Peril for Your Thoughts (Mind Reader Mystery) Page 6

  I walked out back with our treats from Maria’s, and sure enough there was Jaz, sipping her coffee and flirting shamelessly with an adoring, drooling Johnny. Today Jaz wore skin-tight yoga pants with a long-sleeve form-fitting t-shirt, her hair scooped high in a ponytail. I could smell her heady perfume from ten feet away.

  Johnny had on faded worn-out jeans, work boots, and a tight T-shirt, despite the cool temperatures. His skin was a dark tanning-bed tan, and his hair a sandy surfer-style blond that made my skin burn and scalp itch over the thought of what those rays and chemicals must doing to his insides. Jaz tended to go for big blonde beefcakes. You’d think she would have learned her lesson by now. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

  “Morning, John. Care for a pastry?” I asked sweetly as I held up the bag clearly labeled Sinfully Delicious, when all I really wanted to do was give him a lecture.

  His eyes locked onto the bag, and his smile faded as he cleared his throat. “Ah, no thanks. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth these days.”

  “Interesting,” I said.

  “Not really.” Jaz glared at me. “Not everyone is into sweets.”

  “Hmmm.” I took one out and nibbled daintily, worried about my arteries clogging but wanting to make a point. “I thought maybe he was on a break, with you out here talking his ear off. Are we paying him by the hour?” I fluttered my eyes innocently at Jaz, earning me a scowl from her as she huffed off back into the house, then I glanced back at the carpenter, who didn’t look happy with me. Time to change tactics. “So, how’s the fence coming? I have to say, I was surprised to see you here with the impending storm, and all.”

  “Ms. Alvarez said it was an emergency. Something about a beast.” He eyed me warily and got back to work. “I think you need a bigger fence with your new neighbor sharing the yard.”

  I looked next door and saw Wolfgang pawing at the sliding glass door, his long tongue hanging out as he stared at me with pleading eyes.

  I dropped my half-eaten pastry back in the bag and said, “Give me the biggest one you’ve got.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Please, call me Kalli,” I said casually, trying to put him at ease. I shot a glance at the house and saw Jaz in the kitchen window doing the dishes and Prissy lounging by the window, safely inside where I longed to be, but I had a job to do. I glanced at the ominous clouds and then focused on the task at hand. “It was nice of you to come out on such short notice. You must be busy now that it’s spring.”

  He shrugged a beefy shoulder. “Things are picking up, but our busiest time is summer. Besides, I figure Jaz—I mean Ms. Alvarez—has been through enough.”

  “So you’ve heard.”

  “Kind of hard not to in a town this small. I knew that guy she was seeing was bad news,” he said more to himself than me. “Crazy woman can’t see what she has right in front of her.”

  “And what’s that?”

  He blinked as though he just realized he’d spoken out loud. “Uh, you know, a successful store. Good friends. She has everything going for her right here. Why mess it up by getting involved with online dating. It’s a crazy scary world out there. She didn’t know a thing about that guy.”

  “I don’t know. What do we really know about anyone? I’m sure we all have our secrets, right?” I borrowed a move from Jaz and leaned forward, giving him a coy smile and placing my hand on his forearm.

  His eyebrows shot up, and he stared down at my hand, then back at me. He let his eyelids close halfway and a cockeyed grin hooked the corner of his mouth. I came here to get even with Jaz for dumping me. Show her what she was missing out on. Maybe the best way to do that is by sleeping with her best friend. I’ve always thought all the Ballases were a little weird, but this one sure is pretty. He flexed his pec muscles.

  I gasped and dropped my hand. “You pig.”

  “Excuse me?” he said, narrowing his eyes.

  “I said you’re big.” I discreetly rubbed my palm on my skirt, feeling my skin crawl. “Your job must give you a great workout.”

  His frown faded and a smug look swept across his overly tanned face. “It has its perks, and I have great genetics.” He took a step toward me. “Big family, big fence, big muscles … I take it you like big.”

  “Big mistakes.” I wagged my finger at him as I took a step back. A streak of lightning lit up the sky. “I’ve made my share of them. I’m trying to quit.”

  “If you mean quit butting your nose in my investigation, then that’s the first smart idea you’ve had all morning,” said a booming familiar voice from behind us.

  I whirled around and sure enough, there stood Detective Stevens in all his naturally tanned glory, looking amazingly handsome in his sport coat and jeans. Not too big, not too small, this one was just right.

  “Detective, what are you doing home?” I asked.

  “Catching you red handed, apparently.” He grunted.

  “What is he talking about?” Johnny looked suspiciously back and forth between us.

  “I stopped home for lunch, if you must know,” the detective responded to me, “Only to find you questioning yet another person of interest. First Maria and now him? You don’t listen one bit, do you?”

  “Wait, how do you know about Maria?” I asked before thinking. “I mean, I was just picking up breakfast,” I quickly added.

  “I know everything,” was all he said, but his eyes screamed he knew much more than he was letting on.

  Johnny dropped the piece of fence he was holding and stared at me accusingly. I didn’t need to read his mind to know he was pissed. His expression was plain as day. He knew I was using him, same as Jaz had done, and now I’d made an enemy of my own.

  “You just made your biggest mistake yet, baby.” He grabbed his toolbox and headed for his truck, followed by a clap of thunder. I counted the seconds and briefly wondered what the odds of getting struck by lightning might be.

  “Wait, what about the fence?” I yelled after him, trying to focus.

  “Do it yourself. It’s a nice big project. I’m sure you’ll be real into it.”

  “What is the matter with you?” I turned on the detective. “This is all your fault, and you’d better not let your dog out until you finish this fence.”

  “My fault? That’s a good one. If you hadn’t been all over him, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

  “Are you kidding me? All I did was touch his arm.”

  “I thought you didn’t like to be touched?” Nikos the Greek made an appearance, wearing a full smirk.

  “I don’t,” I ground out.

  “Could have fooled me,” he snapped, his smirk replaced with anger and what sounded suspiciously like jealousy. “Maybe it’s just me who makes you skittish, because I sure as hell did last night with the way you took off.”

  “Actually, that’s not why I took off. You’re the only one who doesn’t make me squirm,” I muttered, “I mean you do, but not as much, and I was just … wait, why am I explaining myself to you? You’re the one who said I wasn’t your type.” Somehow we had ended up a mere inches apart as the first few raindrops began to fall.

  “Well, you said I wasn’t yours either,” he said, his frustration clearly evident.

  “Then why are we having this conversation?” My heart started beating heavier with his nearness.

  “Damned if I know,” he growled, plunging a hand through his hair. “All I know is that you make me crazy.”

  “Well, what am I supposed to do about that?” A fat raindrop rolled down my cheek.

  “I don’t have a clue,” he said softer as he tracked its path with his gaze. He lifted his hand as though to wipe it away, and I held my breath.

  “Guys, come quickly!” Jaz yelled out the kitchen window. “Meet me out front.”

  Nik and I gave each other one last intense look and then took off toward the front of the house. When we got there, my jaw fell open. Jaz’s car had been ransacked. The trunk was pried open, the driv
er’s side window broken, and door left wide open. The visor hung off one hinge, and the glove compartment looked broken. And then there were the flat tires, which had been slashed in a violent, angry manner that spoke volumes. This didn’t look like an ordinary break-in. It looked like an act of revenge.

  The rain started coming down in a sprinkle, so Nik sprang into action. I followed his lead as we rushed to the car.

  “Don’t touch anything with your hands,” he said.

  “No worries there,” I said, eyeing the car. It was in dire need of a wash, and who knew if the culprit had worn gloves or what Jaz had done in there. I tried not to think of the germs I could encounter as I slammed the trunk closed with my elbow and he bumped the front door shut with his hip. Just then the heavens opened up and it poured. He nudged me toward the front porch, where we ran to join Jaz.

  “What happened,” Detective Stevens asked, all business once more.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t see or hear anything,” Jaz said, handing us each a towel.

  “Do you think it was Mr. Hogan?” I asked.

  “I don’t think Johnny would do anything like that to me,” Jaz responded.

  “Trust me, you didn’t hear his thoughts.” I scoffed.

  The detective frowned. “No kidding, Kalli. Who on earth could?”

  Jaz and I locked eyes and I laughed, sounding like a nervous hyena. “Right, I just meant, you should have seen his face. He has not been a happy camper ever since Jaz broke up with him.”

  “Is that right?” the detective asked Jaz.

  “Uh, yeah, I guess,” she responded, looking at me questioningly.

  The detective kept watching us keenly. I was sure he knew something was up, but there was no way he could know exactly what. I intended to keep it that way.

  “Why would you call Mr. Hogan to fix the fence then?” he asked her.

  “Because he’s the best,” she said simply. “Whether he likes me or not, I am first and foremost a business woman. I always hire the best.” That much was true, and it seemed to pacify the detective.

  “Okay. I’ll talk to Hogan, but let me make myself clear. You two stay far away from this case, or the consequences won’t be pretty. Hogan left pretty angry after Ms. Ballas acted like a tease, so he could have trashed your car on the way out.”

  “Wait a minute … Ms. Ballas did what?” Jaz squeaked, nailing me with a look I didn’t want to face alone.

  “Later, ladies.” Nikos the Greek winked at me before the detective finished with, “My work here is done, and I’ve got a job to do.” Then he walked out the door just as the rain let up.

  I sat there stunned, thinking I had a job to do as well and it started with a little thing called payback. But first, I had another mess to take care of. I slowly turned around to the murderous look on Jaz’s face.

  “Now, Jaz—my favorite person in the world and best friend on the planet who would be really sad and lonely if anything bad should happen to me—let me explain …”

  CHAPTER 7

  * * *

  Tuesday afternoon Jaz and I went to Diner Delights for lunch. Since my family ran half the businesses in town, it made the choice of a place to eat difficult for Jaz. My cousins, Kosmos and Silas, were the only members of my family that Jaz got along with. Probably because they were young, single, attractive men … and off limits, which made them that much more appealing. Just because we had an agreement that she couldn’t date my family members did not mean that would stop her from flirting outrageously with them every chance she got.

  Kosmos was on the short side, but built like a tank. He kept his dark hair cropped short, and it somehow matched his stature: tough as nails. But his eyes gave him away. They were the soft, dreamy, sleepy bedroom eyes that all women fell for. Then there was Silas. He was the biggest flirt of our family. Thinner but taller, with thick curly black hair and dimples that worked their charm every time.

  Kosmos stood behind the deli counter, making sandwiches. He gave us a friendly wave when we came in and sat down. Meanwhile, Silas ran the register. He shot me a quick grin, but focused his sexy smile on Jaz and tossed her a wink. Jaz laughed and blew them both kisses. I just rolled my eyes. At least they’d cheered her up a bit, which even I had to admit she desperately needed.

  The rest of my family thought she was a bad influence on me. Now that she was the prime suspect in Darrin Wilcox’s murder, they were on my case more than ever for me to move out. My cousin Eleni had a gypsy boyfriend who had a sister who dabbled in voodoo. I’d caught them whispering about Jaz and was pretty sure they’d put a curse on her. Normally I didn’t believe in such nonsense, but ever since I woke up with my “gift,” I’d come to realize that anything was possible.

  “Why do you keep staring at me that way?” Jaz asked me after finishing her bite of Caesar salad. We hadn’t even needed to order. My cousins had prepared our salads and brought them to our table, even though the restaurant was normally self-serve. Today was the first day she’d dressed in a flowy dress and not yoga pants or a warm-up suit. She wasn’t back to work, but she was beginning to get back to her old self.

  “Now you know how I felt the day I realized I could read minds,” I responded, wearing yet another suit. I kept hoping if I dressed the part, the rest would follow, but so far I’d had no such luck in creating more designs for my book. “You kept looking at me like I was possessed the other day,” I went on. “I’m just making sure you’re okay.” I took a bite of my own salad.

  “Would you forget about that stupid curse? I’m fine.” She set down her fork, and I regretted killing her appetite.

  “That’s what I said,” I pointed out, unable to ease my mind. I was worried something bad was about to happen, but I had no clue what or when.

  The bell over the door chimed and in walked Detective Stevens. “There you are,” he grumbled as he sat down. “Why aren’t you home?”

  “I’m a person of interest, not a prisoner. Last time I checked, I couldn’t leave town. No one ever said anything about leaving my house.” Jaz scowled.

  “That might be true, but there’s still a killer on the loose and someone did just break into your car,” he pointed out to her.

  “Good.” She studied him.

  “Come again?” He rubbed his whiskered jaw.

  “It’s good that you don’t think I’m a cold-blooded murderer like your joy of a partner.”

  He sighed. “No, Jaz, I don’t. But I do think you’ve made some poor choices as of late. I’m just trying to keep you safe and do my job.”

  “It’s just lunch, Detective,” I said gently, drawing his attention. “We did like you asked and stayed away from the case the rest of the day yesterday and all this morning. When we didn’t hear anything from you, Jaz got restless. I thought a change of scenery might do her good. That’s all.”

  “Now that we’ve established I’m being a good girl, what’s the scoop? Did you find out anything from Johnny?” Jaz asked.

  “He says he didn’t trash your car. He was pissed that Kalli was just using him—”

  “Only to find out information,” I quickly added, my gaze darting apologetically to Jaz.

  “Amateur.” Jaz rolled her eyes, not nearly as mad as she had been when she first thought I was hitting on him for real.

  “Yet another reason you need to leave the investigating to the pros.” The detective leveled me with a pointed look.

  “Continue please,” Jaz said.

  “Hogan said the car was fine when he left your place, but that you had plenty of other enemies who would do something as petty as that. When he said he could think of better ways to get back at you, I did some digging. Detective Matheson and I discovered that John Hogan ran into Darrin Wilcox when he first arrived in town. Hogan was doing some renovations at the Clearview Motel for Larry Miller. When Hogan found out who Wilcox was, they got into an argument right before Wilcox left to meet you at Rosalita’s Place for dinner. Everyone heard Hogan say Wilcox would be sorry he’d e
ver set foot in Clearview before the night was over.”

  “I couldn’t have had a relationship with such a monster,” Jaz said on barely more than a whisper. “You don’t really think Johnny could have killed Darrin, do you?”

  “I don’t know him well enough to speculate. What I do know is that after Wilcox left, Hogan headed to Flannigan’s Pub. Michael Flannigan said Hogan came in and stayed all evening, well on his way to getting smashed. So he took his keys. Hogan wouldn’t let him call a cab, so he stormed out to walk it off. He said he was headed home. He can’t prove he actually did go home, but there’s also no way to prove whether or not he made a pit stop at Full Disclosure along the way. He didn’t return until the next day to pick up his truck.”

  Mr. Flannigan was married to Lois Flannigan—one of Jaz’s regulars who had shown up for the sale on Saturday morning, only to discover Darrin’s body as she peered through the storefront window. She was the one who had called 911, and apparently she hadn’t been the same since, heart palpitations and all. Jaz had promised her a permanent discount once she reopened, but Lois wasn’t sure she would ever be able to set foot inside that store again.

  I had to admit I was worried Jaz would lose business in town after this whole mess was over, but Jaz was a savvy woman with a strong business model. She still had an online component to her store that would work as a fallback for her while she figured out the rest. At this point I just wanted to keep my best friend out of jail. The only problem was the evidence was stacking up against her, and things weren’t looking so good.

  “What do we do now?” I asked.

  “You two behave while I try to find Darrin Wilcox’s next of kin. It’s very strange.” Detective Stevens puckered his brow as he scanned his notebook.

  “What is?” Jaz asked.

  “Well, there’s not much information on the guy. It’s like he has no family and not much of a past,” Nik said to her, then turned to me. “When I checked out his social media profile for Jaz, he had said he was an international businessman, but then I found a reference he made to selling cars. I had assumed at the time that he’d just slipped up to what his real occupation was. At the time Jaz hadn’t cared that he’d fudged a few details about his occupation to make himself look better, because she wasn’t interested in anything long term. Now I wish I had done an actual background check on the guy. Maybe then we would have avoided this whole mess. Now that I’ve had to do some deeper digging, there’s no other paper trail on the guy. It’s like he never existed.”