The Devil's Dwelling (16 page)

“Just teasing.” She smiled gave me the bag and stepped back.

“Thanks.” I threw my bag in the floor, started my Blazer and backed out leaving her standing.

I was shaking when I reached Mona’s apartment. I knocked at her apartment door. Mona opened the door.

“Tiffany, what happened?  You are white as Casper the Ghost.” She said pulling the door wide open for me to walk in carrying the large pizza.

I flopped on the sofa. It smelled like Granny Wiggins. For a moment my mind when to Granny. I shrugged it off and came back to reality.

“The big woman was at the park again.” I kicked off my boots and rubbed my aching feet.

“I’ve got to get some  better fitting boots.”

“Is there anything wrong with her being at the park?”  Mona said as she opened the pizza box. “This looks and smells good.”  She took a piece and placed it on a paper plate and handed it to me.  Then another piece on a paper plate and set the box on the coffee table. She poured us a glass of wine and plopped down on the sofa pulling her legs up anchoring her glass of wine.

“Now, what’s this about the big woman?”

I told her how I encountered the woman at the park and then again at the pizza parlor. 

“It seems too coincidental to me. What do you think?”

Mona pushed the pizza to the side of her mouth. “Maybe a coincidence but maybe she’s your stalker.”

“What a woman stalker. I can surely do better than that. If I have a stalker I want him to be handsome. I sure don’t want it to be a woman who dresses like a man.” I took a big swig of wine and threw my body back on the sofa. Again I smelled Granny Wiggins.

“This sofa smells like Granny Wiggins. I hope you never have it cleaned.”

“Probably no need to worry about that, I’ve never had a sofa cleaned.”

Mona open the pizza box and scooped up another piece. The cheese strung from the box to the paper plate. Mona bit the cheese leaving half to fall on the pizza box.

“Yuk! Now I have to get my pizza from the other side of the pie. You might have cooties.” I laughed going for another piece.

We finished off the pizza and half the bottle of wine. We were both feeling pretty good.

“How about we drive to the cemetery and read the ribbons on Maxine’s flowers?”

“Great idea, just what I enjoy doing on a Saturday night. Going to the cemetery.” I was stuffing one foot in my boot and Mona had her bag in hand.

“I can clean up this mess tomorrow.”

We giggled all the way to the Explorer. Mona thought she could hold her booze better than I and insisted on driving.  We headed out the highway to Bell’s Chapel Cemetery.  We noticed a number of cars parked along side the cemetery road.

“What’s going on? Do the kids use this for lovers lane?”  Mona took her small flashlight and shined it in car windows as she drove past.  She giggled with each flash of light.

“Mona you are going to scare the kids away. They’ll think it’s a dad looking for his daughter.”

Immediately after Mona flashed the light in the rigs the engines started up and the cars were lined up heading for another parking place. After Mona cleared the cemetery she pulled  over laughing.

“This is fun. We should hit all the cemeteries in the area every Saturday night. I know I should be a night watchman for this cemetery.”

I opened the door and practically fell out of the Explorer. “It’s way down to the ground.” I giggled.  I swung from the door like a monkey. “Mona, catch me I’m falling”

“I didn’t know your were smashed.” Mona said taking me by the arm letting me to the ground which was one freakin’ foot.

“Okay, I can walk. Do you remember where they  planted Maxine?”  I fell and patted the ground around me. “Not here. I can’t feel a hump. All freshly planted graves have a hump.”

Mona shined her flashlight around and spotted fresh flowers hanging on easels and laying on the hump. “This is it. Get over here Tiffany.”

I started to stand up but decided I could maneuver better on all fours. I crawled over to the grave. Pulled a ribbon from the casket piece. “Look, it reads, LOVING HUSBAND. “Marty sent flowers. What a nice husband.” I ran my fingers along gold letters glued on the ribbon.

“Of course, he’s a ‘no show’, not a bad husband.”

“What if he killed her? Would that make him a bad husband?” I managed to get to my feet and leaned on a big old oak tree.

Mona was reading all the ribbons. “Look Tiffany, here’s one that says. BELOVED BOSS.”

“Who would send their boss flowers?” I looked at the ribbon. “This is strange.”

We made our way back to the Explorer. The maroon Chrysler was parked behind us. “Mona, that’s the car that’s  been in my apartment parking lot.”

“Shit get in the rig.” Mona turned the key on. It wouldn’t start. “Damn, whoever’s in the Chrysler is messin’ with us. The Chrysler started up and drove past us, turned around and drove past us again. Mona shined the flashlight at the driver when he passed. It was Marty.

“That’s Marty.” I yelled. “What’s the sucker doing messin’ with us?”

He fired a couple of shots and dinged Mona’s Explorer. I pulled my Glock from my bag and got off a couple of shots at his tail end but didn’t connect.

All we could see were taillights in the distance.  Mona, open the hood and checked to see the problem.  “Damn, Marty unhooked the battery cable. He probably thought we couldn’t figure it out.” Mona attached the cable, tightened it down.

“I’m glad you know about cars.”

Mona wiped her hands on a rag she had in the back of the Explorer. Jumped in the rig and started her right up.

“My dad was a mechanic and taught me a lot about cars.”

“You don’t say. A girl mechanic. Did your dad want a boy? Cause he sure didn’t get one.”  I reloaded my Glock twirling it around my fore finger and put it in my bag.

“Put that away your drunk you sure don’t need a gun in your hands.  Mona yelled before she answered my question.

“I suppose he did. Mom died when she gave birth to me and Dad raised me by himself.”  Mona got quiet.  I guess she was thinking about times with her Dad. I kept quiet for a while. Even when I’m drunk I know when to keep my mouth shut.

“Your Dad must have really loved you to teach you his trade.” I looked over at Mona she was wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“He was a good man. After Dad died I sold the garage to a mechanic that worked for him. I suppose he still has it.”

“I got in my car and started driving east. Before long money was low and I didn’t have a job or a place to live. I was a soul wondering around without a plan for my life.”

“Is that when you came to Peewee’s office looking for a job?”

“No, I worked at the bar for a few weeks. I couldn’t get my check and the tips were not enough to rent a place or make my car payments. That’s when I stopped in at Peewee’s.”

“You make me feel unworthy. I complain about the least things. I’m glad you shared with me. It give me a lot of respect for you.”

TWENTY

We searched the other parlors and couldn’t find Natasha. I was sure if we could find Natasha she could lead us to the murderer or give us a clue on who it might be.  I can’t believe Marty would murder his own wife. What kinda husband would do that? 

Mona was walking out of her apartment when I pulled up in the parking lot.

“Morning Tiffany. What do you have on your mind today?”

“Sassy’s Massage Parlor. I think if we talk to her she might divulge more information on Natasha.”

It was mid morning when we reach Sassy’s Massage Parlor. I parked the Blazer at the curb and Mona and I walked the sidewalk to the door. The flowers were limp with their heads looking toward the ground and the beds were dry.

“Someone needs to tend to this garden.  It was beautiful when we were here before.“

I knocked a few times and rang the bell.  No one answered. We walked around to the back. I peeked in the detached garage and a car was parked in the single car garage.

“There’s a car in the garage. Most people don’t leave their house on foot if they have a car.”

“Maybe someone picked her up. She sure doesn’t answer the door.”

I tried the back door. It was unlocked. I slowly open the door.  I stepped in with Mona following me. The shades were pulled leaving the house near dark. I took my Glock from my bag and walked through the house with Mona breathing down my neck.

The rooms were set up with a twin bed and massage table and a chest of drawers. We looked around the house.  There didn’t seem to be a master bedroom. The rooms didn’t have any personal belongings.

“I guess no one is home and it sure doesn’t look like she has any masseuse working here.”

We made our way through the house looking for Sassy or anything about Natasha.   I rummaged through the desk but didn’t find anything about Natasha. 

“I know there was a file here on Natasha a few days ago.”

“Something is sure strange. Sassy had a file on Natasha when I was here a few days ago and now nothing on her.  Here are the files on the other masseuse.”  I picked up a stack of files of masseuse that have worked for Sassy.

“She probably misplaced it or maybe she reported the drugs to the police and they took the file. Let’s get out of here.”

I drove to the office. Peewee’s stack of files of ‘no shows’ was getting higher.

“I haven’t seen you two in a couple days. Where you been hiding?” Linda asked.

“We’ve been working. See I have on my bounty hunter clothes on.”  Mona told Linda.

Mona flipped open the donut box. “Who ate all the donuts? Crap girl I’m hungry and Mona’s mean when she’s hungry.”

“I didn’t eat them.  A couple of guys came in, met with Peewee and he gave them donuts and coffee. They took a file and headed out.”

“Do you know what file they took?”

Linda looked in her file reference book. “Yes, remember I have everything in order. It was Marty Martins’ file.” 

I busted through the Peewee’s door. “What’s this I hear you turned Marty’s file over to someone else?” I kicked his desk and almost double up from pain starting at my big toe and traveling up my leg. I need a pair of those steel toe boots.

“Fine, we were closing in on him but let your rookie’s bring him in.” I grabbed a stack of files and turned to walk out of the office. I looked  back over my shoulder. “Just so you know.  I’ve been offered another job. Seems the competition thinks I’m good.”

Mona spoke up. “And next time you make sure we have donuts in this office. I get real cranky when I don’t have my sweet fix.”

I looked through the files. “Let’s go for the easy one’s first. And let the new guys work on Marty. They can stir up a hornets nest and we can go in for the kill. Here’s an easy one, Wendell.”

Mona looked at the file and read, “Arrested for steeling newspapers out of vending machines and selling them. What?  That‘s insane.”

“Yeah, the junk business was slow so they needed some cash and Wendell peddled newspapers on the street for a while.  That is until he was caught without a permit.”

We headed out route 2 past the city limit sign. Wendell and Punkin live in an old trailer jacked up on blocks off the main road. They call themselves, collector’s of antiques. I call them junk dealer‘s.  It’s a known fact a lot of the town folk put their junk out front for them to haul away. If it’s not attached Wendell and Punkin load it up and haul it to their junk yard, clean it up somewhat and sell it for profit.

Wendell is about five foot five and weighs 98 pounds with his clothes on. Punkin is skinny as a rail and is known to go braless.  Believe me it’s a site you don’t want to see.

We drove up to the trailer. Wendell’s old Toyota pick up was parked at the back loaded down with the loot from last night. Mona took the back door with her 38 held down to her side.

“Watch your step, you could step on anything around here.“

I made my way to the front door through a narrow path Wendell kept clear. I could hear the squeaking of bed springs. Wendell and Punkin are known for getting it on during the day since they work at night stealing junk. I knocked louder.

“Wendell get your pants on and get your sorry ass out here. You didn’t show up for court.”