It took only five minutes to get home. Gail clicked her blinker and turned in to the parking lot of the Parkview Arms. “This is it.” She killed the engine and climbed out. “Home is where the heart is.”
Cliff rolled his eyes. “I always thought the phrase was, ‘Home is where the bed is.’”
“Whatever.” Gail pointed at the first door beyond the parking lot. “This is it, right here. I’ve got the first apartment on this side.”
He did a three sixty. “Guess you don’t have much of a view being on the bottom floor.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised, and you’ll see once we’re inside. There’s a view to die for.” Gail slipped her key into the knob and turned it to the right. She swung the door inward. “Guests first.”
Cliff took two steps in and was met with a butcher knife to the chest. He yelled out and stumbled forward, giving Gail just enough room to pass over the threshold and lock the door behind her.
“We have to shut him up before somebody hears his wailing!” Gail darted around Cliff and raced to the TV. She turned it up louder than normal but not enough to warrant complaints.
Janet pulled the knife from his chest, and it slid out with a sucking noise. She swung her arm and lunged the knife into the back of Cliff’s neck. He swatted at it but collapsed to the floor before he could do anything to protect himself. He jerked a few times as he lay face down then went still.
Gail stared at his lifeless body. “Damn it. That wasn’t very satisfying for the hour and a half I had to spend listening to his bullshit. I like the old way better. The men really need to understand why they were chosen instead of being blindsided and killed immediately.”
“Next time, honey. Now go change out of those pretty clothes while I get the drop cloth and snippers ready. You don’t want to get blood all over that dress.”
Gail called out from the bedroom. “We need to find the perfect dump spot for him.”
“I already have, and you’ll love it, but first we need to bring his car here to the apartment. What did he drive to the bar?”
Gail walked out of the bedroom in black sweats and a matching hoodie. She shrugged. “I didn’t ask him. Check his pockets for the keys.”
Janet dug into the dead man’s pockets and pulled out everything. She looked at the fob that was attached to the key ring containing a half dozen keys. “Who the hell needs this many keys?”
“He has a lot of toys, remember? So what kind of vehicle emblem is on the fob?”
Janet held it out for Gail to see.
“A Jeep. I need to check his profile pictures again so we know what we’re looking for. I don’t remember if I saw a picture of it or not. Gail logged in and pulled up the twenty-plus-picture gallery Cliff had posted on his profile. She pointed. “This has to be it, a bright-orange Jeep Rubicon, right next to the sports car. That shouldn’t be too hard to find. So where are we leaving him?”
Janet laughed. “Since he’s such a dog, let’s leave him in the local Humane Society parking lot.”
Gail grinned. “Not a bad idea, and I doubt if they have parking lot cameras. I imagine the county park system is being surveilled by the cops, anyway.” She glanced at Cliff, who had a substantial blood pool forming beneath him. “Let’s throw him in the tub for now, and we’ll deal with him after we find that Jeep.”
Janet stared at the floor. “What about the blood? That’s undisputable evidence if we were ever found out. That’s what Luminol is all about, you know.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s mop it up quick and then bring his vehicle back here.”
The dark-pink water from the mop bucket was dumped into the toilet and flushed, then they repeated the mopping process two more times. When they were finished with the floor, Gail filled half the bucket with water and the other half with a bottle of bleach then set the mop inside to soak.
“Okay, let’s go find that Jeep, bring it back, and then we’ll wait until the middle of the night to move him.” She headed to the bathroom.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m pretty sure he had false teeth. They looked way too perfect. If we don’t take them out now, rigor will make it impossible to open his mouth later.”