by Cindy Bell
“No, but maybe it was something on the gun.” Nikki’s eyes widened. “Maybe it wasn’t a reflection. Maybe it was some kind of targeting aid.”
“It was a spot-on shot.” Sonia frowned. “And the elevation would give the killer a clear shot over the crowd.”
“Let’s try something.” Nikki fished in her purse until she found a coin. She placed it on the floor. “I think the reflection I saw was about here.” She looked up at the seating, then walked towards it. “Which means that the murderer would have been about here.” She neared the curtains, then turned to face the coin. She raised her hand in front of her as if it was a gun, and aimed for the spot. “Actually, back even a little farther I think.” She stepped to the side, away from the seating and onto a step that led up to the seating. Her shoulder brushed against the heavy curtain that hung over the window.
“That looks about right.” Sonia turned in the direction that Nikki pointed her hand. She could imagine Daniel standing there. She turned back to face Nikki, who had bent down to look at something on the floor.
“Look!” Nikki pointed to the floorboards on the step. “It’s sap!”
“Is it?” Sonia peered down at it. “Are you sure?”
Nikki crouched down and took a whiff of the pile of goo. “Yes, definitely sap.” She narrowed her eyes. “The police might have missed it during their sweep of the room, because they had no reason to be looking for it. But if my theory is right, then this is probably where the murderer stood.” She grabbed the curtain that hung over the window. “He might have even been hiding behind this.”
“That would explain the movement of the light.” Sonia nodded as she gazed at the sap on the floor.
“I need to let Quinn know about this. If they haven’t found it before, maybe there is something stuck in the sap that will give them a clue.” Nikki pulled out her phone and dialed Quinn’s number. “Who could have been hiding behind the curtain? Malcolm? Sylvester? Or maybe even Rick?” She sighed as Quinn’s voicemail picked up. “Quinn, please call me, we found sap at the crime scene. I just wanted to let you know in case it hasn’t been analyzed, yet. I’ll let the officer out front know.” She hung up the phone, then turned back to Sonia. “This is probably a good thing, Sonia. It means we’re getting closer.”
“You’re right.” Sonia took a deep breath and smiled. “We know where the killer was, but not who held the gun. It’s a step in the right direction, but it still doesn’t feel like enough.”
“I’m going to tell the officer out front what we found. He can keep the evidence safe until Quinn decides what to do about it. I don’t want to waste any more time. We should keep looking at other leads.” Nikki narrowed her eyes. “I remember how upset Rick was when he spoke on the phone that day. Something had him distraught. He was under a lot of pressure. He could have easily snapped.”
“A friend of mine is on the board that approves permits for new buildings. He told me that Geoff had recently filed for a permit for a new office complex down by the river in Magnolia. The complex was designed to house Daniel’s offices as well as other businesses. He submitted a blueprint that represented a massive build.” Sonia paused, and turned to look at Nikki. “If he was in the middle of this big project, then maybe something happened to the project. It would have been a huge investment on his part, so if he suddenly pulled out, that might be enough for someone to want revenge.”
“Did he pull out?” Nikki pursed her lips. “Geoff said he’d been acting strangely.”
“My friend didn’t know for sure, but that something had stalled it, and the permit was put on hold. That was all he could tell me.” Sonia shrugged. “I’m not sure what to make of it, but it might have been a crisis occurring in his life. He pulls out of a multimillion dollar deal with Sylvester and others, he stops the permit to build new offices. Sounds like a recipe to upset a lot of people.”
“We can look into it more, but I think we should look into Rick first. I think I know where to go to find out more about him and what he was up to. When I spoke to Geoff, he showed me a picture of Rick and another man, apparently he is a bookie. They were standing in front of a bar. The one down by the water. We could check it out, but it might be a little seedy.” Nikki cringed.
“You don’t have to worry about that. I can handle seedy just fine.” Sonia nodded. “Let’s go. Maybe we can find out if Rick really did have a motive to kill Daniel.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Nikki led the way to the car. After a short drive to the bar, she and Sonia walked towards it.
“Are you sure you’re up for this, Nikki?” Sonia looked at the windowless door.
“I am, if you are.” Nikki took a nervous breath, then pulled open the door.
Chapter 19
Despite it being bright outside, the interior was dim, indicating that if there were windows, they were covered up with something. Sonia led the way to the bar, where a short, bald man stood behind. He rubbed a cloth along a glass in his hand and squinted at them.
“Bit early, ladies. We don’t officially open for another twenty minutes.”
“We’re not here for drinks.” Nikki met his eyes as she decided to get straight to the point. “We’re here to place a bet.”
“Excuse me?” He set the glass down with a firm thump. “What are you talking about?”
“See Nikki, I told you Rick didn’t know what he was talking about. Forget it, we’ll find someone else.” Sonia carefully flashed her expensive purse in the man’s direction as she turned away from the bar.
“Oh, wait a minute, just a minute.” A friendly smile spread across his lips. “I didn’t know you were friends of Rick’s. He’s one of my best customers.” He tipped his head towards the bottles behind him. “Why don’t you two have a drink and we’ll talk about placing this bet.”
“Sure.” Nikki’s heart pounded. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but she guessed it would be suspicious if she turned one down.
As he poured them each a shot, he continued to smile. “What kind of action are you ladies interested in?”
“I don’t really care.” Sonia accepted one of the shots from him. “I have some cash to play with, and making a big bet is on my bucket list.” Sonia winked at Nikki. “So, whatever I can place a big bet on, I will.”
“How big are we talking here?” The bartender handed Nikki her shot.
“Let’s just say there will be plenty of zeros.” Sonia looked straight into his eyes. “But I want to make sure that I place this size of a bet with someone I can trust. I heard that you can be a little harsh. I mean, I’m good for the money, but if you make a practice of threatening your customers, I’m not interested in working with you.”
“Is that what Rick told you?” He smacked his hand hard against the top of the bar. “He’s a liar. I’ve given that guy more extensions than Mother Teresa would. It’s not my fault he’s terrible with money, is it?”
“I guess not. But he didn’t tell us, we just heard some rumors.” Nikki took a sip of her drink. Her nose crinkled in reaction to the bitter liquid. “So, what is your policy if someone can’t pay up?”
“It’s not like there’s anything in writing, but yeah, I’ll put a little pressure on. Nothing physical though, I don’t believe in that. You break somebody’s leg, how are they going to go into work and make the money they owe you? I just keep calling, show up now and then, you know, nothing but a little intimidation.”
“Intimidation?” Sonia picked up the shot and threw the contents into the back of her throat. She did her best not to gag in reaction to the burn of the liquid. “Sounds fair.”
“I think so.” The bartender nodded.
Sonia and Nikki both turned towards the door as they heard it open. Nikki’s eyes widened as she recognized the man walking inside.
“Lucas.” Nikki blurted out as he walked towards them. She recognized him from the animal shelter when he was having an argument with Grant.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Lucas stared at Ni
kki.
“Just popped in for a visit.” Nikki smiled.
“You know her?” The bartender asked.
“Yeah, she’s a friend of Grant’s.” Lucas shrugged. Nikki’s mind whirled with thoughts of the conversation between Lucas and Grant.
“Does Grant owe you money?” Nikki asked.
“Maybe.” Lucas scowled. “What’s it your business?”
“It’s my business because you were at the animal shelter threatening him.” Nikki tried to keep her voice even.
“Let’s just say, it’s not a problem anymore.” Lucas smirked.
“What do you mean?” Nikki stepped boldly forward. “Is Grant gambling?”
“He used to, but just because you stop, it doesn’t mean your debt can just be erased.” Lucas smiled and looked at the bartender. “Luckily for Grant, my business partner and I agreed to give him a break and he has paid off his debt. So, no need to worry about him anymore.”
“Are you sure?” Nikki asked.
“Yes, Grant is on the straight and narrow and everything has been cleared up.” Lucas put his hands in his pockets then stepped through the door that led into the back section of the bar.
“So, about this bet?” The bartender smiled as he looked at Sonia. “There’s a good basketball game coming up.”
“Like I said, it’ll involve a lot of zeros. As in, zero.” Sonia smiled at him as she set the shot glass back down on the bar. “Thanks for the drink, though.”
“Wait, don’t be like that. Is it because of Rick?” The bartender groaned. “Look, he promised me he was going to get me the money. He said he’d have it for me Sunday, and then of course Sunday came and went, no money. He’s been avoiding me ever since. That’s no way to do business. So yes, I might have driven by his house last night. But he wasn’t even home. The place was dark.” He frowned. “I thought maybe he had left town. If you talk to him, you tell him, I don’t play games. No matter how far he runs, he still owes me that money.”
“I’ll tell him.” Nikki locked her eyes to his. “You’re sure he wasn’t there? Maybe he just turned the lights out.”
“No, I’m sure. I asked one of his neighbors if they had seen him and they mentioned that they noticed him packing a suitcase and some other stuff into his car. It looks like he might be trying to disappear.” The bartender narrowed his eyes. “I’m not a violent man, you see. But I do need to get my money.”
“I’ll pass along the message.” Nikki steered Sonia towards the door.
Sonia felt a shiver run along her spine as she sensed the man’s eyes still on her back. Was he calculating how much she was worth by what she was wearing? She’d experienced that more than once in her life. She felt some relief as Nikki pulled open the door and the daylight spilled over them. The person on the other side of the door made Nikki’s heart skip a beat.
“Nikki?” Quinn pressed his palm against the door and held it open as they stepped through it. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, just stopped in for a minute.” Nikki met his eyes.
Sonia wobbled as she grabbed onto Nikki’s arm.
“Oh dear, Nikki, it’s been a while since I had a drink that strong.”
“Mrs. Whitter, are you okay?” Quinn gazed at her with concern.
“I think I’m drunk.” Sonia covered her mouth as she burped.
“I’d better get her home.” Nikki frowned and wrapped her arm around Sonia’s waist. As she started to walk away, Quinn caught her free arm.
“Are you going to tell me what you were really doing in there? I came here to talk to Rick’s bookie. Please tell me that’s not what you were doing.” Quinn’s voice rippled with tension.
“You may want to check to make sure that Rick hasn’t left town.” Nikki winced. “His bookie seems to think that he might have.”
“Nikki, really.” Quinn looked up at the bar. “That man could be dangerous. You have to be careful how you deal with people like that.”
“I was.” Nikki frowned.
“Maybe you could trust me to conduct the investigation?” Quinn met her eyes for a split second, then pulled open the door to the bar and disappeared inside.
“Ouch, sounds like he’s a little annoyed.” Sonia watched him go.
“It’s all right, everyone’s feeling a little tense right now.” Nikki frowned. “I don’t want to upset him, but this is the first real lead we’ve come across. If Rick really did take off, then he probably had a reason. He wanted to get away because he knew he might face prosecution.”
“Or, he could have taken off because he knew that his bookie was coming after him.” Sonia tilted her head from side to side. “It seems more likely to me. Why would him owing money to a bookie cause him to shoot Daniel?”
“Geoff mentioned that Rick asked Daniel if he could borrow money, and Daniel turned him down. Maybe he felt so pressured by his bookie that he got angry and decided to kill Daniel? Maybe with Daniel dead he has access to some of his money? When I heard him talking on the phone, he promised that he would have the money. Maybe he expected Daniel to give it to him that day.” Nikki narrowed her eyes. “It’s possible that Daniel promised him something, and then didn’t follow through with it.”
“Yes, you’re right it is. But the murder seemed premeditated and if he’s left town because he owed the money or he is worried the police are onto him for Daniel’s murder, there’s not much more we can find out.” Sonia frowned.
“Maybe, and maybe not.” Nikki lowered her voice as she led her farther away from the bar, back towards the car. “If the bookie is right, and Rick is on the run, maybe we should try contacting him. Maybe if he knows we have this information he will talk to us and let something slip.”
“I don’t know.” Sonia glanced back at the bar. “What would Quinn say about that?”
“I guess we’ll find out later.” Nikki winked at her.
“I like the way you think.” Sonia smiled and climbed into the car.
“Are you okay to drive?”
“Yes, of course.” Sonia winked. “I only pretended to be drunk to try and distract Quinn, so he wouldn’t be upset that we were here.”
“Clever thinking.” Nikki smiled. Her phone began to ring before Sonia could start the engine. When she saw that it was Quinn, her heart skipped a beat.
“Hello?”
“Nikki, I’m afraid I have some terrible news.”
“About what?” Nikki held her breath.
“Malcolm. He’s just been found dead.” Quinn sighed. “And it looks like, we also found our killer.”
“What do you mean?” Nikki’s eyes widened as she looked over at Sonia. “Malcolm is dead.”
“He committed suicide, and left a note, that confessed to Daniel’s murder. I’m headed out to the campground now to oversee the investigation. I’m so sorry, Nikki, I know this is probably upsetting, but I wanted to let you know right away. Now, you can leave this alone and stop putting yourself in dangerous situations.”
Chapter 20
Nikki hung up the phone as her heart pounded.
“Nikki?” Sonia looked over at her. “Are you okay?”
Nikki explained to Sonia what Quinn had said as the bar door swung open, and Quinn ran towards his car. As he pulled away from the sidewalk, she thought about following him. “I can’t believe it.” She stared down at the phone in her hand. “Can it really be over?”
“If he confessed, then I’d say, yes.” Sonia reached across the car and gave Nikki a warm hug. “I know you saw Malcolm, this has to be a big shock to you.”
“More than that.” Nikki met her eyes. “I can’t believe it.”
“I know, it’s quite shocking.” Sonia sighed.
“No Sonia.” Nikki tucked her phone back into her purse. “I mean, I can’t believe it. I don’t believe it.”
“What are you thinking?” Sonia looked back up at her.
“What are the chances that Malcolm would kill himself and confess? He had no reason to.” Nikki frowne
d as they drove along the road towards Sonia’s house.
“Fear of being arrested? Guilt over what he did to his father?” Sonia shrugged. “I’m sure there are more reasons than that.”
“Something just doesn’t feel right.” Nikki closed her eyes, then shook her head. “Do you mind if we stop by the animal shelter? I want to see how Spots and Bassie are doing.”
“Not at all.” Sonia turned down the road that led to the animal shelter. “Nikki, it’s important to remember that just because you like someone, that doesn’t make them innocent.”
“I’m not sure that I even liked him.” Nikki gritted her teeth as they pulled into the parking lot of the animal shelter. “It’s almost like there’s a piece missing. Someone got lost in it all, and I don’t know who or how.” She frowned.
“Let’s just see what Quinn turns up about Malcolm’s death. We should find out more after that.” Sonia stepped out of the car. “Let’s go see those wonderful dogs. I’d love to get a glimpse of how the animal shelter has benefited from the fundraiser, too.”
“I’m sure that Petra will be happy to give you a tour.”
Nikki left Sonia with Petra in the lobby, then headed back to the kennels. She could already hear Spots barking. He had been so restless on the day of Daniel’s murder. She still wondered if he had sensed that something was off, that someone was there with bad intentions. As she reached his kennel, he greeted her eagerly. He wagged his tail so fast that she wondered if it might fly off.
“Hey buddy, sorry I missed you this morning.” Nikki opened the gate and clipped on his leash. “You know what? I could use a sleepover.” She smiled as he jumped up against her legs. “You too?”
Spots nudged her hand, then licked it. He gave a soft bark combined with a faint whimper. “All right, let’s see if we can make that happen.” Nikki led the dog towards the lobby. “Petra, would you mind if I took Spots home with me tonight?”
“Not at all.” Petra smiled. “I’m sure he’d enjoy the visit.”