Hidden in the Stars

by Robin Caroll

  “I’m assuming it belonged to your father?” Julian’s voice was soft and low.

  She nodded, as she accepted another spoonful of chicken broth.

  “Brody didn’t disturb it.” He blew on the spoon. “He also found a ballet costume.”

  That was new. Sophia swallowed and shrugged.

  “You didn’t know about it?” he asked as he fed her another bite.

  She shook her head.

  “I’ll ask forensics to put a rush on it as well, so I can bring it by for you to look at it.”

  She nodded and took another spoonful. Her stomach clenched as the liquid gurgled. Getting something on an empty stomach made all sorts of interesting noises. Sophia’s face burned as the sounds echoed across the room over the humming of the humidifier.

  The plastic spoon grated against the cup. “Okay, this is the last bite.” Julian didn’t blow on it before feeding it to her. It’d cooled enough.

  She licked her lips and took the last spoonful.

  He set down the cup and lifted the little bowl of red Jell-O. “Ready for this?”

  She nodded. Even though she’d finished off the entire big cup of chicken broth, she felt like she could eat a whole cow.

  Gently, he put a half a spoonful of the gelatin in her mouth. The sweet coolness was such a contrast to the hot and salty broth, she shivered.

  Julian’s expression softened even more, enough that it made her pulse spike. “I’m sorry,” he said as he set down the bowl and spoon and eased the towel from her chest. “I didn’t realize you’d gotten chilled, but I should have. What with the hot, then the cold.” He grabbed the little blanket folded at the foot of her bed and snuggled it over her, covering her shoulders. “Is that better?”

  Warmth oozed through her, and she suddenly felt sleepy. She yawned.

  Julian laughed. “Am I boring you?”

  Embarrassment pushed a heated blush across her cheeks. She shook her head even as she fought against another yawn. The medication must have kicked in, making her sleepy, on top of finally getting something warm on her stomach.

  “How about we save the rest of the Jell-O for later?” Julian asked.

  She nodded. Then yawned again.

  He ducked his head, almost hiding his grin, but Sophia caught a peek of it, as he covered the bowl and set the tray aside. He had a nice smile, especially when it reached his eyes. “There. All done.” He stood awkwardly beside her bed, like a kid who didn’t quite know how to act around her. “Well, I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Good night.”

  He smiled and his whole face lit up. “Goodnight to you, too.” His grin spread. “Hey, maybe I’ll replace Charlie as a lip reader, huh?”

  She grinned, then yawned.

  Julian chuckled and gave her shoulder a little squeeze. “Sweet dreams.”

  She wanted to talk to him, but her eyes were just . . .

  so . . .

  heavy.

  9

  We have the report on Nina Borin Montgomery and Sophia.” That was Brody’s greeting as Julian walked into the station early Monday morning.

  “Well, tell me what you’re dying to tell me.” Julian plopped into his chair and leaned back, lacing his fingers together behind his head. “I’m ready.”

  Brody grinned and shook his head. “Nina Montgomery, born Borin, aged forty at the time of death. Studied dance from the time she was four at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. At the age of eleven, her high-profile talent was cemented by being selected to dance the role of Little Radish in Cipollino. This was the official launch of her career, as the performance made her talent the talk of Moscow and garnered her a feature in the most respected industry publication, Dance Magazine.”

  Julian paid close attention, wondering if Sophia was aware of all her mother’s roles.

  Brody continued. “Wanting more opportunities for her daughter, Alena moved with Nina from Russia to the States—Washington, D.C.—twenty-eight years ago for Nina to attend the Kirov Academy of Ballet. She was only twelve, but Nina quickly became a prima ballerina when she performed as the Sea Princess in The Little Humpbacked Horse.”

  The sounds of the police station coming to life as the start of shift drew nearer caused Julian to sit up straighter, so he could hear his partner better.

  “She graduated at seventeen and was offered a spot with the New York City Ballet Company. She accepted and moved with her mother to New York. Her career seemed to take off. There are numerous articles and features in all the popular dance media outlets of her performances in various ballets. Great reviews. She was romantically linked, briefly, with Dimitri Taras, a dancer with the same company. Wealthy, but with a violent reputation.”

  Interesting. Julian couldn’t help but wonder if Dimitri had ever popped back up in Nina’s life.

  “Then suddenly, Nina got married to one Lance Montgomery, airman first class, United States Air Force. Dropped out of the dance world entirely. Moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, since Lance was stationed at the Little Rock base and, soon after, had a baby girl. Sophia.”

  Julian spun his key chain around his finger as he listened.

  “When Sophia was two, Lance was killed in a plane crash. Nina received approximately two hundred thousand dollars in life insurance benefits. She bought a small home here in Hot Springs Village as well as a building she turned into a dance studio. After funeral costs and the purchases, she had little life insurance money left. Her dance studio did well, supporting Nina and little Sophia.”

  It was hard for Julian to comprehend the hardship Sophia’s mother had gone through at such a young age.

  “When Sophia was still little, Nina enrolled her in gymnastics. At first, just our local gym where Nina bartered dance lessons for the gym owner’s daughter in exchange for Sophia’s lessons. Soon, it became evident to many that little Sophia had a natural talent for the sport. Nina got her better gym access and began hiring personal trainers.”

  “Was the dance studio doing that well?” Julian asked.

  “I’m waiting on the full financial history going back so far to come in. Basic information shows it could fund the training part-time, but not full-time. Not like the training Sophia was receiving.”

  Julian spun his key chain. “Was Nina linked to a man? Possibly someone with means to help her out financially?”

  Brody shook his head. “There’s nothing about any other man. Not much else on her at all. Her focus shifts to Sophia, who was set on the road to become an Olympian gymnast from a young age. Nina sent Sophia to gymnastics camps all over the world, finally hiring private tutors so Sophia could earn her diploma at fifteen. Sophia has trained under some of the most well-known coaches. At eighteen, she moved to Plano, Texas, to call the popular WOGA, World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, her gym.”

  Feeling something like an intruder, Julian laid down his keychain as he listened to the details of Sophia’s early life.

  “There’s nothing about Nina during this time, except her attendance at Sophia’s main competitions. We do know she retired and sold her studio last year.”

  “She was only forty. What did she use for income?”

  Brody looked up from the file. “That’s why I requested a full financial history.”

  Julian nodded.

  “Sophia won at Nationals last week and was announced to be part of the Olympic team. The girls on the team were given two weeks to report to the training gym in Huntsville. Sophia came to the Village to visit with her mother before going back to Texas. She has garnered a lot of media interest since the announcement of her making the Olympic team.” Brody closed the file and tossed it into their in-box.

  “I’m assuming the next item we have on Nina is her murder?”

  Brody nodded. “Yes, in a nutshell.”

  “I think the full financial will give us a bigger picture.”

 
“I hope so.” Brody stood and grabbed his coffee mug from the corner of his desk. “Because nothing else raises a red flag.” He tilted the empty cup toward Julian. “Want a cup?”

  “Uh, no thanks.”

  Brody chuckled as he headed across the station toward the coffee area reeking of the previous night’s last pot.

  “Where are we on forensics?” Julian asked as soon as Brody returned.

  “They finished with the quilt about fifteen minutes ago. They found a couple of stains on it, so they’re running tests on them. We can pick it up, whenever we want.”

  “Good. I know having it will make Sophia feel better. I’ll pick it up and take it to her as soon as I finish reviewing the case files.”

  Brody just stared at him. Said nothing, just stared.

  Julian ignored him and opened the case file on the computer. Brody had already updated it with the report on Nina. Julian stared at the notes. They had precious little to build a case with. No fingerprints, no foreign DNA, except that on Nina’s shirt and the DNA report wouldn’t come back until tomorrow. No suspects.

  “We’re missing something about Nina Montgomery.”

  “I agree.” Brody took a sip of his coffee. “I’m hoping the full financials might give us a clue.”

  The phone on Brody’s desk rang. He leaned over and lifted it to his ear. “Brody Alexander.”

  A moment passed. “Yes.”

  Another moment. “I do. Thanks. I’m on my way.” He hung up the phone.

  “Well?” Julian lifted his keychain.

  “Remember the neighbors who were out of town?”

  Julian nodded. “Supposed to be back today.”

  “They got in late last night to find someone broke into their garage.”

  “Just the garage?” Odd. “Was a car stolen?”

  Brody shook his head, smiling. “Nothing was missing, but there was one item that had been disturbed. Guess what it was.”

  Julian shook his head. “Amaze me.”

  “Their golf cart.”

  Julian’s pulse raced. “It wasn’t taken, but they could tell it was disturbed? How?”

  Brody grinned. “Don’t know, but they’re giving their statement in robbery division right now. I’d put a notice on all surrounding addresses to notify me if anything came up.”

  “Well, let’s go talk to them.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Brody waved his arm in a mock flourish to let Julian lead the way.

  The robbery division was always crowded. Luckily, since Brody had the alert set on the neighboring addresses, the officer on duty had seen the flag and put Roger and Linda Parrish in an interview room to wait for them. Julian and Brody stepped into the connecting room, and Julian nodded at the officer monitoring the couple from the mirror.

  “Background on them?” Brody asked as a way of greeting.

  “Roger, age fifty-four, and Linda, age fifty-two, Parrish. Roger retired from the stock market three years ago and now teaches volunteer classes every week to rehabilitated criminals at the downtown Little Rock YMCA. They live modestly on retirement and pension funds. Linda is a retired schoolteacher. They had been in Arizona visiting their only daughter and her fiancé until late last night. Neither have any priors.”

  “Thanks.” Brody glanced at Julian. “Let’s go see what’s what.”

  The couple looked up as Brody and Julian entered the room. They looked exactly like the report presented them: a middle-aged couple living within their means. No fancy jewelry. No designer clothes. Just the appearance of a normal retired couple.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Parrish. I’m Detective Frazier and this is Detective Alexander.” Julian took the seat across from them. Brody leaned against the wall near the corner of the room.

  “I must say, I’m a bit impressed with the attention given a break-in without anything having been taken.” Roger Parrish ran a hand through his thinning salt-and-pepper hair. “I thought we’d just fill out a form and be done.”

  “Your case is a little special. Nothing was taken, you say, but you know someone broke in?” Julian studied Linda Parrish. She was paler than her husband—probably didn’t play golf, her hair was definitely dyed because her roots were a shade lighter than her length, and a few age spots appeared on her hands.

  “Yes. My wife and I left on Wednesday morning to visit our daughter in Arizona.”

  “She’d just gotten engaged, you see, so we wanted to surprise her. He’s a nice enough young man, a little older than her, but he’s handsome and he can support her well. We—”

  “I don’t think they care about Christi’s fiancé, dear.” Roger patted his wife’s arm. “We always check and double-check the house before we go out of town, so I’m positive of how things were left. When we returned last night and pulled into the garage, we immediately knew someone had been in the garage and moved the golf cart.”

  “How can you be sure?” Brody pushed off the wall, pulled out the chair beside Julian, and sat.

  Roger smiled. “I like to be able to find everything in our garage. A place for everything and everything in its place.”

  Linda snorted, very unladylike. “He’s a control freak about his garage. The tools are hung on a pegboard with an outline so they don’t get mixed up. He has outlines for everything.”

  Roger patted her arm again. “I have to use outlines because poor Linda here, well, she doesn’t place as much importance on organization as I do. The entire place would be a wreck if she were left to her own devices, bless her heart.”

  “So, how are you positive the golf cart was moved?” Brody asked.

  “He put markers on the garage floor to line up with the golf cart so I would know exactly where to park the cart.”

  “It’s to ensure plenty of room for the car to fully open the driver’s door and not hit it, dear.”

  “So, the golf cart wasn’t on its marks?” Julian probed.

  Roger shook his head. “No. It was a good foot off the markers. That’s what made me notice it immediately, because I couldn’t open the driver’s door entirely.”

  “And you’re sure it was parked correctly when you left Wednesday?” Brody asked.

  “Positive. I always double-check everything before we leave town. The alarm system. The garage. We even wait to make sure the garage door is all the way down before we leave the driveway. We take the precautions.” Roger nodded as he spoke.

  “Alarm system? Did your alarm go off?” Julian forced himself not to let his excitement show. If the system showed an alarm going off around the time of Nina’s murder, they could firm up their timeline.

  “Our garage isn’t part of the alarm system. It’s how we know they didn’t even try to get into the house. The security company said the alarm never went off, and it was still on and active when we arrived home last night.”

  Which meant whoever broke into the garage and borrowed the golf cart knew the couple would be gone. That took planning.

  “Who all knew you were going to visit your daughter?” Julian asked.

  “Oh, everybody. I’d told all my friends and neighbors about Christi’s engagement.” Linda smiled with pride.

  “Nina Montgomery. Did you tell her?” Brody interjected.

  “Why, of course. Nina was proud as punch over her Sophia’s making the Olympic team and I was proud Christi had found love.”

  Great. So the information was general knowledge. Still, someone would have to have been ready to seize the opportunity. “How long had you been planning this visit?”

  “Oh, a little less than a month. He proposed over the Memorial Day weekend,” Linda said.

  Plenty of time to have planned the attack, right down to the time when people wouldn’t be paying attention.

  “Have you touched the golf cart since you got back?” Julian asked.

  Roger shook his head. “I knew right off it’d been moved, so I didn’t touch it in case you needed to dust it for fingerprints.” He poked his chest out like a peacock spreading his f
eathers. “I watch all those forensics documentaries.”

  Thank you, investigation channel. “You’re exactly right.” Julian nodded to Brody, who jumped up and left. “We’re going to get a unit to go with you. They’ll have to bring the golf cart back here, you understand, just to be thorough.”

  Julian didn’t miss the frown crossing Mr. Parrish’s face, so he added, “So we don’t make a mess in your garage with our chemicals and equipment.”

  “Oh. I understand.” Roger nodded.

  “Another question, if I might. How well do you know Nina Montgomery?”

  Linda crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s nice enough. She gave our daughter some dance lessons years ago, but said Christi’s heart wasn’t into becoming a professional dancer.”

  Roger shifted in his chair. “We saw the policeman at her gate and wondered if maybe her home had been broken into as well.” He raised his bushy eyebrows.

  Julian didn’t miss Linda’s perking up. He recognized the signs of someone who not only liked to be in the know, but to let others know she was in the know. Better to let her squelch talk of anything else . . . “Yes, Mrs. Montgomery’s house was broken into as well last week.”

  “Oh, my goodness.” Linda pressed her hand against her chest. “Was anything stolen?”

  “We’re working on that. Do you know of any problems Nina might have with anyone?” It was a long shot, but Julian would exhaust every lead he could find.

  “I’m not aware of anything, but she had been getting a lot of attention since Sophia came home to visit. With her making the Olympic team and all.”

  Julian nodded. He knew it’d been reaching, but still . . . he’d hoped.

  Brody stepped back into the room. “An officer is ready to escort you home and impound your golf cart.”

  Julian stood and shook the couple’s hands. “Thank you both so much. We’ll make sure to get your golf cart back to you as soon as we can.”

  An officer led them away.

  “Sophia said they wore gloves, so there probably aren’t any prints.” Julian headed back toward their work stations.

  “Maybe. We’ve seen people forget to put on gloves at the worst times. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”