Fixed in Blood by T. E. Woods Read Free Book Online Page A

only particular he needed. “I think she’ll be a great addition.” He doodled a continuous loop of “screw you, screw you” on a pad as he spoke. “She’s ready to go out tonight.”
    “We have a placement for her?”
    He rolled his eyes and pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it in disbelief. A john was a john. In what universe did this piece of tuna think a fifteen-minute blow job in the back of a beat-up Pontiac was a placement?
    “As luck would have it, we do.” He’d play along as long as he needed to and not one moment longer. “Business is booming.”
    “Very well.” The woman’s voice softened a bit. “Good work. Be sure to spend some time with her when she gets back. This is her first time. She may have some feelings she’ll need to process. Help her see this is a stepping-stone toward her dream. And make sure you take twenty percent of her fee and deposit it into her account. When she leaves us, I want her to have start-up cash.”
    He’d take that 20 percent, all right. He’d put it right into his safe. Things were mighty dusty in there since Staz’s last visit.
    “Don’t worry, ma’am,” he promised. “I’ll take good care of her.”

Chapter 8
    “The dress came from Nordstrom’s.” Micki Petty leaned against the wall of Mort’s office while Bruiser anchored her feet. “Sixth floor. Expensive. Shoes are Jimmy Choos.”
    Jim DeVilla yanked his mug away from his lips and struggled to swallow. “Damn it, Micki. Give a guy a warning. I nearly choked on my coffee. ‘Jimmy Choos shoes.’ That’s a good one.” He broke a glazed doughnut in half and tossed a piece toward Bruiser, who caught it in midair.
    “He’s a designer,” Micki explained. “You could spend a couple thousand dollars on a pair of his shoes.”
    Jim finished his half of the doughnut and wiped his hands on a paper napkin. “No, I couldn’t.” He nodded to the big dog at Micki’s feet. “What d’ya say, buddy? Wanna go into business? Bruiser Chews Shoes.”
    Mort knew Jimmy well enough to know his friend’s jokes were his way of underlining a point.
    “The Shoe Stop must be paying more than I thought,” Jimmy said. “Crystal’s shopping on Nordstom’s sixth and dropping a grand on high heels.”
    “She wouldn’t be the first woman who spent more than she should dressing up,” Mort suggested.
    Jimmy shook his head. “Her daughter said Mommy was going to work. Could be that outfit was more of a uniform.”
    “Again, she wouldn’t be the first woman who did what she had to do to raise her kid,” Mort said.
    “Doesn’t fit.” Micki flipped her notebook open. “Mrs. Silvatori at the deli said she was always trying to get Crystal to go out and find some nice young man to date, but Crystal wasn’t having it. According to people who knew her, when Crystal wasn’t working, she was with Nyla.”
    “Well, she sure was dressed up for something last night,” Jimmy said. “And she didn’t have her little girl along.”
    Micki ignored him. “Crystal’s bank account shows no deposits beyond the automatics from her work at the Shoe Stop. She’s living close to the bone. Every penny seems to be accounted for. If Crystal was hooking, there’d be extra cash. And Mrs. Silvatori said Crystal was always grateful for the closing-time leftovers and day-olds from the deli. Says she was certain that sometimes the only food Crystal had to eat was what she sent upstairs. Nothing fits with Crystal prostituting.”
    “We heard back from Doc Conner yet?” Jimmy asked. “Tox screen’s gonna take time, but he’s had a chance to examine the body.”
    “Looking for needle marks, you mean?” Mort asked.
    Jimmy tilted his head in resignation. “Raising a kid alone is hard work. As long as we’re listing things Crystal wouldn’t be the first woman being, we have to add she wouldn’t be the first to try to ease the dark grind with a little chemical assistance.”
    “That could explain where any cash