The Book Stops Here (33 page)

•   •   •

M
inka was fired the next day.

Derek’s security operatives each played their roles to perfection. He’d brought in another female agent from his company to play the role of book owner. I supplied the book from my own library and made up some background information for her. Minka fell right into the trap, offering a lowball figure for the book on the condition that the owner would sell it to her instead of going on the show. Minka told her it was probably her best option because I wasn’t capable of assessing it properly. And then she made up a bunch of lies about my own experience and how shoddy my appraisals had been.

If I were the violent type, I would’ve been tempted to go after her with a baseball bat. But I was all about peace and love. Still, I was thrilled that our little sting was successful and that Minka had been dumb enough to play right into our hands. She had insisted that it was all her cousin’s idea. She never would’ve taken the money. Liar.

Earlier, Tom had called the four guests who had worked with Minka. After a few discussions, it became clear to Tom that Minka had been lowballing the worth of the owners’ books and then offering to buy them for more money than she’d quoted. One man claimed that she’d followed him all the way out to the parking lot, trying to get him to deal with her.

Now, as the police dragged her out of the hall, she pointed at me. “I know this is all your fault! You set me up!”

“You tried to defraud these people,” I said, not mentioning the fact that minutes ago, she’d tried to blame her cousin. “Maybe it’s time you took responsibility for the fact that you’re just a lousy grifter.”

“I’ll get you for that!”

“Oh, shut up,” I muttered, but still refused to be too angry when the moment was so sweet.

One of the cops pushed her head down and shoved her into the squad car. She howled in protest and twisted and squirmed as the two officers jumped into the front seat and drove away.

As they left the parking lot, the sun came out from behind a cloud and birds began to sing. It was a beautiful day.

Soon after Minka was gone, I ran into Angie inside at the catering table.

“I heard you were the one who recommended Minka for the job,” Angie said as she stirred sugar into her cup. “Did you know she was like that?”

I looked at Angie in horror. “You heard wrong. I would never recommend her for anything. She’s my worst nightmare.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I thought she was kind of mean.”

“She’s criminally insane,” I said, pouring myself a cup of decaf. “There’s no other way to spin it.”

Angie held up her hand to stop talking as she listened to her headset.

That’s when I remembered that I owed her an apology.

“I’d better get back to the stage,” she said.

“Wait. Do you have one quick minute to talk? I have a confession to make.”

“Ooh, boy. That doesn’t sound good.”

I laughed, then lowered my voice. “You know that someone has been stalking Randy, but what you don’t know is—”

“Stop.” She squinted at me. “What did you say?”

Whoops. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you didn’t know.”

“Of course I know,” she whispered tightly. “But nobody else is supposed to know.” Her eyes were filled with suspicion. “How did you find out?”

“Randy told me.” Judging by the expression on Angie’s face, she wasn’t thrilled to hear that. “Look at the time!” I exclaimed. “I’ve gotta get back to the set.”

She grabbed my arm and pulled me off to the side. “Not so fast there, missy.”

“All right, all right.” I scanned the area to make sure we were alone. “I happened to overhear him talking to Tom and Walter. And when Tish was attacked, they hired Derek’s company to provide security for everyone here, but mostly for Randy.” I didn’t mention that security-wise, Derek’s priority was
me
.

Angie nodded. “So what’s the confession?”

It was my duty as a girlfriend to spill my guts, even if it made her angry. “When we were making a list of possible stalker suspects, I mentioned your name.”

“Me?”

I grimaced. “I’m sorry! But I’ve seen you get so annoyed with Randy. With some people, that would be enough to set them off.”

“Oh, he gives me grief, for sure.”

She was silent for a moment, just long enough for me to wonder if she’d been telling the truth. Was she really dating Randy? Maybe she was delusional. Maybe she really
was
stalking him. This could get ugly.

On the other hand, if it was true and she was dating Randy, she could be in danger. What if Randy’s stalker found out about their involvement? Would he—or she—go after Angie? The thought made my stomach lurch in fear.

Her bottom lip began to quiver. “I thought you liked me.”

“What? No. Don’t do that!” She was going to cry! I grabbed her arm. “I do like you. But love can make even the smartest people go a little crazy. And how was I supposed to know you guys
were seeing each other? Randy never said a word. Oh, God, please don’t cry.”

Angie slowly grinned. “Gotcha.”

I gaped at her. “You are a sick puppy.”

“Maybe,” she said, laughing. “But you’re so gullible.”

Staring at my hands, I said, “I deserved that.”

“A little,” she said, chuckling. “You can make up for it by telling me who else is on your list.”

“No way.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Nope. I refuse to embarrass myself further. It’s all guesswork at this point, anyway.” Besides, I’d already said too much. I trusted her, but I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

She checked her watch and stood. “Damn it, I’ve gotta get onstage. Otherwise, I’d stay here and torment you until you told me everything.”

“Gosh,” I said brightly, “you’d better go, then.”

She walked away laughing.

My laugh faded fast as I worried about the possibility of her being in danger. I rushed off to find Derek. He would have to add Angie to the growing list of people needing protection from a stalker who was getting more dangerous every day.

•   •   •

L
ater that afternoon, Derek and I were both working in the dressing room. I was munching on a chocolate peanut butter granola bar when Inspector Lee called.

“I won’t say it’s good news or bad news,” she began.

“That means it’s bad news,” I said, glancing at Derek.

“Not necessarily. Gary Jones, better known as Grizzly, was arrested near Daly City last night.”

“Really?” My neck and shoulder muscles relaxed instantly. “That’s great news.”

“No, it’s not,” she said sharply. “They let him go.”

“What? Why?” My poor neck ached all over again.

“A technicality,” she muttered. “They didn’t have the latest updates on their computers or some such crap. Something fell through the cracks.”

I slumped down, resting my elbows on the dressing table. If my mother were here, she’d have given me the look. No elbows on the table. “Damn, I hate cracks.”

“You and me both, Wainwright.”

I stood and stomped my feet on the carpet, too antsy to just sit there. “Can’t you assign someone to follow him around so we’ll know if he’s coming near me?”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” she said pleasantly.

Derek crossed the room and spoke clearly into the speaker. “Nice, but not necessary, Inspector. Brooklyn will have my protection twenty-four hours a day until the bugger’s behind bars for good.”

I kissed him soundly on the cheek. “Thank you. My hero.”

“Aw, that’s adorable,” Lee said. “I’m going to go lose my lunch now.”

Derek laughed. “Keep us posted, Inspector.”

•   •   •

I
nspector Lee called again on Derek’s phone four hours later. We were in the car, driving home from the studio. He was wearing his Bluetooth and answered, listened, and began to swear a blue streak. When he hung up, he looked grim.

“What in the world happened?” I asked.

“Larry Jones is out on bail.”

I gasped. It was the last thing I’d expected to hear. Grizzly was freed last night. Now Lug Nut was free. And I was terrified. “How? Why?”

Derek’s jaw was so tightly clenched, I thought it might shatter. “His lawyer petitioned the court. Claimed there was nothing linking him to Vera’s murder. No fingerprints, no evidence, nothing. So the judge told the police to let him go.”

I had to sit back in the passenger’s seat and catch my breath. “B-but he attacked me. He hurt Benny. He threatened to kill Vera. He
did
kill Vera. He’s a vicious criminal.”

Tears welled up and I had to blink them away. I hated this damn case and those two horrible brothers. I felt so helpless and stupid and . . . scared.

“The police have found nothing to tie him to the flower-shop killing,” Derek reiterated with deadly calm. “And his attack on you is a separate case. A lesser crime. He was eligible for bail on that one, and he got it.”

“I’m scared,” I admitted. “And I hate the feeling.”

Derek reached for my hand and gripped it during the rest of the drive. The expression on his face was lethal. I’m glad it wasn’t directed at me. But if I were Grizzly and Lug Nut Jones, I would be packing up and heading out of town in a hurry.

•   •   •

E
arly the next morning, the phone rang.

“Who in the world could that be?” I said in mock surprise as I sipped my coffee.

The phone was closest to Derek, so he answered and put it on speaker. “Inspector, what a pleasant surprise.”

“Yeah, yeah. Look, I’ve got good news and—”

“Wait,” I said. “I can’t handle any more bad news.” We had been enjoying toasted bagels and cream cheese with our eggs and onions, but I was afraid I was about to lose my appetite.

And
that
would be bad news, in my book.

“Nope, no bad news—promise,” she assured me. “I was going to say, I’ve got good news and you’re going to want to hear it.”

“Let’s hear it, then.”

“Hope you’re sitting down.”

I gave Derek a quizzical look. “We’re sitting.”

“Lawrence Jones,” she began, “also known as Larry Jones, also
known as Lug Nut Jones, was shot and killed early this morning during the commission of a crime.”

I shook my head slowly. “What?”

“Is this true, Inspector?” Derek asked, to be sure. I was glad to know I wasn’t the only one shocked by the news.

I sagged in my chair, truly stunned. I couldn’t call it good news that someone was dead, but I knew I wasn’t sorry about it. Lug Nut Jones had made my life a living hell. Still, karma was a bitch. He got parole when he shouldn’t have and ended up dead for his trouble.

Unfortunately, his meaner, uglier brother, Grizzly, was still around to carry on the family business. And somehow I knew that he would be more determined than ever to terrorize anyone he might blame for his brother’s death.

“It’s true,” Inspector Lee said. “I thought you’d be throwing confetti.”

“We’re a bit gobsmacked at the moment,” Derek admitted. “How did it happen, Inspector?”

“He was caught burglarizing a home over in Belvedere. The owner heard a noise, got out of bed, and found Jones crawling out a window, and shot and killed him.”

Derek and I stared at each other in disbelief. Finally, he said, “Pardon me, but did you say Belvedere?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Not my jurisdiction, but I was contacted when the cops on the scene discovered Jones’s connection to my murder investigation.”

I sighed. “Did it happen to be the home of Edward Strathmore?”

“Ah jeez, Wainwright,” she said. “You know I don’t like it when you’re privy to little details like that.”

“I know,” I said with a rueful smile. “And I’m sorry. But I know Edward Strathmore. I was at his house a few days ago. He owns a book very similar to the one Vera had.”

“The Secret Garden,”
she said.

“Yes,” I said, pleased that she remembered the book. “He’s a big book collector. I needed him to authenticate a signature in the book, so I drove out to his place last Sunday.”

“I’d call that a remarkable coincidence.”

“Which means it’s no coincidence at all, right?”

“Right,” she said. “Looks like I’ll be paying a call on Mr. Edward Strathmore.”

Chapter Nineteen

After breakfast, Derek closed himself off in the second bedroom office to get a few hours of work done.

I jogged down the hall to return a plate to Alex. She had surprised us the other morning when she appeared at our door with breakfast cupcakes.

Bacon-and-pancake cupcakes.

I had raised a cynical eyebrow when she told us, and Derek was even more skeptical. But once we tasted them, we were sold. The cake portion had been made with pancake batter mixed with maple flavoring and chunky bits of savory bacon. Extra bacon and maple syrup had been added to the frosting and thick chunks of bacon were crumbled on top. Besides being tasty, they were pretty, too. The woman was a genius.

Alex answered the door, dressed for work in another fabulous suit with skyscraper heels.

“You look sensational,” I said.

“Thanks. Come in.”

I pointed at her shoes. “How can you wear those all day?”

“They’re part of my Intimidating and Powerful Boss Lady
uniform,” she said with a smile. “It used to be shoulder pads, remember? Now it’s stilettos.”

“I remember those awful jackets. I looked ridiculous in them.”

“Everyone did.” She led the way into her kitchen, where she slipped the plate into her dishwasher. “I take off my shoes as soon as I get to my office. With any luck, I can go a few hours without having to put them back on.”

“Good. I hope today’s one of those days.”

“We’ll see.” We walked to her front door. “Hey, I meant to tell you, my firm received an invitation to Edward Strathmore’s party Saturday night, so I’ll see you there. I can’t wait to check out his house.”

“Oh, that makes me happy. And Derek will be glad to hear it, too. Would you like to ride with us? Unless you’ve got plans for afterward.”

And if she did, I so didn’t want to know what they were.

“I’d love to,” she said. “I have no other plans that night.”

“Great.” But in an instant my smile turned to a frown. “Oh, ugh. I have to go shopping for something to wear. I always wear the same thing to any dressy event we go to and it’s so boring.”