“Dessert, anyone?” she asked.
“Sure,” said Zach.
Margaret put the plate on the kitchen table and started some coffee. When it was done brewing she suggested they go out back to the picnic table. The guys agreed. Zach grabbed the chocolates, and David grabbed three mugs. Margaret picked up the coffeepot and a trivet and took it outside. Normally they could not be outside at night due to the mosquitoes; however, tonight there was a gentle breeze, and the bugs were nowhere to be found. The full moon cast light on the backyard and the picnic table. David and Margaret sat on a bench together, and Zach sat across from them. Margaret looked around at her small yet comfortable backyard. She was glad to be sitting there with David and Zach. Margaret poured everyone some coffee.
“Are you really going to dust that note for prints?” Margaret asked David.
“You bet,” he said. “I don’t like people threatening you.”
“You think it’s a threat?” Margaret asked.
“I’m taking it as such until I can prove otherwise,” he said.
“Okay,” said Margaret. She looked up and saw a sky full of stars. David looked up too.
“There’s the Big Dipper,” he said, pointing at the sky.
“I see it. There’s Orion,” she said, pointing at the constellation.
“I see his belt,” said Zach.
“What a gorgeous night,” said Margaret.
“It is,” agreed David, sipping his coffee. They all sat in silence for a moment enjoying the nighttime sky.
“Well, I’m going inside to do the dishes,” said Zach.
“Leave them,” said Margaret. “I’ll wash them when I go in. You cooked, I’ll clean.”
“Cool, thanks,” said Zach. “I’m still going inside. I’ll be playing video games in my room.”
“Okay,” said Margaret. Zach left, and she looked at David.
“It’s a pretty night out,” Margaret said, leaning her head on his chest. He put his arms around her.
“Not as pretty as you,” David said, and Margaret giggled. He kissed her forehead. She smiled and nestled into his arms. Margaret and David had only been dating for a while but she loved being around him. He was a comfort to her, and she needed a man who was gentle and kind. David was both of those.
“A penny for your thoughts,” David said, breaking the silence.
Margaret turned and looked at him, about to tell him about her new PI license. But she chickened out and instead said, “I was thinking how wonderful you are.”
David smiled, and Margaret leaned back against his chest again.
“Now I’m thinking about what I have to do tomorrow at the shop,” she said. “As much as I don’t want to I should go inside and get those dishes done.”
“You wash, I’ll dry,” suggested David.
“You’re on,” said Margaret, getting up and stretching. David got up and hugged Margaret tight. Then they got the mugs and coffeepot and went into the house.
“I should probably get going,” said David once the dishes were finished. “I want to get this note to the lab first thing tomorrow.”
“Okay,” said Margaret. “I want to get to bed early myself.”
“See you tomorrow?” said David.
“Do I have a choice?” teased Margaret.
“Nope,” he said, pulling her in for another hug and a soft kiss. He said goodnight, and Margaret closed the front door. She smiled. David made her feel tingly in a good way. She was glad they were becoming close. Margaret went into the kitchen and got the table ready for breakfast the next morning. She thought about the note and shivered. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she knew David and Zach were right. She had a gut feeling that whoever left that note was trying to send her a message. She turned out the kitchen light and went upstairs. She knocked on Zach’s door and told him she was going to bed.
“Good night,” said Zach.
“Good night,” said Margaret. She went into her room and got changed. She climbed into bed and thought of the candies she wanted to make in the next few days. Margaret smiled and drifted off to sleep.
3
David got up the next morning thinking about the night before at Margaret’s house. He really was falling for her, and he hoped she felt the same way. It had been a while since he had been in a relationship, and he was having fun with Margaret. Then he thought about the note and his smile morphed into a small frown. It was probably a group of teenagers messing around, but David wanted to be sure. He was intent on keeping Margaret safe despite the fact that she seemed hell bent on getting herself involved in his cases, and a couple times had ended up getting hurt.
David sipped the coffee in his travel mug as he got in his car and drove to the station. There was a pile of paperwork from previous cases sitting on his desk. David hoped to get through most of the pile by the afternoon. He sat down and started to work.
After an hour of working, David’s phone rang. He picked it up.
“Yes, Cindy?” he asked, perking up. Cindy was the administrative assistant for the precinct. She usually didn’t bother him when he was trying to get through paperwork and had his door closed.
“David, you need to get over to the Santiago house. Something is going on there. His son called the police.”
David put down his coffee. “I’m on the way right now,” he said, grabbing his keys. He rushed out the door, jumped into his car, and sped over to the address. José Santiago, a divorced man with a teenage son, worked at the local real estate office. His son, Michael, played on the high school football team. David pulled up to the ranch house and got out of the car. He walked to the front door, where a police officer let him in. David saw Michael sitting in a chair in the front hallway. His usually tan face was pale. David walked up to him.
“Michael, what happened?” asked David.
“I don’t know,” Michael replied. “I just got home, and I found my dad—” Michael stopped talking and teared up. David waited patiently.
“My dad—I found him in the living room,” Michael said, with hesitation in his voice
“Go on,” David coaxed.
“He was lying there. I didn’t know what was going on. There were so many candles, and he was just lying there,” Michael answered. His voice was rising and David knew Michael was starting to panic.
“Michael, it’s okay. Just tell me,” said David.
“He was d-dead,” said Michael. He started to breathe rapidly. David told him to put his head down.
“He’s hyperventilating,” David told a nearby paramedic. The paramedic gave Michael some oxygen and his breathing slowed. David patted Michael on the shoulder and went down the hallway toward the living room. A police officer followed beside him.
“What did he mean about the candles?” David asked the police officer.
“You’ll see,” the officer replied.
David got to the end of the hallway and stepped into the living room. The room was large and sparsely furnished. It was also filled with candles. There was a candle on almost every available surface. There were candles on the tables, and some on the floor.
“Were these all lit when you arrived? If so, it would have been a real fire hazard,” said David.
“Yeah, it was hot in here when we arrived. Took us a while to put ’em all out,” said the police officer.
David walked around the couch and stopped. He saw José Santiago lying on the floor. He bent down toward the body. There were red marks by the dead man’s lips. David asked the police officer if forensics had been there yet.
“No, you beat them here,” replied the officer.
“Okay,” said David, walking around the body carefully. It didn’t look like José had fallen. There was no blood or bruising. David looked at the body and the couch.
“It looks like he fell off the couch,” observed David.
Just then the forensics team arrived. David knew they would want to take samples of everything in the room. Before he left, David scanned th
e room once more. He noticed that while most of the candles were white tapers, the ones on the table were black. A red brocaded tablecloth covered the table. David looked at the table and spied a piece of paper with burnt edges. He put on some gloves and carefully picked up the paper. There were figures on the paper, along with a few odd drawings. There was no writing. David put the paper back down. The forensic team was starting to work the room. David walked back to where Michael was still sitting in the hallway.
“Was your father expecting any company today?” David asked Michel.
“Not that I know of,” said Michael. “Usually if he had someone over, he does it when I’m not home.”
“Were you supposed to be home today?” asked David.
“Yes. His birthday was yesterday. We were going to go through his gifts together today. It’s a tradition of his. He opens his presents the day after his birthday. He said he could appreciate them more the next day.”
“Where are his presents?” asked David.
“He had them in the kitchen,” said Michael.
“Were they disturbed since last night?” asked David.
“I’m not sure,” said Michael. “I haven’t been in the kitchen. I got home and went right to the living room. And I found—” his shaky voice trailed off.
“I understand,” said David. “Would you be able to help me?”
“With what?” asked Michael.
“Could you walk in the kitchen with me and take a look at the presents?” asked David.
“Sure,” said Michael. He led David to the kitchen. There were a bunch of wrapped gifts on the kitchen table. Michael went over and looked at them.
“Doesn’t look like anything’s been moved or anything,” said Michael.
“Okay,” said David. “Thank you.” They heard a noise in the hallway. David turned as a woman strode into the kitchen.
“Michael,” she exclaimed, moving quickly toward the boy, “are you okay?” She opened her arms and pulled Michael in for a hug.
“Mom,” Michael said. “It was awful.”
“I know, I know. I can’t even imagine. I’m here now.” She looked at David. “Who are you?”
“My name is David Graham,” replied David. “I’m the lead detective on this case.”
“Were you questioning my son without an attorney?” the woman said accusingly.
“No, Mom, it’s not like that,” Michael started.
“I was talking to the detective. You be quiet and try to relax,” said the woman.
“I was not questioning him,” said David. “He was actually helping me.”
“Oh,” said the woman, a bit flustered.
“Why don’t we go outside? You shouldn’t be in here anyway,” David said to Michael’s mother.
“Okay,” she said. “My name is Tiffany.”
“Hello, Tiffany,” said David as he led them outside. He took them around back so as not to draw any attention to them. There was a stone table with chairs around it. David suggested they sit there.
“When was the last time you saw José?” David asked Tiffany.
“Last week. I saw him when I dropped Michael off,” she said. “We have—or had I guess,” she corrected herself. “We had a good relationship for Michael’s sake.”
“Was José by himself?” asked David.
“Yes,” said Tiffany. “Why?”
“I’m just trying to get all the information I can,” David replied.
“Okay,” said Tiffany. “Yes, he was alone.”
“Did you know if he was seeing anyone?” David asked.
“I don’t think so,” said Tiffany. “Do you know, Michael?”
Michael shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
“Thank you,” said David. “If it wouldn’t be too inconvenient I would like you both to come down to the precinct.”
“Why? Are we in trouble?” asked Michael.
“No son,” David reassured him. “We just need to get your fingerprints and ask you a few more questions.”
“Why do you need our fingerprints?” asked Michael. “We didn’t do anything.”
“So I can compare them to the ones the forensic team will be getting in the other room. Also, I’ll need a list of people who were at the party yesterday,” David replied.
“I can give that to you,” said Michael. “There were only three other people.”
“Okay,” said David. He looked at Tiffany. “Are you okay to drive him to the station or would you like an officer to take you over? You’ve had a shock.”
“I can drive,” said Tiffany. She seemed a bit pale, but put together. David felt she would be fine.
“Can we stop somewhere so I can get Michael a bite to eat?” asked Tiffany. “He looks like he could use a minute and maybe some food or something to drink.”
“Sure,” said David. “Just come to the station right after that.”
“Thank you,” said Tiffany. “Okay, Michael, are you ready to go?”
“I suppose so,” Michael said.
David thought it was a good idea to get Michael away from the house. He had more questions, but he wanted Michael to be cooperative and if being with his mother helped him, David was all for it. Tiffany got up and Michael dragged himself up with her. He hung his head and followed her to her car. David went back into the house.
“Anything new?” he asked the police officer.
“Yes. You’re going to want to see this,” the officer said. “I didn’t want to disturb you while you were talking with them, but this is big.”
David followed the police officer back into the living room. The forensics team was gathered by the body. David moved toward the sofa and two of the team members moved so he could see. The body was no longer there, but on the ground was a mark. It looked like a pentagram with a lightning bolt through it. David flinched.
“What the hell is it?” he asked one of the team members.
“We’re not sure, but it’s something to do with the occult,” said the team member. “We can look it up and get back to you.”
“Thank you,” said David. “Also, do me a favor. Please don’t mention any of this to Margaret.” He was talking to the whole room. “If she hears about this she’ll want to help me and I don’t want her being a part of this case. Understood?”
“Yes sir,” everyone replied.
“Please spread the word to the other officers,” David instructed.
“Will do,” one of the officers said. “Can I ask why you don’t want her help? She really was a big part of your last case.”
“I just don’t want her in harm’s way,” said David. He was thinking of the note that Margaret had gotten the previous night. He didn’t want it to be true, but if there was a cult—and the evidence was piling up to the affirmative—he didn’t want Margaret in any danger.
“Okay, David,” the officer replied. “I’ll let the department know.”
“Thank you,” said David. He knew Margaret would be angry with him but that was a small price to pay for her safety. David left the house and drove back to the station. He noticed Tiffany’s car by the café and figured she and Michael would be by the station soon. When he got to his office he called the lab and told them to put a rush on the note Margaret had received.
A half hour later Tiffany and Michael arrived. David asked Michael to wait in the hallway while he talked to his mother. Michael agreed.
“Do you know anyone who would want to hurt José?” he asked Tiffany when they were seated in his office.
“No,” said Tiffany. “He was a sweet guy. He would give me anything I needed—even after the divorce.”
“Are you remarried?” asked David.
“Yes,” replied Tiffany. “My husband is Jamie Barnes.”
“The doctor?”
“Yes,” Tiffany said. “We met when I broke my ankle. I was coming out of the stands after one of Michael’s football games and I tripped. I was taken to the hospital and I met Jamie. We were married a year late
r.”
“Do he and José get along?” asked David.
“Yes. Like I said, we wanted Michael to be as well-adjusted as possible and we worked hard to have a peaceful relationship for his sake.”
“Okay,” said David. “Well, if you think of anything, please let me know.”
“I will,” said Tiffany. “Oh wait, I forgot.” She handed David a sheet of paper. There was a short list of names. “Here are the people who were at the party last night. Michael wrote it up at the café.”
“Thank you,” said David, taking the list. He glanced at it and put it on his desk.
“Did you need anything else from me?” asked Tiffany.
“That should be all I need for now. Please don’t plan any trips out of town for the next few days though. I need to be able to get a hold of you on short notice if necessary.”
“I won’t,” said Tiffany. “And Michael will be staying with us if you need him.”
“Thank you,” said David. “I think it would be best if we gave Michael a chance to catch his breath. That was really traumatic for him. I don’t need to question him any further today,” he added, deciding that Michael might be of more help when he wasn’t so upset. “You can take him on home.”
“Thank you,” said Tiffany, getting up from the chair. David got up and shook her hand. Tiffany walked out of the office and David turned to the list Michael had written. Then he turned to his computer and started searching. It was going to be a long day.
4
Zach walked into the police station. He had his headphones on and was listening to some music his friends had downloaded for him. His mother had asked him to take some chocolates over to the station. She had extras and thought the police officers might like some. After he dropped off the candies he was going to meet up with his friends at the beach. They had planned on surfing today but it was really hot. Maybe we’ll just go swimming, thought Zach as he walked near David’s office.
“Hello, Cindy,” he said to the woman behind the desk. Cindy looked up from her computer. She was a heavyset middle-aged woman. She was very sweet and Zach liked talking to her.
A Heap of Truffles Page 2