I pulled up to Jacks’ house just before six. After my run-in with Manny, I’d taken a long winding way home, checking the rearview mirror more than the road in front of me. My hands shook so badly, I gripped the wheel until my fingers hurt. I replayed the conversation with him over and over. I’d found out two things: the tanning salon was a cover for something shady — no pun intended — and Manny knew Packard Graystone. But I didn’t know how either of these facts tied into Axton’s disappearance.
I was still a nervous mess as I got ready for the evening. After babysitting Scotty, I was meeting Dane and wanted to look nice. Not that this was a date or anything. We were just trying to find Axton. Together. At a bar. An un-date, that’s what it was.
As I got out of the car, I adjusted my dress — the nicest one I owned actually. Black, not too short, showing a little boobage, but not enough to be slutty. I thought I looked pretty spiffy.
Then I saw Roxy.
She wore a ruffled blouse with a short black skirt over layers of stiff white petticoats. She topped it off with an enormous black bow attached to her blue sausage curls.
“You look very pretty,” I said.
We walked up to the door and stood on the lighted porch. She glanced at me. “What happened? You run into that BJ guy again?” Her gaze moved over my face. “You look as tense as shit.”
I had been going for casual hot. Apparently I had the holy-hell-I-got-the-crap-scared-out-of-me-by-a-Ben-Franklin-impersonator look instead. “I’ll tell you later.”
The door flew open and I peered down, saw Scotty, and grinned. “Hey Sport.”
“Aunt Rose! We’re having pizza tonight. No salmon.”
“Yay! I love pizza.”
He stepped back to let us in. His blue eyes widened as he took in Roxy from head to toe. “You look like a Bubble Guppy.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
My sister walked down the stairs fixing her earring as she came. She glanced over at Roxy and froze in place. “The two of you are too dressed up to spend the night babysitting.”
“I’m going out afterward,” I said.
“Me, too.”
“Won’t it be kind of late?”
“It’s not a school night, Mom,” I said. Roxy snorted. “Quit worrying about us, just go and have a good time.”
Allen walked into the foyer in a suit and tie. “Hey, Rose,” he said, not looking at me but at Roxy. His brows made a trip north. “Hello.” He held out his hand. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Allen Smythe.”
“Roxy Block,” she said, shaking his hand.
“That’s a very…unique outfit you have on, Roxy.”
She smacked her gum and nodded. “Like I know, right?”
Jacks slipped a lightweight coat out of the hall closet. “We’ve already ordered the pizza, and the money is on the kitchen counter with a coupon. Scotty will try to talk you into letting him stay up until nine, but bedtime’s eight-thirty.” Allen helped her into her coat. “Don’t let him have sugar. And we should be home between nine and nine-thirty.”
“Scotty,” she called. “Come kiss me goodbye.”
He flew into the foyer and slid across the marble floor. “Bye Mommy. Bye Daddy.” He hugged my sister’s leg and she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.
Allen ruffled his hair. “Be good for Aunt Rose, okay?”
“Kay,” he said before running off.
“Where are you guys going anyway?” I asked.
Allen frowned. “To your parents’ house, of course.”
I looked at Jacks, but she wouldn’t meet my gaze. “It’s a hospital thing. You’d be so bored.”
Realization flitted across Allen’s face as he stood next to Jacks with his mouth hanging open. “Oh yes, bored. God, these things are so boring. Wouldn’t be there unless we had to, right Jacqueline?”
I forced a smile on my face. “Sure.” I waved one hand. “You two go on.”
My smile left as soon as they did. Fact is, I’d rather have my tooth drilled without anesthetic than go to my parents’ house. What did I have in common with a room full of doctors? Still, I knew I hadn’t been invited, not because I didn’t find talk of gallbladders and golf games fascinating, but because my parents were ashamed of me.
“Wow,” Roxy said. “That was harsh.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s all fine. Let’s go find Scotty.”
He was in the den watching Sponge Bob Square Pants. I found it annoying, but Roxy laughed just as hard as Scotty did.
When the pizza came, I turned off the TV and we ate in the kitchen. After he was done eating, Scotty begged me for candy.
“We have a whole new bag of Snickers for the trick-or-treaters.” He pointed to the cabinet above the refrigerator. “That’s where Mommy hides it.”
“How do you know where she hides it, Sport?” I asked.
“Duh, because that’s where she hides the cookies.”
“Well, maybe you can have a piece after lunch tomorrow, because your mom said no sugar tonight.”
“Ah man.” He pounded his little fist on the table. “That sucks!”
Roxy nodded. “That does suck.” She pulled out a piece of gum and stuck it in her mouth.
“Can I have a piece of gum?”
“No, this is special gum. I’m trying to quit smoking because it’s a bad habit, so I chew the gum instead.”
He paused for second, his blue eyes narrowed. “Maybe if I quit picking my nose, I could eat candy.”
I grinned. “It doesn’t hurt to have dreams.”
We played Old Maid and Go Fish until it was time for Scotty to go to bed. Normally we’d play Candy Land, but since sugar was a forbidden substance, I didn’t want to rub it in.
At eight-fifteen, I watched him brush his teeth, listened to his prayers, and together, we read his favorite book. By that time, he’d just about conked out. When I kissed his forehead and left the room, I felt a pang in my chest. Sometimes I envied my sister.
Back downstairs I flopped onto the sofa next to Roxy.
“Okay,” she said, “spill.”
I filled her in on the decrypted list—‘Names, dates, and numbers? WTF?’—my conversation with Sheila—‘Packard’s totally getting some on the side’—and my run in with Manny—‘Maybe he’s a pimp in charge of a secret prostitution ring.’
“A prostitution ring in Huntingford?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Stranger shit has happened.”
“I just want Axton back.”
“You’ll find him. In the meantime, if you want to know what’s going on in that tanning salon, we could always break in.”
“Who are we, Charlie’s Angels? With my luck, I’d get caught.”
“I never get caught. Well, not since I was twelve.”
“Is that why you spent time in juvie?” I knew Roxy had a tough childhood. She’d mentioned her stay in Juvenile Hall over the years, but never told me why.
She shrugged. “I put syrup of Ipecac in my foster father’s beer.”
“Oh.”
She played with a flounce on her skirt. “He deserved it, trust me.”
“I do.”
“Seriously, though, if you want to break in after hours, I’m your girl.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
Roxy and I watched TV until Jacks and Allen came home an hour later. I gave them an update as Roxy pulled on her cardigan and I grabbed my purse and dug out my keys. “Okay sis, I’ll call you next week.”
“Rose, I’m sorry about tonight. I should have told you we were going to Mom and Dad’s house. It’s just after the salmon incident the other day—”
“It’s okay. Really.” I gave her a quick hug.
She kissed my cheek and said goodnight.
Roxy and I were walking toward our cars when she glanced over at me. “Sorry you didn’t get invited to the hospital thing.”
“No biggie.”
“Yeah, well, if you were my daughter, I’d be really proud of you.” She grabbed a piece of my hair and gave it a tug. “Even though you still don’t have your degree, you loser.”
I drove out of my sister’s neighborhood and hooked a left on Crabtree Lane. When I pulled up to the cigar bar, Dane was waiting for me out front, looking handsome in a dark jacket and slacks. He smiled when he saw me pull into the lot and headed over, opening my door after I parked.
His blue eyes sparkled as his glance took me in from head to toe. “You look beautiful.”
I pushed a lock of hair behind one ear. “Thanks. You look nice, too.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek. When he pulled back, his hand lingered on my shoulder. “Still no word from Ax?”
“No.”
“Let’s have a drink and you can fill me in on the latest.” He slipped his hand around to my lower back and escorted me inside.
Penn’s Cigar and Fine Tobacco was a one story mellow brick building near my parents’ country club. Arched leaded glass windows looked out onto the street and the golf course beyond. The warm lighting inside made the club chairs and round mahogany tables seem rich and inviting. Expensive-smelling smoke hung thick in the air.
Dane helped me out of my coat and handed it to the check girl. Then he cupped my elbow and guided me to the bar.
I gracefully slipped onto a tall barstool and arranged my dress so I didn’t flash my official sexy panties to the world. I smiled at Dane as he slid an arm along the back of my seat.
“Mind if I smoke?”
I shook my head.
“Order me a Hennessy? I’ll be right back.” He slid off the stool and walked toward the humidor.
The bartender made his way over. I ordered for Dane and ordered myself a glass of wine, feeling like I was in over my head. I knew my parents would have felt at home here, but I didn’t know anything about cigars or cognac. Most of the wine I drank came out of a box.
I took out the picture of Axton from my purse. The bartender placed our drinks in front of me and set a cigar cutter next to Dane’s snifter.
“Have you seen this man in here?” I asked, handing him the picture.
“Sorry. Why are you looking for him?”
“He’s missing.”
He handed back the photo. “I haven’t seen him.”
I tucked the picture in my purse. “Thanks, anyway.”
I swiveled on my stool and checked out the place. The room was full, and I saw at least four of my parents’ friends. I swiftly turned back toward the bar so I wouldn’t inadvertently make eye contact and have to participate in small talk about my career choice. Or lack of one.
Fifteen minutes later, Dane returned a little flushed and out of breath. “Sorry about that, I ran into a client and everybody wants free advice.”
“No problem.” With my elbow propped up on the bar, my chin in my hand, I watched Dane grab the cutter.
He held up the cigar. “You have to snip the end off like this,” he said demonstrating. “Then you light the edges.” He proceeded to rotate the cigar, charring the edges he’d snipped.
“Seems like a lot of work.”
“It’s worth the effort.” With narrowed eyes he put it in his mouth and gently puffed. I got a little turned on, watching it.
We started chatting and Dane was good at drawing information out of me. I found myself telling him everything, from the decrypted list, which I pulled out of my purse and handed to him, to BJ, to the tanning salon visit, but leaving out the bitch slap I gave Manny. He glanced through the pages, then looked over at me.
“I don’t understand. What does this have to do with Axton? And why the hell didn’t you call the police when those two men broke into your apartment?”
Good questions. “BJ made it sound like going to the police was a really bad idea. And I have no proof he was even there. He may have broken in the first time, but there wasn’t any damage.”
“And you still don’t know what he wants?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s after the hard drive.”
“This guy means business or he wouldn’t keep showing up. You have to go to the police with this, Rose. Please. I know some cops, good men. They’ll be discreet, I promise.”
“I don’t know…”
“Maybe they’ll take Axton’s disappearance more seriously if you report this.”
What if that was true? Time was getting away from me. Axton had been missing for five days and I wasn’t any closer to finding him now than I had been on day one. Besides, he needed to show up for that drug test on Monday or he’d be out of a job. Then how would he pay his mortgage, his car payment, or keep Stoner Joe in chips and ganja? I missed him so much I ached with it. But the police? I wasn’t convinced it was the right move.
“Trust me. Please,” Dane said, taking my hand.
Tears stung the backs of my eyes. I was so tired, so weary, and I missed my friend. I cleared my throat. “I need to use the restroom.”
As I made my way toward the ladies lounge, a door on my right opened and a server stepped into the hall. I peeked in before the door closed. Through the thick gray haze, I made out a group of men gathered around a table, playing cards. I wondered how they could breathe through all that dense smoke.
After making use of the facilities, which turned out to be larger than my apartment and much, much nicer, I checked myself in the mirror, making sure my mascara hadn’t smudged and touched up my lipstick before heading back to the bar.
I sipped my wine and Dane swirled his cognac and smoked. While he was occupied I turned things over in my mind. Where did this whole NorthStar thing fit in? Just because Axton wrote it down didn’t mean it was connected to all this. Axton would no more have been at home in this place than he would have at Honky Tonk Heaven or Chucky’s or a pseudo-antique store.
“You know, I can’t help but wonder if this is a waste of time,” I said. “Axton doesn’t hang out in places like this. He doesn’t even go to bars much, except The Carp. The thing at the tanning salon could just be a coincidence.”
“The man who broke into your apartment, how did he know you’d been looking for Axton? Have you noticed anyone following you?”
“No, and I’ve been checking, believe me. Unless they’re ninjas, no one has been tailing me.”
“Do you think someone from one of the businesses tipped this guy off?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“What about Packard or Axton’s roommate? Could either of them be working for BJ?”
“Stoner Joe? He can’t remember what day it is. Packard?” I thought about Manny’s reaction to hearing Packard’s name. But Pack knew Eric had the hard drive. He would have passed that info on to BJ, so no need to harass me.
“I don’t know what to think. I just know that I have to find Ax. And wherever he is, I hope he’s safe.”
Dane slipped a hand down my back. “You’re a good friend.” He looked into my eyes and leaned in. Our lips almost touched when my purse vibrated.
“Sorry,” I whispered. I dug my phone out and glanced at the ID. It was Roxy.