Tandem Demise

by Duffy Brown

  I bit my bottom lip and felt a tear slide down my cheek. I held Sutter’s hand a little tighter. “I’ve lucked out two times finding the bad guy,” I whispered into the darkness, “and if anybody up there is listening, not that I deserve anyone to listen but if you are, I’d really appreciate your help one more time. Please, let me nail one more bad guy and I’ll turn in my flashlight and paperclips and be content with painting bikes and eating junk food.” I made a cross over my heart and meant it. “Promise.”

  I wiped away another tear and set Sutter’s cell phone alarm for five AM. It was still dark at that hour so he could sneak off. Molly would be in the station around six and maybe Finn too to lend her a hand. I didn’t think they would keep Sutter in jail, but it wasn’t fair to again make them choose between friendship and the law.

  I kissed Sutter on the forehead then tiptoed out of the jail.

  “You really don’t think the murders are connected?” Cal said to me early the next morning as we sat at the workbench. “Both guys were from Detroit, they knew each other and Nate, and they were all involved in the smuggling operation.”

  I handed Cal a cup of coffee. “Bladen has extenuating circumstances. At least three people were royally pissed at him.” I counted on my fingers. “He ruined Daniela’s wedding, double crossed Eileen, and slept with Curtis’s fiancée. All of them blamed Sutter for not stepping in and arresting Bladen. Daniela’s off the hook, so that leaves Eileen and Curtis.”

  Cal ran his hand over his Marine buzzed non-hair. “Except for her bad taste in men, Eileen’s no dumb chick. I sat behind her in algebra and she let me copy. I sucked at algebra. Curtis is CEO of his own hat company, Hats by Hathaway to Top Off Your Day or something like that. Anyway, I bought him a beer at the Stang and he gave me tips on using LinkedIn to get good employees for the island. I’d say he and Eileen have the smarts to steal the pistol, shoot Bladen during a musket drill, and frame Nate.”

  “Eileen didn’t shed a tear over Bladen toes up and eyes open, but I can’t just say, Freeze! You’re under arrest! Maybe I should bring her a chocolate cream cheese muffin from Martha’s Sweet Shop. A nice sugar high could get her talking. What do you think?”

  “I think you want a cream cheese muffin. Did you ever consider eating oatmeal for breakfast?”

  Morning sunlight glistened off the tall spires of the Mackinac Bridge and dew still clung to the trees that had turned from summer green into autumn wow. There was always a line at Martha’s at eight AM, but it gave me a few minutes to appreciate the morning sounds of shopkeepers opening their doors, hanging baskets overflowing with mums of every hue swaying in the breeze, kayakers heading out into the lake, and cleaner-up Karl giving the streets a final sweep with his trusty broom and trash can on wheels to start the Mackinac Island day afresh.

  “Hear anything from Nate?” Bonnie asked as she handed me my pink bag across the glass display case of all things yum.

  “Nothing. I just hope he stays out of sight. He’s no good to anyone behind bars.”

  “So maybe he’s walking behind something else, something big and kind of smelly. He is a man of many talents, some we never knew he had.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “Oh, good grief. Just ask Karl to keep an eye out for Nate.” Bonnie went on to the next customer and I headed outside and did a double take at the resident street sweeper.

  The island had an automated street cleaner pulled by horses that did a really good job of keeping the streets tidy, but Karl was an institution around here, a local figure keeping the place perfect, or as near perfect as horse travel would allow. Except today Karl looked different. Taller, maybe? With his hat pulled low on his forehead.

  “You missed a spot,” I said as I crossed the street, pausing in the middle. “And where’s Karl?”

  “Having a root canal and I’m filling in. He got the better end of this deal I can tell you that.”

  “So you’re going with the hiding in plain sight plan?”

  “Better than Doud’s freezer. I dreamed I got attacked by tater tots.”

  “And you really had a ponytail?”

  “Catch up with you later, Kemo Sabe.”

  “Shower first. You’ll scare the cats.” I continued across Main Street then cut up Astor to Market.

  The Metivier Inn in was picture perfect Mackinac Island. The quaint Victorian hotel was the stuff postcards and TripAdvisor used to lure fudgies here. Nancy Drew was probably parked around back where I dropped her off, but right now I wanted to see Eileen. I took the front steps to the wrap-around porch with hanging ferns, wicker rockers, and guests sipping coffee, Italian roast no doubt. Eileen dropped off a tray of pastries and started back inside as I asked, “Got a minute?” I held up the pink Martha’s bag, making it do a dance in the air. “Even the help gets a ten minute coffee break, right?”

  Eileen hitched her head toward the back of the porch and hummed Walking on Sunshine. I followed her down the steps to the side yard and a stone bench. She snatched the bag out of my hand, grabbed a muffin, and landed a bite that would do Jaws proud.

  “I’m starving,” she said around a mouthful. “Being in a good mood always makes me hungry. Bladen finally got a bit of his own, though I gotta say, death by firing squad is a bit much even for an ignoramus.”

  I grabbed back the bag and got the other muffin before Eileen gobbled them both. “And to top it all off Sutter didn’t arrest Bladen for leading you on,” I mumbled around a mouthful of crumbs, “so that had to make you double mad. I suppose he got what he deserved too.”

  I gave Eileen a meaningful look over the top of my muffin and added a nonchalant shrug, trying and keep things casual while accusing her of murder.

  Eileen stopped mid-chew and swallowed. “You... you think I knocked off Bladen?”

  “And framed Sutter for the deed. Well done, you.”

  “For your information I just happened to be with someone when Bladen was knocked off. And when I say with I mean like in the biblical sense not that I can tell you who my alibi is ’cause it wouldn’t be good for him. And another thing, Missy.” Eileen stood and brushed muffin bits from her pink apron. “Just because you got the hots for Nate Sutter and we all know it, don’t go trying to pin Bladen’s demise on me to clear Sutter.”

  Eileen tossed her hair. “In fact, I think Nate Sutter’s guilty of doing in that John guy and Bladen. From what I’ve heard Sutter stole a lot of money when he was in Detroit and it caught up with him. How else could Nate afford giving Irma and Rudy that Winnebago? Not on a cop’s salary, that’s for sure.”

  “He had investments. That’s how he got the money and Sutter is not a killer or a thief.”

  “Yeah, that’s what all the guilty ones say. I watch NCIS, I know how these things work.” Eileen snagged my half-eaten muffin right out of my hand and marched back to the porch.

  “Well, that didn’t go so well,” Petula said from behind me. She had on a floral dress and tan jacket with perfect makeup and her hair pinned up in a nice ’do. “But take my word for it, Eileen’s not your killer.”

  “What happened to you? You look great.”

  “It’s really what happened to Mr. All-Play-and-No-Work Bladen Powers.” Petula flashed a toothy grin that benefited from recently used Crest whitening strips. “I don’t wish him harm, but since he got it anyway, things have turned out right peachy. You’re looking at the new senior wedding planner for Wedding Wonderland. I sprang into action and got Daniela married up there at the Grand. Daniela tweeted, Facebooked, and Instagrammed all over the place about how the Grand Hotel came to her rescue and how wonderful I was to pull it off.”

  Petula fanned a check in my face. “And I convinced Curtis to pay the bill for his engagement party. He’d refused before saying Bladen was the reason he lost his fiancée but now he’s happy as a pig in mud. Bladen Power’s demise might not be so good for Bladen Powers, but everyone else around here is all giggles and smiles.”

  Petula gave me a little fing
er wave and strolled off and I thought about the giggles and smiles. She was right, Bladen dead made her day, made Eileen happy, and put Curtis in a good mood and all that had to lead somewhere. But right now I needed to get Nancy back to the shop before the morning rush and Cal got swamped with customers.

  I found Nancy parked by the back door. I was never going to get better at riding a bike if I didn’t practice. With it being early and traffic light, now was the perfect time to give Nancy a go, right?

  “Holy cannoli, what happened to you?” Cal asked as I limped into the shop with my ripped jacket flung over the handlebars. “I’m guessing it has to do with Nancy Drew looking like she got run over by a steamroller but since we don’t have steamrollers here...”

  “I sort of crashed into a dray. No harm came to any horses unless you count uproarious side-splitting laughter followed by equine snickering.”

  “Good thing you didn’t have on a Rudy’s Rides t-shirt. Talk about bad publicity.”

  “I feel so much better now.”

  “And I think you killed your jacket.”

  I sat on the stool and grabbed the first aid kit from under the workbench. I kept it there for clumsy customers. Who was I kidding? I mostly used it on my clumsy self.

  “Let me patch you up,” Cal said as he rolled my way. “Then I have to get back to the office. I have two employees lined up for Jack’s Livery and need to see if they know one end of a horse from the other. Did you get any info out of Eileen?”

  “She was with someone when Bladen got shot and I believe her. Go do your interviews. I’m fine and you can patch up Nancy later.”

  Cal rolled toward the door and stopped. “Do you think Fiona’s happy with Finn?”

  I suddenly wished the dray had run me over and I was any place but here answering Cal’s question. “Yeah, I think she is.”

  Cal gave me a tightlipped nod. “Good. That’s what I want more than anything.”

  Cal opened the door and left as two customers entered. They looked at me and a mangled Nancy Drew then turned around and exited in a hurry. “Yeah,” I said to Bambino and Cleveland sitting on the workbench, “it’s going to be one of those days and I’d appreciate a little sympathy for a change. And since I feed you and shelter you and you don’t do laundry or vacuum around here, I think it would be nice if you guys got me a doughnut with sprinkles to cheer me up. So there.”

  I stored Nancy in the back so as not to frighten off any more customers then I duct tapes the rips on my jacket. It looked like it had been mended by an orangutan, but I pulled it on anyway to hide my elbow Band-Aids. With Cover Girl’s help I hid the scrapes on my nose and chin. With holey jeans being the in style, I was good to go as another wave of customers descended.

  “Lord have mercy,” Mother said, barging in the front door with four customers staring at her wide-eyed. Her hair was more bird nest than lawyer sleek and was that a spot on her navy jacket? Did the earth just tilt on its axis?

  “I’m gone one night. Just one, mind you,” Mother carried on, “and all hell breaks loose around here and why are you wearing makeup? You never wear makeup and why is your jacket held together by tape? Crime on a cupcake, what’s happened around here?”

  I flashed the customers a friendly grin and gestured around the shop. “Choose any bike you like and it’s on the house. Just have it back by tomorrow.” I snagged Mother by the elbow and hauled her outside to the porch then into the side walkway that led to her office. “Who squealed?”

  “There was a note in Angelo’s fridge thanking him for the salami and provolone sandwich along with a bottle of Chianti. It was signed The Fugitive. Luca filled us in on the details and I see a scrape on your chin and nose. You really need to give up biking, dear. Maybe you should put that on a t-shirt so you remember.”

  “Sutter’s on the lam and accused of two murders and we have to find the killer and you’re an attorney and I can’t talk to you about any of this in case...” I swallowed hard. “In case Sutter’s brought to trial. You can’t lie and I don’t want you to have to give evidence against him. I, on the other hand—”

  “Will lie and get tossed in jail because you suck at it.” Mother put her arm around me. “Is it that bad?”

  “Most around here like Sutter, but some think he’s guilty of taking money when he was in Detroit and that he knocked off Bladen and the guy on the docks to keep it. I’m afraid that if someone finds him they’ll turn him in and you know what happens to cops in prison. I’m running out of time and suspects. The island is just not that big for Sutter to say hidden. This morning he doubled as a pooper scooper.”

  Mother added a tight grin then it faded completely, her blue eyes nearly black with concern. “Look for the person who has the most to gain. That part’s harder than you think. It’s not clear until you start digging around and that can get very dangerous very fast.”

  Mother took my hand. “I’ll see what I can find out on my end. If you need help call me. I might be a lawyer, but that be damned, I’m your mamma first.” She added a sassy shrug. “Your proud mamma.” She kissed me on the cheek then headed down the path to her office.

  I’d probably lost some sales, but when your mother says she’s proud of you, especially when you thought you were the black sheep of the family, that was worth all the money in the world. Tired and sore I doused the lights in the shop except for the neon green bike light that hung in the window. I hobbled up the stairs to grab a shower and nearly collided with Sutter coming out of my bathroom shrouded in a towel, a really little towel. “You’re...you’re naked.”

  “You’re early.” Sutter tried to rearrange the towel that was a regular sized towel, at least I thought it was, but truth be told Sutter didn’t have much material to work with.

  “You keep the shop open until eight,” Sutter added, “and why are you smiling?”

  “I’m not smiling and what about eight?”

  “That’s when you close. It’s only six now so I thought I’d be gone when you got home. You’re the one who told me to get a shower.”

  “Not here!”

  “What happened to your nose and chin?”

  “It was the horses’ fault.” I darted into my bedroom and came back with my robe. “It’s big and it’s fluffy.”

  “It’s Hello Kitty.”

  “Everybody’s a critic.” Scooting past Sutter I grabbed his clothes from the bathroom counter. “I’ll wash these before my house smells like Mackinac on a bad day and I’ll make you something to eat and—“

  There was a knock at the back door and I said to Sutter, “Don’t panic, its just Mother. She’s trying to find out what’s going on in the legal world about you so maybe she’s come up with something.”

  I raced down the stairs as fast as skinned knees would allow. I headed for the kitchen and my closet with the stackable washer and dryer and spotted Finn and some mean-looking guy in a cop uniform standing at my back window staring straight at me.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The cop yanked opened the door and strode inside just as the hall steps creaked and my heart stopped dead in my chest. I said in a loud shaky voice, “Finn, who’s your big police friend here? Nice uniform?”

  “This is Sergeant Abrams from Detroit. He’s here to help Molly since she’s short-handed.”

  “And to hunt down Nate Sutter because Molly won’t?” I folded my arms to bunch up Sutter’s clothes into an unrecognizable bundle.

  “Someone else in the house with you?” Abrams grumbled. “And what’s that smell?”

  “What smell?” Abrams was clean-shaven, with beady eyes and a continuous unibrow. He was built like a tank and had about as much personality.

  “Thought I heard someone on the steps.” Abrams added.

  “Cats.” I looked from snarling, bristle-tailed Bambino and Cleveland standing on the kitchen windowsill to Finn doing a very slight shake of his head warning me off. “Lots of cats,” I pushed on. “In fact we’re having a cat sleepover.”

 
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a terrible liar.”

  “If I had a nickel.”

  “Anyone ever tell you it’s a crime to lie to the police.”

  “Anyone ever tell it’s a crime to arrest the wrong person.”

  “Get out of my way.” Abrams pushed me aside making me drop Sutter’s clothes and scattering them across the floor as Finn said, “Now wait a minute.”

  From the corner of my eye I saw Sutter start down the steps as Cleveland and Bambino, in a flash of black and calico, leaped into the air landing claws-out on Abrams’ chest while Mother barged into the kitchen wedging herself between Abrams and me. “Gotawarrant?”

  “Get ’em off me! Get ’em off me!” Abrams roared, his arms flailing as he stumbled backwards. I tucked Bambino under one arm, Cleveland under the other, and kicked the clothes under the kitchen table while Abrams roared again. “You’re making things worse, lady.”

  “Lawyer lady to you,” Mother said getting right up in Abrams’ face while I positioned myself in front of the clothes. “Touch my daughter again and you’ll see what worse is all about.”

  “Come on,” Finn said to Abrams and opened the door. “We’re not getting anywhere here.”

  Abrams gazed down at his front. “I’m...I’m bleeding.”

  “Tell the local police how you were scratched by a cat,” I seethed. “That should impress the heck out of them.”

  Abrams slammed his hand on my kitchen table, scaring the heck out of me, thinking he’d seen the pants and shirt under it. Instead he stormed out the door and Finn followed, glancing back at Mother with a quick nod and a little smile.

  “Thanks,” I said to Mother. I put the kits back on their perch and grabbed a can of tuna. “I’m so sorry you had to get in the middle of all that.” I dumped the tuna onto saucers for the feline heroes. “I put you in a bad spot.”

  Mother grinned ear to ear and fluffed her hair. “Dear daughter, this is an attorney’s idea of a day at Disneyland. Now you just go about doing your laundry and anything else you happen to be doing, but do it out of sight. There’s this thing called exigent circumstances where if the police see a suspected felon, they can go after him no warrant needed.” Mother twirled around and strutted out the door.