Second Helping by Stephanie Bond

Author:Stephanie Bond [Bond, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Humorous mystery
Publisher: Stephanie Bond, Inc.
Published: 2022-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

OCTAVIA TURNED her head to study Linda. “You’re awfully quiet.”

Linda, wearing the long brunette wig, sat watching the apartment building across the street. “I just want to get this over with. I don’t like knowing Bilson has a gun.”

“It’s better than not knowing.” Octavia scratched under her own wig, the short blond one. “I can’t believe Nan Boyd has a sex tape. I don’t even have a sex tape. Hey, did you find the charger for Sullivan’s phone?”

“Not yet. I might have to buy one.”

Octavia frowned. “Seriously, is something wrong?”

Linda gave a little laugh. “You mean more than usual?” She nodded to the file Octavia held in her lap. “Any luck with the Pierce case?”

“Not yet. I’m reading the interview with his wife where she described how he died. Listen to this. ‘Grady and Eden and I were celebrating Grady’s birthday. He wanted his favorite—rolled oysters with jalapeño beer cheese.’” She made a face. “That sounds nauseating.”

“Agree.”

“‘When we got home, he wasn’t feeling too good, said his chest felt tight. I just assumed he’d eaten too much and gave him some Alka Seltzer and told him to lie down. He walked out of the room, and we heard him fall. Eden gave him CPR while I called 911.’”

“Was a 911 call made?”

“Yeah, and the transcript is here. She told the dispatcher the same thing—that he’d eaten rolled oysters and beer cheese and complained of tightness in his chest, then collapsed. The dispatcher noted she could hear CPR being performed in the background.”

“But that could’ve been faked.”

“Sure.”

“Wait, here comes Bilson’s car.”

Octavia turned to look. “What a piece of crap.”

“And yet it’s better than what you drive,” Linda offered dryly. “Hey, it’s for sale.”

Octavia closed the file. “I’d rather walk.”

While they watched, Bilson got out of his car, dressed in cut-offs and a T-shirt. He used his key fob to lock the doors.

“Hopefully that means the gun is still in the car,” Linda murmured. Then she grunted. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have another one in his apartment.”

“Don’t borrow trouble,” Octavia said. “Let’s go clean the man’s carpet.”

They climbed out, then slid open the side door to remove a vacuum cleaner and a bucket of cleaning products, plus long rubber gloves. No need to leave behind fingerprints in case the plan went sideways. Both of them wore a long smock with a pocket large enough to conceal the tape. They carried the whole kit and kaboodle across the street, then opened the entrance to the apartment building and walked into the shabby lobby.

“You gotta love lax security,” Octavia muttered.

“Did you expect a concierge in this part of town?” Linda led the way to the elevator. “Remember, Nan said the tape is in a black and white striped cover. We have to be careful. We’re screwed if he recognizes me.”

Her sister seemed distracted and more nervous than usual. “I’ll do all the talking,” Octavia offered.

They rode to the third floor, then located apartment 3C and knocked on the door. A few minutes later, Tucker Bilson answered the door wearing only a T-shirt and tidy whities.

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