Murder Makes Wavesd

by Rose Pressey

  Apparently, Lorelei didn’t want to talk to me anyway because she went right back to tending to her flowers. I stepped up to the Dorothy’s door. Just as I was ready to ring the bell, she swung the door open wide.

  “I’m ready… I’m ready,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  A big brown pocketbook was draped across her arm. She wore her white capri pants, white sandals, and a blue and white blouse. Her makeup was done, including pink lipstick. This was Dorothy’s she-means-business look. I supposed I should have dressed up more for this meeting with Reynold, but I’d been in such a hurry to get out of my apartment that I’d never thought about my clothes not being businesslike enough. Well, my appearance would just have to do. Besides, much more makeup and I would look like a melting clown.

  Dorothy and I headed over to my car and got inside. Lorelei waved and watched as I started the car.

  Just as Dorothy buckled her seatbelt, she said, “She is so nosy.”

  “I wish she’d gotten the name of that detective.” I started the ignition.

  “I guess she’s not nosy enough then,” Dorothy said with a chuckle.

  At least she was laughing a bit now. Though that sparkle was gone from the sound. I wanted to bring that sparkle back.

  “I guess not,” I said with a laugh.

  “So what do we do first? How can we get him out of jail?” Dorothy asked.

  Before I pulled away from the curb, I had to tell her.

  “Dorothy, there’s something I need to tell you,” I said, taking her hand.

  She didn’t look at me as she clutched her pocketbook in her lap. “It’s something very bad, isn’t it? Are you trying to tell me that Morty really killed that woman? It’s just not possible.” She shook her head.

  “No, I don’t think he killed her at all, but they do have some evidence that led them to arrest him.”

  “And what’s that?” she asked, finally looking at me.

  “Well, it seems as though his driver’s license was underneath the woman’s body. They found it when they moved her and that’s why they arrested him. They think he killed her and dropped his license in the process.”

  Her hand went to her mouth. “Am I in love with a killer? Could Morty do such a thing?”

  Was Dorothy now questioning Morty? I’d never thought I’d see the day.

  “Of course he couldn’t do such a thing, Dorothy,” I said.

  “Then how do you explain the driver’s license?” She stared at me.

  “Well, I haven’t quite figured that part out yet, but I know I will. You know Morty. He would never do something so terrible.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” she said with a shake of her head. “So what do we do now?”

  She was taking this better than I’d thought. I stared at her for a moment, waiting for the other sandal to drop. Nothing—she was holding it together. Dorothy really was a tough cookie.

  “I guess since they do have evidence against him, we should talk with an attorney.”

  “Do you know anybody?” she asked as she fidgeted with her purse straps.

  “Well, yes, there is one.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, right, the handsome one. How could I forget about him? He’ll know exactly what to do. He’s so smart and handsome too. Detective Jake Jackson had better watch his Ps and Qs or that lawyer might just step in and take your heart.”

  Chapter 10

  “We’ll just see if he can get us out of the situation, okay?” I shifted the car into drive.

  No need to discuss romance. I loved Jake. End of discussion.

  “If you say so,” she said with a sniffle.

  I had to get to Reynold’s office soon because I couldn’t stand seeing Dorothy like this. Offering me no peppermint candy? That was simply unheard of. Plus, she wasn’t even knitting either. What would I do without my scarf in the middle of July in Miami?

  I headed down Biscayne Boulevard toward the lawyer’s office. Yes, Dorothy was right—he was handsome, kind, and smart—but there was absolutely nothing to our relationship. It was strictly business. Okay, maybe he was a bit flirtatious with me. And maybe I sometimes flirted back, but there was nothing more to it than that. He was funny and fun to be around, but I was totally in love with Jake. There was no question about that.

  I drove down the road, minding my own business and lost in thought. My mind was full of thoughts of everything that had happened this morning so far, which was a lot being that it was only eight AM. Something was amiss though. I sensed that someone was following us. I supposed after this amount of time I had a sixth sense for that type of thing.

  I glanced in the rearview mirror and sure enough, I saw a car back there. It was a silver Jaguar with black tinted windows. Maybe it was just my imagination, but after doing this for a while I’d started to pick up on the subtle signs when a car was trailing me. And this one had all those indications. Did they really think they were going to get something over on me? Ha. Nice try.

  I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, trying to act completely casual. I didn’t want Dorothy to pick up that anything was wrong. She would only panic and probably start waving at the car. Who knew what she would do. She wasn’t in the right state of mind now to be a private investigator’s assistant. Okay, not that she was ever the best assistant, but that was neither here nor there. She was what I had, bless her heart. I loved her.

  “Why are you doing that?” Dorothy asked with a frown.

  “Doing what?” I asked, glancing in the rearview mirror to see if that car was still back there.

  The driver had the audacity to still be trailing me. I’d have to get rid of him. Was it the guy who had been looking for us or was it the woman who had attacked me? I’d thought I’d done a good job of acting casual. Apparently not based on the scowl on Dorothy’s face.

  “Okay, Dorothy, don’t panic,” I said.

  “Telling me not to panic is only going to make me panic more. What is it now?” Dorothy snapped.

  She’d caught me glancing in the rearview mirror. That was exactly what I had hoped wouldn’t happen. She turned around and looked back at the car.

  “That silver car’s following us?” Dorothy asked.

  “I don’t know for sure,” I said. “But it is suspicious.”

  “Who do you think it is? That man who came to my house looking for me?”

  Or it could have been the woman who’d attacked me. But I hadn’t told Dorothy about that and I wasn’t going to either. She was freaking out enough as it was.

  “It could be him. Perhaps I should pull over and ask him exactly what his problem is.”

  “Well, don’t do that. He could be a killer. He could be the one who killed Jessica.”

  Yes, I supposed Dorothy was right about that. Okay, instead of stopping, perhaps I would speed up.

  “Hold on, Dorothy, we’re going to lose this guy.”

  “All right, Maggie, I’m ready,” she said, holding on to the side of the seat.

  She’d been through car chases a few times before. Trying to lose somebody who was chasing me wasn’t a new thing. Actually, it was kind of the norm now. People never got tired of following me around. It came with the job, I guess. I sped down the road and decided to make the next right turn. I was probably only a few car lengths down the street when the other car turned too.

  “See, I knew he was following me,” I said.

  How was I going to get rid of this jerk?

  “This guy is making me mad,” Dorothy said.

  Up ahead I made another left turn. I punched the gas and hoped that I didn’t get a speeding ticket. On the next turn, I raced around a few cars.

  “Is he still back there?” I asked.

  “I don’t see the car back there,” Dorothy said.

  Had I really gotten away? I’d known I was getting better at this, but I still didn’t think I was that good at outsmarting a bad guy. I whipped into a church parking lot and headed around the back, parking my car behind a b
ig white van with the church’s name on the side of it. Several tall palm trees were behind us, but they didn’t offer cover.

  “What are we doing, praying?” Dorothy asked.

  “No, I just thought it would be a good idea if we pulled back here and hid. That guy will drive past here and think that we went on down the road.”

  “But really we’ll be hiding here,” Dorothy said with a click of her tongue.

  “Exactly,” I said.

  “If you think it’s for the best. I just want to get to Reynold’s office though. The faster we do the faster we help Morty.”

  “Me too, Dorothy, but first we have to get away from this guy. I really would like to know who it is and why he followed us,” I said.

  “Well, why not take off after him? Once he passes then you can follow right behind him and find out where he goes,” Dorothy said.

  “You know, that’s not a bad idea,” I said.

  “See, Dorothy has a few good ideas once in a while.” She tapped the side of her forehead with her index finger.

  I eased back out of the parking lot. “Let me know if you see the car.”

  Glancing to the right, Dorothy pointed. “I see the car up ahead.”

  Now was my chance. As soon as the traffic eased up, I pulled back out onto the road and sped around a black Toyota.

  “Oh, I got you now,” I said.

  I was just a couple cars behind that silver Jaguar. The slimeball. Who did he think he was?

  “I hope he doesn’t see us back here,” Dorothy said.

  “Me too, but I don’t think he’s the tallest palm tree in Miami.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Dorothy asked.

  “He’s not the brightest. Okay, maybe that was a bad one.”

  “Not your best work.” Dorothy shook her head.

  We followed him as he made a couple of turns. I hoped he didn’t know we were back there. I just wanted to find out where he was going. The guy slowed down and so did I. He made a right turn and I had to hold back on the road so that I wouldn’t pull right behind him. That would be a sure giveaway. The huge black iron gates closed behind him though. It was a gated community. This was a disappointment. How would I find out where he was going now?

  “What’s the name of this street?” I asked.

  “Yacht Boulevard,” Dorothy said.

  “Well, now all I have to do is track down a silver Jaguar that resides on Yacht Boulevard.” I sighed. “But I don’t have a way to get behind those gates.”

  “Since when did a little thing like gates stop you?” Dorothy asked.

  “Good point,” I said. “But we’ll have to come back to this later.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. I was worried you wanted to go in there right now and I just want to get to that lawyer’s and get Morty out of the slammer.”

  “I absolutely understand, Dorothy,” I said. “We’ll go to Reynold’s right now. No more distractions. I’ll find a way to get behind those gates later.”

  I pulled away from the curb.

  “Are you really sure that guy was following us though? What if he is completely innocent?” Dorothy asked.

  “Then I guess he has nothing to worry about,” I said. “Do you really think he wasn’t following us?”

  Dorothy released a deep breath. “No, I suppose he was.”

  Chapter 11

  I made a left onto Beach Breeze Road and soon pulled up to the modern office building. Flashbacks of when Reynold Mitchell had saved me from a crazy killer who’d tried to run me over came to mind. I supposed that meant that our relationship was a bit more than just business. Nevertheless, I would just say he was a friend.

  I hated to keep upsetting Dorothy by bringing up subjects that caused her stress, but I also had to ask questions if I was going to be the good private investigator she needed.

  “You never heard any other noises last night?” I asked as we got out of the car.

  “I would have called you if I had,” she said, walking along beside me.

  “I figured as much, but I thought I would ask. I still need to talk with your neighbor. I would have done it this morning, but we were in a hurry. I’ll have to do it some other time.”

  “Don’t worry, Lorelei will talk to you because she loves gossip,” Dorothy said.

  “I want to find out more details about this detective who showed up at your door.”

  “As far as I know, he never came back.”

  “Don’t worry, Dorothy, I’ll get to the bottom of it,” I said.

  “I know you will, Maggie. I have faith in you,” Dorothy said.

  Still no peppermint candies? Should I ask for one? I didn’t want one, but it would at least add some normalcy.

  “We don’t have an appointment, but I hope he can see us anyway,” I said, opening the office door.

  “Oh, he’ll always make time to see you,” Dorothy said as she adjusted the purse strap on her arm.

  Once Dorothy and I stepped inside the office, I headed over to the door for Reynold’s space. He shared the place with other businesses. Reynold’s name was written in gold letters across the door. I twisted the knob and the door squeaked open. Silence filled the room. I peeked inside.

  The auburn-haired woman behind the desk smiled and waved us in. When I stepped up to her desk, she said, “May I help you?”

  “Yes, I’m Maggie Thomas and I’m here to see Mr. Mitchell.”

  “Maggie Thomas,” the male voice said from somewhere behind me.

  Well, it looked as if Reynold was in the office after all, and now he was walking down the hallway toward us. He looked dashingly handsome as usual in his black suit. His gorgeous blue eyes sparkled, and his big grin was surrounded by dimples.

  “Just as handsome as ever,” Dorothy whispered as she leaned close to me.

  Yeah, I was a bit nervous about being in his office. I wasn’t sure why.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here today, Maggie. What a pleasant surprise. What brings you by?” Reynold asked.

  “Unfortunately, it’s not good news,” I said. “We are wondering if you have time to speak with us?”

  He nodded. “Sure, I have time to talk to you. Would you like to join me back in the office?”

  I looked at the receptionist and said, “Thank you.”

  She smiled. Dorothy and I followed Reynold down the hallway toward his office. He opened the door and gestured for us to walk in. Shelves full of hardback books lined the walls.

  “Please have a seat,” he said, gesturing toward the leather chairs in front of his massive mahogany desk.

  He closed the door behind him and then walked over to us. My heart beat faster as he sat down at his desk. His eyes were even bluer with the natural light coming in through the window behind him.

  “So what’s the bad news?” he said. “Sorry to hear it’s not good news.”

  “I wish it was,” I said.

  “Me too,” he said with a big smile and a wink.

  More of his usual flirting, but at least he was taking us a bit seriously now.

  “Dorothy’s friend has been arrested for murder,” I said.

  The words sounded much more serious each time I said them out loud. Dorothy sniffled again.

  Reynold leaned back in his leather chair, turning his attention toward Dorothy. “Who was murdered?”

  “A real estate agent. We don’t know much about her. We had an appointment with her and found her dead.”

  “So it sounds like they don’t have any evidence,” Reynold said.

  “You would think so, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, they do,” I said.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead.”

  “Morty’s driver’s license was underneath the body,” I said matter-of-factly.

  He grimaced. “That’s not good.”

  Dorothy sniffled louder. I was trying to keep her calm, but it was hard. Maybe I shouldn’t have had this meeting with her here.

  “I know there has to be a logical expla
nation. I just need to figure it out. In the meantime, I think I need someone to help get him out of jail.”

  “All right, I’ll see what I can do. Don’t worry, I’ll have him out soon,” Reynold said.

  Dorothy stopped crying for a bit, but I wasn’t sure if Reynold would be able to get Morty out or not. Not that I didn’t think he was a great lawyer, but Morty was in jail for murder. Murder. Would any judge give Morty bail for that? Although he obviously wasn’t a flight risk—at least I didn’t think so. I’d known Morty for a while now and he was always super nice and never seemed as if he would hurt a fly.

  “I’ll let you know anything I find out as soon as possible,” Reynold said. “I have to say it sounds like they have a weak case.”

  “You think so?” I said with a tinge of excitement. “I agree that they have a weak case, but we might be the only ones.”

  “Me too,” Dorothy said, pounding her fist on the edge of Reynold’s desk.

  Reynold and I jumped with Dorothy’s reaction.

  Reynold cleared his throat. “Well, anyway, they’re going to have to come up with more evidence than that. Something solid. Nevertheless, the first step is just getting him out of jail, and I’ll do that. And then I want to keep him out.”

  I was thankful for any help I could get in this situation. There was only so much Jake could do. I needed extra help with this one. I pushed to my feet and then took Dorothy by the hand and helped her up. Reynold stood from his desk.

  “What would I do without you, Maggie?” Dorothy asked.

  I smiled. “It’s okay, Dorothy. Things will work out fine.”

  I turned to face Reynold. He held my hand for a bit longer than necessary, lingering with his touch. I smiled and he stared at me for a moment.

  “We can see ourselves out,” I said.

  “I’ll talk to you soon,” he said with a smile.

  Dorothy and I headed out of the office. I didn’t bother looking back to find out if he was watching us. I would blush too much if I did that. On the way out, I thanked the receptionist. Dorothy and I stepped out into the bright sunshine. The nearby palm tree swayed with the breeze.