“We have some information about a woman he was seen with in Columbia.” Helms looked at her notebook. “Tina Gerard. Ever hear of her?”
I was going to pass on that. I wanted their information, not the other way around.
“No. Who is she?”
“She’s Alex Pardini’s wife. We know she called Miguel in Mobile before the race started. She and Pardini have been going through a really nasty divorce. The way it looked, she wasn’t going to get anything. Then she hired Miguel.”
Marsh’s gaze was intense. “Now, with Pardini dead, that changes everything.”
SEVENTEEN
I understood what they meant. They knew about the twenty-five thousand dollars that had been wired to Miguel’s account. It looked like Tina could have paid Miguel to kill her husband.
“We’re building a case against your friend, Zoe,” Helms added. “I hope you aren’t involved in all this.”
“Where does Reggie’s death fit into it?” I asked.
“We’re not sure yet,” Marsh admitted. “Maybe he was the first hit man Tina Gerard paid to kill her husband.”
“Meaning Miguel was the next?”
“Well, well.” Miguel finally made it back. “A man can’t leave his date anymore without someone else stepping in. Do you mind?”
The two detectives pushed out of the booth. Miguel sat down and took a sip of his drink.
“We’ll be talking to you, Zoe,” Helms said. “Good night. Be careful.”
When they were gone, Miguel asked, “What did they want this time?”
“The usual.” I studied his face. “They know it was Tina who sent you that money from the Caymans. They think you killed Reggie, too.”
“Why would I kill Reggie?”
“Because he wasn’t doing his job as the first hit man Tina hired to kill Alex. So she hired you.”
“Nice to know where I stand. No wonder my ears were burning.”
“The police have been keeping an eye on you and Tina. They think you’re working together.”
“That’s okay. I have nothing to hide. I didn’t kill Alex, Detective McSwain, or Reggie Johnson. I’ll be glad to share my alibi with them if they’d like to question me. Instead they keep skulking around talking to you!”
“I’m sure they’re waiting for enough information to arrest you. Are you sure your friend Tina has your back? If the police are talking to her next, that could be what they need.”
“I don’t know.” His eyes narrowed. “This is a new one for me. I’ve never been under suspicion of murder for hire. Looking at it logically, I suppose I can see how they’re putting it together.”
I covered his hand with mine on the table. “Let’s not look at it logically anymore. Let’s pretend Tina is setting you up to take the fall for Alex’s murder.”
“Sorry. Absolutely not. Why would she do that?”
“Because she was going to lose everything. Now she’ll get everything, whatever that is. Maybe she didn’t need you as a lawyer but as a fall guy.”
“I think Alex was wealthy,” he admitted. “Tina told me she’d given up her legal practice years ago to raise their daughter.”
“That makes it even worse.” I yawned. “People will do even more for their kids than they will for money.”
“That doesn’t mean Tina killed him.”
“No. It doesn’t. But I’m more worried about you taking the fall for Alex’s death than I am Tina. She sent you that money before the race and then conveniently met you along the race route. That sounds kind of suspicious to me.”
“I hope neither one of us is guilty of killing anyone.” He squeezed my hand. “You need to go to bed. You’ve been up for a long time, besides the skating and singing. Don’t worry about the police. They think they have something, but it’s all smoke and mirrors. We’ll work this out.”
He walked me to my room. We saw Delia laughing and going into the bar with Ollie.
“Poor Ollie,” Miguel said. “I think he’s in for a wild ride with Delia.”
I slipped my key card into the room lock and the light turned green. “Maybe it will be just what he needs to get him out of his rut. But they may have to dial it down a bit until we get through the race. We have enough problems without the two of them going at it in the back of the Biscuit Bowl.”
Miguel lightly kissed me. “Good night, Zoe. I’ll see you at four.”
I threw my arms around his neck and gave him a more satisfying kiss. “Don’t worry. I won’t let the police have you.”
He laughed. “Better put on your Superwoman cape if you’re going to keep me out of trouble.”
“I can do that.” I smiled and wished him a good night.
I locked the door behind me and didn’t bother switching on the light. With the curtains open, the lights from around the hotel were enough to cast a dim glow through the room.
I looked out at the city of Atlanta spread around us. Tomorrow was sure to be a daunting day even without the police harassing me about Miguel. I hoped there were lots of people out there who got up early—with change in their pockets. I hoped they enjoyed eating upside-down biscuits.
And I hope Tina isn’t leading Miguel into more than he, or Superwoman, can handle.
I shed my T-shirt and jeans and set the alarm clock. After getting into bed, I cuddled with Crème Brûlée, who was beginning to need a mani/pedi. My last thought, before sleep overcame me, was that I’d forgotten my cat’s brush at home.
– – – – – – –
The alarm caught me in the middle of a particularly good dream. Miguel and I were at carnival and glitter was falling from the sky. We were the king and queen of Mardi Gras, riding through the streets of Mobile on a beautiful float.
That was over.
This was reality. I was in Atlanta. It was four A.M., and I was going to have to sell upside-down biscuit bowls.
I stumbled in to take a quick shower and wash my hair. There wasn’t time to do anything elaborate with my curls. I scrunched a lot of conditioner through them and put on the scarf to hold them down until I wore Chef Art’s hat.
In the light, I could see that Crème Brûlée was starting to look like a giant fuzz ball. I stroked his tummy as he rolled around on the bed and pretended to want to slap my hand.
“I’m gonna have to ask Miguel to get a brush for you when he gets supplies today. By tomorrow, I won’t even be able to find your face if I don’t. You don’t want to be one of those cats that someone posts on Facebook, do you?”
He didn’t really seem to care. I put him down on the floor in the bathroom and fed him as I got ready to go.
I noticed Uncle Saul had left a text on my phone around midnight. The fryer was in the truck and working. That was good news. I expected him to be out of the race today after such a late night. We’d have to work around his absence.
By the time I got all of my things together, Crème Brûlée had finished his morning rituals. I cleaned and folded his traveling litter box and then put that and his food into my large bag.
“I think we can walk out of here with you out in the open since I could hardly leave you downstairs after a murder.” I put my bags over my shoulder and hefted him in my arms. “Let’s go.”
Delia was just getting up. “What time is it?”
“Time to go,” I whispered. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
“Okay.”
I met Miguel and Ollie in the elevator going to the parking garage. I told them about Uncle Saul. Miguel volunteered to wait for him at the hotel and join us when he could.
“Don’t worry, Zoe,” Ollie said with a big grin on his face. “We can handle it—me, you, and Delia.”