by Cindy Bell
“Can you run this plate for me?” she asked as she listed off the letters and numbers she was able to read.
“I don’t know, Bekki,” Morris replied. “I could lose my job.”
“Morris, no one will find out,” Bekki pleaded. “I promise.”
“Okay,” Morris replied. “Give me a second,” he put her on hold. While she was holding she watched the video again. Even though the camera had captured the truck before it was shut off, it never captured any of the men who were riding in it. For some reason Patty had felt it was important to turn off his camera when they arrived at his shop. The only reason that Bekki could think of, was that he knew whatever he was doing with them was illegal, and didn't want any evidence that might incriminate him.
“Okay, Bekki,” Morris said as he came back onto the phone. “The vehicle is registered to an Alvin Manchester. His residence is listed at 95 Allameda Ave.”
“Does he have any other residences?” Bekki asked as she jotted the information down on a notepad on her computer.
“He has a business address listed,” Morris added. “It's 101 Highway 9, it looks like it's in the industrial zone.”
“Interesting,” Bekki frowned a moment.
“Anything I should know about?” Morris asked.
“Not sure yet,” Bekki replied with a frown. “I'll let you know if I find out anything. Thanks, Morris.”
“This information did not come from me, Bekki,” he replied before hanging up.
Bekki looked up the residential address on her computer. The house was very large and in a very exclusive neighborhood. She looked up the business address. From the image of the building displayed on the computer, it appeared to be a factory or warehouse of some sort. She studied it for a long moment. Her instincts told her the warehouse would hold the key to what Patty had got himself into. She glanced at her watch and realized she had to meet with Sammy and Angela.
***
The bakery smelled heavenly as Bekki and Sammy stepped inside. Several small plates with sample pieces of cake were lined up on a few of the tables in the center of the café. Bekki smiled as she looked at the assortment. Each one had its own unique style and flavor.
“You were right, Sammy,” Bekki said quietly as she looked over the cake. “I'm really glad I made it here.”
“Me too,” Angela said breathlessly as she walked out from behind the counter with another tray of cake.
“Thanks so much for fitting me in,” Bekki said as she took the tray from her and set it on the table.
“Anything for you Bekki, you know that,” Angela smiled affectionately at her. Angela was always so lovely to her.
“Well, let's see about this one,” Sammy suggested as she picked up a triple layer slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.
“Oh, I don't think I want chocolate,” Bekki began to say, but Sammy took a bite anyway.
“Have to try everything,” she pointed out with a laugh.
“That's right,” Angela agreed and helped herself to a bite from the piece of cake. “A lot of love went into these.”
Bekki smiled at Angela's passion. It struck her that Angela didn't just own a business, she loved what she did. She wondered if that was the case with Patty. He had been so attentive to her when she arranged to have the rings engraved. He was very personable, and seemed to be concerned about maintaining the integrity of the rings. It didn't seem to her that he was in it for the money, he seemed to really have a passion for his business. What could cause a man like that to get involved with a criminal? Thoughts of the case were quickly swept away however as she sampled everything from vanilla raspberry to banana cream.
“What do you think?” Sammy asked with a grin as Bekki tasted a mocha flavored cake.
“It's delicious,” she admitted. “But not really for a wedding, don't you think?” she asked.
Sammy groaned and rubbed her stomach as she leaned back in her chair. “Well, you've got to pick one because I don't think I can taste any more cake.”
“I think we tried them all,” Bekki said thoughtfully and glanced over the mess of crumb covered plates.
“Not all,” Angela said with a sly smile and nudged a plate towards her.
“What's this?” Bekki asked curiously.
“Just taste it,” Angela urged with a glimmer of certainty in her eyes.
Bekki eyed the slice of cake which was covered with a whipped cream frosting. When she took a bite of it, the flavor surprised her. It melted on her tongue with a sense of comfort and celebration.
“It's Italian Cream Cake,” she said happily as she looked at Sammy. “It's perfect!”
“Oh, that I have to have a bite of,” Sammy laughed and helped herself to a bite. “It tastes just like the one you made for Christmas, Angela, only better,” she sighed and savored the taste.
“I mingled in a little more flavor to make it a little richer,” Angela explained. “I thought you might like it, Bekki.”
“I love it,” Bekki said with a smile. “That's it, that's the cake.”
“Perfect,” Angela clapped her hands with excitement. “It will be ready for Saturday.”
Bekki gave a broad smile, but inside she couldn't help but wonder if there would even be a wedding to have the cake at. Sammy reached out and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
“See, things are already coming together,” Sammy pointed out.
“Great,” Bekki stood up from the table and jotted out a check for payment to Angela. “Can you give this to Angela for me? I want to get home and finish up some packing, okay?”
“Sure,” Sammy nodded and took the check. “Just don't forget about your dress.”
“I won't,” Bekki promised. “Do you and my mom need help with anything else?”
“No, we've got it all covered,” Sammy assured her. As Bekki left the bakery she began to feel a little excitement building within her. Sammy was right, whether she was ready for it or not, the wedding was almost upon her.
Chapter Seven
Bekki knew that Sammy would be occupied with the last minute wedding plans so she gave Morris a call.
“Yes?” he asked when he answered the phone.
“Is it possible to give me all of the information you can find on the warehouse that is registered to Alvin Manchester?” she asked as she pulled her car door closed behind her.
“Do you think he's involved in the murder?” Morris asked quickly.
“I don't know for sure,” Bekki admitted. “But I would like anything you can find on that building.”
“Okay, just stop by the station and I'll give you what I can,” he suggested with a bit more strain in his voice.
“Thanks, Morris,” she replied and hung up her phone. She began driving in the direction of the police station. By the time she arrived Morris was waiting for her with a stack of paper.
“Here's what I could find,” he said calmly as he handed a folder over to her. “Bekki, Alvin Manchester is connected to some very dangerous people. You're not going to do anything reckless are you?” he asked with concern.
“Of course not,” Bekki said as she took the folder. “Thank you so much for doing this for me,” she added when she saw him lower his eyes. As she started to turn away he glanced over at her and frowned.
“Have you talked to Nick about this?”
“I appreciate your concern, Morris,” Bekki said with genuine warmth. “But Nick is looking into other leads. I don't want him to get involved in this, unless I know for sure that my suspicions are right. Remember, I promised not to get you into trouble,” she offered him a charming smile. Morris shifted uncomfortably. He was still quite new to the police force and preferred to play things by the book. But, when Bekki looked at him with genuine gratitude his expression softened.
“Sure, no problem,” he said with a quick nod. “Just promise me that you'll be careful. No running off to talk to this guy, okay?” he attempted to be stern.
“I promise,” she murmured. “Thank
s so much,” Bekki smiled and then glanced at her watch. In the same moment that she looked at her watch Sammy sent a text to her cell phone.
Dress now, it said. Bekki smiled to herself.
“Best Maid-of-Honor ever,” she mumbled under her breath and then squared her shoulders. “Now, about that dress,” she drew a deep breath and turned towards the front door of the police station. As she was walking towards her car, Nick was walking in the other direction.
“Bekki,” he smiled instantly at the sight of her, but the expression soon faded. “You okay?” he asked as he held her gaze.
“I will be,” she promised and managed to bring a smile to her lips. “I'm going to pick up my dress.”
“Wow,” he sighed and studied her intently. “I can't wait to see you in it.”
“Not until the wedding,” Bekki warned with a glint in her eye.
“Not too much longer to wait,” he smiled again. “And don't worry about the case, I'm following up some things. Just focus on the wedding, everything else will get taken care of, okay?”
“I'll try,” Bekki replied hesitantly. As excited as she was, she found it very difficult to think of focusing on the wedding when she couldn't get the memory of the handcuffs around her wrists out of her mind.
***
When she arrived at the seamstress, the woman was just turning the sign in her window to ‘closed’.
“Hi, Mrs. Blake,” Bekki said quickly as she hurried up to the door. “I'm so sorry I'm late.”
“Oh, it's okay, Bekki,” Mrs. Blake said with a smile and held the door open for her. “Come on in and try it on,” she said as she waved to the dressing room. Mrs. Blake's small shop was the definition of cozy. She had several overstuffed armchairs in the center of the room along with small round tables perfect to enjoy tea and cookies.
“Oh, I should really be going,” Bekki shook her head slightly. “I'm sure it'll be fine.”
“Nonsense!” Mrs. Blake cried out with wide eyes. “You can't leave something like your wedding dress to chance, Bekki,” she made her way towards the garment bag she had stowed Bekki's dress in. Bekki could see from the way Mrs. Blake bent her back that her arthritis was acting up again. She had been the town's seamstress since Bekki was a little girl.
Bekki remembered going to see Mrs. Blake when she had her first real school dance. Her dress didn't really need altering but her mother had wanted Bekki to have a very special experience. It was, Bekki recalled. Mrs. Blake made her cinnamon twist tea and special sugar cookies. She had Bekki twirl in front of the mirror, and even made hair accessories to match the shade of her dress. It was one of the most magical moments in Bekki's life, and it was one of the first times that she looked in the mirror and truly felt she was beautiful. She often thought of that moment when she was working with her clients, and hoped they had the same feeling when they looked in the mirror after she was done.
“Go on, Bekki, try it on,” Mrs. Blake encouraged as she handed her the dress. Bekki smiled and took it into the dressing room. As she stepped into the simple, white dress she was glad that she had chosen it. She loved the neckline of the strapless dress that left her shoulders bare and was tapered in at her waist. The barely visible lace was accented with flecks of golden thread which made it stand out when the light struck it. The skirt flowed to the floor, and was elegant, but was still roomy enough to dance in.
After Mrs. Blake's alterations, when Bekki put it on, the dress felt like a second skin. She smoothed it down over her hips and savored the sensation of the silky material against her skin. When she stepped out to show Mrs. Blake and take a look in the floor to ceiling mirror, she heard a gasp. Her heart skipped a beat as the sound was fraught with shock. What else could have gone wrong? But when she looked up, she realized it wasn't that kind of gasp. Her father stood before her, his eyes shining as he looked at her in her wedding dress. The long waves of her hair fell comfortably along her shoulders, the dark color standing out against the pale shade of the dress.
“My God, Bekki,” her father uttered as he stared at her, completely stunned. “You look just like your mother did, the day I married her,” he uttered.
Bekki did share a strong resemblance to her mother, and though she knew her father's words were spoken out of surprise, they brought tears to her eyes.
“Thanks, Dad,” she said with a soft smile and reached up to wipe at her eyes. “But, what are you doing here?”
“Oh,” he shook his head as if trying to clear away a daze. “Your mother called and asked me to double check to be sure that you picked up your dress. Which, you obviously are,” he chuckled. “You look so beautiful, sweetie,” he added and reached out to hug her. Bekki hugged him in return and felt more excitement building up within her. Even though everything was so stressful, she had just experienced yet another wonderful moment.
“Thanks for looking out for me, Dad,” she said and pecked his cheek. “I've got to hurry though, I have a few things that I need to check into.”
“Okay, just check in with your mom, because she's starting to go into party mode,” he laughed at that. Bekki sighed. Her mother's party mode was fairly famous. She liked everything to go perfectly.
“Thanks for the warning,” she grinned and ducked back into the dressing room. Once she had changed out of her dress she stepped back out to find Mrs. Blake waiting for her.
“Bekki,” she said softly as Bekki slid her dress back into the garment bag. “I noticed your dress didn't have a veil.”
“Oh yes, I was on the fence about that,” Bekki explained with a shake of her head. “I mean, a lot of women skip the veil these days.”
“Some do,” Mrs. Blake said quietly. “But, I thought maybe you'd like to try this one,” she held out a veil that was crowned with a simple, crystal-studded tiara. The intricate design of the headband made Bekki think it was antique.
“It's beautiful,” Bekki said, her breath lost by just how exquisite the details were in the lace of the veil.
“Well, you know, I never had a daughter, and my son never had children of his own,” Mrs. Blake explained, her voice timid but loving. “I know it's a tradition to have 'something old', and trust me, this is old,” she laughed a little. “I wore it at my wedding. I thought you might like to have it,” she added shyly. “I don't want you to feel obligated, I just thought it would be beautiful with your dress.”
Bekki's heart filled with warmth at the woman's words. She smiled and hugged her gently.
“I would be honored to wear it,” she said with gratitude. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Blake.”
Mrs. Blake smiled and met her eyes. “You've got a lot of people in this town who love you, Bekki, and we're all looking forward to the wedding.”
“Me, too,” Bekki replied, though her voice stuck slightly in her throat. She just hoped there would be a wedding for them to enjoy.
***
As Bekki got back into the car with her dress and the veil stowed in a special box, she was even more determined to make sure that Officer McKay wouldn't find a way to arrest her before the wedding. She knew the only way to ensure that was to find out exactly what had happened to Patty. She pulled out her phone and entered the address for the warehouse into the GPS on it. Then she began looking through the folder that Morris had given her. There were a few mentions of the building in some police reports involving smuggling and distribution of stolen items, but none in which the charges stuck. As she flipped to the next page she saw the image of a man staring up at her. It was a mug shot of Alvin Manchester. He looked like he could have been a bodyguard as he was so muscular, and the cold glare in his eyes made it clear to Bekki that he was not innocent. He had a long list of violent crimes on his record, which Bekki knew was risky for Morris to include. There were several indications of Alvin being tied to various criminals.
Bekki knew that Morris was right. Alvin was certainly a dangerous man, connected to many other dangerous people. But that made Bekki even more concerned. Because if she had be
en able to make this connection, then why hadn't Officer McKay? Was he even looking for another suspect? She shifted uncomfortably in the front seat of her car and bit into her bottom lip. She knew that if Nick found out about her visiting the warehouse, he would be concerned about her. But if she just drove by, just for a quick look, she didn't think it would be a big deal. As she started her car, she felt a surge of determination. She was going to make sure that her wedding went off without a hitch, even if it meant being just a little reckless.
Chapter Eight
The warehouse was located just outside Harroway, in the industrial zone that separated Harroway and several other small towns from the larger nearby city. She hadn't been there too often, but she knew that when she was a kid some of the teens would party in the empty warehouses. She never got involved in that scene, but she had been there once to pick up Sammy who was swept into an out of control party. Bekki had picked her up right before the police arrived to break up the party.
When Bekki drove up to the warehouse she noticed that there were fresh tire tracks in the dirt road. She drove slowly and searched the expansive parking lot for any vehicles. She didn't see any, and assumed the warehouse would be empty.
Bekki parked her car and didn't hesitate to climb out. If there was no one there it was the perfect time to take a look around. Bekki reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She switched it to silent and tucked it into her pocket. The warehouse wasn't very large, but its barren walls and wide, empty parking lot were a little intimidating. It was far enough from the other buildings in the area that once she got inside she knew that no one would be able to hear her if she needed help.
Bekki gripped the steering wheel for a moment, the skin over her knuckles turning white. Her heart fluttered. Diamonds were serious business. Whatever happened to cause Patty's death, Bekki suspected it had something to do with the diamonds he was looking up on the computer. She had no proof however, and that was exactly what she needed.