In Shining Whatever (Three Magic Words Trilogy #2)(10)

Kate held her breath. "What happened next?"

"Big old black Tahoe SUV pulled in beside the white Escalade. Three people inside, a woman and two men. Woman went inside the room. Men got out of the truck and leaned on the back. I decided to be a detective like you, so I wrote down their license numbers. Here they are on the back of this matchbook, with the ones from those first two trucks, if you want them."

"Would you tell this to those officers?"

Cookie's eyes narrowed. "I reckon I would. Let's go visit with them."

She crossed the cafe in a few long strides, Kate right behind her. Cookie laid the matchbook on the table between Slim and Bobby and pulled up a chair.

Bobby looked up at Kate.

"Listen to her. She's about to break your case wide open," Kate said. She told them what Cookie had just told her.

"Those are the numbers right there," put in Cookie. "Didn't think they'd ever be needed. I was just entertaining myself. The woman was dressed in black and real skinny. She had on a hooded sweatshirt. She was only in there a minute, and when she came out she threw the hood back. Her hair was that fake redthe burgundy kind that comes out of a bottle. Long and straight, cut in one of those choppy styles. She went to the Escalade toward one of the men, who had on fancy pleated slacks and a sports jacket. Other man had on a long black trench coat.

"The one in black pleated slacks and a sports jacket opened the car door with a key from his pocket. He and the woman kissed a long time before he opened the door, and then she took a big silver gun out of her pocket and they put it in the glove compartment."

"You sure it was a gun?" Slim asked.

Cookie shot him a dirty look. "Honey, I know a gun when I see it. The barrel was real long, so I reckon it had a silencer on it. The kissy-kissy man got into the Escalade and drove away with the woman beside him. Mr. Black Coat got into the Tahoe and followed them. I didn't think about them killin' nobody, or I would've called the police right then. I figured she'd gone in there to scare that blond away from her husband or to buy drugs. I went on to bed. Was out of there early the next day.

"Luck would have it that Momma had a bad day and we were in the hospital a few days, so I didn't even pick up the paper until yesterday. Figured I'd tell Kate what I saw and the plate numbers today."

"You willing to tell all that on the stand if they catch the killers?" Bobby asked.

"Sure I will. I reckon it was the bottle redhead that did her in, wasn't it? Nobody should die like that no matter who they are."

"Thank you, Cookie," Slim said.

"Order should be ready. Let's go on back to the booth and catch up on everything else been going on," Cookie said.

She was in the booth waiting when Kate made a run through the kitchen and brought her plate. The officers were on their way out the door. Cookie pointed toward them.

"You ever have a hankering for that young one? He's not too bad looking."

Kate shook her head. "He's just a baby."

"Get him young and train him up the way you want."

Kate smiled and changed the subject. "The district attorney is going to dance a jig on his desktop with the news they're about to bring him."





Kate was up early the next morning and took a box of donuts to the police station. Belle met her with a hug and picked out the chocolate-iced one. She poured two cups of coffee and motioned for Kate to sit in the chair in front of her desk.

"Big doin's in the precinct this morning and last night. Caught the men that killed that girl. DA has them over at the courthouse. Something about the good doctor's affiliation with Big Boy Termide. That's of course all confidential, and if you breathe a word of it I'll put a curse on your love life." Belle laughed.

"Big Boy Termide?" Kate's eyebrows drew downward.

Belle reached for another donut. "That'd be like termite only with a D. He's just what his name says. A big boy-and he's mixed up with every illegal operation in Taylor County. Drugs mainly. I hear that Stephanie's husband's friend, Mr. Sanders, was Termide's lawyer, and that the dead girl overheard some talk about a hit on a prominent business man in Abilene last year. The assassin was the woman Stephanie's husband was seeing on the side. What a tangled-up mess."

"The DA will sort it all out, I'm sure. Who sang first? You know?"

Belle clapped her hands like a child. "You bet I know. I made twenty dollars on the bet. Stephanie's sorry husband talked first for a deal, but he'll have to give back all that insurance money. Bobby told how you helped. I raked the chief over the coals and told him to give you your job back," Belle said.

"I don't want to work for him"

"Maybe someday he'll be gone" Belle winked.

"Maybe by then I'll be doing something else."

"Like maybe something to do with Mr. Ducaine?" Belle's eyes twinkled.

Kate blushed. "That's not even an option."

"Then you are stupid. If I was thirty years younger, I'd flirt with him."

Kate finished her donut and stood up. "Gotta run. Cafe opens in five minutes. Momma doesn't like it when I'm late."

"You stay away two weeks again, and I'll hunt you down," Belle said.