Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 01 - Stilettos & Scoundrels Read online

  “Well, well, well. What have we here? It seems like we have some company—the pretty lady and her boyfriend the security professional. What a joke,” Garrison said, laughing.

  Simon had his gun trained on us and waved it, motioning for us to come out of our hiding place to join the others. He motioned for Cooper to toss down his gun, which he did.

  Cooper began clenching and un-clenching his fists. I was scared and felt horrible that I had just put us in a bad predicament. I could only hope that Dirt would get there soon or that they could find some way to talk our way out of this.

  Garrison shifted to get a good view of all of us. Without taking his eyes off the group, he continued talking to Simon.

  “I said we don’t have to worry about him talking, Simon. He did the job you were supposed to do. His debt with me is clear.” Cooper and I weren’t the only ones who were surprised to learn that Bobby had killed Senator Daniels. Simon had clearly not been expecting this news, and Chris stared at Helen in complete shock. Helen, though, was her normal, in-control self and in a killer Donna Karan suit with Prada handbag. Even at gunpoint, the woman looked put-together.

  I broke the stunned silence. It’s not as if things could get any worse, and I really wanted some clarification here.

  “Wait a minute. I’m confused here. I thought Chris killed the Senator?”

  “You bitch!” We all turned our heads to see Chris confronting Helen. His face was white and his body was shaking with anger.

  “You told me that you killed Tom,” he yelled at her. “I’ve been trying to cover for you and putting myself in danger for nothing?”

  “Get a grip, Chris. I never said I killed anybody. You assumed I did. I just didn’t correct you,” Helen said curtly. This boy had been a fun diversion from her boring daily life, but he was starting to be a bore. “Not my fault you were too stupid to figure out the truth. Besides, I needed you. You played right into the situation perfectly.”

  I could see the hurt in Chris’ eyes. It was clear that he had true feelings for Helen. I was confused about why he was with Katy last night then, and I regretted that I hadn’t the chance to ask Katy before Tobey showed up at the coffee house. I sighed. There was time enough later to figure that out, if we got out of there alive.

  “You used me,” Chris said, still angry, but also a bit sad. He knew he was stupid to have thought someone like Helen would really love him, but sometimes she could be so nice.

  “Sorry.” Helen shrugged. “I didn’t make you fall in love with me.”

  Although Chris looked devastated, I had a hard time feeling sorry for him. What comes around goes around. He treated Katy like crap, and he was getting what he deserved.

  “I don’t believe for a minute that Bobby killed him, and Simon didn’t kill him. Obviously, Helen and Chris didn’t kill him either. So, who did?” I asked. This was getting ridiculous. For a moment, this entire situation seemed comical: guns pointing at people, people fighting over being in love, or rather, not in love. For a split second, everyone was silent.

  “I killed him,” Dirt said, stepping out from the shadows with his gun trained on Tobey, who stepped in front of him. I wondered how long he had been listening to this exchange.

  “Thanks, Cooper for leaving me those voicemails to let me know where you would be. It really made my job easier getting all of you in the same place.”

  “You son-of-a-bitch,” Cooper said, taking a step forward. He had been hoping he was wrong about Dirt. Despite their differences, Cooper wouldn’t have thought him capable of murder, and for what?

  “Now, now. I would think twice before stepping any closer, Coop.” Dirt pointed his gun at him. That made three guns pointed in various directions: Simon, Garrison, and now Dirt. But who was counting?

  “Dirt, what is this about?” I questioned. “Why would you kill the Senator?”

  Dirt turned to me, fuming. He was livid about the situation playing out like this. When he got involved with Garrison Palazzo, he hadn’t any idea it would turn to murder and now to this. “Presley, I’m so sorry you had to get involved. I would have preferred you never came out here. You were always a good friend to me. Now you’re going to have to die with your boyfriend here.”

  “Dirt, let her go. She won’t say anything,” Cooper said quietly.

  “Shut up! I’ve worked too hard! I deserve this, and I’m not letting you fuck it up—not any of you,” Dirt said.

  “Dirt, why?” I asked again. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t comprehend Dirt killing me or Tom Daniels and wanted to know what had pushed him to these lengths.

  “Because being a cop doesn’t pay shit. I got tired of working hard for nothing. Something she wouldn’t understand,” he said, pointing to Helen, who had the nerve to look bored by the whole scene, “or the Senator. He thought he was such a big shot that he could gamble away millions without a care in the world.”

  “But, Dirt—murder? Is it really worth it? You’re not this kind of person.” It looked like Dirt was conspiring with Garrison and Simon.

  “You don’t know what kind of person I am, Presley,” he sneered. “So just shut up. All of you shut up and get on the floor. Simon, you toss your gun over to Garrison.”

  Wait a minute. Why would Dirt want Simon to get rid of his gun? My head was starting to hurt from all of this. “Are you working for him?” I said incredulously, tilting my head towards Garrison.

  “You go where the money is.”

  Dirt was so wrapped up in trying to watch all of us that he didn’t notice Cooper making eye contact with Simon and Chris, who finally quit shooting daggers at Helen. Cooper thought if they could time it just right and all rush the guys holding the guns, we just might have a chance of getting out of this alive.

  I noticed the looks they were trading. I couldn’t figure out what they were saying or planning, but all I could hope was that it was some sort of guy thing and that they each knew what the other was thinking. Then I looked at Cooper, and he smiled at me with his eyes. I felt reassured; I could tell he was going to get us out of here safely.

  “Get on the floor, all of you!” Dirt screamed again.

  “Oh, please, Dirt. This is really getting tiresome,” Helen said, rolling her eyes and looking like she really wanted a cigarette, though I had to hand it to her, she didn’t look worried about all the guns and threats. I wasn’t sure if Helen didn’t think they would hurt us, if she just lived that much in denial, of if she didn’t care. Maybe she knew exactly what was going on. Could she have been a part of this all along?

  “Shut up, Helen.”

  I was overwhelmed by the thought that Dirt killed Tom Daniels. I didn’t understand at all what his motive could have possibly been. How would he have benefitted from it?

  I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask again. “Why, Dirt?”

  “Does it really matter, Presley?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Actually, yes. If you are going to kill me, you at least owe me an explanation. After all, if it wasn’t for me, you would never have passed Mr. Woodburn’s photography class.”

  “Seriously, Pres? You are going to try and guilt me over helping me in high school when it was over ten years ago?”

  “It was a big deal at the time since you would have had to sit on the bench during basketball season if you hadn’t passed that class.” This exchange sounded ridiculous considering the amount of weaponry around, but I was trying to buy some time and get some answers.

  Apparently, he wasn’t the only one getting tired of this juvenile banter.

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Dirt! Just kill them and be done with it. Simon, c’mon,” Garrison said with a nod of his head in Simon’s direction.

  “No, Dad.”

  “Excuse me? This is no time to argue. We can settle our differences later. C’mon, now!” Garrison said menacingly.

  I almost felt a little sorry for Simon, even if he did have a gun pointed at me earlier. It must suck to have a dad like that. It made me appreciat
e my parents more. I started to think about how I might not see them again and my eyes teared up a bit. The realization that I might not get out of this alive was starting to sink in.

  “Simon!” Garrison growled.

  “Sorry, Dad,” Simon said, shaking his head. “I have stood by long enough. This has got to stop, now.”

  “You’re making a big mistake, Simon.”

  “No, you’re the one making the mistake. You’ve underestimated me for the last time.”

  “You’re such a disappointment, Simon,” Garrison said sneering. “Dirt, get this taken care of. Simon too.”

  I didn’t know what surprised me most, that Simon really was a good guy, or that Garrison was such a cold-hearted killer that he didn’t care about his son. I was still processing this information when I noticed Cooper inching closer to Dirt. I also saw that Garrison had relaxed his gun to his side during this heated exchange with Simon.

  All of a sudden I heard Cooper scream, “Get down!”

  As I hit the ground, Cooper dove for Dirt, who looked shocked when Cooper tackled him and grabbed the gun.

  At the same time, Simon lunged for Garrison’s gun and successfully grabbed it. I saw Cooper and Dirt wrestling on the floor, the gun still out of reach of both of them.

  I started to stand up when all of a sudden a gun went off and the sound of gunshots filled the air.

  Dropping back to the ground, I covered my eyes, praying the bullet hadn’t actually hit anyone. I waited to hear something, anything, especially from Cooper, to assure me that he was okay, but it was hard to hear because everyone was yelling. Garrison and Simon were back to arguing, and as I started to get up to check on Cooper, after what seemed like hours, but was only seconds, I saw Garrison leaving. I couldn’t believe that Simon would just let him go, but at that moment, I was more concerned about Cooper. I looked around and saw both Cooper and Dirt lying face down on the ground.

  “Cooper! Oh my, God!” I shrieked and ran over to where he was lying. “Cooper!” I said again, reaching out to touch him. I was so afraid he was dead.

  Just as I started to kneel down beside him, he rolled over and slowly opened his eyes.

  “So, this is what it took to get you to admit you like me?”

  “You jerk! And to think I was worried you were dead!” I said, trying to act mad, but I didn’t pull it off so well. He knew I had been truly worried that he might be seriously hurt, or even worse, dead.

  “Ah-ha! That’s the Presley I know and love!” Cooper said softly. He wasn’t happy he had been hurt, but if that’s what it took to get her attention, then it was a nice by-product. Just when I was about to make a smartass retort, the FBI burst into the room yelling, “Freeze!”

  That may have been helpful, oh, say, ten minutes ago… I thought to myself.

  As the FBI darted through the place, Helen was still screaming.

  I looked over to see what the problem was, since the major drama was over. Helen was yelling at one of the FBI agents, and I couldn’t really understand. Had she been hit? Then I saw Helen pointing at something, and all of a sudden, Helen’s screams made much more sense. That stray bullet had gone right through her wonderful Prada bag. I sighed.

  “What’s wrong, King? I’m fine.”

  “Please, it’s not you I’m worried about. Just look at that beautiful bag. What a waste.”

  Cooper looked at me. I could tell he was trying to determine if I was joking or not. Then the FBI grabbed Dirt off the floor where Cooper had knocked him unconscious. They handcuffed him and read him his rights. He wasn’t saying much, but he didn’t look happy. I was glad he was handcuffed, but so sad that he had done this.

  “Thanks for the call, Cooper,” said one of the FBI guys while handcuffing Dirt.

  “No problem, Hank.”

  “Give me a call later, will you? We’ve got a few more things to discuss.”

  “Sure.”

  I looked at Cooper, and he knew what was coming. He said, “I am sorry I didn’t share everything with you, but I promise I will tell you everything now.”

  “You are so going to pay, Cooper Sands.”

  “Promise?” He teased.

  Chapter 25“Dirt, you might as well tell us everything. We caught your friend Garrison, and we have more than enough on him to make him come clean if he wants a reduced sentence. C’mon, this will go much better for you if you comply with our request, Dirt. You know it will.” This was coming from Officer Schultz, who had not long ago reported to Dirt but was now trying to keep the FBI from locking him up for good by getting Dirt to roll on Garrison Palazzo. He wasn’t having much luck.

  “Why does it even matter now?” Dirt asked bitterly.

  “A lot of reasons, Dirt. A reduced sentence, maybe some more bargaining power. You want to separate yourself from Garrison and his pack of thugs as much as you can,” Cooper said. Because of his involvement in tipping off the FBI, they were allowing him some leeway. Cooper was trying to talk some sense into Dirt, hoping to convince him to tell all he knew of Garrison’s operations. But thus far, Dirt wasn’t being overly cooperative. Personally, Cooper thought Dirt was just feeling sorry for himself. Once he came to his senses, Cooper was sure Dirt would realize it made much more sense to cooperate. “Dirt, Garrison’s not going to protect you, and as soon as his lawyer gets here, he will be sure to throw you under the bus. Right now though, the FBI is much more interested in using Senator Daniels’ murder as leverage against him. For God sakes…help yourself.”

  “Do you think you can get them to keep me here in the county while I’m waiting for all this to come to an end?” Dirt asked starting to come around to the idea that he needed to help himself out of this.

  “I’m sure we can get that worked out,” Cooper said. The FBI had already talked to the District Attorney, and the D.A. had given them permission to further build the case against Garrison.

  Once they got Dirt talking, he talked non-stop for three solid hours. He had a lot of information on Garrison’s hold on Senator Daniels and the subsequent murder plot. Dirt also had somehow become privy to a lot of Garrison’s inner workings in his Vegas crime ring and knew more than Garrison probably realized he did. Dirt was able to fill in some areas for the authorities, which was sure to buy him some goodwill at some point. Cooper thought it was such a shame that Dirt had chased the money in this direction. What a waste.

  Dirt, who we thought was our friend, had hooked up with Garrison Palazzo and had killed Senator Daniels in exchange for money. During questioning, Dirt revealed that Garrison had approached him after he heard of Dirt’s stint in the military, because of Simon. He wanted Dirt to monitor the Senator, who owed Garrison a ton of money. Dirt, taken in by the prospect of what he felt was a lot of money for such an easy job, agreed to work for Garrison, not thinking it would soon turn in to murder for hire. Once he realized how far in he was, he didn’t see any way out of Garrison’s clutches, so he planned on taking his money and leaving town, thinking no one would know it was him. After all, he was the Sheriff. Unfortunately for Dirt, it didn’t quite work out that way.

  The FBI caught up to Garrison as he tried to get to his car outside the warehouse. They had been building a case against him for a long time and, with Dirt’s help would hopefully be able to put him away for a long time.

  To make things even more confusing, Chris thought that Helen killed the Senator and was so in love with her that he wanted to cover for her. He had gone to talk to Senator Daniels the night of the murder about his decision to fire Tobey. Helen had left the front door open for him so he could catch Tom by surprise, so when he arrived, he went right into the house and walked to the study. He saw that the Senator was already dead and assumed Helen had killed him. Why? Because when he went and found Helen, she was distraught and hysterical. She played him. While never admitting that she killed her husband, she had made it seem to Chris that she had. She knew that Tom owed the Palazzo family a lot of money and assumed they were the ones who had killed him. S
he wasn’t about to make waves. She especially didn’t want that known because she knew that Simon was working for Cooper.

  Simon, the one everybody thought was the killer, had wrangled a job with his old friend Cooper so that he could be with Helen. Simon and Helen had met one time when she was in Vegas with Tom. They had been having an ongoing affair. Helen really got around, though since her husband did too, who could blame her? It was hard to understand why Helen and Tom had stayed together if they were both unhappy in the marriage. Garrison kept pressuring Simon to kill Tom, saying it was his duty, but Simon, who wasn’t very involved with the family anyway, refused. That’s not the kind of person he was or wanted to be. That’s when Garrison went to Dirt and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Simon had been the one who chased me with the black Hummer, but he did it to try to scare me off because he was afraid that his father or Dirt might hurt me if I got too close to the truth.

  Bobby was repaying his debt to Palazzo by making it look as if he killed the Senator. He was supposed to throw the authorities off the scent. Bobby had walked into the Senator’s study after Chris that night and also found the Senator dead. Bobby had seen Chris leave, and he assumed that Chris killed the Senator to have Helen all to himself. Tobey had told him about Helen and Chris’ affair, and Bobby told Tobey that he saw Chris leaving the Senator’s study. He had also been the strange caller, trying to scare me away on Garrison’s orders.

  Dirt and Garrison were in jail, and Helen and Simon left for the Bahamas. Helen gave up on the idea of replacing Tom in the Senate. She had only planned on doing so because she was receiving pressure from the mystery man, Peter, one of Garrison’s cronies who still wanted that puppet on a string, which proved that paying off thugs wouldn’t always make them go away. Devastated, Chris crawled back to Katy, and she finally told me why she kept allowing him to come back, at least this time. She was pregnant. I didn’t feel Katy needed to put up with such crap, even in that circumstance, but I also understood. Katy would always have that tie to Chris. And maybe he had learned his lesson, finally.