by Cindy Bell
Nikki didn’t want to draw the attention of anyone by turning on the light, so she used the flashlight on her phone to light her way through the piles. She wasn’t even sure what she was looking for. She was sure the police would have come across the painting if it was there. But she did have a ton of sketchbooks. Maybe if they had been tossed around her most current one got overlooked in the shuffle. She began to sort through them. When she got near the bottom one she found that every page was covered with sketches. She recognized a few places around town, including the summer night markets that had only started this year, which meant that the sketchbook had to be fairly recent.
Nikki sat down on the edge of the couch with it and began paging through it from the front. About halfway through the book she came across a sketch that startled her. It was a very accurate drawing of Rick Parker. However, there was something strange about it. His expression was sad. Not just a disappointed look, but a deep sadness. Chelsea had etched in every wrinkle, every flaw in his skin. It was possible she had done so from a photograph, but it was also possible that she’d spent a significant amount of time with Parker.
When Nikki flipped to the last page of the sketchbook she found what looked like the Middlesons’ mansion. The sight of it caused goose pimples to rise up on her arms. Yes, this was one of the last things that Chelsea had drawn. She traced her fingertips across the sketch and felt the smooth areas where she had erased and redrawn certain portions. The details were impeccable. She almost expected to find Coco somewhere along the sidewalk, or the mailman walking towards one of the mansions. The leaves appeared to flutter despite being stationary. Her heart lurched as she recalled just what an amazing artist Chelsea was. She closed the sketchbook and tucked it into her bag. She had no intention of leaving it behind.
As Nikki began to look through more of the sketchbooks she came across what looked like a journal. The first few pages were blank, which was why the police may have overlooked it. For some reason Chelsea had begun writing right in the middle of the book. The first page that she found writing on was completely full. It included details of an attempted visit to Rick Parker’s office. It also mentioned the Middlesons, and how they would give her what they owed her. That part Nikki read twice. Could there have been some validity to the rumor that Chelsea had blackmailed the Middlesons into giving her the painting job? Logic rejected the possibility, but she had been wrong about a lot of things lately, and didn’t know her friend as well as she thought she did. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, then focused on reading the rest of the journal.
There were only two more pages written in the journal. The last one didn’t have a date, but she had a feeling it might have been from the day Chelsea died, or at least close to it. She mentioned feeling as if someone was following her, and being concerned about something that she had seen. She didn’t write down what she had seen, but she made a brief list of what she intended to do about what she saw, that included a visit to Rick Parker’s office, as well as getting some clear photographs. Nikki read over the passage several times in an attempt to decipher what it was she might have seen, but Chelsea didn’t mention a word about it, only that she needed to confirm it. She snapped a few quick pictures of the text. Then she set the journal back down on top of the pile of books. She could leave it behind, but she didn’t want the sketchbook to fall into the wrong hands.
Nikki was about to head into the bedroom to have a look, when she heard the doorknob rattle. Her breath caught in her chest as she realized she hadn’t locked the door behind her. She lunged towards the kitchen, and the back door that led out into the small stretch of grass that all of the tenants shared. She could hear the person push the door open in the same moment that she opened the back door. Light flooded through the living room as someone flipped on the switch, and she ducked out through the back door. Only once she had it pulled closed did she peer back through the small window. Her heart pounded as she watched Quinn pace slowly around the living room. He rubbed his hand across his forehead, his face looked troubled. She wanted to stay, to see what he would do next, but it was too big of a risk. Had he seen her car in the parking lot? She ran for it, and was out onto the street before she spared a moment to look in the rearview mirror. Quinn’s car hadn’t budged. She breathed a sigh of relief as she drove back towards her apartment. She wanted to look through the sketchbook again, but she was so tired that she collapsed onto her bed.
As Nikki closed her eyes she felt a sudden warmth rush through her body. It was a sense of comfort that reminded her of chocolate chip cookies baking in her grandmother’s house, or the balmy embrace of a summer wind right before a sun shower. Her muscles relaxed as she sunk into the feeling. Within minutes she was sound asleep. When she opened her eyes again, she was just outside the park, with Chelsea a few steps away from her. For an instant, panic surged through her as she knew nothing made sense, but that instant passed, and she was swept into the experience, which was part dream and part memory.
Chelsea pointed her camera at the mansion and snapped a picture, then lowered it. Nikki observed the way her eyes narrowed as she looked over the digital picture. She seemed to be fascinated by it.
“Was it a good shot?”
“It could be better.” She turned the camera to show Nikki, but before she could see it Chelsea tossed the camera over her shoulder and into the trees.
“Chelsea, don’t!” Nikki lunged in an attempt to catch it, but it sailed right past her.
“See you later, Nikki.” Chelsea took off at a run towards the Middlesons’ mansion.
“Wait, Chelsea!” She started to run after her, but the farther away Chelsea got the more her presence faded, until Nikki was chasing after nothing at all. “Chelsea!”
Nikki had reached the edge of the property when suddenly Coco appeared out of nowhere and began to bark at her. Startled by the large dog barking she stumbled back and discovered there was no ground beneath her feet. Her shoulder struck the floor first, followed by her hip and the side of her head.
Groggy, and tangled up in her blanket she couldn’t make sense of what happened until she heard the incessant barking of her alarm clock. A client had given it to her as a gag gift, but the barking dogs always woke her up.
As she unwound from the blanket she reached up to turn the alarm off. Her mind was filled with the memory of Coco’s barking. Why was he so upset with her?
“It was just a dream, Nikki.” She rubbed her eyes, then headed to the bathroom for a shower. When she emerged she felt a little more awake and ready for the day. She had a date with her regular dogs. As much as she wanted to only focus on finding the murderer, she needed to keep her clients happy, and make sure that their dogs were well exercised. She also loved spending time with them. She gathered up the dogs one by one and they were soon on their usual path. She felt calmer with every step she took, however the dream still echoed through her mind. Determined to find out what Macy might have known about Chelsea’s interaction with the district attorney, she steered the dogs off their usual path and headed for the café instead.
Gina always put bowls of water out for the dogs and had some treats hidden behind the counter for them when she stopped by. When she arrived, she was relieved to see that Macy was there. It wasn’t too surprising to see her since she had a daily routine of having coffee at the café. Most of the time she was alone. Once in a while Chelsea would join her. When Nikki led the dogs into the outdoor section of the café, their presence drew quite a bit of attention. Most people fawned over the dogs, only a few were a bit hesitant to be near them.
“Morning, Nikki.” Gina smiled as she carried a couple of bowls outside. “I was hoping that I’d see you this morning.”
“You were?” Nikki smiled as she met her friend’s eyes.
“Yes, I’ve been a little worried about you.” Gina raked her dark brown eyes across Nikki’s face. “Have you been sleeping?”
“Yes.” Nikki frowned. “Not well I guess.”
“I’ll get you a cup of coffee and a bagel.” Gina started back into the café.
“Thanks, Gina. Could you ask Macy if she would join me? I’d really like to talk with her.” She watched as her older friend paused in the doorway of the café.
“Sure, she could use the company.” Gina passed a meaningful glance in Macy’s direction.
Macy was usually an attention-grabber. Everything she did was done with a flourish, and her infectious laughter could turn the heads of everyone around her. But today she seemed faded, slumped in her chair, without a trace of a smile on her face.
Nikki settled the dogs near one of the open tables and set up their water bowls for them. When Gina returned with her coffee and bagel, she brought along some treats as well. Macy was a few steps behind her. Her expression was just as grave, despite offering a friendly greeting.
“It’s good to see you, Nikki.”
“You too, Macy. Will you sit with me for a bit?” Nikki gestured to the table.
“Sure.” Macy eased down into a chair and set her coffee mug on the metal loops that made up the surface of the table.
“Are you doing okay?”
“I don’t know. Tired I guess.” Macy toyed with her coffee mug, but didn’t take a sip. “It’s hard to believe she’s gone.”
“Yes, it is.” Nikki chewed on her bottom lip. “I found something of Chelsea’s and I was wondering if you could tell me about it.” She winced as she pulled out the sketchbook and turned it to the sketch of the district attorney. “Do you know how she drew this? Did she take a picture of him?”
“I think she might have actually gone to see him a few times.” Macy gazed down at the sketch. “I told her she should tell everyone in town about it, but she said he wasn’t a monster, that he didn’t even know she existed until she showed up.” She sighed as her shoulders slumped. “I guess that her forgiving nature didn’t stop him from having her killed.”
“Do you think that’s what happened?” Nikki flipped the book shut as she imagined what it would have been like for Chelsea to spend time with her long-lost father and sketch the sadness in his expression. Was he sad about missing out on her life, or sad that he would have to eliminate it?
“He’s certainly powerful enough to pull it off.” Macy shrugged. “I’ve started to think that her murder might never be solved.”
“Don’t think that, Macy. I’m not going to let that happen.”
“Neither am I.” The voice that traveled over Nikki’s shoulder was unmistakably Quinn’s.
“Quinn.” Nikki glanced up at him as she started to slide the sketchbook into her bag.
“What’s that?” Quinn caught the edge of it. “Was it Chelsea’s?” His eyes locked to hers.
“Yes.” Nikki released her grasp and let him take it into his hands. “I was just showing a sketch to Macy to see what she thought.”
“I’m done with my coffee.” Macy cleared her throat, then stood up from the table. “Nice to see you, Nikki.”
“You too, Macy.” Nikki watched as the woman walked away, leaving behind an almost full cup of coffee.
“Sorry to run off your friend.” Quinn flipped through the pages of the sketchbook. “Why didn’t you tell me you had this?” He took a sharp breath. “What’s this?” He held out the book to show her the sketch of the Middlesons’ mansion.
“Chelsea would often sketch her pictures before and sometimes even while she painted them.” Nikki frowned as she wondered if he’d question where she’d gotten the book from. She didn’t want to have to lie, but she also didn’t want him to know that she had been in Chelsea’s apartment the night before.
“I’ve seen this before.” Quinn looked up at her, his dark blue eyes wide. “At Betty’s house.”
“The sketch?” Nikki raised an eyebrow.
“No, the painting. Right down to this branch here that extends over the gate and the bird perched on it. It looks exactly the same.” He trailed his fingertip along the branch to the bird. “There’s no way that two different people could duplicate the exact same drawing, with the exact style and the bird in exactly the same position.”
“It’s not likely, that’s for sure.” Nikki narrowed her eyes. “I knew Betty had something to do with all of this. I told you she was the one that broke into Chelsea’s apartment!”
“Okay, just take a breath.” Quinn shot her a brief look. “It’s possible that maybe Betty didn’t break in. But I’m going to go talk to her about it.” He snapped the sketchbook shut. “Can I keep this?”
“Yes.” Nikki broke her bagel in half. “Here, you look like you need to eat?”
“I do?” He laughed as he gave his stomach a light pat. “I think my abs disagree.”
“Here, you have to eat.” Nikki thrust the bagel into his hand.
“Thanks!” Quinn returned her gaze. “I better get back to it.” He smiled and gave her shoulder a light pat, then headed off to his car. She watched him take a bite of the bagel before he got in. As he drove away she realized the troubled look on his face the day before was likely his worry at not finding Chelsea’s killer, yet. Yes, if anyone was going to solve this case, she finally believed that Quinn would be the one to do it.
Chapter 16
Nikki spent the afternoon digging into Rick Parker. She wanted to know a bit more about the district attorney. However, every rock she turned over only revealed participation in charities, support of programs for homeless citizens, as well as lots of visits to the local schools. She hadn’t voted for him, but by the time she was done digging into him she was sure that she would have. But was all of that kindness hiding something? Was he really a killer underneath? After hours on the computer she stood up to stretch and realized that she hadn’t heard from Quinn. When she checked her phone to see if she had missed a call, she found a message from Macy with a link to the local bulletin board. She tapped the link and discovered that news was spreading like wildfire across the board.
Betty Middleson Arrested!
Nikki gasped as she read through the comments that followed. Locals were sparring about whether the arrest was linked to Chelsea’s murder, with many of them believing that it was. Quinn had arrested her? She was about to call him to see if she could find out more when his name appeared on her screen. She picked up the call and frowned.
“Quinn, did you arrest Betty?”
“Hi to you, too.” He chuckled faintly. “Yes, I did. But it’s not what you think.”
“It’s not?”
“No, I arrested her for breaking into Chelsea’s apartment, and violating a crime scene. She had Chelsea’s paintings in her possession and confessed that she wanted them so that she could provide the painting Chelsea intended to create for the Middlesons.”
“Isn’t that enough for you to arrest her for Chelsea’s murder? It’s clear she was jealous of her and would stoop so low as to steal a dead woman’s artwork!” Anger coursed through Nikki at the thought.
“It’s distasteful, yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s a killer. As of now she has a pretty solid alibi for the morning of Chelsea’s death. She claims she was with the Middlesons, and they confirm that. Something about her dog tearing apart one of their pieces of furniture.”
“They could be lying for her, they wouldn’t want this kind of scandal.” She sighed.
“I know that, Nikki. But there’s no evidence of that.”
“What about the scratch on her cheek?” Nikki asked quickly. “I’m sure Chelsea must have scratched her.”
“She claims she got the scratch from the dog. Apparently, it’s a nervous little thing. She had other scratches on her that looked similar, and were fresher. Plus, there was no other evidence that Betty was involved.”
“But that doesn’t mean Chelsea didn’t scratch her.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Quinn took a deep breath. “But it doesn’t mean Chelsea did either. Until I have some definitive evidence, I can’t move any further. And as of tomorrow, I’m going to have to formally charge Mi
ke with assault on a police officer, or release him, as I have nothing to prove he was involved in the murder aside from a single eyewitness that thinks they might have seen someone who looked like Mike near the crime scene.” His voice grew strained. “I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“I know.” Nikki exhaled. “I’m sure you’ll find something soon.”
Nikki hung up the phone and glanced at the time. It was just about time to take Coco on his walk. She was glad, as she needed the exercise to calm her nerves. She soon had him at her side, and the dog seemed just as happy to see her, as she was to see him.
“It’s just us tonight, Coco.” Nikki reached down and scratched his ear. “Daddy had to spend a little extra time at work, so you and I get to take another evening walk together.” She smiled as the dog licked her hands and seemed to smile back at her. There was nothing like the love of an animal. It was so pure, and with very little expectations. All Coco wanted was a good pat, some treats, and a jog around the neighborhood. She clipped on his leash then led him out the door.
There was still about an hour of light left, but the clouds in the sky gave the evening air a sharp bite. Nikki shivered and tugged her light jacket closer around her. She rarely zipped it as by the time she got walking she knew she would warm up. Within a few minutes they were moving at a steady pace. She decided to follow their usual path, as the wealthier neighborhood had better lighting in the evening. As they shifted from one neighborhood to another, she noticed the air get a little cooler. It was an unexpected cold snap. Sometimes she found the cooler weather refreshing, but at the moment it chilled her to the bone.