Justified, page 24
Kennedy pressed the button to make the call and leaned against her truck while she waited for him to pick up. Part of her was surprised when he did. “Hey, Shawn,” she greeted Benji’s cousin. “It’s Kennedy.” She hadn’t spoken to him since the party, when he went spilling the business on Benji’s engagement. But she knew he and Benji did some hustles together. Which made him her new best friend.
“Hey,” he said, sounding just as surprised. “I didn’t think you would actually use the number when I gave it to you. You good?”
“No, not really. I need your help. Can we meet?”
“Now?”
“Yes. It’s an emergency.”
They agreed on the King of Prussia Mall, and Kennedy quickly headed toward Philadelphia. She didn’t know how much she was going to reveal to Shawn, if anything. But she needed to see if he could somehow help her.
The mall had just opened, so it wasn’t crowded at all. Kennedy found a parking space near the entrance and made her way inside.
Shawn had said he would be near the food court, and sure enough, he was already at the Auntie Annie’s stand, handing money over to the cashier. He was dressed completely casual in a gray Nike sweatsuit and some all-white sneakers. Kennedy shoved her hands in her pockets and strolled over to stand by his side. “It’s a little early for a pretzel, don’t you think?” she teased, watching as the teenager handed his cinnamon-sugar pretzel over the counter wrapped in a paper sleeve.
Shawn didn’t waste time digging in. “Not at all,” he said, taking a bite. “Just woke up, and I need the energy to hear what you got to talk about.”
“You don’t even know what it is I have to say,” Kennedy said.
“I have a pretty good idea.” Shawn led the way to a nearby bench, and they sat down.
Kennedy had to stop herself from asking about Benji. She really needed to stop focusing so much on him and worry about herself. Hell, that was exactly what he was doing. So instead, she waited patiently while Shawn polished off his snack and tossed the trash into a nearby bin. “I need some help,” she started after an extended hesitation. “I’m not even sure if you can help me, but I have nowhere else to go.”
Shawn tossed his arm over the back of the bench. “Tell me what’s up, and let me see what I can do.”
Kennedy sighed, taking care to choose her words carefully. “The police think I’ve done something,” she said. That much was entirely true. “It’s a long story, and I don’t want to pull you into my mess, but I can say I didn’t do what they’re accusing me of. To be perfectly honest, I’m scared as hell.”
Shawn nodded. “Have you talked to Benji about this?”
“I have. He told me there was nothing to worry about, but the police came to my house last night. And it wasn’t the first time. So, it seems like there is something I should be worrying about.” When Shawn merely nodded but made no move to speak, Kennedy rushed on, her words stumbling over her frustration. “I just need to disappear for a while, Shawn. Do you maybe know some people?”
“Where you headed?”
Kennedy shrugged. “I don’t know. Just . . . away from here.”
“What do you need? Money?”
Kennedy’s eyes fell to her hands in her lap. Apparently, he didn’t know anything, and there was no way she could come out and say it without sounding suspicious or bringing awareness to something he didn’t need to know about.
She heard Shawn sigh, and he scooted closer to her. When she felt his lips brush her cheek, she snatched back in alarm. “Shawn, this isn’t—I’m not—”
“Come here.” There was something in the two-word command that had her leaning back in his direction, despite her confusion. This time, he twirled pieces of her hair between his fingers as he lowered his mouth to her ear. “This is just in case someone is watching,” he whispered. “So, stop acting so damn afraid, because trust me, I’m going to get what I want from you in due time.”
Kennedy’s eyes darted around. The mall was nearly empty. Who would be watching? And what the hell did he plan on getting from her?
“Does Uncle Bernard know you’re meeting me?”
“Don’t worry about him.”
Kennedy wanted to roll her eyes. He sounded just like Benji. She was sick of people telling her not to worry, as if her life and freedom wasn’t at stake. Sure, it was easy not to worry when it wasn’t them being hunted down by the police for fraud and possibly murder.
“I can help you, Kennedy,” Shawn was saying. “Yes, I know all about what Benji does for you because I help him. And I’ll be happy to give you what you need.”
Kennedy’s breath quickened. “I don’t have much money,” she whispered.
This time, Shawn planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I don’t want your money, sexy.”
Sickened, Kennedy snatched away from his embrace and scooted over. The edge of the wooden bench bit into her side, but she didn’t even feel the pinch as she glared at Shawn’s perverted grin. “Benji wouldn’t have asked me for that,” she said weakly.
Shawn’s shrug was nonchalant. “Well, call Benji then,” he said.
Kennedy rose. There had to be another way. She would just find another way. But if she didn’t, then what? She remembered the detective the day before. She didn’t know what evidence he had against her, or if it was even enough. But he had found her, first at her condo with her sister, then under her pseudo name at Washington’s house. The fact that he was going through so much trouble meant only one thing. He had something. And the shit was terrifying. Kennedy could bet Detective Warren would love nothing more than to pin a murder on her just so he could close his precious case.
She shut her eyes and sighed. “Can I let you know later?” she asked. She didn’t turn but she heard him rise to his feet.
“You know where to find me, Lisa Brown.” She noticed how he made absolutely sure to emphasize her false identity. “Oh, and check your pocket,” he added. Then he smiled before walking away.
Kennedy took the opportunity to let out a shaky breath. She should just call Benji. She knew she needed to. But still, something prevented her from pulling out her phone and making the call. Instead, she dipped her hands in her jacket pockets to see what Shawn had been talking about.
Her fingers brushed a money clip and what felt like a stack of bills. She blinked, surprised. She hadn’t even felt him make the drop. Kennedy glanced around before pulling back her pocket enough to see inside, and sure enough, a small stack of hundred-dollar bills was folded neatly in a gold money clip, along with what looked to be a business card. Leaving the money in place, she pulled out the business card and saw it was to a townhome property manager’s office in Baltimore, Maryland. A little spark of hope had a smile tugging at the side of her lips. Well, that most certainly solved a few of her problems. But there still was the matter of her identity.
Kennedy didn’t know how long she sat there, but she watched as more and more mall shoppers began to appear. Again, she had that eerie feeling, like eyes were focused on her. She glanced around, half-expecting to see Detective Warren, or worse, Uncle Bernard, with eyes locked on her through the crowd. But people carried on around her as if she wasn’t even there. No one even seemed to notice her.
A woman strutted by the window in heels and a skirt extremely too tight. A teenager swaddled in tattoos, with earphones in his ears, nearly broke his neck to turn and look at her. A man in a business suit with a cell phone fastened to his ear didn’t even break stride when he bumped into a brunette with a pregnant belly bulging from a floral dress that kissed her ankles. A group of teenage girls with voices elevated in excitement hopped off the escalator, clearly ditching school.
For some reason, Kennedy’s eyes fell on one woman in particular who seemed to be idly browsing the windows. They were about the same complexion, but in stark contrast to Kennedy’s burgundy bob, this woman had her hair in a jet-black pixie cut that stood in a sexy spike at the top and tapered against the back of her neck. She looked slightly out of place. Perhaps it was the glittering Rolex on her petite wrist. Perhaps because the woman was distractingly overdressed in a tailored blazer and slacks with a Michael Kors purse draped over her forearm.
Whatever the case was, Kennedy’s eyes stayed glued to the woman as she moseyed casually from store window to store window, appearing as if she was just wasting time as opposed to taking an actual interest in the displays. Kennedy rose to her feet and glanced around nervously. She knew no one was watching, but the sudden thought that sprang to her mind had her paranoid, as if she had uttered the words aloud. She took a breath and made her way toward the woman.
Kennedy tried to make the gesture appear as casual as possible as she walked first behind the woman, and then eased her way up beside her. Without giving it a second thought, she stuck her foot in the woman’s walking path and sure enough, she stumbled and fell, face forward, on the linoleum mall floor. Kennedy’s eyes zeroed in on the purse and the contents that spilled out.
“Are you okay, ma’am?” Kennedy feigned concern as she knelt to help the woman to her feet. She strategically placed herself over the Michael Kors purse.
“Damn, I don’t know what happened,” the woman was muttering to herself as she tried to pick herself up. Kennedy bent by her side, one of her hands on the woman’s arm while she used her other hand to pull out the black wallet peeking from inside the woman’s purse. Her heart was pounding as her fingers closed around the leather, and she kept her eyes trained on the woman as she dropped the wallet into her jacket pocket. She said a silent prayer that no one had seen the gesture.
“Must have been a crack or something on the floor,” Kennedy said, now using both hands to help the woman to her feet.
The woman dusted off her clothes, her eyes darting backward to the floor as if she could actually see the source of her fall. She finally brought her eyes to Kennedy, and her confusion was replaced with a grateful smile. “It was my fault,” she said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
Kennedy nodded as she scooped down to pick up the purse, keys, receipts, and a tube of lipstick. She handed it over.
“Thanks . . .” the woman trailed off as if expecting Kennedy to fill in the silence with her name. She didn’t.
“It’s no problem,” she said. “Have a great day, and please be careful.” Not wanting to prolong the awkward interaction, Kennedy turned and tried to walk off as calmly as possible. Just for good measure, she shoved her hands in her pockets and sighed in relief when she once again felt the leather of the wallet. It was a stupid plan, and not well thought out at all. But hell, it had worked. That was all that mattered. Now, hopefully the woman was actually worth some money and not just looking the part.
Kennedy didn’t slow her strides until she had made it into the privacy of her own car. She was anxious to see what the wallet contained, but more than that, she was scared as hell someone had seen the theft and was after her. So, she pulled out of the mall parking lot and drove until she reached a gas station. She needed to fill up anyway.
Finally pulling the wallet out, Kennedy flipped open the flap and eyed the driver’s license and numerous credit cards shoved into the pockets. Not wanting to waste any time, Kennedy whipped out the first credit card and stepped out to try it at the pump. A few buttons pushed and she was lifting the nozzle and sticking it into her gas tank. Kennedy smiled as the numbers began to click forward, signaling the gas was coming through the hose and the charges were racking up on the woman’s card. Kennedy eased down on the front seat and pulled the license out next, eyeing the picture. Regina Saunders. Sure enough, the woman from the mall was grinning back at her. Kennedy absently fingered her hair. She had always wanted to try a short haircut.
CHAPTER 13
Somebody was blowing up her phone.
Kennedy groaned as she continued to shampoo her hair, her nails raking suds through the fresh haircut. Her phone stopped ringing before starting back up immediately. It was probably Washington. He had called a number of times since she had left him the day after their wedding. That had been almost a week ago. And it was almost a week ago since she became Regina Saunders.
She sighed and drowned out the annoying ringtone. She was going to get that phone cut off eventually and buy a new one. To be honest, the only reason she hadn’t yet was because of Benji. He would have no way of contacting her. She could’ve cursed herself for acting like that man still gave a shit about her. But she just couldn’t bring herself to completely sever the ties. Not yet, anyway.
The water had gone nearly cold by the time Kennedy finished the tedious task of washing and rewashing the dye out of her hair. The hotel shower stall was now splattered with the jet-black dye, and the water had even been stained black as it circled to pool at the drain. Kennedy cut off the water and stepped out, grateful she was now engulfed in silence. Water trickled down her wet body and trailed along the linoleum floor as she grabbed one of the cream monogrammed hotel towels from the drying rack.
She definitely wouldn’t have chosen black for herself, but after rubbing the excess water from her hair and observing the results in the mirror, she would have to say she did like the look. The water had begun to coil her strands into cute little ringlets. The black was a bold contrast that seemed to bring out the dark color in her eyes. Earlier she had found a stylist to cut her mane to a couple inches and taper the back. No, she didn’t look exactly like the woman’s picture, but she could definitely pass. She would make a point to stock a few wigs for the next time. Kennedy shuddered at the thought. She wanted to say if there was a next time, but she honestly couldn’t be sure. The uncertainty was scaring her. But for now, what choice did she have?
Kennedy dropped the stained towel on the floor, and grabbing a fresh one, wrapped it around her body before crossing into the large hotel suite. Her suitcase lay open on the king-sized bed. Brand-new clothes with tags still hanging from the hems and sleeves spilled onto the plush white comforter. The new laptop she had purchased—Regina had purchased—was resting on the desk near the floor-to-ceiling window, opened up to expose the glistening water of the Baltimore Harbor.
It felt nice to take a little break. Kennedy felt as if she had been glued to the keys for three days trying to work some magic. Turns out, she was a damn good investigator herself. Because once she found Regina’s public profile on social media, Kennedy had been able to obtain enough information to attempt a few hacks into the woman’s bank account. It had taken a phone call to the bank with a “forgotten password” allegation, and then some creativity with answering the woman’s identifying questions based on the information Kennedy could find on her, but she was finally given access. Ms. Regina Saunders didn’t have a whole lot of money in this particular account. It appeared it was just a simple checking account she pinched from here and there, be it for a pair of shades or a caramel macchiato at Starbucks. But to Kennedy, twenty-five thousand was enough for now. To cover her tracks, she set up a dummy account under another alias she had used before, transferred the money, and withdrew every red cent. Kennedy was afraid to use the two credit cards already in the woman’s wallet, so instead, she applied for a new one, had it rush-delivered, and indulged in a little shopping spree.
And as much as she loved her vehicle, she needed to get out from under it. So, she listed it on Facebook Marketplace for a super low price, and someone came to pick it up within the hour. Kennedy turned around and purchased a little used Nissan Murano from a Buy-Here-Pay-Here dealership. It had a ton of miles, but it was cheap and reliable, and that was what she needed for now. She would worry about getting her dream car again when she had another fish on the hook. So, she dropped three grand on the SUV, packed it up with everything that would fit, and hit the road.
It wasn’t until four hours later, when she was passing the WELCOME TO MARYLAND sign, that Kennedy realized she didn’t have any kind of plan. A car full of clothes, a duffel bag of money, a new car, and a stolen wallet wasn’t going to cut it. Sure, Shawn had given her another thousand dollars and a business card for a townhome property, but then what? What she needed was a strategy. What she needed was a new idiot to scam. So, she checked into a hotel on the Baltimore Harbor and paid in advance for three nights. That way, she could have time to get her situation straight.
First came the fear. Kennedy wasn’t under the protective umbrella of Benji anymore. She didn’t know shit about being an identity thief on her own. She had always had Benji to back her up, make sure her shit checked out, and cover her ass if she needed a bailout. She didn’t want to be a criminal having to constantly look over her shoulder or hold her damn breath whenever a cashier swiped her stolen credit cards.
Then came the anger. All that hard work with Washington had fallen through, and damn it if she wasn’t pissed that as strategically as she’d tried to put her plan into place, he was one step ahead of her. And she was 1000 percent positive it was because of his meddling-ass mama. The bitch.
Finally, came the realization. She had done it before, but Washington was by far the biggest cash-out. So, if she could hook one with millions before, she could easily do it again. All she needed was a new, unsuspecting victim. And this time, she would make sure she didn’t leave until she cleaned him out and the money was actually in hand. Then and only then could she retire to her life of luxury. She sure as hell deserved it.
The phone rang again, and Kennedy finally snatched it up from the bed. Surprise, surprise. It was Washington. She swiped the screen to reject the call and then scrolled through the log to see the other twenty-seven missed calls. She frowned when she saw the majority of them weren’t from Washington. There were a few from Deven, but most of them were from an unknown number.
Kennedy rolled her eyes and turned to find some clothes to throw on. Probably Washington trying to contact her by any means necessary. Just like him to call from various blocked numbers to see if she would pick up and trick her out of hiding. Damn shame, too. Washington was so desperate, and he didn’t seem to be getting the picture. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. Well, not too bad anyway. Especially because he was older, so sweet, and so naïve. But instead of pining away over her—or Lisa Brown, rather—he should just let it go. He was just lucky she got out empty-handed. He still had his damn money. What more did he want?
