Deborah Brown - Madison Westin 07 - Kidnapped in Paradise by Deborah Brown Read Free Book Online Page B

told him. “Fab ’ s got the gift with the older set. My expertise is crazy folks, the ones not quite ready for commitment.”
    I knew that Fab would agree that we didn’t want anything to do with a case where a grandmother might end up in jail.
    “I’ll pay double if you bring Carlotta back to Ricci ’ s house in one piece, with no drama.” Brick ’ s tone sounded a bit desperate, so my guess was he didn’t have anyone else he trusted for the job.
    “You ’ ll pay quadruple if anything goes wrong, and I mean anything . We don’t get so much as a scratch.” I gave him an evil smile, remembering those were Creole ’s words.
    “ Done. Don’t forget your folder.” Brick picked it up and handed it to me. “Sooner is better than dragging your feet.”
    I scanned the list and followed Fab to the stairs, relieved to see all of the addresses were in good areas.
    “Stay off the banister!” he yelled.
    Fab ignored his rant and climbed on anyway, riding it to the bottom. “Let ’ s make sure we get the quadruple pay without shots fired.”
    “Maybe she’ll be like Miss January, drunk all the time. We should take Mother along.”
    “Your mother never listens to me,” Fab huffed. I ignored her, flipping through the file's contents.       
    “This says the arrest took place in a high-end South Beach condo. I highly doubt she ’ d go back there anytime soon. We could snoop around to see if the yellow police tape has been removed.”
    “Let ’ s not get arrested. How would we explain an association with Carmine Ricci to Didier and Creole?”
    I handed Mrs. Ricci ’ s picture to Fab. “To look at her, you ’ d never suspect she peddled sex for money.”
    Carlotta Ricci looked fit and trim, complete with character wrinkles. She looked like a woman of wealth, not prostitution.
    “I should probably take a moment to mention that I had fliers distributed all over town. ‘Need a pet finder? Give us a call. ’ Since you ’ re always suggesting it.” I bit my lower lip.
    “You did what?” Fab yelled.
    I covered my face and laughed.

  
    Chapter 9
     
    Fab pulled into the parking lot of the Oceanfront Towers in Fort Lauderdale, where the Ricci family owned a penthouse.
    “All of these addresses seem like a goose chase,” I said as I scanned the list for the tenth time. “I thought this one looked like our best shot. The rest are large properties that must have full time staff, except one commercial property.”       
    Fab had a great, albeit mysterious, connection that made us skeleton keycards. The building we were currently standing in front of needed real keys, though. I wasn’t even mad, since this meant I got to use my handy lock pick and show off my breaking and entering skills. Mother would be so proud. I inserted the two pieces into the lock, turned them at opposite angles, and the lock clicked open. I wanted to kiss the doorknob, but didn’t. I did a second door only a few feet later, with the same result.
    Fab leaned against the wall, watching.
    “My star pupil,” she cheered as she clapped.
    It surprised me that the only security in this high rise were the two doors. You ’ d think in a pricey waterfront building, the security would be more impressive. We rode the elevator as it shot to the penthouse, opening to a small lobby with one door.
    “The television is on,” I said, my ear pasted to the door.
    “We’ll surprise her.” Fab smiled. “She ’ s old; we each get one arm and haul her out.”
    “What are the chances she’ll pull a gun out of her bathrobe?” I asked.
    Fab pointed her finger at the lock.
    “ Here we go, ” I said, working my magic again. The door opened into a large living space with a high-end designer look; everything was in its place, but nothing was comfortable-looking.
    Our little bail jumper lay on the couch fast asleep, in front of a large floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked a boat marina.
    “Wake her up,” Fab said and nudged me.