Shadow Of Pretense (Margot Harris 2)

“Damn right I don’t. I’ve told you what my daughter knows and she’d tell you the same thing, so I’m going to ask you nicely to leave.”

“Please, Mr. Dandridge, it will only be a few minutes of her time…”

“Alright, I asked nicely.”

Dandridge turned around and reached inside his front door. He came out with a fistful of pump-action shotgun.

“Get the hell off my property.”

“You’re b

eing a bit hostile considering the circumstances,” Margot replied.

“Given how I feel about detectives, even private ones, I think I’m being pretty damn reasonable.”

“Suit yourself,” Margot told him. She figured she could try calling Danielle herself or at worst wait until she was back with her mom to talk to her in person. She was probably a dead-end anyway.

Margot was driving out of Mr. Dandridge's neighborhood when a cherry red Pontiac Fiero followed by a silver Chevy Impala passed her going the other way. She didn’t think too much about the Chevy; it was the Fiero that got her attention. If she wasn’t being hyper-aware of the cars around her, she might not have noticed Mick driving with the top down towards Mr. Dandridge's house.

Chapter 12

She spun around and followed Mick. Just as she’d figured, he stopped at Dandridge’s place. Chrissie met him on the lawn just like Mr. Dandridge had met Margot, only she greeted him with a kiss instead of a shotgun. They were still kissing when Margot pulled up and got out of her car.

“I thought you two broke up,” she said.

They both turned around.

“I’ve been looking for you, Chrissie,” Margot said.

Chrissie regarded her for a second and then said, “Congrats, you’ve found me. Tell my Aunt I’m alive and well and tell her to mind her own damn business.”

“It’s not that simple. There’s a dead man in your house and your mother’s missing as well.”

Mr. Dandridge came out of the house. He was holding the shotgun by the barrel. He gave Mick and Chrissie a dirty look and then he looked at Margot.

“I thought I told you to leave.”

Margot drew her pistol and leveled it at Dandridge who was still holding the shotgun by the barrel.

“Drop it,” she told him.

“You want to put that peashooter up against my shotgun?”

“Since I’m the only one of us with my finger on the trigger? Yeah, I do.”

Before Dandridge could do anything one way or another, a male voice behind him said, “Put it down, you idiot. She’ll kill you where you stand.”

Dean Stone stepped out of the house and added, “How do you think you getting killed is going to keep the cops and who knows what else from showing up? Everybody get inside.”

Dandridge put down the shotgun and went inside. Chrissie and Mick followed. Margot picked up the shotgun and did the same. Inside, she saw Jennifer standing with her hand on her hip, giving her daughter the cold stare.

“I told you not to call that loser,” she said.

Chrissie didn’t answer.

Stone looked at Margot and said, “You and I need to talk.”

He motioned to the living room and then said, “The rest of you leave us alone. Margot’s alright.”