by Cindy Bell
“At least one thing is going right.” Nikki put on a pair of gloves that Sonia had brought with, grabbed the bag and set it on the ground. As she ripped it open she noticed that some other trash had been mixed into it. She began to dig through it, then decided to just dump it onto the ground.
“Princess is having fun.” Sonia walked up to her. “Oh my, there is a lot to look through, isn’t there?”
“More than I expected.” Nikki nodded. She crouched down and began to sort through it. A moment later, Sonia crouched down right beside her. “I remember picking up some pieces of paper, that almost looked like they were torn apart. Maybe that could lead to something.” She picked up a small piece of paper. “This might be it.”
“Let’s see if there’s any more.” Sonia picked up a banana peel and winced.
“Look, this piece is a similar color to this one.” Nikki slid two small pieces of paper together.
“And this one.” Sonia pushed another piece of light blue paper over to Nikki. “Something about the pattern on it looks familiar, too.”
“Yes, it does. Let’s see if we can find any other pieces.” Nikki began to sort through the remainder of the garbage. “I’ve got one.”
“I’ve got three.” Sonia pushed her pile over to her.
“It’s like a puzzle.” Nikki smiled some as she began to slide the pieces into place. “Maybe it’s a note of some kind?”
“No, Nikki, look at this.” Sonia pointed out a piece of paper that contained some numbers. “It looks like part of an account number. I think this is, or was, a check.”
“You’re right!” Nikki slid the pieces closer together. “But I can’t make out the amount, or the signature.” She leaned closer to the papers. “Look at this, Sonia! It’s a date!” She put two more pieces together and pointed to the numbers scribbled on the paper. “It’s dated the day that Matt died.”
“A check dated the day Matt died?”
“A ripped-up check?” Nikki shook her head. “If only we knew who wrote it, we might have something here. But without knowing who wrote it, it doesn’t tell us much.”
“If someone ripped it up, that might mean that there was a bit of a confrontation.” Sonia narrowed her eyes. “Maybe Matt tried to pay Theo a portion of the wages that he owed him.”
“Yes, that’s possible. Maybe Theo was offended that it was such a small amount and tore the check up. That might have made Matt angry. Or maybe Theo attacked him first.” Nikki grabbed a scrap of plastic from the garbage and wrapped the pieces of paper up in it. “Maybe Quinn can figure out something from this. I doubt it, since it’s been in the trash, but maybe he can get an idea of where the check came from.”
“Good idea.” Sonia looked over the mess. “I guess we’d better get this cleaned up.”
“I’ll take care of it. You go get Princess. I don’t think there’s much more for us to find here.” Nikki tucked the plastic into her pocket.
After Nikki finished cleaning up, Sonia walked back to her with Princess in her arms.
“We’ll take this to Quinn, now.” Nikki patted the plastic in her pocket.
“Oh, can we stop for some cookies on the way? The bakery is right by the police station and I’m out of cookies.” Sonia carried Princess back towards the car.
“Sure, a cookie sounds great.” Nikki grinned. She settled in the passenger seat with Princess in her lap.
When they arrived at the bakery, Nikki left Princess in the car with Sonia and headed inside to buy the cookies. As she stepped inside she remembered her meeting with Martin. If Briana liked the bakery so much, maybe the employees there knew of her. One woman stood behind the counter, her gaze fixed on the television that hung above the counter. A news story about Matt’s murder flashed across the screen. She knew the woman wasn’t Chelsea because she didn’t recognize her.
“So terrible.” The woman sighed as she turned to look at Nikki. “How can I help you?”
“I’d like a dozen cookies, please. A mixture.” Nikki met her eyes. “My friend Briana loves these cookies.”
“Oh, I know she does.” The woman nodded. “She’s in here all the time, just about every day.” She smiled. “Until a few days ago that is. She hasn’t been in since.”
“What about Wednesday? Was she in that day?” Nikki’s heartbeat quickened. If she could prove that Briana was in the area when Matt was killed, that would make her an even more likely suspect.
“Sure, that was the last time I saw her. Briana was in here. She ordered a huge cookie.” The woman pointed to a few large wrappers on a shelf behind the counter. “It’s one of our most expensive items. Usually people order them for parties or something, but she said it was for her and a friend.” She laughed and shook her head. “I wanted to ask her where she puts it all, since she never seems to have an extra pound on her, but she sure does have a sweet tooth.”
“Do you know about what time that was?” Nikki met the woman’s eyes.
“It was around two I’d say. Yes, two. She stopped in right after the book club group left.” She frowned. “I’m sure that the poor girl had no idea that Matt had been killed, though.”
“Why is that?” Nikki picked up her bag of cookies.
“She seemed cheerful. She was even humming. I remember because it was such a lovely tune. It made me happy to think that someone else was so happy. She didn’t chat much, though. She said she was pretty tired and had just taken a shower to try to wake up.”
“Her hair was wet?” Nikki narrowed her eyes.
“Yes, dripping. To think that her fiancé was possibly already dead at that point.” The woman rapped her knuckles on the counter. “Every day is a lucky one, isn’t it? We never know when it might be our last.”
“It sure is.” Nikki nodded, then smiled. “Thanks for the cookies, I’m sure they will be delicious.”
“Enjoy!” The woman grinned, then turned back to the show on the television above the counter.
As Nikki walked out of the bakery, she recalled where she’d seen the large cookie wrapper before. It was in the garbage at Theo’s house. There was a chance that Theo had gotten himself a huge cookie, that it was an old wrapper, that there was no connection to Briana, but what if there was? Her mind shifted back to the moment she’d stood in front of Theo’s door. He didn’t want to let her in, but she’d seen the garbage by the door. She’d seen that wrapper. If Briana had been there, why was she there? She could only think of one reason. Briana and Theo were meeting in secret. Was their shared interest romantic, or a plot to get rid of Matt, or both? She settled in the passenger seat of Sonia’s car.
“I’m pretty sure that Briana and Theo might have been involved.” Nikki frowned as she handed the cookies over to Sonia. “I think she was at his place, on the same day that Matt was killed. I saw a wrapper from the bakery in the trash at Theo’s house.”
“That’s a bit of a jump, don’t you think?” Sonia pulled one of the cookies out of the wrapper. “Why would she be at his house?”
“I’m not sure, yet. But I now know that she was here on the day that Matt disappeared, after his murder. She was at the bakery after two. Which means that she had plenty of time to kill Matt, if she wanted to. Then, if my hunch is right, she went to the bakery for a treat. Martin mentioned that he often took her there for sweets. She had wet hair, like she had just taken a shower. Maybe she cleaned up after killing Matt, then picked up a snack, and went to Theo’s.” Nikki sighed. “What I can’t figure out is why. Was it just because she wanted to see him, was it because they were working together?” She shook her head. “It’s hard to figure out.”
“Eat a cookie, it will help.” Sonia handed her the cookies, then started the car.
“Thanks.” Nikki took a bite of her cookie as her cell phone beeped. She picked it up and smiled when she saw it was a text from Quinn. It explained that Shirley Carver had been found alive and well. Nikki smiled with relief. Then another text came through from him explaining that Preston really did go to
the tennis to watch his wife play. She was a last-minute substitute because a couple of people called in sick. So, that was where his wife was, and he was telling the truth about where he was going after all. She wondered if Quinn knew where Charles was. She would ask him when she dropped off the check.
As Sonia started the car, Nikki explained to her what Quinn had said.
“Let’s get the check to him.” Sonia pulled into traffic just as a large dog bolted out into the street.
“That’s Harper!” Nikki watched as the dog darted across the street right in front of a car. The driver of the car slammed on its brakes just in time.
Chapter 18
“I have to catch Harper.” Nikki frowned as Sonia pulled the car over. “Apparently, he’s not the friendliest dog. You and Princess stay in the car.” Nikki stepped out of the car and bolted off in Harper’s direction. She had no idea if Harper would come to her, but she did have a trick up her sleeve to convince any dog that she was their best friend. It involved a small hot dog with a biscuit wrapped around it. She fished one of the treats from the bag in her pocket. “Harper! Come here, boy! I have something for you.” She shook her hand with the treat inside of it. “Who wants a treat? Who is a good boy?”
Harper slowed, then looked back at her. He eyed her with a wide, excited gaze. She sensed that he was thrilled to be free to run. That would make it even harder to get him to come to her. “Let’s go, boy.” Nikki smiled as she opened her hand to reveal the treat. He stared at her but didn’t move a muscle.
“Harper!” Sonia called out from the car. She scrunched up the cookie wrapper from the bakery. “Want a cookie?”
The dog bolted straight towards the car. Nikki chased after him and managed to catch his collar as he stuck his head into the car to receive a piece of the cookie.
“How did you know?” Nikki laughed as she clipped Princess’ leash onto his collar.
“If Briana was meeting with Theo on a regular basis and bringing these cookies with her, I figured that maybe Harper would have had a few tastes. I’d say there’s a pretty good chance that she and Theo were meeting quite often. The price on these cookies is not exactly something I think someone would pay if they were strapped for cash, especially with Matt not handing out paychecks on time.” Sonia tipped her head towards the back seat. “You can put him in the back and I’ll drive him home.”
“Are you sure? I’m not sure how he is in cars.” Nikki opened the back door. “Theo also mentioned he was bad with other dogs. But he isn’t showing any sign of aggression. Maybe he’s okay with smaller dogs.”
“We’ll just keep Princess up front with me.” Sonia settled the little dog on her lap.
Harper hopped into the back seat and stretched out. Nikki climbed into the back with him. “I’ll make sure he stays back here.” Harper squirmed and stuck his head out the rear window.
“It’s okay, boy, I want to get you home.” Nikki frowned as she wondered where Theo could be. He seemed to love his dog very much, how had Harper managed to get loose? She knew some dogs could be escape artists, but she’d never seen Harper roaming the neighborhood before. She gave Sonia the directions to Theo’s house.
Sonia pulled to a stop in front of the house and looked back at Nikki.
“It doesn’t look like anyone’s home.”
“He might still be in there. Let’s go, Harper.” Nikki gave the leash a light tug as she guided him out of the back seat. “Time to get you home.”
Harper bounded towards the door, tugging Nikki along behind him.
“All right, buddy, I know you’re happy to be home.” Nikki pounded hard on the door. “Theo? Are you in there?”
The house looked dark. As Nikki took a closer look through the side window, she noticed something else. Things appeared even messier than the last time she’d been there. The table was knocked over, along with a chair. Pieces of newspaper sprawled out over the floor. Had Theo left in a hurry? Maybe the guilt he felt over Matt’s murder had driven him to leave town, or maybe he was afraid he was going to get caught. But would he really leave his dog behind? She noticed the back door of the house was open. “That’s how you got out, huh Harper?” She crouched down and looked into the dog’s eyes. “What happened, buddy? Did someone hurt Theo?”
Harper sat down and whimpered as he looked back at her. She could sense that Harper was worried about Theo. Maybe he had run off trying to find him, or maybe to get him help. It felt as if something had happened to Theo. She guessed that there was one person who would know exactly what that was. Briana. She decided it was time to find out exactly what Briana knew about Matt’s death. She returned to the car with Harper in tow.
“It looks like Theo either took off in a hurry, or someone made him leave.” Nikki frowned as she guided Harper back into the car. “I don’t want to leave him here alone. He’s worried. If Briana follows her usual pattern, then I know exactly where Theo might be.” Nikki narrowed her eyes as she watched through the windshield. “If she and Theo are together, then she might take Theo home to her parents before she takes off with him. She’s going to want them to know that even though she can’t have Matt, she’s still going to do everything in her power to upset them.” She sighed. “I’m just not sure if that’s what happened. It looked like there might have been a bit of a fight in the house. Maybe the two argued.”
“I think you’re right.” Sonia started the car. “The Murrows’ house is a good place to start.”
“I never once considered that Briana could be in a relationship with Theo. But it makes sense now.” Nikki sighed as she patted Harper. “He’s closer to her age, and there’s no denying that he’s attractive. I bet she was having an affair with him the whole time she was with Matt.” She cringed at the thought. “Such a terrible thing to do to a person.”
“We shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves. We don’t know for sure that’s what happened.” Sonia turned down the street that led to the Murrows’ house. “We still need to figure out if Briana killed Matt, or if Theo did it without her knowledge. Maybe he was tired of competing for her attention and decided to take Matt out so that he could have her all to himself.”
“That’s definitely a possibility. Maybe Briana realized it and confronted him about it? I just hope we find them at the house. If not, I have no idea where they might be.” Nikki sighed as they neared the front gate of the Murrow residence.
Harper sat up in the back seat and pressed his nose against the window.
“I think Harper is saying that they’re here.” Nikki squinted through the gate as they rolled past. “I don’t see any cars in the driveway, but that doesn’t mean they’re not in the garage.”
“We won’t know until we take a look. I’ll park around the block and then we can walk up.” Sonia continued past the gate.
“We have to be careful. If Preston sees us, he’s going to be furious. He obviously doesn’t like people on his property.” Nikki took Harper’s leash. “I’ll take Harper with me, that way we have a good excuse if we get caught. I can say that I thought the dog belonged to the Murrows.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good excuse. As far as I know they have never owned a dog. We’ll leave Princess here.” Sonia settled the little dog on a pillow in the back seat. She filled a collapsible bowl with water, then turned on soft music on the radio. She rolled the windows in the front seat down, then stepped out of the car. “Don’t worry, baby, we won’t be gone long.” She blew the little dog a kiss.
“Stay there.” Nikki looked at Princess. “No running off.” She led Harper towards the Murrows’ property.
“Oh, she won’t, don’t worry. She loves being in the car.” Sonia led the way back towards the Murrows’ house. “The only way in is through the front gate. Natalie brags about their security measures all the time.”
“If the door is still broken, we can slip in through the guardhouse.” Nikki led Sonia through it. “It’s what Quinn and I did earlier. Apparently, the family is having a hard time f
inding a new guard.”
“I can’t imagine why.” Sonia rolled her eyes. “We can get close to the side of the house if we go behind those tall bushes. There’s a large window on that side of the house so we can get a look inside.”
“Perfect.” Nikki held Harper’s leash tightly. She hoped that having him along wouldn’t prove to be a mistake. As she crept behind the bushes, Harper sniffed at the ground. A low whimper escaped him.
“Sh, we have to be quiet now.” Nikki gave him a soft pat on his head. “Don’t worry, we’re going to find Theo for you.”
“Nikki, there’s someone inside.” Sonia pointed to the window. “I just saw someone walk out of the room, but I couldn’t tell who it was.”
“Let’s get a closer look.” Nikki inched towards the window. It was large enough for her to see most of the room, which meant that it was also large enough for anyone walking in to see her. With her mind focused on what she might find, she didn’t notice Harper’s low growl until it became a little louder. She glanced at the dog, then looked back at the window, just in time to see Preston and Martin walk into the room. Through the window she could hear their voices.
“I thought I would be able to get you a second chance with her.” Preston sighed as he poured Martin a drink. “But it looks like she’s just too much trouble. I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Martin.”
“I don’t understand.” Martin shook his head. “I thought you said she was ready to get back together?”
“I assumed that once Matt was out of the picture she would be, but instead she showed up here with a new problem. I hope that you understand, I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble.” Preston handed Martin a glass, then touched it with his own. “You would have made a spectacular son-in-law, Martin, but at this point, I think my daughter is too far gone to ever make the right decision.”
“Too bad.” Martin drank the clear liquid in the glass in one gulp. “I would have made her happy.”