A's in the Hole

by Wendy Meadows

  "Have I made myself clear, Cloud?"

  Albie chuckled and they both looked at her. "Oh sorry," she said. "It's just, uh, clear Cloud. That's funny."

  "Stay out of it," Keane said, and finally straightened. "Understand?"

  "I heard you." Olivia didn't give him the full verbal salute he sought. She didn't want to be branded a liar later on. Jail bird, sure, but liar? That was one step too far.

  Detective Keane waddled off to the other end of the room to interview a tuxedo and his cocktail dress, still sparkling despite the morbid situation.

  "You're going to do it, of course," Alberta said, the minute he was out of earshot.

  "Do what?" Olivia was terrible at feigning innocence.

  "Oh, come on, Ms. Cloud," Albie replied, in a mock-Keane voice. "You're going to step on his toes on this one. Gosh, it's hardly hit me that poor Lilac is dead." She opened her handbag and brought out a pack of Kleenex. "I can't believe it. Such an entertainer."

  "Hmmm." Olivia studied the folks in the conference room. She turned and looked out of the glass walled room at the one opposite. "Hmmm."

  "What?" Alberta asked.

  "I don't see your Van the Man anywhere."

  "Oh, no. Wait, you don't think he had anything to do with this, do you?" Alberta asked.

  Olivia wriggled her lips.

  "Because they were enemies at work but I don't think it ever went further than that. Van wasn't stupid. He wouldn't hurt her just to get ahead. That would only make him less popular," Alberta said, and sniffed. She dabbed a tissue under either eye. "You can't be serious."

  "I didn't say a word." Olivia didn't close her eyes, though she'd have loved to blot out the harsh light in the conference room. The minute she shut them, she'd be treated to a vision of dead Lilac on the tile floor, that scarf tied in place. She'd seen a lot, but this one took the cake. She shivered from head to toe.

  "Olivia?" Jake Morgan walked to them. He extended a hand.

  She took it and he tugged her out of the plastic seat. "Jake, what on earth are you doing here?"

  He didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he pulled her into a hug, which made her stomach do flips. They were still just friends, but when he held her close, she melted. "Are you all right?"

  "Fine," she said, and pushed away from him to quell the butterflies. "What are you doing here, though?"

  "Keane called me in. Said he needs my help interviewing all these folks." Jake sighed. "Another murder in Chester. What's the world coming to?"

  "Violence," Albie said. She blew her nose into the Kleenex.

  "So you're going to work on the case." Olivia's hopes for an easy investigation crashed. Jake's help was irreplaceable.

  "Yeah, I've been hired," he said. He dragged her into another hug. "But if you need any information, I'll be happy to give it to you. Understand? I'm on your side, Olivia. I won't make the same mistake twice."

  Olivia stiffened, then relaxed. So, she'd have his help after all. "Thank you," she whispered back.

  "Anything for you."

  CHAPTER FOUR

  O livia sat at one of the tables in front of the large windows looking out on the lampposts and sidewalk outside the store. She took a long drink of her coffee, put down the mug, and then popped a Creamed Strawberry Delight into her mouth.

  Her teeth sliced through the soft, white chocolate shell and released the strawberry cream within. She hummed under her breath and relished the flavor.

  "I'm glad we could meet today," Jake said.

  Olivia nodded. She'd hardly slept the night before. As predicted, each time she shut her eyes Lilac Charleston materialized in the gloom. Olivia swallowed the last of her chocolate. "Yes, thank you for coming. I know you could get in a lot of trouble for this."

  "It's no big deal." Jake shrugged and shifted the brown folder he'd placed on the table the minute he'd sat down.

  "But it is a big deal. If Keane is threatening to toss me in jail for going near the case, I can't imagine he'd respond well to one of his consultants fraternizing with me."

  "Yeah, well Keane's an idiot." Jake took a sip of his coffee. "If he can't realize that you've basically solved the past few cases for him then he's willfully stupid. He should ask for your help, not isolate you."

  "That would go against every police procedure in existence," Olivia said. "Don't get me wrong, I know that I shouldn't technically investigate anything."

  Jake's brow wrinkled. "Okay. Then why are you doing it?

  "Because every time I close my eyes I see Lilac. I can't let whoever did that to her do the same to another one of Chester's residents." That wasn't the only reason, of course. She'd become accustomed to investigating and the feeling it brought afterward.

  The heady mixture of exhaustion, triumph and awareness.

  "Then I'm on your side, like I said yesterday. Shall we get started?'

  "Sure." She studied Jake Morgan through slit-eyes. Why did he want to help her? Why risk so much? He couldn't be that invested in the case already. That meant he was invested in something else entirely. The thought made Olivia's palms clammy.

  Jake flipped open the file and drew out the top page. "So, here's what they've got so far."

  "'Jake, wait." Olivia looked around the half-empty interior of the store. It'd hit late afternoon and most folks had headed home or were at work finishing up for the day. They had relative privacy. "Are you sure you want to do this?”

  "I'm sure," he said. "Now, where was I?"

  "You can start with that scarf. It was the murder weapon, wasn't it?"

  "That's correct," Jake said, and lifted the first page. His eyes flicked from left to right as he read over the details. "Asphyxiation by scarf, as horrible as that sounds. Keane has no idea where the scarf came from, though. He was fixated on it, like a dog with a bone. He's got his officers calling every retailer in the town and the ones surrounding it."

  "That's not a bad idea," Olivia said. "Good start for him. What else do we have? Anything about Lilac's enemies or connections?"

  Jake flicked through more of the pages, his tongue poking the side of his mouth. "Yeah, okay, yeah. Lilac has an ex-husband; Hank Abbot. Apparently, they got divorced years ago, but have stayed close. Hank manages Lilac's finances. He's her accountant. That's how they met." Jake removed a picture from the file and slid it across the table.

  Olivia picked it up by the edges and memorized the face: thick head of curly hair, gray as the sky on a cloud day, with a sharp nose and intelligent eyes. She gave the picture back. "All right, so possibly disgruntled ex-husband. I don't recall seeing him at the party."

  "Yeah, they're trawling through hours of surveillance footage from the Chester Radio TODAY! entrance hall."

  "Anyone else?" Olivia asked.

  "Van the Man Washington," Jake said.

  "That's a given. They had a confrontation right before I - you know, before she was killed." Olivia took the picture of Van anyway and studied it. She'd never forget the jawline and the anger in his expression. His face was lined with it, all sharp angles and hatred.

  "And there's one more suspect." Jake removed another picture and gave it to Olivia. "Lilac's sister; Violet Charleston."

  "Somebody liked the color purple." Violet was the polar opposite of her deceased sister. For one, she was alive, and for another she had brown hair instead of platinum blond. She was younger, though, and beautiful. "I haven't seen her around Chester."

  "She visits once in a while, but spends most of her time in Los Angeles. She works there as a model."

  "I see. But she was here for the radio event?" Olivia asked, and handed the picture back. She was past the jealousy of her youth. Back in her day, when she'd been fresh out of her teens, she'd been obsessed with competing with other woman.

  After several unhappy years, she'd realized the error of her ways. Women were all beautiful in their own way inside and out. Why beat 'em when you could join 'em?

  "She was here, all right. She was in the building."

/>   "Did they like each other?" Olivia asked.

  "Not sure," Jake said. "I haven't heard anything which indicates otherwise but there's more snooping to be done. If she's a suspect there's got to be a reason for it. Keane hasn't filled me in on that part yet. I get the feeling he's giving me as little to work with as possible. He's afraid I'll report back to you."

  "Failed that test, didn't you?" Olivia laughed. She glugged down the last of her coffee. "So, that's all we have?"

  "That's all. But it's something. I'll start doing some research on the suspects and get back to you this evening. Sound oaky?"

  "Perfect," she said. Olivia needed a break from the store and her thoughts about Lilac. It was about time she took Dodgy for another one of his favorite afternoon walks. "Thanks for your help, Jake."

  "Any time."

  CHAPTER FIVE

  T he sky had started bruising, but Dodger didn't give a bark about that. He padded along, tail swishing from side to side. Walks were his favorite past time, apart from mangling shoes whenever he got the chance. Oh, and whining at the gate because he wanted to wreak havoc in the store.

  Luckily, he hadn't achieved that last goal yet.

  Moisture clung to Olivia's skin and that pre-rain smell settled her soul. "Slow down, Dodgy," she said, and loosened her grip on the leash.

  Dodger fell into line beside her and licked her hand. Perhaps, he sensed something was off. Olivia couldn't get Lilac out of her thoughts. She shoved at the vision but it wouldn't budge. Lilac was stuck in there and she would be until Olivia laid her and her case to rest.

  They passed a pizzeria and Dodgy whined at the delicious cheesy smell that floated out to entice them. Olivia's cell phone rang, blaring out a Fleetwood Mac classic, Gold Dust Woman.

  She whipped it out and answered. "Hello?"

  "Hey, it's Jake. I just wanted to let you know that I got some information."

  "Oh? What is it?"

  "Okay, it's not technically information about any of the suspects. But it's something I think we should check out," he said.

  Olivia adjusted her grip on Dodgy's leash and gazed through the window at the people lined up inside the takeaway pizza joint. A man with curly gray hair stepped up to the counter and she blinked. It was him. That was definitely Hank Abbot, Lilac's ex-husband. "Uh?"

  "Olivia? Are you listening?"

  "Yeah, I'm here. What were you saying?"

  "There's a big gathering in Lilac's honor tomorrow. It's in the park. They're going to set up a screen and replay some of Lilac's best moments on the radio to celebrate her life."

  "Wow, that's quite thoughtful."

  "Don't sound so surprised. Not all Chester folks are sour," Jake said. "But guess who's hosting it?'

  "No idea." Olivia didn't tear her gaze from Hank, who'd finally collected his pizza. The man checked his slip, nodded, then made his way to the exit, box in hand.

  "Van the Man," Jake said. "He's hosting it for her."

  "We'll have to go." Olivia's mind sharpened to a point. Van had despised Lilac, and now he wanted to celebrate her life? That was a little too convenient. A great way to pick up an extra batch of fans, specifically those who'd worshipped Lilac while she'd been alive.

  "My thoughts exactly. We could even get dressed up - "

  The pizzeria's door swung open and Hank moved out onto the sidewalk, casting furtive glances up at the dark clouds overhead.

  Olivia ended the call and dropped the phone to her side. "Looks like rain, doesn't it?"

  "Huh? Oh yeah," he said. "It does." He gave her a stiff nod, and then made to shuffle off.

  "You're Hank, right?" Olivia asked.

  He froze, shifted the pizza box from his left hand to his right. "Are you with the police?"

  Olivia blinked. Dodger ruffed a bark. "No," she said. "Not even a little bit. The police don't like me much."

  "Oh? And why's that?"

  "Because I stick my nose where I'm not supposed to," Olivia said, and strolled up to him. Dodgy's claws pit-patted on the concrete. "I investigate their cases. And I'm investigating the death of your ex-wife, Lilac."

  "And you think I'm going to talk to you about it?" Hank asked. Droplets spattered from the heavens and struck the pizza logo on top of his box. "Why the heck would I do that?"

  Oh boy, it was time to put ethics aside. "Because you're her ex-husband and most likely a suspect. I can help clear your name by finding the real killer and if you won't talk to the police, you can talk to me." There, all laid out plain as could be.

  Hank chewed it over, cogs whirring behind his wire-frame glasses. "All right," he said. "But I don't have a lot to tell."

  "Anything would be helpful. Anything at all."

  "Lilac was difficult to live with," Hank said. "She had a couple of tough habits to crack. One was talking down to everyone in sight, including me. She'd interrupt in the middle of a conversation and take over like she had the right. She was a queen in her eyes. I think that's why she did so well on the radio. People are drawn to that type of personality."

  "So it's safe to say that she had quite a few enemies."

  "Without a doubt. Lilac had two gifts. The first was her radio voice and personality. The second was rubbing people the wrong way. I never met a person who liked Lilac in real life."

  "I don't want to be rude here, but why on earth did you marry her?"

  Hank guffawed and flicked his glasses up his nose. "I fell in love with all of her. The good and the bad, and there was an awful lot of bad. When we met, she wasn't made yet. She was on her way up but not quite ready to take over Chester's airwaves. I was her accountant and I was enamored by her. The way she spoke, the way she moved. She could dance too, you know. She enchanted me."

  "But you separated."

  Hank tilted his face to the sky, accepting more of those raindrops. "We did. She was the one who wanted a divorce. I thought we could make it work."

  "Why?" The rain fell faster, now, rushing from the heavens.

  "Because I wasn't good enough for her anymore. I wasn't young enough," he called out over the rain. "I'm sorry," he said. "I have to go." Hank removed himself, disappeared into a car and puttered off around the corner.

  "Come on, Dodgy," Olivia yelled. "If we stay here much longer, we'll drown." They jogged back around the corner and to the store. Olivia’s thoughts were stuck on poor Hank, who clearly loved Lilac after all these years.

  CHAPTER SIX

  V an Washington was an ornery creature. He gnashed his teeth at the helper who handed him a microphone, he laughed when the speakers squealed, and he smelled a little like garlic. Olivia caught all of this on her way back from the front of the crowd.

  She had no interest in hanging around near garlicky Van and his attitude problems.

  “There you are,” Jake said, and popped up out of nowhere.

  “Oh! Jake, you scared me.”

  “Sorry about that. We didn’t finish our conversation yesterday.”

  “Huh?”

  “On the phone. We were talking and then you just stopped.” Jake led her through the crowds to a spot under a tree. He’d positioned several chairs there.

  “Oh shoot, Jake, I totally forgot we were talking.”

  “That doesn’t hurt my ego at all.”

  “I’m sorry. I got distracted. I was outside a restaurant and Hank Abbot walked out. I got a chance to interview him.” She plonked down on one of the hard-backed chairs and stretched her legs out. She’d arrived early to catch a glimpse of Van and boy, did she regret it. She’d marched back and forth in the field until she’d spotted him and by that time, a crowd had gathered. “Are you angry?”

  “Angry? Me? Why would I be angry?” Jake asked, but his high-pitched answer told the truth. He wasn’t happy she’d left him hanging.

  “I owe you a box of chocolates, okay? I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Forget about it.” He took the chair next to her and they lost themselves in people watching.

  Moms and their
babies, dads with kids on leashes – on leashes for heaven’s sake – and all of them yammering or howling. The noise would’ve deafened the dead. Ugh, that was an off-color reference.

  “Everyone, settle down.” Van screeched through the microphone.

  The audience did as they were told, but not without muttering first.

  “Ladies, gentleman, babies and miniature humans. Those are kids, ha-ha-ha.”

  Lame laughter followed the joke. Van wetted his lips and gave the crowd a beady eye.

  “We’re here to celebrate the life of our dearly departed Lilac Charleston.” His buttery words didn’t slip down as well as they should have. They sure made Olivia bilious. “She was a star; an unbelievable talent, and even though she was old, she knew her way around the station. She gave younger folks a run for their money. Trust me, I speak from experience.”

  “Gosh, he’s such a sleaze,” Olivia whispered.

  “Couldn’t agree more.”

  Van walked a figure eight on the stage, drawing all eyes with the movement alone. “I’ve put together a collection of all her appearances; successful interviews, happy pictures from her childhood, and so on. Anything that will remind us of who she was and what she stood for.” He moved the mic and static crackled through the speakers at the front. “Oh and there’s a snack bar at the back if any of you feel like some refreshments. Let’s get on with the show!”

  Van waved at someone on the sidelines and Olivia leaned forward to catch a better look. A man fiddled with a laptop. He gave Van a thumbs up, then moved toward the stage.

  A picture cropped up on the white screen – an image of Van and Lilac laughing, heads bowed over a sheet of paper. It had to be promotional material for Chester Radio TODAY! Of course, Van had taken the opportunity to make himself look good.

  “Shameless,” Jake said. “They hated each other.”

  “I know. You should have heard the insults fly the last time they were together.” Olivia set her sights on the laptop and ignored the slideshow. The operator hadn’t come back. Who would put up the next picture?