Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 01 - Stilettos & Scoundrels

by Laina Turner

  I looked around before saying quietly, “I don’t know, but Cooper said that the Senator was found early this morning by the housekeeper. Someone stabbed him. Can you believe it?”

  “Oh my God! In this town?” Katy said excitedly.

  Not since Old Lady Hubbard shot her husband when she found him with that slutty bar server had there been a murder in Alkon. That was over twenty years ago, and most people thought he deserved it for screwing around on his wife. In fact, I don’t even think she got any jail time for it. Justifiable homicide is what they called it. This murder was definitely earth shattering news for a little sleepy town where the biggest crime was usually a kid drag racing through town. That may sound a little cliché, but seriously, nothing ever happened here. Hence, that was part of why I moved to Chicago right after high school—I needed some action.

  “Should we really be talking about this?” Chris finally opened his mouth. It startled me. I had been so wrapped up in telling Katy the story that I forgot Chris was still sitting with us.

  “Why not? I, for one, am really curious about who would kill the Senator. Especially here in Alkon; it’s not like this is Capitol Hill,” I said. “C’mon, Chris, you can’t tell me you aren’t the least bit interested.”

  “No. It’s none of my business. And you shouldn’t be going around spreading gossip,” Chris snapped. I just looked at him. Men. Always thinking they were above gossiping. So why did it seem sometimes they were the worst offenders?

  “This isn’t gossip, Chris. This is a fact that he was killed. Why shouldn’t we talk about it? Maybe we can figure out why.”

  “Think of how Helen feels. Don’t you think that the more people talk about this and start speculating and spreading rumors, like everyone in this town does, the worse it’s going to make Helen feel?” Chris asked. “Don’t you have any compassion?”

  I just stared at him. He couldn’t have surprised me more than if he showed up at the diner with purple hair. Since when did Chris Stone care about Helen Daniels? I doubted they traveled in the same social circles. Did he even know her? His brother Tobey did work for the Senator, so maybe he was concerned on his behalf, but still that seemed like a stretch.

  “You know, I did overhear someone at the salon talking about how Tom and Helen were having marital problems and Helen was having an affair,” Katy said, ignoring Chris’ stance on gossip. “Do you think maybe Helen has a lover who wants her all to himself and decided to get Tom out of the picture? Wouldn’t that just be so Hollywood?”

  Katy and her love of pop culture and celebrities. I couldn’t say too much though, I knew all the celebrity gossip too.

  “Katy, I doubt that Helen was having an affair and even if she was, don’t you think it would be back in D.C.? Not here in Alkon,” Chris said condescendingly. He seemed tense. “I mean, really…who here would be good enough for her?”

  “Excuse me?” Katy said, offended.

  “You know what I mean, Katy. I mean good enough for her in her eyes.”

  “Well, maybe they followed Tom and Helen here because it was easier to get to them here than in D.C.?” Katy fired back. “Or maybe Helen’s lover just can’t bear to be without her so he followed her here. Chill out, Chris, I’m just having some fun.”

  “We’re just speculating, Chris. Besides, since when did you become the expert on extramarital affairs? And why do you care?” I asked.

  “It’s just common sense, Pres. Who in Alkon would she possibly be interested in? I mean, c’mon, look at her,” Chris replied. “She’s way out of anyone’s league in Alkon.”

  “Ummm… she’s from here, remember. Geesh, you’re awful testy, Chris. Didn’t you take your happy pill today?” I said, trying to lighten the mood. What was his deal? “If Helen was having an affair, maybe she wanted a divorce and the Senator wouldn’t give her one. That would be motive to kill him, wouldn’t it?”

  “She is not having an affair. Blame it on something else,” Chris said defensively.

  “How would you know?”

  “Tobey works, or rather worked, for Senator Daniels, remember? From everything he tells me, they are a loving couple. As much as anyone else, anyways. And Tobey doesn’t need the extra stress in his job that this will bring, much less people making it worse by making things up.”

  “Speaking of Tobey, what does he think of this? Does he have an idea who might have killed him? He has to know who might have had it in for the Senator.”

  “Like I already said, Pres, it’s none of our business. And we haven’t even had a chance to talk about it anyway. I am sure he is too busy today.”

  “Did you ask Cooper who he thought may have done this?” Katy asked me.

  “I tried, but he wouldn’t give me the time of day. He was too busy trying to ask me questions. He was being a jerk, actually.”

  “Why? Because he wouldn’t give you information on a murder investigation? You two are unbelievable.” Chris shook his head. “What do you expect him to do? Give you all the inside information?”

  “It’s not like he’s a cop or anything. Besides, I was telling him everything I knew. Is it too much to ask to have him reciprocate?”

  “Yeah, Chris,” Katy jumped in, eager to needle him even though she had been all lovey on him just a few minutes ago. He was starting to get on Katy’s nerves.

  Chris sighed. “He is a professional and spreading around sensitive information wouldn’t look good for his reputation. Is that too difficult for you to understand?”

  “I remember a time when he didn’t care about his reputation. In fact, in those days, he seemed to do whatever he could to make his reputation seem worse,” I retorted. I knew I was being bitchy and somewhat baiting Chris, but it was his fault; he was being such an easy button to push about this.

  “That was years ago. You have no idea what he has done since then or been through. Grow up.”

  “What is your deal, Chris? We’re just playing around. If you’re that concerned, tell us what he has been through. I, for one, would like to know.”

  “This is none of your business, Presley. You should drop it and leave it to the professionals,” Chris replied.

  “I can’t help that I’m curious and want to know what happened. I came here to write about Senator Daniels and this will make an even better story. People have a right to know.”

  “True,” Katy said. “The public is always more fascinated with people posthumously.”

  “That’s sick, but oh so very true. I wonder why.”

  “You girls are crazy. Just stay out of it, or you might hurt someone or end up hurt.” With that, Chris got up and stormed out of the diner.

  “Wow. He was in a mood. What did he mean about us getting hurt? We aren’t doing anything bad, are we? And what’s the deal calling us ‘girls’?” I said, highly offended. I was a woman, dammit. I hadn’t ever been much of a women’s libber, but sometimes I felt like taking up the cause. And the term “girls” was just downright insulting—especially coming from a man.

  “I don’t know, but I haven’t seen him like that before. He’s really been on edge lately,” Katy explained.

  “What’s the deal with people in this town? Something is going on between Cooper, Dirt, and now Chris.

  “I guess everyone has a right to be moody. Maybe it’s just a coincidence.” Katy shrugged.

  “No, this goes deeper than that.”

  “I think you’re reading too much into it, Presley. Chris is probably just having a bad day.”

  “Are you sticking up for him? How did he get so lucky?”

  “Well…” Katy blushed, embarrassed.

  “Don’t think I didn’t notice how low your shirt is unbuttoned. Or, how you kept leaning into him when he was talking. He’s not that fascinating,” I teased. “But he is cute.”

  “Maybe he is,” she shrugged trying to act as she hadn’t noticed—and failing.

  “You have a thing for him again? You do, don’t you?” After seeing the look on her face in re
sponse to my question, it was quite obvious. “Didn’t you learn your lesson with him already?” Katy and Chris had dated on several occasions and it always ended badly, starting with him blowing her off for Missy Stevens, a blond bimbo of a cheerleader, in high school. Then two other times in the subsequent years. Katy just had a thing for him that wouldn’t go away, even to her detriment.

  “He’s different now. Not everyone is the same as they were in high school. Besides, that was a long time ago. Anyway, who cares?” she said with a wave of her hand. “It’s not like we are that serious. It’s just fun.”

  Katy might try to tell herself she was only having fun, but I could tell by the look on her face that it was more than that.

  “Well, what happened to John – or Don – what was his name again?”

  “Please! It was Jim. Besides, he’s been history for a long time. A girl can have her fun, can’t she? I told you that Chris and I are nothing serious.”

  “You’re crazy to go down that road again. But hey, you’re a big girl. There is something else I wanted to tell you before the men around here sidetracked us, and I didn’t really want to talk about it in front of Chris. Especially after I saw how he was acting.”

  “What? Tell me.” Katy leaned in.

  “I saw Helen Daniels going hot and heavy in a parked car on Main Street last night on my way to Brian’s.”

  “What? Oh my God…with who?”

  “That’s just it, I don’t know. I couldn’t see who the other person was and believe me I tried. The windows were too fogged up.”

  Katy laughed. “Seriously? You couldn’t see anything? Are you sure it was Helen then? I can’t really see her doing that in plain view.”

  “I am positive it was Helen, but you’re right, it does seem odd she would hook up in public with someone here in Alkon. At the time, I didn’t think much more about it other than figuring what was good for the gander was good for the goose. But now it also makes her somewhat of a suspect in her husband’s murder, don’t you think?”

  “Did you tell Cooper?”

  “Um, not exactly.”

  “Please tell me you told Dirt.”

  “Well, he was so mad at Cooper and I was mad at him for being mad at Cooper that, well, I sort of forgot.”

  “You mean you forgot on purpose.”

  I just shrugged. No use denying what was true.

  “Presley! They are going to kill you when they find out. And they will find out. You have to tell them.”

  “This is what I was thinking, Katy.” I leaned in closer. If I can figure out who killed Senator Daniels first, then they will both be happy and there’s no need for them to know about what I saw and didn’t tell them. Think about it. This could be my big break. I’m smarter than they are. I can solve this thing.”

  “That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard, Presley. At least tell Dirt. He’s a cop. What if this fling of Helen’s really does make her a true suspect, although I can’t see her killing someone, and you’re keeping valuable information from them that could help them solve this thing?”

  “Well, thanks for your confidence in my abilities to solve this. I can always tell them later. Besides, if they’re good at their jobs they should be able to figure it out on their own. They don’t need my help.”

  “Presley, of course you are smarter than they are, and I have no doubt you can solve this, but what if it’s dangerous? I mean, the Senator is already dead. Doesn’t that scare you? Besides, isn’t it a crime to withhold evidence?”

  “Who’s to say that Helen’s extramarital activities constitute evidence? I can’t help it if I have a bad memory,” I said innocently. “Besides, now they’re probably busy, and I hate to bother them. They probably wouldn’t have time to return my phone calls even if I tried to contact them. I am sure they are busy trying to find the bad guy.”

  “If you say so, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. They are going to be livid when they find out. And they will find out.”

  “So, how do you think we can find out who Helen was with in that car?” I wanted to change the subject so Katy would stop making me feel guilty about not telling Dirt and Cooper. I wanted Katy to focus on what was important.

  Just then, from out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dirt walk in. Shit. It was one thing to know something and just not say anything, but a very different scenario to be face-to-face with him and not tell him about it. I couldn’t very well claim I forgot again, when I just finished telling Katy everything. Dirt saw us and walked over.

  “Don’t you say a thing,” I whispered to Katy.

  “What are you talking about?” She hadn’t seen Dirt come in yet.

  “Just don’t throw me under the bus,” I warned.

  “You two spend a lot of time in here,” Dirt said as he walked up. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Sure,” Katy said waving her hands towards the space next to her. Dirt slid in. I thought that maybe Katy should try to hook up with Dirt. He was a much nicer guy than Chris.

  “You seem to be in a much better mood now,” I said to him. “How are things with the investigation? Catch the killer yet?”

  “Not many leads. People in the Senator’s camp are keeping their mouths closed about the inner workings and aren’t saying much. To make it worse, a girl showed up claiming to be the Senator’s girlfriend. Luckily Helen wasn’t there at the time, but it’s not going to be long before it gets out.”

  “What did she want?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure. She was certainly putting on a good show of being distraught, and when I left, poor Tobey was trying to calm her down and presumably do damage control. She was a mess but gorgeous. Don’t know how the Senator pulled that in.”

  “Dirt!” Katy leaned over and hit him.

  “What,” Dirt replied pretending to ward off more blows. “She was hot. With all the shit going on, at least let me appreciate something normal.”

  “You’re a pig,” Katy said playfully. She knew he was teasing.

  “In all seriousness, I know someone has to know more than they are telling me, but sometimes it is a waiting game.”

  Katy just looked at me. The people in the Senator’s camp weren’t the only ones not telling what they knew.

  “I just stopped by here to grab a burger before heading back to the station,” he said, raking his hand through his hair. I felt a little bad about not telling him about Helen. He really looked stressed, and I hated not giving him information that might help, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I wasn’t just nervous that he would be mad, there was something else—a feeling I couldn’t really explain.

  “Who is that?” Katy said and motioned over to a woman who had walked into the restaurant and made her way up to the to-go counter. Definitely not from around here, she had long brown hair with caramel highlights, a high-end job according to Katy. She was stunning in her gorgeous navy wrap dress, possibly a real Diane Von Furstenberg, and camel-colored knee boots. “That’s Lisa Simmons,” Dirt said turning around to look. She’s a reporter from some paper in Washington. She must have flown out here within minutes of hearing of the Senator’s death. She was at the station hounding the FBI agents. I don’t envy them. She didn’t seem too interested in talking to a small town sheriff, which was just fine by me.”

  I started to realize I might have some competition on this story. It hadn’t really occurred to me before now, but it made perfect sense. Of course, there would be all kinds of reporters all over this story. My competitive streak kicked in. I couldn’t let someone out-scoop me. I was going to have to be more focused and deliberate about what course of action I took on this.

  “The Feds?” Katy asked.

  “They showed up a few hours ago and pretty much took over. It’s to be expected with Tom being a Senator and all. But it’s still my town, and this needs to be solved for people’s peace of mind,” he said, slamming his fist on the table. “That’s something the FBI doesn’t care about—the people here in Alkon.”

/>   Once I heard that the Feds had taken over, I didn’t feel as bad about keeping information to myself. I didn’t know them, so I didn’t owe them anything. Besides, Dirt probably wouldn’t want to make it easier for them—more of my rationalization at its best.

  “Dirt, you are not going to believe what Presley saw.” Katy said with a sideways glance at her. I looked at her incredulously. Had I not just asked her five seconds ago to not tell anyone? I sent her a stern shut-up look.

  “What did you see, Pres?” he asked tiredly. Something told me that telling him now might not be the best timing. In fact, he was so tired and stressed, he would probably be completely irrational and upset with me about not saying anything about it this morning. It would probably be best if I waited. Why get him all worked up over something that probably was nothing? Yes, not telling him was the best option. It’s not as if I wouldn’t ever tell him, just not now. I would wait until I had more information to share.

  “Mr. Simms painted his house pink,” I blurted out. This was not going to work; he wasn’t going to believe this. I was going to kill Katy for opening her mouth. Katy kicked me under the table and looked at me as if to say “tell him, you idiot.” I shot her back a “shut the hell up” look.

  Dirt looked at me funny. He wondered why we felt this was big news.

  Katy looked at me and shook her head at the fact I wasn’t coming clean. I just hoped he didn’t notice all the big looks that Katy and I were exchanging. Lucky for me, he was tired and not paying attention. I was sure that under normal circumstances we would not be so lucky. If he couldn’t catch on to us normally, then he wasn’t a very good police officer.

  “Oh that,” he said, waving his hand. “He did that after the Town Board denied his permit to put a totem pole in his front yard and made him take it down. Since they couldn’t tell him what color to paint his house, it was his way to get back at the town.”

  “What was their problem with a totem pole?” Katy asked.