Full Tilt

  "That's a pretty good cover for an embezzler and killer."

  She shrugged. "People see what they want to see."

  * * * * *

  Jamie banged against the inside of the trunk. "Muffin, I swear to God, you are going to rue the day you locked me in this trunk."

  "Be quiet," Muffin said. "I'm trying to hear what's going on inside, but it's almost impossible with all the noise you're making."

  "You heard that shot," Jamie cried. "Max is probably dead." Hot tears filled her eyes. She had never been angrier in her life.

  "I told you, Max isn't dead. He's moving around in there. I am still able to pick up his voice now and then, but I can't make out the words. I think he's talking to a woman."

  "Do you hear Swamp Dog?"

  "No. I think he may have been the one shot."

  "What if—"

  "Shut up, already," Muffin said. "I just dialed nine-one-one."

  Jamie gave a snort of disgust. "Everybody will be dead by then."

  * * * * *

  "Let them go, Annabelle," Max said softly. "Deal with me."

  "I'm in charge here, Max. Not you." She smiled. "I like power. I like knowing I hold everybody's lives in my hands."

  "So you're into control. Tell me, do you try to control your son as well? Is that why he has kept quiet about this or is he a team player?" Max decided it was best to keep her talking. Until he could come up with a plan of his own.

  "Phillip knows nothing," she snapped, "and if I were trying to control him he wouldn't be marrying Jamie Swift. He's much too good for her."

  "The only reason you haven't tried to put a stop to it is because you know you'll alienate him," Max said. "Isn't that right?"

  Her eyes narrowed.

  "But guess what?" Max went on. "Once Phillip is happily married you won't take priority in his life anymore."

  "My son is devoted to me."

  Max laughed. "That's all going to change after the wedding. You know he and Jamie are looking for a home of their own. He's even thinking of moving his practice to another state. Neither of them want to live under the same roof with you." It was a lie, but Max knew it would get to her.

  Annabelle looked aghast. "That's not true!"

  "He's not going to be around to kowtow to your every whim. He'll start avoiding your calls. He'll see you as a burden." Max allowed a small smile. "That's not going to sit well with you, is it? You were counting on Phillip looking after you when you become old and feeble. He's not going to have time, what with his own family. You'll end up in a nursing home eating strained carrots and wondering why he doesn't visit."

  "Shut up!" Without warning, Annabelle turned and fired a shot at the gas tank next to Frankie. The bullet missed its target and hit the man instead.

  Deedee screamed as Frankie jerked back, then slumped against the gas tank. She started toward him, but Max grabbed her.

  "Don't move," he muttered under his breath.

  "That bitch shot my husband," Deedee cried. She looked at Annabelle. "Why don't you toss that gun aside and take me on, you big snob? I think a good catfight might teach you some manners."

  "Didn't you used to jump out of cakes for a living, Mrs. Fontana? If it weren't for your boy you'd still be dressing like you belong in a bowling alley." She gave a menacing smile. "Speaking of your boy." She aimed the gun at Beenie.

  "Hold it right there, lady," Beenie said. He looked at Deedee. "If she kills me would you please see that I'm not buried in this outfit? I want to be dressed in my white linen Armani suit."

  * * * * *

  Jamie cried out when she heard the second shot. "Do something, Muffin!"

  "Get in the car," Muffin ordered. The lid to the trunk popped open. Jamie scrambled out and opened the door to the car, then jumped when Muffin hit a siren. She slid inside and started the engine.

  "What are you doing?" Muffin demanded.

  "I'm going in."

  "Oh, no you're not." Muffin cut the engine.

  "We have no choice."

  "I'm not putting you in the line of danger," Muffin said.

  "Frankenstein!" Jamie shouted.

  "Shit," Muffin muttered.

  "Disable AI."

  Silence. Jamie restarted the engine, waited for the safety bar to close over her, and slammed into first gear. She closed her eyes and rammed the accelerator to the floor. The car leapt forward.

  Deedee screamed as Max's car ripped through the wooden garage door. Annabelle, already shaken and distracted over the sound of the siren, accidentally dropped her gun. She reached for it. Max lunged for her. They struggled, and the gun went off.

  Jamie climbed from the car and watched Annabelle go limp in Max's arms, the look in the woman's eyes dazed and surprised as she gazed down in disbelief at the red stain spreading across her abdomen. Max simply held her, his expression sad.

  "Help is on the way," Jamie said.

  Deedee raced toward Frankie and Danny. She ripped the tape off Frankie's mouth, and he raised his head and smiled.

  Deedee cried out, so startled she almost fell over. "Oh, Jesus, oh, Jesus—" she whispered in a heartfelt prayer.

  "I'm okay, Deedee," he said.

  "You're bleeding!"

  "I'm fine. She just winged me. The bullet grazed my shoulder, honey. It hurts like hell, but at least she didn't hit the gas tank."

  "I thought you were dead!"

  "I only pretended because I hoped she wouldn't fire again. Untie the boy, sweetheart. And give Choo-Choo a hug."

  * * * * *

  Mitzi and Lenny, who'd overheard the whole thing while in the process of trying to get into the building undetected, looked at one another and blinked.

  "Do we really want to get in the middle of this, Mitzi?" Lenny said. "They've got guns in there, and they're not afraid to use them. We're going to get killed."

  The hard look in Mitzi's eyes had been replaced with fear. She looked at the gun in her hand. Finally, she dropped it. "To hell with it, man. I'm going home."

  * * * * *

  Ten minutes later, the municipal building was surrounded by police cars and several ambulances. Swamp Dog lay in one, his body draped with a sheet, and a bleeding Annabelle had just been whisked away in another ambulance to the emergency room. A paramedic tended to Frankie's wound while Deedee fussed with her husband like a mother hen. Max, who'd already placed a call to Alexa, had lifted Danny onto a large bulldozer, and the kid was having the time of his life pretending to drive it. Jamie and Beenie watched with a smile.

  Alexa cried out when she spotted her son, and Max helped Danny down and into the arms of his frantic mother.

  "I'm not hurt, Mom," the boy said, as Alexa searched for wounds.

  Alexa looked up at Max, her eyes swimming with tears. "I thought—" She shuddered.

  Max smiled gently. "Take your son home," he said. "He'll be safe now."

  She nodded and led the boy from the building. Lamar came through the door and shook Danny's hand on the way out. He spotted Max and hurried over.

  "The FBI is on the way." Lamar grew serious. "You took a big chance coming here on your own, Holt. You could have been killed. The hostages could have been killed."

  Max kept his mouth shut. It wasn't the first time he'd been taken to task over interfering with an investigation, and it wouldn't be the last.

  "I have something for you," Max said. "There are certain documents in my car that should be in your possession before the FBI arrives and takes over. My computer is trying to open files in a financial institution in Delaware. Once we get a hit, you'll probably have the location where the town's tax dollars have been going, as well as who all the players are." I'll get them to you before we leave.

  "Is Annabelle Standish involved?"

  "I suspect she's the queen bee of the operation."

  Lamar sighed. "Man, I hope she lives. I'd love to lock that snooty woman behind bars." He looked at Max. "You know, this whole thing has been confusing. I'm still trying to figure out how that Vit
o guy got involved."

  "I have every confidence that you'll succeed," Max said.

  "Thanks." Lamar offered his hand, and they shook. "For everything." He started to walk away, then slapped an open palm against his forehead. "Blast it, I almost forgot. I'm just not used to all this action. Every time I turn around there's something else going on, you know?"

  "What is it?" Max said.

  "I just got a call from the fire department. Swamp Dog's houseboat is burning out of control. The fire chief says you can see the blaze for miles."

  Max simply nodded.

  "You don't look surprised."

  "Nothing would surprise me at this point."

  Lamar joined the other officers and Max walked over to Jamie and Beenie who were deep in conversation, Beenie gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "What's going on?" he asked.

  "Beenie's just ticked off," she said.

  "She's right," Beenie said. "I'm sick and damn tired of people pushing me around. I may be gay, but that doesn't mean I can't defend myself. After all, I was John Wayne for a while, you know? He used to be my hero."

  "You don't have to take crap from nobody," Jamie told him.

  "I think you were very brave," Max said. "You really told Annabelle Standish where to get off. And she was holding a gun on you."

  Beenie looked thoughtful. "I think there are probably worse things than being shot." He looked at Jamie. "Like having people make fun of you all the time. I'm not going to tolerate it anymore." He sighed heavily. "But right now I just want to slip into my Calvin Klein jammies and sleep for a week."

  "You deserve it," Jamie said.

  Suddenly, Beenie looked up in alarm. "Oh, God, Jamie, you're going to hate me when I tell you what I did to your car."

  * * * * *

  Three nights later, Frankie climbed the stairs to the bandstand in the courthouse square.

  The crowd broke into hearty applause at the sight of him. Jamie and Deedee smiled at one another.

  "My Frankie is so brave," Deedee whispered. "I know his shoulder hurts like the dickens, but he would die before he'd let on."

  "What about me?" Beenie whined. "My head still hurts, but nobody cares about that."

  Max stood there quietly, watching his brother-in-law get ready to give the most important speech of his political career. Alexa and Danny had joined the group, as had Snakeman, Big John, and Choker. Vera and Mike stood in the front. Mike was getting the speech on tape while Vera snapped pictures for the newspaper.

  Frankie beamed at the roaring crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began. "As you know from reading the newspaper and watching TV, our town is undergoing tremendous changes. I promised to look into your missing tax dollars, and with the help of a number of good people and our fine police chief, we have already managed to get most of the answers."

  More applause.

  "The investigation continues," Frankie said, "and I promise that everyone involved in the corruption will be prosecuted. I will see that justice is served." He was forced to pause again as the crowd cheered.

  "Tomorrow, when you go into that voting booth, I only ask you to remember one thing. As mayor of Beaumont, I will keep my promises. I will cut taxes and fight wasteful spending, and I will do everything possible to see that the fraudulent tax dollars that were stolen are returned to each and every one of you. It's your money. You earned it."

  The crowd went wild.

  Max looked at Jamie. "Guess we know who's going to win the election tomorrow."

  She nodded. "It would be kind of hard for him to lose, seeing as how the present mayor is under investigation for embezzlement."

  Max smiled. "That does better Frankie's chances."

  "Uh, Max, we need to talk," she said. "My lawyer called me this afternoon and—"

  "Why don't we talk later?" he suggested. "I don't want to miss the rest of Frankie's speech." Max felt someone nudge his arm and found Police Chief Lamar Tevis by his side.

  "We done good, Holt," he said. "Why don't you sign on as one of my deputies? I've got my work cut out for me, you know. Can't even find the time to do a little fishing."

  "From what I hear, you've been a busy man the past couple of days."

  "Yes, well, I have friends in high places." He winked, and then grew serious. "I guess you heard a couple of our town's finest packed their bags and hightailed it out of here in the middle of the night."

  "Nobody has seen hide nor hair of Grimby," Alexa said. "Talk about job security. I'm practically the only one left on my floor."

  "Alexa has been a big help to me," Lamar said.

  "Just don't keep her too long," Max said, smiling at the woman and ruffling Danny's hair. "I know you need her right now, but she's got a job waiting for her elsewhere if she wants it."

  "She'd make a fine city auditor," Lamar said.

  Max arched one brow as he regarded Alexa. "Are you considering it?"

  She shrugged. "Old man Grimby is obviously on the run, so I need to hang around and get this mess sorted out."

  Max took her hand and squeezed it. "You do what you need to do. You have my card."

  They faced the stage when the crowd burst out with fresh applause. Max listened for a few minutes, then turned, trying to thread his way through the people.

  Jamie glanced around and saw that Max was gone. Where could he be? she wondered. "Deedee, have you seen Max?"

  "No, honey. Maybe he went to the concession stand."

  Jamie pushed through the crowd, calling loudly to Max. She felt a knot of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. Had Max simply decided to leave without saying good-bye to her?

  It seemed to take forever for her to escape the throng of people. Jamie sighed a breath of relief when she spied Max heading toward his car, which had miraculously come through the crash without so much as a scratch.

  "Max!" she yelled. "Wait!" He kept on walking. "Double damn," she said, knowing he would never hear her with all the noise. She took off in a run. He turned as she caught up with him. "Where are you going?" she asked.

  "Jamie, you should be with the others."

  "You're leaving, aren't you? You were just going to leave without saying good-bye. I don't believe it."

  He smiled and tugged a strand of her blond hair. "I knew it would feel like silk, and I was right." His look softened. "I have other business waiting," he said. "Besides, your fiance needs you right now, what with his mother still hospitalized in critical condition."

  "Max—" Jamie tried to speak but her tongue suddenly felt weighted. "The engagement is off."

  He looked amused. "This is a hell of a time to call it quits with the poor guy, don't you think? Talk about kicking a man when he's down."

  "I had no choice. Phillip suspected all along that things weren't right, but he looked the other way because he wanted to protect his mother. The same woman who tried to kill my friends," she added.

  "He probably won't be indicted."

  "I can't marry him."

  "Because you're hot for me?"

  Jamie rolled her eyes in order to keep him from seeing how close to the truth he was. "You never give up, Holt." She crossed her arms over her breasts. "I don't love Phillip the way a wife should. He knew it, but he figured things would change in time. I'm not prepared to wait that long or take the chance that it'll never happen."

  "Look, Jamie, you had your life all figured out before I got here. I had no right to interfere. I'm sorry."

  "So you're just going to take off for Tennessee and look for that preacher?"

  Max hesitated. "Like they say, it's not over till it's over."

  Jamie nodded. "Okay, what you're saying is that we still have more work to do."

  "We?"

  "These people tried to kill me, too, Max. I'm just as involved as you are."

  "No way, Jamie. I have a feeling the person I'm looking for is a whole lot more dangerous than anything we've come up against so far."

  She walked over to Max's car and waited. "Let's go," she said.
/>
  "Jamie—"

  "If you won't open the door for me I'll ride in the trunk like before. Or I'll follow you."

  Max grinned. "You can't follow me. Your car's in the shop, remember?"

  "And it'll probably be there for six months, so you owe me a ride."

  Max sighed. "Jamie, I don't know how long I'll be gone, and you've got a newspaper to run."

  "Mike and Vera are doing a fine job. Besides, I can check on them from time to time." It was odd how the newspaper had suddenly taken second place in her life as soon as Max Holt had appeared.

  He shook his head. "I don't like it."

  Jamie tried to open the car door but found it locked. She knocked on the hood. "Muffin, let me in."

  "Get lost," Muffin said.

  "Is she still mad at me?" Jamie asked Max.

  "You stole her thunder. Muffin doesn't like being upstaged by anyone."

  "I wasn't upstaged," Muffin snapped. "I had a better plan and Jamie wrecked it."

  "I'm really sorry," Jamie said. "I'm only human." She tapped the window. "Come on and let me in, Muf."

  The lock on the door clicked, and Jamie reached for the handle. "Be careful about knocking on the exterior," Muffin said. "I'm still sore from you barreling through that damn garage door."

  "You don't have a mark on you," Jamie said, noting the proud look on Max's face.

  "I'm emotionally scarred," Muffin replied.

  Max let himself into the car and stared at Jamie thoughtfully. "Honey, you need to stay in Beaumont where you belong. You need the predictability this town and its people bring you. You know what my life is like."

  "So maybe I'll learn to take more risks."

  Max shook his head sadly. "It won't work."

  "Is that why you decided to sell me your shares of the company back to me for one dollar?" she asked. "So you wouldn't have to come back?"

  "Of course I'll come back. Frankie and Deedee are here. As for selling you my shares of the business, you weren't supposed to find out about that until later."

  "Sorry, Max, but my lawyer is also one of the guys who tried to get me in the backseat of his car at the drive-in movie. He thought I should know. He also told me you left a check for me in the amount of two hundred thousand dollars to add to my business account. Do you have any idea the kind of raise Vera is going to expect when she catches wind of that?"