by Cindy Bell
“You're quiet,” Nick said as he turned down the road that led to the church. “Are you doing okay?” he asked.
Bekki smiled over at him. “Sure, I'm fine,” she replied.
Nick sighed and rubbed his hands across the steering wheel when they stopped at a red light.
“Bekki, I want you to know that if you want to sit with your parents instead of me, I'm fine with that,” Nick said calmly. “I know this has to be hard for you. I also know that you agree with your father on this situation. So, if you would feel more comfortable sitting with him, I understand.”
“Nick,” Bekki reached up and gave his hand a squeeze on the steering wheel. “Whether or not we agree on the suspect, I'm sitting next to you. Don't worry about my dad, he'll come around.”
“You think?” Nick asked as he glanced over at her just before the light turned green.
For the first time Bekki realized how much it was bothering Nick that her father might be upset with him. She looked deeply into his eyes and was about to reassure him when a horn blared from behind them, demanding that Nick start driving. Nick started driving again.
“I know he will, Nick,” Bekki said quickly but it was too late to really talk about it as they were pulling into the church parking lot. It was overflowing with cars including a few patrol cars.
Nick parked the car and as he and Bekki walked up to the church there was a notable amount of tension in the air. Bekki's father and mother were standing near the entrance of the church with concerned expressions.
“What's going on?” Bekki asked as she walked up to them.
“Janet broke down when she saw Stacey,” Marie explained with a frown. “I didn't know what to do. Stacey offered to leave, but Janet said she could stay, but she excused herself.”
“What a difficult day for the both of them,” Bekki said with a frown.
“I better go check on Stacey,” Nick said with a slight sigh.
“Do you really think that's a good idea?” Robert asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.
“Dad,” Bekki growled.
“Well, I wouldn't want her to say anything to incriminate herself or Dave,” Robert said in a reasonable tone.
“Robert, I'm not here in an official capacity,” Nick replied in an equally civil tone.
“Is that ever really true?” Robert countered and met Nick's eyes directly.
“Dad, please,” Bekki said sternly. “Nick is here to support everyone who is grieving because of Josh's murder.”
“Bekki, it's okay,” Nick said and forced a smile. “Like I said, I'm going to go check on Stacey. You find us somewhere to sit if you like,” he nodded to Bekki and pulled away from her hand.
“Dad, what was that?” Bekki asked as Nick walked away.
“Look, Bekki, you know I respect Nick but Dave and Stacey are our friends. Stacey is in a very vulnerable state right now. If Nick asks her questions she might not pay attention to how she's answering them. Dave doesn't need anything else stacked against him.”
“But he's also your son-in-law,” Marie reminded him before Bekki even had the chance. “You have to treat him with respect. Nick is a good detective, and he is fair. I'm sure he wouldn't do anything out of line to Stacey.”
“I know that,” Robert said with exasperation. “Look, this is a tough situation for everyone involved. Just like I can't expect you not to defend Nick, you can't expect me not to defend Stacey and Dave.”
“You don't have to defend them to Nick,” Bekki said with a frown. “That's the point!”
“All right, let's all take a breath,” Marie said sharply. “We're at a funeral, this is no place to argue. Now, Robert you let Nick do his job and, Bekki, you have to understand why your father is upset.”
“I do,” Bekki said with a grimace and then met her father's eyes. “I really do, Dad, I'm sorry.”
“Me, too,” Robert said and gave his daughter a gentle hug. “This is a hard day for all of us.”
As they walked into the church Bekki caught sight of Nick heading into a small room off to the side. She had a strong urge to follow him, but she knew it would be better if she didn't. Still, she started walking in that direction. Before she could reach the room, Janet intercepted her. She had a wad of tissues in her hand, and her makeup was running. Bekki frowned.
“Janet, how are you holding up?” Bekki asked as she looked into the woman's eyes.
“Oh, everything is just so difficult,” Janet sniffled and wiped at her eyes, only succeeding in smearing the makeup further on her face. “I'm sure I look a mess,” she added.
“I've got a few things in my bag, do you want me to do a touch up for you?” Bekki offered.
“That would help so much, Bekki,” Janet wiped at her eyes again. Bekki led her into the bathroom in the hall. It was empty except for the two of them. She ran some warm water over a paper towel to remove what she could of the smudged makeup. Janet was still crying as Bekki wiped gently at her skin. She did her best to mop a smear of the red lipstick that Janet was wearing.
“I'm sorry, I don't have that shade, do you have it with you?” Bekki asked.
“It's okay,” Janet sighed. “I don't know why I wore such a bright shade. I thought it would be nice, since it was Josh's favorite color on me, but now it just seems silly.”
“It's not silly,” Bekki assured her. “It's a way to honor him.”
“Is it?” Janet asked as she stared into the mirror. “Is there really any way to honor him now?”
“I know it seems impossible right now, Janet,” Bekki said in a murmur. “But you will get through this.”
Janet's expression darkened as she studied her own reflection. “I don't think so,” she shook her head. “I don't think I will.”
“Janet?” a woman said as she poked her head into the bathroom. “The minister is ready to begin the service, when you are ready.”
“Thank you,” Janet said quietly as the woman stepped back out of the bathroom. She took a deep breath. “I don't think I'll ever be ready. But I can't keep everyone waiting.”
“It's okay, I can tell the minister to give you more time if you'd like,” Bekki said.
“It's fine,” Janet insisted and then closed her eyes as she shook her head. “It's just that I keep expecting him to just wake up,” she shivered.
Bekki wrapped her arms around her and held her close for a long moment. “I'm so sorry, Janet,” she murmured.
Janet drew a shaky breath and nodded. “It's time,” she said quietly and pulled away from Bekki. Bekki walked out of the bathroom behind her, and then realized she had left her lipstick on the bathroom counter. She ducked back into the bathroom to grab the lipstick. When her hand grasped it she suddenly thought of the makeup bag at the crime scene. Nick hadn't said whether they had identified who it had belonged to. But as the memory surfaced in her mind, Bekki recalled the day that Janet and Stacey had been in the salon. Stacey had mentioned that her makeup kit was missing.
Bekki held tightly onto the lipstick as her mind began to turn. If that makeup kit was missing before Josh had been killed, what did that mean? Was it Stacey's makeup kit at the scene of the crime? Maybe she had found it before the murder, but something just didn't seem right to Bekki. She pushed the thought from her mind as she heard the minister begin speaking. She stepped out into the hallway to find Nick walking towards her.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he met her eyes.
“Fine,” Bekki nodded and slid her arm through his. He held her gaze a moment longer as if to make sure she was as fine as she claimed, and then nodded solemnly.
As Bekki sat beside Nick in the pew, she found it impossible to be still. She was tapping her foot against the floor, until Nick politely put his hand on her knee. Then she grabbed onto Nick's hand and began running her fingers across the back of it. Something had to be in motion at all times in order for her to remain in her seat. It was too difficult to see Josh's loved ones and friends speaking about their memories of Josh, knowing t
hat the person who had taken his life was not behind bars.
No matter how much evidence pointed at Dave, Bekki believed her father's instincts. She didn't think he could be such good friends with someone who was capable of doing such a terrible thing. What made her even more uneasy was the suspicion that she was likely sitting in the same room with the killer. Josh's death hadn't been at the hand of a random stranger. It was very clear to her that whoever did this had a personal vendetta that had caused deep rage. As Nick had said at the scene of the crime and about the autopsy findings, the person who delivered the killer blow had to have been very angry at the time.
As Bekki waited for the ceremony to finish she kept glancing at the people around her. She was hoping to catch an expression on someone's face that might give something away. Claire was doing her best to stay as far away from Janet as she could. She kept herself isolated for most of the ceremony. Bekki did her best to keep track of her, but every time she looked in her direction Claire had found a way to disappear.
Bekki swept her gaze across the rest of the attendants of the funeral, and then tried to find Janet. As she looked at Janet she noticed a sudden look of disgust, even fury. Bekki looked back at the front of the church to discover that Stacey was standing in front of the casket, openly weeping. Several of the other people in attendance were also grimacing with repulsion, and muttering to each other. Stacey's shoulders were shaking as her tears flowed. Bekki felt growing sympathy for Stacey, as she was sure she could hear some of the not so quiet whisperings around her. But as she started to stand up to go to her, Nick guided her back down.
“Let her be alone,” he said quietly. “The moment you go up there, everyone will pretend they didn't even notice her. Right now I can see everyone's reactions to her presence. I'm hoping it might give me some insight into additional suspects.”
Bekki couldn't help but smile a little at how similar their minds worked. Still, she hated to see anyone cry without comfort. Finally, the minister came to Stacey's side and escorted her away from the casket. Bekki looked back over at Janet who was still scowling. She was sure that Janet had no question as to who her husband's murderer was. After the service concluded many people were milling about the church. Bekki was so busy greeting people and making small talk in between offering condolences that she was having a hard time thinking straight.
“Nick, I'm just going to get some air,” Bekki said and laid a hand lightly on his arm.
“That's fine,” he nodded. “Just text me when you're ready to go, okay?”
“I know you need to ask some questions and shake some hands,” Bekki assured him before slipping away.
Chapter Eight
Bekki stepped outside the funeral home and instantly smelled cigarette smoke. It wasn't something she was used to smelling, so it took her by surprise. She immediately remembered the cigarette butt at the scene. If the killer had smoked then, would the killer be smoking now? She decided it was worth a look. As she walked around the corner of the funeral home she caught sight of Stacey leaning up against a wall. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and her hand trembled as she took a long drag of her cigarette before exhaling. Bekki was stunned. She had never seen Stacey smoke before, but then many people were secret smokers when they were stressed.
She tried to catch a glimpse of the brand of cigarette that Stacey was smoking. If she could figure that out she might be able to figure out if Stacey was involved in Josh's murder. But Stacey caught her spying before she was able to get a good look.
“Oh, Bekki,” she sighed and wiped quickly at her eyes. “I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would be out here. I know this is a dirty habit.”
“It's all right, Stacey,” Bekki said quickly. Her heart was racing as she knew that if Stacey snuffed out her cigarette she might never see what brand she was smoking. She had to think fast. “To be honest, I partake now and then,” she said swiftly. “In fact, a funeral is a time I normally would.”
“Oh?” Stacey sniffled a little. “Well, you're welcome to join me.”
“I don't have any,” Bekki frowned. “I try not to keep any on me.”
“Oh sure,” Stacey nodded and then paused a moment. “Do you want one of mine?”
“Could I?” Bekki asked hopefully. “You wouldn't mind?”
“No, I have plenty,” Stacey rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I'm always trying to quit but it just never takes. They help me get through stressful situations,” she added as she pulled a cigarette case out of her purse. It was slim and silver. She opened it and offered a cigarette to Bekki.
Bekki was certain that if Stacey needed a cigarette at a funeral to help ease her stress, she would certainly need one after she had committed murder. She took one of the cigarettes out of the case and placed it between her lips. She felt the way her lipstick stuck to the end of the cigarette. It reminded her of the bright red lipstick that was circled around the butt of the cigarette that was left on the ground beside Josh's body. As Stacey leaned close to light the cigarette for Bekki, Bekki could see that she was wearing a pale pink shade. In fact she had never seen Stacey wear anything that wasn't a pale or muted shade, and certainly not bright red lipstick.
Bekki braced herself for the intolerable scent and taste of the cigarette. She did not enjoy either. She couldn't choke and snub out the cigarette immediately as Stacey was watching her closely. Bekki tried to look like she was smoking but tried not to inhale too much. Then she pulled the cigarette from her lips and let it dangle between two fingers at her side.
“It's been a while,” she said as she coughed slightly. She struggled to resist coughing more.
“Oh yeah, I know how that goes,” she said with a frown. “But sometimes you just need a guilty pleasure to get you through the day.”
“I'm sorry for your loss, Stacey,” Bekki said in a murmur. “Were you and Josh close?”
“No, not really,” Stacey admitted. “We'd been spending a bit of time together lately,” she added evasively.
“Oh?” Bekki asked growing very curious. She lifted the cigarette back to her lips and took a slight drag from it, hoping that it looked as if she was a natural smoker.
“Bekki?” Nick's voice carried across the distance between them with an edge of shock and a hint of anger. “Are you smoking?” he demanded as he stepped closer to Bekki and Stacey.
“Oops, you're busted,” Stacey winked at Bekki and took another drag on her cigarette. She raised an eyebrow at Nick who had come to stand beside Bekki. The surprise of hearing Nick's voice had caused Bekki to gasp, which forced her to inhale more smoke than she had intended. She choked and sputtered as she tried to catch her breath.
“Unbelievable,” Nick muttered and snatched the cigarette from her hand.
“Nick, don't,” Bekki gasped out through her coughing.
“Excuse me,” Stacey said with a roll of her eyes and walked away from the quarreling couple.
“Why are you smoking?” Nick demanded as he looked into her eyes which were still watering from coughing. “Have I done something to upset you? What could possibly make you think it's a good idea to poison yourself?” he frowned, and Bekki could tell that he was holding back from an even longer lecture. He still had the cigarette pinched between his first finger and thumb.
“Nick, give it back,” Bekki growled as she tried to read the label on the cigarette.
“No,” he said firmly. “I can't let you do this to yourself, Bekki,” he tossed the cigarette on the ground. “We can talk about whatever is going on. Am I working too many hours? Is it because of your dad and my disagreement about Dave?” he started to lift his foot to crush the cigarette.
“Stop!” Bekki nearly shrieked and gave Nick a light shove to prevent him from stepping on the cigarette.
“Bekki?” Nick stared at her with wide, stunned eyes as he caught his balance and watched her scramble for the cigarette he had dropped on the ground. She was on her hands and knees in the skirt she had worn to the funeral, and must have
looked ridiculous as she pawed through the grass to retrieve the cigarette. Once she had it in her hand she held it up.
“I wanted to see if it was the same brand,” she explained as she read the label on the cigarette. “It is,” she said, her smile broadening. “It's the same brand as the cigarette at the crime scene.”
“Oh, Bekki,” Nick sighed with relief and offered her a hand to help her up from the ground. “You could have just told me that.”
“I was trying to,” Bekki said as she coughed again.
“So, you're not smoking?” he asked as he searched her eyes. “Because I just don't want to see you hurt yourself.”
“Relax, Nick,” Bekki grinned. “I'm not smoking. But as I suspected the cigarette is the same brand. That means Stacey might just be our killer, or she might have been a witness,” she added.
“Huh,” Nick said as he rubbed his hand across his chin. “But she has an alibi. I wonder what her motive might be.”
“Well, some of the ladies have admitted to suspecting that Josh was having an affair with Stacey,” Bekki suggested hesitantly. She hated to paint a poor image of Stacey considering she was married to her father's friend.
“Bekki, remember what we talked about,” Nick said softly as he stepped closer to her. Bekki glanced up at him guiltily.
“I remember,” she replied. “But this is different, Nick.”
“Why?” he asked as he looked deeply into her eyes. “Don't you think that someone who is capable of murdering once is capable of murdering again?”
“I just want to help my father,” Bekki frowned and shook her head. “I'm not putting myself in any danger, just by talking to people.”
“Just, please,” Nick ran his hands down along her arms from her shoulders to her wrists. “Let me do my job on this one. I will keep you as updated as I can so you can keep you father updated. But Bekki, with Dave's golf club beside the body, and now the possibility that Stacey had an intimate relationship with Josh, everything still really points to Dave being involved in the murder. Stacey is also looking more and more like she was involved. I am going to verify her alibi again but that is the only reason she hasn’t been arrested. I think maybe you need to prepare your dad for that.”