The Palm Beach Murders by James Patterson (the read aloud family .TXT) 📕

down between the seat and his back until I felt the grip of the pistol tucked into his belt on the right side of his back.

I didn’t say anything; I just pulled out the small semiautomatic pistol and slipped it into the console.

Marty saw where I put the gun but didn’t say anything. I felt like I might have relieved some of the pressure he was feeling by taking the gun from him.

I said, “Marty, we’re going to have to come up with a decent alibi to get through this.”

“I know, I know. I still can’t believe what just happened.”

“The last place anyone can prove we visited was Gulfstream Park. I think I have one of the betting slips in my purse.”

“I have a whole bunch crammed in my pocket.”

“Good, good. We just say we stayed at the park until later in the afternoon, then took I-95 back to Palm Beach. We’ll make sure someone sees us as soon as we get into town. We can go to the Palm Beach Grill and have a drink. If we hurry, we can be there by five thirty and it will match up with leaving the racetrack about four.” I waited for some kind of response from my semicomatose boyfriend. Then I said, “We’re going to have a drink and gather ourselves. We won’t mingle with anyone unless we have to, but we at least want the bartenders to see us.”

He took his eyes off the road and stared at me for a moment but didn’t say anything. I had to gasp and point at the slow Mazda in front of us to get him to look back at the highway and swerve into the right lane.

“Trust me, babe, this is the only thing we can do.”

He took the exit at Jupiter before I could say anything. He said, “I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s a better idea to drive down to US 1 here and then south to Palm Beach. Maybe it’s an instinct. Does that sound right to you?”

Suddenly he sounded coherent and in control. “Yeah, that sounds good, Marty. Just keep cool and it’ll all work out. But there’s one other thing we need to talk about.”

“What’s that?”

“No matter what happens, you know the police are going to talk to you, if for no other reason than the fact that you’re Teal’s ex-husband. You have to face them and be cool and composed during the whole meeting. They might come as soon as tonight. They’ll try to trip you up on details. You have to be careful with what you say.”

“Talk to me about what? We’ve been at the track all day, then stopped for a drink at the Palm Beach Grill. I can account for almost every minute of my day.”

“And I’ll back you up on every single thing you say. But we need to practice our story over and over. And not be on the phone to each other every few minutes.”

He nodded. “Smart, very smart. I’m lucky I have you.” He focused on the street in front of him, careful not to cause an accident or draw any attention. If someone spotted us up here at the north end of the county, it would blow all our plans instantly.

I leaned back in the seat and took a deep breath. I tried to clear my mind, but all I could see was that dark blood spreading across Teal’s pretty flowered dress. I was an accomplice to murder.

Chapter 26

About midday, I turned on my phone and called Marty. We didn’t want a lot of phone calls that could be verified by the police. We felt it would be more natural if we had just one call during the day like any normal couple. That was all part of the plan we’d formulated on our frantic drive down from Vero Beach when we decided to try to cover up our involvement in the murder of his ex-wife. Once we’d made a conscious decision to hide it, we were committed.

We met at TooJay’s, a decent local deli chain that was in the same plaza as the Palm Beach Grill. It was later in the afternoon, so the place was nearly empty except for a few of the elderly residents who’d walked over from the Biltmore Condos and a couple of traders from the local financial companies grabbing a late, late lunch.

We picked at a platter because neither of us felt much like eating, and when we were sure no one was around, Marty said, “So the cops came by my apartment late last night. It was a Vero detective and an agent from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. I guess they needed the FDLE for jurisdiction. They didn’t call first. Just knocked on my door around eleven. I acted like they woke me up, but of course I couldn’t sleep.”

This was what I had been anxious to hear all night. I couldn’t believe I’d managed to keep my cool. I’d wanted to race over to see him or call him the entire day. “What’d you tell them?”

Marty leaned in close and said, “Just like we practiced. We went to the racetrack, then drove almost straight home to the Palm Beach Grill. I dropped you off at the Brazilian Court about nine. I hadn’t heard from or talked to Teal in a couple of months. I even left my betting slips in the front pocket of my jeans so I had them when the cops asked if I had any proof I’d been at the track. It worked out exactly like you said it would.”

I said, “They came by to see me about noon. Maybe they were checking some other details about your story first.”

“What’d you tell them?”

“Same thing. Just like we practiced. Not too much detail. The difference is I really was asleep when they knocked on the door.”

We sat for a few minutes, nibbling corned beef and turkey off the platter. Then Marty said,