Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 3) (10 page)

“
Did he ever help the woman?” I asked.

“
I don't think so. But I'll never forget the desperate look on her face that day she came to our house.”

“
If Dennis had fathered her daughter, why didn't she just bring him to court to get some money?” I asked. “He should have been responsible for child support at the very least.”

“
I don't know why. My dad was a master manipulator. Maybe he'd threatened her in some way. She never came around again, but a few years later, I remember seeing her face on the news. It was definitely her, I'm positive.”

“
Why was she on the news?”

“
Because she'd committed suicide by jumping off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa. I blamed my dad for her death, and I blame him for killing my mother with his cigarettes. Who knows how many other women he knocked up and had kids with? How many step-siblings do I have out there in the world?”

“
Did you ever tell your brother about the woman?”

“
Yes. He was away at college at that point, and he didn't seem to care if it was true or not.”

A minute or so passed, neither of us saying anything. Finally, she looked up, wiped her eyes, and said, “So that guy who came to my apartment and was looking through my things, he's with you?”

“
Yeah. His name's Carter.”

“
So is he your partner or something?”

I nodded. “I suppose the cops are still looking for him.”

“
I guess. I might have overreacted with the knife. Is he okay?”

“
He'll live.”

Angela sighed. “So you have no idea who blackmailed Brook, do you?”

I shrugged. “Not yet, but Carter might have a lead. I should probably go.”

She grabbed the knife still lying on the seat, latched it closed, and slipped it into her jeans pocket. She opened the door, got out, and walked over to my opened window. “When you're done working for Brook, maybe you'd be interested in another case?”

“
Like what?”

“
I'd like to hire you to find someone for me. My half-sister, the daughter of the woman who killed herself. Would you be interested?”

“
Why?” I asked. “What do you plan to do?”

“
Not sure, exactly. I'm not even sure she's still alive, but I feel like, if she is, maybe I can help her. Maybe she needs money or … whatever. I want to make up for what my dad
should
have done. With some of the money from his estate, I could do a lot for her.”

“
Sure, I'd be happy to take the case,” I said “I'll contact you once I'm done with Brook's business.”

“
Thanks.”

As Angela walked off, I said, “By the way, do you happen to remember the woman's name who jumped off the bridge?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I wrote it down when I saw it on the news and I've never forgotten. Her name was Charlotte Healy.”

Chapter 19

As I drove North on Route one, my heart was beating so fast that I realized I was going twenty-five miles over the speed limit. I took my foot off the gas and slowed, trying to calm the nervous energy rushing through my body. The same question kept circling around in my head: was it possible that Charlotte Healy was Jennifer's mother?

All the clues fit perfectly. Max mentioned in confidence that Jennifer's mother had committed suicide, and that her father was never around. Apparently, she never even knew who her father was.

If Dennis Foster really was Jennifer's father, it would certainly explain why she had become so distraught over his death. And it would certainly explain her rejecting Andrew's romantic advances. He was her
half-brother
for crying out loud. Gross!

And yet, even with this profound revelation, I had more questions than answers.

Like, why would Jennifer get a job as Dennis's personal assistant? Why not just confront him and tell the truth? Was she afraid that he'd reject her? Deny that he ever slept with her mom? Or maybe Jennifer planned to tell him later, after developing his trust.

I had to force myself to concentrate on the road, afraid a cop might pull me over for erratic driving.

I took a deep breath, telling myself I'd get to the bottom of this Jennifer Healy ordeal as soon as my job with Brook was done.

The address where Carter wanted to meet up was an apartment complex called Flamingo Court. The outdated architecture and sparse landscaping reminded me of an old motel from the fifties. There were about twelve units on one level, and no security to speak of.

I noticed Carter parked across the street so I pulled in behind him.

I slipped into his passenger seat. He held a pair of binoculars to his face, aimed at one of the units.

“
So why are we here?” I asked impatiently. “What have you found out?”

Truth was, I didn't even care about Brook's stupid blackmail job anymore. I'd come to despise Brook – and Dennis, for that matter. I didn't even care about the advance. I'd gladly give it all back, to have Brook out of my life. But there was Carter to think about. He had flown all the way to Florida for this job. I would never ask him to drop a case without good reason.

Carter finally set the binoculars in his lap and smiled at me. “The woman in the photo, from the airport, with the brown hair who we thought might have been Angela wearing a wig.”

“
You found her?”

“
No, Sarah. She has nothing to do with the money drop.”

I scratched my head, thoroughly confused. “Okay. So who've you been spying on?”

He handed me the binoculars. “Look into the window of number thirteen. Does she look familiar to you?”

Peering through the lenses, I could see a dark-skinned woman with curly black hair wearing a pink mumu. Yes, she looked familiar, but where and when had I seen her before? I lowered the binoculars. “Who is she?”

He paused for effect. “The janitor at the airport who cleaned the restroom. Her name is Maria Tanner. I've spent the past twenty minutes looking into her life. Even called her employer. She works at the airport as a part-time janitor, usually the night shift from midnight to five in the morning, but on the day of the money drop, she'd traded hours with another coworker. And the fact that she lives in the same apartment complex as Vivian and Roy can't be a coincidence.”

I took a moment to wrap my brain around the possibility. “So you think Roy is the blackmailer?”

Carter chuckled. “Why not? He could have had a spare key to the office. Maybe he suspected that his wife had something going on and went to see for himself.”

“
But Vivian told us that he'd become outraged if he ever found out she was sleeping around. Vivian would have sensed something was up.”

“
Maybe he had a better plan.”

I placed the binoculars in Carter's lap and ran through a scenario. “So he takes some pictures with his cell phone, but instead of confronting his wife, he comes up with this blackmail scheme?”

Carter shrugged. “Maybe he's friends with his neighbor Maria, and one night over a few beers, he convinces her to help out for a little easy cash.”

“
Okay,” I said. “But wouldn't Vivian know if her husband had money all of a sudden?”

“
My guess is, Roy's been hiding the money. Think about it, if he told Vivian what he'd done, she might go and tell Brook. And Brook would put two and two together. And then he'd be looking at jail time. No, I think he's playing it smart, until he decides what to do. Maybe he's planning to file for divorce.”

“
Even if this is true, how are we going to prove it? If we're wrong and Roy is
not
involved, then we might get Vivian in trouble.”

Carter pointed a finger toward the pink condo unit. “We need to find a way to get Maria to talk to us. Maybe we can trick her into admitting something.”

“
You have an idea in mind?”

He reached over to grab his cell phone from the dashboard. “I could give her an anonymous call. Tell her I know about the money and see how she reacts. My feeling is that she'll panic and contact Roy, hopefully in person since Vivian is at work. I think that will be proof enough to satisfy Brook.”

“
So you know that Roy is home?”

Carter gestured to the Honda motorcycle parked in the lot adjacent to the Flamingo Court. “That's his bike. He should be here.”

I leaned back into the car seat and closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them, Carter was staring at me with a mildly concerned expression.

“
Max still hasn't called, has he?” he asked.

“
No, but there's something else. I'd rather not discuss it right now. I need time to think about it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Does it have to do with Jenn and Max?”

“
Sort of.” I sighed heavily as I focused my attention on the pink condo across the street. “Which is why we need to get this case solved for Brook, so I can move on to more important things.”

Carter smiled as he held up his phone. “So you like my idea?”

I nodded. “Go ahead, make the call.”

He put the phone on speaker and dialed Maria's number.

She answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

Carter cleared his throat. “Is this Maria Tanner?”

She paused. “Why, yes it is. Who's this calling?”

“
My name in not important, Ma'am,” Carter said with a faint southern drawl to imitate the woman's own inflection. “But I suggest you listen very carefully. Are you listening?”

Another pause and she stammered. “Is … is this some kind of prank call?”

“
No, Ma'am,” Carter said. “This is not a prank call. What this is, Maria, is a chance to redeem yourself. I know about the money. I know you did it. And you better get ready to contact a lawyer because you're in deep shit.”

The woman gasped, then cleared her throat nervously. “Uh, what the hell you talk'n bout?”

“
You know what I'm talking about,” Carter said slowly, confidently. “We have you on security camera to prove what you did. We know someone put you up to it. Tell us who it is, and we'll leave you alone. If you refuse to cooperate, you can expect a visit from the police very soon.”

She remained silent on the other end. Through the binoculars, I could see her anxious face in the window, searching the neighborhood. I prayed she wouldn't spot us.

“
Are you there, Maria?” Carter asked, keeping all emotion out of his voice. “Time is running out.”

Another long pause, until finally she said with a quiver in her voice, “Whoever you are, go to hell. I ain't done noth'n wrong.” She ended the call.

Carter smiled at me. “Now we wait to see what she does. Keep your eyes on her.”

“
She's calling someone,” I said, peering through the binoculars again. “And she's agitated. Whoever she's talking to is getting an earful. Damn it, I wish I could read lips.”

“
At least we know she's involved.”

“
She's off the phone now and it looks like she's getting ready to leave. Just grabbed her keys and a handbag.”

Maria emerged from her apartment still wearing the pink mumu. She marched over to a Ford Fiesta and squeezed her large body inside.

Carter started the engine and shifted the gear to drive. He pulled onto the street behind her, following at a safe distance.

“
Where's she going?” I asked. “I thought you said Roy was home.”

“
He is,” Carter replied. “Maybe she thought it'd be safer to meet him somewhere other than the apartment.”

I glanced behind as the Flamingo Court apartment building complex faded into the distance. If Roy was on his way, he was taking his sweet time.

We continued to follow Maria's Fiesta, keeping a few cars behind her most of the time. She zipped in and out of traffic like a race car driver, but Carter kept up with no problem, skillfully blending in with the traffic so as not to arouse suspicion.

Maria finally pulled into a gas station and parked to the side. Carter drove past, and turned into a pawn shop. After he parked on the opposite side of the building, we got out of the car and quickly made our way behind the gas station building.

Maria sat in her car. Her chest was so massive, it practically rested on the steering wheel. Her face was contorted in anguish as she tapped her fingers nervously on the dashboard.

“
Get your cell phone camera ready,” Carter said to me. “A blue Honda just pulled up next to her on the other side.”

I fumbled to find my phone in my purse and grasped it just in time. When I looked up, the person in the Honda emerged and swiftly ducked into the passenger seat of Maria's Fiesta, unseen. Adjusting the zoom on my camera, I tried to focus in. My hands were a little shaky from all the excitement, but I managed to click off multiple shots in succession. “I need to get closer,” I said. “Can't get a clear view of Maria's passenger.”

“
Never mind that,” Carter said, gesturing for me to follow him. “It's time to end this charade.”

He casually strolled over to the two vehicles, with me trailing behind.

Carter abruptly slammed his palm on the hood of the Fiesta, startling the two passengers in the front seat. Maria and Vivian both looked up at us through the windshield, eyes wide and terrified.

“
Out of the car, ladies,” Carter yelled to them. “Let's all of us have a friendly chat, shall we?”

Vivian covered her face with trembling hands; she must have realized the jig was up. But Maria's face erupted into a stubborn grimace. Carter circled around to the passenger door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He tapped a finger on the window to get Vivian's attention. “C'mon,” he said to her. “Let's not make this any harder than it has to be.”

Vivian kept her head down, refusing to look him in the eye.

I stayed at the front of the car, keeping an eye on Maria. I had no idea what she'd do, but by the determined expression on her face, she wasn't going to surrender easily.

I took a deep breath and walked over to her open window. I leaned over, resting a hand on the door. I could smell the sweat from inside the car. It turned my stomach, but I made an effort to smile anyway.

“
I can understand why you guys did it,” I said, hoping to set their nerves at ease. I was their friend, now. They could trust me. “And honestly,” I continued. “I don't blame you for taking advantage of Brook. I don't much like her myself. But Carter and I have a job to do, and that's to find the truth. If that's not an option, then I'm afraid the cops will have to get involved, and then who knows … you both could be looking at jail time. I know you don't want that, and neither do we, so I suggest we all sit down and come to an understanding. If you give Brook her money back, perhaps she'll be inclined to drop the whole thing and we can all move on with our lives. If you try to run, believe me, Brook has the resources to hunt you down. Who wants to live like that?”

The two women looked at each other, then back to me. Vivian cleared her throat. “This was my idea. I convinced Maria to help me. If you'll keep her out of this, I'll tell you everything you want to know.”

Carter and I exchanged a glance. He nodded his agreement.

“
Okay,” I said. “Fair enough.”

Vivian whispered something to Maria, patted her arm apologetically, then opened the passenger door and got out. Maria backed the Fiesta up, then drove off, a sorrowful expression on her damp face.

Carter stood close to Vivian, as if he expected her to bolt down the street in her pencil skirt and high heels. “Come on,” he said, his tone friendly. “Tell us why you did it. Brook was under the assumption that you two really cared for each other. Was it all an act?”