by Cindy Bell
“Yes, briefly. Nikki, I know you’re eager to help, but take my advice and stay away from Briana, all right? Something doesn’t feel right to me about her.”
“Anything in particular?” Nikki unlocked the door.
“I can’t put my finger on it, but please just take my advice on this one.”
“Of course I will. I’ll see you in a little while.” Nikki smiled as Coco greeted her.
“Actually, I probably won’t be here, I have a few interviews to do today. I’m going to look into Patrick Kirk Building as well and see if I can figure out who left those letters under your door. I don’t like the idea of someone sneaking around outside your apartment.”
“I don’t like it too much either. But if someone made sure those letters got to me, I’m sure they had a reason. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t have just taken the letters to the police.”
“Maybe they were scared and found out you were asking questions.”
“I hope that you are able to find something out.” Nikki clipped on Coco’s leash.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will. Thanks Quinn.” Nikki led Coco out through the door and down the driveway.
“I’ll let you know what I can, when I can.” Quinn ended the call.
“All right, Coco, fieldtrip time. We have to swing by the police station.” Nikki directed him down the street towards the police station. Although she had gotten to know Quinn fairly well, she didn’t know the rest of the staff at the police station nearly as well. A nervous quiver crept through her as she pulled open the door to the police station. She couldn’t leave Coco outside, were dogs welcome?
An officer behind the front desk stood up and peered at her.
“Can I help you, miss?”
“I just need to drop something off.” Nikki walked towards the desk. “Is it all right if he’s in here?”
“Sure, we love dogs here.” The officer leaned over the desk and smiled at Coco. “Aren’t you a gorgeous fellow?”
Coco sat down and began to pant.
“Oh, he loves compliments.” Nikki grinned. She pulled out the envelope with the letters and set it on the desk.
“You must be Nikki.” The officer looked up from the letters. “Quinn told me you would be coming by.”
“Yes, that’s me.” Nikki’s heart skipped a beat as she wondered how much the officer knew about her. Did Quinn talk about her at work?
“Would you mind writing out a statement for me? I just need you to tell me how you came into possession of the letters. I can keep this guy occupied while you do.” The officer walked around the desk and handed her a form to fill out.
“Sure.” Nikki laughed as Coco edged closer to the officer, his head tilted upward, eager for a pet.
Nikki had just finished her statement when the door of the police station swung open. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a man, about six feet tall, and very thin. He walked towards the front desk.
Coco ducked out from under the officer’s hand and growled at the man.
“Coco!” Nikki tightened her grasp on the leash. “I’m sorry, this isn’t like him at all.”
“Sounds like a dangerous dog to me.” The man glared at Coco. “Why is that beast even in here?”
“We were just leaving.” Nikki pulled the dog closer to her.
“Good.” The man turned his attention to the officer. “My name is Dale Colbert. I was told I had to report to the police station, because even after death that jerk Matt is causing me problems.”
“Mr. Colbert, right this way.” The officer led him down a side hallway. “We just have a few questions for you, it shouldn’t take long.”
Nikki pushed her statement through the slot in the window over the counter, then led Coco out of the police station.
“You know better than to growl at people, Coco.” Nikki frowned as she continued towards Chomper’s house. “How are you going to make friends that way?”
Coco barked at a squirrel and wagged his tail.
“Yes, I see you’ve moved on.” Nikki smiled. “I can’t blame you for not liking that guy, he sure seemed grumpy.” She wondered what his problem with Matt was. Not everyone had to grieve Matt’s death, but it seemed to her that Dale Colbert was relieved by it. She didn’t know him, but the name did sound familiar. She picked up Chomper, then Sassy, and the Dachshund brothers. When she arrived at Sonia’s house, she found her outside waiting.
“Sorry I’m a little late. I had to make a stop on the way.” Nikki crouched down to greet Princess.
“Don’t worry about that. Princess was so riled up this morning I had to bring her outside. I guess skipping her walks yesterday wasn’t such a good idea.”
“I think you both needed the rest.” Nikki took Princess’ leash from her. “Sonia, do you know a man named Dale Colbert?”
“Dale Colbert.” Sonia nodded, then crossed her arms. “If there was ever someone who thought he was a cowboy, it would be Dale.”
“A cowboy?” Nikki watched as the dogs greeted each other. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, he thinks he runs his neighborhood. He swaggers around it like he’s the boss, and if anyone gets out of line, that person becomes his target.” Sonia rolled her eyes. “Back when I would attend the community meetings, he always had someone or something to complain about, whether it was because bushes were too high, or dogs barked too loudly, or an illegal fence popped up, he made sure his voice was heard.”
“Interesting. Does he live around here?” Nikki glanced around at the other large properties.
“No, he lives in the neighborhood by the bay on the southside, not far from the dock.” Sonia snapped her fingers. “Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure Matt lived over that way, too.”
“Interesting. I ran into Dale at the police station this morning. He did not seem broken up about Matt’s death, and the police wanted to question him.” Nikki wrapped the leashes around her hand and held them tight. “My guess is he had a bone to pick with Matt, too.”
“I imagine he did. About a year ago Matt built his house on the bay. Most properties in that area of the bay obey the regulations, one story only. Many people enjoy the view of the bay from across the street, and most of the houses built on that section of the bay are angled so that even those not living on it will have a view of it. But Matt ignored all of that and built a three-story house. With his experience as a builder he knew how to get around the legal requirements and managed to find loopholes to allow him to do it.” Sonia shook her head. “It caused quite an uproar in that neighborhood.”
“I bet Dale instigated that uproar.” Nikki laughed as the dogs tugged her forward. “I guess we’re all ready for our walk.”
“Nikki wait, what were you doing at the police station? Did Quinn have an update?” Sonia walked with her towards the end of the driveway.
“I’ll fill you in as soon as I get back. But Briana isn’t dead, or missing, she’s back here in Dahlia, and Quinn told me to be careful around her. Something is definitely up there.” Nikki broke into a run as the dogs grew impatient. It felt good for her to run. She had quite a bit on her mind, and sorting it all out required a lot of energy. Running helped to clear her head.
Chapter 11
After Nikki took the dogs through the park for some exercise, she led them in a new direction. As a rule she didn’t often walk the dogs through the neighborhood along that section of the bay. It was for the sake of her sanity, and the safety of the geese and ducks that populated the area. She decided to take the risk, so she could have a look at Matt’s house. As she walked towards it, she noticed that Sonia was right. She had never really paid attention to the houses in that area, but they were all one story with enough property around them to allow views from the houses across the street. All except one, that stood out against the more modest homes.
“Matt, what were you thinking?” Nikki gazed at the house. When she heard a car door slam, she turned quickly in the direction of the sound.
The dogs began to bark and growl as a man walked to the end of his driveway. Dale Colbert glared at her.
“What are you doing here with all of those dogs? I know all of the dogs on this street, and none of them belong here!” He pulled out his phone. “You get them out of here before I call animal control!”
“There’s no need to do that, sir, they won’t cause anyone any harm.” Nikki tightened her grip on their leashes. “We’re just leaving now.”
“You’d better be.” Dale scowled. “Dogs are dangerous you know, and you don’t look like you could do anything to stop them if you needed to.”
“They are completely in my control, sir.” Nikki frowned as she guided the dogs away from him. With his house positioned directly behind Matt’s she guessed that he couldn’t see the bay at all anymore. He had likely caused Matt a lot of trouble over it, but it seemed Matt had been the victor. Maybe that was enough reason for Dale to want to kill him. With the attitude Dale had, it wouldn’t surprise her if he turned out to be a murderer. With this thought on her mind she urged the dogs to go faster. She didn’t feel safe again until she reached Coco’s house. She dropped him off, while keeping a close eye on the other dogs. She didn’t like it when dogs were accused of doing things just because they were dogs.
Nikki was used to people not thinking she could handle the dogs because she was very thin, but they had never been rude about it, until now.
“Sorry about that guys.” Nikki sighed as she walked the dogs towards the next house. “I won’t take you over there anymore.” She dropped off the other dogs, then walked back towards Sonia’s with Princess at her side. As she neared Sonia’s home, she walked past the Murrows’ gate. She peered through it and saw a red sportscar in the driveway. Martin had made it through the gate this time. She wondered what was happening inside the house. When she reached Sonia’s house, she found her friend had set up a snack for them on her front porch.
“Thought you might enjoy sitting a while.” Sonia tipped her head towards the table.
“You mean you want to make sure I tell you everything?” Nikki laughed as she sat down at the table. She leaned down and let Princess off her leash. “We had a run-in with Dale. Did you know he actually owns the house behind Matt’s?”
“No, I didn’t know that. No wonder he was so upset with Matt.” Sonia shook her head. “I don’t know what possessed Matt to build such a big house.”
“I don’t either.” Nikki ran her hands across her face, then began to fill Sonia in on everything she’d discovered. “So, Briana claims that she was in love with Matt and had nothing to do with his murder, but Quinn is skeptical.”
“I don’t blame him. It’s hard for me to imagine that Briana was actually in love with Matt. No explanation for why she took off on the same day that he disappeared?” Sonia frowned.
“Not so far. Quinn can only tell me so much, though. He’s investigating those letters now. I wish I knew who sent them.” Nikki took a bite of the cucumber sandwich Sonia had prepared.
“I would guess that it was one of Patrick Kirk’s employees.” Sonia picked up a sandwich as well. “How else would a person have access to all of those letters that were sent out? Maybe a secretary, or someone else who works in his office.”
“That’s brilliant, Sonia.” Nikki stood up from the table. “I couldn’t figure out how someone could have gotten all of those letters from different companies. But this makes perfect sense. Clearly someone had access to Patrick Kirk’s computer and printed them as proof of his intimidation practices. It explains why it was anonymous, too, because whoever the employee is doesn’t want to lose their position at the company. Or maybe the employee is even scared of Patrick after what happened.”
“I think that’s possible.” Sonia looked up at her. “Where are you off to? You barely ate.”
“I’m not too hungry, I’m sorry. I want to get to the bottom of this. I think I’m going to take a ride over to Patrick Kirk Building and get a look at who works in his office.”
“I’ll come with you.” Sonia stood up. “I need some time out of the house, and I’d like to get a look at Patrick, too. I don’t think I’ve ever met him.”
“You mean there’s someone in this town you don’t know?” Nikki laughed as she looked at her friend. “I thought for sure you had met everyone.”
“Now now, I’m not that nosy.” Sonia grinned as she led Nikki towards her car. “Let’s go see what we can find out about Patrick. If he had a hand in this then all of Dahlia is at risk.”
“He certainly doesn’t seem to like competition.” Nikki pulled open the passenger side door. Princess immediately rushed past her and jumped into the car. “Oh, I guess I’m sitting in the back.” Nikki laughed.
“She’ll sit in your lap.” Sonia winked at her.
Nikki settled in, and Princess jumped right into her lap.
“Perfect.” Nikki grinned. As they drove towards Patrick Kirk’s office, Princess kept a watch out the window.
When they arrived at Patrick Kirk Building, Sonia tucked Princess into her shoulder bag, then headed for the front door.
Nikki reached it in time to hold it open for Sonia.
A stale scent greeted them as they stepped into the office. Nikki couldn’t place it. It wasn’t quite old cigarettes, and wasn’t quite dirty carpet, it was some strange mixture of the two.
“Can I help you?” The man behind the front desk appeared to be in his thirties. He wore a suit and tie, which nearly matched the brown shade of his desk.
“I’m interested in expanding my home.” Sonia walked up to the desk. “Is that something you do here?”
“Why, yes it is.” He smiled as he gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk. “If you’d like to sit down for a few minutes we can provide you with an estimate.”
“Oh? That fast?” Sonia eased down into the chair. She glanced up at Nikki and patted the chair beside her. “My associate here advises me on all of my big financial decisions. I wouldn’t want to overspend, would I?” She smiled.
“I can assure you that we can find the perfect budget for your project.” He pulled a stack of books out from under his desk and set it on his desk. “These are just some examples of the expansions we’ve done on local homes, and also some homes in other towns. You’re welcome to look through them while I get a little information from you.”
“How nice.” Sonia began to flip through one of the books. “I know there are quite a few building companies in the area to choose from.”
“There are a few.” He nodded. “I’ll just need your name, and your address.”
Sonia provided him with her information, then flipped the book closed. “And what is your name?”
“Lloyd Parker.” He looked over at her. “Sorry that I didn’t introduce myself.”
“Listen Lloyd, I don’t have a lot of time to spare. I need you to level with me.” Sonia locked eyes with him. “Are you going to give me the lowest rate for this project?”
“Mrs. Whitter, I can assure you that what we have to offer is far more important than getting the lowest price. Although we do our best to be competitive, we also want to make sure that our clients are getting the best quality they can for their investment. I can’t promise you that there isn’t someone out there that could underbid us, but I can guarantee you that they will not have nearly the same quality of supplies, workmanship, or customer service. We have the best warranty on our work out of any other company in the area.” He tapped the book she had been looking through. “The question is, do you want a beautiful expansion to your home, or something slapped together by less than skilled workers with bargain bin supplies?”
“I see what you’re saying.” Sonia nodded as she crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. “To be honest with you I had this whole thing already lined up. I accepted an offer from a local builder, and I was sure that his price couldn’t be beat.”
“Oh really?” Lloyd peered at her. “Who was it?”
“A
man by the name of Matthew Leaner.” Sonia sighed. “But you’re right, what I saved in cash, I lost in customer service. He hasn’t been returning my calls. That’s why I thought I’d have a look to see what you might be able to offer me.”
“Matt?” Lloyd cleared his throat. “Ah yes, he is famous for giving the lowest price, but not always the best service.” He glanced away from her and took a slow breath.
“Does he often not return calls?” Sonia frowned and leaned forward. “I can’t believe he could still be in business after behaving like that.”
“Yes, do you know of a way we could reach him?” Nikki spoke up for the first time as she sensed the pressure that Sonia intended to put on Lloyd.
“Ah, well, let’s see.” Lloyd shifted the books on the desk to the side, then rested his hands where they once were. “I’m not sure if I should be the one to tell you this, but Matt won’t be returning any calls.” He glanced over his shoulder towards the hallway that led to another door, then looked back at them. “Unfortunately, he’s passed away.”
“He died?” Sonia rocked back in her chair and gasped. “But that can’t be! I just spoke to him last week.”
“It happened yesterday.” Lloyd licked his lips, then glanced over his shoulder again. “Rumor is, he was murdered.”
“How terrible.” Nikki shook her head. “Who would ever do something like that?”
“Well, Matt did have his share of enemies.” Lloyd tapped his fingertips on the desk. “Listen, it’s unfortunate what happened to him, but that doesn’t mean your plans have to be derailed. If you’d like to book your project with us, we can get it done in no time.”
“By us, who exactly do you mean?” Nikki shifted in her chair. “You’re clearly not Patrick Kirk, of Patrick Kirk Building. Are there many other people employed here?”
“Sure, we have a pretty large staff, actually. I’m actually a designer, I’m only running the front desk because our usual receptionist called in sick this morning at the last minute. If you’d like to go over your plans with Patrick himself, I can make you an appointment for that, but he’s not available right now.”