“I don’t see why not. Max is rounding up the guest of honor, so the party’s over.” As if on cue, the band stopped playing. A little applause floated up to me as I turned to add, “Let’s go!” but Jack was already gone. A few of the last guests who’d been dancing on the deck stopped to say goodbye, to comment on the food, or say what a wonderful time they’d had. I did my best to send them away happy.
When I’d said my last goodbye, I put my glass down and took in the scene below once more. It was such a lovely night. Movement on the walkway along the canal caught my eye. I bent forward for a closer look.
“How can that be?” I asked, even though there was no one around to hear me. One of those yellow silk scarves was lying on the grass near the canal. I didn’t see Kay or Melody searching for it, so they must not have realized it was gone. If I hurried, I might be able to grab it before it was swept into the canal by the evening breeze.
As I dashed down the stairs, I looked for Jack. When I didn’t see him, I kept moving. It would only take a minute to retrieve the scarf. The patio was empty now as I crossed the backyard to the walkway. When I grabbed the end of the scarf and gave it a tug, I suddenly felt sick.
“Jack!” I shouted as loud as I could, and I heard footsteps as someone ran toward me. When I looked up, expecting to see Jack, a figure in dark clothes was hurtling my way.
“Out of my way!” he shouted as he shoved me and sent me sprawling toward the sidewalk.
“Did you do it?” I asked as I grabbed at him, trying to stop him and ease the speed of my fall. I landed hard and skidded. I couldn’t believe it when he kicked at me. I stabbed at his knee with the heel of my shoe. He stumbled, then grabbed his leg, and kept going.
“Stop!” a man shouted as more footsteps pounded on the pavement running toward me. I rolled onto the grass, hoping I wouldn’t be trampled.
“There’s a canary in the canal!” I called out as I tried to get someone’s attention and make sense of what had just happened.
4 A Bungling Burglar
“Who was that?” I asked a uniformed officer who squatted down to speak to me. “Did he kill Kay?”
“We won’t know who he is or what he’s done unless they catch him. Are you okay?” the officer inquired. “Who’s Kay?”
“Georgie, what happened?” Jack asked as he joined us, a little out of breath. When he bent down close to me, I was so grateful to see him.
“I’m sorry, sir, you need to back off,” the officer told Jack. “We’re in pursuit of a burglary suspect who knocked this woman down in his effort to get away.”
“I’m not going anywhere. This woman happens to be my wife. I’m Detective Jack Wheeler with the Orange County Violent Crimes Unit.” Jack flashed his badge. “I spoke to a member of your team earlier today about the rash of burglaries in our county. He said there are similarities to several recent burglaries in LA County. He didn’t mention that included the Venice Canal District.”
“This is the first call we’ve had in the area, so we don’t know if it’s related to the other break-ins or not. As I told your wife, once we get our hands on the suspect, we’ll learn more about who he is and what he’s done.”
During the exchange, the two men helped me up on my feet. I was dizzy, and my body ached. I held my head with one hand, not because it hurt, but because I still wasn’t able to clear it. I still grasped the end of the yellow silk scarf in my other hand. I felt a tug on the end of it when I gave it a yank.
“There’s a canary in the canal,” I said once again with urgency in my voice.
“Georgie, did you hit your head?” Jack sounded even more worried than when he’d first joined us.
“I don’t think so, but I feel like a truck hit me.”
“That’s about right,” the officer commented. “We were chasing a big guy who was running at top speed. When he slammed into you, he stumbled and almost fell. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him.”
“Sorry about that,” I replied. “I tried.”
“You’re bleeding,” the officer said as he aimed his flashlight at me. “Do you need to sit down again?”
My legs stung and tickled as trickles of blood ran down both shins. My still goofy brain was trying to remember when I’d last skinned my knees—I twelve or thirteen. A familiar woman’s voice called my name, which brought me back to the moment. It wasn’t Kay.
“Jack, Kay’s in the water. See, I’ve got her scarf.” This time when I tugged on it, something in the water moved. The police officer redirected the beam of his flashlight to the other end of that scarf just in time to catch a glimpse of a body.
“There’s a woman in a black dress with the other end of the scarf wrapped around her neck,” he said after taking a closer look.
“Is she dead?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
“Is who dead? What’s going on?” Carol asked as she stepped close to me. Her eyes followed the beam of light. She staggered and stepped backward, bumping into Brett, who wrapped his arms around her. “How horrible!”
Carol seemed unsteady on her feet as Brett held her. Not long ago, she’d discovered the body of her beloved godmother. From her reaction, she obviously hadn’t fully recovered, even though at the office, Carol appeared to be fine.
“The end of the scarf you’re holding must have caught on something, or that body would be on its way down the canal or underwater by now.” He shook his head and walked away. “I’ve got to call this in.”
“I’ll take that now, sweetheart,” Jack said, speaking tenderly. “I won’t let it go, but I don’t believe she’s going anywhere. The body’s wedged in between the rowboat and the seawall.” Jack held me close.
“Good news,” the officer said moments after making the call. “They’ve caught the culprit they were chasing. He barely made it to the other side of the bridge. Apparently, when he tripped over you, he pulled something.”
“That is good news,” I babbled.
“Good news? What’s good news?” Max had arrived. Dread washed over me. I was in no condition to manage Max now that he’d discovered there was trouble afoot. Frederick was with him, which didn’t make me feel any better as his eyes took in the scene and then rested on me.
“They caught the burglar who knocked me down,” I replied, still hanging onto Jack for support.
“Good grief!” Max exclaimed when the flashlight Frederick had brought with him paused on my bloody legs. “Georgie’s been injured. Let’s get her back to the house before she passes out.”
“Not the house, the patio. I don’t want to bleed on the floor,” I said, feeling woozy again.
“Georgie and Carol both need a drink,” Brett said. “I don’t want either of them to go into shock.”
“Homicide will be here soon,” the officer responded. “Are any of you the owners of this property?”
“Homicide? Shock? Georgie said this was about a burglary. What are you talking about?” When both flashlight beams moved and lit up the edge of the canal, Max quit blustering. He looked as if he could use a drink too. Something stronger, no doubt, than the water my parched throat craved. At least the site of a body shut Max up before he could go into full-blown tantrum mode. Then a different switch went off in my daffy brain when it dawned on me that Jack had my shawl with him.
“I’m cold, Jack,” I said as I started to weep. “Kay’s dead.”
“No, Georgie. It’s not Kay, it’s Melody,” Carol said, correcting me. Max huffed, winding up again.
“How do you know? The body is face down,” Max asserted in an insolent tone. “Besides, Kay and Melody both left. I saw them get into the limos that picked them up.”
Jack handed the end of the scarf he held to the officer. Then he wrapped the shawl around my shoulders and embraced me. “No more questions for now. Let’s get Carol and Georgie into the house. We can go in through the kitchen and clean you up first. Brett’s right that you both need to sit down, put up your feet, and sip cool water or hot tea. Ann was
still in the kitchen when I came out here. She can help us.”
“Let me do that,” Frederick offered in a softer tone. Then he spoke to the police officer, handing him what must have been a business card.
“The owners of the home are out of town. Unless I’m mistaken, the incidents appear to have occurred on public rather than private property. I can answer questions about the event held here earlier this evening if that’s of any use to homicide. The guests invited to the event, other than the few you see gathered here, have already left.”
“You know where we are if you need us,” Jack added as we moved back up the slight slope toward the house. With each step away from the scene, my mind grew clearer. My body hurt more, though, and in places that hadn’t hurt like this since I’d hired a personal trainer who thought boxing was the way to get in shape. Frederick and Max zoomed ahead of us.
“Did you see Kay and Melody leave?” I asked Jack.
“No, but I trust Max when he says he did. Don’t worry about any of this. There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”
“What do you mean? We can call them—unless you already know who it is.”
“It’s Melody,” Carol insisted. She stopped where she was, not more than a few steps in front of us. “It’s true that I couldn’t see her face, but she’s wearing stiletto heels like the stilts Melody had on. Yellow scarf, black dress, and high heels. That’s Melody, not Kay.”
“Let’s get inside and give the crime scene investigators time to do their jobs,” Brett added, urging Carol to get going again.
“We can’t be certain who she is,” Jack added. “Kay and Melody have had a long day, so why bother them unnecessarily?”
“You don’t fool me one bit, you know who it is,” I replied to Jack as we reached the back patio. What he didn’t say, though, is that if it was one of them, what difference would it make at this point to the woman in the canal? Frederick was already inside the house and on his phone. “He’s not losing any time, is he?”
As soon as we reached the French doors leading into the house, Frederick and Max met us. Ann was with them. She took one look at my knees and motioned for me to go on inside.
“Come in. You won’t damage anything, Georgie. You’re not even bleeding anymore. I’ve set out tea and water for you and Carol. Sit down where the ottoman is covered with a towel so I can clean you up.”
“I was right all along. Frederick assures me that whoever is in the canal isn’t Kay or Melody,” Max said as I followed Ann’s instructions and eased into a chair. “He called the hotel, and both women are in their suites with ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs hanging on their door handles.”
“He’s wrong,” Carol responded, beating me to the punch. Then she shrugged and sipped the tea Ann had prepared for her. I guzzled water and took the two painkillers Ann offered me before she began working on my battered knees.
“Maybe the woman in the water was involved in the burglary,” Max added, swirling brandy in a glass.
“And she just happens to be wearing a little black dress with that long yellow scarf wrapped around her neck?” I muttered.
“If Max saw Kay and Melody leave, how did either of them end up out there?” Ann asked as she checked my head, searching for bumps or cuts.
“Well, either one of them could have gotten out of the car a few doors down and walked back. The side gate leading to the backyard was probably still unlocked.” I immediately realized that didn’t make sense. “I’m still not thinking clearly, am I? If that’s what happened, how can they be in their suites at the hotel?”
“Whoever Frederick spoke to could be lying,” Carol replied. “Someone should do a bed check.”
“Why not, Jack?” I asked. “What if it is Kay or Melody in the canal, and this is only the first murder because the killer wants them both dead?”
“Yeah, Georgie, or what if the person meant to kill Kay, but killed Melody instead?” Carol added. “It’s easy to see how that could have happened. If the killer discovers he or she killed the wrong woman, Kay could still be in danger.”
“That’s enough, you two,” Jack said, shaking his head. “I called and dispatched an officer to take up a post on the floor where Kay and Melody’s hotel rooms are located. He’s not going anywhere until the LAPD get the body out of the water and identify the victim.” Jack looked at me and frowned. He was about to speak when Brett asked a question.
“Can you do that even though it’s not your jurisdiction?”
“As it turns out, the hotel is in Orange County.” Jack drained the bottle of water he’d been drinking. “The team working here will have their hands full for a while. Let’s give them our names, addresses, and phone numbers, and I’ll tell them to track us down tomorrow so we can go home.”
“Yes,” Frederick said as he grabbed a pen and notepad from a table near a phone and jotted down everyone’s contact information. I still wondered about him, but he certainly was trying to be helpful. Going home, taking a shower, and climbing into bed sounded wonderful.
*****
I’m not sure how long it took to drive home once Frederick and Jack had spoken to the detective assigned to the homicide. The EMTs came back with them and insisted on checking me over before we left. Jack seemed relieved to get out of there, but he wore a grim expression on his face. The expression was the same one I’d seen before when he was working on a serious case.
“What’s up?” I asked once we were in the car.
“I’d rather not talk about this tonight. So far, what’s clear is that you stumbled into a bungled burglary. We’ll know more tomorrow. If we don’t hear anything from LAPD in the morning, one of my officers will check on Kay and Melody.”
I was perturbed, but the set in his jaw told me he’d made up his mind. I wouldn’t sleep a wink worrying if Kay was the woman in the canal, but if no one knew for sure, what good would it do to keep asking questions? As it turned out, sleep wasn’t a problem, after all. While still mulling over what Jack could be keeping from me, I dozed off.
The sound of our garage door opening woke me. Jack helped me out of the car and held onto my arm as we stepped into the kitchen. Our two Siamese cats came racing to greet us as they usually do. When they spotted us, they stopped immediately and sat quietly side-by-side instead of insisting we pick them up.
“Go ahead,” I said. “Give me the ‘I told you so’ treatment.” When I removed my shawl, it was clear my dress was trashed. “I’ll never be able to wear your favorite dress again.”
“You can buy another one like it or find me a new favorite.” He pulled me close, and I buried my face in his chest as stupid tears slid down my cheek. When I turned back around, Miles and Ella were each standing on a barstool with their front paws on the back of the chair. Little Ella reached for me with one paw, and Miles let out a sorrowful wail.
“Don’t worry, you two. Momma’s okay.” Jack and I stepped close and cuddled them.
“You get ready for bed while I give Ella and Miles their treats.” At the mention of treats, cuddle time was over. The cats sprang from our arms and dashed to the refrigerator.
“Thanks, sweetie,” I said. “What would I do without you?” As a woman who had spent most of her adult life single, the idea sent a shudder through me. “It’s amazing how fast life can change, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. That’s why it’s also nice to come home to two cats who keep everything so orderly,” Jack replied. He might have had more to say, but the furry taskmasters were reminding him not to dawdle.
5 Sharps and Flats
“You’re certain it’s not Kay?” I asked the next morning. We were sipping coffee on the patio outside the kitchen.
“Yes, Carol was right. It’s Melody Monroe.”
“Did someone identify her?”
“Not visually which is why I didn’t want to say more about the situation last night,” Jack said and then hesitated. “When they pulled the body out of the water, the woman’s face was unrecognizable.”
“They confirmed her identity using her fingerprints.”
“Melody Monroe’s fingerprints were on file with the police? How can that be?”
“I don’t have all the details, but she had a record. Not as Melody Monroe, which is a stage name, I guess,” Jack replied. “Jacqueline Jensen used several aliases in her younger days. Mostly variants in the spelling of her name, along with the nickname Jackie.”
“What do you mean ‘in her younger days?’ She’s only in her twenties—was only in her twenties. If she had a record as a juvenile, wouldn’t it have been sealed when she became an adult?”
“Yes. She had a record as a juvenile offender—mostly shoplifting charges—and it was sealed. Apparently, becoming an adult didn’t end her trouble with the law. As Jackie Jensen, she’d barely turned eighteen when she was arrested for passing bad checks. She’d opened accounts at several banks, wrote checks, and used the float to move money from one account to another, and kept writing checks until she got caught.”
“I can’t believe she got a job at Marley World with a record like that. It wouldn’t take too much effort on my part to find out more about how she’d been hired. If Max had written her a letter of introduction, it’s possible no one even checked.”
“When I said she had a police record, I should have emphasized the word ‘had’ in that sentence,” Jack said. “Jackie must have found herself a good lawyer after she was arrested. The bad checks amounted to a substantial amount of money,” Jack said. “What should have been felonies were reduced to misdemeanors with small fines and no jail time. A few years later, the incident was expunged from her record, but her fingerprints remained in the database.”
“I take it because her juvenile record was sealed, and the bad check offense was expunged, that doesn’t mean her legal problems vanished altogether since you know so much about them.”
A Canary in the Canal Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #8 (Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series) Page 4