Pretty Dangerous Page 15

  “I love working with the rest of the team.” MiMi gave Kerry a side-eye.

  “And believe me the executive office appreciates your dedication, and your results. Time will help you and us. Protecting the company is in everyone’s best interest. Agreed?” Glenn took a step closer to where MiMi stood. He blocked her view of Kerry. “In the end we both have the same goals.”

  “Yes, of course,” MiMi murmured.

  Thirty minutes later she drove out of the parking garage, a box of items from her desk on the seat next to her. The one concession she’d wrung from Glenn was working a few hours from home to wrap up three major projects. MiMi concentrated on getting through the next few days without sobbing in front of Sage.

  Chapter 12

  Adrienne called MiMi that night. Emotionally drained, MiMi found herself crying into the phone within seconds. MiMi agreed to have lunch at Adrienne’s house once she finally gained control. So the next day MiMi was seated in what Adrienne called her garden room. Rattan furniture upholstered in fabrics with vines and small flowers filled most of the space. Two hanging baskets held vibrant green trailing plants. A round cast iron table with four chairs sat in one corner. The room stretched the length of the house, large enough to host a party of up to twenty people. Waist high windows gave a view of Adrienne’s professionally designed garden. Adrienne hosted teas and brunches frequently in the garden room. Though she couldn’t be bothered with housework, Adrienne loved puttering among her prized pink, white and red roses. Her lawn service did the dirty work like fertilizing, planting and heavy duty weeding.

  Adrienne handed her a glass of sweet tea in a lovely tall glass with a straw once MiMi settled into a chair. “Thanks for making time in your schedule. Isn’t this the day you have lunch with your business women’s group?”

  Adrienne waved a hand. “I can miss one. They’ve become kind of boring to be honest. I’ll run for president next year. When I take over we’ll have a more dynamic strategic plan.”

  “You’ll be president next year, huh?” MiMi smiled. Competitive, Adrienne expected to get anything she went after. She usually did, too.

  “I know what you’re thinking. Yes, there’s a small detail called an election. But trust me, the members are ready for a change.”

  “You’ve started campaigning already.” MiMi breathed in the lovely scent of flowers in a crystal vase on the table nearby.

  “Informally since it’s still early.” Adrienne sighed as she relaxed on the small stuffed loveseat. She gazed through the sparkling clean glass.

  “Okay. Good luck.”

  MiMi pursed her lips to keep from saying more. She knew Adrienne too well. Her informal campaign most likely had been in motion for months. First she’d plant seeds of doubt about the current president’s leadership. Then a few carefully dropped hints would take root questioning their competency. Luck would have little to do with Adrienne’s victory.

  “So, you could have brought Sage. She loves running around this big old house,” Adrienne said.

  “I want her to get back into her routine at daycare. Besides, Sage loves Caring Hands. She’s developing social skills with her little group of friends,” MiMi replied. She put down her glass. “At least she’s doing good.”

  “You’ve had a pretty tough few months. First that mess in the Dominican Republic and then Roddy’s death. One minute you guys were just old class mates. The next minute you were close to marching down the aisle.”

  “He was the worse guy I’ve ever met.” MiMi suddenly felt a rush of emotion at the memory of the good times she’d shared with Roderick. She blinked as tears formed.

  “Roddy had faults. The important thing is he wanted to marry you. What matters is who holds the keys to treasury. As long as he pays, Chris can play. I don’t have to sit at home all alone either,” Adrienne said with a chuckle.

  MiMi glanced at her in surprise. “I don’t get what you mean.”

  Adrienne crossed her toned brown legs. Dressed in casually white French terry shorts and a pink t-shirt, she looked every inch the prosperous work-at-home wife and mother. Pink thong sandals completed the outfit.

  “Yes you do. Roderick would have given you a mighty fine life and we both know it.” She raised her glass as if to punctuate her point with a toast. Then she sipped more tea.

  “He was more than a big bank account, Adrienne. I cared for him,” MiMi protested even guilt pricked at her.

  “Of course you did. We all saw the way you two looked at each other.” Adrienne sat forward and placed a hand on MiMi’s knee. “You can talk to me. I know I can be a bit strong-willed and blunt. But family comes first.”

  “Thanks.” MiMi felt odd at Adrienne’s uncharacteristic shift into a warm family moment.

  “Seriously, MiMi. I get the feeling a lot more is going on. It’s not like you to go all to pieces like you did on the phone last night. Mother and daddy don’t show affection exactly.”

  “That’s a mild way of putting it,” MiMi retorted.

  “Which makes it even more important that we kids stick together. They push Drex way too hard. They don’t support you as much as they should. And at times I feel smothered, like I can’t breathe.” Adrienne pulled back from MiMi and rubbed her forehead.

  “Really?” MiMi stared at her amazed.

  “Yes, I know you think I’m the favorite. Well let me tell you, there’s a big downside to that. Mother hovers around me trying to take over my son. Daddy keeps trying to push Chris to work for him. Thank God we had sense enough not to get sucked into the family business. They’d be controlling every inch of our lives.” Adrienne bit her lower lip for a few seconds. “I feel so alone sometimes.”

  “Wow, Adrienne. I never realized.” MiMi felt more guilt about some of the bad things she’d said about her.

  “It’s my fault we’re not closer, but I want that to change.” Adrienne gazed at MiMi and reached out to her.

  “Thank you again for taking care of Sage. The way you took care of her was… so sweet.” MiMi felt tears form as she grasped Adrienne’s soft, expertly manicured hand.

  “I’m so sorry for all the stupid fights we’ve had. Half the time over nothing when you think about it” Adrienne swallowed hard and squeezed MiMi’s hand.

  “Yeah, you’re right. Family should always come first.” MiMi swiped at a tear that had escaped down her cheek.

  “The children brought us together, made us realize we should always be there for each other.” Adrienne sniffed as she smiled at MiMi.

  MiMi soon found herself pouring out everything to Adrienne. She told Adrienne about the events leading up to her arrest in the Dominican Republic. MiMi described her Najayo Prison stay, and the shock of a visit from the FBI. Then she told the story of Jack, his betrayal and how his other “other” woman landed on her doorstep days ago.

  “Oh girl. What a seriously messed pile of crap,” Adrienne breathed, eyes wide with shock.

  “Yeah.” MiMi sniffed and dabbed her eyes with the fancy paper napkin Adrienne handed her. “Not to mention the police questioned me about Roddy’s murder.”

  Adrienne pressed a hand to her chest. “Are you kidding me? Daddy must have exploded when you told him. I’ll bet he had a hot conference call with police chief. Those detectives are probably still trying to screw their asses back on.”

  “Don’t mention anything I told you to Mother or Daddy, Adrienne. You know how they are. Please.”

  “But Daddy knows everyone important in south Louisiana. And he could get one of the best lawyers in the country to make them back off fast,” Adrienne said.

  “Like you said, their help comes with a big price tag. They’d want to control my life and tell me how to raise Sage. No, promise you won’t tell them anything we talked about.” MiMi shivered as she looked at her sister. Maybe she’d been foolish to let her guard down.

  Adrienne gazed back at her for a few seconds. “If you say so. At least let me do something. I know people.”

  “Willa helped
me hire a really good attorney. She and Jazz have been great.” MiMi saw the flash of disapproval and even distaste on her sister’s face. “You should get to know them, Adrienne. They’re wonderful friends, really.”

  After a few seconds Adrienne smiled. “Of course they are. Now how about we have a slice of lemon ice box pie and coffee?”

  MiMi let out a soft laugh. “If you took the trouble to make it, I can’t refuse.”

  “Oh, no. It’s from that nouveau soul food place downtown. I’ll only go homemaker just so far, even to lift little sister’s spirits.” Adrienne let out her signature musical laugh.

  Her sister continued to be witty and attentive. MiMi’s troubles hadn’t gone away, but she felt close to her sister for the first time in years.

  ****

  MiMi met with her attorney on a sunny Friday morning. Yet instead of a happy TGIF mood, everyone looked grim. Willa and Cedric used their investigative resources to get facts on Nairoby Villa and Roderick, so they met in the conference room at Crown Protection. The lawyer wore an apologetic frown. He clearly didn’t like being the bearer of bad news.

  “So this woman, what’s her name…” Willa glanced at MiMi.

  “Nairoby Villa.”

  “Yeah, she’s not part of a Dominican gang after all. So maybe Jack didn’t launder dirty money.” Willa lifted both hands palms up. “What am I missing? That’s a silver lining to one big old cloud.”

  “Nah, too early to tell. What we found out could just touch the surface,” Cedric said. He glanced at Edselle.

  “Her partners left a message. I called their international toll free number. One thing is obvious, Ms. Villa isn’t a senior partner, if she’s a partner at all. They talk more like she’s an employee. She may have exaggerated her importance to intimidate you. Whatever she is, I got the feeling they’re not pleased with her.” Edselle opened the button of his expensive suit jacket.

  “Hmm, so MiMi’s bluff turned out to be on target,” Willa said.

  “I smelled the anxiety beneath her slick talk,” MiMi replied in a cool tone.

  “Now you’re a player?” Willa pursed her lips.

  “Humph. Recognize.” MiMi waved a hand.

  Cedric covered a laugh by pretending to cough. He stopped when MiMi squinted at him. “Sorry. So Edselle, what are MiMI’s legal options.”

  “Okay, let’s examine the pros first. Mr. Reyes, their spokesperson, says they’re a legitimate business consortium. They have a large clothing manufacturing plant in the DR, export jewelry, and craft items made in the DR and Haiti. They also have other businesses, but they didn’t go into detail,” Edselle said.

  Willa nodded. “Okay, then it’s quite possible that Ms. Villa was telling the truth. She and Jack could have had a deal to sell clothing in the states.”

  “Humph.” MiMi crossed her arms.

  “Yes, and he was romancing the woman. Get over it. I did when I was married to him,” Willa wisecracked. She turned her attention back to the lawyer. “So you can make a case to the FBI that any money Jack made with them was perfectly legal. Which stops their whole seizure of assets process.”

  “Or at least weakens their case enough to make U.S. Attorney’s office drop it.” Edselle nodded.

  “Which means the FBI backs off and MiMi keeps the house,” Cedric added.

  “And we can finally wrap up Jack’s succession, praise the heavens.” Willa clapped her hands together.

  “Hold on, let’s look at the cons. This consortium can present evidence that Ms. Villa didn’t have the authority to enter into business agreements.” Edselle glanced at each of them in turn.

  “Which means any money she loaned Jack was without their approval,” MiMi said and heaved a sigh.

  “And they could make a claim to profits and demand a settlement. They’ve hired a local attorney to explore their options. I should hear from him any day now.” Edselle sat back as if allowing them to digest his summary.

  “One alternative is to settle with them to avoid drawn out legal wrangling,” MiMi said. “I’ll have to sell the house and empty my pitiful savings account.”

  “Sixty thousand dollars isn’t that ‘pitiful’. The house is worth maybe two hundred fifty thousand.” Willa looked thoughtful.

  “I could be out of a job soon. Then I’ll need money to live on.”

  “Her house is worth more. Real estate values have gone up in that part of town. MiMi’s neighborhood is smack in the middle of gentrification in Mid City,” Cedric said.

  “So maybe she can negotiate with them and keep her savings. Even better,” Willa replied.

  “Wait a minute. Before we break out the champagne, remember Sage will lose the only home she’s ever known. And I happen to love my house.” MiMi’s voice broke. Then she breathed in and out to steady herself. “Do we know for sure this consortium’s businesses are all legal?”

  Edselle rubbed his top lip and frowned before speaking. “Hard to say, but I would guess there’s probably something shady. Without contacts in the DR we’d have one hell of a time tracking it down. Still they’re most likely bluffing. They probably hope you’re more scared of the authorities than they are. They’re out of the US and harder to reach. But not impossible.”

  “We could hire a private detective.” MiMi looked at Cedric and then Willa. “Track down exactly who they are for leverage.”

  “And prove they’re crooks, which means the FBI swoops in again because we’ve done their jobs for them,” Willa reminded her.

  “What if I offered to cooperate? I might be able to make a deal with them. I got the feeling they used taking my house as pressure to make me talk.” MiMi sat straight, liking her own logic the more she talked.

  “I wouldn’t advise, not yet. The feds have a high hurdle to jump. First they have to follow the money trail, and that’s tough to do. Then they have to prove the source of the money was illegal.” Edselle’s grave expression brightened as he laid out his own train of thought.

  “They could get desperate enough to come after you if they feel threatened,” Cedric said.

  “Besides, you don’t have a whole lot to offer them. You don’t know anything about these folks,” Willa said to MiMi.

  “I could find out more. I’ll probably be positioned to pluck out some useful information once we decide to negotiate.” MiMi nodded.

  Willa turned to Cedric “Is she talking about some kind of undercover sting? I must not have heard that right.”

  “MiMi, playing a game when none of us knows the rules is way too dangerous,” Cedric said.

  “I don’t mean flying to the DR and pretending to be their new best friend. Give me some credit. I meant open a dialog maybe with Nairoby. She seems to actually like Jazz, and…”

  “No,” Willa cut in and waved a forefinger at the end of MiMi’s nose. “You and Jazz will stir up twice the trouble getting into some kind of crazy scheme.”

  “Well I have to do something. I feel like I’m being watched all the time. I can’t just sit at home with the axe of doom swinging over my head. I’m not sure I can keep my house or my job.” MiMi’s voice trembled. She stood up and paced.

  “Calm down, we’re going to figure a way out. Right?” Willa glanced at the two men for support.

  “Have you seen a car parked on your street that doesn’t belong to a neighbor, or seen the odd jogger lately? I mean somebody you don’t know,” Cedric said.

  “Or outside the building where you work?” Edselle added.

  “Or a car following yours when you go out?” Cedric frowned and rubbed his jaw.

  “Hey, you guys are supposed to be helping me reassure MiMi,” Willa protested.

  “The FBI, the Baton Rouge PD, and now these Dominicans,” Edselle replied. His expression had gone back to somber. “Look at the facts. MiMi was arrested, there are two murders and the FBI are in the mix. I’d be surprised if she’s not being followed.”

  “How long have you had that feeling?” Cedric asked.

  “For a
t least a week. My street is quiet with barely any traffic most days. But in the past week or so more cars drive by my house. My neighbor Brenda even mentioned it to me. Then I got a series of phone calls. Some were wrong numbers. I’d swear it was the same person trying to sound different. Or it could be a woman with a throaty voice.”

  Willa sighed. “I think it’s nerves. Most surveillance is electronic. Baton Rouge has street cameras even.”

  “Well, I feel a whole lot better now. Thanks,” MiMi retorted. She rubbed the tight muscles in her neck. The memory of Roderick massaging her slowly until her whole body relaxed popped into her head. “Poor Roderick. Being a jerk isn’t grounds for the death penalty.”

  “At least one person obviously disagrees with you,” Willa replied. “There was anger behind his murder.”

  “Money can cause that kind of anger, particularly large sums,” Edselle said.

  “Greed and sex, are the most common motivations for murder. Two sets of cops think I may have both.” MiMi tried not to start bawling again.

  “There is a bright side,” Willa said gently and sat next to MiMi. “Edselle is of the expert opinion that you’re in a good negotiating position with the Dominicans.”

  “Well, we’ve got a lot more going for us than it looks like on the surface. We could push back against their claim.” Edselle looked at MiMi, a question in his dark eyes.

  “My gut says they don’t want a quick and quiet solution despite all the big talk, but it’s your decision,” Cedric said.

  MiMi had an image of packing Sage’s toys for a move from their house. Anger replaced the pity party she had slipped into moments before. “Do it.”

  “Think carefully. Are you sure?” Edselle said, becoming the cautious attorney. “There’s a chance they’ll press forward with their claim. Cedric is right about them being an unknown quantity.”

  “Nairoby Villa doesn’t impress me as someone who plays by rules. I’m willing to bet her business associates don’t think our laws are a big deal either. Let’s push back. Hard.” MiMi grimaced as though she could see her adversaries.