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  Copyright Information

  Jailhouse Glock: A Dead Sister Talking Mystery © 2014 Lizbeth Lipperman

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Midnight Ink, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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  Any unauthorized usage of the text without express written permission of the publisher is a violation of the author’s copyright and is illegal and punishable by law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First e-book edition © 2014

  E-book ISBN: 978-0-7387-4054-6

  Book design by Donna Burch-Brown

  Cover design by Ellen Lawson

  Cover illustration by Linda Holt-Ayriss/Susan and Co.

  Midnight Ink is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

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  dedication

  The inspiration for this series came from my own relationship with my sisters,

  and although Tessa’s character is nothing like my sister Theresa,

  who was a loving mother and grandmother and who died way too young,

  the interaction and unconditional love between the Garcia girls is spot on.

  So this one goes out to Mary Ann Nedved, Dorothy Bennett, Theresa Pollack, and Lill Magistro.

  I love you.

  acknowledgments

  First and foremost, I want to thank my agent and friend for life, Christine Witthohn, who protects me like a junkyard dog. I so couldn’t do this without her.

  To my editor, Terri Bischoff, for making it so easy and being a dream to work with. It means a lot.

  To the many talented people at Midnight Ink who worked behind the scenes to make this book the best it could be. Donna Burch-Brown, who did an awesome job designing the book; Ellen Lawson, who designed the fantastic cover; and Connie Hill who made this book so much better with her editing.

  To my critique partner, Joni Sauer-Folger, and to my beta readers, Chris Keniston and Sylvia Rochester. Thanks for making me a better writer.

  To the Bunco Babes for always having my back and for keeping the smile on my face. To my writing friends for all the support and encouragement, especially The Plotting Princesses.

  To Diane Wall Rush Versel, my friend and loyal reader, who guided me through a few of the legal procedures from a small-town view.

  To all my fantastic readers out there, especially those who take the time to say hey once in a while. To my street team, led by the awesome Shelley Guisti. Y’all make me feel like a rock star.

  And lastly, to my husband Dan and my wonderful kids and grandkids, Nicole, Dennis, Brody, Abby, Grayson, Caden, Ellie, and Alice. You show me the real meaning of unconditional love so that I can write about it.

  one

  “Give me ten minutes with that sweet ass of yours, and I promise you’ll be begging for mercy.”

  Madelyn Castillo shoved the graham crackers and milk through the opening, never bothering to glance up at Gino Bernardi. Since she’d come on duty three hours ago, the man had been running at the mouth about how he could improve her sex life.

  What sex life? She’d officially turned into an old maid, preferring that over dating any day. At least considering the dates she’d had in the last few years. This loser was definitely not a step up.

  “How about tomorrow night I buy you the biggest steak in Dallas?” Bernardi’s grin widened as he picked up the snack and sat down on the edge of the cot in the corner of his cell. “And then show you that orgasm,” he added with a leering glance at her chest.

  “I’d rather eat rattlesnake,” Maddy fired back, eyeing him suspiciously. “What makes you think you’ll be out of here by tomorrow night, anyway?”

  Bernardi smiled. “Let’s be real. We both know I’d already be eating leftover turkey if my asshole lawyer hadn’t picked this weekend to fly to the Bahamas.”

  “Don’t be so sure. Your luck may have run out this time.” She glanced up. “You roughed up that guy in the bar pretty good. Lucky for you, he’s okay.”

  “He started it,” Bernardi said, sounding much like a little kid caught fighting with a younger brother. “I was minding my own damn business until that mother grabbed my girlfriend’s ass. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him.” He stood and approached the bars. “How come you didn’t haul his ugly mug down here?”

  “We did.” Maddy pointed to the adjoining cell where Alan Foxworthy was curled in a ball on his cot facing the wall, the guy was dead to the world. “He’s here sleeping it off. Like you should be doing.”

  “Yeah, right. Why would I want to do that when I can have you in here with me? You’d have to work hard to make me forget my Chrissy, though. That bitch is a freaking contortionist.” He flashed his pearly whites. “Are you up for the challenge?” he asked before taking a huge bite of the cracker. “All those beers have my diabetes acting up. I always get a humongous boner when my sugar’s up.”

  Maddy ignored him and walked to the next cell to check on Foxworthy. Curled in a ball on his cot, his soft snore was barely audible. Fortunately, the guy had only suffered a swollen right eye and a small cut on his upper lip along with some bruised ribs when he’d tangled with Bernardi.

  “Come on, pretty thing, ‘Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)’ like the song says.”

  Give me a break.

  Number one, Gino Bernardi would never be mistaken for a cowboy in his designer jeans and silk shirt, and number two, she hadn’t ridden a horse in years, around about the same time she’d actually ridden a cowboy.

  She was beginning to regret coming to work tonight. Her measly salary was so not worth having to babysit an obnoxious perv like Gino Bernardi. Most days she didn’t have to deal with his kind. Still trying to wrap up her last few college credits at night school, she normally worked the morning shift. Tonight she’d offered to switch with Jeff Flanagan so he could enjoy his kids over the Thanksgiving holidays. Something had come up unexpectedly, and his ex had asked him to keep them overnight.

  She had a soft spot for kids and their daddies, especially since her own ten year old had never seen hers. With Jessie at her grandmother’s for the weekend, Maddy had volunteered to take Flanagan’s shift.

  She jumped when Bernardi slid the empty tray through the opening. “Sugar, I swear I’ve never seen a police woman who looks like you, and trust me, I’ve seen plenty of them. You could be the cover on one of them naked cop calendars.” He lowered his voice. “And just between you and me, I’m about to become a rich man. If you treat me right, I might be tempted to spend a little of it on you.”

  Maddy frowned as she pulled
the tray through. “Try to get some sleep, Bernardi. I’ll be out front if you need anything.”

  He smirked. “Oh, I need something, all right. And you do, too, if you’d ever admit it. Come on. Ten minutes. That’s all I need.” When she started toward the door, he called after her. “Okay, five minutes.”

  Just shoot the son of a bitch and put him out of his misery.

  Maddy screamed, jumping back as the tray clattered to the concrete floor. “Tessa! What are you doing here?”

  “Who’s Tessa?” Bernardi asked, leaning as far as he could to see through the bars. “Maybe we can do a three-way.”

  Sounds good, big boy. Why don’t you go ahead and get started? Slip into something more comfortable—like a coma!

  Maddy blinked twice, then ran from the cell area. She lowered her body into her chair, letting out the breath she’d held while she ran. She had to quit burning the candle at both ends. Even her mind was starting to go just like the rest of her stressed-out body.

  Surprised to see me, sis?

  Maddy shot straight up when her younger sister plopped down on the edge of the desk. Her dead younger sister! “It’s really you?”

  In the flesh, Tessa said, her eyes scanning the empty police station, before settling back on Maddy. Okay, maybe not in the flesh, but here, nonetheless.

  Maddy tried to calm down enough to think rationally. “Why are you still here? I thought you were finally at rest after we found your killer.”

  Yeah, you may have found him, but he got off too easy when Colt put a bullet in his back. The SOB didn’t suffer nearly enough.

  Maddy sighed. “Would you have preferred that he kill our sister instead? Colt did what he had to do to save Lainey.” She poked her finger toward her sister but felt only air.

  Give it up, Maddy. You can’t feel me.

  “Thought you’d gone off to wherever dead people go for eternal peace, or whatever.”

  Yeah, that eternal peace thing is overrated, if you ask me Tessa sniffed. I was sent back to help you.

  “Help me with what?”

  Beats the hell out of me. I just go where they send me. Tessa giggled. St. Peter’s old lady wanted me out of there in a hurry.

  Despite herself, Maddy laughed. Her younger sister had always had a penchant for pissing off other women, usually over a man. But St. Peter? She didn’t even want to know what Tessa had done. “So, really, why are you back? You told Lainey your work here was finished.”

  I know. I know. Like I said, I have no idea why I’m here. Tessa scooted off the desk and walked around to face Maddy. What’d you go and do?

  “Nothing,” Maddy said, indignantly. “My life’s fine. My daughter’s fine.”

  How is that sweet niece of mine?

  “Jessie’s good,” Maddy answered, finally allowing her shoulders to relax.

  Seeing her dead sister had been quite a shock but not totally a surprise. When Tessa was poisoned the year before, she’d come back to help find her killer. At first, Maddy and her three sisters had freaked out, but they’d finally accepted it to be true when Tessa began spouting off secrets only she could have known. Back then, Lainey was the only one who could see or hear the ghost, and they’d all assumed Tessa had gone off to the big condo in the sky when her murder was solved.

  “You look good,” Maddy finally managed to say.

  I do, don’t I? No wonder that old bag didn’t want me around Pete. Tessa’s grin faded, and she eyed Maddy curiously. Are you sure you’re not in trouble?

  “Positive.” That’s if you overlooked the fact that she had gone through all the money from Robbie’s life insurance. Or if you didn’t know that she was already two weeks late on her house payment.

  A year ago when Colt asked if she had any aspirations of being a police officer, she hadn’t thought twice about it. But giving up the better-paying job as station office manager for a rookie cop’s pay had taken its toll. She and Jess had just moved from their tiny apartment into the old Krieger house right down the street. She’d sunk a ton of money into renovations before her paychecks took a dive, but the remodeling had turned out better than she’d hoped.

  Then the air conditioner went out about the same time the waterline under the house sprang a leak. She’d had to dig deep to meet the expenses, and it was a no-brainer that they’d have to sacrifice eating out to build that emergency fund back up. Given her culinary skills, she and her daughter would be microwaving a lot of frozen dinners for the foreseeable future.

  “Really, Tessa, I’m fine. I love it that you’ve come back to check on me, though.” Maddy tried to sound flippant, but she couldn’t stop the bad feeling from welling up inside her.

  Like I had anything to do with it! Tessa shook her head. How are the new vines doing?

  “They’re growing. After your killer burned down the vineyard, Lainey sent off to Palermo for cuttings identical to the ones that were there. She replanted the entire vineyard and is just waiting for the grapes to grow.”

  That’s good. And how are my sisters?

  “Lainey and Colt are trying to get pregnant, and Kate is doing some young stud neurosurgeon who just moved to Vineyard from Canada.”

  A neurosurgeon, huh? My baby sister makes me proud. Tessa’s smile spread across the width of her face before it faded. Colt deserves a child of his own. I’ll always regret letting him believe Gracie was his.

  “Yeah, that was really low, even for you, but it all worked out in the end. Colt’s the only father Gracie has ever known, and now that …” Maddy’s eyes swiftly made contact with her sister’s.

  Now that I’m dead and out of the way?

  Maddy sighed. “I didn’t mean it to sound that way, Tessa, but you gotta admit, you weren’t the nicest person walking the planet before you died. You threatened to take Gracie away from him, for God’s sake.”

  Yeah, I was a shit, but I only wanted more time with my daughter. Tessa crossed her legs, exposing gams that were just as shapely as the day she’d died. Enough about what a low life I was. You never mentioned Deena. How’s my other big sister?”

  “You just missed her asshole husband. Deena sent him over with enough leftover Thanksgiving food to feed an army. Too bad you can’t eat.” As if on cue, her stomach growled. She got up and walked to the small refrigerator in the break room before returning to her desk with the glittery insulated lunch carrier Mike had dropped off.

  Pretty fancy lunchbox, I have to say. Deena always was the best cook of all of us.

  “Don’t you mean the only cook?” Maddy shook her head. “Out of five girls, you’d think Mom would’ve taught a few more of us how to whip up those great Mexican enchiladas she used to make.”

  You were always too busy trying to get Robbie Castillo to notice you, I was chasing every rich guy in Vineyard, and Lainey and Kate had their noses in books all the time. Deena was the only one who showed any interest, which by the way, might not have been such a good thing. Last time I saw her I thought for sure one of her seams was gonna pop. What’s up with that?

  Maddy shrugged. “I don’t know. Between living with that loser of a husband and working with the witch who runs the nursing home, I think she turns to food for comfort.”

  Lainey warned her not to marry that jerk almost up to the day she said, “I do.” But she wouldn’t listen, even after Lainey told her about seeing Mike with another woman in Ruby’s Café. She clucked her tongue. What kind of idiot flaunts a girlfriend in his fiancée’s favorite restaurant?

  “Deena only saw the good in him. Said he was just having pre-marital jitters. Even now she still looks the other way.”

  That boy would be kissing his joystick goodbye if he was married to me.

  Just then, a loud rendition of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” pierced the quiet of the room. Maddy’s eyes shifted toward Tessa, unable to squelch the apprehension that suddenly washed over her. She glanced down to the source of the music and slowly opened the desk drawer. A cell phone skittered across the bottom as it vibrate
d.

  Taking a deep breath, she scolded herself for being so paranoid. She picked up the phone and flipped it open, ready to razz one of the guys for leaving it at the office. She’d bet money it belonged to Landers. The kid would forget his head if it wasn’t screwed on.

  “Looking for your phone?” Maddy asked with a laugh.

  “Madelyn Castillo?” the voice on the other end asked.

  “Yes,” she stammered, not recognizing the weird voice as any of her coworkers. Silently, she prayed her sister’s sudden appearance was only a mistake.

  “Checked on your daughter lately?” the computer-enhanced voice continued.

  Panic set in the minute Jessie was mentioned. “Who is this?”

  “You might want to take a look at the text messages.”

  Maddy jerked the phone from her ear and held it out in front of her as she pounded the menu button. Her fingers were shaking so badly she hit the wrong one twice before finally getting to the right page. The minute she clicked on the message a photo popped up. “Oh my God!” she said, almost inaudibly as she dropped the phone on the desk.

  Tessa leaned over and stared at the picture, her facial expression turning serious as she viewed the image of a hooded man standing over Jessie’s bed, a gun pointed directly at her head.

  Find out what they want.

  two

  “I’ll kill you if you touch her,” Maddy screamed into the phone instead. She envisioned what they might do to her daughter and giant tears streamed down her cheeks. “I don’t have much money, but whatever I have, it’s yours,” she pleaded.

  “We don’t want your money.”

  “Then what? I don’t have anything of value.”

  “First of all, let me make myself perfectly clear. If you tell anyone about this or call in your cop friends, your daughter will never see the light—”

  “I won’t,” Maddy interrupted. “Just don’t hurt her.” Her voice cracked.

  “Her chances of seeing the sun rise tomorrow depend entirely on how you cooperate with us. All you have to do is unlock the front door and put this cell phone along with your own phone and your gun and the keys to the cells in the back room on the desk. Then go into the ladies’ bathroom. Lock the door and wait fifteen minutes. If you do that, your daughter will never know we were here. If not …”