Anderson stood up from his chair in a flash, and the seat rolled back hitting the drink station Frankie had in the corner of the room. Glass bottles tinkled as the liquids splashed around in them. “That’s not fucking true!”
Frankie, who looked unconcerned with the outburst even though his muscles flexed, sat up straighter in his chair. Every single man in this room was a powder keg of testosterone. We all thought we were the shit and should get first say, but only because we came together to work as a team did anything get done in Pelican Bay.
“The point is,” Frankie said, emphasizing the words until Anderson took his seat again. “We need to fix this shit. It can’t be like last year.”
“Ridge is on it.” We didn’t make it public knowledge I hired Ridge to keep an eye on Katy and solve the crime as fast as possible, but we knew Ridge’s personality. Even if I hadn’t paid him to look into the murder he wouldn’t stay away from a crime of such magnitude.
None of us would allow it in our town.
Frankie laughed. “Yeah, from the sounds of it so is Katy.”
Now he just tried to start crap. I unclenched my teeth in order to respond. “I’ve got Katy taken care of.”
His smirk annoyed the crap out of me and one eyebrow ticked up as if he questioned me with his facial expressions. “Is that so?”
“Yes. Ridge has a man on her.” I played my hand too early, but if I didn’t trust these assholes, I couldn’t trust anyone in Pelican Bay. We may dislike each other in one way or another, but we wanted the same end results.
Frankie leaned forward, putting his elbows on his desk. All he needed was a zoot suit and a black and white photo filter and he’d be a character from a mob movie. “Does Katy know this?”
Did he consider me stupid? “Of course not.”
Another creek sounded from the wood even though Dominick’s feet were no longer on Frankie’s desk.
Frankie settled back in his chair but something about his look continued to scratch at my annoyances, like he knew something I didn’t. When it came to Katy, I knew everything. I’d made it my mission for years.
“As I’m sure you’re aware by now, Chip Martal worked for me.” Frankie waved his hand in the air like it was no big deal. “He was a basic grunt hired to help move materials from one building project to another in Clearwater. The problem is my name cannot be dragged into this right now. We need to catch the killer and put this to rest before it gets out of hand.”
“We all want this solved,” Anderson said, his voice ringing with irritation.
Frankie nodded. “Yes, fine, but I have a big project in the works and everything needs to be clean. I can’t have the cops snooping around my affairs.”
Now Anderson looked to Frankie suspiciously. “And why is that?”
“None of your business,” he returned quickly.
Wood groaned and then a crash echoed in the room and I turned my head in his direction as a body flew out from an open closet door and landed face first on Frankie’s plush carpeting.
“What the hell?” Sounded from various mouths throughout the room.
Ridge, Anderson, and Dominick were sitting in one moment and standing in the next. All three of them drew their guns at the object who worked her way up from the floor. Blonde hair covered her face until she stood and faced our direction with one finger pointed out an accusation.
“I knew you had me followed! How dare you?” Katy demanded, staring at me with eyes full of fire.
Why the hell did Frankie have Katy hiding away in his closet? And how long had she been there? Obviously, our entire meeting since there didn’t appear to be another way to access the small space besides this room.
I’d been two seconds away from lashing out at Frankie, but then I caught his expression as he regarded Katy in the same confused way I did. He did not realize where she’d stashed herself.
The only one of us not obsessed with Katy and her whereabouts was her cousin, Detective Anderson.
He pointed his gun at Dominick. “You got a permit for that firearm?” he asked over the confusion.
Dominick flicked his head in his direction. “Yeah, it’s in my fuck-you wallet.”
I didn’t want to stand around and let these two dish it out as to whether he had a permit for the gun when we knew Dominick didn’t. “What the hell, Katy? What are you doing in Frankie’s closet?”
Katy stood with her back ramrod straight and her hands on both of her hips, her angry gaze falling to each of us one of the time. “You don’t get to ask me questions.”
She was half protected behind Frankie’s desk, and I shortened the distance between us by going to stand on the other side. “Like hell I don’t. You’re supposed to be at home.” For a quick second I whipped my attention in the other direction not turning my body in case Katy came at me with a weapon. “How did your guy lose her two blocks away?” I asked Ridge.
