Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“I love him,” Nikki said.
“I know, and I bet he knows as well, and if he doesn’t, that is because all men are dumb.”
“What if I can’t be what he needs?”
Darlene frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The club. All of this. I don’t know if I have what it takes.”
Her friend put a large forkful of pancake into her mouth and started to chew. “You don’t think you’ve got what it takes to stand by his side when the going gets tough? You put up with your mother for years. Trust me, you’ll handle the club, and I’ll be there to give you pep talks.”
She looked at Darlene and saw the smile on her lips.
“Why are you so happy?”
“Because, if you’re falling for Hawk, that means you’re sticking around, and it is not the first time I have told you I think you have real talent. That means my salon is going to benefit when you qualify. More work, more clients, more money.” Darlene winked at her.
Nikki wasn’t entirely sure, but for the first time in a long time, she felt hopeful.
Chapter Nineteen
“Poisoned?” Hawk asked.
He looked over at his guy Smith, who had conducted all the necessary tests, and was in the process of dealing with the body. Hawk had everything in place so Nikki could do a proper send-off. All the paperwork had been dealt with, along with the death certificate. Diana’s father didn’t want to claim her, so Hawk and the club had done so.
“Yeah, rat poison.”
Hawk gritted his teeth. “Anyone could get ahold of rat poison.”
“Whoever did this, I have a feeling they knew what they were doing.”
Hawk looked at Smith. “What do you mean?”
“There are no other bruises on the body that occurred while she was alive. Now, I know you said there was an altercation, and there would have been bruises from that, but they had already started to heal. All of these happened afterward, and whoever moved her struggled to do so. I’d say in their anger, they kicked and stamped on the body, and whoever did was wearing heels as well.”
“Heels?” Hawk asked.
“Yeah, puncture marks along with the bruising are consistent with that of a heeled foot.”
“You’re saying whoever killed Diana was a woman?” he asked. “Couldn’t she have taken the rat poison herself?”
“She could, and I would have agreed. If this was a guilt revenge thing, like you say, but she wouldn’t have gotten the bruises and those puncture marks, they didn’t bleed either. Someone moved her, and that is not consistent with someone killing themself. They don’t beat themself up, and no one can kick himself in the back. I’ve got to go, Hawk. Everything will be ready for you by the end of the week.”
Hawk handed over the cash and watched as Smith climbed into his car and drove away. Smith was a strange man. He was constantly surrounded by death. Their arrangement occurred one night after he went to the morgue, looking for a body. Hawk didn’t remember how they came to be friends, or even how any of this worked. One moment they were strangers, the next, he arranged for Smith to help him get rid of a dead body.
Smith asked if it mattered what happened to some of the bodies. He didn’t want to know what Smith did, as long as the bodies disappeared. He wanted Diana’s ashes for Nikki to be able to give a proper goodbye.
A woman. Diana the Desperate had made a lot of enemies at the club. A woman wearing heels. A lot of the women wore heels.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Darlene’s number.
She answered on the second ring. “Are you alone?” he asked.
There was silence and he heard a door closed. “I am now. What’s up?”
“If you could name anyone at the club who would have a vendetta against Diana and Nikki, who would it be?” he asked.
“I don’t have a fucking clue. That could be a lot of women, especially for Diana, but I don’t know anyone who would be pissed off with Nikki. Why? The girls love Nikki.”
Hawk grabbed the back of his head, and he told her exactly what his guy told him.
“Rat poison?” Darlene asked.
“Yeah, and not only that, after Diana died, she was hurt pretty damn bad, and also, heels.”
“Heels?” Darlene was silent. “Shit, Hawk, that only leaves Melanie.”
He had thought of Melanie, but it made no sense. She had slapped Diana around. She had been happy to do so.
“It has to be because of you,” Darlene said.
“What?”
“Well, maybe this is not about having a vendetta against Diana. What if it’s because of Nikki? You got Melanie to slap Diana around, right? I know most of the women at the club are always wearing heels, but Melanie would not be caught dead in anything but heels. It must be her. Maybe she thought she was being your number one or something?” Darlene asked.