Harley Rushes In (Book 2 of the Blue Suede Mysteries) (31 page)

“Did you stop to think what might happen if Cheríe really is there?”

She hadn’t, of course. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’d put my money on Cheríe. She’s got the upper body strength of a Lowland gorilla.”

“Harley, dammit—!”

“Oh, she won’t show back up there. It’d be stupid. Besides, Bernie’s her brother, and he’s just after Cheríe because she has something he wants.”

“Harley—”

“I don’t know why you think I’m stupid. Maybe I get a little too enthusiastic at times, but I know better than to follow a killer. Past activities not counting. Do you think he’s the one who killed Harry Gordon and Julio?”

“Harley—”

“After all I’ve done for you today, sending him where you can find him, you can at least let me know what happens. You have my aunt in protective custody, and—”

“Not anymore. Her parents’ lawyer sprung her a couple of hours ago.”

That wasn’t really good news. Not with some deranged smuggler desperate to find where the goods and/or money had been hidden.
Damn
, she thought.

“Look, Bobby, I know I’ve told you this before, but I really think that ivory chest is important. Harry had it, and now Anna has it,
and—”

”Go home, Harley. Let us handle this. Believe it or not, we’ve already got a pretty good idea of who he is and what to do. Just
go home
.”

“Does Aunt Darcy know this guy is on the loose?”

“Where are you, Harley? I’ll send a unit to escort you safely home.”

“Aren’t you sweet. I’ll be just fine. You’d better hurry, or you’ll miss Bernie. He’s most likely already at the shop.”

She hung up before he could say anything else, and dialed her aunt’s house. Amanda answered.

“Mandy, whatever you do, don’t let anyone into the house.”

“Harley? Is that you? You have some nerve, calling here after all the trouble you’ve caused us. If it wasn’t for you poking your nose where it doesn’t belong, everything would be a lot better.”

“You’re right. Look, listen to me. It’s vital that you do
not
let anyone into the house that you don’t know, and I don’t care who he says he is. Do you understand? There’s a killer on the loose and you could be his next target.”

“I’m tired of your tricks, Harley. Don’t call here again.” Amanda hung up.

“Damn,” said Harley, and tried the number again. This time, the answering machine picked up. They had Caller ID, of course. It could be a real nuisance.

There was no answer on Darcy’s cell phone either, and she left a message just in case she decided to go by the shop. Surely, after just getting out of jail, that wouldn’t be her first stop, but there was no telling what she was liable to do. It had seemed like such a good idea to send Bernie off on a wild goose chase, but in retrospect, maybe it hadn’t been so smart. Like most of her good ideas lately, they too often turned out to be really bad.

Harley called Grandmother Eaton on the off-chance that Darcy had stopped by on her way home, but Janet answered and said her grandparents were out for the day.

“Did they say where they were going?” Harley asked.

“To an art show and wine tasting, I believe.”

“An art show? Are you sure that’s where they are?”

“That’s what they said. Shall I give them a message, Miss Harley?”

An art show—no doubt, that was Grandmother Eaton’s polite term for bailing their youngest daughter out of jail. “No, just ask them to call me when they get back, please.”

For several minutes she sat in the shade of a huge pecan tree that draped over part of the gravel parking lot, considering her options. Bobby was right. She should go home and stay out of it. Being stupid and getting in the way would only make things worse.

She put on her helmet and started the bike with a push of her thumb. The smooth throb of the engine was always satisfying. Riding her bike, she always felt powerful, as if nothing could harm her. Except, of course, for the Memphis drivers that never seemed to watch for motorcycles or the daring and foolish pedestrians crossing the street.

She meant to go home where it’d be safe and she wouldn’t cause any more problems. She really did. But somehow, she found herself headed out east to the Fontaine residence instead. It’d only take a minute to warn her aunt and pigheaded cousins to stay in their house, then she’d go home.

That was the plan, all right.

“Look, Harley, I told you—”

“Amanda, this is important.” Ignoring her efforts to block the doorway, Harley stepped into the entrance hall. “Where’s Aunt Darcy?”

“None of your business. Haven’t you done enough damage?”

“You don’t blame
me
for her arrest, do you?”

“If not for you, most of this wouldn’t have happened.”

Harley stared at her. “You can’t believe that. Aunt Darcy asked me to help her find out if Harry was smuggling in illegal imports, but neither of us expected him to get murdered.”

Angry tears welled in Amanda’s eyes. “Harry wouldn’t be dead if you hadn’t started your meddling. I just know it.”

“So this is about Harry, not your mother, then.” Harley tilted her head to one side, eyes narrowed a bit. “You’re not that selfish, are you?”

“Of course not!”

“Good. I was hoping you weren’t making this about you instead of Aunt Darcy. Now where is she? I came here to warn her that the guy who killed Harry might come after her. That was what I was trying to tell you on the phone, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Amanda’s eyes had gotten larger. “She’s not here.”

Harley got an ache in the pit of her stomach. “Tell me she’s not at the shop.”

“She said there was something there she needed. Oh God, Harley, do you think—?”

Instead of answering, Harley pulled out her cell phone and dialed Bobby. He didn’t answer and she left a message. Damn. He was never there when she needed him most. Maybe he was already at the shop. She hoped. She tried Darcy’s cell phone again, but no answer.
Damn
.

When she dialed Morgan, he picked up on the second ring. “Yeah.”

“Hey, I need you.”

“If this is a booty call, I’m a little busy right now, but I’ll be glad to come by later.”

“How thoughtful, but I have a different kind of problem. I can’t reach Bobby and I think my aunt’s in trouble.”

Morgan quickly became all business. She gave him a brief summary of her suspicions, and he told her to stay where she was, and he’d make sure Baroni got a unit to the shop.

“You’ll stay there, right, Harley?”

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away, I promise.”

She was shivering by now, more with anticipation than actual fear. When she looked at her cousin, Amanda was bug-eyed and huddled in misery on the edge of a bench in the hall.

“Where’s Madelyn?” Harley asked.

“Playing tennis with Trey.”

“Good lord. I’ve never known her to actually exercise before. She must really like him.”

“I guess. Harley, what’s going on?”

“Get Madelyn in here and I’ll tell you what I know, which isn’t much.”

She waited in the kitchen. Aunt Darcy’s pretty, pickled-wood cabinets had taken expert finishers weeks to achieve a subtle blend of weathered streaks to match the tiles on the walls and white-oak floors. A bay window with stained glass panes reflecting rainbows of light looked out on fountains and gardens beyond French doors. Everything gleamed bright and shiny and expensive, and she thought of Diva’s kitchen with its cluttered counters and dreamcatchers and how much more welcoming it seemed. Money definitely wasn’t everything.

Just as she was deciding that Darcy Fontaine must have unrecognized talents, Amanda burst back into the kitchen with Madelyn in tow.

“Where’s Trey?” Harley asked.

“He, uh, went home.” Madelyn looked out of breath, hair disheveled, lips slightly swollen and eyes still a bit glazed. Harley smiled.

“Must have been some tennis game.”

Madelyn lifted a brow. “It was.”

“Well, we could stand here all day and discuss your love match—pun intended—but I’d rather make sure that you two understand what I’m trying to tell you. Harry’s killer is still on the loose and I have info that he might end up here. Where’s Uncle Paul?”

They exchanged a look, but finally Amanda said, “Mama and Daddy are separated. It’s only a trial separation, but he’s . . . he’s not living here anymore.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. That’s got to be hard on all of you.” There didn’t seem to be anything else to say about that so she moved on. “Make sure all the doors and windows are locked. And keep trying to get Darcy on her cell phone.”

“Where are you going?” Madelyn sounded panicked. “You’re not going to leave us here alone, are you?”

“I sent the police to the shop, so if Aunt Darcy’s there, she’ll be just fine. I’ll check the pool house and lock it. Turn on your alarm when I go out, and—”

“Don’t you dare leave us, Harley Jean Davidson! You started this mess, and you’d better stay right here with us until we’re safe.”

Madelyn looked downright vicious. Her thin nose quivered, her lips were drawn back over her perfect white teeth, and she looked as if she really might bite at any moment. A definite improvement from her usual haughty expression.

“Well, since you asked so nicely, I suppose I could wait until Aunt Darcy arrives. We can pass all that free time catching up on the past few years.”

That last suggestion was met with a less than enthusiastic response, so Harley ended up going around checking all the doors and windows with her cousins bunched behind her like two scared mice. Safety in numbers seemed to be their watchword for the day.

Just as she was ready to suggest they find a more constructive way to wait, the sound of a car arriving in the circular driveway broke the tension.

“It’s Mama,” Amanda said from the front window, and Madelyn rushed to open the door as her sister added, “Oh, and she has someone with her.”

The hair on the back of Harley’s neck stood up, and she started toward the entrance hall with her Mace and cell phone handy. “
Wait
,” she said, but it was too late. Madelyn had opened the door for her mother and the man Harley knew as Bernie.

Darcy looked catatonic. There was no expression at all on her face, and Harley realized it was the look of an animal caught in a trap—numb futility. Bernie, however, was quite animated.

“You said it’s here, so you better get it,” he said to Darcy in a distinctly unpleasant tone. “Now move!” He jabbed her in the back with the barrel of a gun, while Madelyn and Amanda squealed as he slammed the front door closed.

About the time Harley decided it’d be more prudent for her not to be noticed, he saw her.

“
You
—biker chick—get your ass over here.”