The streets were silent as they ripped toward the store. Jazz had debated telling Roxy about the key issue but figured they’d better check it out and make sure of the facts first. It would be horrible to tell everyone then find out the keys didn’t actually open what they thought they opened.
When Morgan finally pulled up to the front of the shop, her mood had darkened to border on panic. She could see the lights in the back room on. A system they’d used for years. Now she had to rethink that.
But any thinking now was taxing her brain to the breaking point. She was tired, emotionally drained, and damn sore. Her shoulder was killing her. She wanted a hot bath where she could soak the injured muscles. A hot tub would be a blessing. She should mention it to Morgan. They hadn’t spoken of what they were doing as a couple after this mess, but she couldn’t imagine them not living together. And that meant she had to decide what to do with her house. It was too small for both of them. So rent it or sell it. She had no idea. The key had opened the back door to her kitchen. The same doorway where she’d been shot. Her backyard was private, so he could have used the key at any number of times to get in and not be seen. And up until now, she’d have thought it was secure.
Naïve. Then again, who’d have thought that people like Billy were out there?
Stupid.
She walked up to the storefront and waited while Morgan pulled out the right key. He handed it to her. She looked at it, then him, then at the door, and pushed it in and turned the handle.
The door opened with an almost silent click.
“Shit,” Morgan said beside her.
But she was already walking in a steady line back to the security panel to turn the alarm off.
When she returned to the room, Morgan stood in the center waiting. “Does anyone else know the security code?”
Perl and Roxy, anyone else?
She paused. “Not likely.”
“So even if he had the key, it wasn’t a guarantee that he could get in.”
“However, the alarm would of off if the code wasn’t entered with a few minutes. I do know that he was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Perl, so I’m not sure what it would take to get the code from her.”
“Chances are good that’s why he’d been sleeping with her in the first place.”
She studied the flat look on his face. “You are not responsible,” she said. “Billy was his own worst enemy.”
“He might have been, but having had a major hand in raising him, I feel guilty.” He waved a hand around her shop. “Look at all the shit he was into.”
“And maybe this was the extent of it,” she cried out. “It could be so much worse.”
At his glare, she snapped, “He wasn’t a wife beater, a child predator, or any number of other nasty things. He was a sneak and a thief and yes, that’s bad enough, but you are not responsible for what he was or what he was on his way to becoming.”
He nodded, a weary motion that told her clearly how very fed up he was, too. Well, so was she. She walked through her store, trying to figure out what someone of Billy’s ilk would find interesting. She turned on her computer and realized it was already on. She’d been in and hadn’t shut it down herself. That might be a problem right there. She imagined she’d done it a time or two. Billy would, in theory, only need to have his timing be lucky once, and he could get into so many more of her secrets.
The monitors turned on and the screens came up.
She sat back in shock. There was that same damn image from the bathroom mirror. It had been sent to her email. She already knew that, but someone had opened her email here at the store. The most likely of those would be Roxy or Perl. But why?
She pulled out her phone and called her best friend.
“Roxy,” she said without any preamble. “Were you into my email at any time today?”
“No, of course not. I have hundreds of my own to deal with, why would I want there to be more?” Roxy paused then said in a puzzled voice, “Besides, you get your emails on your phone… unless you’re having phone problems?”
“No.” She winced, knowing this next bit would be rough, but she trusted Roxy like she’d never trusted anyone else. “I’m at the store right now, and my computer was still on and my email still open. I thought I’d shut it down earlier, but it’s entirely possible that I didn’t. Sometimes you have to go into my email to check on a couple of things or pull up an order, so I’m just wondering if you did or if we have a problem.”
“I don’t think so. The afternoon was crazy busy so I can’t be sure, but I can’t remember any reason to have.”
There was an odd silence. Sort of a shocked, questioning silence. Thankfully not one pregnant with judgment. Then again, the two had been friends for a long time.
Hating to but having no other choice, she asked, “Would anyone else?”
“Meaning Perl?” Roxy’s voice was carefully neutral. “What’s going on, Jazz? You’re starting to freak me out.” With this last bit, her voice rose uncontrollably.
“And maybe you should be,” Jazz said quietly. At the shriek screaming through her phone, she added. “We found keys in Billy’s possession for Morgan’s house and garage, my house, and for the shop.” She waited a bit for her to digest that information then added, “And I think to your house.”
Dead silence.
“Keys to my house? To the business?” Roxy’s gasp was easily heard through the phone line. “That bastard!”
“Yes, we’re here now to double check that his key would actually open the door. We already checked my house.”
“Oh no. Why would he do that?” Roxy cried. “I know he was trouble, but that kind of trouble?”
“We also think, from a letter he left behind, that he took a substantial amount of money from someone.” She hesitated then asked gently, “I’m hoping that wasn’t you?”
“I don’t have any money for him to take,” Roxy answered, then she gasped. “Do you think that’s why he was killed?”
“It’s certainly a decent motive.” Jazz walked over to the safe in the back of the storage room. “Have you been inside the safe lately?”
Roxy groaned. “Yes, a few days ago when I did the banking.” She sighed. “It all looked normal then. But I had to change the code as I couldn’t get in. I totally forgot to tell you.”
“You couldn’t get in?” Jazz closed her eyes, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. Was this what his key had been used for? She spun around to look at Morgan. “What do you mean you couldn’t get in?”
“You know that we have it set to lock out if too many attempts are made to get in? Well, it was like that. It was the day you went to the morgue to identify Billy. There was so much going on, I never thought to mention it to you.”
Roxy walked over to the safe. “What is the new code?”
“Hang on.” Roxy disappeared for a long moment then came back. In a slow, steady voice, she read out the combination.
After looking around the empty shop, hating to acknowledge the feeling of being watched, and more than just Morgan standing guard, Jazz quickly entered the combination and pulled the safe door open.
Just as it did, a hard voice sounded behind them.
“Now isn’t this just about perfect timing.”