home, feeling like a real jerk and knowing she’d lost a friend.

THIRTY-FIVE

SAM SHOWED UP AT MICHAELA’S PLACE RIGHT AT seven A.M. She’d had enough time to feed and pack after getting up early. She hadn’t slept well; the confrontation with Cynthia still weighed on her. She was just finishing out at the barn when Sam got out of his truck and asked to use her restroom. “I figure long ride, better go.”

“No problem. It’s the first left down the hall. Use the kitchen door. It’s unlocked. In fact, do you mind grabbing my stuff? It’s right there next to the door, and then lock the bottom lock? Camden might be up, but I doubt it, and I don’t want to leave it unlocked.”

She thought about Brad, and about Camden punching him. If he was the scumbag Michaela thought he was, then locking the door for her friend was prudent. After riding Booger home last night, she’d called Davis to tell him about her talk with Dwayne and what she thought Brad had done. She had to leave a message. Then, when she checked her messages on the house phone, he’d left her one saying that his daughter had broken her ankle at ballet class and that he was in the emergency room with her. She tried his cell, but it went to voicemail. She’d call again during the drive to Vegas and tell him about Brad, as well as check up on his daughter. Poor kid. What a bummer.

While Sam used the bathroom, Michaela locked up her office and then walked around the back of the trailer to make sure all the latches were securely locked down. She was sure Sam had already done so, but it was a habit. When she’d been a kid, her dad had forgotten to lock the latch on the trailer and it flew open while they were on the highway, nearly causing an accident. Thank God there weren’t any horses on board. They were on their way to pick up a few, just as she and Sam were today. It turned out to be a good thing that she checked the latch, because she could see that one of them wasn’t down all the way. She retrieved a hammer from her office and locked up again. Then she pounded the latch down. Once done, she climbed into the truck as Sam appeared. She put the hammer in the side pocket of the truck, figuring it would be good to have once they loaded the horses. The damn latch was tough to get down even with the hammer.

Sam handed her the overnight bag. “Thanks,” she said.

“No problem. This is good of you to come out with me like this. I feel so bad for Dwayne, you know. Guy is heart-broken. Tol’ me to go watch some of the events tonight. Gave me rodeo tickets. He’s a good man. Don’t deserve this. He did not do anything wrong.”

“I’m glad and I can go with you and help out.”

* * *

MICHAELA KNEW SAM WAS A TALKER. BUT GOODNESS, who knew he could carry on for hours! He talked about the rodeo, horses, Hawaii, girls he’d loved, and of course good food. He was still talking over halfway into their six-hour ride.

“Man, tough week, huh? Losing Lou and then Bean. It’s hard to lose loved ones.”

“It sure is. Dwayne mentioned that you lost your mother a couple years ago. The other night at the Chinese restaurant when you mentioned your folks, I guess I thought they were both still living.”

“Nah. My mom died, but you know, I still sometimes think she’s around. Too bad. She a good woman. She didn’t have much love for me though.”

His words caught her by surprise. “Why?”

“Oh you know, I be a big disappointment to my folks. Say I got no motivation. I got to follow my cousin and not be my own man.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. But I’m good. It’s not true. I got plenty motivation. Like I say, I want to start my own luau now. I could have done it already, if my mom left me some money.”

“She didn’t leave you anything?”

“Nah. All go to Dwayne. But I get it. He a good guy and helps me out. He could have helped me out to get my restaurant back on Maui, but you know he believe my folks saying I no good with the green stuff. That’s fine. I find a way. I think we gonna have to get some gas.”

Sam pulled off at the next exit and filled the truck. “You need to go to the bathroom?”

“No. I’m good.”

“Want a Coke or something?”

“Water. Thanks.”

“Yep. You mind getting my meds out of the glove compartment? I gotta take some now.”

“Sure.”

She watched as Sam entered the convenience store. That must have been tough growing up in Dwayne’s shadow. But Sam seemed to have a good attitude about it. Still, she could sense there was some pain. Maybe he’d stuffed it all down— literally. She was aware that eating the way Sam did could sometimes be due to painful emotions. Maybe she could get him to talk some more. It might make him feel better.

She opened the glove box and took out the pill container. “Topomax?” She’d never heard of the medication but then, she didn’t have diabetes and didn’t know anyone else who did. She read the label, which contained an alcohol warning, and she noticed that the prescription was from a Dr. Verconti. Wait. That was the same doctor who’d prescribed the Ativan for Uncle Lou. The pill pusher. Sam must have recommended him. She’d definitely be asking him what he knew about her uncle’s anxiety issues again. Sam had told her that Lou needed a vacation, but it looked to her like he knew more, especially if he’d told Uncle Lou to call this doc.

Sam was walking back to the truck when her cell rang. Joey said, “I got some info for you. And you ain’t gonna like it.”

Sam climbed into the truck and she handed him the pills. He swallowed one and pulled back onto the highway. She smiled at him and pointed to the phone. He nodded. “What do you mean, I’m not going to like it?” she asked.

“Get this. The checks were all being transferred from a Washington Mutual account in your uncle’s name into an account with The Los Angeles Grand Cayman Trust company. And, let me tell you, that place is hush-hush. All transfers were made online. But I got a cousin who has a friend who’s married to the sister of one of the bigwigs at that trust company. That’s how I got this info.” Thank God for Joey and the million cousins. “The account at WAMU was set up online, like I suspected, but you can’t do that with the trust company. They do banking in large sums. They have the L.A. branch, but all deposits wind up in the Caymans and it’s under Cayman law once the money is out of the United States, which means no taxes and very difficult to trace.”

“You say you can’t open an account online with them?”

“Nope. You got to go in and do it. Your friend Dwayne may not be the one who put this thing together. Everything I’ve been able to find says his hands are clean on this. But his cousin, Sam, he’s one bad dude. He’s the one who opened the account. And get this: The guy did time a while back on the islands for forging bad checks and for identity theft. He knows what he’s doing.”

Michaela gasped. “Are you sure about this?” Sam glanced at her. She mustered a smile. Oh no, what if he could hear their conversation? She tried to adjust the volume on the phone.

“Positive. That guy has stolen over half a million dollars from your uncle. You better call the police and tell them, ’cause I’m betting he’s planning to get the hell out of Dodge soon. Looks like he made another transfer yesterday, and he bought a ticket from Vegas to the Caymans. Know what else? That dude caught a flight from Vegas at 11:30 the night before your uncle was murdered. Got him into John Wayne Airport a little after midnight. Then he caught a flight back to Vegas the next morning. Early. At seven. He was back in Vegas before eight that morning.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yep. You better find that guy.”

“Already have, Mom. Thanks for telling me. I’ll take care of it when I get back. I’m actually on my way to Vegas to pick up some horses. You know Sam Yamiguchi, right?”

“Mick? Did you here what I just said. What the hell is wrong with you?” Joey asked.

“Yeah,
that
Sam. Anyway, I’m with him and I’ll be back in town tomorrow, so maybe I can stop by and see you and Dad then.”

“Oh, shit. You’re with Sam right now?”

“I am. Yep. Like I said, be back tomorrow and I’ll stop by. Maybe you can make some of those cookies I like. You know, the ones you gave to Detective Davis the other day.”

“You want me to call this Davis?”

“That would be good. Well, I better go. We’re traveling through the Mojave now.”

“Got it. Be careful. I’m on it.”

“Love you, too, Mom.” She flipped the phone shut and sat back in the chair. Sam eyed her again and smiled. She smiled back, knowing she was stuck in a truck in the middle of the Mojave Desert with a killer.

THIRTY-SIX

KEEP HIM TALKING. THINK. GOT TO THINK AND act normal. Okay.

“Your ma, huh?”

“Yeah.” She tried hard to sound light, but she could hear the strain in her voice. Did Sam wonder about it? Had he overheard Joey on the other end of the phone? “She’s been trying to learn financial stuff, you know. With Uncle Lou dying, she figured it was time for her to get a grip, in case something happened to my dad. She doesn’t know how to open an account, if you can believe that.”
Keep it light
. “My dad and I told her she should learn how to do those things. Funny she had no clue that you can open bank accounts online.”

Was he buying this? She sure hoped so. All she had to do was make it to Vegas. She didn’t think he planned to kill her. Why do that? He only wanted to get out of town, and she probably made a good cover for him. Dwayne obviously had no clue what his cousin was capable of. Man, she was scared, because if Sam found out that she was on to him, all bets would be off. She eyed the hammer in the side pocket next to her seat.

“Oh, yeah? Huh.”

“So, your luau idea sounds great. I was wondering why you didn’t ask my uncle for a loan when the opportunity came about. He might have given it to you.”

“I think that, too. But you know, I ask him and he tell me no. Say he like me and all, but Dwayne tell him I better off training horses than running a business. Lou tol’ me that he not in the restaurant biz, but in the horse biz and a man got to make his own way.”

“Yes, my uncle was a practical man.” She was pretty sure now that she understood Sam’s motive for killing her uncle and for setting up the breeding scheme— all in the name of revenge. The money didn’t hurt either, especially since it looked as though Sam figured he was going to make his way to the Caymans or wherever and enjoy it. The guy did more than stuff his anger away. He’d let it stew, and he’d carefully planned this all out until the timing was right. “That was what, a couple of years ago, you could have bought into the luau?”

“Sure was. But like I said, no worries. I’ll have my place.”

She changed the subject. “My friend Camden is flying out today. Good thing it’s a short flight to Vegas. She wanted to go to Ethan’s wedding.”

He shook his head. “Big mistake. Big one on Ethan’s part.”

She couldn’t argue with that. Her stomach hurt badly, and she could feel her shirt sticking to her back from perspiration.
Keep him talking
. “You see Dr. Verconti? I saw it on the pills. I think my uncle was seeing him for his memory problems.”

“I told him he was a good doc. His old doc say there was nuthin’ wrong with his mind.”

“What did you think?”

“I think you full of shit.”

Her back stiffened. “What?”

He pressed down on the automatic locks. “Your mom got a deep voice.”

So, her cell phone wasn’t as good as she’d hoped. “My . . . dad got on the phone for a minute.”

Sam pressed down on the gas. “You a poor liar. I notice the way you talk to whoever on the phone; it wasn’t your mom. I listen, and I know I hear a man’s voice. Then you try to turn down the volume. I’m not stupid.”

“Sam, I have no idea what you’re carrying on about.” She shifted uncomfortably against the leather seats.

Sam took the next exit off the freeway. He barely slowed down on the exit ramp. She thought about trying to jump out. When he did slow down to turn the corner, heading south, he grabbed her arm, holding tight. His grip burned. He was strong.
Really strong
. Michaela’s adrenaline pumped. She had to do something. “Sam? We’re friends. We’ve been friends for a long time.”

“We not friends. I don’t have friends. I look out for me. It always be that way. I tried to make friends. Dwayne, Lou, Bean, even your jackass ex-husband. But no. No friends. People screw you. All the time.”
“That’s why you did it then, huh? Killed my uncle? Because you thought he screwed you out of having your own restaurant?” There was no use in faking it any longer. He knew and she knew that the truth had been exposed. How she’d missed it that Sam was the one all this time, she didn’t know.

“Yeah. Your uncle, even Dwayne could’ve helped me out. But no. They like my parents: tight. Don’t believe in me. I been planning this for some time. Ever since they both say no. I figure, fine. I get the money and start my place somehow. Then I learn how to do it. The breedings. I was in Ohio with Dwayne at the Quarter Horse Congress when I met some people looking for a good stud. I got their numbers. Told them I’d have Lou call. There’s others, too.” He paused. “Lot of money in good horses. I didn’t want to kill Lou. I made more money stealing from him. I only want to frame him and Dwayne for fraud. Get them in trouble. Let them see how it feels to have people look at you with distrust. Lou would have lost his license. Dwayne would have never been able to show his face in the quarterhorse world again, or Lou either.”

“So why? Why did you kill him, then? If all you planned to do was frame him for stealing?”

He made another turn and drove down a narrow dirt road, heading straight into the desert. “Because Lou figure it out. When we got to Vegas with the horses, me and Dwayne, we unloaded them. We went to our hotel and the bar downstairs, had a few drinks. Some hooker came onto Dwayne and he left with her. Good friend, huh? Good cousin! But he also forgot his cell phone, and it rang. I saw it was Lou. I answered and pretended I was Dwayne.”