“I’ll do my best, Gus. Just keep me informed, and I’ll do the same for you.”
“You got it. Have a good night.” With that, he tipped a non-existent hat and made his way out of the hallway and through the bar.
Lacy quickly pulled out her phone and dialed the number Stephanie had given her earlier that evening. After one ring, a deep voice sounded on the other end.
“Abraham,” the voice rumbled. Stephanie’s husband had been happy to help out and was keeping watch over the house while she was out. Now, she needed his take on the events of the night.
“Abraham, this is Lacy. Have you seen anything suspicious since I left? Gus just filled me in on Madison’s poisoning.”
“Aside from the paramedics and a swarm of police officers, nobody’s been in or out since you left.” He paused. “You realize Ethan will find out about this very soon, right?”
Lacy frowned. Of course, he’d find out. “I know Gus will be questioning him for an alibi, but that’s standard procedure.” Abraham should know that, so why did his question sound more like a warning?
The low rumble of his laughter flowed over the line, and Lacy fought the uneasy feeling trying to creep over her. “You don’t have a clue, do you? Well, this should be entertaining if nothing else.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll find out, and sooner rather than later. Just take it easy on the guy. He can’t help it.” Abraham wasn’t making any sense at all.
“Can’t help what?”
“You’ll see.” And with that cryptic parting shot, Abraham disconnected the call, and Lacy was left standing in the little hallway, staring at the blank screen of her phone.
Returning to the table, she braced herself for the round of twenty questions that was bound to start. Instead, she got a sheepish look from Stephanie that had her groaning. “Tell me you didn’t,” she begged.
“Sarah just kind of knew,” she insisted. “She claims to be able to sniff out a cop at twenty paces. Of course, she didn’t call you a cop.”
Sarah shrugged. “When I said ‘pig’, I wasn’t really directing it at you, just, you know, old habit.”
“Yeah, it’s fine, but don’t let anyone else know. Especially now.”
“Oh, of course, dear.” Angela looked a little shell-shocked to discover Lacy’s actual career, but Lacy could do nothing about that. She knew she didn’t look like a cop. It was why she was so good at being an undercover officer.
Against her better judgment, she shared the latest bit of information Gus had just given her. As they all digested what she’d shared, she added, “So you see, I need to keep my cover intact, so I can stay under the killer’s radar.”
“Can we help in any way?” Sarah asked.
“Not just yet. Stephanie, will your husband still be able to watch the house for me tomorrow night? I know he can do it without being seen since he managed that tonight.” Lacy wanted to brainstorm with Ethan, but she couldn’t leave the house without a pair of trained eyes on it, just in case.
“I’ll check with him tonight and text you, but I don’t see it being a problem. He could help with security around the shoot, too, if you’d like.” Stephanie offered.
“No, I don’t want any extra security if I can help it. I want the killer to feel confident. It’s the only way to trap them. Too many uniforms and he may bolt, then I’m stuck with nothing.”
Sarah nodded. “She’s right. With cops being around or any type of security, it will have the person lying low, and Lacy needs to flush them out before they strike again.”
Lacy’s gaze zeroed in on Sarah. “Just how did you learn to recognize a cop on sight? Usually, that’s something only hardened criminals or ex-cops could do.”
“Let’s just say, my past was spent riding the edge of the law. I’m clean, no record, but I had a few close calls at some of the clubs I went to.”
“Clubs? Is that why the guys thought I could keep the two of you out of trouble? You start fights in clubs?”
“Not at all, dear,” Angela cut in. “Sarah used to be involved with fight clubs. It’s a long story, but she had to get money to survive, and that was the easiest way for someone like her to do so.”
“What do you mean someone like her?” Lacy asked. Sure the fight club thing was weird enough, but the way Angela referred to Sarah was even more so. Not to mention the way Sarah and Stephanie now glared daggers at Angela.
“What she’s hinting at is that I used to be on the run from a couple nasty guys, and they would track me using my credit cards or bank accounts, so I used to fight and live off of the prize money.” Sarah just shrugged, as if it was a completely normal thing for a woman to do.