“DSC was more than a job to her. It was her life. You should’ve heard her talk about it, she truly felt she had given them everything and they repaid her by giving her the boot when younger girls came on board and boosted the ratings.”
“What else do you know about her?”
“Besides the fact that she appeared to have a love affair with gin, and she wasn’t too sad to hear about either host’s murder?”
“And you took her off the suspect list why?”
Why had I taken her off the list? I couldn’t come up with a solid answer. “It doesn’t matter. We have her now.” I was ready to take her down.
22
I walked the floor of the spa, greeting guests and looking more confident than I felt. I managed to drag Finn out shopping before tonight’s event for a new outfit. My soft-pink chiffon sleeveless blouse with the ruffles down the middle set off the fake ring on my finger nicely. I completed the look with a pair of white capri pants and my favorite cork heels. My hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and I chose not to wear my cross necklace to avoid giving Tess a chance to question how I got it back, or to take another swipe at it.
Everything looked perfect. Even my graphic designer had been able to come through in a pinch and create the perfect script font for my new signature scent, Dreamfields. I had been able to print out the name onto clear labels, which I then smoothed onto little glass roller bottles of the fragrance.
Stacy was ecstatic with how well the turnout had been. I understood her enthusiasm, but it would’ve totally been a bust if Tess hadn’t shown up. Halfway through the events, as I eyed the hors d’oeuvres making their way around again, Tess made an entrance. She wore a royal purple belt dress that made her look not a day over fifty, and her skin was more radiant than normal. If she didn’t have such sticky fingers and homicidal tendencies, I would’ve considered hiring her as a spokesperson.
“Show time,” I said to myself under my breath. Stacy caught my eye at about the same time and watched as I walked over to make small talk with Tess. I thought it would be best to get the ring in front of her again and give her plenty of opportunity to make her move. I could only hope that the cameras we had hidden in strategic locations would catch the moment of theft.
“Tess, so good of you to stop in. I heard you were a top client here.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she replied and it may have been my imagination, but I swear she looked down to case out my ring. Finn was monitoring a live feed and promised to text me in case I missed anything. I felt relieved to have him guarding my back, but I was still nervous. I would have loved to have the police on standby, but we all knew that Detective Blackwell was not a friend of mine. Hotel security had been alerted that Tess would be present. Truthfully, that was all Stacy had had to tell them. It seemed like everyone was well aware of her reputation. The one thing I hadn’t yet been able to figure out was why Tess killed Sterling. I figured she had eliminated Marissa to secure her top spot in the network. Of course, she wouldn’t have had to if she’d known that Marissa was already passed up for the promotion. But something told me it wasn’t common knowledge. Marissa wouldn’t have gone around the studio announcing it to everyone, and I couldn’t see Mr. Aldrich making it public information either. The best I could figure was she killed Marissa in an all-out cat fight and Sterling figured it out, which is why he said he would take care of it, only it was Tess who took care of him. As for the diamond I saw Tess steal from Marissa’s dressing room, she must’ve snatched it from Marissa’s dead body and hid it after the police arrived and she realized she wouldn’t be able to leave the studio with the necklace in her possession, for fear of being searched. I must’ve seen her on Saturday morning when she came back to retrieve it. I had put two and two together and realized the necklace that Marissa had worn was the same one she had on in the beach photo on Dr. Stewart’s desk.
As I watched Tess work the room, I realized she’d found a way to touch almost everyone present, whether by a hand on the shoulder, a quick hug, or a rub on the back. It felt to me like she was taking inventory to see what possessions people had on, trying to decide how she would go about lifting them. I also noticed that all the spa staff had sported their best jewelry for the occasion, just as a little extra temptation. I really hoped they wore fakes as well.
I must confess: The biggest struggle so far that night was keeping myself from hitting up the dessert table. The hotel’s patisserie had done a fabulous job supplying the desserts. Their display made Mrs. Morrison’s kitchen look amateur. I’d already told myself that if this all went down how I hoped it would, I was rewarding myself with one of those heavenly looking buttercream-frosted cookies. Finn texted me a moment later: “Eyes on the prize, babe.” Yeah, it was that easy to see where my thoughts were.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I was trying to catch a murderous thief, I would’ve had a very enjoyable evening. That is, until the power went out. My self-control, where the desserts were concerned, was just about broken. I noticed Tess looking content talking with the head of security, who happened to stop in for an update. I figured it was a safe time to sneak over and steal a sugar cookie. My hand was on the delicious dessert when the entire spa was plunged into darkness. A couple of women shrieked, a few even giggled, but I knew it was no laughing matter. I felt a hand on mine, slipping the ring off my finger, despite my hyper-vigilant state. Then I heard the person take off running. I wasn’t going to let Tess get away that easily.
I kicked off my heels and gave chase. Only problem was, being in the pitch black meant that I ran right into the dessert table. Tarts and sugar cookies flew in the air, at least I think they did. I know I stepped in something cold and squishy with my bare toes that felt an awful lot like custard. I might have also elbowed someone in the gut if the “oomph” sound I heard was any indication.
I couldn’t stop to apologize. Tess was making her way to the back of the store and out the back exit, I was sure of it. In the storage room, she tipped boxes over as she ran, no doubt trying to trip me up. Even in the darkness, I hurdled those obstacles like a track star. Tess’s heels click-clacked on the tile floor and I caught up to her right about the same time I remembered that Tess hadn’t worn high heels. I grabbed the woman by the arm just as she busted out the back door. I came face-to-face with Claire.
“Girl, you have some explaining to do,” I said, not letting go of her arm. It was the same quote my mother used to say to me when I got busted doing something wrong. I hoped it scared Claire as much as it had me in my youth. Finn caught up with us a second later, with Stacy right behind him. Claire saw the look on all of our faces and knew she was busted.
“Before you even think about lying, know that we caught you on camera hitting the breaker box,” Finn said.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. Sometimes social situations make me anxious and I just panic.”
“Say what?” said Stacy. “You couldn’t just go out the front door?”
“Yeah, and I bet if we call the cops and search you, we’ll find my ring in your possession.”
Claire stumbled out a handful of words and none of them made much sense.
“Can you give us a minute?” I said to Finn and Stacy. They both stepped away.
“Listen, you have to talk to me because as it stands right now, I’m about to call the police and have them charge you with murder. Stealing my ring is the least of your worries.” My rationale still stood, only it was Claire over Tess.
“I swear, I didn’t kill anyone.”
“And you didn’t steal anything, either, right? If that’s the case, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I asked your coworkers if they’re missing any jewelry. Oh, and not to mention the fact that I saw you steal the diamond out of Marissa’s dressing room Saturday morning. Imagine how that would look for you to be found with that brilliant bauble.” Claire’s face turned ashen. It was obvious she hadn’t thought of that. And then the woman started crying. It w
as as if she knew how much I hated when people cried.
I was about to apologize and put the whole thing behind me, and I probably would’ve if she hadn’t started talking. “I’m sorry, I never meant for it to get like this. It’s just, maintaining this lifestyle, trying to make it in this business, is not cheap.”
“So, you became a thief?”
“Well, my parents were never going to help me out. TV’s not a wholesome career. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to even make rent, let alone afford the shoes, the hair, the clothes. What else could I do?”
“Get a second job? Do something more, I don’t know, respectable?”
“Please, Ziva, I’m begging you. If they find out, my career will be over. I swear that I never killed anyone.”
I knew Claire was right, her career would be over, but I wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was. “How’d you get Marissa’s necklace?”
“I lifted it from her during cocktail hour. I’m sorry. I know it was wrong.” Claire looked around as if waiting for the police to swoop in any second. “I’ll give it all back. I promise. Your ring, Marissa’s necklace, Sterling’s watch, everything.”
“You stole Sterling’s watch, too?”
“It was supposed to be a party trick, at the gala, but then I saw that it was a Rolex.”
“What in the world is wrong with you?”
“I’m so, so sorry. I swear, I’ll join Thieves Anonymous or take a class, anything, just don’t call the police. Here, come with me.”
I shrugged my shoulders back at Finn. Stacy had already disappeared back inside to regain order. I followed Claire back to her car. Inside, she pulled a small lockbox from under the driver’s seat. A cable, wrapped through the loop of the box and around the metal track of her seat, kept it in place. She rolled out the combination with her thumb and twisted the lock open. Now here was a pirate’s booty. I didn’t need it all, heck I didn’t even know who it all belonged to, but I took back Marissa’s necklace and Sterling’s watch. I turned the watch over in my hand and read the inscription: Every second, every day — MJ. I knew I needed to give the watch back to Sterling’s wife. If I called the police, who knew how long it would take for them to return the property. I thought MJ deserved it sooner than that. She needed a chance at closure.
“Go, get out of here. And I swear, if I ever hear about you doing anything like this again, I will call the police in a heartbeat.”
“I swear, I won’t. Promise. Oh, and your ring.” Claire went to retrieve it from her pocket.
“Keep it. It’s a fake. Maybe it’ll help you remember to keep your promise.”
Claire sobbed and thanked me profusely before hopping into her car and jetting off.
“Do you think that was the right thing to do?” Finn asked when I walked over to him. I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn’t sure. “What are you going to do with those?” he asked.
“The watch? For sure, give it back to Sterling’s wife. The same goes for the necklace. I know Dr. Stewart would want it back.”
“Yeah, and you can’t be found with it, either.” Of course, I hadn’t thought of that, but Finn was so right on that point.
23
“Now what?” Finn asked.
He seemed to be feeling just as melancholy as I was. We solved the case of the jewelry thief but still hadn’t caught the killer. We were sitting outdoors, poolside, with a couple of drinks—chai latte for me and a black coffee for him. The sun had set and the pool area was pretty quiet. The only light was the glow of the underwater pool lights and the little white lights that sparkled in the surrounding trees.
“I don’t know. Do we just go home?”
“And leave the case unsolved?”
I shrugged my shoulders. We really had nothing keeping us here anymore, but we had a life to live back home.
“You’d be okay with that?”
“Ugh, probably not, but it sounds like a promising idea, doesn’t it?”
Finn took a drink of his coffee and I did the same.
Then I had an idea. “You know, who says it still isn’t Tess? Just because she didn’t steal Marissa’s necklace doesn’t mean she didn’t kill her.”
Finn looked at me like I was a genius. We were both up and on our feet. “Where do you want to go?” he asked.
“The bar. It seems to be a favorite locale for her.”
Apparently, the pool had been quiet because everyone was in the bar.
“Oh, sweet sugar, it wasn’t this busy last time I was here.” Big difference between Sunday night and Thursday night. It was clear Tess wasn’t sitting at the bar, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t nearby.
“You check out the private booths against the wall, and I’ll walk up the middle and hit the ladies’ room.”
“Sounds good.” Finn headed in one direction and I in the other.
When we met in the middle, neither one of us had spotted her. I looked over at the bar once more. I motioned to Mitch, the same bartender from earlier in the week who had agreed to take Tess up to her room. “He knows her.”
I walked over to the bar and waited to catch his eye. “Hey, it’s Mitch, right?”
“Yeah, what can I do for you?” Mitch held up his finger to the other bartender to let him know he’d be right there.
“Really quick, I was just wondering if you saw Tess tonight.”
“Yeah, actually I did.”
“You did? Awesome. Is she here?”
“No, she stopped in about an hour ago to say goodbye.”
“Say what?”
“She said she was leaving town for a while and wasn’t sure when she’d be back.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“Nope, and I had to let her go after that. Be there in a minute!” Mitch hollered over his shoulder.
“Okay, well, thanks,” I said. Mitch slapped his hand on the bar as a goodbye and walked away.
I rounded on Finn. “Okay, let’s roll.”
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know, race off to the airport and see if we can track Tess down?”
“You know for a fact that she’s planning to take off by plane?”
“No, but—”
“Do you have a plan for getting back in the boarding area?” Sure, I had a plan, and Finn read me like a book. “Ziva, it’s not worth buying a plane ticket when we have no plans to go anywhere, just for a five-minute conversation with Tess.”
I knew Finn had a point, but I couldn’t simply drop the trail yet.
“I have an idea: How about I call the police and leave an anonymous tip. I’ll tell them that I have compelling evidence that Tess killed Marissa and Sterling, and she’s about to board a plane and take it with her. Let the police do their thing. I’m sure they’ll have a way to stop her, or someone can meet her when she lands. We’ve done our part.”
I nodded but wasn’t so confident.
“Come on, let’s go back upstairs to our room.”
I gave Finn the look that said, I’m so not in the mood. “Nothing like that. I bought you a couple wedding magazines when I ran out this morning. Figured it would help you get your mind off things and we can start getting some ideas.”
“I’m not sure if I should be impressed or worried. You’re not going to turn into a groomzilla on me, are you?”
“I will try not to. No promises.”
Back in the room, I couldn’t settle down, even with the bridal magazines. Something was still bothering me about the case. It wasn’t just Tess. The answers were right in front of my face, but a big mental block was preventing me from seeing them.
“You mind if I go for a walk?”
“No, go ahead, babe. Take your phone, though, and be careful. It’s late.”
“Will do, love you.” I walked out of the hotel and into the warm night air. I was glad I had grabbed a sweater. Even though it was still seventy degrees, the ocean breeze was a bit chilly. I knew where I needed to go to get the answers, eve
n if I didn’t want to. The secret lied at the beach where Sterling’s body was found, I was sure of it. I crossed my fingers in hopes I wouldn’t find any other dead bodies.
As I walked along the sand, I wondered if there was any way I could prove Tess was the murderer. Right now, all I had was a theory. I kicked off my sandals and held the straps in my hand as I made my way across the sand. Why the beach, Sterling? Why did you come here? I found myself walking down the pier, scanning the area for answers, but all I saw were a couple of other people taking late-night strolls.
From the top of the pier, I looked over to where Sterling’s body had been found by the lifeguard tower. In the distance, I could barely make her out, but I was almost certain it was the person I had inherently been looking for. She was standing in the lifeguard tower, overlooking the ocean. I thought she might be crying, but it was impossible to tell from this far away in the darkness. I quickly walked back down to the end of the pier, keeping her in my sight, hoping she wouldn’t leave before I had a chance to speak with her.
I jogged across the sand, wind whipping in my hair as a storm blew in offshore. The woman never heard me approach until I was too close. MJ turned to look at me and, for the first time, I saw true fear in her eyes. I hadn’t expected that. Instinctively, I whipped my head around in search for the danger and saw the revolver in her hand. Sweet sugar, what did I just walk into?
“This is where we were married. Did you know that?”
I tried to follow MJ’s conversation. “Uh, yeah, I mean, I knew you were married at the beach,” I said, recalling the photo Finn and I saw at her house.
“I had him meet me here where I begged and pleaded with him, forgave him, and he still dismissed me. Just like her. Oh, what did I do?” MJ’s last words came out as a loud wail.
“Honey, it’ll be okay.” Truthfully, it probably wouldn’t be, but I was thinking that reassurance was the smart way to go, given the circumstances. My eyes darted between MJ’s face and the gun that shook in her hand. She looked up at me and the fear that had been in her eyes quickly changed to anger.
“I hated her. She thought she was so perfect, that the world owed her everything and she could take whatever she wanted. I begged her to leave my husband alone, to leave our family alone, and she laughed at me. Laughed at me! And then she walked away. That was it, like she couldn’t be bothered by me. I just grabbed that shovel and dug it as hard as I could into her back. I can’t even remember if she screamed. But she deserved it.”
Eyeliner & Alibis: A romantic, cozy mystery: Beauty Secrets Mystery Book 3 Page 14