by Cindy Bell
“But what are we going to say?” Mary frowned as she trailed behind. “Shouldn’t we have a plan?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Suzie cast a wink in her direction, then waved as she approached Brennan.
“Brennan! Is that really you? Oh, I can’t believe this! Can you believe this, Mary?” She looked over at Mary with a wide grin, then back at Brennan, who gazed at her with some suspicion.
“No, I can’t.” Mary replied with feigned enthusiasm. She picked up on Suzie’s intentions easily. “It must be our lucky day!”
“It is!” Suzie clapped her hands as she studied the man before her. “I thought maybe we would get a glimpse of you, but to actually get to meet you in person, this is so amazing.”
“Looks like you have some fans, Brennan.” One of the other men elbowed him and grinned. He gestured to the other two and they walked off together.
“Fans, huh?” Brennan pulled off his hat and scratched the top of his head. “I wasn’t aware that I had any fans.”
“Are you kidding?” Suzie sighed and placed her hands over her heart. “I just love watching these races, the exhilaration! And you are one of the best, of course.”
“Thanks.” He studied her. “I’m not used to having such good fans. I doubt that anyone other than my mother could pick me out of a line-up of local drivers.”
“We’re here to prove you wrong.” Mary smiled, then her eyes widened. “Oh, but that terrible crash, I heard about that.”
“I was so scared for you.” Suzie patted his arm and felt the muscles hidden beneath the strained sleeve of his jumpsuit. “How did you lose control?”
“Oh, the crash.” His expression darkened, then his eyes narrowed. “Yes, that was terrible. I had been having some problems with my brakes, and I thought they had been fixed. However, it turned out they weren’t. That is the last time I will rely on a mechanic to do any work on my car. From now on, I will do it myself.”
“Awful!” Suzie gasped. Relieved that he didn’t seem to recognize either of them from the garage, she shifted to a more pointed question. “That mechanic should lose his license. I mean, he almost killed you. Shouldn’t he be arrested for that?”
“Oh, I was quite upset.” He rubbed his hands together, cast a look towards the track, then back at both of them. “However, he’s the one who lost his life.”
Suzie’s heart skipped a beat as he gazed at her with a hint of malice in his expression.
“What do you mean?” Mary stepped closer to Suzie. “Were you so upset that you hurt him?”
“What?” Brennan chuckled, then shook his head. “No, of course not. But he met his maker, anyway. Someone killed him, and I can’t say that he didn’t have it coming. It’s never okay to murder someone, but as angry as I was at him, I could understand why someone might want to. Anyway, the point is that there is no need to dwell on the crash, or the faulty brakes. I need to just move forward. I’ve checked over my brakes very well, so today’s race should go smoothly. I’m racing a different car today, though, mine still needs to be repaired. You’ll have to look for me, number twelve.” He tipped his cap to the women. “Wish me luck!”
“Good luck!” Mary waved to him as he walked away.
“Well, that was pretty close to a confession, wasn’t it?” Suzie turned to face her.
“It certainly sounded like it.” Mary crossed her arms. “He should be on the top of the suspect list. But if he really did it, would he be bragging about Graham’s murder that way? That seems a little strange to me.”
“It doesn’t seem normal, that’s for sure. But it could also mean that he didn’t do it, and is not the least bit concerned about being suspected. Perhaps he’s already given Wes an alibi.” Suzie glanced up at the glass windows that overlooked the racetrack. She froze at the sight of a familiar face.
As Suzie peered through the thick glass she second guessed herself. Was it just her imagination that he looked familiar? Many people looked very similar. But the more she looked, the more certain she became.
“Isn’t that James?” She tipped her head in his direction, but didn’t point.
“I’m not sure.” Mary squinted as she leaned towards the windows, then nodded. “Yes, I think it is.”
“What would he be doing here?” Suzie narrowed her eyes.
“Let’s go find out.” Mary started back up the steps with Suzie right behind her. At the landing she pushed the door open and headed back down the hallway to the main lobby.
“Do you see him?” Suzie caught up with her and searched through the crowd.
“There!” Mary pointed at the windows, where James still stood. While everyone else focused on the race about to take place, his gaze angled in another direction, towards the shaded area.
“What is he looking at?” Suzie stepped closer to her.
“I’m not sure, but I want to find out why he’s here at all. He didn’t mention anything about being here for the races.” Mary started to push through the crowd towards James.
He turned to face her just as she reached him. His eyes widened at the sight of her.
“Mary, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, we’re fans.” Suzie linked her arm through Mary’s as she caught up with her. “We never miss a race.”
“Really?” His gaze shifted between the two of them with a furrowed brow.
“Really.” Mary crossed her arms. “I didn’t realize you were here for the races.”
“Ah, yes.” He glanced over his shoulder at the windows. “I enjoy them.”
“Glad you found something to occupy your time here.” Suzie smiled.
“Don’t forget about dinner tonight.” Mary met his eyes. “I’m making a nice home-cooked meal.”
“Right, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it. Thanks, though.” He glanced over his shoulder again, when he looked back at them his expression was grim. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to tend to.” He brushed past the two of them. Instead of watching the race, he headed straight for the exit.
“Stranger, and stranger.” Suzie tapped her fingers lightly against her thigh. “Let’s follow him.”
“I’m with you.” Mary matched her pace as they headed out the door. As it swung shut behind them, they were faced with a full, but still parking lot.
“Where is he?” Suzie shielded her eyes as she looked through the parking lot.
“There!” Mary pointed to the only moving vehicle in the parking lot, a yellow taxi that turned out onto the street. “That must be him!”
“Hurry!” Suzie started towards the car, but Mary grabbed her arm before she could get far.
“It’s too late. We’ll never be able to catch up. Besides, we don’t want him to catch us following him.” Mary slid her hands into her pockets as she considered the possibilities of how he might be involved. “Right now, all we know is that he likes races.”
“And that he buys oil, but travels in taxis.” Suzie raised an eyebrow.
“True. But maybe he needed it for something else? Maybe it wasn’t his receipt? I say we keep a close eye on him.” Mary glanced at her phone. “We have enough time to stop by Carlene’s if you want. I’m curious about how she’s doing, and she really is the only witness.”
“She said that she didn’t see anything, though.” Suzie crossed her arms.
“She did. But she also said that she was fairly certain the murderer was a man, which means she did see something, perhaps much more than she thought.” Mary led her towards the car. “We should pick up some flowers on the way. We’ll have to make it a quick stop at Carlene’s, because I need to start preparing dinner soon, and Jason might stop by early.”
“Is Wes going to be joining us?” Suzie settled in the driver’s seat.
“I doubt it. When he’s on a case that’s what he tends to focus all of his time on until it’s solved.” Mary buckled her seat belt. “Maybe if he gets a break?”
“I still can’t shake the feeling that James is up to
something.” Suzie steered the car down the road as Mary entered Carlene’s address into her phone’s GPS.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what to think of him, but that receipt is stuck in my mind.” Mary pointed out a turn to Suzie.
“Yes, I agree.” Suzie turned, then frowned. “I still don’t see a connection between the two of them. However, Brennan, he definitely had a connection.”
“I wonder how many of Graham’s customers were left that unsatisfied. It surprises me that Kenny, Jason and Wes would recommend him, but Brennan had such a terrible experience with him.” Mary pointed out the next turn.
“It’s possible that Graham didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe Brennan just had a bad race and he needed to blame the damage to his car on someone. From what I have read about him on the internet he is known for being a little wild with his driving.” Suzie followed Mary’s directions through a few stop signs.
“That’s true. We’re assuming a lot here. What we absolutely know is that Brennan was upset with Graham about his car. Hopefully, Carlene can tell us more about the man she saw, that may give us a new lead, or confirm that it was Brennan. But why would he rob the place?”
“Opportunity? To cover up the real motive?”
“After this left, the house should be on the right about halfway down the road.” Mary pointed out the street to turn on to.
“We can hope, if she’s even willing to talk to us.” Suzie scanned the houses on the side of the road for Carlene’s house.
“I hope she’s recovering okay. She had such a bad bump on her head. Oh, there it is!” Mary pointed to a small house.
“Great.” Suzie pulled into the driveway. She noticed there was a car parked there. “It looks like we caught her at home.”
“Just keep in mind that she’s been through a very traumatic experience. She may not be able to remember anything, and us asking her questions might make it even harder.”
“You’re right. We need to be delicate about this.” Suzie stepped out of the car.
“I wouldn’t want to cause her any more pain.” Mary hesitated at the top of the driveway. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“It’ll be okay.” Suzie patted her shoulder. “I want to see how she’s doing, and this is the best time to find out any information she might know.”
“Okay, deep breath.” Mary took a deep breath, then headed up the driveway with Suzie right behind her.
Chapter 7
Although Carlene’s house was small, the details of its architecture drew Suzie’s attention.
“Cute place.” Suzie swept her gaze over the arched windows.
“Neat, too.” Mary eyed the garden on either side of the front walkway. “Carlene must be a good gardener.”
“I’m sure she’ll still appreciate the flowers.” Suzie held up the bouquet as Mary knocked on the door.
A moment later the door swung open, and Carlene stood before both of them. The bruise on her forehead was just as daunting as it had been the day before.
“Hi Carlene.” Mary held her hand out to her. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay, I guess.” Carlene took her hand with a brief squeeze, then accepted the flowers from Suzie. “Thank you for these. They will really brighten up the place.” She stepped back some. “Would you like to come in?”
“Thanks.” Mary stepped into the house, but as she did her foot caught on a boot beside the door. Her knee twisted and gave out. She just managed to grab the door frame before she would have fallen to the floor.
“Oh no, I’m sorry about that.” Carlene kicked the boots out of the way. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, it’s just my knees. Nothing to be sorry about.” Mary frowned as her face flushed with embarrassment.
“Do you need to sit down, Mary?” Suzie gently grasped her arm to make sure she was steady on her feet.
“I’m fine, thanks.” Mary waved her away and gave her a brief smile. “Sorry for the strange entrance, Carlene. We came here to check on you.”
“I’m as well as I can be.” Carlene led them into her small living room. She perched on an overstuffed chair, which left a threadbare couch for Suzie and Mary to share. “I just can’t stop thinking about Graham. I keep asking myself, was there something more I could have done?”
“I understand that.” Mary sat down on the couch then leaned across to place her hand on Carlene’s knee. “I feel the same way. Maybe if I had showed up a little earlier, I could have done something.”
“Then you do understand.” Carlene placed her hand over Mary’s. “But Graham and I had worked together for so long, we’d become like family. It’s hard for me to believe that he’s gone.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Suzie crossed one leg over the other. She passed a quick look in Mary’s direction, then looked back at Carlene. “I’ve worked for a lot of different people, and I have to say, I’ve never had that tight-knit relationship with any. In fact, I often butted heads with them. He must have been someone very special for you two to get along so well, or maybe you are the special one.”
“Me?” Carlene laughed a little, then shook her head. “No, there’s not much special about me. But Graham, he just had a way of making me feel comfortable. He always treated me with respect, and you’re right, that kind of relationship is extremely hard to come by. I considered myself very lucky to have it.”
“And you were.” Mary settled back against the couch and smiled. “But I’m sure there must have been moments here and there that you didn’t agree. It’s funny how things seem like such a big deal at the time, but then something like this happens, and it just makes you realize that whatever the issues were, they just don’t matter anymore.”
“Exactly.” Carlene sighed as her eyes fell shut. “The little things here and there can add up, but now, it’s nothing. Now, I would trade just about anything to get Graham back.”
“Again, I’m so sorry.” Mary frowned. “Did Graham have a lot of family?”
“No, not at all. His wife died years ago, and they never had any children. If he had any siblings, he never mentioned them to me. He did have a lot of friends in the community, though. Mostly people he would work on cars for, give them great discounts, that kind of thing. I have no idea who will even plan his funeral. Do you think I should do that?” She grabbed a tissue from the tissue box beside her and dabbed at her eyes. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“I’d say wait, the police will try to locate any extended family that Graham may have had. Maybe they will find someone.” Suzie winced as the woman began to cry. “I know this is such a delicate thing to talk about.”
“What about the garage? What about all of the cars waiting for repairs? I suppose I will have to call and inform all of the customers.” Carlene ran her hands back through her hair. “There’s just so much to do.”
“Do you have anyone to help you?” Mary scooted forward on the couch and looked into the young woman’s eyes. “A boyfriend or a friend? Can’t Brody help out? This is a lot to have on your shoulders.”
“No, Brody already has another job. He won’t help me if he isn’t going to get paid for it. I don’t have anyone.” Carlene sighed again, then grabbed another tissue. “I guess Graham and I were alike that way. But you’re right, I should take this one step at a time. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your visit, but now I’m starting to feel pretty tired.”
“Of course, you are.” Suzie nodded and stood up from the couch. “I hope you’re able to get some rest. But I want you to know that Mary and I are available to you, should you need anything.” She handed her a business card. “Anything at all.”
“Thanks.” Carlene stood up as she took the card from Suzie. “I will keep in touch.”
“Graham seemed like such a nice man.” Mary smiled some. “I wish we had the chance to get to know him better.”
“You would have liked him.” Carlene smiled. “He was such a respectful man, one of the best that I’ve worked
for.” She stood up. “I really should try to get some rest.”
“Yes, of course.” Mary nodded.
The two women headed for the front door. They were silent as they walked to the car. Suzie settled in the driver’s seat. Mary took the passenger side, and stared out through the windshield as Suzie reversed out into the street.
“That was an interesting fairytale.” Suzie shifted the car into drive.
“Do you think so?” Mary looked out through the window at the house as the car began to roll past it. “She seemed pretty upset.”
“Yes, she did. But don’t forget about that post we read. Things were not as rosy as she described. At least not all the time. It appears as if Graham definitely had some problems with his staff. I guess maybe he was different to her, and sometimes people do become fonder of someone after they have passed away.” Suzie tilted her head back and forth. “It’s possible that she’s just trying to hide whatever problems they may have had because she doesn’t want it to look bad in the investigation.”
“Even if Graham was bad to his staff and even if she really did have a terrible relationship with him, that doesn’t mean she had anything to do with the murder.” Mary licked her lips, then clenched her jaw. “But she is lying about something.”
“More than one thing I think.” Suzie laughed. “But what do you mean?”
“She doesn’t live alone, and I think she definitely has a boyfriend.”
“How do you know that?” Suzie turned off the side street.
“Those boots I tripped over, weren’t her size. They were large enough to be men’s. As far as I know most men don’t leave their boots behind unless they are living there.” Mary looked over at Suzie. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, I would.” Suzie narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t even notice that. Good eye, Mary.”
“It’s hard not to notice when you almost fall on your face.” Mary smiled briefly. “So, who is the mystery man she is living with, and why is she lying about him?”
“Very good questions.” Suzie drummed her fingertips on the steering wheel. “We definitely need to find out the answers.”