by Sandi Scott
“So, if I understand you, what you are saying is that she was like me so she tossed him overboard? Because I’m pretty sure that’s what I’d do to you.”
Stan let out a loud laugh.
“They were pretty close together is all I’m saying.”
“Did you talk to a girl named Abby? Aleta and I saw her talking with Deck earlier in the night and they seemed to have some differences in opinions that were getting kind of heated.”
Georgie didn’t want Stan to know she had already spoken with Abby. He’d give her a lecture about staying out of dangerous police business. She’d heard it a dozen times before. If it didn’t stop me then it won’t stop me now, she thought.
“Yeah, we’ve talked to her. She’s not on our list of people to watch closely. She was reported as being at the table for the entire event. Even when she did go to the bathroom or the buffet she had at least two other people with her. A very popular, very friendly girl.”
Georgie agreed but didn’t say it out loud.
“That Richard Batt, well, he just had a very different reaction to the whole event. Call it gut instinct, I’m just not ready to let him off the hook yet.”
“I understand.” Georgie looked out at the lush green grass and full trees in the park but didn’t really see them. She was too busy thinking.
“Uh, oh.” Stan leaned back. “I can smell the smoke. What are you thinking?”
“Well, I’m just wondering what it would take to get a look at that video tape.” Georgie didn’t look at Stan. She could feel his eyes roaming over her face.
“That’s easy, darlin’.” Stan grinned. “Let me come and fix your roof.”
“What?” Her eyes snapped to his and she folded her arms over her chest. “How did you know about that? Please don’t tell me that I’m going to have to kill Aleta. Do you know how hard it is to find good neighbors?”
“You forget, Georgie, I’m a detective. It’s my job to find things out.”
“Unless you are skulking around my house at random times on random days, you’d have no idea about my roof. Please don’t tell me you’ve become a stalker. I really do think that is beneath you.”
“No. I’m not stalking you.” Stan laughed. “Justin’s dad is my Tuesday night poker buddy. He told me Justin might have bitten off a little more than he can chew.”
“More than he can chew? Stan, the boy doesn’t even have teeth.”
“Will you let me help?”
“You’ll let me see the video?” Georgie crumpled up the aluminum foil that had been wrapped around her second hotdog and stuffed it into the small white bag it came in. She picked up the last napkin and wiped a speck of mustard off the corner of Stan’s mouth.
“All you had to do was ask.” He winked.
Back at the station Stan pulled a flash drive out of a large manila envelop and snapped it into his laptop. He pulled an extra chair up behind his desk asking Georgie to snap off the overhead lights so they could see the video clearly.
“Okay, but keep your hands to yourself.” Georgie teased.
After almost half an hour of nothing going on Georgie straightened in her chair and pointed to the screen.
It was Deck walking cozily with the woman called Maddy. It was obvious that Maddy was ill. There are some people that just can’t handle a large boat on open water. She appeared to be one of them. No matter how affectionate or accommodating Deck was trying to be it was lost on Maddy who was an ashen gray at best.
“That’s the puker.” Georgie pointed at her image on the screen.
“The what?” Stan wrinkled his nose hoping he’d heard Georgie wrong.
“The puker.”
Nope. He didn’t hear her wrong.
“I was going to the ladies’ room and she was in there throwing up in the trash bin. Then I saw her with Deck, probably a little after this video and she was hurling or getting ready to hurl straight away.” She looked at Stan who still had a wrinkled face. “But I can’t say I blame her. Some guy was talking about eating corn smut. You ever heard of that?”
Stan shook his head no.
“Me neither.” She grumbled. “But it makes me a little nauseous just to say the word, let alone the thought of putting it in my mouth.”
Stan swallowed.
“Okay.” He pointed to Maddy’s image. “She was alone with the victim right before he went overboard. We are trying to locate her but she wasn’t on the guest list, she didn’t work for any of the vendors, she wasn’t part of the boat staff. She was a stowaway.”
“So, how are you going to find her for questioning?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Stan shrugged. “It’s like a needle in a haystack.” The video screen went to black and snowy horizontal lines when Stan paused the recording. “So, when do you want me at your place? We are supposed to be in for some real rain these next few days.”
“I’ll let you know, Stan.”
“Georgie, that sounds like a brush off to me.” Stan furrowed his brow in exaggerated anger. “A deal is a deal. I made good on my end now you make good on yours.”
“Fine.” She snapped. “You big old grump. I’ll call you tonight.”
“If you don’t I’m going to call Aleta and get the real story of how bad it is.”
“You do not need to involve my sister. You know she’s evil.” Georgie stood from her seat and pushed it back against the wall of Stan’s office where it had sat originally with a stack of files and newspapers on it.
“Huh.” Stan retorted. “Aleta is not the evil twin. Not by a long shot.”
“Spoken like someone who isn’t a twin. That shows how much you know. She is the evil one and so you don’t need to be bothering her about my roof.”
“Fine, but if I don’t hear from one of you tonight with a reasonable guess as to how much time it will take to fix your roof I’m going to just show up with my tools in hand and I’ll start on it as soon as the rooster crows.”
“Were you always this pushy?”
“No. You made me this way.” Stan chuckled. “And I think it might be a very nice gesture when I do show up to have some steak and eggs cooking on the stove. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
“You’ll be lucky if you get donuts out of a box.”
“Come on, Georgie.” He stood from his chair and took a step toward his ex-wife. “We could play house for a little while, then I’ll get to work and you can paint your portraits. It’ll be just like old times.”
“What house were you living in when we were together?” Georgie scolded. “Just like old times would have you on the couch and all my devil’s food cake cookies gone. No thanks.”
“It wasn’t all bad, was it?”
Georgie batted her eyes. She tried not to smile but the way Stan looked at her from beneath his dark eyebrows she couldn’t hold back. “Not all bad.”
“I didn’t think so.” Stan smoothed his hair back. He picked up a pencil and absently tapped it on the desk.
“Stan, I have to get going. Thanks for showing me that tape, even though it really didn’t clear anything up for me...I mean, for you.”
Stan looked at her sideways.
“Georgie, do we need to have one of our little talks? You know, the ones about leaving police business to the police? The one that includes staying out of trouble and staying out of the way.”
“It was really nice seeing you, Stan.” Georgie waved as she opened his office door. “I’ll call you about the roof.”
When Georgie got home she was afraid she’d have to call Stan sooner rather than later about the roof.
“What in the world happened?” She nearly cried as she walked into her house. Every piece of furniture was covered with a plastic liner. “The leak wasn’t in the dining room. Or the hallway. It wasn’t in the kitchen. It was just a small patch in the family room. What is going on?”
“Hi, Mrs. Kaye.” Justin appeared from the backyard. She wasn’t sure what he was doing out there and decided not to ask. “I ha
d a little trouble and was afraid that if I didn’t get the leak under control it might spread to other rooms.”
“Justin. I...”
“You don’t have to say anything, Mrs. Kaye.” Justin’s shoulders straightened slightly. He looked determined. “I think I have everything under control now.”
Bodhi, who had been sitting next to his doggie bed that was also covered in plastic, gave a yelp.
“Right, Bodhi.” Georgie stooped down, scooped the dog up in her arms and headed toward the front door. “Justin, you have to fix this.”
“Trust me, I will.”
“I don’t understand.” Georgie turned around to look at Justin. “This went from a small project to a massive undertaking. I think maybe you need to have your dad help.”
“Give me one more chance, Mrs. Kaye. I know I can get this straightened out.”
“Well, I’m going to my sister’s house. Why don’t you call it a day and go on home. You can start again fresh tomorrow.”
Justin nodded and looked down at the plastic, hesitantly touching it like he was considering if he should remove it or add one more layer.
“I’M SORRY, GEORGIE.” Aleta fussed as she pulled a bottle of water from her fridge and handed it to Georgie. “I feel terrible about this.”
“I just don’t know what to do about it.” Georgie took the water, cracked it open and took a sip. “The weather is going to turn, I just know it and my whole house is going to be flooded because Junior won’t call for back-up.”
“Did you talk to Stan?”
“I did.” Georgie’s demeanor instantly changed. “But he wasn’t helpful either.” She said sadly.
“He isn’t going to help with your roof?”
“No. No.” Georgie waved her hand like she was pushing smoke from her face. “Of course he’ll fix my roof. I had to agree to that before he’d let me see the video from The Catherine O’Leary.”
“Video? I thought the cameras weren’t working?” Aleta asked.
“Yeah, most weren’t but they got a few seconds of Deck walking with Maddy, the puker.”
“Is that really the nickname you want to give her?” Aleta wrinkled her nose and squinted at her sister.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s a little bit, I don’t know, gross.”
“I’m sticking with it.” Georgie shrugged. “So that was all we saw.”
“You know, we’re never going to come up with anything staring at these walls.” Aleta grabbed her house keys. “Let’s get some fresh air and...”
“And exercise?” Georgie added with a roll of her eyes.
“Yes. Come on.”
The two sisters headed east toward The Lake. After strolling past some of their favorite storefronts and using every ounce of willpower to make it past Andre’s Chocolatier they finally reached Bell Park.
“I always loved this park. Its got such a cozy feel to it, don’t you think?” Georgie smiled as she looked around. “Not to mention some of the beautiful sculptures that were placed in here.”
“There are sculptures in here?” Aleta looked around in surprise.
“Yes, there’s a beautiful Jeff Koons tucked back near the children’s play area. A Matisse that is off the walking path. They are kind of tucked in and around things. It’s like a treasure hunt looking for them. But when you find them it’s a beautiful contrast of man-made beauty alongside the Almighty’s beauty.”
“That’s a nice way of looking at it.”
“Yeah. I think so.” Georgie looked around. “The place just gives off a really pleasant, positive vibe, don’t you think. That’s probably why those ladies are here doing their pregnancy yoga.”
“Pregnancy yoga?” Aleta put her hand over her eyes to cut out the sun and look in the direction Georgie was looking. “What in the world is that?”
“Don’t you ever read?” Georgie scoffed. “It’s all the rage. You waddle out your big belly and do some stretches and ohms and feel better. I don’t know if it actually helps anything but I doubt it hurts.”
“If they had this when we were pregnant with our kids would you have done it?” Aleta asked skeptically.
“I think anything that gets you centered and calm while you get a little fresh air and sunshine or even a lovely overcast day is a good thing. Especially for expectant mothers.” Georgie clapped her hands. “You must remember being so uncomfortable and stressed. I think this would have been just lovely for us.”
As they walked Georgie linked her arm through her sister’s, and they talked about being pregnant, when their children were born, and those days filled with diapers, formula, giggles and firsts.
“I wonder how many of those girls are first time moms.” Aleta jerked her chin at the ladies.
“Right. It’s such an exciting time for them. Remember how we were with Jonathan and Emily? It was so scary and thrilling all at the same time.” Georgie gushed. “Once the morning sickness was over and done. My gosh, Jonathan had me puking every morning at nine on the dot.”
“Morning sickness wasn’t an issue for me.” Aleta’s snarky tone made Georgie pinch her lips together. “Emily had me sick morning, noon and night for at least five of the nine months.”
“That’s right.” Georgie gasped. “I remember. Did you...wait a minute.” She squinted toward the pregnant ladies doing their yoga. “Speaking of puking. Is that Puking Girl Maddy over there with the expecting mamas? The one with the neon yellow top and black yoga pants?”
Georgie didn’t point but she nodded in the direction for her sister to look.
“Well what do you know?” Aleta raised her chin and looked down her nose. “I think it is. She doesn’t look pregnant.”
“No. But, it would explain the puking on the cruise ship. Come on. Let’s go say hi.” Georgie let go of her sister’s arm and started walking in the direction of the yoga mamas. “Woo-hoo! Maddy! Remember us?”
Aleta covered her eyes and shook her head.
“Really, Georgie?”
Maddy looked up. If she wasn’t pale before, she was at the sight of the two older ladies approaching her. Her eyes shifted nervously to the ladies she was with then back to the older ladies approaching.
“Remember us? From the cruise?” Georgie continued. “Congratulations!”
“What?” Maddy stammered nervously looking at the other women again.
“On the transformation?” Georgie’s eyes shifted and looked to Aleta then back to Maddy. “You were at the cruise on The Catherine O’Leary? You talked about losing all that weight. Congratulations on making such an amazing transformation.”
“Oh, that.” Maddy sighed and smiled again to the yoga mommies that were rolling up their yoga mats and drinking their bottled waters. “Thanks. You know, I had four children and I gained about twenty pounds with each one.”
“Wow. That is amazing.” Aleta encouraged. “How old are your kids?”
“The oldest is nineteen and the youngest is eleven.” Maddy replied proudly.
“Well, that is wonderful.” Georgie encouraged. “You know, my sister and I were very motivated after attending the cruise. Well, we were motivated to get healthy, not to push anyone overboard. Right?”
“What my sister means is we were really shocked at what happened to Deck Zannowski. He spoke with us briefly and really came across as a nice fellow.”
“He really was.” Maddy agreed as she blinked her eyes to keep from crying. “I really loved him. I mean, like a brother.” She quickly clarified. A little too quickly.
Before Georgie could ask any more questions a large maroon colored Lexus pulled up along the street and honked.
“That’s my ride.” Maddy grabbed her mat and began rolling it up. Neither Aleta nor Georgie could miss the sparkling wedding ring she wore. “It was really nice seeing you ladies again.” Quickly she waved and trotted off toward the Lexus. Climbing inside she leaned over and kissed the man who was driving before he put the car in gear and drove away.
; “Hmmm...four kids with a fifth on the way.” Aleta held up her fingers. “What do you think? Miracle baby or surprise from the stork?”
“I don’t know about that but one thing I do know is that I would have seen that ring had she been wearing it the other night. It wasn’t on her hand at all. I can promise you that.” Georgie added. “I think there is something a little more intimate going on but I don’t want to guess. A little more digging is all it will take.”
“Do you think she had something to do with Deck’s death? That sounds like I have a lisp.” Aleta quipped.
“A baby and two men. Well, I wouldn’t rule it out completely. Not yet.”
Chapter 10
The next day when Georgie woke up she didn’t want to get out of bed. She was feeling fine, great as a matter of fact. She believed the walk with Aleta the previous day did her a world of good. But the idea of facing a house covered in plastic drop cloths was as depressing as if the whole interior of her house were painted white. The idea made her shiver.
But before she could roll over and pull the covers over her head her doorbell rang. Bodhi was up and ready to tear into whoever it was ringing the bell at six thirty in the morning.
“I should have known it was you.”
“Good morning, gorgeous.” Stan purred. “I can’t believe you wake up looking like you should be on the cover of a magazine.”
“Stan, I’m not really in the mood.” She rubbed her head. “Is that coffee I smell?” Her eyes brightened a little.
“And your favorite almond croissants from Higgin’s bakery.” He held up a bag that was nearly bursting.
“How many did you buy?” She finally stepped aside to let Stan enter the house.
“Enough for the both of us and Aleta whenever she arrives.” He looked around her living room. “What in the world happened here?”
“Justin happened.”
“What’s with all the plastic?” Stan shook his head.
“I don’t know but I think he’s anticipating a flood. Better start collecting the animals two by two.”
“I hope so. That would mean you and me, toots.”
“I’m not kicking you out because you brought almond croissants and I need my roof fixed. Do you think you can repair the damage?”