Part 9

"Yes, Harry," Tom repeated for the fifth time in the five minutes since he had called his superior at the Palm Beach Police Department. He turned on his heel and paced back the way he came.

"I know, I know. She's there right now looking for the kid. When I came home, in, he was warning her to be careful," Tom said into the phone.

"He's scared. It's probably the father," Tom said, spun around, tugged at his collar, then continued pacing. "I know, Harry. I know, a few more days. My brilliant idea, I know." Tom raked his fingers through his hair. Their superior wasn't happy about having his best detective team out of the field for so long on what he was now calling an FBI goose chase and he was taking his displeasure out on Tom.

"No, we haven't killed each other. I don't know if she's accepted his proposal, I don't think she has." Tom wasn't as relieved as he should have been by the change of topic. "I can hardly give her credible advice now can I?" Tom said with a bitter twist in his voice and stopped pacing to stare down at the desk. "I'll let her know," Tom said before pressing the phone off and putting it down. With a frustrated groan Tom raked both hands through his hair and lifted his hands over his head and stretched his sore back.

With a sigh he squinted at the clock. Three more hours before he could show up at the club for dinner. Meanwhile, Cassy was at the club possibly confronting an unstable killer. Tom lifted up the phone again and made a call. This time to the FBI.

>>>>>>

"There's no one there."

Cassy spun around to face the woman who had come up behind her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm Peggy Joelle. There's no one home. Wayne is off today and I haven't seen Brian since this morning," the older woman told her.

"Thanks. I wanted to see if Wayne had an opening tomorrow. My backhand is horrendous," Cassy lied.

"I wouldn't let it bother you," Peggy said in a lower tone, as she pushed her short dark hair behind her ear.

"My backhand?" Cassy tilted her head curiously.

"The gossip. Most of these women don't have husbands who don't care who they sleep with, they're jealous that your husband is obviously jealous. Especially since most of them want him for themselves," Peggy said.

Cassy's eyes widened in surprise at the woman's candor. "It doesn't bother me," Cassy said, but even she didn't believe it.

"It'll pass, it always does. There's always something new, someone new to gossip about," Peggy said sympathetically.

"If you don't mind my asking, why are you a member here?" Cassy asked.

"My husband loves the golf course. I do a lot of volunteer work so I don't have to be here all that much. Plus, my husband is richer than most of the others so they don't gossip about me much," Peggy said with a cynical smile.

"Do a lot of women here, um..." Cassy paused leadingly.

"Cheat. Yes," Peggy didn't seem bothered by the question. "Though it doesn't always have such satisfying results."

Cassy observed the haunted look that entered the elegant woman's eyes.

"The murder that happened here a few weeks ago, I've heard rumors," Cassy said. "I've heard that the husband wasn't too thrilled about his wife's infidelity either."

"It was a terrible thing. The Blants do love each other, but he is an older man who indulges his young wife. He was upset that she seemed to adore her late lover too much," Peggy said.

"You don't think the husband..."

"No. Never. I wish the police would get whoever did do this," Peggy shivered and looked around the darkening gardens. "It happened right at that tree."

Cassy looked over towards the king palm that stood innocently only fifty yards away from the tennis pro's cottage. She looked at it speculatively, then back at the cottage. "Perhaps we should go back inside, it's getting dark." Cassy feigned fear and put her hand on the other woman's elbow and began to lead her back towards the club house.

"Yes. It's time to change for dinner. You must sit at my table tonight. If I show you support they'll leave you alone," Peggy offered.

"We'd love to," Cassy agreed.

>>>>>>>

"A what? Dammit." Tom dropped his tie onto the bed, his eyes widening as he listened to whoever was on the other line. After a few moments he dropped the phone onto the bed and grabbed the tie and his jacket and bolted out the door.

>>>>>>

"Tom will be along shortly, some business held him up," Cassy smiled falsely at her dining companions, inside she was cursing her "husband." Tom was hour late. Her "lover" was right on time and dining at a nearby table. Whether Tom showed up or not, she had an assignation.

>>>>>>

"Why didn't we find this before?" Tom demanded of the FBI agent in charge, while agents milled around them. Some were on the telephone, others on computers. They were obviously in the middle of a law enforcement command post.

"The records were missing." The agent explained, not quite meeting Tom's glare. "We're doing all we can to find her," the agent said.

"I'm going to get to the Club, she'll probably show up there." Tom's mouth was a grim line now. Tom was sure it was only chance that the women hadn't been killed when their lovers were shot. They might not get so lucky this time.

"We have the place surrounded," the agent assured him.

"I need to be there to back up my partner," Tom told him.

>>>>>>>

"Did you see everyone staring at me us?" Cassy said with a dramatic shudder

"It's just because you're so beautiful." JT winked down at her.

"It's because they have nothing to do other than gossip," Cassy said waspishly as she and JT walked through the darkened gardens to pretend they were having a tryst and wait for the killer. The anticipation of doing that was unnerving. The tryst, not the killer.

"You're so tense," JT remarked as he put his arm around Cassy's waist.

"I haven't worked vice in years," Cassy sighed.

"It's like riding a bike," JT promised, nuzzling her hair, barely suppressing a chuckle.

Cassy sighed softly and ran her hand along JT's side, making sure he was wearing a kevlar vest.

>>>>>>>

Tom was the first into the house where they found Brian Taylor standing with false bravado, tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Where is she?" Tom asked quietly as he approached the boy.

Harry came in behind them and quieted the agents and officers on the joint detail.

"I don't have to tell you anything," Brian's chin lifted defiantly. Then his eyes narrowed. "Are you a cop or something?"

"Yes, I am. And so is Cassy, we're trying to prevent another death and I think that you know who has been doing it," Tom said. "Protecting your sister isn't helping her and more people are going to get hurt if she doesn't get the help she needs."

"They can't help her! They just want to drug her and lock her in a room. I'm supposed to take care of her." Brian resisted Tom's grasp. "You can't make me!"

"You like Cassy, you tried to warn her. What if your sister misses this time and hurts her too? You don't want her to be responsible for more of this," Tom said.

"I warned her. I told her she had to stop," Brian insisted.

"Where is your father?" Tom asked.

"He doesn't have anything to do with this, he doesn't know anything. He just knows she's escaped again," Brian cried out.

"You shouldn't have to keep this secret Brian. Tell us where she is before someone else gets hurt. If you don't tell us what we need to know to stop her you're an accomplice." Harry came up behind Tom.

Brian looked at the two men searchingly, then his shoulders sagged under the weight he had been carrying.

"I don't know where she is. She was here, but then she left," Brian said tiredly, looking at his feet.

"Was she armed?" Harry asked.

"I...don't know. Our dad doesn't keep guns anymore, I don't know where she gets them. On the streets after she escapes probably."

"Agent Tilson will take you to call your father, he's out with the searchers isn't he?" Tom confirmed before sending the boy off with the female agent.

"Everyone fan out, she's probably around her somewhere," Harry ordered. "You stay hidden."

"Harry..." Tom began to object.

"She won't come out if she sees you. Get inside the Club and look for your wife," Harry held his hand up.

"I'll be looking for her in the gardens," Tom said before turning and leaving.

"Anyone got an Alka Seltzer?" Harry looked around.

End Part 9