by Cindy Bell
“So, when exactly did you decide to shut off the cameras?” Officer McKay asked.
Bekki sighed and slumped back in her chair, which caused the handcuffs to cut into her wrists again.
“I didn't shut off the cameras,” she said as calmly as she could. “Do you think maybe you could take these handcuffs off me? I mean, I'm not under arrest, am I?” she asked as she narrowed her eyes just enough to make her point clear.
“Not at this time,” the officer admitted reluctantly. He stood up and walked over to her. Bekki leaned forward so that he could unlock the handcuffs. “But something just doesn't make sense to me. You said you're getting married this weekend, but you waited until today to pick up the rings? My wife had our rings ready to go three months before our wedding,” he explained. Bekki pursed her lips as she rubbed at her sore wrists.
“I'm running a little behind on the plans,” she admitted with a hint of shame. “But that doesn't make me guilty. Check my hands for gunpowder residue,” she suggested and held her hands out to him with her palms up.
“Just how do you know so much about investigating a murder?” he asked as he perched on the edge of his desk and studied her closely.
“My fiancé is a detective in Harroway,” she explained hesitantly. She really didn't want to get Nick involved.
“Oh, now I see,” Officer McKay nodded, and Bekki sighed with relief expecting that he would admit it was all a mistake. “You think because you're marrying a cop you can get away with murder,” he stated smugly.
“What?” Bekki asked incredulously. “This is ridiculous!” she said as her voice got louder.
“Careful now,” Officer McKay warned and wagged one thick finger at her. “Or you're going to be right back in handcuffs.”
“Are you going to charge me with anything?” Bekki asked as she stared boldly into the man's eyes. She knew that he wanted more than anything to put her in a cell, but without any evidence she hoped that would be impossible. He held her gaze for a long moment, his eyes threatening.
“I'm not,” the officer finally replied with a sigh. “But I will be watching you,” he added and furrowed one bushy, brown brow. “If you so much as make a move out of line, I will make sure you're locked up until all this is sorted out.” Bekki bit her tongue as she knew that saying anything to anger him further was only going to make him more determined to see her behind bars. But it was very difficult not to come to her own defense. She wanted to point out that she had no motive, and she would never cause harm to someone else unless in self-defense, but instead she remained quiet as he walked back around behind his desk. He sat down and blatantly ignored her as he jotted some notes on the paper before him. After a few excruciating minutes of quiet, she finally spoke up.
“Then am I free to go?” she asked as respectfully as she could.
“For now,” he replied without looking up. Bekki waited another moment to be sure he wasn't trying to trick her. Then carefully she stood up from the chair.
“You're still here?” he asked gruffly and shot a glare in her direction.
“My phone,” she said quietly. “I need my phone back.”
He tightened his lips into a thin line. Then he picked up her phone. Instead of handing it to her, he slid it across his desk to her. She caught it just before it could tumble off the edge and hit the floor. She picked up her purse from the edge of the desk.
“Thanks,” she said through gritted teeth and began dialing Nick's number as she walked away from the desk. The more she thought about the way Officer McKay had treated her the angrier she became. He had no right to treat her with such disdain, no matter what he suspected.
“Bekki, where are you?” Nick said instead of hello. “Sammy's been trying to reach you, so has your mother, and I've called you five times!” From the sound of his voice Bekki suspected he had been growing more anxious and frustrated with each phone call.
“Nick, I'm okay,” she said quickly and then took a deep breath. “But, I'm at the Alster police station. My car is still at the jewelers and…”
“What happened?” Nick interrupted. In the background she could hear him turn the siren on in his car. She knew that he wasn't supposed to use it unless it was an emergency, but she decided not to mention it. More than anything she wanted his arms around her right then, and though it might not have been a public emergency, it certainly was a personal one.
“I stopped by to pick up the rings this morning,” Bekki attempted to explain as tears filled her eyes, “and the jeweler was dead. Then this officer, Officer McKay, came in before I had the chance to call for help, and he is convinced that I have something to do with it!”
“That's ridiculous,” Nick growled with irritation. “You're not hurt are you?” he asked swiftly. “I'm fifteen minutes away.”
“No, I'm not hurt,” Bekki sighed and she felt the tears begin to build even more. It was not like her to be emotional, but everything was starting to get on top of her. There were other officers milling about in the lobby of the police station as well as civilians, and she didn't want to cry in front of them. She stood close to the front door and hid her face near the wall as she wiped at her eyes. “I'm so sorry, Nick, now everything's a mess. They have the rings in evidence, I don't know if I'll even be able to get them back.”
“Bekki, this isn't your fault,” he assured her, his voice cracking with his desire to be there to comfort her. “I'm almost there, just hang on, okay? I'm going to find out what I can about the case.”
“All right,” Bekki sniffled and hung up the phone before her voice could waver with her tears. She was confident that everything would be sorted out, but that wouldn't change the fact that she had missed the cake tasting, she had no idea where their rings were since they had been taken as evidence, and with the determination that Officer McKay had shown she knew that his suspicions would not be easily dismissed. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and then dialed Sammy's number. Once Bekki had filled her in on everything that had happened Sammy sighed with relief that Bekki was safe.
“I'm so sorry, Bekki,” she said quickly. “But try not to stress. Everything is going to be fine. You're getting married on Saturday, and nothing is going to stop that.”
“Sure,” Bekki laughed a little. She intended to sound positive, but her laugh was bitter. She was feeling overwhelmed by the whole situation. “I'm okay, I promise,” she said quickly to cover it up.
“I'll talk to Angela about the cake tasting, okay?” Sammy asked.
“Thanks, Sammy,” Bekki sighed. “You're a life saver.”
“Just keep that in mind when you toss the bouquet,” she offered in an attempt to cheer Bekki up.
“I will,” Bekki promised with a short laugh before she hung up the phone. When she glanced over her shoulder she noticed that Officer McKay was standing near the front desk. She looked away to hide her annoyance and hurried outside. Just as she stepped out onto the sidewalk, Nick's car pulled to a stop in front of it. He threw it in park, despite the fact that it was illegal to do so right in front of the station and jumped out of the car. He jogged around to meet her and she immediately felt tears brewing again, she was just so relieved to see him.
“Are you okay?” he asked her with urgency in his eyes. She nodded slowly and he wrapped his arms around her. As he held her close he sighed. “I'm so sorry I pulled every string I could to get information on the case, but I've got no jurisdiction here.”
“It's okay,” Bekki promised him with a slight smile and a shrug. “It was just a little adventure.”
“One that's not over yet I'm afraid,” he frowned as he pulled reluctantly away from her. “From what little information I was able to get, it's clear you're still on their shortlist of suspects.”
Bekki rolled her eyes and glanced over at a few of the officers that were walking out through the front doors of the police station.
“I'm sure it will all be straightened out quickly,” she assured Nick though her voice wasn't quite convinc
ing. “It's not like they have any proof, or any motive.”
“Well,” Nick hesitated and reached up to brush his fingertips through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Apparently your number was the last one that Patty called, and you were the only one that called him. Now, that's not evidence or proof, but it does put you in the spotlight. I tried talking to McKay about what else they have that might be causing them suspicion, but he completely refused to share anything with me. Still, it's obviously not a solid case,” he agreed and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “But, it's not something we need right now with the wedding so close.”
Bekki frowned as her gaze fell towards the ground. “I guess maybe we should postpone it,” she said quietly.
“Postpone it?” Nick asked abruptly and tilted his head down in an attempt to meet her eyes. “Is that what you really want to do?” he asked as worry creased his brow. She could see the apprehension in his expression when she finally looked up at him.
“Well, I don't want to get married while I'm a murder suspect,” Bekki pointed out with frustration and then immediately softened her tone. “I'm sorry Nick. I'm so sorry.”
“Me too,” Nick sighed. “I just wanted everything to be perfect for you.”
“I don't care about perfect,” Bekki insisted as she met his eyes. “I just want to marry you.”
Nick smiled slowly and met her lips with a soft, slow kiss. Bekki ignored the others milling around them and kissed him back with all the passion she felt for him. If anything, the events of the morning had reminded her of just how fleeting freedom and life could be.
Chapter Four
The tension was thick in Nick's car as he drove Bekki back to the jewelry store so she could get her car. Bekki reached out and gently took his hand in hers. He gave her hand a squeeze in return. When she glanced over at him, his gaze was staring straight ahead through the windshield. She knew that look. It was his determined look. As he parked behind her car, there were still a few police cars in front of the jewelry store.
“Are you sure you don't want me to just drive you home?” Nick asked as he glanced over at her. Bekki was staring hard out the window at the police cars. “We can always get the car tomorrow.”
“No,” Bekki said firmly and opened the door of the car. “I'll be fine,” she promised him and leaned over to kiss his cheek.
“I'll meet you at your place,” Nick said as he met her eyes, a strand of his hair fell forward to tickle at his eyebrow. Bekki smiled at how boyish he looked with his hair casting a shadow across his forehead. It reminded her of being sprawled out beside him under the stars, both when they were just teens, and when they had reunited as adults.
“I need to stop by and check in with Sammy, I have to find out about the cake and…”
“Bekki,” Nick said sternly as he reached out to gently caress her cheek. “What you need to do is take the rest of the afternoon off. It's too late for the cake tasting, the salon is closed, and you've been through a very stressful experience. I'll meet you at home, okay?” he asked and frowned. Bekki sighed and then smiled at him.
“You're so cute when you put on your cop face,” she said and scrunched up her nose. His eyes narrowed and his lips grew a bit thinner.
“Are you saying I'm not cute otherwise?” he asked with a feigned pout.
“Oh, you're always cute,” Bekki laughed and pecked his pouting lips lightly. Then she started to step out of the car. She was almost out, when Nick reached out to gently grasp her wrist.
“Bekki, don't get in the middle of this one, okay?” he asked as he met her surprised gaze.
“I think handcuffs put me in the middle of it,” Bekki pointed out, but as his expression darkened she nodded a little.
“I'll meet you at home,” she promised and then pulled her hand away. As she closed the door behind her, Nick was still staring out the window at her. She paused beside her car and started rummaging for her keys. Nick seemed to be waiting to be sure she got into the car safely, so she waved to him, to let him know she was fine.
As soon as Nick pulled away, she turned towards the jewelry store. There was a store on either side of the shop. One was a florist, the other was a bookstore. The florist was closed, but the bookstore had a neon sign flashing in the window indicating it was open. She walked over to it and ducked inside. The store was dusty and filled with the musty scent of old and treasured books. “Hello?” she called out as she made her way between two rows of bookshelves. There wasn't a lot of space in the shop, books were crammed on every shelf and in every corner.
“Hello?” a voice called back from behind a stack of books on the counter.
“Hi,” Bekki smiled a little as she paused in front of the stack of books. “I'm sorry to bother you, I just wanted to ask you a quick question.”
The pile of books slid to the side and a short statured man with thick, black glasses peered up at her.
“Sure, what are you looking for?” he asked with a tilt of his head. “I've got books on every subject you can think of.”
“Actually,” Bekki hesitated for a moment and then lowered her voice. “I'm not looking for a book. I was just wondering if you knew the man who owned the jewelry store…”
“Patty, of course I did,” the man nodded sharply. “Such a sad story that one, I can't believe it ended like this.”
“Did you ever notice him having any trouble with anyone?” Bekki asked, her eyes narrowing curiously.
“Trouble, eh,” the man shrugged. “He wasn't the type of guy to get into any trouble. He always had something nice to say. Always chumming with that cop, McKay,” he frowned. “A lot of good it did him.”
“It's terrible,” Bekki agreed compassionately. “I just can't understand why someone would do it. I mean, from what I hear, the place wasn't even robbed.”
“Well, at least not that the police know of,” the man said with a bit of a growl around his words. “There's always more to a story.”
“Was there more to Patty's story?” Bekki asked as she rested one elbow against the counter.
“Why are you so interested?” he asked as he looked back up at her. “Are you a cop?”
“No,” Bekki shook her head slightly. “Honestly, I'm just curious. I was one of Patty's customers, and he never struck me as someone who would be involved with criminals, or have any enemies.”
“Well, you're right about the enemies,” the man said and then leaned forward as he lowered his voice. “But when it comes to criminals, I'm not so sure about that.”
“Really?” Bekki asked with surprise, though her eyes remained rigidly on his. “Why do you say that?”
“The other day, I saw this SUV on steroids, you know, those big ones…”
Bekki nodded her head.
“It pulled up outside the store. I couldn't help but notice, it was so loud. So I poked my head out, just to see if it was blocking any of my parking spaces. These three men got out of the truck. Two of them looked like they were bodyguards for the third,” he explained. “Just from the way they were standing on either side of him, looking all around.”
“Did they go inside?” Bekki asked and hoped that he would have more information.
“They did. They were only there for about twenty minutes. After they left, Patty stepped outside for a smoke. I asked him who they were. He said they were just some new suppliers, and nothing to worry about. I told him if they wanted to park that monster they should do so in the back lot instead of taking up all the room in the front. He agreed, and that was that,” he shrugged. “Nothing too juicy there. But still, something about those guys just didn't sit right with me.”
“Do you remember what day this was?” Bekki asked and pulled out her cell phone so she could make a note of it.
“It was on Monday,” he said confidently.
“And you haven't noticed anything else strange since?” Bekki asked as she moved her head to the side. “Maybe in the way that Patty was acting, or something he said that was out of chara
cter.”
“Well no, not exactly,” he replied and then tapped his finger lightly on the stack of books. “I guess there was one thing.”
“What's that?” Bekki could tell from the man's expression that he was trying to decide whether to tell her or not.
“Well, I guess he's dead now, so I wouldn't be betraying his trust. He came in here on Tuesday asking for any books I might have about Africa, specifically regarding conflict diamonds,” he added with a slight scowl.
“Conflict diamonds?” Bekki repeated and narrowed her eyes. “You mean the diamonds that are sold in order to fund civil wars? I've read some articles about that. Why do you think Patty was interested in that?”
“Well, he said it was just because a customer of his had mentioned coming across one, and he didn't know much about it. So, he wanted to learn more,” he sorted through the stack of books piled before him until he got to the one he was looking for. He held out the small square book. “This is the one I suggested, it details the history of blood diamonds in the Congo, but he didn't want it. He said he wanted something current.”
“Do you have the book you gave him?” Bekki asked hopefully as she looked over the book he had handed her.
“He still has it,” he admitted with a frown. “And I can't say that I didn't find it a little strange that he was suddenly so interested. I mean as a jeweler I knew he dealt with diamonds, but I still didn't think he would be interested in something like this. Like I said, he was always a good guy, and with hanging out with that cop all the time, I wondered why he would be interested in illegal diamonds.”
“Thanks for the information,” Bekki said and jotted down her phone number on a scrap of paper from her purse. “If you think of anything else, please call me and let me know.”
He picked up the piece of paper and eyed the phone number before looking back up at her.
“Are you sure you're not a cop?” he asked skeptically.
“I'm not,” Bekki assured him before stepping out of the bookstore.