by Kira Reese
“You must have been in deep thought.” Nick glanced at the unopened red wine bottle. “Heavy into the wine can be discarded as a clue.”
“I waited for you before imbibing. I was going over everything learned about the taxi driver so far.”
“Well, we can discuss that later if you want to. As soon as I change clothes and wash my hands, I will be located at my grill.”
He kissed me and hurried upstairs. I peeked into his bag of groceries and saw fresh salmon. I stuck it in the refrigerator until he came back down. A long loaf of poppy seed bread stuck out from the top of the bag. In the bottom were packaged rib eyes. I hoped for the salmon, retrieved the white wine and poured two glasses. I handed him a glass when he came back into the kitchen.
“How did you know it would be salmon tonight?” he said.
“I figured you would want to cook it while it was fresh. I’m good at deducting clues,” I said.
On my way out to the patio with the salad, I felt more than a little lucky to have Nick in my life. The evening air was chilly and I grabbed sweaters from the hooks near the door. I knew I would put one on, but Nick should heat up enough from the grill. I smiled at how much he was like a little kid when it came to his passion for grilling anything that could be grilled.
After the meal, Nick suggested we go back inside to warm up. Very few stars were in the sky and rain was expected during the night. I waited outside for him to finish cleaning the grill and we took our dishes to the kitchen. We had the dishwasher loaded in little time, set it to begin its cycle, and took wine into the living room. His arms around me on the couch made me think how much I liked cool nights.
“Tell me what you have so far on your case,” he said.
I told him everything Natalie had discovered so far. “The Pearsons are mysterious. I’m sure they are lying about reasons for asking the driver to take them way out to that grove of trees. Natalie told me there was nothing of significance out there, just brush and overgrown grass. Most notable was the fact later that there was a large empty hole in the ground.”
“I suppose whatever Robert Douglas discovered has been removed,” said Nick.
I nodded. “We have to find out what that fresh dirt pile was all about. Ben and his officers have been out there, but I don’t know yet if they found anything significant or not.”
I snuggled closer. Tonight I didn’t want to spend time going over our days at work. Nick picked up on my signals and we headed upstairs for bed. We didn’t need a fireplace going tonight.
***
The next morning when I arrived at work I had a plan to direct Natalie in the next move.
“I think you should go back to the Pearsons’ neighborhood and talk to some of their close neighbors. Neighbors have a way of telling things that only they know. What do you think about that, Natalie?”
My assistant’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t realize how many steps had to be taken to solve cases. I’m learning a lot from you, Candy, and I’m glad you trust me. I’ll go back there in about an hour. First I want to go over what I know so far.”
I agreed with her to keep refreshed and often by going back over facts.
“Are you coming with me?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Not this time. You can do this on your own. If you want, we can discuss questions you may want to ask neighbors.”
At her request, we sat in my office and came up with things that could prove pertinent to the case. Finally, Natalie felt she was ready and left Evelyn and me. The phone rang again and my secretary handed the call over to me. It was Ben Jones.
“Candy, thanks for the work on the embezzled grocery store money you did. We made the arrest.”
I thanked my good friend for his call to let me know. Then I asked if he had found anything of interest in the tree grove off Cowherd Road.
“We looked around and specifically at the empty hole. We had one of the dogs with us and he sniffed until led to a scent from the hole. He is our cadaver dog. There was definitely a body in there recently. We just have to find out who it was and where it is now.”
“Has Robert Douglas’s body been released for burial?”
“Yes, the funeral is moved to Thursday, but we have done all we can on it for now. I doubt we will have to exhume at a later date.”
I told him about Natalie’s encounter with Mac Johnson and how he stalked off when she mentioned the Pearsons.
“We’ve interviewed them and they told us they asked the cab driver to take them out there so they could check on the property. It seems they had heard the man they paid to take care of it was shirking his duty,” said Ben.
“That’s what they told Natalie and me. It just doesn’t sit right with me. I think they have to be hiding something, or someone.”
The detective agreed. “We may have to go back, but no reason right now.”
I silently disagreed with him. I asked him to keep me posted. I was more interested in what Natalie found out from the neighbors. Neither of us cared if Polly and Bill watched my assistant from behind curtains or not.
***
Natalie parked in front of the next-door neighbor’s house and got out. She walked toward the gate of the front yard when she saw a bleached blonde woman weeding a flower garden. When she turned and met Natalie’s eyes, the assistant was surprised she was not a young girl. She introduced herself as Crystal White when Natalie told her what her purpose was for being here.
“I saw you here yesterday with someone else. I figured you’d be asking around the neighborhood about those neighbors,” she said.
Her smile was welcoming, and Natalie had the impression she couldn’t wait to dish out any gossip she could before the visit ended. Crystal sat down heavily in the metal chair on her front porch and pointed to the one next to her for Natalie to do the same. The woman wiped her brow where moisture had formed from her exertion. Then she got up again.
“I’m ready for some iced tea. How about you?” she asked.
Natalie agreed to a cold drink and asked if she could help get it. Crystal waved her away and went into the house. She returned with mismatched tall glasses that were filled with more ice than tea. Natalie accepted it with her thanks and they sat back down. The neighborhood was quiet except for a car or two that went down the street. Crystal’s yard was well shaded. Natalie observed plenty of hiding places for a good spying session on neighbors.
“How long have you lived here?” said Natalie.
“I’ve been here at least twenty-five years. No, wait, it’s more like thirty years. My husband and I bought this house when we first married. Our daughter grew up here. She comes around, but my husband is long gone.” She waved her hand in the air. “Don’t ask me where he went. He just went to work one day and kept going. He never did make it to work. Later he was traced living a new life somewhere out in Washington State.”
There was no time for Natalie to offer comments. Crystal was a talker. Natalie took advantage of the moment when Crystal took a sip of tea.
“Have the Pearsons lived over there long?”
Crystal squinted her eyes until they shut completely and leaned back. “Let me see. I believe they’ve been there maybe two or three years. They aren’t home much. I think they travel a lot. They aren’t all that friendly, either. I’ve spoken to them when they can’t avoid me, which isn’t very often.” She chuckled. Her laugh was hoarse and deep. Natalie decided she liked her.
“Do you know if they have had a recent death in their family?”
Crystal stared at Natalie. “I didn’t know they had family. But I guess everyone has family. If there was a death, I sure didn’t know about it. They have the same expressions on their faces every time I get a glimpse of them. They never look all that happy, so if a death happened, it would be hard to tell if they were upset or not.”
She picked up her tea again and swirled the melting ice cubes around before taking a drink.
“It sounds as if they have the usual routines,” said Natalie. “
Have you noticed anything different at all going on over there?”
Crystal closed her eyes again. Natalie figured this apparently was her method of thinking in a deep manner. Crystal sprung forward in the metal chair and a look of excitement crossed her face.
“Now that you mention it, I thought it was strange when I saw a man in their backyard a week or so ago. At first I thought he was an intruder and was about to call the cops. About that time, Bill Pearson came out the back door and started talking to him. The man kept nodding his head as if agreeing with whatever Bill said. He left and went down the back alley. It was the first and only time I ever saw the man.” She paused and closed her eyes again. “It’s strange to me they live in the back of that house. I mean it’s not as if houses along here are very big, as you can see.”
Natalie nodded as she surveyed the street.
“What did the man look like?” she asked Crystal.
“It was almost dark and I went out to take my trash to the can next to my back door. I have as many trees in back as out here in the front. It was hard to get a description. I know he was tall and appeared to be a big man.” The deep chuckle emerged again. “I guess Bill and Polly would have been pretty mad if I had called the police.”
Natalie smiled at her, finished her tea, and stood up to go. “Thank you for your time. I’ll leave my card with you in case you think of anything else.”
Crystal took it eagerly and promised to keep watch on her neighbors. When Natalie sat in the driver’s seat she noticed every blind and curtain in the Pearson house was closed, even in the back part of the house. She looked at the house on the other side of the Pearsons. When she knocked on the door, no one answered. She made a note of the house address and looked across the street. An elderly lady was going into her house. When Natalie hurried across the street, the lady quickly closed the door and locked it. Natalie rang her bell with no response.
It was time to assess everything Crystal told her and return to the office. She cautioned herself not to presume the large man was Mac Johnson, but it was hard to dismiss that notion.
Chapter 9
A Night on the Town
Evelyn came to the door of my office with a puzzled look on her face.
“Someone named Crystal White asked for Natalie. She isn’t back yet and this Crystal wants to talk with you.”
I picked up the phone on my desk and introduced myself. Crystal’s breathless voice told me Natalie had just left and she had thought of something else to tell her. “I happened to think about the little dog my neighbors had until a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t seen it anywhere around at all. I always heard it yipping in the early morning when someone put it outside.” She took a breath. “You know how those little dogs like to make more noise than a huge St. Bernard-like dog.”
“Why is that a significant observation, Miss White?” I asked. I felt some clarification was necessary, especially since I had no idea what question Natalie had asked to bring this answer on.
“Natalie asked me if I noticed anything unusual next door. Of course, anything about my neighbors is unusual. They’re a little odd. Keep to themselves and they don’t seem to be interested in getting to know their neighbors. High and mighty sort, ya know.”
I waited until she gave pause so I could ask more. When it came I heard a soft slurp, which told me she was drinking a beverage of some kind.
“Do you have any idea what happened to the dog?”
“I just know it’s a relief not to hear it yelping so early in the morning. I don’t know what they did with it.” She took another drink of whatever she was enjoying. “I guess I’m just wasting your time, Miss McCauley. Natalie left your office card with your name on it. She probably isn’t back there yet. I’ll let you get back to your work now. Thanks for listening.”
After we hung up, I made a note to tell Natalie about the call. She probably knew what that tidbit of news meant more than I did. I went to the small break room by our back door and started to wash the several cups rinsed in the sink. I heard Natalie pull up and waited for her to come in. I told her about the call from Crystal. We both stared at each other when we were hit with the same idea.
“It can’t be that they buried their dog out in the grove, can it?” asked Natalie.
“It is possible except for one thing. Why would they go back out and dig the grave up after burying it there? That makes no sense at all. Besides, Ben told me their cadaver dog sensed a human body.”
Natalie agreed with me and we were back to square one. Perhaps the dog was at the vet or it had died and was disposed of in a manner unknown to any of us. For now, that was not important. Then it dawned on me. I asked Natalie if she had noticed or heard a dog the day we visited the Pearsons. She said no.
“Was Crystal White any help at all?” I asked.
“She was, indeed.” Natalie told me about her observation of the mysterious man in the Pearsons’ backyard. “Crystal said it was almost dark and she was ready to call the police to report a possible burglar when Bill Pearson came out the back door and spoke with the man. They appeared to be having a normal conversation with no threats.” Natalie looked at me with the same puzzlement I noted earlier when Evelyn passed the call to me from Crystal. “From her brief description, it sure sounds like Mac Johnson. I can’t be sure, but that’s who I thought of immediately.”
“I suppose he could have been there. Maybe he was collecting money for his work at the grove,” I said.
“Maybe, but Crystal said it was the first time she had seen the man. She’s a pretty good neighborhood snooper, if you know what I mean. She said the man kept nodding as if in agreement with what Bill was telling him.”
“That’s an interesting point. Keep on it and let Crystal know you got the message. I have no idea where any of this will lead, but I have no doubt you will get to the bottom of it.” Natalie beamed at the compliment. “The hardest part is staying focused on what seems important and what does not.”
When Natalie and I walked back into the front of the office, Evelyn looked at Natalie with a twinkle in her eyes.
“That young man of yours called. He’ll call back in about a half hour. You weren’t here yet, so I told him that timeframe. Why don’t you just give him your cell number?”
The flush in Natalie’s face exposed a little more of her beauty. She obviously had a personal connection with Officer O’Neil. She told Evelyn she thought it was about time, too, to give him her personal number. I knew the couple had to cause eyes to turn when people saw them together. The handsome Officer O’Neil and beautiful Assistant Private Investigator Natalie Carpenter made a stunning couple. It was time Natalie found her dream man. She lived through plenty of romances in the books she read. Perhaps now it was time for her own story to begin.
***
Two nights later, Natalie dressed up and made sure her makeup was flawless. Michael would be arriving any time now. She took one last look in the mirror as soon as the doorbell rang. Her heart skipped several beats, and at the door she paused to gain control. Michael was taken aback at the lovely woman in front of him. He had never dated anyone with beauty and personality that combined so perfectly. She liked to have fun, and he was more than proud to walk into a bar and grill, an arcade room, or a fine restaurant with her. Both liked to dance and he planned many opportunities to show her how much he hoped to make her happy in their future dates.
“I thought tonight we would go downtown to the Eleven Madison Park restaurant,” said Michael.
Natalie gasped. “Are you sure? It’s more than a little expensive. I’m sure we’ll need reservations.”
“Never fear, my lady. You are dressed for upscale tonight and we have reservations. As for expense, let’s just say I’ve saved up for a very special night together with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
Natalie was a little apprehensive regarding dining with residents of Central Park’s rich inhabitants, but she relaxed and decided to make it the best night of her life
. Besides, she found it very hard to resist her handsome escort. His emerald-like eyes accentuated fair skin and a shock of light brown hair. She was ready.
Once inside the high-ceilinged restaurant, both stood still, taking it all in. When verbally prodded, Michael gave his name and they were led to a table for two.
“This is a perfect place,” said Natalie. “How did you know I love art deco?”
“I just learned that,” said Michael. He smiled broadly. “I’m glad I scored on that interest, too. Let’s take a look at our menus. Looks like we have quite a choice here.”
“What is bone marrow pie?” asked Natalie.
“I have no idea. Unless you like taking risks, I suggest we order something that sounds familiar,” said Michael. Natalie laughed and agreed.
When the roasted chicken arrived with cheese bread and roasted vegetables, both delved in with enthusiasm. After her first bite, Natalie’s eyes roved around the tables near them.
She leaned toward Michael, and in a soft voice, she said, “Can you believe the affluence around here? I mean, look at these diners. Their clothes must have come from the most expensive designers. I feel out of place in this black dress of mine.”
Michael reached across and rested a warm hand on hers. “You look more fabulous than any of them in here. Besides, who’s to say we aren’t wearing designer clothes like they are? You have to admit the lights are dim enough to hide that fact.” He laughed softly. “Just enjoy it and pay no attention to anyone but the two of us. We’re just out enjoying a very delicious dinner together. On our way out you’ll have more chances to scrutinize all the art deco you desire.”
By the time the meal was finished, Natalie and Michael relaxed and took full advantage of their expensive night on the town. Once outside again, Natalie told him how much she enjoyed it. She didn’t mention the outlandish bill again since Michael appeared comfortable with the price he paid. She recalled a recent romance novel she had finished. In it, the main character had gone through many relationships until she found the perfect man. Their first real date was similar to the one she and Michael had enjoyed tonight and all ended better than the character ever imagined. Natalie was sure it was her own story.