Page 42 of Simon Says… Fight (Kate Morgan Thrillers #11)

When she saw him again, she frowned at him, then stopped and opened her window. “Are you following me?”

He shook his head, not coming any closer to her. “For somebody who is filling in, you seem to be very competent.”

“Of course I’m competent,” she stated arrogantly. “Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a job I used to do before. The company was bigger at one time, when his brother worked with him.”

“Is that your father?”

“Yeah, my father.”

“And he can’t do the job?”

“No, not anymore,” she said.

“How is your father?”

She frowned at him and asked, “What do you know about him?”

“Not a whole lot, but if he’s not here…”

“Yeah, and he’ll never be here. He’s not much more than a vegetable most of the time, so what can I say?”

“Ouch. I’m sorry to hear that.”

She nodded. “And what the hell? I don’t even know why I’m telling you this.”

He smiled. “A lot of people say things like that to me. I don’t know why I’m talking to you , or I don’t even know who you are .”

“Yeah, that’s about right,” she muttered, scowling now. “Anyway, it’s got nothing to do with you, and we’re doing just fine on our own. We’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s called family, and family pitches in. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

“I would, but I don’t have any.”

She stopped and groaned. “Jesus. I’m sorry. I’m just feeling rushed, and I’m not being very polite.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does, and, if you ever need anybody to deliver parcels,” she suggested, with a smile on her face now, “customer service is the end-all and be-all.”

“Do you have your own business, when not helping out your uncle?”

“Yes,” she replied, as she studied him hopefully.

“I don’t know that I use couriers that much though,” he admitted.

“We deliver anything and everything,” she declared, still with a smile. “And sometimes it’s pretty unconventional.”

“Right, do you always know what you’re delivering?” he asked, as another glimmer of recognition hit.

“No, but we don’t do anything illegal, obviously. It’s way too easy to get caught these days. So, I don’t, but I’ve known a few guys who do.”

“Really?” he asked.

She frowned. “Is that what you’re looking for? Somebody to do illegal stuff?” She slowly pulled back from him, even while still seated in the safety of her van.

“No, I’m not,” he clarified, “but a vehicle like yours was seen in this area, where a man was dropped off who had been badly injured.”

She shook her head. “It wouldn’t be our vehicle,” she declared. “No way something like that would happen.”

“Why is that?” Simon asked.

She laughed. “Because we’re family. And I get it. You probably don’t know what that means, but, in our case, we’re there for each other when we need to be.”

She had said it with such confidence, as if it was something she was well accustomed to. “So, when you’re not driving the van for your uncle, what are you doing?”

She looked at him, surprised, and replied, “My brother and I, we run Tambo’s Gym, right around the corner. We own it, but you know the guys don’t think that a woman can own a gym. So, on the front, it looks as if it’s my brother’s, but, in reality, I own it.”

“And your brother, what does he do?”

“Oh, he’s big and physically fit and runs it with me,” she said, with a shrug.”

Again, he’s family.”

“Meaning that you gave him a job, even if he’s not somebody you normally would have hired,” he guessed.

She stared at him. “That wasn’t nice,” she declared, shooting him a look. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re getting awfully personal.”

“Got it. Sorry about that.” He could see that she was already easing up, if only ever so slightly.

Just then her phone rang. She looked down and groaned. “That’s my brother calling, which means I need to get back to work.”

“Got it,” he said, a smile on his face. “Sorry for taking so much of your time.”

She answered the call loud enough for Simon to hear. “Hey, Tambo. What’s going on?… Yeah, I know. I know. I was just talking to somebody.”

Simon couldn’t hear any more of her side of the conversation, as she drove off.

She stopped a little way up ahead, still talking to her brother presumably, as she ran a parcel inside, and came out still talking on het phone. Simon watched from a distance, and, by the time he finally lost track of her, he’d already sent Kate as much information as he could.

Kate called him a few minutes later. “They run a gym?” she asked.

“Yes, I guess she’s the brains, and her brother is the face, just because she doesn’t feel as if women will inspire that same confidence in their clients.”

“They don’t,” Kate confirmed. “It doesn’t matter what business you’re in. When it’s something like this, a male-dominated sport, it’s always a good idea to have a man at the forefront.”

“Maybe,” Simon conceded, “but it’s stupid.”

She laughed. “That’s what you say, but a lot of people would agree with her. Anyway, what is the name of this gym?” He gave it to her. She added, “I’m heading in that direction anyway, so I think maybe I should pop in at Tambo’s.”

“Good, I’ll meet you there.” Then came silence from Kate’s end. “I’m heading down there myself,” Simon shared.

“And I need you to stay out of this,” Kate stated, her tone sharpening. “I already asked you not to contact her.”

“But, if I hadn’t,” Simon reminded Kate, his tone turning silky, “you wouldn’t have known what you know now.”

“Maybe not, but we would have followed up.”

“Sure, but when?” he asked, sadness in his tone. “And I have a vested interest, since there’s been one hell of a lot of bodies found on my new property. And I sure don’t need any more people haunting me.”

She groaned. “I get that. I do.” Then she sighed. “You have an interest for a lot of other reasons, but I don’t want you getting into anything that’ll compromise the case. I’ll get down there to sort this out in a few minutes.” And she ended the call.