9 Murder Mysteries

by Don Potter

  “That happened to me all the time when I first got sober. But you can’t get the program through osmoses. You’ve got to find time to read during the day.”

  “I plan to go to a 9 AM meeting. I’ll start reading again after that. Any chance we can get together later for a meeting or coffee?”

  “Let’s do the six o’clock meeting and we’ll have a bite afterward. But we won’t be going back to that dive we went to last night.”

  “I’ve been to crummier places.”

  “Yeah, but you’re sober now.” Elaine laughed.

  Ross was busy on the phone when Elaine arrived at the office. As she was enjoying a cup of coffee and reading her emails, he rushed in and said, “I’ve got to fly to New York today. Could be a big deal.”

  “For you or for me?”

  “For both of us. If it works out, I’ll have a new ‘super client.’ And you’ll be able to go off and do your PR thing. So any discussions about the future will have to wait until I’m back with a signed contract. I’m going home to pack, so I can catch a noon flight out of LAX.”

  “Good luck.” Elaine had not offered such positive words to Ross for many years. She didn’t know if she made the statement hoping this opportunity might open the exit door for her or if it would be nice for her ex-husband to enjoy some success for a change. Either way, Elaine meant what she said.

  Elaine arrived at the AA meeting in time to have a cup of coffee before it began. The first thing she noticed was that Nora looked like a different person.

  “What did you do spend the entire afternoon primping for this meeting? You just got out of a relationship, so I hope you’re not looking to start up another,” Elaine said, half joking.

  “No way. I spent the day reading the assignment you gave me. Then I decided to be nice to myself by taking a long bath, fixing my hair, and putting on some makeup. It’s nice to look like a woman again, even though I don’t feel like one.”

  “Don’t worry you’ll be more than a woman. When we get finished, you’ll be a lady.”

  “I’ll take that as a promise. But, for now, I’ll have to be satisfied for being a gal who can still turn a few heads –- even if it’s only at an AA meeting.” Nora finished her self-appraisal just as the meeting started.

  “There was a lot of honest sharing tonight,” Elaine observed as they walked to their cars. “You hungry?”

  “I’m starved, but I don’t want to eat too much. My appetite has been enormous since I sobered up. Gotta make sure I don’t grow out of this dress. Did you notice the guys giving me the once over?”

  “No, but obviously you did. I know a deli that has great food, including salads. It’s on Wilshire at 19th Street. Let’s meet there.”

  Fromin’s Deli was bright but inviting, unlike the day-old pie place with the flickering fluorescent lights from the night before. Giant pictures of old Santa Monica beach scenes filled the walls instead of the typical publicity photos extolling how much the star liked eating at the restaurant – many of whom had only been there once or maybe never.

  “Did my homework,” Nora said after the dishes were cleared. She placed the Big Book and a pad of paper on the table.

  “I love a willing sponsee,” Elaine said as she leaned back to listen to what Nora had to say about the first step after doing the suggested reading.

  It took an hour to cover the basic aspect of this step. Nora had no trouble admitting she was an alcoholic, but wasn’t convinced her life was unmanageable.

  “What about what happened last night? A quick assessment of your current situation suggests you don’t have things under control. And no matter how you try to force your will on the situation, things just don’t seem to work out the way you want,” Elaine said. “You’re relationship just blew up. You have no job. No money. And you’re flopping on someone’s couch. Sound like a manageable life?”

  “Since you put it that way, I guess I can’t argue about it. I guess I really am powerless over everything,” Nora admitted.

  “Time to move on to step two,” Elaine said. “We’ll go over it tomorrow.”

  “Don’t you think we’re moving a little too fast?”

  “You’ve started and you have the time available, so get going before your sobriety honeymoon wears off. I’ve seen too many people wait and wait. Then something comes up and it’s too late. ‘Get the foundation laid as quickly as possible,’ my sponsor used to say. ‘Build the house and move in. It’ll provide shelter from the storms and keep you comfortable while you continue to make improvements.’ This is an ongoing project one day at a time.”

  “All right, all right. I’ll start working on step two.”

  “When?”

  “Tonight.”

  Ross’s trip did not produce the desired results, and he was in a horrible mood when he returned to the office. He often made himself feel good by causing someone else to feel bad. This time was no exception.

  “If you had helped me with the business side of the agency instead of going off on the PR tangent, we’d have something to talk about. As it is, I have no choice but to consolidate what’s left in both areas and handle everything myself,” he proclaimed.

  “But you hate PR.”

  “True.”

  “You have no PR experience. How can you handle it?”

  “Well, as you like to point out to me, it does generate income. I won’t have any problem finding someone to do what you do. And for a lot less money, I might add.”

  “But...”

  “This conversation is over. Get your stuff together and leave. I’ll have a check ready for you as soon as I talk to the accounting people.”

  “I’m your partner. You can’t do this,” Elaine protested.

  “Oh yes I can. Read the agreement. While you’re an officer in the corporation, you hold a minority share of the stock. For tax purposes, both of us function as independent contractors to the Stone Agency. As the primary stockholder, I decide how we use such contractors. The attorney says you serve at my pleasure. And it gives me great pleasure to see you leave.” Ross got up from his chair and directed her to the office door.

  Elaine stuffed her feelings until she reached the parking lot. Once inside the car, she began to tremble and then cry. In no time, her fear exploded into anger and then into full-fledged rage. She shouted obscenities and pounded the defenseless steering wheel until her throat and her hands surrendered in pain. Exhausted, Elaine dropped her head and sobbed, “Why God? Why am I working so hard to help others and you won’t help me with my problems?”

  Always one to practice what she preached, Elaine composed herself enough to call her sponsor who pointed out what the AA Big Book had to say about being calm in the face of turmoil. It was not new information, but Elaine conveniently forgot about the suggested actions when she was in the middle of the storm. ‘Let go and let God. The action you need to take is to be of service to others. So help a newcomer; it’ll get your mind off of whatever is bothering you.’ Before Elaine could take the next appropriate step, her cell rang.

  “Elaine, it’s me,” Ross said. “That little scene at the office won’t do either of us any good. I hope cooler heads will prevail. I’m sure we can act like adults and get through this situation.”

  She was about to let her emotions take over and exercise the righteous indignation she felt was deserved. But Elaine remembered the words of her sponsor and decided to take the highroad. “What are you suggesting?” she asked.

  “I don’t like meeting at a restaurant to discuss our personal matters nor closed door meetings at the office.”

  “That limits the venues,” Elaine retorted.

  “Let’s meet at my place. I’m sure we can be civil long enough to work out some kind of compromise. What do you say?”

  “I guess we can do it.” Elaine was leery based on her experience with him, but she wanted to get the problem resolved as quickly as possible. “When?”

  “How’s six tonight?”

  “I’m going
to an AA meeting.”

  “Can’t you skip it?”

  “No.”

  “Come over after it’s finished.”

  “Okay, let’s shoot for 7:30-ish.”

  “Fine with me. See ya then.” Ross ended the call.

  The rest of the day was busy for Elaine. She contacted her attorney and accountant to get advice about her rights for the portion of the business she had built up over the past several years. The initial reactions were not encouraging, but neither of these advisors would commit to a plan of action without delving further into the law governing the situation. So by the end of hashing and rehashing the matter for hours on end, Elaine was more than ready for the six o’clock AA meeting.

  “Can we get together afterwards?” Nora asked.

  “Sorry. Got a major problem with my ex that demands immediate attention. I have a couple of minutes after the meeting or, better yet, we can talk on the phone later.”

  “Later is okay. What time do you want me to call?”

  “Try me at nine. If I’m busy, I’ll get back to you.”

  The traffic was heavy – an occurrence that happens too often on the streets and freeways around Los Angeles -- and Elaine did not get to Ross’s condo in the Marina until nearly eight o’clock. By that time, he had consumed one-too-many martinis.

  “Greetings and welcome to my humble abode.” His salutation was a dead giveaway that he had overindulged. After five years of a relationship and another five of marriage, Elaine knew when he was drunk. Problem was she did not know how much he had nor which of his personalities would come out due to the alcohol.

  “Look Ross, I don’t have much time, so what is it you want to talk about?”

  “Why are you always in such a hurry? Sit down and relax. Then we can have a nice friendly conversation.”

  “This was a bad idea. Let’s do this when you’re yourself.”

  “Next time I’ll be sober, but you’ll always be the controlling and conniving bitch that you are.” He grabbed her and tried to kiss her lips. She pushed him away and headed toward the door.

  “You’re on dangerous ground, Ross. Remember I slapped you with a restraining order once and I’ll do it again. So back off.”

  “Please. Please. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me. Guess I still find you attractive. Anyway, I have a buy-out proposal for you to review. I certainly did not intend to leave you high and dry like I may have indicated today. That was just some histrionics to demonstrate how serious I was. The papers are in the other room.”

  “I’ll wait here.”

  Ross left, and Elaine stood near the door. While waiting, she noticed a set of keys on the entry table. On the chain were symbols of the astrological signs for a man and a woman. What made them unique was they were fused together, side-by-side. Elaine was about to examine them closer when Ross returned and handed her a file folder.

  “Want to go through this with me?”

  “Not now. I’ll take it home and review it.”

  “And discuss it with your attorney, of course.”

  “Of course. Goodnight.”

  At precisely nine, Elaine’s cell phone rang. “Can you talk?” Nora asked.

  “Can you give me twenty minutes to get home and change?”

  “Sure. I’ll wait for your call.”

  “I’m home. How was your day?” Nora asked.

  “Don’t ask. I had a doozy of a fight with the guy I was living with. Thank God it was over the phone. I don’t know what I would have done if we had been face-to-face. The essence of it was quite simple. He told me to pick up my stuff tomorrow and get out of his life forever. There’s no doubt in my mind that he meant it.”

  “Did you want to drink over this?”

  “I thought about it after we hung up. But I realized that a drink would have made matters worse. So I did like you said and read the Big Book instead.”

  “That-a-girl. And what did you do after the meeting tonight?”

  “Went out for coffee with some of the people from the meeting. But couldn’t wait to call you.”

  “Well you got me,” Elaine said.

  They spent the next hour talking -- Nora about her feelings and Elaine relating how the twelve steps helped her deal with life on life’s terms. When their call ended, Nora was a little confused but willing to do the step work. And Elaine knew she must follow her own advice if she hoped to ride out this situation with Ross and retain some semblance of serenity in her life.

  “Ross, this buy-out proposal is ridiculous. You told me last night that you didn’t want to leave me high and dry. Well your offer is too low and the terms are all wet,” Elaine said. Her tone matched the severity of her words.

  “What did your attorney say?”

  “My attorney doesn’t make decisions for me. He only advises me about the legal aspects of this business break up. And believe me this is a break up in every sense of the word.”

  “Now look who’s involved in histrionics. What do you agree with and what don’t you like. This is how to get the negotiations started.”

  “Basically this deal would be a Ross Stone windfall. I’d be better off contacting all the PR clients and take my chances on them staying with me. Does that tell you what I like or don’t like?”

  “Just try taking one client and you’ll be sorry,” Ross challenged and slammed down the phone.

  “Well, I guess it’s time to start calling the clients,” Elaine said to the disconnected phone. After thinking about it, she decided it was too late in the day to mount a dialing for dollars campaign. Probably the smart move would be to go to an AA meeting and get centered before firing the next salvo in what was shaping up to be a long and ugly battle.

  Elaine got to the meeting hall about 5:45 and put her keys down to save a seat, as is the custom at AA meetings. On her way to get a cup of coffee, she saw a set of keys on a chair that looked exactly like the joined together female/male symbols at Ross’s the night before.

  At the coffee bar, Elaine got caught up in a conversation with a couple of other women. By the time she went back to where she noticed the keys, they were gone. She concluded the Venus/Mars symbols must be some kind of fad that she was not yet familiar with and dismissed the matter. When Elaine got to her seat, she found Nora had occupied the one next to her.

  “Got time for me after the meeting?” Nora asked.

  Noticing that the request was more of a plea rather than a question, Nora replied, “Sure. Meet me at the deli.”

  The two women found a booth in the back of the restaurant. Both ordered tea. Nora, who had fidgeted throughout the meeting, was obviously distressed.

  “I’ll kill him,” Nora exclaimed.

  “Whoa. Want to let me in on who you planning to kill?” Elaine asked.

  “The bastard who threw me out, that’s who. I went over there earlier today and he had all my stuff boxed up. Then he helped me carry the things to my car. After my car was packed up, he took back the key to his place and waved bye-bye.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes, that’s it.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I was so pissed off I couldn’t talk. Not even to you. I knew we would get together tonight. And we did.”

  “Is your friend okay with you staying there longer than expected?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not a forever thing. She has a life of her own. Guess you’re going to tell me to get a job and then find a place to live – all that God helps those who help themselves crap.”

  “You said it not me. But it’s not crap. Try it; you’ll see. These are difficult times for you. So I suggest we continue working the steps together while this situation gets worked out. You became honest by taking the first step. Now is the time to realize the future holds hope and that faith in a Higher Power is just the beginning of developing a personal relationship with God. That’s what you’ll get from steps two and three.”

  “I’m not ready to go there tonight.”

&
nbsp; “Just read the Big Book for now. You’ll know when it’s right to move forward. If not, I’ll tell you. Believe me it will get better.”

  “What else do you want me to do?”

  “It’s not about what I want. These are suggestions not orders. But to stay sober, I suggest you at least consider what I’m saying. And don’t make any rash decisions before discussing the matter with me.”

  “That’s easier said than done.”

  “Your old thinking is telling you that, but I’ve learned how to take contrary action when the old tapes start playing in my mind. I’m here to help whenever you need me.” Elaine did not know how much Nora heard or believed. Yet by offering to be of service, Elaine got out of herself and the things going on in her own life.

  “I don’t want to be rude, but I have got to move those boxes out of my car. Don’t want to leave the car parked on the street with the car packed with all my goodies in full view. Can I call you in the morning?”

  “You better or I’ll be hurt.”

  “I wouldn’t hurt you. Have a nice night.” Nora rushed out of the restaurant.

  “There are two police detectives here, and they want to see you,” the doorman announced through the intercom. It was eight o’clock in the morning.

  “Who? What happened? Why do they want to see me? Let me speak to one of them.”

  “There’s been a death and we would like to talk with you. May we come up? This matter should not be discussed in public.”

  “Yes, tell Ernesto I said you can come up.” She did not ask who died, which caused the time it took for the unwelcomed visitors to ascend to the twentieth floor seem like an eternity.

  “Sorry to disturb you so early in the day,” the first detective said.

  “So who died?”

  “Your ex-husband.”

  “Oh my God. When? How? This can’t be true.”

  “I wish it were not true, but it is. Ross Stone was found dead in his condo at six this morning when his jogging partner came by to pick him up for a morning run on the beach.”

  “When was the last time you saw or spoke to Mr. Stone?” The second detective asked.