Catrina watched Shirley walk away.
There goes my star witness.
****
It had been a long, hard day and Catrina was drained. She pushed the button on her remote and the garage door opened. Her Explorer barely fit into the garage below her Capitol Hill home.
The house was more than a hundred years old and she had spent a bunch of her law suit settlement money restoring it. Now it was just perfect for her.
Catrina sat in the driver’s seat for a moment and just breathed, finishing up a song on the 80’s rock station. Stairway to Heaven fit her mood.
When the song ended, Catrina drug herself out of the car and climbed the stairs to the main floor.
“Tough day?” a tall, middle-aged man asked, holding out a glass of iced tea with a lemon wheel and a mint sprig in it.
“OH!” Catrina jumped. She dropped her keys in the porcelain bowl on the maple sofa table by the door and set down her purse.
“Tom . . . I didn’t expect you here.” She took the chilled glass from the homicide detective.
Tom stepped aside and let Catrina enter her living room. “I don’t know. Something just told me you had a rough day and needed a little spoiling.”
“Spoiling? What did you have in mind, handsome?” That was kind of a stretch. While Tom wasn’t hard on the eyes, his complexion resembled the surface of the moon.
Tom took a sip of his Henry’s Private Reserve beer. “I bought a nice piece of salmon at the Market, a good loaf of French bread and a bag of clams.” He smiled at her. “You hungry?”
“Starved. Let me take a shower first.”
Tom headed to the kitchen while Catrina made her way to her bedroom to get undressed.
The hot shower was life-giving. She soaked her head and pulled her hair away from her eyes. She was rinsing the shampoo out when the door opened.
“Room for one more, gorgeous?” Tom stepped inside.
“Just like Jello, big boy, there’s always room for more.” Catrina pulled him into a wet embrace.
“Why don’t we talk about the first thing that pops up?”
She loved Tom’s body and often thought it could belong to a twenty-five year old. His Marine Corps discipline kept him in shape. Catrina ran her hands over his chest and worked her way down.
“I see something has popped up.”
Tom ran his hands down her hips and between her legs. An electric spark flowed through her body.
“Shall we move this party to the bedroom?” Tom asked.
Catrina smiled, turned off the shower and reached for a towel. “You are certainly forward, kind sir.”
They lay down on Catrina’s king-size bed. Wrapping her arms around Tom and gently caressing his back, she reveled in the feel of his skin.
Tom rolled over on her and gave her a long hard kiss. Their tongues met and the kiss lasted forever.
Tom broke off and began kissing her cheeks and neck.
Good, he’s going to take control.
Tom nibbled at her ears and Catrina tingled all over.
It drove her crazy when he traced the outline of her collar bone with his tongue. He nibbled down her chest, finally ending up at her breasts. Teasing one nipple with his tongue he caressed the other with his fingers.
Tom worked his way down her stomach and caressed her thighs. Gently spreading her legs, he licked her labia. Catrina moaned and arched her back. When he sucked on her clitoris the world exploded.
He grazed his way back up to her face and entered her. She climaxed again.
The salmon went uneaten.
****
Catrina woke to the gentle sound of rain on the roof. She slowly opened one eye and took in her surroundings. Everything looked normal except for the big lump in the bed next to her.
“Mornin’ gorgeous,” the lump said. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Why, Thomas P. Bremen, as I live and breathe.”
Tom reached over and pulled her to him. They spooned and she lost herself in the luxury of his strong arms.
“So, what do you have to do today?” Tom played with a nipple.
“I’m on a new case. Both of this guy’s wives died in mysterious accidents and no one put two and two together.”
Tom released her nipple and sat up. “Why haven’t I heard about this? All suspicious deaths should go through homicide.”
“Whoa, cowboy.” Catrina sat up too. “First of all, the first death happened in the county seven years ago. The Sheriffs’ Office handled it. Secondly, the second death was in Montana. Probably no one put them together because they didn’t know about the death in the other state. Besides, both cases are closed. No one’s looking at them.”
Tom put his feet on the floor and reached for his boxers. “How did you get involved in this?”
Catrina leaned over and stroked his back. “The mother of wife number one came to see me. She just learned that wife number two died in an accident too.”
“You want me to look at the Sheriff’s case? I have a friend on the homicide squad.”
She kissed him on the shoulder. “Would you? I’d love to hear what they found.”
Tom got up and headed for the kitchen. Catrina arose and started to reach for her clothes then saw the mirror. Still feeling the post-coital glow, she stopped to study her reflection.
The years haven’t been too bad to me.
She saw a tall woman with short blonde hair. Okay, her breasts sagged a little. A little? Who do you think you’re kidding? Gravity might have its effect, but thank God for Victoria’s Secret.
Her hand instinctively went to the small scar above her left breast. She could feel the impact of the bullet, then nothing. The next thing she remembered was waking up in a hospital room with her mother and father at her bedside.
The shooting had opened a new channel of communication with her once-estranged father. A former cop, he all but disowned Catrina when she sued the Port of Seattle Police Department.
As she put on her underwear, Tom appeared in the bedroom door carrying a silver tray with two cups of coffee, a bud vase with a single red rose and a bowl of strawberries.
“I brought you a little breakfast surprise . . .” Tom said, as he bent down on one knee.
Catrina saw the large marquise-cut diamond ring shimmering on top of the strawberries. She put her hand to her mouth and panicked. “Tom, no. Not again.”
“I’m serious. I really need to figure out where we’re going. We’ve been together, what? Nine years. I’m ready for more . . .”
“Tom . . .”
“No, let me say this. I know all your reasons. I know why you can’t commit, but . . . I need you to trust me. We are so much better than this.”
“Tom . . . Let’s not have this conversation.”
“I mean it. I’m really serious. Catrina Flaherty . . .” He took the ring off the fruit bowl and slipped it on her finger. “Will you marry me?”
Tears flooded her eyes. It all flashed through her mind. The wedding to Bill, Billy being born. The love and bliss. Then the abuse. The fights. Him beating her, the cheating. It was all too much. She just couldn’t put herself in that position again.
“Oh, Tom. Don’t . . . You know I can’t marry you.”
****
Catrina knew she’d never find a parking spot downtown, so she pulled into a damned parking garage and paid their extortionist rate to leave the Explorer.
The crisp October air felt good on her face. For once, Seattle decided to stop raining and bring on clear blue skies. Fat lot of good that did; Catrina couldn’t be more miserable if her puppy just died.
It was a few blocks to Lauren’s office, Optometry Partners, LLC. When she called earlier, the receptionist told her to drop in anytime.
The corner storefront at Fifth and Polk looked like any professional office. The windows sparkled in the sun and the brass handles on the door shone from the polish. Inside, mirrors lined the walls. In front of the mirrors were rows and rows of eye gl
ass frames. Catrina grimaced.
That must be someone’s idea of a joke.
A giant eye exam chart was painted on the wall at the end of the office. Instead of the big E on the top line and the smaller F P below it, with smaller and smaller rows of letters under that, the sign read “Welcome, Optometry Partners. How may we help you?” with each succeeding row in a smaller font that the one above.
That was supposed to be funny?
“May I help you ma’am?” an attractive young Asian woman in a pretty dress asked.
Catrina hated being called ma’am. It made her feel a hundred years old.
“Yes, my name is Catrina Flaherty. I called earlier. I’d like to talk to the partners,” She consulted her notebook. “Doctor Tzu or Doctor Iri . . . Iri..”
“You mean Doctor Irigawa,” the receptionist said. “If you’ll just wait a minute, I’ll see if they’re available.” She turned and walked towards the offices at the back of the building.
Catrina picked up a Seattle Weekly and scanned the pages. The lead story was about Dick Randall, the owner of a chain of bikini baristas stands who disappeared. What were the bastards writing about her now? She rolled the newspaper up and put it in her purse. She’d have to examine the article when time permitted. She had just solved the bikini baristas case.
“Ms. Flaherty?” The receptionist was back. “Dr. Tzu will see you now.”
She led Catrina through a maze of hallways, opened a door and announced, “Ms. Flaherty,” to the occupant.
Catrina stopped in the doorway and surveyed her surroundings. She could have been in Hong Kong or Tokyo. The walls were painted a fiery red with gold trim. A golden Buddha sat on the table behind the desk. Red tasseled hangings clung to the walls.
“Ms. Flaherty.” The gorgeous Asian woman behind the desk rose. “How may I help you?”
She had no trace of an accent. Dr. Tzu was a short woman, probably average by Asian standards, with luxurious black hair. Catrina see how a man could get lost in those dark, mysterious eyes.
“Please, call me Cat. All my friends do.” Catrina extended her hand.
Okay, get it together. I can’t blow this just because that big ape proposed.
Dr. Tzu stood, shook Catrina’s hand and gestured to a black lacquered chair with a padded seat.
“I need to ask you a few questions about your late partner, Lauren Barrett.” Catrina watched the doctor for a reaction.
Dr. Tzu’s face was immobile, giving away nothing. “Why are you asking about Lauren?”
I wouldn’t want to play poker with her.
“Recently there have been a few irregularities come up about her case. I’m just trying to tie up loose ends.”
“I’m sorry, Ms . . .. Cat. I don’t understand what this has to do with you. Why wouldn’t the police have come to me instead?”
Catrina saw that she had some ‘splainin’ to do. “Dr. Tzu, I‘ve been hired by a concerned party. They hired me to look into your partner’s death.”
The doctor paused for a moment.
“I can see why someone might be concerned. We were always uncomfortable with Brody.”
Catrina pulled her notebook from her purse. “What made you uncomfortable?”
“Well, for one thing, Lauren was the breadwinner in the family. As far as I could tell, Brody never brought home any income. But he acted like the absolute dictator. When we had partner meetings, he always showed up with Lauren.”
“Was this unusual?”
“None of the other partners’ spouses ever came to those meetings.”
“I see . . .”
“I never liked him. From the time Lauren got married, he rubbed me the wrong way. He was so slick, always had a smile. His eyes actually twinkled, but I always felt he was insincere. I didn’t believe a word he said.” Dr. Tzu stared blankly into space, like she was looking into the past. “If we wanted to go out to lunch together, Lauren had to call him. Then he’d show up at the café to join us, uninvited. When Lauren died, we tried to buy him out, get him out of the business. He refused.”
“How come?” Catrina made notes in her book. “He wasn’t an optometrist.”
“That’s what we told him. He said he’d rather have a steady income stream than to get a buyout. I think he just wanted to hang around to annoy us.”
Catrina thought about that for a minute. “Did Lauren ever tell you they were having problems? Did she express any apprehension?”
Dr. Tzu laughed. “Lauren thought he was Prince Charming. She thought she was living some kind of fairy-tale. The poor girl was deliriously happy, especially after the baby came.”
“How old is their daughter?”
“She must be about three now. Lauren took six months off after the baby was born, then had her accident about six months after she came back to work. Yes, that would make her about three.”
Catrina made a note to talk with the babysitter. Or was she a nanny?
“Do you mind if I talk to some of your employees?”
“No, go ahead. Annie, at the reception desk, was her closest friend. She might be able to help you.”
“What else can you tell me?”
The doctor was silent for a moment. “You’re looking into the possibility that Brody killed her, aren’t you?”
Why do her friends keep coming to that conclusion?
“I’m just tying up loose ends.” Catrina kept her best poker face. “Why, do you think he killed her?”
“He certainly was capable of it.”
****
“Annie,” Dr. Tzu said, “Ms. Flaherty would like to speak with you for a moment.”
The black-haired young woman looked up from her computer monitor. “Who’s going to watch the front of the store?”
“That’s okay,” the doctor said, “I’ll stay on the floor until you’re done. You may use my office.”
annie headed back to the office without another word.
“Hi, Annie, I’m Cat Flaherty.” Catrina stood and offered her hand.
“Annie Chin.” Annie took Catrina’s hand and looked around, confused.
I’ve been sitting in the guest chair. Annie’s probably used to sitting here and doesn’t know where she should sit.
“Go ahead and sit behind the desk. I’m sure Dr. Tzu won’t mind.”
This is her turf, might as well make her feel comfortable.
Annie sat on the brown swivel chair with brass buttons.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions about Lauren Barrett and her husband.”
“‘Kay.”
“I hear you and Lauren were pretty good friends.” Catrina picked up her notebook.
“Yeah. She was sort of a second mom to me. We, you know, hit it off, and she helped me through some problems in school. When she got pregnant, I knew she’d be a super mom.”
“How long did you know her?”
“From my freshman year.” Annie picked up a pen and tapped on the desk. “I got the job here because my dad insisted I pay my own way through school. It’s a Chinese thing. To make me more self-reliant.”
Catrina looked up from her notebook. “So how long was that?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. We were friends for about three years.”
Catrina made a note. “And did she confide in you?”
“She told me everything. We were like a couple of school girls. We used to go to lunch a couple of times a week and sometimes we’d go out with some of the other girls after work.”
“What kind of things did Lauren talk to you about?”
Annie’s face broke into a broad smile. She giggled a little bit and covered her mouth. “You know, when she first met Brody, she told me all about it. What a special guy he was, how he’d do the most thoughtful things.”
“Um . . .hm . . .”
Annie looked a little embarrassed. “At first Laurie told me when she, you know, did it with him. I thought it was sweet.”
“Did she confide anything else to you?”
“I don’t know if I should say this, you know, but . . . well, Brody got a bladder infection. I thought that was, you know, weird. Like, they both had to get shots for his infection.”
“An STD.” The dog. He played around on her.
Catrina stared at the young woman for a moment. “And after they got married?”
“She had nothing but good stuff to say about him. Like they were planning out their lives and how they wanted a baby. He wanted it as much as she did.”
“Did Brody ever come into the office?” Catrina bushed a wayward lock of hair out of her eye.
“Well, that was sort of funny. If we were going to lunch, he’d always show up and say he was just in the area. I really didn’t like it when he came into the office.”
“Oh, why not?”
“Well, he acted like he owned the place. I mean, he’d walk into her office, even when Laurie had a patient with her. I tried to stop him one time, but Brody just ignored me. If a customer looked at frames, he’d walk over and make suggestions, like he worked here. He was always very flattering to the women. I think they all fell in love with him.”
“Does he still come in?”
“Yeah, he comes in for meetings and stuff.” Annie wrinkled her tiny nose. “None of us like it. Since Laurie died, he acts totally different.”
Catrina stopped taking notes and looked at Annie.“How so?”
“Well, he’s always flirting with the staff, you know, coming on to us. Then he’s always touching me. A pat on the shoulder, an arm around my waist. He patted me on the butt once. I wanted to deck him, but I can’t, he’s the boss.”
“Did he ever go beyond this touching?”
“He makes all kinds of lewd comments. I mean he can turn anything you say into a sexual comment.”
“And you never saw this behavior before Lauren died?”
“I mean, no. He was always like, totally polite and stuff.”
****
The First United Methodist Church, just east of Myrtle Edwards Park, was Catrina’s next destination. Brody’s Facebook page had links to the church’s page and the pastor, the Reverend Dr.Thomas Waitley, was listed as one of Brody’s close friends.
Murder Strikes Twice: A Catrina Flaherty Mystery, Book 2 (Catrina Flaherty Mysteries) Page 3