“I loved him!” Liza emphasized her words by jabbing the air with her gun. “I thought he loved me too!”
“He broke your heart, Liza. Don’t let him ruin your life.” Kelly didn’t want to feel any sympathy for the killer holding her at gunpoint, but she couldn’t help herself. Jason had preyed on Liza, used her insecurities to his advantage.
“It’s too late!” She blinked back the tears and inhaled a shaky breath, squaring her shoulders, and reinforcing her grip on the gun. “Now, tell me what you found here.”
“A flash drive.” Cooperating was the last thing Kelly wanted to do, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She reassured herself if she kept Liza talking then she had a better chance of getting out of there alive. “On the flash drive were photos of spreadsheets from both churches and Jason’s ad agency.”
“I knew it. I thought Tawny accessed my computer files the last time she was at the church office. She fled so fast, she tripped on the way out. So, she took photos of the file and then downloaded them to the flash drive? Huh. I was wondering if she saved the records she accessed and what she did with them. I thought, whatever she took, she put it in her purse.”
“The Fendi purse?”
“If only you would have let me see it when I asked about it at the boutique. You left me no choice but to break-in. Sorry about the mess.” There was no remorse in her voice.
No remorse, no empathy, no chance for Kelly to survive this encounter if she didn’t come up with a plan. She needed to do something. Staying calm and maintaining eye contact was getting her nowhere. Her gaze darted around the space. There wasn’t much to work with, and Liza still blocked her exit. The exercise bike wasn’t going to be of any help unless she could magically ride it out of the unit. But…wait. On the floor was a body bar. Back in the city, she’d taken aerobic toning classes that used weighted body bars. Those classes were the bomb. She gave herself a mental shake. Now wasn’t the time for a trip down memory lane. If she could get to the bar, she could have something to defend herself with. Perhaps she could do what Jason had done to Liza, manipulate her by appealing to the lonely little girl inside of her. The girl who wanted to be loved.
“You were planning a beach wedding, weren’t you?” Kelly asked gingerly.
“What?” Liza snapped.
“You were planning on going to an island and eloping. So, a beach wedding? I’d love a beach wedding.”
Liza nodded and her eyes went all dreamy. “At sunset. Just the two of us.”
Kelly forced herself to keep a poker face. She needed to play it cool.
“Flip flops or bare feet?”
“Flip flops. The ones with sparkles. Ooh, and a big hat with a big flower on it.”
With Liza daydreaming about her never-going-to-happen wedding, Kelly inched slowly toward the body bar.
“Under an arbor with the setting sun as your background.” Kelly was so close to the bar. Ready to swoop down, grab it and come up swinging when a truck rumble interrupted Liza’s fantasy. The loud, sudden noise startled Liza, leaving Kelly no choice. It was now or never. She grabbed the bar and lunged toward Liza. Swinging hard, she struck Liza, knocking her off balance. The gun went flying out of her hand.
Kelly watched, as if in slow-motion, the gun fall to the concrete floor and discharge. The loud noise made her jump. Luckily, the barrel was facing away from them.
Kelly’s distraction gave Liza a small window to gain the upper hand again. With her arms stretched out, she stormed toward Kelly.
Kelly quickly reacted, raising the bar up to block Liza’s attempt to grab her. With all of her strength, she rammed Liza with the bar until she pinned her against the wall. It was a swift movement that even surprised Kelly. She then boosted the bar up to Liza’s neck and pressed, forcing Liza to stop resisting.
“Hey, everything okay in here?” a male voice called into the unit.
Kelly glanced over her shoulder. A short, chunky man dressed in ripped jeans and wrinkled shirt stood in the doorway with his chubby hands propped on his thick waist.
“Does everything look okay? Call the police. I need help.” Kelly backed away from Liza but kept her eye on the woman while she picked up the gun. Having the weapon in her hand made her nervous but not as much as having it pointed at her.
“Sure. No problem. What should I tell them?” he asked.
“Seriously?”
He shrugged and then pulled his phone from his pants pocket.
“Killing you wasn’t something I wanted to do.” Liza’s chin quivered and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Could have fooled me.” Kelly backed away from Liza and took in a deep breath. What had just happened was finally hitting her. The realization of how close she’d come to dying washed over her, and she fought back tears.
“The cops are on their way,” the clueless guy said.
“Thanks. I’d appreciate it if you would stay until they get here.” Kelly had control over the situation for now, but things could change on a dime.
“Yeah, no problem. I can go to the dump later. Hey, after the cops take her away, you wanna get a drink or something?”
Before Kelly could respond with a big, fat “No,” the sound of sirens approaching caught her attention. Thank goodness.
Clueless Guy was jostled as two uniformed police officers appeared. Seeing that one of the officers was Gabe, Kelly heaved a sigh of relief.
“She killed Tawny and Jason! She confessed!” Kelly wanted to run to her friend and hug him, but the cautious look on his face had her staying where she was.
“Kell, put down the gun,” Gabe instructed.
Kelly glanced at her hand and made a face. She happily did as instructed. Carefully, she set the weapon on the floor.
“Good girl,” Gabe said.
“Yeah, she’s hot too,” Clueless Guy said, earning him a grimace from Gabe and Kelly.
“Something you want to tell me?” Gabe asked Kelly with a smirk.
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Are you going to cuff her or what?”
“Sweet. She’s into cuffs,” Clueless Guy said with a creepy smile.
“Ewww.” Kelly moved aside as the other officer came forward and put handcuffs on Liza.
“Come on, let’s go.” The officer led Liza out of the storage unit, reading her her rights.
“Let me get this guy’s statement. Do you want to wait in your Jeep?” Gabe asked.
“Sure.” She walked out of the unit. Her legs felt like noodles. The rush of adrenaline left her unsteady and lightheaded. She breathed in a deep inhale of fresh air. And another. It helped clear her head.
With the back of her hand, she wiped away the tears that streamed down her face. But there were too many of them.
“Stupid tears.”
Shoot. She’d left her bag and laptop in the storage unit. In need of a tissue, pronto, she reached into the vehicle, flipped up the top of the console between the two front seats, and found a napkin from Doug’s. It would do. She blotted her face dry.
“You okay?” Gabe had come up behind Kelly, startling her.
Her nod turned into a head shake as her shoulders slumped. She wasn’t okay. How could she be?
“Hey. You’re safe. She’s going to jail for a long time.” He turned her around slowly and leveled a concerned gaze on her.
The look on his face was the final straw, and she dissolved into the hot mess she’d been trying to avoid. She collapsed against his chest, sobbing, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her. He didn’t say another word he just let her cry.
It took a few moments for her anxiety and fear to flush out from her body, leaving her feeling exhausted and in need of a nap.
“She’d better go away for a very long time.” Kelly sniffled and then drew back. She looked up at her friend. He’d cracked a smile.
“She will. Thanks to you. But, don’t take that as encouragement to do this ever again.”
Kelly held her hands up in surrender. “Oh, never again.”
“Are you okay enough to tell me everything that happened?”
She blew her nose and then took a deep, cleansing breath. Gabe wanted a statement from her not her sob story. Well, at least not at that moment. Later, when he was off duty as a cop but on duty as her friend. She closed the Jeep’s door and began at the beginning when she’d found the key in the Fendi purse.
Chapter 23
Three weeks later Lucky Cove experienced a pleasant stretch of beautiful weather. There hadn’t been a cloud in sight, just bright sunshine and mild temperatures, which made being alive even more sweet for Kelly.
The days following her showdown with Liza in the storage unit were a blur. There was a string of sleepless nights, days when her mind concocted different endings that left her panicked and doing a lot of looking over her shoulder for Liza. Just in case.
“You made a nice little commission on the purse.” Ariel dipped her spoon into the sundae. The small cup of vanilla ice cream was smothered with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nuts, and topped with a cherry. She’d stopped by the boutique with a mid-afternoon treat for them. And to check up on her friend, though she didn’t come right out and say that. Kelly just knew and she was grateful for her concern. And the company.
Kelly swallowed her mouthful of ice cream. She opted for a cup of plain chocolate ice cream. No frills. Even though she was tempted to pile on the extras, she remembered that summer was coming with sundresses and shorts. So, no extra calories. At least for now. Come July 4th, who knew what she’d indulge in. And given what she’d been through, she would be indulging big-time.
“And it sold in a heartbeat. It wasn’t up on the website for more than two hours when an offer came in.” After Kelly turned over the flash drive and Fendi purse to the police, Tawny’s brother contacted her. He gave permission to sell the purse along with all of Tawny’s clothing. He planned to donate the money from the sales to a charity in his sister’s name.
“Awesome!”
“It was a nice little addition to the boutique’s bottom line. Now to find more designer items for consignment.”
“I’m guessing Serena isn’t going to be any help there. Surely, she has a closet or two of clothes and purses she doesn’t wear.” Ariel scooped out another heaping spoonful of ice cream dripping in chocolate sauce.
Kelly frowned at her plain ice cream, resisting the urge to plunge her spoon into Ariel’s cup.
“Trust me, she does. And, no. She’s not going to be any help. She’s back in the city and back at work. My friend, Julie, texted me this morning. Serena is acting like nothing ever happened.” Kelly scooped up another spoonful. Her last encounter with Serena was at the rental house when she was led out in handcuffs after her second arrest. It turned out that she had visited Jason’s house and found him dead. Shocked, she fled. Her vehicle was spotted by a neighbor walking a dog who reported it to the police. After Liza confessed, Serena was let go and she left Lucky Cove without as much as a goodbye.
Ariel’s eyes bugged out. “After what you did for her? You almost got yourself killed.”
“I’ve learned not to expect anything from Serena Dawson. You know, like things that show she’s a human being.”
It was sad, really. Serena kept everyone at a distance and always seemed intent on being the one to strike the first hurtful blow. Kelly couldn’t imagine living like that. Sure, there’s always the risk of heartbreak and disappointment, but retreating into a self-imposed bubble seemed like it would be more damaging to a person. It was not how Kelly wanted to live her life.
And that was her choice. Just like it was her uncle’s choice to live his life keeping his secret about being Ariel’s biological father.
Kelly blinked. She couldn’t think about that. Especially with Ariel sitting across from her at the table in the boutique’s staff room.
Think about something else. Kittens. The new trends for summer. Anything!
“Hey, are you okay? You have a funny look on your face.” Ariel set her sundae cup down and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“Yeah…no…There’s something…”
The door swung open and Breena popped in.
“Kell, Detective Wolman is here to see you,” she said, saving Kelly from spilling her uncle’s secret and possibly destroying Ariel’s life. When she could afford it, Kelly needed to give Breena a raise.
“Wonder what she wants?” Ariel asked.
“Maybe she wants to tell you that you’re getting a medal for helping solve the murders. I mean, the newspaper article made you sound like a hero. Which you are!” Breena flashed a proud smile.
“Ella did do a great job with her article,” Ariel said after swallowing a spoonful of ice cream.
The day after Kelly’s near death face-to-face with Liza, she sat down with Ella for an interview. When she arrived at the Gull Café to meet the reporter, she was nervous but by the end of their meeting, Kelly felt good about the interview. After it was published in the Weekly, it was picked up by other news outlets. The boutique’s website had seen an increase in visitors and she had more interview requests. She’d been debating whether to do them. The bonus would be the exposure of the boutique. The downside would be the exposure of herself. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being the center of attention. Especially in a murder case.
“She did. Well, I better go see what Wolman wants now.” Kelly stood.
“No problem. I have to get back to the library. We can talk later.” Ariel grabbed her ice cream and navigated her wheelchair from the table.
“Ah…sure.” Great. Now Kelly had to come up with something to talk to Ariel about. Lucky for her, she just had a breakup. That was always good for heart-to-heart, soul-wrenching talks.
The three of them headed to the main sales area of the boutique, and Ariel continued out the front door, passing the detective and giving her a little wave. Wolman returned the smile and then turned her attention to Kelly. Breena dashed away, far away, into the accessory department, so Kelly was all on her own with Wolman.
Hopefully, it was business that brought Wolman to the boutique but, by the looks of her outfit—jeans, a rose-colored sweater, and drop earring dangling from her ears—the chances of her being there for work seemed low. Kelly’s stomach twisted. The only other reason she could be there was because of Mark. Yep, she was there to gloat.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” Wolman stepped forward, drawing Kelly’s attention to her white sneakers with splashes of rose gold. Look at the detective being all fashionable.
“Not at all. What brings you buy today? Something about Liza’s case?”
Wolman shook her head. “No. It’s in the hands of the district attorney now. I’m here to talk to you about Mark.”
Yep, Kelly was right. “I’m sure you know we broke up.” She dragged her gaze from Wolman and focused on a mannequin she just dressed in a pair of capri pants and blue button-down shirt. She didn’t want the detective to see her eyes water. Shoot. She thought she was done crying over Mark Lambert.
“I know, and that’s what I want to talk to you about.”
“I don’t understand.” Kelly looked back at Wolman.
Wolman took in a deep breath and moved closer to Kelly. For the first time since meeting her, Kelly saw uncertainty on the woman’s face. The nerves that had buzzed with seeing her in the boutique now morphed into a full-on anxiety. What was she going to say?
“Despite your irritating interference in my cases, you seem like a nice person.”
“But I wasn’t a nice enough person to date your brother.”
“No. That’s not true.”
Kelly cocked her head sideways. Her tears had dried up. Now she was angry. “Really? You’ve been
trying to get me to stop seeing him. Remember our conversation in December?” She sure did. “You didn’t want to see him get distracted or have his reputation damaged in any way.”
“I said that to try and—”
“And what? Look, it doesn’t matter. We’re broken up. You got what you wanted.” Kelly moved away, heading to the sales counter.
“You’re probably still hurting. Maybe second-guessing what could have been done differently. Wondering where you came up short.”
Kelly swung around and faced Wolman. “If this is your idea of a pep talk…”
“Hear me out. This isn’t easy for me.”
“Me neither. Just say what you have to say.” Then they could both get on with their lives.
“I love my brother.”
Kelly shook her head. She had had enough. She walked behind the counter.
“You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?” Wolman followed and rested her hands on the glass countertop.
Kelly flashed a what-do-you-think look as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for Wolman to continue with whatever she was trying to say.
“Woman-to-woman, I think you’re probably better off without my brother. I love him, but he can be a…jerk.”
Kelly’s eyes bulged at Wolman’s characterization of her brother. Maybe their talk wouldn’t be a bad thing. “Go on, I’m listening.”
Wolman tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You should know this isn’t the first time he’s put his career, his ambitions, ahead of a girlfriend. He can be a bit of a control freak. He also tends to have unrealistic standards of other people.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
“As I said, you seem like a nice person, and I didn’t want to see you get hurt, and that’s why I gave you a hard time about your involvement with him. I do hope you find someone who won’t have a problem with you being you.”
“Wow.” Kelly’s hand covered her heart. She never thought Wolman cared about her. “That’s a really nice thing to say to me. I appreciate it, Marcy.”
How to Frame a Fashionista Page 23