Warrior, Fatal & Flawed

by Jacqueline M Green

  Cindy and I grinned at each other. “That’s fair,” I acknowledged. “What’s new, Cindy Lou?”

  “Ha ha, I’m not telling you about Lee’s case, Mariah.”

  I feigned disinterest. “I wasn’t asking. Although I’m sure if you came up with more suspects, you’d let me know, right?”

  Cindy narrowed her eyes at me. “We’re working on it, Mariah. Back off.”

  “You always say that, and I always end up helping you.”

  Cindy quietly finished taking off her shoes and placing them purposefully in their place. Then she stood up and looked me in the eye. “This is Josie’s show, Mariah. Let her have time to try before you butt in.”

  “She’s got two men who are close to me on her suspect list, Cindy. I’m not sure I can wait for her to figure it out.”

  Cindy’s gaze was impassive. Finally, she took a deep breath. “I don’t want to know about it, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She suddenly threw her arms around me. I squeezed her back. When we released, Cindy took another deep breath, this time stretching her arms over her head. “Okay, let’s do this, yoginis!”

  I smiled as I let Cindy pass me to get to the office door. Her classes were always popular, partly, I surmised, because she was the Jasper County Sheriff. Students got a kick out of her tough-as-nails banter as she worked them to hold their chaturangas – similar to a low pushup – without touching the ground or press up into cobra without using their arms.

  I looked at my watch, then snagged my purse and quietly slipped out the door, pausing as a bald man in light sweatpants was reaching for the handle, nearly running into him.

  “Excuse me,” I laughed awkwardly. “Come on in. Is this your first visit to The Yoga Mat?”

  The man nodded. “Yes, I’m from south Sacramento, and I just needed some calm before heading home.”

  “You are in the right place.” I gestured to Stormy, who bounced over and started talking with the man.

  I glanced around the bustling lobby at the chattering and happy students. Cindy and Stormy could handle things the rest of the night. Reluctantly, I turned and walked down Main Street to the hotel.

  Lee sat in a chair in the lobby, his legs stretched out and his eyes closed. I gently kicked one of his feet and he jolted awake.

  “Let’s go, Lee. Time to talk to the hotel staff.”

  He sat up and blinked his eyes several times. “I was just resting my eyes while I waited for you.”

  “Uh huh. Let’s go.”

  Lee stood up and followed me toward the front counter. I stepped aside and paused to get a read on the people working there. Two clerks ran the desk. One was a young woman with glasses, probably a student at the community college. The other was a young man, who also looked college age or slightly older with a sharp chin and delicate cheekbones. His hair flopped over his face.

  “Which one should we talk to?” I whispered to Lee.

  He nodded toward the man. “He was the one who checked us in.”

  I mulled that over. Who would have noticed Serena more, a woman or a man? Hard to say, so I went with Lee’s inclination. We strode over to the young man, who looked up, threw back his hair and greeted us with a smile.

  “Hello, are you checking in?”

  I pointed to Lee. “He already checked in last night with a young woman. You might have seen her.”

  The young man, whose name plate read “Bryant,” looked over at Lee and nodded, clearly confused by the statement. “Okay, what can I do for you?”

  “We were wondering if you had seen the woman?”

  Bryant looked at Lee again and shrugged. “I don’t think so. Does she need something from the front desk?”

  I pressed harder. “Last night? Did you see her last night after they checked in?”

  Bryant’s lips crinkled up and his brow furrowed prettily. He shrugged again. “Maybe. I couldn’t say for sure.”

  “You idiot.” The young woman with glasses, whose name tag read “Casey,” nudged his elbow. “They’re talking about that girl that got killed last night. You couldn’t stop flirting with her.”

  She peered through her glasses at Lee. “Aren’t you the guy who got arrested for it?”

  Lee tightened up every muscle ready to respond, so I jumped in.

  “He was questioned because she was his girlfriend, but he didn’t kill her, of course. We were just wondering if you had seen her. She left her room last night and never returned.”

  I turned my gaze back to Bryant, whose face started to flush. “Do you remember her now?”

  Casey rolled her eyes as Bryant studiously stared at the computer monitor in front of him. He might have tried to look busy, but his hands were still. He wouldn’t make eye contact with Casey, so she looked at me, cocking her hip to one side.

  “He followed her outside when she left and was bugging her on the front steps. I finally had to go out and drag him back in.”

  “No, I didn’t. We were just having a conversation.” He finally looked at me. “She was pretty mad at her boyfriend.”

  Casey’s face filled with scorn as she threw a look at Lee. “Probably because this guy kept flirting with the mayor the whole time they were waiting to check in.”

  My head swiveled toward Lee. “Mayor? You were flirting with the mayor?”

  Lee smiled like he had a secret. “She flirted with me first. Much prettier than our mayor, by the way.”

  “You flirted with her in front of Serena, didn’t you?” I turned back to Bryant. “Did you see her after she left here?”

  Bryant’s face fell. “No. I wonder where she went.”

  Casey blew out an exasperated breath. “She went to the river and got herself killed. Have you not listened to anything we’ve been talking about today?”

  My head swiveled as I put my attention on Casey. “You know a lot about this case.”

  She shrugged. “It’s all anyone has been talking about around here.”

  I looked back at Bryant. “Were you here all night? When did you leave?”

  Bryant’s mouth fell open and he stammered out an answer. “Why are you asking me all these questions? I didn’t kill her.”

  “Where were you last night?” My voice had lost any friendliness as I zeroed in on a man I suddenly considered a suspect.

  “Here, I was here all night.” Bryant anxiously pushed the hair out of his eyes as he looked at Casey. “Tell them.”

  Casey hesitated a beat too long before nodding. “He was here all night. His shift didn’t end until 1 a.m., just like mine. We left at the same time.”

  My eyes connected with hers. She seemed to be trying to will me not to ask any more questions. I couldn’t think of any off the top of my head, so I nodded.

  “Okay. We’ll be back if we have any other questions.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that.” Josie’s voice reached coldly over my shoulder. I squinted my eyes together and took a breath, then turned around.

  “Hey, Jos.”

  “Mariah, Mr. Whitten. What are you doing?”

  “We’re just asking the hotel staff if they saw anything yesterday when Serena was out and about.”

  “You’re investigating? I know for a fact that Cindy told you to stay out of this one.”

  “Josie, I—”

  “You don’t think I can do it, do you? Do you really think I need a civilian’s help to solve this murder? It’s practically open and shut.” Josie’s whole body was tight with anger and her face was pinched.

  “I-I-I don’t know, Josie. I just know—”

  “You don’t know squat. You don’t have all the facts and you are going to mess up my case. I know you want to get your ex and your boyfriend cleared of all charges, but this is not the way to do it. Stay out of my case. Am I clear?”

  Josie’s voice had gotten louder as she had been talking. Her eyes flashed and her face darkened.

  I lifted my chin and looked her dead in the eye
. “You bet, deputy. Whatever you say.”

  Turning on my heel, I stalked out the main double doors into the street, Lee so close behind me he was practically taking a piggy-back ride. I smacked my hand on the railing outside, which hurt more than I’d like to admit.

  “The nerve of that woman! After all I’ve done for her.”

  Smoke practically flew out of my nose and my heart threatened to beat right out of my chest.

  Lee ran his finger through his hair and stared at me. “What did you expect? Of course, the cops don’t want your help. You’re a yoga teacher, for Christ’s sake.”

  I fixed my gaze at him. “I’ll have you know that Josie was the one who came to me for help when her sister was arrested for murder last month. And I did help. So there.”

  I turned and looked back through the glass doors to the lobby, where Josie and another deputy stood on either side of a confused-looking Bryant. Casey shook her head and turned back to her computer terminal.

  “Now that she’s in charge, she doesn’t want my help. Well, fine, that’s just fine.”

  Lee looked as confused as Bryant. “But I do, Mariah,” he said softly. “I really need your help.”

  I looked at him in the silence that followed. His eyes, with dark rings underneath, were pleading. He opened his arms, and I stepped into them as they gently closed around me. I laid my head on his shoulder. He stroked my hair. I lifted my head to say something and Lee covered my mouth in a gentle and familiar kiss. I kissed him back briefly, then started to pull away.

  “Mariah?”

  I turned my head in time to see Neil standing near the curb, a Styrofoam container in one hand. I broke free from Lee and started toward Neil. Disappointment filled his eyes as he turned away.

  “Neil, wait.”

  He picked up his pace as he strode across the street in the direction of the Jasper Sheriff’s Post.

  “Well, that’s just perfect.” I hugged my arms around my body. Lee put his hands on my shoulders, but I jerked away and wheeled around to face him.

  “It was just a moment, Lee. We had a moment. Don’t mess it up by trying to make it more than it is. I will help you, of course.”

  “What about the diner? I thought you wanted to question them there.” Emotions ran quickly along Lee’s face as he tried to persuade me to stay.

  I glanced at my watch. “I can’t tonight. Just … go to your hotel room. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With that, I spun on my heel and strode across the street. I didn’t stop as I walked around the corner to the back of the building that housed The Yoga Mat, where my car was parked. Flinging open the car door, I threw myself into the driver’s seat, banging both hands on the steering wheel as tears of sadness and frustration spilled down my cheeks.

  Chapter 9

  I had barely pulled into the driveway and stepped through the garage door into the kitchen when a soft tap-tap-tap came to my front door. Sprinting to open it, I hurriedly unhooked the locks and pulled CeCe into the house.

  She set a bag on the table in the entry way and pulled me into her arms. “Are you okay? I heard Josie really chewed you out.”

  I nodded without looking up, still clutching CeCe’s back. I sniffled a little, then pulled away so I wouldn’t get snot on her blouse. “It’s not that. I mean, it’s partly that.”

  I told her what Neil had seen. “I just hope Neil will listen to reason. He didn’t respond to my texts.”

  CeCe waved away my words. “He’s a good guy. He’ll get over it, I’m sure.”

  I took a deep breath and got down to business.

  “Did anybody see you?” I stuck my head back out of the door and peered around, jerking back inside as a car drove past. “Did you tell anyone you were coming here?”

  “I don’t think so and, no, of course not. We discussed that. I mean, of course I told Paul.” CeCe picked up the box and was already headed for the kitchen. She set it down on the table and began to unload containers of Chinese food, smiling at the mention of her boyfriend and the head barista at her coffee shop. “I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal, Mariah. Josie and Cindy must know we talk about the case.”

  I pulled a couple of plates from the cabinet and set them on the table with the silverware, then pulled out a chair and plopped down. CeCe sat across from me with a lot more grace, and she hardly ever does yoga.

  “I know they will know, but we can’t talk about the case with them. Josie is already pretty mad at me.”

  CeCe frowned as she dumped brown rice on her plate, then unloaded nearly the whole container of Orange Chicken on top of it.

  “They know you have investigative skills, Mariah. Josie even asked you to use them to help her sister. Surely, she will welcome the help at some point. She’s never run an investigation before.”

  I didn’t answer, choosing instead to focus on ladling stir-fried vegetables on top of my rice. Before I tucked into the veggies, however, I unwrapped one of the steaming vegetable spring rolls, quickly dipping it into the sweet-and-sour sauce, then I shoved it into my mouth.

  We ate in silence for a few minutes, savoring the food. Personally, I could eat sweet-and-sour sauce with a spoon if it wasn’t socially frowned upon. If CeCe hadn’t been in my kitchen, it’s possible I would have licked the sauce package. I restrained myself.

  Finally, I set aside my wooden chopsticks and picked up the pen and notebook I had ready. “Here we go again.”

  “Such a feeling of déjà vu, and not in a good way,” CeCe said, taking another bite of orange chicken and shoveling in rice behind it. She chewed quickly and swallowed. “You know, we didn’t have this many murders until you moved to town.”

  “Ha ha. You’re funny.”

  “Seriously. You’re like this murder magnet.” CeCe waved her chopsticks in the air. “We’ll have to warn the townsfolk to start locking their doors.”

  “Townsfolk?”

  CeCe laughed and took another bite. I tried to move on.

  “You know the drill: Who is on our suspect list?”

  CeCe paused, her chopsticks in mid-air as she thought about it. Then she set them down and looked at me. “I don’t want to mention anyone that we’ll have to talk to. I just hate that part of it.”

  “CeCe, I know it makes you uncomfortable, but it’s part of the investigative process. We’re not doing anything wrong. Remember, we’ve given some very helpful information to the deputies.”

  CeCe nodded reluctantly, her mouth turned down despite her love for orange chicken. “Okay, then put Lee and Neil on your list because that’s who the deputies are talking to.”

  I dropped my pen. “I’m not putting Neil on the list. He didn’t do it. He didn’t even know Serena.”

  I shoved a spring roll into the sauce, then crammed a big bite into my mouth.

  CeCe leaned back as if afraid I would spit it at her. “Settle down, Mariah, and don’t choke on that. Whatever happened to balance, as in not shoving an entire spring roll into your mouth?”

  I really wanted to spew spring roll everywhere, but my higher nature won over. Also, hunger. I waited until I had swallowed the too-large bite.

  “Whatever happened to not accusing my new boyfriend of murder?”

  CeCe calmly picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks, pausing to study it before sliding it into her mouth. I waited while she chewed.

  “No one is accusing anyone. Of course, I don’t think Neil killed that girl. But he was near her, she did flirt with him, and the people who know more than we do are at least considering him a person of interest. We should do the same.”

  I huffed in response. She ignored it.

  “Besides, Mariah, what do you really know about Neil except he is a detective and seems to have done some yoga in a past life?”

  Her question slammed into me like a load of bricks. My mouth fell open as the reality of what she had said hit home. I set down my chopsticks with a light thud on my plate. What did I know about Neil? Unlike my ex-husband
, Neil didn’t talk much about himself.

  “He works hard at his job and also in yoga class. He likes his coffee strong. His eyes twinkle.”

  I smiled. CeCe rolled her eyes.

  Other than that, I had to admit, I didn’t know a lot about him. He moved to town a few months after I did. My sister had hired him for a Jasper County Sheriff’s Department opening.

  “Cindy hired him, so she must have done a background check,” I ventured.

  “Uh huh.”

  “Oh, and he likes Italian sub sandwiches without a ton of sauce.” I nodded triumphantly.

  “That’s not much to go on.”

  I pursed my lips and exhaled a big breath. Under “suspects,” I wrote “Neil Samuelson.”

  With a heavy sigh, I set down the pen and picked up my chopsticks.

  My love life could not get a break.

  Chapter 10

  Once we had finished dinner and tidied the kitchen, CeCe and I headed to the living room, each of us stretching out on opposite ends of the sectional sofa.

  “Don’t go to sleep.”

  “I’m not going to sleep,” I protested, although my eyes had begun to close as soon as I had stretched out my legs. Muscle memory can be a powerful thing. Usually when I stretched out on my sofa, it was the end of the day and I was finished with chores and other tasks on my list. My body was ready to relax and get ready for sleep.

  I shook my head to wake myself, noticing that CeCe didn’t have the same problem. She sat at the other end of the sofa, her eyes bright and shiny.

  “How much coffee have you had today?”

  CeCe rolled her eyes, then laughed. “I started to say the usual, but then I remembered I had a double mocha about two hours ago. I’m good to go all night!”

  I threw a pillow at her and picked up the notebook. So far, we only had Lee and Neil on the list. I knew in my heart that Neil had not killed Serena, and I really wanted to believe that Lee hadn’t done it either. With a heavy sigh, I stared at the list.

  “What are you thinking?” CeCe clutched the pillow I had thrown to her chest as she looked at me.