A Deathly Rattle

by Diana Orgain

  But, I was glad I had gotten that email from Galigani. That way, I had some information before I started interviewing people. I headed into the hospital, and eventually I found my way to Cassandra’s room. She was sitting up in bed, hooked up to an IV. She looked like she felt okay, thankfully. Probably just waiting for some of the chloroform to get out of her system. “Kate,” she said and smiled at me. “How is the case going?”

  “Slowly,” I said. “I do know that Morgan was having an affair with a married man. Do you know anything about that?”

  “I knew she was dating a guy named Bill,” Cassandra said as I made my way over. I pulled up a chair beside her hospital bed and pulled out the notebook I had snagged from the house so that I could take notes.

  “That would be him,” I said.

  “Yeah, he seemed kind of… sketchy,” Cassandra said. “But, I only met him once or twice. He would swing by the bakery every once in a while, and drop off some lunch for her. He picked her up for a date once. He seemed a little old for her, but she kind of was into that. She wanted a sugar daddy type thing.”

  “So, obviously I’m looking into Bill. But, he was nowhere near the theater when Morgan was killed,” I said.

  “Yeah,” Cassandra said. “But, according to the police, someone poisoned some of my brownies. I know Morgan and I both ate some. Bill doesn’t have a key to the bakery or anything, but maybe he could have… I don’t know…”

  “Would Morgan have let him into the back?” I asked.

  “I guess she could have,” Cassandra said. “But, I don’t know why she would have. I don’t let anyone into the back where we do the baking who isn’t a baker. Our cashiers aren’t even allowed back there, and Morgan had been working there for a while. She knew the rules.”

  Cassandra had brought up the poisoned brownies, so it didn’t seem like she was trying to hide anything. She could have very easily lied to me just then to keep herself or her employees out from under my nose. It would be a lot easier on her if someone had been poisoned at the theater rather than them bringing poisoned brownies there. This would open up a can of worms – there could be a lawsuit against her business. That’s probably why she hired me, I thought – realizing she probably was worried about how this would affect her business if the culprit wasn’t caught.

  “I need to ask about the incident between you and my husband,” I said, changing subjects. I once again decided to feel her out. Not let her know what I already knew just to see if she would be honest with me.

  She rolled her eyes. “It was stupid, really.”

  “I need to hear your side of things,” I said. “And, frankly, I want to make sure I can clear my husband as a suspect, as you can imagine that’s a high priority for me.”

  “I suppose I can understand that,” she said with a huff. “Well, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure if Jim told you, but we dated briefly way back in high school.”

  “Yeah, he told me,” I said even though he didn’t.

  “Well, Jim had come in a few times getting those brownies for you,” Cassandra said. “He didn’t recognize me at first. It was probably about the second or third time, and I finally said something to him. Just told him who I was, thought we would have a good laugh about it – maybe chat about old times and see what each other had been up to since high school. That sort of thing. Well, he looks me up and down and makes this asinine comment about he had obviously moved up.”

  I frowned. “Oh?”

  “Yeah,” she said, a very annoyed pout on her face. “And, frankly, I didn’t care for what he said to me. I thought it was just so rude. I mean, you’re beautiful Kate, but you don’t say that to an ex-girlfriend. Especially when you had left on good terms, you know? It was just so mean and spiteful, and I probably overreacted. I snapped at him, he snapped back, and it just sort of escalated into shouting, and I finally just called the police to end it.”

  I really didn’t want to believe a word she had just said to me. I couldn’t imagine Jim making a comment like that to someone. He was just so… sweet. She must have guessed that I didn’t believe her because she sat upright and looked at me. “It surprised me too,” she said. “Like I said, we dated back in high school. He was always so sweet. He was nice to women. Nice to everybody. To hear that come out of his mouth about me, well, it set me off. And, honestly, I’m sorry for my part in it. I overreacted, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt my feelings.”

  I still wasn’t sure. I couldn’t imagine Jim smirking at a woman and telling her he had moved up – judging some woman he dated back in the day after she had been supposedly sweet as can be to him. But, I tried not to let her know that. “Well, I’m very sorry to hear that,” I said. “But, thank you for talkig with me. Is there anything else you can tell me about Morgan that might would lead me into the right direction?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Cassandra admitted. “She kept to herself. We weren’t particularly close. She came into work and then headed off. She dated a lot, though. Bill was just the latest of older men she dated. I couldn’t tell you their names, though. Like I said, she wanted to find herself a sugar daddy. She didn’t like to work, but she was willing to do it until she found what she wanted in a guy. A guy with deep pockets.”

  “Thank you, Cassandra,” I said. I rose from my seat. I was very frustrated, but I tried my best not to show it. Cassandra thanked me again for looking into the case for her. She expressed her sympathy for what happened to Morgan, and she admitted she was very worried about her business after having an employee killed by someone putting brownie’s in the food. She gave me a list of employees and anyone who would have access to the bakery for one reason or another.

  I headed out, my mind swimming once again. The fact that Jim didn’t tell me Cassandra was his ex-girlfriend was really bothering me. And, honestly, she was pretty. I was… pregnant with baby’s number two and three. Laurie had certainly changed the way I looked – and this pregnancy was only going to do that even more so. Was Jim still attracted to me? Had he been coming down to the bakery to fantasize about an ex-girlfriend? Was there something even more going on than that? I really didn’t like to think about it. It was making sick. Why wouldn’t Jim talk to me? Was Jim… was Jim cheating on me?

  Ch10

  When I left the hospital, my frustrations were at an all time high. I was having a difficult time coping with what little information that I had. I knew my husband. I knew him well. We had dated for a long time, and we had been married for a good bit by then. Plus, we were in a good, healthy marriage. Or, at least, I believed we were. Jim was a nice, wonderful man. He was friendly. Loving. Caring. Smart. Funny. I loved my husband, but I just couldn’t shake this feeling that something about this situation was wrong. First, he fails to mention to me about the police being called. Now, turns out, the woman who called the police on him was an ex-girlfriend. And, according to her, he had made some rude comment about moving up with me. That just didn’t sound like Jim. Was Cassandra lying? Had the two of them been seeing each other and got into some sort of spat?

  I wasn’t sure what to think. I know one thing: I was very distracted on my drive home. Not that that would have mattered. It was dark, but there was a slight hint of light coming up from the distant horizon. A slight blush color covered half the sky while behind me it was still pitch black – stars still I in the sky, and the moon was hidden by some dark clouds. It was a lovely juxtaposition that I really couldn’t enjoy with everything that was running through my mind.

  As I drove through a stop sign, a flight flicker of light caught my eye. I saw the headlights, and I could hear the spinning of tires. I tried to swerve, and I noticed that the car heading down my way turn ever so slightly – not to get out of the way, but to ensure that they hit me. My eyes widened, and I braced for impact. The car hit the back drivers side door, t-boning my car. My vehicle began to spin. The steering wheel jerked so abruptly that I just had to throw my hands up to prevent my wrists fr
om being jerked about. I felt the airbag smash into my face, and I tasted a bit of blood shortly afterwards.

  I was only vaguely aware that my car was flipping. I could see out my cracked window as the ground appeared to swoosh overhead. At last, my car came to a grinding halt as the vehicle slid off the road and into a tree. My back bumper crunched into the tree, and once I was at last still I took a deep breath. I’m alive, right?

  I touched my head, wiggled my toes, and checked over my arms. I knew that when adrenaline was pumping it could be difficult to assert if anything was broken or injured, so I remained fairly still until I could get my bearings together. I glanced up, and I saw the car. A red Toyota Takoma with a bent fender. My entire body intensified, and I watched the vehicle bail. It drove away, tires shrieking. I saw police lights a short distance away, and I felt an instant since of relieve knowing that someone of authority had seen the accident.

  Accident. I knew already that it wasn’t know accident. Bill drove a Toyota Takoma with a bent fender. I had recognized his truck as soon as my car stopped spinning. I had been trailing the guy for over a month. I knew who he was. I knew what he drove. I could have spotted that truck a mile away.

  I stayed in my car, and I didn’t bother moving to search for my phone since a cop was already on the way. Being pregnant, I didn’t want to risk anything. I was already worried enough about my twin babies after being told I had a higher chance of a miscarriage after the carbon monoxide poisoning incident.

  Less than two minutes went by, and then a flashlight was shined in my eye. “Miss, are you all right?” he asked, and I could see him peering in the back seat.

  “Car seat is empty,” I said, thankful for my baby on board sticker. “Little one is at home with dad.”

  “Okay, good,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure. Ma’am, how is your neck? Is anything hurting?”

  “No, I think I’m okay, but I’m pregnant. Can you please call for an ambulance? I’d rather be safe than sorry,” I said. “And, I know who hit me. His name is Bill Kent. I’m a PI, and his wife hired me to look after him. I think he was trying to kill me.”

  “Do you know-”

  “His car tag? Yeah, I have it memorized,” I hissed.

  The officer smirked at me slightly – like he was proud of me, this complete stranger, for being so prepped. He called for an ambulance, put out a search for Bill, and then he came and waited by the car with me. I decided then that I was definitely going to be pressing charges against this creep. Soon the paramedics arrived. By the time they got there, I was starting to feel really achy. I was hoping that nothing was broken, but I was pretty sure that I was going to at least be experiencing some whip lash. They put me on a stretcher, and when it was raised up, I could see just how destroyed my car was. I gritted my teeth. I had definitely seen Bill’s car – and I was pretty sure he had been driving. That bald head of his was a giveaway.

  The paramedics spoke calmly to me like I was having some sort of panic attack, but I was more angry than frightened. It could have been a lot worse. It took less than ten minutes to get me to the hospital, and I was taken straight back to the ER. Since I was pregnant, they didn’t do any ex-rays, especially since I was not complaining too seriously except for what I’m sure would be a good bit of bruising. They then took me to get an ultrasound with the on-call gynecologist where they checked over my babies – mostly to check for any signs of placenta abruption. Thankfully, the babies were fine, and so was I apart from a small line of stitches I had to get in my right eyebrow – thanks to the airbag.

  I had asked the doctor to contact Jim when I had first arrived, but since Jim was already listed as my emergency contact, he had already been called. I assumed he would be there sooner or later, but I was starting to get anxious. They put me in a room while my doctor filled out some discharge paperwork, and that’s when Jim finally arrived. The man entered into my hospital room, eyes blazing. “Kate!” he yelped, hurrying inside and plopping down beside me on the bed. He sat on the edge of the hospital bed and touched my face. My face was a bit bruised from the airbag, and I’m sure the fresh stitches made it look worse than it actually was. He looked completely panicked and shaky. I couldn’t believe that just an hour before I was stewing in the car wondering if this man could possibly be cheating on me. I want to blame it on pregnancy hormones – I was acting nuts.

  “I’m fine, Jim,” I assured him and smiled. “Where’s Laurie?”

  “She’s with Kenny,” he said. “I’m so glad you’re all right. When they called me, I freaked out. They said your car was totaled and that it had been a hit and run?”

  “Yeah, but I was able to ID the driver. It was Creepy Bill,” I said.

  “The guy you have been tailing for one of yours and Galigani’s clients?” Jim questioned.

  “That’s the one,” I said, groaning slightly. He reached across and held my hand. He had been scared to receive the phone call that I was in the hospital. I could tell it had really gotten to him.

  I assured him several times that I was okay as though he didn’t believe me. But, there was still a part of me that kept being pulled back into this strange reality I had created. He ignored the coldness in my tone. I’m sure he just thought it was pregnancy hormones making me act all weird and distant. He picked up his phone. “Your mom just texted me that she’s here,” he said. “I called her on my way to let her know you had been in an accident, and of course she said she would head right this way.” He sat his phone down on the small table beside the hospital bed. Jim leaned over and kissed my forehead. “I’m going to go meet her in the ER waiting room so she can find her way back here.”

  “Thanks,” I said to him, trying to actually sound thankful instead of flustered. Despite how sweet and worried he was acting, I was still a little annoyed with him. I wouldn’t have felt the need to run out to the hospital in the middle of the night had he not just talked to me about what had happened between him and Cassandra. I guess a tiny part of me was blaming him for what happened. Normally, I would never act that way. It wasn’t Jim’s fault I was out in the middle of the night, and it wasn’t Jim’s fault that Bill had decided to go after me. None of it was Jim’s fault, yet somehow my brain was trying to encourage me to find something to be angry with him about. It was that nagging feeling in the back of my head – that feeling that something just wasn’t right.

  I watched Jim leave; he hurried out of the room to go meet Mom so that she wouldn’t get lost on her way back to my hospital room. My mom had a tendency to wander and get distracted easily, so it was definitely necessary. She was the type of woman who could inadvertently get herself into some trouble. I leaned my head back, taking a moment to gather my bearings before my mom came in and started fussing over me. I smirked slightly, imagining that one day Laurie would moan and groan about how I needed to calm down and stop worrying about her. Like my mom, I knew I never would. Funny how you realize that sort of thing once you become a parent.

  Just as I was starting to relax a bit, something caught my eye. Jim had left his phone. There it was. Just sitting there within arm’s reach. My mind went back to my meeting with Sarah and Galigani. She had said that the first thing she noticed was how Bill had started omitting things… like what Jim was doing with the incident with Cassandra. The second thing she had said was that he had started getting strange emails and phones calls. Everything in me was telling me to just leave it alone. To trust my husband. To not reach over there and start going through his phone.

  But, I didn’t listen.

  I snagged the phone quickly. I don’t know what I was looking for, but I was looking for something. I checked first to see if he was logged into his email, but he wasn’t. I didn’t know Jim’s password for his email. I never really had a reason to go snooping through his emails before. I checked his messages. The first few texts that showed up were from me, Kenny, Mom, and a few guys from work. Okay, so he had least hadn’t been contacting anyone recently.

/>   Then it occurred to me that Cassandra had given me her number. Had Jim tried calling her? I started typing her number into his phone to see if anything came up, and it did. He had her contact – her personal cell number – saved in his phone. Not under her name, of course, but under the contact Bakery. I tried not to panic too quickly. I reminded myself that I had been having Jim go out for brownies for me quite often. It was certainly possible that Jim had asked for her number so that he could call her whenever his wife, me, was having one of her pregnancy cravings. But… why would Cassandra give him her cell number? Why not her work number?

  My throat felt dry. My finger lingered over the contact number. It would be so easy to look and see if they had been messaging back and forth. I could physically feel my palms sweating. It was this weird, ominous moment. If I clicked that name, it meant I didn’t trust Jim. But, if I chose not to check, would I wind up being the fool later on?

  I clicked it.

  And, my stomach dropped when I saw a picture of Cassandra pop up on his cell in their message history. It was nothing too provocative. It was from a little over two weeks ago – probably right before the incident where Jim and she had gotten into it. She was smiling in the little selfie, and her loose fitted tank top showed off a bra strap that made me want to go upstairs and find the room where she was staying just so I would smack her. The text read simply: like the new haircut?