Afterburn: A Kenzie Gilmore Thriller Read online

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Isn’t that what you do?”

  “No, I search for the truth. I find out what really happened.”

  He contemplated this. “Is that what you were doing when Bianca was killed? Searching for the truth?”

  She jutted out her chin. “I was trying to reassure the public that the police had things under control. Like I said, I didn’t realize a sting operation was in progress, or that your colleague was still undercover. That’s not the information I was given.”

  “Perhaps you better double-check your information before you go to print next time.”

  “I do. I double-source all the time now. Don’t worry, I learned my lesson.” Her eyelids fluttered. “I received massive backlash from the police department about that article. It wasn’t easy for me. I felt guilty that she was dead. Responsible, even. And I got a written warning from the newspaper. I nearly lost my job over it.”

  He fell silent. He wanted to believe her, that she didn’t know about Bianca still being in play, but he wasn’t sure he could. Those big blue eyes looked innocent enough, but then he’d interrogated many suspects with the same wide-eyed stare who turned out to be guilty as sin. Just very good at hiding it.

  Now he trusted no one.

  “Is that what you wanted to tell me?” he asked. It was getting late, and he wanted to finish repairing the deck.

  “There is the small matter of Natalia Cruz’s husband, DJ Snake,” she said. “I was on my way to talk to him and thought you might like to join me. He won’t talk to cops. Not a fan.”

  He tilted his head. “What makes you think he’ll talk to you?”

  “I know him. We’re friends.” Her eyes sparkled. “Did you know Natalia walked out of her hotel room after a fight at a party last weekend and didn’t come back. That was the last anybody saw of her.”

  Reid didn’t know that. “Was she reported missing?”

  “Not officially. The police went to the hotel the next day, but when they found her suitcase and clothes missing, they assumed she’d left voluntarily. No missing person’s report was ever filed.”

  Reid scratched his head. “So, this girl was missing for a week, and nobody thought it strange? Did she do that sort of thing often?”

  “According to her husband, never. He was convinced something had happened to her, but no one believed him.”

  “Until she turned up dead in the swamp.”

  Kenzie looked him in the eye. “That’s right. Interested yet?”

  He sighed, then picked up his car keys. The deck could wait.

  4

  “How do you know this guy?”

  He’d followed her to DJ Snake’s house in the exclusive North Links Country Club area of Hialeah. It seemed traveling together was one step too far for the suspicious ex-cop. Still, Kenzie had gotten him to come with her. That was something. His insight would be invaluable to her investigation.

  “I wrote a piece on him once, citing him as one to watch. Back then he was an up-and-coming DJ making waves in the South Beach clubs. News networks picked up the article, and it caught the eye of one of Miami’s top music producers.” She spread out her arms and gazed up at the sprawling modern house with its landscaped gardens, “privacy” wall, and three-car garage. “Now he’s got a multimillion-dollar record deal and a five-bedroom mansion.”

  “Impressive.”

  “He’s expecting me. I called ahead and made an appointment.”

  They walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Reid gestured upwards. The beady eye of a security camera stared down at them.

  A Hispanic woman in a maid’s outfit opened the door. “Can I help you?”

  “We’re here to see DJ Snake,” said Kenzie.

  “One moment.”

  “What’s his real name?” asked Reid, as the maid shuffled away.

  “Eric Snider.” Kenzie hid a grin. “He’s from a middle-class family, grew up in Coral Gables. Had a pretty normal upbringing, although he makes out it was harder than it was. His rags to riches story is just that.”

  A few moments later a lanky man with boy-band good looks and expertly gelled hair sauntered down the passage to greet them. He still looked twenty, although Kenzie knew him to be in his early thirties.

  “Kenzie, darling. How are you?” He embraced her warmly. His gaze darkened as it flickered over Reid. “I thought you were coming alone.”

  “Lovely to see you, Snake. You haven’t changed a bit.” She turned to Reid. “This is Reid Garrett, he’s working with me on the case. I hope you don’t mind?”

  No way was she going to mention he was an ex-cop. That would not go down well. Snake was notoriously outspoken in his dislike of the police after an incident involving a raid at a house party a few years back. He’d spent 24 hours in police custody before they let him off with a warning, an experience he hadn’t relished, although he’d used it to embellish his bad-boy image.

  “I guess not.” Snake eyed Reid as he shook his hand. Reid was at least a head taller than the DJ and much broader. “If he’s a friend of yours.”

  Kenzie broke into a grin. Snake was intimidated but trying hard not to show it. Reid had that effect on people.

  “Come on in. I’ll get Lucinda to bring some lemonade to the terrace. Unless you’d prefer something stronger?” He glanced at Reid.

  “Lemonade’s fine,” he said.

  They walked through the marbled entrance hall, cool and minimalist. There were few ornaments or personal items. No paintings, no photographs. No sign that Natalia had ever lived there.

  A paved terrace overlooked a swimming pool and a hot tub. Palm trees swayed around the edge of the garden providing dappled shade, but they sat under an awning on the terrace. Lucinda brought out a jug of lemonade and three glasses.

  “This is stunning.” Kenzie gazed longingly at the pool. Diamonds danced on the surface. It was bluer than the sky. The mansion felt more like a resort than a home.

  “I love it.” He lowered his head. “Although it’s not the same without Natalia.”

  Kenzie gave a sympathetic nod. He’d provided the perfect opening. “I can imagine. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you.” He took a deep breath. “I can’t believe they found her all the way out in the Glades. It’s unbelievable.”

  “When was the last time you saw her?” Reid asked.

  Kenzie got up to pour the lemonade since it didn’t look like Snake was going to do it. “Was it at the party at the Sand Club last weekend?” she inquired.

  “Yeah. That’s the night she disappeared.” He bit his lip. “I knew something bad had happened to her. I told the cops as much, but they didn’t believe me.” He grimaced. “No surprises there. Useless f-ing bunch.”

  The muscles in Reid’s jaw tightened.

  “Why don’t you tell us what happened?” Kenzie said quickly. “Talk us through the night of the party.”

  He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one. “You don't mind, do you? It calms me down.”

  Kenzie remembered him telling her once that he suffered from ADHD. She shook her head.

  Snake took a long drag, then exhaled into the air. “We checked into the hotel that morning. Natalia went to the spa and I hit the gym.”

  Kenzie saw Reid’s gaze roam over his slender physique.

  “Was she acting normal?” Kenzie asked. “Was she herself?”

  “Yes, completely. She was in a good mood. We had a leisurely day, then got ready for the party and went downstairs to check on the preparations.”

  “What was the reason for the party?” asked Reid.

  “To celebrate the launch of my new album, Miami Beat.”

  Reid gave a blank nod, while Kenzie gushed, “Great album. Congrats on topping the charts with Sunshine Kiss. I love that track.”

  She saw Reid raise an eyebrow. Kenzie didn’t particularly like dance music and certainly hadn’t bought any of Snake’s albums over the years, but she ha
d done her homework.

  The DJ smiled weakly. “Thanks. That song always reminds me of her. I wrote it the day we first kissed.”

  “That’s tough,” said Reid, surprising her. Perhaps the man was human, after all.

  “What happened next?” Kenzie got them back on track.

  “The guests started to arrive. We mingled. Things got a little raucous.”

  “I believe Bella Montague was there?”

  Snake paused. It was a loaded question. Bella was Snake’s ex, and at one point, everyone thought they’d get married. Then he met Natalia, and six months after a whirlwind romance, they were hitched.

  “Yeah, Bella was there. We didn’t invite her, she came with someone else.”

  “I heard there was an incident?”

  He sighed. “There always is with Bella.”

  “Bella is Snake’s ex,” explained Kenzie when Reid shot her a quizzical look. “How long were you together?” she asked Snake.

  “Nearly four years,” he said.

  “Wasn’t it through Bella that you met Natalia?”

  “Yeah, that was the problem. Bella and Natalia were friends. I’d met her a couple of times before but hadn't really gotten to know her. Then one weekend we all went on a friend’s yacht. Beautiful 28-footer. Bella got seasick and spent most of the outing throwing up below, so Natalia and I started talking, and we hit it off.”

  “Love at first sight,” breathed Kenzie. Not that she believed in such things, but she had to play the game. For him she was the wide-eyed reporter, the super-fan. Last month she’d been a guileless party girl, frolicking on the Congressman’s super-yacht. She merged effortlessly from one role to another. Too effortlessly. Sometimes she forgot who she was.

  “The very next week I broke it off with Bella and took Natalia out.”

  “That must have gone down well,” murmured Reid.

  Snake scoffed. “You can say that again. Bella went nuts. She yelled abuse, slandered me on social media, then got drunk and begged me to take her back. It was humiliating.”

  “And then came the engagement party,” said Kenzie, leading him down the path.

  Snake shook his head. “I had to have her forcibly removed.”

  “I saw the photographs.” Kenzie grimaced.

  “Not the kind of publicity I was hoping for,” he said. “Anyway, she seemed to calm down after that. I think she finally accepted that we were getting married. We didn’t invite her to the wedding, obviously, and we hadn’t heard from her until the launch party last week.”

  Kenzie reached for her glass. “Did she embarrass herself at the launch party too?”

  “Yeah, but nothing compared to her usual drama. She was drunk and traded insults with Natalia before her date took her home. He didn’t realize how cut up she still was.”

  “It must be hard seeing your friend marry your ex-boyfriend,” mused Kenzie, looking for a reaction.

  Snake shrugged. “Bella and I weren’t suited. We’re such different people. Natalia and I clicked straight away. We’re two of a kind. You know when you just know?”

  Kenzie nodded. She had no idea. It had never happened to her. Not at first sight or otherwise. Reid was suspiciously quiet.

  “Do you want to ask anything?” She threw him a glance.

  Reid found his tongue. “The night she disappeared, what happened? Did she go back to her room? Kenzie mentioned she’d packed a suitcase?”

  Snake stabbed out his cigarette and lit another. His drink went untouched. “At about eleven, she said she had a headache. It was unusual for her. Normally I have to drag her off the dance floor. I took her back to our suite, made sure she was okay, and went back to the party. When I got back around one, she was gone.”

  “Is that when you called the police?” Kenzie asked.

  “No, first we looked for her. Some friends helped me search. We were all pretty drunk by that stage, but we scoured the hotel. She wasn’t anywhere to be found.”

  “Did you check the camera footage?” asked Reid.

  He shook his head. “I think the cops did. They came to talk to me the next day. By that stage I was frantic. I’d called her father. He got onto the Chief of Police.”

  Kenzie knew they were golf buddies.

  “We need to view that footage,” Reid said.

  She nodded. “Snake, can you get us into the hotel? The security cameras might tell us when Natalia left.”

  He glanced at his watch. “Um, yeah, I can, but not this evening. I’ve got to go out. Can we do it tomorrow?”

  “How’s nine o’clock?” Kenzie wanted to get an early start before the hotel got busy.

  Snake looked dubious. “Can we make it ten? I’m not at my best first thing in the morning.”

  “Sure, ten’s fine.” She glanced at Reid who gave a curt nod.

  In a desperate move, Snake reached across the table and grabbed her arm. “You’ll help me find out what happened to her, won’t you Kenz?”

  “Of course. You know I’ll do everything in my power to see her killer brought to justice.”

  He squeezed her wrist. “I know you will, Kenz. If anyone can get to the truth, it’s you.”

  5

  The Sand Club was a pretentious, over-priced boutique hotel on South Beach. Reid had Googled it on his phone before meeting Kenzie and couldn’t believe the eye-watering prices.

  He had to admit it was stylish, though. The art deco lobby extended seamlessly onto the sand, the blinding white marble floor broken by alcoves of exotic plants.

  “It’s one of the hottest spots to hang out at,” Kenzie told him as they waited for Snake to arrive. Security wouldn’t let them past the front desk.

  “What happened at the engagement party?” Reid asked to kill time. “You said Bella had a meltdown.”

  “God, yes. She went ballistic. Got hammered and lashed out at Snake. How could he steal her best friend? Who did he think he was? She hopes he burns in hell. That sort of thing.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “Yeah. I wasn’t there, but I heard it was spectacular. The media went wild, and Bella had to be forcibly removed from the premises.”

  Reid shook his head. “Do you think she could have killed Natalia?”

  Kenzie did a double take. “I thought it was the Swamp Strangler who killed her.”

  “We won’t know that for sure until after the autopsy, and even then, it will be difficult to tell. No DNA was found on any of the victims, there’s nothing linking them other than the way they died.”

  “Raped and strangled,” she murmured.

  “And dumped in the swamp.”

  “Are you saying someone could have killed her and made it look like the Swamp Strangler?” Her eyes were huge. He could almost see her journalist’s mind working overtime.

  “I’m saying anything’s possible. We have to keep an open mind.”

  “We?” She grinned. “So, you’re going to help me?”

  He grunted. “That’s what I’m doing, isn’t it?” He wasn’t thrilled by the concept, but he wanted to speak to the husband, so here he was.

  They turned around as Snake hurried in.

  “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was diabolical. Hello, Kenzie darling.” He kissed Kenzie on both cheeks and nodded at Reid who nodded back.

  “Let me have a word with Luis and then we’ll take a stroll around the hotel.”

  He walked up to the reception desk and said something to the girl standing there. She shot him a wide smile and picked up the desk phone. A short time later Luis, a well-dressed Latino man—who Reid assumed was the hotel manager—arrived.

  They shook hands, shoulder bumped, and slapped each other on the back, then Snake beckoned them over. The security guard eyed them curiously as they walked past and Reid gave him a slight shrug.”

  “These are my friends Kenzie and Reid,” he said. “They’re helping me find out what happened to Natalia.”

  Luis shook their hands, somber now. “It’s great to meet you. I’m
sorry about the circumstances. How can I be of assistance?”

  “We’d like to see any footage you might have of the night Mrs. Snider was taken,” Reid said. “In the corridors, the lobby, the gardens.”

  “Of course. We can arrange that. I’ll get Roberto to set it up for you. In the meantime, do you want a drink at the pool bar?”

  “Maybe later, Luis,” said Snake. “Right now, we’d like to see the room.”

  Luis didn’t blink. “I’ll get you the keycard.”

  He spoke to the receptionist who handed him a card. “Luckily that room is not occupied. We have a booking for Friday, but it’s empty now, so I can show you myself.”

  “That's very kind of you.” Kenzie flashed him a smile, turning on the charm.

  Luis smiled back. “Which newspaper did you say you were from?”

  “The Miami Herald. I’m doing a piece on Natalia’s disappearance.”

  “Terrible business,” he murmured.

  “Did the police interview you?” inquired Reid.

  He shook his head. “Not really. They did look around the hotel after she disappeared, but haven’t been back since her body was discovered.”

  They would, once the task force was operational. This was the first place he’d come looking. The scene of her last appearance.

  Kenzie pursed her lips. “My source at the police department says they think she left on her own accord and was abducted elsewhere.”

  “That’s bullshit,” snapped Snake as they walked down a plush corridor. “Why would she leave? She was happy. We were happy.”

  “You hadn’t had a fight?” asked Reid as they stopped outside a VIP suite. “A disagreement?”

  “No. What are you implying?” His boyish face darkened. “I told you, she didn’t leave on her own account. She wouldn’t have. When I saw her back to the room, she was perfectly happy.”

  “Apart from the headache,” said Reid.

  “I’m sorry, Snake. We have to ask these awkward questions,” Kenzie explained in her soothing voice. “You have no idea how many people lie to the police.”

  “Well, I’m not.” He sulked into the room. “And you’re not the police.”