I flashed my badge to the cute blonde hostess and said, "I'm meeting a friend here. Reservation should be under Maddox.”
Her pretty blue eyes scanned the book, then the seating chart. Her eyes lit up. "Yes. She's right over there,” she said, pointing to a booth in the far corner.
I spotted Brandi, sipping champagne with a girlfriend. It looked like they were preparing for a night on the town, both dressed to the nines—tight cocktail dresses and low-cut necklines. Diamonds sparkled around Brandi’s neck. I didn’t think she’d had time to blow a bunch of cash at the local jewelry store, but I had no doubt that was on the agenda. I was about to put a damper on that agenda.
I thanked the hostess, and JD and I weaved through the tables toward the booth.
Shane followed behind.
Waitstaff darted between the tables.
I flashed my badge at the booth, and Brandi's eyes rounded. Her face stiffened, and she looked like she was going to choke on her lobster.
"Enjoying your meal?”
Brandi gave a worried look to her friend, who said, "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom."
She slid toward the edge of the bench seat.
"Me too," Brandi said.
We blocked their exit.
"Not so fast,” I said.
"What do you want?" Brandi asked. "I didn't do nothing."
I laughed. "Let me tell you how this is going to play out. You’re gonna have one chance to do the right thing and keep yourself out of jail for the rest of your life."
Brandi swallowed hard.
She was a good-looking woman. Easy on the eyes. So was her friend. I’m not sure if she was in the same line of work, but birds of a feather...
Brandi‘s sultry brown eyes could spark lustful desires. Her full lips beckoned, and she had more curves than the Monaco Grand Prix. She was the kind of woman who could make a man do dumb things. Garrett certainly had.
"Look, he was alive when I left," she said with a little southern twang in her voice.
"Well, he's not alive now. I'm pretty sure he wasn’t alive when you left, because he wouldn't have let you walk out with his money."
Brandi's friend cringed. I’m sure Brandi had told her all about her newfound riches. Brandi had broken the first rule of Money Club.Shut up and don’t talk about Money Club.
"I really need to use the restroom,” her friend said. “Do you mind?"
"Hold it," I snapped.
She cowered.
I glared at Brandi and leaned against the table, close and intimidating. "Right now, forensic investigators are going over the hotel room with a fine-tooth comb. Your fingerprints are all over that place and all over the baggie that's laced with fentanyl.” I was just guessing at that point. “By giving that to Garrett, that makes you guilty of murder on top of the theft.”
Her jaw dropped, and her brow lifted.
“Now, if you play ball, admit to giving him the drugs and taking the money, I'll see to it you get a fair shake. Otherwise, you’re going to spend the rest of your life behind bars.”
Brandi looked at her friend, Tabitha.
Tabitha raised her hands innocently, "I ain’t got nothing to do with this.”
Brandi glared at her, then hung her head for a moment. Brandi took a deep breath, then looked up at me. "I swear to God, I didn't know what was in that. I had just picked it up from Rodney’s dealer. I thought, “Hey, Garrett is cute, let's have a little fun.”
