Getting Skinny

by Monique Domovitch

  “Rob always lived with his mother. And you know what I say about a grown man who never moves out of his mommy’s house…”

  “He wasn’t living with her anymore. He had his own place over the garage.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, give me a break.”

  “Anyway, when Mrs. Grant came home one day, she heard Rob yelling. She hurried upstairs and walked in on him arguing furiously with—guess who?—Harry Johnson. And the bed was littered with pill bottles—dozens of them.”

  Toni nodded, knowingly. “And Harry came up with the story that he was busting Rob.”

  “That’s right. Here’s what I think. If those two were involved with some kind of drug scheme together, Rob couldn’t very well contradict Harry without admitting to criminal activity.”

  Toni’s eyebrows shot up. “That makes perfect sense. What are you waiting for? This is the plausible explanation we’ve been searching for. Call Steve.”

  “I don’t know.” I sighed. “You know what the cops are like. They probably won’t do a thing about it. And if we tell Steve, he’ll want me to cancel the dinner.”

  “You’ve got a point,” she said, looking disappointed.

  “I’m not about to pull out now. I have a gut feeling my plan will work. I’ll get Harry to incriminate himself somehow and I’ll bring that creep down.” I glanced at my watch. “In the meantime, I have a dinner party to prepare.”

  Toni followed me to the kitchen where I resumed putting away the groceries. “So you’re determined to go through with it?”

  “You bet.”

  “Good girl,” she said, watching me set the fruit on the counter. “Mmm, papaya and mango, what are you making?”

  “Tropical fruit salsa.” I folded my recyclable shopping bag and stuffed it in my purse. How about you come back later and give me a hand?”

  “If it’s quiet at work, I will.”

  “The way business has picked up, I’d better not count on it,” I said, chuckling.

  A few minutes later she left and I busied myself polishing until everything sparkled.

  I was just about to start preparing the food when the doorbell rang. My heart did its usual plunge, the way it did whenever I imagined the cops behind the door. But to my surprise, it was Toni.

  “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at work?” I asked, leading the way to the kitchen.

  “Charles called in a favor with a couple of his friends and they’re helping out for a couple of hours. I’ll be back there before it gets busy. So I’m all yours until six.

  “In that case, here, you can give me a hand.” I picked up a papaya and tossed it to her.

  She caught it in midair. “What do you want me to do?”

  I placed the cutting board on the table and handed her a knife. “Chop.”

  “Don’t you have a food processor?”

  I shook my head.

  Toni examined her manicure and grimaced. “You really have it in for my nails, don’t you?” To her credit, she helped herself to one of my aprons and set to work. “Mitchell will be so impressed with your cooking.” She sing-sang Mitchell’s name, but I didn’t rise to the bait. For once, my cheeks maintained their regular color. Toni continued chopping, then stopped and studied me again, this time with criticism in her eyes. “I hope you’re going to wear makeup.”

  I knew I lacked the girly-girl skills that Toni used to reel in her men. I decided to take advice rather than offense. “I did look good when you did my makeup, didn’t I?” I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not even sure I have the right cosmetics.”

  “Anything you need, I’ll lend you.” She paused, her knife in midair. “Go check right now. Better yet, bring down your bag and I’ll go through it myself.”

  I dashed upstairs. In the bathroom, I rummaged under the sink, retrieved my cherry-red bag and brought it back to the kitchen. “Here it is.”

  Toni wiped her hands and I took over the chopping while she sorted through my makeup.

  “Most of this is junk,” she declared, throwing items into a growing pile in the center of the table. “A few are fine, but wrong for your coloring.” She made a second pile. I could hardly believe how much makeup that bag contained. There were dozens of items I had never even used. “These are nice,” she said, pointing to a miniscule pile. “Hold on, what’s this?”

  I glanced up. “That looks like…” I gasped. “I don’t believe it! It’s—it’s…how the hell did that…?” A memory came flashing back. I took the plastic bottle and examined it, then shook it. It rattled. I twisted off the top and dropped the contents onto my open palm—at least a dozen white tablets.

  Toni’s voice snapped me out of my trance. “What are they?” she asked from over my shoulder.

  I held up the bottle. “I do believe it’s evidence. This is one of the pill bottles from Rob’s bag.”

  “You’ve had this the whole time?”

  “I had no idea.” I explained about dropping the brown leather bag the afternoon of Rob’s party. “There were pill bottles all over the floor. It was just after you told me that the lemon curd was ruined. I wanted to get to the restaurant as fast as I could. I was about to leave when I found one last bottle and threw it under the vanity, into what I thought was Rob’s bag. I must have thrown it into mine by mistake.”

  She picked one up gingerly and looked at it. “They don’t look like vitamin pills to me. Do you realize what this means? Nicky, you could be cleared.”

  I nodded, stunned. “Maybe. But I still want Harry to confess. I may be paranoid, but at this point, I’m not taking any chances. For all we know, the police will find a way to use this against me.”

  “After all they put you through, I can’t say that I blame you. But why don’t you talk to Steven about it?”

  For some reason, Toni seemed bent on getting me to call her ex. I considered it. “I’d rather not. He’ll try to talk me into going to the cops.” Shivers ran up and down my spine. “We have to be careful who we tell. This is just the kind of thing that could earn me a Chroma through the heart.”

  We both were quiet. Toni broke the eerie silence. “We need to find out what kind of pills these are.”

  “I—I’m not sure. If we talk to someone, we have to make sure it’s someone we trust.” The solution came to me. “I know. I’ll ask Janice.”

  I hurried to the living room and picked up the phone.

  “Hi, Nicky,” Janice said. “Speak of the devil. I was just about to call you. I really hate to do this to you—I know it’s last minute, but Simon has just come down with the worst case of the flu. We won’t be able to make it tomorrow.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Without Janice and Simon to lighten the mood, dinner would be tense. I’d be stuck with the Harrises and Harry Johnson. Luckily Mitchell, Gordon Page and Kim would be here. “I was looking forward to seeing you.”

  “How many people are coming?” she asked. “And what’s on the menu?”

  “I was planning for eight. I guess we’ll be six, now. As for the menu, you could say I’ll be serving a healthy dose of whodunit. I think I’ve just solved Rob’s murder. This nightmare is just about over.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “A witness has just turned up. And if that’s not enough, I also I found a bottle of pills.”

  “A bottle of pills? Some kind of drug?”

  “That’s what I need to find out. I hate to ask you this, but could I drop by for a minute? I’d like you to take a look at them. Maybe you can tell me what they are.”

  Janice was silent for a moment. “I don’t know. Simon is so sick. I’ll tell you what. I have to pick up a prescription for him in a little while. I’ll try to swing by at the same time.”

  “That would be great.”

  “So you still plan
on confronting him tomorrow? It sounds so dangerous, Nicky.”

  “I don’t care. I want to make sure the police believe me.”

  Janice was quiet and, when she spoke, I could hear the concern in her voice. “I don’t know if this is such a good idea. If we’re right about the man, he’s killed twice already. We don’t know what he’s capable of.”

  “Don’t worry. There will be half a dozen people here. He won’t be able to do a thing.”

  She wasn’t convinced. “Who else knows about this?”

  “No one. I haven’t told a soul.”

  “Keep it that way. You don’t want it to get back to Harry somehow.”

  As I hung up, Toni called me from the dining room. “Can she come over?”

  “She’ll try to come over in a while.”

  “That’s good. How do you want me to set the table? There are eight people and only six chairs.”

  “Not anymore. Janice and Simon won’t be able to make it.”

  “Oh, no. All that lovely food you bought.” She furrowed her forehead, and then brightened up. “I know. I’ll come, and I’ll bring a date.”

  I glanced at her. “And who would that be?”

  She shrugged and turned away, but not before I noticed that secret little smile again.

  “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll find out soon enough.”

  Her face became unreadable. “Back to my question.” She gestured to the table.

  “I think buffet style. Just set the plates in a pile and wrap the utensils in the napkins. That way we can pull a few of the chairs to the living room and there will be plenty of room for everyone.”

  “Great idea. Informal is always more comfortable. As they say, ‘Hospitality is making your guests feel at home, even if you wish they were.’”

  I returned to my chopping, laughing. An hour later, the preparations were complete. The salsa was marinating in the refrigerator, the fresh salmon divided into exact portions, the parsley chopped and the cherry tomatoes soaking up the sun by the window. By tomorrow, they’d be ripe and sweet. All I had left to do was steam the rice and grill the fish, both chores I’d leave till the last minute.

  “Let me help you pick an outfit,” Toni said, moving toward the stairs.

  I wiped the counter and hurried upstairs where Toni was already raiding my closet. I stopped in the doorway and took in the scene. Everything I owned was draped somewhere—on the bed, hanging from the door handle, the drawer pulls, even from the curtain rod. “I can’t believe I have so many clothes.”

  “Well,” Toni said in her snootiest tone. “Don’t get all excited. Most of these are only good for the Salvation Army. Girl, it’s time you and I went shopping.” She resumed her normal voice. “You clearly need some guidance.”

  “I, uh, would love to, but until the restaurant brings in enough money…”

  Toni sighed. “Oh, pooh. You spend too much time worrying. Tell you what, I’ll take you shopping. We’ll call it an early birthday present.”

  “My birthday is in April.” I quickly counted on my fingers. “That’s in eight months.”

  She shrugged. “Oh, all right, a very early birthday present.”

  After going over a few makeup techniques and making me model half a dozen different outfits, Toni at last found one of which she approved, a dress I’d only worn once, years ago, for a sixties party.

  I looked at it dubiously. “I don’t know about this. Don’t you think the style is sort of…?”

  “Don’t be silly. Since Mad Men, everything sixties is in again.” She adopted a stern look. “Tonight, I want you to relax. You have a hard day ahead of you tomorrow. What you need is a drink. You put all these clothes away, and I’ll go make you one.” Five minutes later, I joined her in the kitchen where she handed me a tall clear drink.

  “Don’t look so worried. It’s only a spritzer.”

  I picked up the glass and took a sip. “Mmm, this is good.”

  “My favorite drink, next to Champagne.” She lifted her glass in a salute. “To your health.”

  I noticed the open bottle of Chablis on the counter. “I was keeping that bottle for tomorrow night.”

  She shrugged. “I’ll bring you another one. Tell you what, I’ll bring you two. Here’s to catching the killer.” She lifted her glass again and took a sip.

  “There’s a toast I never thought I’d make.” I dared a small laugh.

  Toni glanced at her watch and gasped. “It’s already a quarter to six. I have to run. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Rushing out of the kitchen, she called over her shoulder. “And don’t worry. You’ll look gorgeous. You’ll have Mitchell wrapped around your little finger.”

  A second later, the front door slammed shut. Not thirty seconds later, the doorbell rang. I hurried to the door, already calling out, “What did you forget?” But when I opened, there stood Kim.

  “Do you mind if I come in? I need to talk to you for a moment.” Her demeanor was so serious—a far cry from her usual syrupy sweetness—that I let her in.

  She followed me to the kitchen and pulled herself a chair. “I haven’t been honest with you,” she said, fumbling through her purse.

  Something metallic caught the light and I gasped. Kim had a gun in her purse. I swallowed hard. Could she…? But what she pulled out was a leather card carrier. She flipped it open, displaying a police badge.

  “I’m an undercover cop,” she said. My mouth hung open. “The police had their eye on Rob for a long time.”

  “I…you…” I was so stunned, I couldn’t form a sentence.

  “Yes, that’s why I tried so hard to get close to you.” She chuckled. “But you are a hard nut to crack, Nicky Landry.” She said this with amusement.

  All at once I found my voice. “You were the one who searched my house the night Mona was killed, weren’t you?”

  She nodded. “I did. I was trying to find evidence to eliminate you as a suspect.”

  “So you did that without a search warrant?”

  She put a finger in front of her mouth in the international sign for secret. “I’m sorry I had to resort to kidnapping Jackie to get you out of the house. But I needed to make sure you stayed out for at least half an hour. She was completely safe the entire time—in my car, parked a couple of blocks away.” She smiled apologetically. “Her getting pregnant was not part of the plan. But I left them alone in the car while I was searching your house. I guess they did what came naturally.”

  “If you had her the whole time, how did Jackie get sprayed by a skunk?”

  “My mistake. I took them for a quick walk through the park and Jackie got loose for a few minutes. She came scrambling back, stinking to high heaven.”

  “So Charlie was not lost that night,” I said, as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “He wasn’t even at the clinic was he?”

  “I made that up so you wouldn’t worry about what breed of puppies you’d be getting.”

  “What about the second break-in?”

  She shook her head. “Not me.”

  My head was spinning.

  She continued. “I had to come forward and tell you everything because the police would like you to wear a wire during your party tomorrow.”

  “They want me to—” A thought occurred to me. “Does that mean they believe I’m innocent?”

  She smiled. “Maybe not entirely, but you’ve got me on your side, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure they catch the right guy.”

  “So you think Harry Johnson is the killer?”

  “That seems the most logical possibility.” She dropped her badge back into her purse. “So here’s what I want you to do.”

  She laid out the plan. I would go to the station an hour before the party and get wired up.

  She stood. “By tom
orrow, this whole nightmare will be a thing of the past,” she said, making her way to the door. “Oh, and by the way. You can’t tell anyone about me. Right?”

  “Not a soul, I promise.”

  I was in such shock—Kim, a cop, who would have believed it?—that I completely forgot to tell her about the pills I’d found. By the time I remembered, she was gone.

  I raced out. She was two houses down, stepping into her car. I opened my mouth to call her but stopped. If I told her about the pills, Kim would take them away. And producing them during the dinner party would only make Harry’s confession more likely. I stepped back in and closed the door quietly.

  keeping those pills one

  more night couldn’t hurt.

  pretend like nothing

  By ten o’clock I no longer expected Janice to drop by. I was hardly surprised. The woman was so devoted to her husband, I should have known she wouldn’t leave his side for a second longer than she needed to.

  I decided to call it a night and slipped into my pajamas, still light-headed from Kim’s revelation. All I had to do before bed was let Jackie out and lock up.

  “Let’s go, girl,” I called out, heading for the mudroom. Jackie waddled after me. I unlatched her doggie door, but Jackie parked her little butt on the floor and refused to budge. “What’s the matter? Are you getting a bit fat for your doggie door?” I asked, opening the back door and nudging her out. Jackie hopped down the stairs slowly. I was about to turn back inside when a movement in the shadows startled me. “Is somebody there?”

  “It’s me,” came the reply. I recognized Janice Bradley coming out of the darkness.

  “Janice, what in the world…?”

  “I’m so sorry. I scared you, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to do that.” She handed me a bottle of Champagne and a white cardboard box. “This is to say I’m sorry about canceling tomorrow. You can drink a toast to Simon and me. But the cookies are for right now.” She looked contrite. “Forgive me for coming so late. I realized how important it was that I look at those pills.”

  I was so grateful I wanted to throw my arms around her. “Thank you so much, Janice. It’ll be helpful to know what the pills are.” I stood aside as she brushed by.