by Cindy Bell
“Hey, Nikki.”
“Hey, how are you today?”
“Good thanks.”
“I just wanted to apologize for bothering you the other night.”
“It was no bother.” He leaned through the window. “Hey, I was wondering if you would like to catch up for dinner tomorrow night.”
“Dinner?” Her eyes widened. She was startled by the request and was about to turn him down. But she couldn’t think of a good excuse, so instead found herself accepting his invitation. “Sure, that sounds great.”
“Okay.” He smiled. “I’ll be working so I can pick you up after.”
“Why don’t I just meet you here?”
“Seven?”
“Perfect.”
“See you then.” He smiled and stepped back, then gave her a small wave as she drove off.
Immediately, Nikki regretted her decision. What would she wear? What would she say? But when she managed to relax she realized it was just a dinner and she might enjoy it. Maybe she would find out something about the murder.
As Nikki settled in for the drive home her thoughts traveled back to Betty. She came across as such a cold person, but was it just her personality? She’d known people in her life that had given her the first impression of being standoffish or stuck-up, but after getting to know them she discovered that they were entirely different from that. Perhaps Betty was the same. However, her comment about Chelsea no longer painting left her with an uneasy feeling. And what about that scratch? She knew that if Chelsea was attacked she would have put up a fight. That scratch might have been a result of that altercation. And what about the dog figurine?
On her way Nikki caught sight of the side road. She decided to pull off on to it and explore where it actually led. However, as she drove the road became narrower and narrower. Eventually, it became so narrow that she could no longer safely drive down it. She noticed that the truck she had seen earlier in the day was parked among some trees. It seemed to her that someone was trying to hide it. She was tempted to get out and walk the rest of the way, but she had no idea what she would be walking into. The men had not exactly been friendly. Determined not to take that big of a risk of being in the woods with them she started to back her car up. However, as she pressed on the gas pedal, she found that the car did not budge. Her heart sank as she realized that she might be stuck. Again, she tried to back up, and again, the wheels just spun. She was stuck. There was no question about it.
Nikki had no idea how to get herself out, but she knew that she had to try. As she climbed out of the car to take a look at the wheels, she heard voices in the distance. Her stomach clenched as she was certain that they were getting closer. As she had feared, she was about to be caught in a very vulnerable situation. In a bit of a panic, she dialed Quinn’s number. As the phone rang she wondered if he would even pick up. The sight of the three men nearing the end of the trail and pointing out her car made fear spike through her.
“Pick up, Quinn!”
“Nikki?” He sounded bewildered, as she hadn’t realized that the phone had stopped ringing before she spoke.
“Quinn, I’m stuck in the woods, my car is stuck and I need some help—”
“Hey there, nosy lady.” The biggest of the three men smirked as he approached the car. “You’ve got yourself in a bit of trouble, I see.”
“Nikki, where are you?” Quinn’s confusion was evident in his voice. “What part of the woods?”
“I need some help pulling my car out.”
“Nah, you don’t need anyone’s help.” The smallest of the three smacked his hand on the hood of her car. “We’ll get you out of this no problem. Go on, hang up the phone.” His eyes bored into hers.
Chapter 14
The woods felt deeper than before. Even though Nikki knew she wasn’t far off from the road, it seemed impossible for anyone to hear her if she screamed. She wasn’t even sure which way she should run to get to one of the houses.
“It’s okay, I have a friend who can come help me.” Her eyes flitted between each man as she attempted to assess their intentions. “A police detective.”
“Hang up the phone.” The third man, who had yet to speak to her, walked quickly in her direction. She wasn’t sure what he planned to do when he reached her.
“I hung up, see!” Nikki hung up the phone and held it up to show him.
“Good girl.” He flashed her a grin, full of even, white teeth. “Listen, we’ll help you get out of this spot, on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Nikki got the impression that he was the leader of their small group.
“You’ve got to stop following us. We’ve got business to take care of.” He glanced over at the other two men.
“I’m not following you,” she spluttered as she attempted to come up with a reason for her being there. “One of the local dogs got loose, and I thought maybe he came down here.”
“We ain’t seen any dogs.” The smallest man spit on the ground. “Let’s get her out of here.”
Nikki felt some relief as the three men worked together to get her car out of the soft sand she was stuck in. However, when her cell phone rang and she reached for it, one of the men snapped at her.
“Don’t you answer that. Don’t even think about it.”
“Take it easy, Dale. She’s not stupid.” The man who had decided to help her in the first place waved his hand in her direction. “She knows better.”
“Does she, Scott? Because you know who is on the other end of that call, don’t you?”
“Relax. She’s out.” The smallest man raised his wiry arms in the air and chuckled. “I guess we’re a bunch of heroes today, huh boys?”
“Thanks.” Nikki’s stomach fluttered nervously as she approached the car. Were they really going to let her leave? She hoped so. As she grabbed the handle of the car door, she felt a strong hand grip her by the shoulder.
“Leaving so soon?” Scott leaned close to her as he tightened his grasp. “Don’t you want to give me your number?”
“I’m sorry, I have to go.” Nikki tried to squirm out from under his hand, but he was stronger than he looked.
“Oh, you can go. But first.” Scott snatched the phone from her pocket and tossed it to Dale. “Check it.”
“Yup, on it.” Dale shot a brief glare in her direction.
“Please, I don’t know what this is about, but I really just want to go home.” Nikki’s heart pounded against her chest as she considered that perhaps these three men had something to do with Chelsea’s death. Had she crossed them in some way?
“It’s about nothing. Scott, I got her information.” Dale tossed the phone back to Scott.
“Good job, Dale.” Scott handed the phone back to her. “Now, we know your number. We know where you live.” He swept his gaze over her in a slow and scrutinizing motion that made her feel even more vulnerable. “So, did you see anyone out here today?”
“No.” Nikki breathed the word. “I didn’t see anyone.”
“Good.” Scott nodded, then clapped her hard on the shoulder. “Now, get out of here, before I change my mind.”
Change his mind? Her mind spun. What would he do if he changed his mind? She didn’t have time to think about it. Instead, she jumped into the car and headed back down the narrow road. With each moment that passed she expected the three men to follow her, but they didn’t. She wasn’t quite sure why they had let her go, but she was certain that they definitely seemed dangerous. Or was she just being paranoid?
As Nikki neared her apartment she began to breathe easier. With her thoughts still spinning she pulled into the driveway. As she headed inside she heard a car behind her. She spun around to see Quinn’s car pull into the driveway. Only then did she recall calling him, and then hanging up abruptly.
He stepped out of the car and crossed the driveway in a few steps.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” Nikki slipped her hands into her pockets as she studied him. “Why?
”
“Why?” Quinn laughed shortly, then stared at her incredulously. “You called to say that you needed help and then you just hung up on me.”
“Oh, sorry about that, I was stuck in some sand, but then I was able to get out. I was fine.” Nikki shrugged and hoped that he would believe her. From the look in his eyes, she was fairly certain he didn’t.
“How did you get stuck in sand?” Quinn brushed his hand back through his hair and took a long, slow breath. He took a step towards her. “I hope that you know I’ll help you if you need it. You may not trust me, but you can trust me.”
Nikki swallowed hard as she studied his expression. She thought she could trust him, but what if she was mistaken.
“What about the paintings? Did you find any in Chelsea’s apartment?” Nikki shifted her focus.
“We found a lot of supplies, but no sketches or paintings, I’m sorry.” Quinn frowned.
“Maybe she hadn’t started on it, yet.” Nikki tossed that thought around in her mind, but it didn’t feel right. Chelsea had invested so much time in the painting, she doubted that she hadn’t at least begun to sketch it out or put some paint on canvas. “You’re sure that you looked everywhere? Before and after the break-in?”
“We hadn’t had the chance to catalog everything in the apartment before the break-in. The apartment was pretty full. I can’t say for sure that there were no paintings there before the break-in, but none were noted on the contents list.” He shook his head. “There was supposed to be an officer sitting outside the apartment at all times while the scene was still under investigation, and he was. However, he dozed off for a bit.”
“Great.” Nikki sighed and rubbed a hand along her forehead. “At least we found her purse. I wish we could find her camera.” She paused, then met his eyes. “I went to see Betty today.”
Nikki’s confession hung in the air between them. She wasn’t sure if he’d be annoyed or pleased that she’d paid Betty a visit.
“You did?”
“I knew she was looking for a special dog treat which I had, so I took them over to her.”
“Right. And?”
“She’s quite a cold person.” Nikki cleared her throat. “But I did see something. Honestly, I can’t be sure that I know exactly what I saw. I only caught a glimpse of it. But I’m pretty sure a figurine I gave to Chelsea is somehow in Betty’s house. I saw it fall out of a bag as she was closing the door.”
“Pretty sure?” He quirked an eyebrow. “Is it something you made?”
“No, I’m not talented in that way. It was something I bought.”
“So, it’s possible that Betty bought the same thing.” Quinn rocked back on his heels. “And you only got a brief look, so it’s likely it isn’t even the same figurine.”
“I’m pretty sure it was.” Nikki sighed. “But I can’t say for certain. If it was though, doesn’t that mean that she was the one who broke into Chelsea’s apartment? Wouldn’t that make her the most likely suspect in this murder?”
“The most likely suspect is in custody.” Quinn narrowed his eyes. “You experienced him first hand.”
“Yes, I did, but he also seemed to be clueless that Chelsea was even dead. Do you think someone who shows his emotions that much can hide the fact that he killed someone?” Nikki crossed her arms.
“I can’t know that. He could be manipulative. Who knows what’s going on in his mind.” He sighed and took a step back. “We’re not going to get anywhere with this. I will keep in mind your concern about Betty, but nothing she said to me today caused me to suspect that she might have been involved in the break-in.” He paused, then glanced up at the sky again. “It’s getting late. What do you say we share some dinner?”
Nikki stared at him, uncertain how to take the invitation. She had two invitations for dinner in one day. One was a rare occurrence, let alone two. Was Quinn’s invitation a date? A way of trying to find out more information from her? As she was about to answer, her cell phone buzzed with a text. She glanced down at it and saw that it was from Coco’s owner.
“I’m sorry, I can’t, duty calls.” She tucked her phone back into her pocket. “One of my dogs needs an extra walk tonight.”
“Ah, okay.” He met her eyes briefly, then nodded. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Okay.” Nikki watched as he returned to his car. Part of her was tempted to delay Coco’s walk and agree to dinner. But she knew the truth would eventually come out about who she was, and now that they had spent so much time together, it was going to be awkward for her to admit it. He would want to know why she hadn’t said something right away. How would she explain that?
Nikki hoped that a nice walk with Coco would help to clear her mind. Maybe Quinn was right. Maybe the figurine wasn’t Chelsea’s. It was possible that she just thought Betty was guilty because she was an obvious suspect and she had been mean to her friend. That was the kind of emotional distraction that made Quinn the detective, and her the friend.
When she arrived at Coco’s house she found a note from his owner asking if she could walk him in the evening the next night as well, along with some extra cash to cover the walks. She tucked it into her pocket and left him a note agreeing to walk Coco. As they headed out, twilight descended around the town. She took a breath of the evening air and did her best to calm her thoughts. As she neared the park a memory of Chelsea drifted to the surface of her mind. It was one of those moments when Nikki felt particularly uncertain about what direction her life should take. With Coco at her side, and Chelsea snapping pictures, she posed a question she’d been mulling over for some time.
“Don’t you ever wonder when life is going to get magical?” Nikki scratched behind Coco’s ear.
“When what’s going to get magical?” Chelsea tossed a few treats down for the dog to snatch up.
“I mean when is life going to get magical? I love spending time with my furry friends, and I’m happy with my home, but it just feels like there should be something more. I don’t know, some greater purpose.” Nikki sighed and shifted her gaze from the dog to her friend. “You’re an artist, you have that special connection, that passion.”
“You don’t have to be an artist to see something magical in life. Everything around us is so beautiful when we take the time to truly see it.”
That comment replayed in Nikki’s mind. Chelsea saw everything around her, she paid attention to detail. Had she seen something that got her killed?
After Nikki returned Coco to his house, she couldn’t shake the thought that she should be looking deeper into Chelsea’s life. The best way to do that was to dig into her home, but she doubted that Quinn would let her in to have a look around. She decided that she would ask him the next day, anyway. It was worth a shot. When Nikki arrived at home, she did her best to put the thought out of her mind. She closed the door and released a long breath. Her stomach twisted and rolled. Only then did she realize that she was hungry.
After a small meal, Nikki took a shower to try to wash away her nerves. When that didn’t help, she toyed with her phone for a bit. She hoped that after such an eventful day she would be tired enough to fall asleep, but instead she was wired, with both determination and restless energy. All she could think about was what else might have gone missing from Chelsea’s apartment. She couldn’t prove that Betty had taken anything, or had even broken in. But she knew that Chelsea would have been working on the painting of the mansion. After several more minutes of trying to fall asleep, she decided that she had to see Chelsea’s apartment for herself. Maybe she would find something that the police had missed. Or maybe just the re-connection with her friend would give her a direction to go in. She couldn’t wait until the morning for Quinn. Someone could be in Chelsea’s apartment right at that moment going through her things and destroying the evidence that would lead to her killer.
As Nikki drove towards Chelsea’s apartment, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She knew that her apartment had been searched initially by the pol
ice, and then someone had broken in, which had again been investigated. Would it still be guarded? When she pulled into the complex she noticed how dark it was. Chelsea had been complaining about the lack of lighting in the parking lot.
Of course, the landlord did nothing about it. Money was more important than the safety of his tenants. Then again, it wasn’t here in this seedier section of town that Chelsea’s body had been found. It was in the well-to-do neighborhood with the floodlights and the guardhouses. Someone had been quite bold to kill her there. She could see Betty doing it out of anger, she lived nearby after all. She could see Mike doing it out of jealousy, he had admitted that he had been looking for Chelsea and he had been spotted in the area. She could even imagine a hired gun by the district attorney deciding to take her out there. But how could no one have seen anything? Why had Chelsea gone down that trail, away from the road, away from anyone that could have helped her?
Chapter 15
There was no sign of Chelsea’s apartment being monitored. Nikki glanced through the entire parking lot and didn’t see any police cars. No yellow tape roped off the front door. When she tried the door, she found that it was locked. Which she was expecting. Luckily, she had a key. Chelsea had given it to her when they’d become friends, as she said she didn’t know too many people in town that she could trust. It was only supposed to be used in case of an emergency. Had she thought about it she would have surrendered the key to the police, but it didn’t occur to her until that moment. She had keys to many apartments and houses throughout the town, as many pet owners wanted her to have access to their homes and pets at all times. As she sorted through her key ring she recalled the promise she’d made Chelsea when she handed the key over.
“If anything ever happens to me, make sure that you clean up my dirty clothes off the floor and wash the dishes in the sink.” Chelsea had laughed as she said it. But it stung now as Nikki recalled it, because she hadn’t kept her promise. She couldn’t have of course, the police would have sealed off the apartment shortly after Nikki had found Chelsea’s body. At least now maybe she could keep some of her promise. She could clean up whatever the police had left behind, whatever mess the intruder had made. When she stepped inside she was stunned by the state of the apartment. There were piles of possessions everywhere. It looked as if the police had photographed each item and then piled it up. She guessed that after the apartment had been ransacked most of Chelsea’s possessions had been scattered throughout the apartment. But it was still surprising to see the mess.