I refreshed my cup of coffee. “No. What’s up?”
“How was it last night? You were there late.”
“How do you know that?”
“I talked to your brother about an hour ago. I called to see how you were.”
I didn’t like it that my brother and Jeff Coleman were getting tight. The jury was still out on whether Jeff and I were veering into friends territory or if we were going to just stay acquaintances and colleagues. Again I thought about how his body had felt on top of me yesterday. While he was protecting me, keeping me out of harm’s way, putting himself in danger.
I told myself it was just reflex for him. He was a Marine, for Pete’s sake. His job was to protect.
“I’m okay,” I said.
“I got my car back this morning and I found the laptop-”
“Great,” I said, interrupting him. “Can I come by and get it?” Just as I asked, my memory flashed on my car, still at the condo parking garage, if the cops hadn’t towed it by now.
How was I going to get to Jeff’s, much less to work?
He was one step ahead of me.
“Tim said you were going to need a ride to your car. I can come get you and bring you over there.”
This might be going a little too far, but I did need to see Jeff anyway to get the laptop, and I did need to get to my car.
“It’s a little out of your way,” I said.
“I have to go pick my mother up at the pool anyway,” he said. “So it’s no big deal.”
Pool? Did I miss something?
“Where is your mother?”
“She swims with the seniors at one of the pools in Henderson every other day. She usually gets a ride with Bernie, but he just had hip replacement so I’m her new chauffeur until she can get some other sucker to drive her.”
“Why does she come all the way out here?” I asked. “There are pools closer to her.” Sylvia lived in Bonanza Village, a trailer park-excuse me, a mobile home community-out near the Desert Pines Golf Course. “What about Garside or Doolittle or even the municipal pool?”
Jeff chuckled. “Because Bernie swims in Henderson.”
I hadn’t heard about Bernie before. This was interesting. A little late-in-life romance. I was happy for Sylvia.
“I swim at the competition pool,” I offered before I could stop myself. I might as well keep going. “Is that where Sylvia goes?” There were only two places that were open year-round: the Multigenerational Center pools, where I swam, or Whitney Ranch.
Jeff hesitated, then, “Yeah, that’s where she goes.”
“I’ve never seen her there. But then, I go pretty early.” I didn’t tell him I hadn’t gone there in more than a month. When the temperatures start to cool off, that’s when I head to Red Rock for my exercise.
“Kavanaugh, you’re a woman of many surprises.”
“So when will you be here?” I asked, not wanting to get into “surprise” territory with Jeff Coleman.
“I’ll swing by after I pick up Sylvia.”
“Hey, why doesn’t she drive herself? She’s got a car.”
Jeff chuckled. “That car’s a hazard. We only use it in emergencies.”
He hung up without saying good-bye. That was the Jeff Coleman I knew and was comfortable with.
Almost immediately the phone rang again.
I picked it up.
“What did you forget?” I asked.
“Forget? What? Brett, it’s Charlotte.”
Chapter 40
Every muscle in my body tensed up, and I could feel the veins pounding in my head.
“Charlotte?”
“Brett, please listen. You have to trust me.”
I snorted. “Trust you. How am I supposed to do that? You set me up with a dead body that might be contaminated with some sort of poison; then you shoot at me and steal Trevor’s money. Did I leave anything out? Oh, right. You deposit Trevor’s money into Ace’s account so it looks like he’s some sort of criminal, and now the cops are after him, too. What exactly are you up to, Charlotte?” It dawned on me during this tirade that perhaps I should be nicer to reel her in, get some answers, and then turn her over to the police.
“What about Ace? What do you mean, I deposited money in his account?”
For a second, she fooled me. It really sounded like maybe she didn’t know what I was talking about.
“Thirty thousand dollars. In Ace’s account. I know there was more money than that in Trevor’s apartment. Did you keep the rest? Are you heading for the Cayman Islands or something?” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice. Not that I was trying very hard.
“Thirty-” She cleared her throat. “Brett, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Yes, I was at Trevor’s yesterday afternoon.”
“Why did you shoot at me and Jeff Coleman?”
“I didn’t.”
“So you were flying off balconies like there was no tomorrow just for giggles?”
“You have to believe me. I wasn’t the only one there. I heard someone come in and I went out on the balcony and hid behind the curtain. I didn’t see who it was, but when I heard that first gunshot, I figured I should get out of there.”
“Why don’t you tell the cops?”
“You told them I was there, didn’t you?”
“They know, yes.” I paused, then, “I know the police are investigating you. It would be better to turn yourself in.”
“Investigating me?” Incredulity laced her voice. “Listen, I’ll set things straight with Ace. No worries.” She paused a second, then added, “Oh, by the way, I’m feeling okay.”
She hung up as a tinge of guilt tickled me between the shoulder blades because I hadn’t asked how she was.
I stared at the phone and after a second hit star sixty-nine. The operator told me the number I was trying to reach was restricted. We didn’t have caller ID on our landline. Tim had issues with that feature. I now had more ammunition to argue the case.
I dialed Tim’s cell number.
“Thanks for my stuff,” I said when he answered.
“Can’t talk, Brett.”
“Thought maybe you would want to know I just talked to Charlotte. She called me.”
Silence for a second, then, “What did she say?”
“Said I have to trust her. That someone else was shooting at me and Jeff. That she didn’t put that money in Ace’s account.”
A second passed, then, “I’ll have to get back to you, Brett, okay? I’m in the middle of something.” And he hung up.
I stared at the phone. If I had insecurity issues, getting hung up on three times in five minutes might push me
