Page 40 of Shadow's Surrender
Chapter Eight
Flo Karas pushedopen the door to her favorite coffee house and looked around the room, trying to find the perfect spot to make the phone call. She settled on a low table in the corner by a window and headed toward it, her heels clacking on the wooden floor.
Flo—her birth name was Florence—had been coming to A Perfect Cup ever since it opened ten years before. She sank into a plush leather chair and crossed her legs as her kohl-lined eyes glanced over at the wall clock: 2:32 p.m. She ran her slender fingers through her russet tresses and smiled when the young lady set down a mocha café latte with extra whipped cream in front of her.
“Thank you,” she said. Flo leaned forward and curled her fingers around her daily indulgence, the bracelets on her arm clinking together like wind chimes. The tip of her tongue lapped up some of the whipped cream, then her bright red lips puckered when she blew slightly before taking a sip. She sighed and leaned back against the chair’s cushion and looked out the window at the tree-lined street. Tourists strolled along sidewalks bordered by quaint shops and several carts selling ice cream and cold drinks. A group of children ran down the pavement and dodged a couple with a baby carriage before they raced into a candy store.
You’ve come a long way from the trailer park.It seemed like a lifetime ago since she’d lived in the dirty, smelly dump she’d called home for almost twelve years. But Flo never wanted to forget how bad her life had been back then so she could appreciate how good it was now. When she’d met Carmen and her teenage son, Shadow—she never could figure out why a mother would give her son that name—she’d just thrown out her third husband. Of course, he’d been a charmer before he put the ring on her finger, but afterward, he’d turned into a cheating bastard just like the other two before him. If it hadn’t been for Carmen, who’d told her to try and get a job at Satin Dolls, she probably would’ve ended up on the streets. Her loser husband had taken all her money and spent it on his cheapies.
Flo took another sip of coffee. Those years at Satin Dolls paid the bills, but she hated the way the men leered at her like she was some cheap hooker. Carmen felt the same way, but she’d tell Flo she’d do anything to keep her boy in school and give him a better chance in life than she’d had.
Poor Carmen. She didn’t deserve to die like that.Flo rubbed her lids that were shadowed too much with gleaming pink. She knew she was probably too old for all the sparkly makeup she wore, but it made her feel young and sexy, and she didn’t give a damn what anyone thought.
Flo took one more sip of her drink, then fished around in her designer handbag for the burner phone she’d bought the day before. Each time she made the calls, she’d buy a new burner phone. With the dangerous game Flo was playing, she was very much aware of staying one step ahead of the killer.
Her hazel eyes looked around the area, but no one was even remotely close to her. Relaxing a bit, she tapped in the number and waited.
“What do you want?” the voice said in a strained whisper.
“You’re getting better at guessing that it’s me.” Flo laughed nervously. Even though her friend’s murderer didn’t know where she was, Flo always felt that she was being watched when they spoke on the phone.
No reply. Only heavy breathing.
“I need some more money.”
“You already got your money for the month.” Tightness mixed with anger laced the killer’s voice.
“Some unexpected expenses came up.” Flo tapped her fingers against her lavender linen skirt. “I rarely ask for extra.” The truth was, she and a few of her friends were going to Denver that weekend on a shopping trip.
“I’ve given you plenty over the years. Like I told you two weeks ago, this is going to stop at the end of the summer.”
Flo clucked her tongue. “I don’t think you want to do that, but of course, it’s your choice. You do what you need to … and I’ll do what I need to.”
“How much extra?”
“Five thousand by Friday.”
“I can’t get that much that soon.”
Flo took out a tissue and dabbed the sweat from her face then tucked the crumpled Kleenex inside her purse.
“You can get it … You always do.”
“I should’ve killed you that night!”
“But you didn’t. Drop it off at the usual place.”
Flo clicked off the phone, and her hands trembled slightly as she ordered a Lyft. It was much too hot to walk the few blocks back to her luxury condo on Larkspur Lane. In less than a minute, a white Buick La Crosse pulled up to the curb in front of the coffee house. Flo pushed up from the chair and hurried to the door.
Once Flo opened the door to her home, relief washed over her; she felt safe inside with her advanced alarm system. Slipping off her shoes, she smiled when she saw the Rocky Mountains in the distance; she’d never tire of the spectacular view from her condominium.
The thought of losing her only source of income scared Flo, but she doubted that would happen.But what if it does … or what if something happens to me? I should try and find Carmen’s son and let him know what really happened to his mother, just in case.She realized she had no clue if he was still in Pinewood Springs. In all those years, she’d never bumped into him, so it made her think he must’ve left the area after Carmen’s murder.
Deciding she’d think about it another day, Flo went into her gourmet kitchen and poured herself a glass of white wine. She padded back to the living room, leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, and brought the glass to her lips. Looking up, she spotted an eagle soaring high in the cloudless blue sky, and at that moment, she wished she could be free and fly away … far, far away.
