Spontaneous - Brenda Jackson [56]
“Have you heard anything?” Kim asked anxiously.
Detective Hogan glanced over at her. “The police department in Vegas has been notified and they’re checking the registry of all the hotels. There’s quite a number of them. A current photograph of your mother and Villarosas was wired to Vegas and everyone is on the lookout for them. We’ve also alerted several popular chapels.”
At that moment Kim’s cell phone rang and she raced across the room to pick it up from the table, not recognizing the phone number. “Yes?”
“Kim?”
“Mom!” she nearly screamed with both relief and excitement. Everyone raced across the room to her.
“Mom! Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you and—”
“Kim, sweetheart, please listen. I had to call you. Edward is acting weird and accusing me of all sorts of stuff. I’m in Las Vegas, and on the way from the airport to our hotel I convinced him that I needed to use the bathroom and couldn’t wait. So we stopped at one of those fast-food restaurants. I’m using this woman’s phone that I met here in the ladies’ room. The battery in my phone died so I couldn’t call you, and when I asked Edward about using his phone he accused me of wanting to call Bennie.”
“Mr. Bennie?” Kim asked, glancing over at the neighbor, who stared back at her with a curious look on his face.
“Yes. Edward dropped by unexpectedly last night while Bennie was there. I don’t know what’s got into him. He was fine until we got to Vegas and then he began yelling and accusing me of all sorts of things, especially having an affair with Bennie.”
Kim struggled to stay calm. “Mom, listen, don’t go back out to Edward’s car. Use the lady’s phone and call 911 and tell them exactly where you are.”
“Kim, it’s not that serious. Edward just needs time to think about what he’s saying and—”
“Mom, please do what I ask. Edward is wanted by the police.” Kim hadn’t wanted to break the news to her mother this way, but she didn’t have a choice.
“Wanted by the police? Kim, that is utter non sense.”
“No it’s not, Mom. The police detective is here and needs to talk to you. Please listen to what he says and tell them where you are.”
Kim handed Detective Hogan her cell phone and then moved aside to inform Duan, Mr. Bennie and Landon of what her mother had said. Detective Reddick was talk ing on his cell, contacting the police in Vegas, letting them know of her mother’s phone call.
“Edward began acting strange,” Kim said. “And he accused Mom of having an affair with you, Mr. Bennie.
Mom said Edward got that idea when he dropped by last night and you and Mom were together.”
Mr. Bennie nodded. “Yes, I was here last night. Nona and I were shelling peas.”
“Well, evidently Edward got upset, which is probably what prompted him to convince her to fly off to Vegas with him.”
“Why didn’t she contact you on her cell phone?”
Duan asked.
“Her battery died. And according to her, Edward wouldn’t let her use his phone, so she pretended she had to go to the ladies’ room, which got him to make a stop. She called from the ladies’ room of a fast-food restaurant using another woman’s phone. That’s where she is now.”
Kim glanced over at the two detectives. Hogan was still talking to her mother and she eased closer to hear what was being said.
“Yes, Ms. Cannon. He needs to be brought in for the murder of his two wives.” He paused and then said, “Yes, ma’am, murder. I know this comes as a shock, but it’s true. His hired killer told us where to find the bodies. We’ve contacted the Vegas law enforcement as to where you are and they’re on their way.”
Hogan nodded. “Yes, I would advise you to keep the bathroom door locked until they get there.” He nodded again. “Good thinking. Yes, please hold for a minute.”
Hogan then relayed to the others what was happening. “The lady whose phone she’s using has agreed to stay with her and they’ve locked themselves in the restroom. Edward has knocked on the door twice, but Ms. Cannon has kept him at bay by saying she had a little emergency and needed more time.”
“The Vegas police are a couple of blocks away,” Reddick said, before