| |
Dela sat in her recliner, listening to her mom bustling about in the kitchen. Heath had brought her home, taken a shower, and dressed in his uniform to go to work. He already had people checking out the vehicles owned by Gus Sanders and Alex Kindale to see if there was any damage to them.
Heath had told her where her car had been towed. Dela called her insurance company and filled them in about being hit and where the car was to investigate her claim. She would be without a car until that was settled. While she’d been thinking she’d like a different vehicle for a while, she’d liked not having a car payment.
It was now three in the afternoon. Rae would be home from work. Dela wanted to know if she learned anything more from Harper and if Rae happened to hear Alex leave after he picked up his daughter.
She dialed her phone as Mom walked into the living room with iced tea and Dela’s favorite oatmeal cookie with dried cranberries. Her mom settled onto the couch with her own glass of iced tea as if she planned to turn on the television and watch a show.
Dela didn’t know how to delicately tell her mom, this call was private. She just hoped her mom ignored her.
“Hello,” an out-of-breath Rae answered.
“Hi Rae, it’s Dela. I was wondering if Harper told you anything else last night.”
“Are you okay? Jacob told me you were in a car accident last night. Everyone at the casino was talking about it.”
“I can’t come to work for a few days. Mostly just sore.” She was glad she’d called Kenny as soon as she’d been released from the hospital so he would have time to find people to cover for him while he covered for her.
“Was it a drunk?” Rae asked.
“We don’t know. Whoever hit me fled the scene. But Heath had officers looking for evidence.” She took a drink of her tea and said, “Heath said Jacob was with you when Alex picked up Harper. How did that go?”
“It was after midnight so Harper was asleep. I told him she could stay the night but he insisted she had to be in her own bed when she woke in the morning. So he carried her over to their house. Jacob hung out about an hour afterward and then he went home.” Rae seemed distracted. “Tribal cars just pulled up to Alex’s house. It looks like Heath and Jacob.”
“Does Alex own a car besides the compact I saw in the driveway the other day?” Dela asked.
“I’ve seen him driving a truck but that was six months ago. I haven’t seen it since. I think he sold it. I know Athena didn’t like it ‘cluttering up the driveway.’” Rae’s tone sounded like Athena’s.
Dela smiled. There was no love lost between the two women. “What about Natalie? Did you see her over at Alex’s yesterday?”
“Yeah, later, about dark. She went in the house and then came back out. I guess she was looking for Alex and Harper since the car was in the driveway.”
Now Dela knew for sure the woman had not come to work because of Alex being taken in for questioning. What she didn’t understand was why the woman would go into the house if no one was home. Did she think they were hiding from her?
“Did she use a key to go in the house?” Dela asked.
“The door wasn’t locked. I went over with Harper to get one of her dolls and we walked right in.” Rae didn’t act like it being unlocked was unusual.
“Thanks. Let me know if you do see Natalie hanging around Alex’s place.” Dela couldn’t do anything other than tell Heath but at least she could make inquiries by phone.
“I will. Rest up and get well.”
“Thanks.” Dela ended the call. Her mom made a sound that she knew well. “Yes? What don’t you approve of?”
“You’re supposed to be resting not trying to solve a murder.” Mom picked up the remote to the television.
“I might not be able to go to work but I can help Heath discover either who ran into me or who killed Athena Kindale.” She held up her phone. “If you’re going to watch TV, I’ll go in my room and make a couple more calls.”
Mom replaced the remote and stood. “I’ll get my crocheting. I don’t want you using those crutches any more than you have to with bruised ribs.” She walked over to the coat rack where she’d hung her crocheting bag. When she was back sitting on the couch with yarn in her lap, Dela looked up all the body repair shops in the area. She wrote them on the pad she’d ask for when Heath brought her home. She had a lot of phone calls to make. If the person who rammed her was smart, he wouldn’t take the vehicle to anyone local, he’d go to the Tri-Cities in Washington or even farther away. Unless...
She texted Quinn. When you were looking into Gus Sanders, did he own any wrecking yards?
Her phone rang.
“Hello, Quinn,” she answered.
“Are you out of the hospital? I heard you were T-boned. Do you think it was Sanders?”
Dela was always surprised at how easily he understood her. “He’s one of the possibilities.” She went on to tell him about Gus’s threat.
“You took away everything when you talked to his wife.” His tone almost sounded like he was impressed.
“Yeah. I didn’t think about him retaliating at the time. It just felt good to know I was giving him what he had coming.”
Mom had made a noise when she told Quinn about the threat and now she was making a disgusted noise.
“I’ll be over shortly with the information,” Quinn said.
“No, you don’t have to come over.” Her first thought went to her mom playing matchmaker and then to the reflection she’d seen in the hospital mirror. The airbag had blackened her eyes, cut and bruised her lips, and caused bruising on her face. She was purple and red with panda eyes.
“Yes, I do. Are you alone? Don’t tell me Seaver left you alone?” There was an ongoing gorilla chest thumping over her between Heath and Quinn. She hated it.
“My mom is here with me. Just call me back with the information.” She ended the call.
“It will be nice to see Quinn,” her mom said.
Dela growled.
♠ ♣ ♥ ♦
Dela was on the phone with Heath when Mom opened the door to Quinn.
“Mrs. Bolden, good to see you,” Quinn said, handing her a bouquet of flowers and Dela a box of chocolates.
“Who’s there?” Heath asked.
“Quinn showed up. I asked him for some information and it seems he felt he should deliver it in person.” Dela opened up the box of candy. She was pleased to see it was a collection of nuts and caramel.
“What did you ask him?”
“If Gus owned any wrecking yards.”
“I knew you being laid up would be an advantage. I hadn’t thought of that. Call me back with the list when Pierce leaves.”
“I will. See you soon.” She ended the call before he could remind her he’d called to tell her he’d be late. But her mom didn’t know that. Dela could send Mom on her way in an hour, telling her Heath should be home any minute.
Mom walked into the living room with the flowers in a vase. “Aren’t these lovely?”
“Yes, thank you for the flowers and the candy,” Dela said to Quinn as he sat down on the end of the couch closest to her recliner.
“You’re welcome.” He grinned at her and let his gaze scan the living room. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
She snorted. “You’ve been in here since I finished the remodel.”
“It’s been a while.”
Dela knew exactly when it was. After she’d shot and killed Detective Jones in her bedroom.
“I’m not too crazy about this new makeup look you have going on,” he said, drawing her thoughts from that night.
She glared at him. “Leave it to you to find flaws.”
“Hey! I’m just saying you need to pay better attention that time of night.”
“That’s what I told her. She needs to stop coming home after midnight when all the drunks are out,” Mom hopped into the conversation.
Dela looked her mom in the eyes. “I won’t quit my job at the casino and I won’t give any less to the job than I expect from my security team.”
Mom sighed and asked, “Quinn would you like something to drink? Water, iced tea, juice, milk?”
“I’ll have water, please.”
When she left the room, Dela glared at him. “You could have just emailed the information to me.”
“I wanted to see for myself that you were okay. Anything else hurt besides your pride and face?”
If it wouldn’t hurt to swing her arm, she would have punched him. “I have bruised ribs and whiplash. I’ll be back to work in a few days. Where’s the information?”
“You and I both know this is probably someone you pissed off.”
“I told you about Gus.” She stared at him as if he had short-term memory problems.
“Yeah, but who else have you locked horns with lately?” He pulled a piece of paper out of the inside pocket of his jacket as Mom walked in.
“No one,” Dela said, holding her hand out for the paper.
He placed the paper in her hand and took the glass from her mom.
“Since Quinn is here, I think I’ll head home. Lance is coming for dinner and I want to have everything ready when he arrives.” She drew her gaze from Dela and peered at Quinn. “You can stay until Heath gets here, can’t you?”
Quinn met Dela’s gaze and then said, “Yeah, I can stick around until he shows up.”
“Thank you.” She leaned over Dela and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be here in the morning at eight.”
“Thanks, Mom. Sorry I’m cutting into your Lance time.” Dela saw Quinn’s eyebrows raise. She’d have to get him up to speed on her mom’s upcoming marriage.
“He understands. He would be at the side of his children if things were reversed. Though he did say his kids have never been in the hospital except to be born.” She plucked her purse off the coat rack and said, “Thank you, Quinn. It was nice seeing you,” and disappeared out the door.
Dela released all the tension that had been bursting her skin since settling into the recliner and having her mother hover.
“It can’t be that bad being waited on by your mom,” Quinn said, loosening his tie and leaning back on the couch.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t remind me that I nearly died once before and she didn’t like me making a habit of it.”
Quinn’s laughter filled the house.
Mugshot barked outside and jumped on the French door.
“Could you stop laughing long enough to let Mugshot in, please?” Dela picked up the paper Quinn had handed her while he stood and went into the dining room.
The paper had a Hermiston address for the Neal and Son’s Wrecking Yard. She held up her phone to take a photo of the address when Mugshot trotted into the room and nudged her arm. The paper fell down into the side of the recliner and her phone dropped to the floor.
“Yeah, I know, you haven’t seen me since I came home.” She scratched his ears as Quinn entered the room.
“Can you hand me my crutch? While I’m using the bathroom, could you fish that paper you gave me out of the side of the recliner? Clumsy here knocked it out of my hand.” Dela held out a hand, expecting him to hand her a crutch.
“I can just carry you,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be easier on your ribs and neck?”
Dela shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t. Just hand me the crutches.” She was glad she had on sweatpants. That way he wouldn’t see her stub, just the leg of the pant waving back and forth.
He handed her the crutches and stood back as she used them to stand on her left leg. Then she swung out of the living room and down the hall to the bathroom off her bedroom. Mugshot followed her in. She closed the door and locked it, then did what she needed to do. Enjoying the alone time, she studied her face in the mirror and brushed her hair and teeth. Something she hadn’t had a chance to do today.
Mugshot whined at the door and that’s when she heard voices. It was too early for Heath.