Fatal Luck by Dorothy Howell

Author:Dorothy Howell [Howell, Dorothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dorothy Howell
Published: 2014-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

I checked my watch as I started my car. Manny wasn’t supposed to be back from his meeting in Riverside with the DM until after lunch, several hours from now, but there was always a chance he’d come back early. Since I’d left the office under false pretenses, I didn’t want him to return and not find me there.

I dug my cell phone from my handbag and called the office, hoping Carmen would answer. She did.

“Is Manny back?” I asked.

“Not yet,” she said. “You want me to leave a message for him?”

“No,” I said. “I’ll be back to the office soon.”

“Okay,” she said. “See you later—oh, wait. You got a message.”

I cringed at the thought that Ronald had called me again, which I didn’t feel so great about.

“A lady named Marsha called,” Carmen said.

I hoped that meant she had some good news about the appraisals Jerry had been working on for us.

“Text me her number, would you?” I asked.

“Yeah—oh, got to run. Customer.” She hung up.

I sat in the car for a few minutes until my cell phone chimed and the text with Marsha’s phone number appeared on my screen. I called and she answered right away.

“Good news,” Marsha said. “I have several of the appraisal reports that belong to Mid-America on my computer at home. I’m getting the photos printed out.”

“That’s great,” I said. “Can I come by and pick them up?”

“I’ll be at the office tomorrow,” she said.

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” I said. “Thanks for—”

“Dana?”

Something about the way she said my name set my nerves on edge.

“A strange thing happened and I don’t know what to do about it,” Marsha said. “I was cleaning out Jerry’s desk and I found money hidden in the bottom of a drawer. Over two grand. In cash.”

That was a lot of money to leave lying around—especially when Jerry was having trouble paying his bills and keeping up with his alimony and child support.

“Where did it come from?” I asked.

“No idea. He was always paid by check. I handled his bank account,” Marsha said. She paused for a bit then said, “I think the money should go to Patricia.”

This, I hadn’t expected.

Marsha rushed on. “I know, I know, she made a big scene and that daughter of hers threatened me, but let’s face it, Jerry was no saint. Yes, he’d turned his life around these past few weeks but he put her through a lot.”

I thought about it for a few seconds. Should I go along with giving Patricia the money even though I suspected her of running Jerry down in the alley?

“And she’s got those teenagers,” Marsha pointed out.

I decided that whether Patricia killed Jerry or not, her kids could still use the money.

“I agree,” I said.

Marsha heaved a sigh. “I’m glad because, well, I’m kind of afraid to approach Patricia after what happened the other day. I was wondering if you’d take it to her.”

This was hardly an enviable task—I wasn’t all that crazy about approaching Patricia either—but I understood Marsha’s concern.

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