Three Bahama Mamas later - Patty was having a wonderful time at Garvey’s. Williamson had told her and Carter to drink up since he was driving. He had two beers and then started drinking water. They had ordered a big batch of wings.Patty had decided going to Aspen was a good idea. She had never been to Colorado before. It would be a chance for her to experience something new. She had six weeks under her belt to be alone and think about her future. She could afford to spend one week at a fabulous chalet in the mountains.Patty and Carter were slow dancing. He let her wear his white Stetson as they swayed to the music. He was having fun, too. Carter whispered how pretty she looked as she shyly smiled. He always knew how to make her feel better. ------- The Garvey twins watched Patty and Carter from behind the bar. They looked over at Williamson. He was kicked back in the booth eating beer nuts and watc
Carter drunkenly stood up. Patty scooted closer to the edge of the booth and waited for Goldman and Carter to get out of the way so she could stand. “How are you going to go anywhere? Carter shouldn’t be driving,” Goldman stated. “I’m the designated driver,” Williamson said. “But, you’re right. Carter has had plenty to drink.” “I’m fine,” Carter belched. “Patty, you should stay here with Goldman and enjoy the rest of the night. You got the whole weekend off. Live it up. I’ll take Carter home,” Williamson said and slid out of the booth. You bastard. Patty thought. “I can’t. You’re my ride,” she slurred. “Maybe . . . we . . . should . . .” Carter trailed off drunkenly. Bless his heart. Carter was trying to get her out of the situation but he was wasted. He couldn’t think straight. “I’ll take you home,” Goldman said to her. “I’m not planning to do a lot of drinking tonight. Even if
It was Monday 4:15 p.m. Nick Dalton walked down the street in Manhattan. He had just left an appointment with his stockbroker, Avery Young. His investments were slowly growing and Nick was pleased about that. He decided to go to New York for a few days while he and his bounty hunting team were on a two-week break. They had been going hard since they left Arizona two months ago. They had worked through the holidays and it had been worth it. They had apprehended four fugitives and collected two $15,000 bounties and two $25,000 bounties. Nick had a hunch it would be easier to find the fugitives during the holidays because their guard would be down. People were also more willing to be helpful during the holidays with tidings and joy in the atmosphere. He had gotten several hot tips from landlords and neighbors. He stopped to hail a cab back to the less expensive part of New York when he heard a woman yell in Spanish, “El novio guapo! El novio guapo!” His
Nick thought he had attended nice dinners before. He was wrong. The china had gold lining around the edges. A servant took and brought every course. There were forks and spoons at the plenty. Nick was glad to see that Gabriella was still her adorable down to earth self during dinner. She whispered to Nick that she didn’t know which fork or spoon to use either. He was pleasantly surprised when Billy loudly said not to worry about it because they all did the same thing.The first course was prongs with dipping sauce. Nick wasn’t sure what the sauce was, but he didn’t care for the dish. The second course was a basic salad. Nick related to that and practically gobbled it up since he picked at the first dish. The main course was filet mignon in a cream brandy mushroom sauce. Nick has had filet mignon before but not like this. It was more delicious than the first time he had it years ago at a friend’s wedding. Nick could taste the fresh garlic, but it wasn&r
It was Tuesday afternoon. Goldman had decided to go to the station to say hi to the guys and to ask Patty out for lunch.Saturday night was imprinted on his memory. At first, he had thought it was because he hadn’t had sex in over a month, but it was more than that. Patty’s passion and sensuality had driven him wild since their first time together. It was also dangerous. She was the kind of woman that could trap a man into matrimony without trying. Goldman didn’t want that.At Lynx Lake, Patty’s apple ass had been so appetizing in tight jeans that he couldn’t help himself. He was out in the woods with limited pussy. After she had cooked dinner, he invited her on a walk to look at the lake as the sun set. It was a half-hearted attempt to spend time with a lady – alone. To his surprise, she had agreed. They only made it halfway there. Goldman had put his arm around her shoulder and made an indecent proposal. He was afraid he had been too blunt because her eyes grew wide as quarters. He
Matt and Goldman walked into Matt’s office. Matt closed the door. Rufus had followed them in there and jumped on the couch Matt slept on when he had to spend the night at the station. The dog adjusted his feet and lay down on the couch. He looked over at them.They looked at Rufus.Matt blew out. “I don’t know what Patty feeds his big ass, but she needs to stop it. Carter looked up how to weigh a dog on a human scale. We put him on the scale in the locker room and we calculated that he weighed 177 pounds,” Matt said and walked over to his desk.“He’s an English Mastiff, sir,” Goldman said. “They can weigh up to two-fifty.”“Jesus Christ,” Matt said with astonishment and sat down. “How do you know that?”“Had a girl once that owned one,” Goldman said.“Shit. What she feed him?”“Everything,” Goldman said and shook his head. “Then, she wondered why he had digestive problems.”Matt scoffed at his reply. “Have a seat, Goldman.”As Goldman eased down in the chair, Matt thought, you fucking
Goldman sat outside of Patty’s house in his truck. He had parked on the street. Patty’s car and SUV were still in her driveway.He was aggravated as all hell. A guy leaves town for a week and crazy shit happens. They couldn’t lose Patty. The place wouldn’t be the same without her. Goldman couldn’t imagine walking through the door and not seeing her smiling face – greeting him.Goldman was also pissed that she didn’t say one word about going to Aspen, being put on leave, or wanting to quit the sheriff’s department. How could Patty not mention that? Any of it? Granted, he was fucking her brains out for a good thirty to forty-five minutes, but they had talked for an hour and a half before that. Patty could have told him while he was driving her home Saturday, but she was quiet as a mouse.And why the hell didn’t someone tell him? He had been back for two days. Williamson could have called and given him a heads up. Williamson was the sheriff’s second in command. The sheriff would have tol
The eight-bedroom chalet was plush. The bedrooms had a romantic ambiance. Every one of them had a gas fireplace and plasma TVs. The living room was vast. The couches and chairs were brown leather. There was a fully stocked bar with expensive liquors. They had a large chef's kitchen with white marble countertops. There was also a game room with a poker table, a pool table, black leather furniture, and another fully stocked bar. There was a hot tub on the back deck. There was a gym with showers and a sauna on the basement level.Patty had entered a different world. For seven days she was going to live the champagne wishes and caviar dreams lifestyle.They had arrived in Aspen on Tuesday afternoon. Once they got settled, the fabulous four ate dinner in the chalet and went out to a club. They danced and partied until midnight.Wednesday, Billy, Gabriella, and Jackie had hit the slopes while Patty rented a snowmobile and explored the area. She had met several friendly people. Two of them w
After Juan had left, Cindy had asked Mindy to grab items to put on her Nicolette persona before they left for Phoenix. Cindy wouldn’t tell her why. She had said they were going somewhere that she needed to see and it was a surprise. Five miles outside of Phoenix, Cindy stopped the SUV at a rest area, grabbed a bag out the back, and told Mindy she had to go to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, Cindy returned, but she didn’t look the same. Cindy had on a pile of make-up and a red-wig, and it wasn’t the red wig Mindy had given her. When Cindy got back in the car, Mindy asked what was going on and where were they going. Cindy begged her patience and assured her that everything would become clear. They were in the downtown area of Phoenix. They parked on the street. Cindy walked Mindy to a building that looked like it had glass for walls. They got on the elevator and went to the twelfth floor. There were two businesses on the floor; Grass
It was late Tuesday morning. Mindy was packing a gift basket. She was going to drop it off as she and Cindy rode out of town. Cindy wanted to go shopping in Phoenix. Of course, Mindy couldn’t afford to buy anything but she didn’t mind keeping Cindy company on her shopping trips. Cindy walked in. “Whoa,” she said as she took in the basket on the kitchen table. “That’s a big thank you.” “Well, it is from both us. Can’t have it skimpy,” Mindy said. Cindy shrugged and opened the refrigerator to retrieve a can soda. There was a knock on the back door. “Who in the world could that be?” Mindy asked. Cindy walked to the door and opened it. The man raised his head so they could see his face from under the wide brim baseball hat. “Hey, girls,” Juan greeted. “Juan, come in,” Mindy said with a smile. He darted inside and closed the door. “I parked my car two blocks away and walk
By the time Matt had found out what was going on, it was over. He and Jodi were having a hot romp in the kitchen when Patty tried to call him. He had left his cell in the living room.Two ambulances, the forensics van, two cruisers, and Williamson’s truck were outside. Matt and Jodi walked into Garvey’s bar. “Son of a bitch,” Matt sneered as he put his hands on his hips, taking it all in.Otto was taking pictures of the body on the floor. Goldman stood tall as he was taking notes while Mindy and Cindy Pandock sat at a table talking to him. Juan was sitting at the bar looking like he had never been more relieved in his life as Carter took his statement.“Oh my god,” Jodi said with a shocked look. “I’m going to check on Juan.”“All right, just don’t interfere with the questioning. I’m heading for the lobby to see what else is going on,” Matt said seriously.Jodi nodded and walked away.Matt strode to the lobby doors which were propped open. There was a body on a gurney covered by a shee
Tyrone told Juan how they had tracked Chip down in Chicago. It wasn’t hard. Chip had left a rowdy drunk trail so anyone who wanted to find him could. Tyrone described how they worked Chip over for thirty-six hours. After being beaten for that long anyone would tell what they knew. Chip had given Juan, Sam, and Zeke up. He had even told them where he hid his cut of the money. During the conversation, Tyrone had given the girls more change to play more tunes on the box. Just like before, Chavez had walked with them. When they returned, Ginger got back in the booth and Nicolette remained standing next to a table. She didn’t look as petrified as before. Tucker James had taken a seat at the table with Juan with the gun still on him. Juan guessed he got tired of standing just as much as Nicolette got tired of sitting. It wasn’t hard for Tyrone to track down Zeke either. At least Zeke didn’t lose his mind with the money. He was enjoying a comf
Juan had gotten Tyrone to chat a little. He got detailed about how Sam suffered before he died to Juan, Nicolette, and Ginger’s horror. Tucker even had the nerve to say that at least Sam wasn’t a rat - if it was any consolation to Juan. Now, he was talking to the girls as Nod Ya Head by Will Smith played on the jukebox. Chavez was bobbing his head to the song. “Are you two sisters?” Tyrone asked. “You look like you’re related.” “Cousins,” Nicolette choked out. “Ah,” Tyrone said with understanding. “It’s shame we didn’t meet under different circumstances. You two are cute. Oh, well, back to our friend Juan. So, Juan, where the hell is my twenty million dollars?” Mindy and Cindy’s eyes bugled. “I’ll tell you, but I have to know something first,” Juan said. “Yeah, what’s that?” Tucker said and put the barrel of the gun to Juan’s temple. “How’d you figure out it was us?” Juan asked ask he foug
Tucker had Juan sit down in a chair out on the bar floor. The silence made the situation more terrifying. Tucker pointed his pistol at his chest. How the hell did they figure out it was us? “Ladies, do you want to listen to some music,” Tyrone asked. “Huh?” Ginger said. “Music,” Tyrone repeated. “No reason for the situation to be unpleasant for you because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. What kind of music do you girls like?” Nicolette shrugged stiffly. “Some country and . . . I just started to listen to some hip hop lately.” “Okay,” Tyrone said as he nodded his approval. “What about you, babe?” he asked Ginger. “Same including R&B,” she answered. Tyrone dug into his pocket and pulled out some change. He took Ginger’s hand and placed the change in it. “Play some hip hop. I don’t like country music – oh, and no Eminem, Justin Bieber, or Justin Timberlake. I hate t
It was Sunday morning, and Juan was feeling pretty good despite what had happened last Sunday. No one in town or the surrounding areas knew about Sam being found dead at the hotel, which surprised Juan because he was sure the EMTs would have talked, but it didn’t seem like they had. Juan just thanked his lucky stars.Matt and his team were still working on Sam’s case. Forensics believed Sam’s death was an accident per cloth fibers that were found on his body and the ice bucket bag. Matt tended to agree based on the staff statements and security camera footage from the lobby and exit doors down stairs. He did have Juan come in to look at some of the footage that Matt found suspicious. Juan identified the two blondes Sam had been with. They had appeared to be in a hurry and they went out the side door exit. Juan only knew their first names. Matt had put in the Arizona state police database that they were wanted for questioning, but he didn’t suspect them of foul play. Sam’s valuables ha
Monday afternoon, Juan prepared himself for the verbal assault as he settled in the office with Jodi and Jackie. He had asked Matt not tell the twins about Sam Ellis. Matt had said that it should come from Juan since they still own a part of the business, so they had a right to know. Juan didn’t want them to know because he knew they would blame him somehow. Sam was Juan’s friend not some random guest off the highway. In the end, Juan had refused to call them about it and told Matt to do what he felt was right in regards to informing the twins. “What’s up?” Juan asked. “I think you know what’s up,” Jackie said. “Jackie, what happened yesterday couldn’t be avoided. I don’t know how you think I could have prevented -” Juan began. “Of course, you couldn’t stop it,” Jackie interrupted. “We came here to see how you were and how we can help.” “Yeah. You can’t stop someone who really wants to kill themselves – or partici
The forensics team combed the room over while Matt and Juan waited in a room across the hall, so Matt could take Juan’s official statement. Both room doors were propped open. Otto was able to just walk a few feet to give Matt immediate need to know information.Matt noted Sam’s license information on a pad so his license could stay in an evidence bag. Sam had one suitcase filled with clothes, normal toiletries in the bathroom, a bottle of aspirin, a hundred and fifty dollars in his wallet, a paper bag with eight thousand four and thirty dollars in it, no credit cards, a cell phone, a photo of a woman, a man, and three girls, a key chain with a car key, two regular keys, and a lock key, and a few business cards.“Do you know why he had so much cash on him?” Matt asked.“Sam still lived the life of a drifter,” Juan said. “Plus, he liked casinos. He stopped at a couple in Arizona before he came here. Probably had a good run.” “Hmm,” Matt mused. “Yeah, but to keep that much cash in your