by Cindy Bell
“Coffee?” Nick asked as he leaned against the doorway of the bedroom. Bekki shifted uncomfortably in the bed.
“No thanks, I think I just need some Aspirin,” she winced as she reached around to touch the back of her neck.
“Here let me take a look,” he said as he sat down on the bed beside her. She held her breath as his fingertips coasted along the slope of her neck and his body leaned closer to hers. He began to rub softly beneath the small knot that was still on her neck. His soothing touch eased some of the shooting pain she was feeling.
“That's nice,” she sighed and leaned back into his caresses. “So are we going to arrest her today?”
“We are not arresting anyone,” he reminded her. “I'm the one with the handcuffs. And no, we don't have enough evidence to do that. Since you wouldn't let me call in the team to process the scene, we have nothing to arrest her for.”
“Seriously?” Bekki sighed with frustration.
“Hey, don't ruin all my hard work here,” he said sharply and moved his hands over her shoulders to massage them.
“Well, I guess I'll just go into the salon then,” Bekki sighed.
“No you won't,” he corrected her. “Sammy is running the salon. You're staying home, and resting, and staying out of trouble.”
“Do you really think that's possible?” she asked with a wry smile.
“No, but I'm still going to tell you that's what you should be doing,” he answered, hiding a smile which quickly faded. “I mean it Bekki. Somebody attacked you last night. If it were up to me I'd put a car on you, but I know you wouldn't like that.”
“You're right about that,” Bekki frowned.
“So please just let me do my job and stay in bed?” he suggested.
“Well, if you promise to give me another massage later, maybe,” Bekki nodded a little. She felt as if she could sleep for hours.
“Good,” he kissed the top of her head gently. “I'll call you with an update, okay?”
She nodded and smiled as he left the room.
“Thanks Nick!” she called after him.
She lay back in the bed and as soon as she did she was reminded of her need for Aspirin. Nick had already left, so she went to the bathroom to search for a bottle. Nothing there. Nothing in the kitchen.
“Ugh,” Bekki winced as her head pounded. She was just going to have to go to the store and get some. After she dressed she decided it would be best to walk into town. She didn't trust herself to drive after a blow to the head. When she reached the store she bought the biggest bottle of Aspirin she could find and a bottle of water to go with it. After taking two and washing them down with a gulp of water she walked back out of the store and into the town square. That was when she spotted Julie. She had just left the local diner and was staring hard at her phone. Bekki knew she should just head straight back home, but she couldn't. She wanted to know exactly what Julie was up to. As she trailed after her, the woman continued to stare hard at her phone. She wasn't texting, or playing a game, it was almost as if she was looking at a map.
Bekki crept close enough to her to catch a glimpse of the app she was looking at. It was a map, with a blinking red icon. It looked like a GPS. Bekki hung back, not wanting Julie to realize she was there. She followed Julie all the way to the edge of the lake. When the woman paused, Bekki did too, a few feet away. She ducked behind a bush, and looked past Julie at the water.
A very tall and handsome man stood at the edge of the water with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He was dwarfed by the lake spreading out before him, making him appear quite young and vulnerable. No one stood with him, and he didn't seem to be in any hurry to turn away from the natural beauty. His shoulders were slumped. Bekki was a little too far away to be sure, but she thought they were trembling. Bekki realized that Julie must have been using a tracking app. It was probably linked to Dan's phone.
"Daniel," Julie said as she stepped up behind him. Bekki's nostrils flared with anger as she realized that the woman who she suspected had killed Daniel's mother was about to embrace him.
"Julie," he said with surprise as he spun around to face her. "What are you doing here?" he frowned, his eyes narrowed. He did not seem terribly happy to see her.
"I heard about your mother," she said quietly and stepped a little closer to him. "I'm so sorry, Daniel, I know how deeply you loved her. I just didn't want you to be alone at a time like this,” she reached out and gently grasped his forearm.
Dan's expression hardened as he studied her. It was clear that whatever problems had arose in their marriage were not ones he was willing to forgive. However, in the next moment Julie slid her arms around his waist and hugged him, pressing her body close.
"Please Daniel, I know this past year has been difficult, I know that you hate me, but don't shut me out now. I know you need someone," she purred her words and looked up at him pleadingly.
Bekki shuddered with disgust as she thought about what she believed this woman had done to Lydia, and now she was heartless enough to try to offer comfort to her son? Dan didn't have any idea that his mother's death had been anything other than suicide, however, and certainly no notion that his soon to be ex-wife could have somehow been involved. So he hugged her in return, and rested his chin against the top of her perfectly coiffed head.
"Julie, I just don't understand it. If she was upset about something, why didn't she just come to me? Why didn't she just ask for help?"
Julie sighed and closed her eyes as she hugged him tighter. "That's something we may never know Dan. She was a good woman, but she held a lot of things inside. Maybe she had her own secrets."
"Maybe," Dan nodded a little. "But it still seems so impossible."
Bekki leaned her head back against the side of a canoe shelter as she listened to their conversation. She wanted to jump out and accuse Julie right then, but she remembered what Nick said. There was still a possibility that Julie had nothing to do with Lydia's death at all. But why was she in town, before Dan arrived? Was it still possible that something she had said during a visit with Lydia had upset her to such a degree that Lydia had decided to kill herself? As she watched Dan's large frame envelop the rather petite Julie, another damning thought occurred to Bekki. If Julie did kill Lydia, how did she get her body up and into the noose? She didn't look strong enough to pull off something like that. Bekki decided it was time to return to the scene of the crime, and start from the beginning again. But she needed to make sure she did so on her own.
As she was walking back towards the bakery she stopped short. Nick's car was parked in front of it. Bekki ducked behind a building, hoping that he hadn't seen her, doing exactly what he had asked her not to do. She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. Had he seen her? She peeked at the phone and saw that it was indeed Nick calling. She reluctantly answered.
“Hi,” she said quietly.
“Hey, did I wake you?” he asked, sounding as if he was very concerned.
“No,” Bekki replied, her eyes widening with relief as she realized that he hadn't actually seen her. He was just calling to check in. “I was just resting,” she bit the end of her tongue lightly and hoped he wouldn't be able to tell that she was lying.
“Good, make sure you keep doing that, okay?” he asked.
“Of course,” Bekki cringed.
“Listen, I have some more information on Daniel Brentwood and Julie,” he said quickly.
Bekki peeked around the corner of the building and saw Nick pacing back and forth in front of his car. She ducked back behind the building.
“Oh what is it?” she asked and started walking in the other direction.
“It seems they're in the middle of a very messy divorce. They both have high paid lawyers, and let's just say it's not exactly amicable.”
“Well, that might be why she attacked Lydia,” Bekki said carefully, trying to disguise the fact that she was walking.
“If she did,” Nick reminded her. “But you're right. There's some
bad blood there. Apparently Lydia and Julie even had a very public argument over Dan at a restaurant. Lydia accused Julie of being after her son's money, and it turned into a big media frenzy.”
“I bet,” Bekki shook her head. She could easily imagine Lydia calling Julie out in front of a crowd of people. “No wonder she was holed up here.”
“Exactly,” Nick said. “I'll let you know if I find out anything new, all right?”
“Thanks Nick,” she smiled into the phone.
“Bekki, make sure you're resting. Don't answer the door for anyone, got me?” he said sternly.
“I know, I know,” Bekki insisted and ducked down one of the side streets that would lead back to Rose Hill Drive.
“Call me if you need anything,” he insisted.
“I will Nick, thanks again,” Bekki hung up the phone swiftly. By the time she reached her house she was tired. Since Nick was at the bakery she'd have to wait until later to look it over again. She decided to lay down and rest for a little while. However, as she closed her eyes all she could see was Julie wrapping her arms around Dan. The poor guy had no idea what kind of woman he was married to. The very idea of Julie getting away with the horrible crime haunted her so deeply that she could not sleep. Within an hour she was awake again and ready to do some real investigation work. She called Nick's cell to get an idea of where he was.
“What are you up to?” she asked when he answered.
“I'm on my way to you, with the dinner you missed,” he replied with a gleeful tone. Bekki bit her lip to keep from groaning. She was going to be stuck sharing dinner with Nick.
“Bekki, are you all right?” he asked when she was quiet for so long.
“Sure, I'm just a little tired,” Bekki explained. “I was going to sleep for a while.”
“Well you have to eat too,” he said firmly. “I'll be there in a few minutes. As long as you take a few bites, I'll leave you alone.”
“All right,” Bekki smiled a little at how sweet he was being. It was nice of him to look out for her with such dedication.
When Nick arrived he spread their feast out on the dining room table. It was an Italian dinner of ravioli from the local restaurant, one of Bekki's favorites.
“Mmm, that smells great,” she grinned as she picked up a fork.
“So did you actually get any rest today?” Nick asked as she began devouring her portion of ravioli.
“Some,” Bekki nodded. “It's hard for me to sleep, knowing what happened to Lydia.”
“Just remember Bekki, Julie is innocent until proven guilty. Sometimes things look very different to what they actually are.”
“Maybe,” Bekki shrugged slightly. She didn't want to argue with him. He didn't have to be certain, but she was. As they finished their meal Nick started clearing away the take out containers.
“Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?” he asked a little nervously as he tossed the boxes and plates in the trash.
“No, I don't know if I could sleep with you next to me,” she said slyly as she sat back in her chair.
“I slept on the couch,” he said quickly, blushing a little.
“Oh,” Bekki felt a little disappointed. She had enjoyed imagining him laying beside her. “Well, maybe when I'm feeling better we can make this a real dinner out, hmm?”
“I'd love that,” he agreed and then paused beside her. “If anything happens tonight, just give me a call. I'll be at home only a few minutes away,” he reminded her.
“Thanks Nick, for everything,” she smiled. When they kissed she felt a ripple of desire that almost convinced her to forget about searching the bakery. But she couldn't. She pulled away from him and yawned, as if she was exhausted.
“All right, you head to bed,” he murmured reluctantly. Apparently he had felt the same pull.
“I'm going,” Bekki assured him. She walked into the bedroom and lay down. Then she listened for the door to close behind him. She waited until the sun had fully set and then climbed right back out of bed. She peered through the front window but she couldn’t see him. She knew she had to be careful not to be spotted. She slipped out through the back door, and headed straight for the bakery.
Chapter Four
The bakery was dark except for the natural light of the moon filtering through the front window which illuminated enough of the front of the store for Bekki to look around. She knew that the moment Nick found out she had snuck into the bakery, he would be livid, but as she had told him, this was who she was. She was not going to let a silly thing like trespassing stop her from discovering the truth. A hair pin had made the lock very easy to open. As she studied the room around her she began to imagine what Lydia's last moments might have been like. Maybe she and Julie were arguing. Maybe Julie had drugged her so that she would be easier to kill. But Nick had claimed that the toxins screen they ran on her, to rule out any influence of drugs or alcohol, was clear. So Lydia, a relatively strong woman, and Julie, a thin but powerful woman, were arguing in the front of the bakery. How did that argument transform into a murder that looked like a suicide? It just didn't make sense. She could not figure out how Lydia ended up hanged in her own bakery.
Of course the noose had been cut down from the rafter. But Bekki wanted to recreate the crime scene as much as possible. It had been burned into her mind, but still, she might have overlooked something. Bekki pulled a chair back under the spot where Lydia had been found. She tested its sturdiness. Then she climbed on top of it. From her perspective she could see the entire front of the bakery. She was slightly shorter than Lydia had been, but not enough to make a big difference. She stood on her toes, imagining the noose around her neck. It was an eerie thing to think of, even if she knew it wasn't going to happen to her. She couldn't imagine how it must have felt for Lydia.
"Then she kicked it out from under her," Bekki said under her breath as she tried to figure out the sequence of events. "That's what she would have had to do if she killed herself.”
Bekki's eyes glanced down in the direction of the floor. She remembered where the suicide note had been. She could tell that Lydia would have been able to look right at it. In fact, the words were positioned facing her, so that she could have read it.
"Lydia, why would you want to look at the note?" she asked out loud, her voice filling the empty bakery.
Bekki frowned and then stepped down from the chair. This time instead of imagining the suicide, she envisioned the murder.
"Julie, what are you doing here?" she asked, as if the woman had walked up behind her.
Perhaps Julie had threatened her. Perhaps she had simply attacked her. She was certain there would have been a lot of anger.
"No, that isn't right," she frowned. "Lydia had no bruises or scratches on her. But if she wasn't drugged, if she wasn't beaten, then how did Julie get her into the noose?"
"Excuse me?" a voice said sharply from behind the counter of the bakery. "Just who are you, and what are you doing in my mother's bakery?" Dan demanded as he walked swiftly around the counter toward Bekki. Bekki's eyes widened as she recognized him. Her heart pounded. Dan had seemed so upset, but there was still a chance that he had something to do with his mother's death as well. He would certainly have been strong enough to help his wife.
"I'm Bekki," she said quickly and stepped back away from him. Dan's eyes flashed with annoyance.
"What are you doing in here? Why were you saying those things about my mother and my wife?" he looked quite menacing as he drew closer to her.
"I'm so sorry," Bekki said quickly. "I knew your mother, and I just, I just couldn't picture her taking her own life."
He paused a moment as if her words had struck a chord with him, but then his anger swiftly returned.
"And that gives you the right to break in here and imagine such horrible things about my wife?" he asked. "What did you mean by, how did Julie get her into the noose?"
Bekki shivered as she realized how much trouble she had gotten herself into. Not only ha
d she been caught trespassing, and truly breaking and entering, but she had also openly accused Dan's wife of murder with no proof whatsoever.
“I didn't mean anything,” she insisted, her panic growing. “I'll leave right now. I'm sorry to disturb you,” she started to move towards the door but the moment she did, Dan stepped in front of her and pulled out his cell phone.
“Oh no, you won't. You're not going anywhere. You broke in here, and you're accusing my wife of horrible things. We'll let the police deal with this,” as he dialed, Bekki felt her heart sink. Her attempt at being clandestine had certainly not worked out very well. Nick was not going to be pleased that she had lied, yet again, about what she was up to. Worse than that, it might not be Nick at all who came to the scene. To any other police officer this would look like a simple case of breaking and entering, and she would have no chance of defending herself. But maybe that would be better than Nick being the one to walk through the door. She closed her eyes and imagined the exact look that would be on Nick's face. He wouldn't be able to sweep this under the rug.
***
The police station was relatively calm. It was Nick's night to catch up on some paperwork, but his mind kept wandering back to the case. He had sent the suicide note for handwriting analysis, despite the trouble he could get into for investigating a closed case. He just could not shake Bekki's insistence that something was not right about the case. He also wanted to figure out who might have attacked her in order to get the notepad back. The last thing he wanted was for her to be in danger. A part of him hoped it wasn't true. That the case was as simple as it seemed. But he had begun to trust Bekki's instincts.
Nick's partner, Detective Williams, paused beside his desk and knocked lightly on it.