“Yeah, except professional implies you’re getting paid.”
“It’s a few phone calls and a few hours work for a good cause. Haven’t you ever heard of karma?”
“Considering some of the things I’ve done, I’d better think that’s all a bunch of bullshit. Otherwise, I’d just sit around worrying when I’m going to get mine.”
Margot couldn’t argue with him there. While he might not have
done the worst things he’d been accused of, he was certainly no angel.
Margot looked at her phone, “I need to get going.”
“Why, you got a date?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Not with that choir boy cop I hope?”
“You mean Rick?”
“Is that Ames’s partner’s name?”
“Yep. Looks like your hopes are dashed again. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. If Gale checks out, I’ll take you up on that offer of backup. Even if it’s not a setup, this kind of thing can get volatile.”
“Okay, but keep in mind I still do this shit for money.”
“You saying you won’t go?”
“No, I’ll go. Just don’t make a habit of this pro bono shit, especially while you're dating a cop.”
Margot didn’t reply to that. Instead, she asked, “Did you see what kind of car Gale was driving?”
“Of course, Ford pickup, black. I got the license plate too if you want that.”
“I do.”
Mal recited the plate from memory.
Chapter 3
It was odd to be in her sister’s neighborhood but have no intention of seeing her or talking to her. It felt like she should at least call, but Melanie probably wouldn’t answer the phone. The last couple of times Margot had called or texted, Melanie ignored her. It was probably just as well since what Margot had said to Mal about her sister’s inability to keep quiet was on the money, even in the best of times, and these were not the best of times. She might tell Gale’s husband Dan just to spite Margot over what she did to Randy.
Ideally, this could be done with a simple drive-by. If Gale didn’t put her truck in the garage, she could confirm that at least her truck resided at the address Gale gave her. If it was in a garage, Margot would have to think of another way to confirm Gale was who she said she was.
She hated doing this. Gale gave her no reason not to trust her, but after a client set her up to do the leg work for a pair of cartel assassins, she felt like she needed to be overly cautious. The driver’s license should have been enough, but Margot knew those could be faked.
Unfortunately, Gale had a garage. Margot parked her car and considered her options. She had a friend with the police who could run the plate, but it was unlikely she was still working at this hour and Margot already owed her.
Margot thought she should just knock on the door, pretend she was a Jehovah's Witness or something if a guy answered the door. She was thinking about how she should play it when she caught some movement in the rearview mirror. She had her hand in her purse wrapping her fingers around the handle to her pistol when she recognized her sister.
Melanie knocked on the window of the passenger side and Margot rolled down the window.
“Checking up on me?” Melanie asked.
“No,” Margot replied. She thought she should add some other reason to be there but couldn’t come up with a lie fast enough.
“I heard you got Randy arrested. Wasn’t beating on him enough?”
“Randy got Randy arrested.”