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A Fine Line

Page 9

by Gale Deitch


  Chapter Ten

  Ally’s hearing was set for three o’clock, so I headed to the courthouse. On the way, I stopped at Ally’s condo and packed her overnight bag with a few necessities--cosmetics, assorted toiletries, and an extra outfit. Hopefully, the judge would release her on bond, and we’d be able to get her home today. At least, that was Alan’s expectation since Mrs. Schwartz was prepared to pay the bail cost, no matter how high it was. Still, I worried that she would be incarcerated until her trial date. Either way, she was going to need my support.

  I slipped into the courtroom and sat behind Alan at the defense table. He turned and threw me that same wide smile, which put my anxiety to rest.

  Daniel and Will sat behind the prosecutor’s table. Daniel glanced my way, his eyebrows knitted together, as if asking for forgiveness. I knew he was doing his job, following protocol, but I still couldn’t get over the fact that he had arrested Ally. I turned away.

  A few minutes later, a guard escorted Ally into the room. The orange jump suit she wore gave her complexion a sallow appearance. Her hands were cuffed in front of her, and she kept her head down. It enraged me that she’d been put through this degradation and humiliation. She didn’t deserve this treatment.

  Alan stood and helped seat her beside him. I tried to catch her eye to reassure her, but she kept her head bowed until the judge entered the courtroom and the bailiff announced, “All rise.”

  From his bench, the judge surveyed the room, then perused the papers in front of him. “In the case of the People versus Allison Schwartz,” he said, “how do you plead?”

  “Not guilty,” Ally said in a voice that was barely a whisper.

  “Please repeat that so that the Clerk can hear you.”

  Ally lifted her chin. “Not guilty,” she said with conviction in her voice.

  The judge turned to the District Attorney’s table. “What say the prosecution?”

  The female prosecutor stood tall and slim in a charcoal gray fitted dress, her dark hair pulled into a tight bun. “Your Honor,” she said. “The evidence clearly points to the defendant as the perpetrator of a gruesome murder. Opportunity and motive have been confirmed, and her DNA has been identified on the murder weapon. We deem the defendant a danger to the community and ask that she be incarcerated while awaiting trial.”

  “Your Honor,” Alan said. “Ms. Schwartz is an upstanding member of the business community and has no criminal record. At trial, the defense will prove that she in fact did not know the victim and could not have committed this heinous crime.”

  The judge peered over his reading glasses at Ally. Swallowed up by the baggy jumpsuit, she appeared tiny standing next to Alan. I noticed a little sparkle in the judge’s eyes, his graying hair and frameless glasses giving him the appearance of a kindly old uncle. To any objective bystander, the thought of this petite young woman being deemed a danger to the community seemed laughable, and I sensed that impression in the judge’s eyes.

  “Bond is set at one hundred thousand dollars. The defendant will be released to her own recognizance, and a trial date will be set.” With one strong pound of his gavel, he declared, “This hearing is adjourned.”

  The prosecuting attorney gathered her papers into a leather case and headed for the door, her black spike heels clicking in defiance.

  Alan and I followed Ally as she was ushered out of the courtroom.

  “What happens now?” she asked him, her eyes wide.

  “You’ll have to be processed, and then they’ll release you,” he said. “It will take some time.”

  “Can I use the restroom first?” she asked.

  Alan glanced at the guard, who hesitated a moment, then nodded and removed the cuffs from her wrists.

  “I’ll go with her,” I said.

  Once inside the restroom, Ally rushed into my arms for a hug and emitted a long, shrill whimper. “Oh my god,” she said. “Except for Daddy’s funeral, this was the worst day of my life.”

  “I know. But you did good. You stood strong in front of the judge. I think he could see that you’re innocent. And we’re going to prove that at your trial.”

  A toilet flushed, and the prosecuting attorney emerged from a stall.

  Ally and I stood frozen as the woman washed her hands, a smug grin on her face. “I wouldn’t bet on that,” she mumbled to herself under her breath. “The evidence is crystal clear.”

  I didn’t think we’d said anything incriminating, but it disturbed me that she’d been listening to our conversation. She dried her hands, slung the strap of her briefcase over her shoulder, and left the room, her spikes clicking on the tile floor.

  We looked at each other and then Ally emitted a giggle, which made me giggle. We put our hands over our mouths to try to hold them in, but like a bag of popcorn kernels in a microwave, small eruptions of giggles emerged from our mouths, and then full-blown laughter. I held my aching stomach and bent over, unable to stop. Ally was also bent over laughing, supporting herself on the counter. I laughed so hard, I was crying and, glancing at my reflection, watched my mascara roll down my cheeks.

  A loud knock on the door sobered us enough to finish our business in the stalls.

  While drying her hands, Ally peered at me in the mirror, serious once more. “Just knowing you were here to support me meant so much, Trudie. Thank you for being my friend.” She hugged me, then asked. “Did you um…reach Zach?”

  “I texted him. Told him what was going on and asked him to come, but I haven’t heard back yet.” Knowing how upset Zach had been with Ally, I didn’t have much faith in his responding to my call. “Let’s wait and see.”

  “Okay,” she said then linked her arm through mine as we walked out into the hallway.

  Alan stood leaning against the wall with his legs crossed at the ankles. He held up his wrist and pointed to his watch. “Billable hours, ladies. Hope your mother is prepared when she receives the statement in the mail.” He grinned and held out both arms for a group hug.

  Before we could join in, the guard stepped forward and reattached Ally’s cuffs. He shook his head. “First things first.”

  “I’ll stay through the processing,” Alan said to Ally. “Then I want you to go home and get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll talk about our next steps.”

  “I can’t thank you enough, Alan.” Ally said.

  “No thanks needed. Remember, I’m getting paid for this.”

  “I’ll wait for you and drive you home,” I said. I headed down the hall to the lobby where I spotted Daniel, apparently waiting for me.

  “Trudie, can I speak to you privately for a minute?” Daniel walked me to an alcove then turned and put his hands on my shoulders. His gaze was serious. “Trudie, you know our department has done its due diligence investigating the murder, speaking to dozens of suspects, collecting the evidence. Ally has been accused of murder. I’m not sure I want you hanging around a suspected murderer.”

  I inhaled a sharp breath. “I can’t believe you. Ally is not a murderer, and you know it. Whatever happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty?’”

  “I know no such thing, and neither do you,” he said. “All the evidence clearly points to Ally.”

  “Well then you’re going to have to do some more investigating because there is no way she committed that crime. Somewhere there is a killer walking around free, so I don’t think your due diligence was quite enough in this case.” I turned to walk away.

  “Be careful, Trudie. Okay?”

  I gestured with my hand a wave that not only meant “see you later,” but “I’ve had enough.”

  “Zach,” Ally squealed when we emerged from the elevator, then ran down the hallway to her condo where Zach sat on the floor in front of her door, his long legs folded like an Alaskan king crab. He stood, and Ally ran into his arms.

  “I missed you so much,” she said, clinging to him.

  He kissed her forehead and held her close. “Me, too.”

  She peered up at him. “I’ve been
through so much. But now that you’re here, I know everything’s going to be all right. I’ll be able to get through anything.”

  From the expression on Zach’s face, I wasn’t so sure everything was going to be all right. I knew him well. He still had lots of issues to work through before he’d be able to go back to the way things were. “Let’s go inside,” he said. “We’ll talk.”

  “Well, I’m going to leave you two alone to work this out. Ally, let me know if you need anything. And Zach,” I said, smiling at him. “Thanks for coming. We both missed you.”

  I let myself into the house, kicked off my shoes, plopped onto the couch, and put my feet up. I plumped one of the sofa pillows, put it behind my back, and picked up the remote to turn on the Food Network channel. I sighed as one of my favorite cooking-competition shows came on. After a day like today, this was exactly what I needed.

  A mass of gray fur appeared out of nowhere and sprung onto my lap. I screamed and jumped to my feet, and the cat vaulted to the floor. Oh no, I thought. I’d forgotten all about the cat. What was I going to do about Pye? I needed to call Albert Burger to come and get him. But where to find his number? Somewhere, I had a packet from the conference with contact information for all the organizers. After that fateful night, it still sat by the front door where we kept our keys and mail. I thumbed through to the right page, found Gwendolyn Chong’s number, and called.

  After several rings, Albert finally answered the phone. “Who is this?” he asked.

  “Mr. Burger, it’s Trudie Fine.”

  “Why are you calling Gwen’s cell phone? You know she’s not…not here.” He sniffled.

  “I’m so sorry. This was the only number I had to contact you. I hoped it might be a home number. Anyway, Mr. Burger, your cat cannot stay here. You’ll have to come and get him. Find another home for him.”

  “Oh, no,” he said. “I can’t do that. Seeing Pye only brings up images of Gwen. It’s too painful to keep him around. No can do. But Trudie—may I call you Trudie?”

  “Sure,” I said. “But….”

  “Trudie, Pye took a shine to you. I could see that. Keep him for a while and he’ll grow on you. You’ll see.”

  “But I don’t want a cat. I don’t know anything about them. In fact, I’m a little afraid of cats.”

  “You’ll be fine. Pye is very gentle, and remember, he chose you. He’s self-sufficient, too. Give him food and water twice a day, keep his litter box fresh.”

  “But….”

  Too late. He’d hung up the phone. I peered down at Pye, and the cat stared back at me. He meowed and wove himself through my legs, rubbing his fur against my ankles.

  “All right,” I said, sitting back down on the sofa. “But this is only temporary. Once I find someone to take you in, a real cat lover, you’re out of here. Got it?”

  Pye meowed again and leapt into my lap. Eye to eye, we stared at each other. When I looked closely, his almond-shaped amber eyes had tinges of brown and jade. He appeared to be assessing me as well before curling himself into a comfortable position on my lap. Then together, we watched TV.

  “What in the world are you doing with Gwendolyn Chong’s cat?” Daniel stood over me, hands on his hips.

  Pye sprang to the floor and out of sight. “It’s only temporary,” I said. “Until I can get Albert Burger to take him back or find another home for him.”

  He slapped his forehead. “Albert Burger? What were you doing with him? I’ve asked you over and over to stay away from the suspects in this murder case.”

  “I told you I went to Shiva at his house. Remember? And how is Albert Burger a suspect when you’ve arrested Ally for the murder? Tell me that.” I stood and headed for the kitchen to make dinner.

  Daniel followed. “All right, I’ll give you that one. But when you went to Albert Burger’s house, you didn’t know Ally was going to be charged with the murder. It could have been him.”

  “Hmm,” I said, pulling out the ingredients for chicken fajitas. “I guess you’re right. And since I know that Ally is not the murderer, Albert Burger is still a suspect.” I put a package of tortillas on the counter and turned to Daniel. “You have doubts about Ally’s guilt, too, don’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so upset with me.”

  “Damn it, Trudie,” he said, pacing back and forth. “Until her innocence has been proven unequivocally, you’ve got to keep your distance from Ally and anyone else who was there that night, including Albert Burger and Ben Knight.”

  As I sliced onions and red and green peppers, I tossed them into the olive oil sizzling in the hot pan. “What am I supposed to do when Ben Knight invites himself to dinner at my parents’ house or when Albert Burger decides to leave his cat at our front door? I didn’t ask for either of those things.”

  Daniel came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. “I just want you to be safe, Trudie,” he murmured into my neck.

  “I know,” I said, leaning back into him. I wiped my hands on a dish towel and turned to face him, putting my arms around his neck to draw him in. He pulled me in for a kiss, and I could have stayed there forever. But I heard beads of oil bounce into the air as the vegetables danced in the pan. I pushed away and lowered the flame, then pulled leftover roast chicken from the refrigerator to shred.

  Daniel leaned his elbow on the counter next to me, pinched off a morsel of chicken, and tossed it into his mouth. “So, he just left the cat at the front door? Why here?”

  I shook my head as I cut up the chicken. “Pye kept following me when I was at his house. He was Gwen’s cat, so Albert was hurt watching him wander the house looking for her. He decided Pye had chosen me as his next owner.”

  “Pie?”

  “P-Y-E, short for Pyewacket. Daniel, I don’t know anything about cats. They scare me. And Albert won’t take him back. We’ll have to find another home for him, that’s all.”

  Daniel chuckled. “Nothing to be afraid of. We had a cat when I was growing up. An orange tabby I named Tiger. I loved that little guy. An only child needs a friend to play with.”

  “Are you saying I should keep him?”

  “No,” Daniel said. “I’m saying cats are harmless and can be good companions. It’s up to you whether to keep him or not.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I can’t think about this right now.” The onions had begun to caramelize, so I threw the chicken into the pan to warm up and added taco seasoning to the mix.

  “You’ve had an exhausting day. You can make the decision tomorrow or the next day. The cat’s not going anywhere.”

  As I seared the tortillas on the stovetop grill, Pye poked his head into the kitchen and padded around the perimeter of the room, checking it out. He eyed Daniel and then scampered out.

  We both laughed.

  “Yes,” I said. “I guess tomorrow is another day.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Zach and I had planned to meet at the office at noon the next day, so I spent some time sitting at the kitchen table listing all the suspects, their possible motives and opportunities to murder Gwendolyn Chong. To be fair, after Ben Knight, I included myself, Zach, Gordon and the rest of the kitchen staff on the list just as a police detective would. Also to be fair, I listed Ally’s name. I didn’t know most of the people at the conference dinner that evening, but I entered the names of those I knew: Albert Burger, Myra Keating, and Miss Peacock, Belinda Scott.

  I thought this exercise would help me pinpoint an obvious perpetrator. Instead, it confused me more. Like assembling a French ratatouille, the pieces all had to fit, and I had to figure out where to place them. After an hour and a half of this, and nowhere near an answer, I called Ben to see if he had made any progress.

  “What time is it?” His voice sounded as thick as a chocolate milk shake.

  “Nine-thirty. You’re still sleeping?”

  He groaned. “It’s the middle of the night. Give me another hour, and I’ll call you back.”

  “Another hour? You said you loved Ally
and wanted to prove her innocence, but you can’t even get yourself out of bed.”

  “A man needs a good night’s sleep to get his wits about him. Some of my best plots have been created while asleep.”

  “What time did you get in last night?”

  Ben emitted a long yowl of a yawn. “Not sure. Maybe one-thirty or two, whenever the bar closed.”

  “Look,” I said. “You’re the one who approached me about solving this murder together. Are you in or out? Because if it’s not important enough for you to get out of bed in the morning, then I’ll figure it out myself.”

  “Okay, okay. I’m getting up. My feet have hit the floor. But I need coffee. Meet me in an hour in the hotel coffee shop.”

  “I’ll be there. And I’ll pick up that book from my mother on the way.”

  On this mild spring day, I’d slipped on a light cotton dress with lavender and yellow flowers and pulled out my new purple leather bag along with matching flats. Pye lay on my bed as if assessing my choices.

  “What do you think?” I asked him, striking a pose.

  He meowed at me, which I took as a thumbs up.

  After driving up a few levels searching for a space in the hotel parking garage, I spotted a woman emerge from the building and head to her car. Relieved, I pulled closer and flicked on my turn signal. Tall with a well-coifed head of platinum hair and a vivid, royal blue pants suit, she looked familiar. As she approached her car, something pinned to her jacket caught my attention. The peacock brooch worn by none other than Miss Peacock herself, Belinda Scott.

  What was she doing here at Ben’s hotel? I recalled the photo I’d seen in her home office, the one showing her delight in Ben Knight’s embrace. Had she spent the night with him? Should I ask Ben what she was doing here? Or were the two of them in cahoots in Gwen’s murder? If that were the case, it meant Ben was trying to throw me off his track. A shiver crept up my spine as Belinda backed her silver car out of the space. I ducked down to the passenger seat as she passed. No matter what her motives for being here, I didn’t want her to know I’d seen her.

 

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