Split Black /#Wattys 2021

Chapter Twenty-six

Tension gripped the next few days. Marian Jasper-Smilley must have departed with quite a bit of money on her, because her bank account, her savings account, and her credit cards all remained completely inactive. Neither Mike nor John said it, though John knew they were both thinking it: What if Clay had caught up with her and murdered her?

John caught another homicide, a drug-related murder in Hillside Court—the only large city public housing project south of the James. Unlike many drug-related murders in the projects, this one had a couple of people willing to come forward with information, and John had a solid suspect behind bars within twenty-four hours. Savonn, Trish, Solly, and especially Mike, all sort of rolled their eyes and joked about the famous Robin luck. Arlene didn't do that anymore—the famous Robin luck improved her stats.

Without a hit on Smilley's bank accounts or credit cards, John and Mike were back to the only other angle they had thought of—Julie's modeling portfolio, and whether it was known by anyone that Clay actually had a copy. Weak, but it was all they had. Although the twenty minutes they spent at the local modeling agency—the largest in the state and an affiliate of Wilhelmina—was nice in terms of the eye candy going in and out of the building, no one there knew anymore who had any portfolios of Julie. Dead models didn't generate income, and a lot of portfolio-browsing by potential clients was done online now, anyway.

On his way out, an angular brunette at the front desk, who reminded him a little of Lizzie—in pictures he'd seen of Lizzie with her hair long—looked up at him through a wave of hair that hung sexily over one eye. "Is Lizzie back from LA? Did you hear from her yet?"

"No, she's back late tonight," said John.

For answer the brunette gave him a smile that almost made John think she was flirting with him.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, John checked his watch. Lizzie was due to land around ten p.m. If he got right on the road after work, he'd have just enough time to drive to Hampton and change out the Clay listening tape, then swing by the airport and pick Lizzie up from her flight. If there were no traffic backups.

He decided to chance it anyway. He could always take Route 60 back if he had to.

                                                                                             ***

He pulled up in front of the airport more or less on time, his butt falling asleep from three hours of almost straight driving. Rain had postponed all the interstate construction for tonight, but as he drove into the airport, he ran into construction that was twice as aggravating and confusing. He missed the drive that stopped in front of the terminal the first time he drove in and had to drive around a second time.

Finally he pulled up in front of the terminal to find a few people standing under the awning, peering anxiously through raindrops for their rides. Lizzie saw his car and started forward, dragging her suitcase on wheels behind her.

John leaned over and popped the passenger door open. "Sorry I'm a little late," he said. "I got lost in all the construction."

"No biggie," she said, stowing her suitcase in the back seat. "I missed my suitcase anyway and thought baggage lost it. I finally found it."

She leaned over for a kiss. John kissed her and pulled out so other cars could move up. "How was the flight?"

Little-girl excitement turned handsprings in her voice. He looked over and saw her eyes sparkling in the dark. "Fi-ine..."