Dead by Midnight - Beverly Barton [130]
“Are you taking care of yourself? That cough sounds bad.” He didn’t give a damn how sick she was or if she lived or died. Correct that. He needed her to stay alive a while longer, long enough for him to accomplish his goals. He needed the old bat’s money. Smiling to himself, he wondered how Laura Lou would react if she had any idea how he was using the cash she sent him.
“I’ve got bad sinus problems,” she told him. “Apparently, they’re chronic and I just have to live with them.” She coughed a couple more times and then got straight to the point. “So, how much do you need this time?”
“What makes you think I’m calling to ask for more money?” They played this same game every time he called her. He understood two things about Laura Lou. One: She needed the attention he paid her during these long-distance conversations. Two: She would send him the money he needed.
“Sweet boy, I know you.”
“Inside and out,” he agreed.
“So, how much this time?”
“A thousand should be enough.”
“Want me to wire it to the same account there in Fayetteville?”
“Yes, please. Under the name of William Geisman.”
“I hope you’re using the money wisely,” she said. “But if not…if you’re doing anything illegal, be careful not to get caught.”
“Good advice. But you always were the smart one, weren’t you? Don’t worry about me. I learned from the master how to get away with murder.”
Lorie hung up the phone and turned to Mike.
“You already know what Maleah told me, don’t you?”
He nodded. “Derek called Jack this morning and Jack relayed the information to me when he called a little while ago. He told me that Maleah planned to phone you and tell you herself.”
“Sonny Deguzman’s dead and the Midnight Killer didn’t murder him.”
“Yeah, it seems he was stabbed in a bar fight in Madrid about six months ago. He’d been living under an assumed name and that’s the reason Powell’s had so much trouble finding him.”
“That narrows down the targets for our killer, doesn’t it? The only actors from Midnight Masquerade left alive are Jean, Terri, and me.”
“And all three of you have around-the-clock protection. Jean Misner’s husband is keeping two bodyguards on duty at all times. Terri Owens is recuperating in a private facility, in a restricted section of the rehab center that screens all of her visitors. And you have me and backup from my deputies.”
“Why haven’t they caught him?” Lorie asked, simply voicing her thoughts and not expecting Mike to have an answer.
He put his arm around her shoulders.
She tensed.
He released her instantly.
She took a deep breath.
Whenever Mike touched her, she wanted to turn into his arms, hold him close and never let him go. And the odd thing was, she sensed that he felt the same way.
Dear God, what an impossible situation.
Lorie dove directly into the other subject she had discussed with Maleah. “Did Jack tell you that Shelley’s sister plans to have her cremated, as she had requested in her will, and there won’t be a funeral, only a private memorial service?”
“He did.”
“If the state ME releases Shelley’s body within a few days, the memorial service will probably be next week,” Lorie said. “I’d very much like to go to Knoxville for the service.”
“I think that can be arranged. I figured you’d want to go, so I’ve already mentioned to Jack that perhaps he and Cathy could go with us.”
Despite their years apart, Mike still knew her so well that he could often second-guess her thoughts. “That would be good. I’m sure Maleah would appreciate their being there. Even though they didn’t really know Shelley all that well, she and Maleah did work together and…” Tears lodged in Lorie’s throat. She swallowed. “Damn it, I’ve got to stop tearing up all the time.”
“Your bodyguard, a woman you liked and were becoming friends with, was brutally murdered two days ago,” Mike said. “You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t upset over that fact. You have every right to cry whenever you feel like it.”
“If I’m honest with myself, I have to admit