“I’ll give her another minute and then I’m knocking.” Rocky’s voice faded and then it grew quiet.
Carlita jumped to her feet and jogged to the door. A quick peek through the crack confirmed the hall was once again empty. She power-walked toward the living room, only slowing long enough to fling the bathroom door open on her way past.
Dernice, with Rocky a few feet away, stood in the breezeway, twirling the temple tip of her sunglasses between her fingers. “There you are. We thought we lost you.”
Carlita clutched her gut and winced. “I had an extra-spicy burrito for breakfast this morning.”
Rocky’s eyes widened. “I hope you turned the fan on.”
She crossed her fingers. “You won’t even be able to tell I used the bathroom. Hopefully, I didn’t keep you waiting.”
“I was asking Rocky about his plans for his brother’s funeral.”
“I told Dernice we have a lot of family so we’re still trying to figure things out.”
“Again, I am so sorry for your loss,” Carlita said sincerely.
The trio exited Sonny’s house the same way they’d entered and lingered on the sidewalk.
“Are you up for tomorrow’s ride?” Dernice asked.
“The charity bike ride for the Senior Citizens Center?” Rocky shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll be there, riding in honor of my brother. Sonny was a big supporter of the group.”
“He was. I’ll see you out at the fairgrounds at nine.”
Carlita wished him well and trekked behind Dernice, making her way to the sidewalk. Without looking, she could feel Rocky’s eyes on them, watching as they walked away.
They reached the end of the block and turned the corner.
“That was a close one.” Carlita swiped her eyebrow. “For a second there, I thought for sure I was gonna get busted.”
“Where were you?”
“Searching Sonny’s bedroom at the end of the hall.” Carlita nudged Dernice off to the side and showed her the photo she’d taken. “I found this lanyard hanging on a coat rack.”
Dernice tapped the screen to enlarge the picture. “Sonny worked in the county tax commissioner’s office and enforcement department. This must’ve been his nickname, Sonny the Enforcer.”
“The county tax collectors are the folks who take people’s property for nonpayment of taxes and sell them at auction to recoup the money owed.” Carlita shoved her phone in her pocket. “Rocky was right. Sonny had his share of women in and out of his place. I noticed a few articles of women’s clothing hanging from the coat rack.”
“I wonder if any of them belonged to a chick with a heart tattoo and wings.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Carlita grew silent, mulling over the findings as they continued making their way toward Walton Square. “If Sonny was a player, any number of women could be potential suspects.”
“We only need one. The right one.”
“Rocky commented that his primary love and hobby was his motorcycle.”
“Without a doubt. Sonny slept, ate and breathed riding.”
“So if his life revolved around riding, there’s a good chance the tattoo person, the person I feel might be behind his death, is a rider too.”
“Stands to reason. Plus, as I mentioned before, I can’t shake the feeling I’ve seen that same tattoo.”
“How many women are in your biker group?”
Dernice began ticking off the names. “Me, Courtney, Reyna, Hot Rod’s wife, Tutti and Leesa. Five total female riders. Reyna and Tutti are close to the same size as the hooded figure we saw coming out of Sonny’s hospital room.”
“So, five women and four potential suspects if we don’t rule anyone out,” Carlita said. “Do the women ride regularly?”
