Bailed Out (The Anna Albertini Files #2) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,56
from a beating a week or so before, and a nice amount of meth in his system.”
“Meth? Great,” I muttered.
“Yep. Your boyfriend was hanging out with a guy high on meth, and didn’t you say the Lordes were out of the drug game?” Pierce rifled through the myriad of case files and pieces of paper across his desk and pulled one from the bottom, nudging it my way. “Take a look at Pucci, just so you know who you’re dealing with.”
I opened the file folder to see pictures of Pucci that clearly showed the bruises and cuts. “Ouch.”
“Weren’t Devlin’s knuckles torn from what had to be beating on somebody?” Pierce asked casually.
There wasn’t a good answer to that question, so I didn’t bother. I peered closer at the picture of the tattoo on Pucci’s upper arm. “That looks like the same one I saw poking out of his cousin Rich’s shirt.” It was a heart with a sword through the middle and some initials above it. “What’s BGC?”
“Dunno yet,” Pierce said, reaching for a piece of paper. “I haven’t been able to get Kelsey Walker or her sister to talk to me about either Pucci or this Rich fellow. But you’ve now given me a place to start. Thanks for that.”
Chapter 20
After giving Pierce a tip I hadn’t known I had, I drove back to Kelsey’s house, and she wasn’t home. Taking a chance, I maneuvered through the main area of town and then farther north to Walker’s Funeral Home. The place was a large white building attached to what looked like a nondenominational church, set about two miles from the Elk County cemetery. Bright and beautiful flowers extended around the grounds, and big pots overflowing with Petunias were set up on the wooden porch with its two white and charming columns.
Majestic groves of tamarack and different species of pine extended on both sides, and a couple of pretty blue spruce trees stood tall on the front lawn. It was peaceful and welcoming. During the heated day, Robins bobbed all over the grassy area, and I could see the edge of a birdbath.
I parked in the lot to the side and walked along the cobbled way to the front door, opening it and stepping inside the main foyer. Heat blasted me.
Kelsey looked up from behind an antique desk in the small reception area, her hair frizzing around her head and her suit jacket hanging over the back of her chair. “Anna.” She paled and wiped sweat off her brow. Serene pictures of fields and animals graced the wall behind her, and gentle music played in the background.
I grimaced. “Whoa, it’s hot in here. The A/C is out?”
She blew hair out of her face. “Yeah. We have somebody coming to fix it, but the place was shut down all night, and it’s hotter than heck. Hopefully they can fix it fast because the generators only work on the embalming and crematorium levels, and the last place I want to hang out is down there. It’s so creepy. What are you doing here?”
I walked toward her and drew out one of two thick white leather chairs on the other side of her desk. “I was hoping you’d talk to me.” The heat wafted over my skin, prickling and making my shoulder blades itch. It was way too hot in there, but it made sense that the place was built solidly with the dead bodies and all. No wonder the heat was trapped. “It’s cooler outside. Do you want me to open the door?”
“No. I have all the windows open because they’re screened. We can’t risk bugs in here by opening the door. Can you imagine a fly buzzing around during a funeral?” She blanched, her blue eyes wide. “We had a skunk make it inside one time, and people decide to sue you when a skunk ruins their funeral. Trust me.”
“Good point.” I should’ve brought a latte or something, but I didn’t know what Kelsey liked. She had a half full bottle of what looked like flavored water next to her. “I’m hungry, and it’s hot in here. Do you want to grab lunch? I’ll buy.”
“I can’t. Have work to do.” She tapped several peaceful cream-colored file folders into a neat square with her pretty pink nails. She wore a light white sleeveless blouse and what looked like blue capri’s that matched the jacket she’d ditched. Her makeup was soft and her blondish-red hair in curls that frizzed wildly, and in the