eighteen

“Holy crap! So Bernardi, I mean Agostinelli, was a mobster and turned on the head honcho?” When Colt nodded, Maddy threw her arms in the air. “Now it’s all beginning to make sense,” she said with a grin.

“According to the Feds, Gino Bernardi made off with millions of Cavicchia’s money and then got real chatty about his boss’s business practices,” Colt explained. “Given that Bernardi was executed gangster-style in his cell, I’d say your lawyer should have no problem establishing reasonable doubt, Maddy. Cavicchia certainly had motive to silence the Judas in his organization.”

Maddy let out an audible sigh of relief. “Oh thank God. Now I can come back to work and get on with my life.”

Colt shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen just yet. Knowing Bernardi’s death was probably a mob hit and proving it are two different things. Until we find the real culprit and charges against you are dropped, or worst-case scenario, it goes all the way to trial and a jury of your peers exonerates you, the suspension with pay stays in place.”

Maddy huffed. She knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but for a minute, she’d allowed herself to hope. “So what can we do to help?”

Colt whirled around to face her. “You must not have heard me a few minutes ago. Nothing’s changed except for the fact that we now have a new lead to follow. Proving Bernardi—or should I say Agostinelli—was killed by professionals who just waltzed into the squad room and shot two prisoners while you conveniently waited in the ladies’ room is not going to be easy.” He tsked. “Especially since they got rid of everything that ties them to coercing you by using your daughter.”

“I know, Colt, but I might be able to get information out of people if they don’t think I’m a cop.”

“Why can’t you just look at this as a paid vacation, Maddy? Spend some time with Jessie and maybe even find a hobby. Lainey was just talking about a new pottery shop opening up across from the mall. You always liked that kind of thing. Didn’t you?”

“Seriously, Colt, do you honestly think I can make bowls while my life as I know it hangs in the balance?” She blew out a frustrated breath before adding, “Now get Patrick Swayze to come up behind me and caress my neck while I’m making pottery, and we’re talking a whole different scenario.”

His eyes reflected a glint of mischief. “You have Tessa. She doesn’t have Swayze’s six-pack abs, but she can certainly massage your neck while you’re playing in the mud.”

Humor was never his longest suit, Tessa said. But I have to say the boy is at least acknowledging that I’m here. And for the record, I have pretty damn good abs.

His face turned serious again. “Whoever killed Chrissy isn’t playing games, Maddy. And we don’t have a clue where to start looking. If the order for the hit came from New Jersey, the killer is probably long gone, but I still can’t see the logic in killing Agostinelli’s girlfriend. Unless they’re totally unrelated. The background check on her revealed she was born and raised in Lubbock. Even went to Tech for two years before moving to Vineyard. From all indications, Joey Agostinelli only met her about two months ago, probably about the same time he landed in Vineyard to hide out from the Feds.”

“She knew about the necklace,” Maddy blurted. “Could it be that they tortured her before they killed her in an attempt to find it?”

Colt shook his head. “There are no signs of trauma on her body that I could see, at least not from the initial look. But the money is still out there somewhere, and that’s a pretty good incentive to push the woman around to get details. The M.E. may find bruising on her abdomen, or some other trauma to her body, but until he tells us that’s what happened, we’re going to assume it didn’t.” He scratched his forehead. “My guess is whoever killed her marched right in and shot her in the chest, probably surprised her in the bedroom while she was sleeping.”

“So you don’t think she told the killer where the money or the necklace is?” Lainey asked.

“She probably didn’t know. Like I said, Agostinelli may have been running a scam with her, but I doubt he’d trust her with the knowledge about where he’d hidden ten million as well as the necklace.”

“She said he was shopping it to foreign buyers on the black market,” Maddy said, noticing that Tessa was being really quiet for some reason. She looked in that direction with a questioning look, and Tessa responded with a shrug.

“That would explain how Cavicchia got wind of where Agostinelli was hiding. He probably knew that sooner or later the guy would have to put out feelers, so he sat back and waited patiently.”

“When is his trial?” Lainey asked.

“It was supposed to be several months ago, but his hotshot lawyer keeps delaying it by filing motion after motion. When Agostinelli slipped away from protective custody, the trial was put on hold. His testimony was crucial to the federal prosecutor, and now that he’s dead I suspect their case will fall apart.”

“What about the insurance agent who called to offer a finder’s fee? Wouldn’t he have a pretty good motive for wanting to get the necklace back to Cavicchia and avoid paying the two million?” Maddy asked.

“We’ll be checking to see what company insured Cavicchia and find out if they made contact with Chrissy,” Colt said. “That could have also been the killer’s way of gaining access to her without arousing suspicion.” He paused to nod to a CSI tech leaving the scene. “No matter how this turns out, I’d say the case against you is looking weaker by the minute, Maddy. Now if I can just convince you to sit back and wait while I do my job, I’m sure this will all be over before you know it.”

“Chrissy told us the necklace is in Bern—Agostinelli’s safety deposit box. She found the key in his freezer,” Maddy said, slowly, staring intently at Colt’s face to see his reaction.

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” Colt turned to Rogers. “Find out where Agostinelli did his banking, and then get over to the courthouse and get a warrant from Judge Williams. We need to have a look into that box.”

_____

Maddy was still on a high when she headed home with her sister. Chrissy’s death and finding out that Agostinelli, AKA Bernardi, was actually on the run from a Mafia godfather was the best news she’d heard all week. It meant someone else had a powerful motive for wanting the man dead.

She’d made a split second decision not to tell Colt just yet about the notebook she’d taken from Chrissy’s purse. For one thing, he would have chastised her for taking it because it was illegally obtained and none of the information in it could be used in a court room. The prosecutor would call it fruit of a poisoned tree, or something like that. And next, the names in there could simply be people Bernardi thought were important and not victims as she’d imagined when she’d first seen them.

When she pulled up in front of her house, she spied a black pickup parked out front. Crap! In all the excitement of the day, she’d forgotten about Jake Matthews moving into her upstairs. She glanced down at her watch before swearing under her breath. It was almost six, and Jessie would have been home for over an hour already.

A little voice in her head screamed “bad mother” as she realized her daughter had no idea a perfect stranger was now living in their house. She hoped finding him there hadn’t freaked her out.

“Looks like the tall sexy cowboy is settled in,” Lainey commented before winking. “I would love to come in for another look at him, but I’m afraid Colt would have a hissy, thinking we were off snooping again. He’s so worried that we’ll ignore his commands to butt out of his investigation and do something stupid, he would probably send out a police car to escort me home. We aren’t going to do that, are we?”

“Butt out of the investigation or do something stupid?” Maddy asked, glad to see the conversation turning away from her new tenant.

“Both. We do have to be a little more careful not to get caught, though.” Lainey leaned in and high-fived her sister. “Call when you get a minute later on. I want to hear all about Jake’s first night, especially if he ends up sleeping downstairs.” She hitched her eyebrows several times and tapped an imaginary cigar in a comical gesture meant to imitate Groucho Marx that made Maddy laugh out loud.

“Get out of here. After the way I grilled him, he’ll probably stay as far away from me as he can get—which is fine by me. I just hope he didn’t give Jessie a scare.”

Lainey got out and walked to the driveway where her own car was parked. Maddy waved as she watched her sister pull into the street and head home. Then she drove her Honda into the garage and turned off the ignition, thinking tonight would be another take-out pizza night for sure since she hadn’t had time to stop by the grocery store. The annoying little witch screaming “bad mother” made another appearance in her head.

The first thing she heard when she opened the garage door was the sound of Jessie laughing. She smiled to herself, thinking she’d worried about her for nothing. The kid was amazing and had great friends who liked to talk on the phone as much as she did. She probably hadn’t even realized there was another person in the house.

Then she heard Jake’s voice, although she couldn’t make out what he’d said. It was immediately followed by a burst of laughter from both of them.

Oh my God! The man was in the kitchen alone with her ten-year-old daughter.

She flung the door wide open and stepped into the laundry room between the kitchen and the garage. Immediately, the smell of something cooking hit her nostrils. Nearly running now, she entered the room, and both Jessie and Jake turned with smiles still on their faces.

“Hey, Mom,” Jessie began. “Jake’s helping me with my homework.”

Maddy glared at him. “Oh he is, is he?”

“And he’s making homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Doesn’t it smell awesome?”

Maddy continued to stare at Jake, who at least had the decency to wipe the smile off his face while waiting for her to say something.

When she didn’t, he took a step toward her. “I hope you don’t mind. I decided to make my mother’s famous meatballs.”

“And you thought it was okay to come down to my kitchen and be alone with my daughter?”

“Mom!” Jessie said. “He was only helping me with my homework.” She turned to him and giggled. “I’ll never forget the state capitals ever again, thanks to him.”

Maddy forced herself not to scowl at her daughter. “Sweetie, will you let me have a minute alone with Mr. Matthews? You can finish your homework in your room.”

Jessie huffed before picking up her books and notepad. “Okay, but don’t take too long. I’m starving,” she said, before shuffling down the hall to her bedroom.

When Maddy heard the bedroom door close behind Jessie, she turned to Jake. “What in the hell were you thinking? That it would be okay to spend time alone with my daughter when I wasn’t at home? Our agreement gives you the right to sleep upstairs, Mr. Matthews, nothing else. Nowhere does it say you’re allowed to fraternize with my ten year old. I know you’re a drunk. How do I know you’re not a pervert, too?” She knew that was unfair, but all she could think about was what could have happened if he was.

His face registered the hurt at her accusations, and he held her stare for a few minutes before speaking. “First of all, let me assure you that I am abiding by your ‘no drinking while in this house’ rule. Second, in no way, shape, or form was my attention to your daughter sexual. I get why you’re upset, though. When she got home and found me in the kitchen, I should have introduced myself and gone back upstairs. But she’s such a great kid and before long she was telling me about what a hard time she was having memorizing the state capitals. I only taught her a little trick my mother showed me. I’m sorry.”

Maddy took a slow breath before walking over and lifting the lid on the spaghetti sauce. It did smell divine. “We never talked about you using the kitchen,” was all she could come up with.

“Again, I’m sorry. I’m tired of eating out, and I thought I’d make my mother’s sauce. Figured that would keep me away from fast food for a few days at least. Frankly, I had forgotten that you’d mentioned a minor living here, so when your daughter found me in the kitchen, I was just as surprised as she was. She said you would probably bring home a pizza, and she was sick of eating that. I know I should have minded my own business, but she arrived hungry in the middle of my cooking, and I offered to share. Under the circumstances, I hoped you wouldn’t mind. End of story. I had no idea you would react the way you did.”

Since this was the first time she’d rented out part of her house, she wasn’t up on the rules and therefore, hadn’t discussed them with him. She really couldn’t fault the guy for assuming the kitchen was part of the deal. And he really hadn’t done anything to Jessie except make her laugh. Still, the memory of the masked gunmen standing over her daughter’s bed was vivid in her mind and was enough to make even the most innocent contact with Jessie suspect in her mind.

“I was going to tell her about you tonight, but I got waylaid. I guess no harm was done. I’ll get her now, and we’ll head out for some supper so you can enjoy your home-cooked meal.”

“There’s plenty for everyone,” he said. “Besides it will give me an opportunity to thank you for letting me stay upstairs. I have a pretty good lead on the investigation, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to get out of your hair sooner than I thought.”

All of a sudden a light bulb went off in her head. Jake said he worked for Harold’s of London. Was it possible that he was the insurance agent who had made contact with Chrissy about a finder’s fee? But if that were true, what did he mean by having a pretty good lead? If he was the one who made the offer to Chrissy about the stolen necklace, it was logical to believe his job would be over with now that she was dead. Then she remembered Colt mentioning that the offer of a finder’s fee may have been Chrissy’s killer’s way of getting into her house. She had to find out what he meant.

She took a deep breath and plunged right in. No sense beating around the bush. “Are you investigating the theft of an emerald and black diamond necklace?”

His face registered surprise before he recovered. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because I talked to a woman yesterday who said she was contacted by an insurance agency about a finder’s fee for that necklace. That same woman was found murdered this morning.”

“Chrissy Rockford’s dead?”

Bingo! She hadn’t mentioned any names, and yet he knew.

“So you did contact her?” She was about to ask him if he had anything to do with her murder but decided his surprise at hearing she was dead had been genuine. She prided herself on reading people, and if he had killed her he wouldn’t have been able to pull off the total surprise that took over his face when she’d told him.

He hesitated momentarily, as if deciding whether to tell her the truth. She was about to fire another question at him when he responded. “I called Chrissy the day before yesterday and made plans to meet her at her house. I’ve been authorized to offer her a sizable amount for the return of that necklace.”

“What did she say?” Maddy asked, watching his body language to see if he would lie.

“I never got to talk to her. There was an accident on Main Street that held up traffic for thirty minutes or so. By the time I got to her house, no one was there.”

Maddy gave it some thought. He must’ve arrived at the woman’s house right after Mrs. Witherspoon had given them the note with Bernardi’s address. She decided to go fishing to see if he’d tell her the truth. “Whose necklace is it?”

He shook his head. “They don’t give me details like that. I’m on a need to know basis. All I know is that someone wants it back very badly and is willing to give up the insurance money to get it. I was sent here from San Antonio because my boss got information that someone from Vineyard was trying to fence it. I’d hoped to get a chance to talk to Bernardi, but we both know how that worked out. So I did the next best thing and found out his girlfriend’s name. Figured he might have talked about it under the sheets one night.”

“How’d you get her name?” She was beginning to get an uneasy feeling about this man, but she couldn’t stop herself from digging further simply because there was a slim possibility that he had information she didn’t.

“Probably from the same place you did. The good old boys at Cowboys Galore were more than willing to fill me in. All it took after that was one phone call and the mention of money, and Chrissy was all over the offer.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “Is that why you rented my upstairs?”

“I have to admit it entered my mind that you might have information about the necklace,” he admitted. “But it was more about me needing to stay close to Bernardi’s girlfriend.”

Maddy pondered that for a moment, then debated with herself whether to tell him about Bernardi’s safety deposit box or the fact that the man was really Joey Agostinelli, ex bean counter for the mob. Her police instincts warned her to keep that information to herself for now. Despite her feeling that Jake was exactly who he said he was—an ex-cop now working as an insurance investigator to recover a necklace—she wasn’t about to arm him with facts about the case if it turned out her gut was wrong.

“So now what? Will you head back to San Antonio?” She couldn’t help worrying about how she would pay her lawyer on Friday if she had to return most of the money Jake had given her for rent.

“Probably. I’ll call my boss later tonight and find out exactly what he wants me to do now.” He must’ve noticed the look that crossed her face because he added, “A deal is a deal, Maddy. The money is yours whether I live here the full two months or not.”

Just then Jessie popped her head out. “Mom, hurry up. I’m starving. Jake promised me extra meatballs.”

Maddy considered insisting they would go out for fast food when she noticed Jake setting the table with three plates. Her instincts continued to scream for her to stay away from this man, but when she saw her daughter bound out of her bedroom and plop down at the table, she gave in. What would it hurt if they ate one meal with their new tenant?

She still didn’t fully trust the guy, but the smell of the sauce plus her daughter’s excitement was too tempting to pass up. Jessie was right. They had been eating a lot of pizza lately, and a home-cooked meal sounded delightful. After they’d found Chrissy’s body there hadn’t been time for her and Lainey to grab lunch. All she’d had to eat all day was the breakfast sandwich and the apple. Her stomach chose that particular moment to growl as if to let her know it was well aware of that fact.

She pursed her lips to keep from smiling, then sat down opposite her daughter. Nothing more was said as Jake dished up the spaghetti, then turned his back on them to open the oven and pull out a tray of garlic Texas toast. For the first time she noticed how narrow his waist looked in his tight jeans, deciding his entire backside didn’t look too shabby, either. And at least for now, the little voice in her head critiquing her mothering skills was gone.

When he finally sat down with his own plate, she took her first bite and nearly moaned. It was that good. As she swirled the pasta around her fork, she decided, if necessary, she could always throw his cute little butt out of her house tomorrow.