Artful Dodger (Maggie Kean Mis-Adventures) by Davis Nageeba

Author:Davis, Nageeba [Davis, Nageeba]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barrel Boat Enterprises
Published: 2013-04-26T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“Well, you were a big hit with the family,” Villari growled in the dark car parked outside my house.

“You don’t sound too happy.”

“I’d be a lot happier if you’d quit skirting the issue and tell me what’s going on in that secretive little brain of yours.”

I sighed. The man sounded like a broken record, and I knew that if I didn’t say something, he’d never shut up. “Look. I’ll agree to cave in a little and let you in on a few things that I’ve discovered, but you have to agree to back off when I tell you to.”

“Back off how?”

“Like the line from an old song, ‘don’t ask me how I know what I know’.” Even with his face hidden in the shadows, I could feel his scowl.

He ran his hands through his hair a couple of times, apparently barely holding on to his patience. “These are damn stupid rules you’re insisting on and this does nothing to ease my mind about you taking care of yourself and staying out of the investigation. I’ll agree to your terms, but don’t push me too far. I’m very close to breaking your spindly little neck.”

“Wow, you do have a way with words.”

“Don’t tempt me, Maggie,” he warned. “Now tell me what you know or what you think you know.”

“It isn’t much really; at least I don’t see how it all fits in. I happen to know, and this is where you’re not allowed to ask questions about how I got my information,” I said, ignoring the strangled sounds of frustration, “that Vacuum Nose has some kind of relationship with Lindsay Burns.”

The car went quiet. I admit I didn’t think he’d whoop and holler when he heard what I had to say, but I expected more of a reaction than complete silence.

Finally he spoke. “Who is Vacuum Nose and who is Lindsay Burns?” he asked quietly.

I backed up and told him the whole story—well, the whole story minus the part about stealing Elizabeth’s appointment book and the stakeout. Some things were just better left unsaid.

Villari looked confused. “And you think this Lindsay Burns had something to do with Elizabeth’s death?”

“I don’t have any idea. I just got her name.. .” I said, hesitating a split second too long. Villari narrowed his eyes. “And I am supposed to believe that you just happened upon her name and then just happened to see her with Officer Mailer?”

“Look, Detective, you were the one who was so all-fired interested in what I was doing and what I found. Well, I told you. I told you everything except a few minor details. I kept my part of the deal and told you what I knew. You, on the other hand, have not.” I started to pull on the door handle when he reached his arm across my waist and held me still.

“Maggie.” His voice was low and serious. “The things you’re not telling have me worried. The only way you could have gotten that information was to do something bordering on illegal, which, on one hand, I don’t even want to think about.

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