by Leslie Leigh
Melissa knocked, and the portly Mrs. Stefan came to the door ever so slowly.
“I’m sorry to bother you at this hour….”
“Not at all, Melissa. I heard all the racket. What happened up there?”
“Kim has had an accident. Did you, by any chance, see or hear anything unusual tonight? Any scuffle? Any comings and goings?”
“Nothing’s unusual with those two—drinking, partying, yelling, and screaming. I was so glad when she told me he was leaving. The former Mr. James was a drinker, but they didn’t have the screaming fights that she and this one did.”
“Was she alone tonight?”
She went out early in the evening and came back alone around nine. I heard voices talking, but no fighting. I noticed a strange car parked out there shortly after she left. I see it’s gone now.”
“Any idea what kind of a car it was?”
“It was shiny and new; I know that. Let me see—maybe a sports car of some kind?”
“What color?”
“Yellow, I believe. Yes, definitely yellow. I remember thinking it looked like a real lemon,” she said, laughing at her own joke.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Stefan.”
“Did they take her to the hospital?” Mrs. Stefan asked.
“Yes, they did.”
“Oh, goodness. Well, I hope she’s well in time to pay the rent.”
“I’m sure she’ll have no trouble paying the rent, Mrs. Stefan. If she’s gone that long, we’ll arrange something.”
Melissa just smiled and turned toward the street where Brian was on the phone. When he disconnected his call, Melissa asked, “Do they rent sports cars somewhere near the airport?”
“Yes, and I know exactly where,” Brian said. He called directory assistance and got the number. Soon, he was talking to the night clerk at the rental agency.
“All right, thank you,” he said, disconnecting the call. “That’s Brandon for you. Always thinking more of his image than anything else. He rented a yellow corvette about seven o’clock last night.”
“That time corresponds with Mrs. Stefan’s time line. It would take him an hour, or less, to get here. He must have gone into the apartment and waited till she got back.”
“If she saw the car, why would she go in? It was so ostentatious. You would think if he was going to commit a crime, he would have driven something a little more generic.”
“Who knows?” Melissa said. “Only she can answer that. The important thing is that we know that he is somewhere near the airport.”
“Apparently he didn’t return it until around 3:30, so there were no shuttles at that time, and he called a cab. Unfortunately, the guy couldn’t remember which company.”
“Are there that many around Tucson?” asked Melissa.
“Not companies, but there are a lot of independents out there,” said Brian.
“But independents usually stay where they know there will be a lot of traffic. I’m guessing at that time of morning, he would have had to call a company,” said Melissa.
“Good thinking. I’ll canvas the companies and see what I can find out,” said Brian. “Then, I’m going to head to Tucson, Melissa. I want to be there when they find him.”
“I’m going with you.”
“No. Considering what is going on with your circumstances right now, you should probably stay here. Why don’t you go on to the hospital and find out what’s going on with Kim?”
“I’ll run over to the market because the girls will need some instructions. Good grief. This is the first morning we’re making rolls for the coffee shops. I’m not sure just the two of them can handle it.”
“Do whatever you think is best. I’ll call you from Tucson when I know anything.”
She nodded, and they both walked up the street. Brian dropped out at Melissa’s to get his car, and she headed back to the market. She realized as she crossed the street that she should probably call Kim’s mother to be with her since she needed to be at the market. She placed the call to let Kim’s mother know what had happened and where they had taken her. Then, she went into the market and back to the kitchen where Flora and Vivian were working furiously. She washed her hands and dove in to get things on track, while telling the tale of the last hour.
“And we were hoping we’d heard the last of him,” Flora said.
“I remember. He must be really unbalanced—psychotic even. The obvious motive would be to inherit all the money if she died, but surely no rational person could have thought he would get away with it,” said Melissa.
“He counted on her being dead, plain and simple. If it was made to look like suicide why couldn’t he reasonably expect to get away with it?” Flora said.
“Obviously, he’s never lived in a small town,” Vivian said, “if he thought he could come in a yellow sports car, even at night, and not be seen.”
“Maybe he was counting on people thinking they had a fight and she just decided to end it when he left,” said Flora.
“I guess. It will be interesting to hear the real story when she wakes up,” said Melissa.
It was difficult for Melissa to not be involved in any of it. She wanted to be with Brian when they caught Brandon. She wanted to be with Kim when she woke up, for more reasons than one. She wondered if Grant had reported everything correctly to the Sheriff’s Department and if they would be there to take a statement from Kim when she was awake.
She had to get a grip, she realized. She did not make the world go ‘round, nor did it revolve around her. She just needed to take a deep breath and think about Chelsea Buns right now.
The first batch was cooling when the driver from Bisbee showed up to pick it up. Melissa made coffee for him and gave him a bun while he waited for them to finish cooling and boxed up. She apologized that he had to wait, telling him there had been an emergency and that she sincerely hoped it would not happen again. He told her she could be late any time if he was going to get coffee and a roll out of it.
“I’ll see to it that there’s one waiting for you next time,” she said. “So you can come a little early.”
He thanked her and left, passing the delivery person for the Sonorita shop as he went out.
Once the coffee shop batches were on their way, they could concentrate on what they would need for their morning crowd.
“There may not be as many for bulk purchase this time around,” Melissa said. “We’ll get done what we can get done.”
“Without Kim and only the three of us it’ll be hard enough keeping up with everything, so we probably won’t have time to keep baking,” Flora said.
They were surprised, though, that there weren’t nearly as many customers that morning as there usually was on Saturdays. It turned out that they did fine without Kim, and that there were plenty of buns without baking extra.
Everyone who came in was polite, but there didn’t seem to be the usual festive Saturday morning feel in air. She asked Carl when she saw him how the Farmer’s Market was going, and he said business couldn’t be better.
Melissa knew that the majority of her crowd came in before or after for their buns and coffee. She began to realize how much in denial she was about the realities around her. She was sure everyone knew by now that she had been arrested in two wrongful deaths and that she was out on bail. She realized she hadn’t even seen Miss Ada today.
Here she was wondering if she should start a bakery business on the side when she was faced with the fact that this debacle could actually ruin her business.
Chapter 4
Brian called, sounding stretched thin.
“I found the cab company, but he had checked out of the hotel by the time we got there. We raced to the airport, and he had already gone through security. By the time we got cleared to go through ourselves, he was gone. We asked them to hold the plane, but the message got bungled somewhere along the line. I’ve called his destination and told them to pick him up and hold him. With any luck, maybe that will pan out. Any idea what�
��s going on with Kim?”
“All I know at this point is that they pumped her stomach, and that she’s alive.” Melissa looked at the clock. “It’s been two hours since I talked to anyone. Let me see if I can find out more and call you back.”
“I’ll call the Sheriff’s Department and see if anyone has taken her statement,” he said.
They disconnected, and Melissa’s phone rang immediately.
“Mindy,” Melissa said, “I was just going to call you.”
“She woke up just a little bit ago, Melissa, but she won’t talk to me.”
“Has she talked to the police?”
“I haven’t seen any deputies. She told her nurse that she only wants to talk to you.”
“I’m on my way,” she said and called Brian back.
“They haven’t even dispatched any deputies,” she said. “They are still under the impression that it was a suicide attempt.”
“It seems the left hand never knows what the right hand is doing. Grant said he was going to request a crime scene be set up and for them to send someone from forensics.”
“Apparently he did that, but they’re saying they found nothing to indicate that it was anything other than self-inflicted.”
Melissa sighed. “What about fingerprints on either of the bottles?”
“Apparently only yours and hers.”
“Great. They’ll be thinking I had something to do with this, too. She has requested to speak with me, so I’m leaving now. If it was Brandon, I’ll call you and the Sheriff’s Department. How long can they hold him once he gets off that plane?”
“Maybe eight hours.”
“That should be enough time.”
“Just be careful what you say to anybody, Melissa. It makes me nervous when I’m not there to protect you.”
“Somehow I got along with out you for thirty years; I think I can take care of myself.”
“Well, okay then,” he said and disconnected.
Why did I do that, she asked herself. I’m too tired, and I haven’t had time to process anything. Why do we always seem to take it out on those who are closest to us?
The store was nearly empty now.
“I’m sorry to leave you two with the cleanup, but Kim has asked to speak directly to me. She won’t even talk to Mindy.”
“It’s okay,” Vivian said. “I’ve had time to do the majority of the cleanup already. Have you talked to Brian?”
“Yes. They missed him at the airport. He has men picking him up on the other end.”
She didn’t even wait for a reply before she was out the door and down the street to get her car and head to the hospital. It was a half-hour drive, and she was too tired to even think about anything. She turned the air conditioning on high and tuned her satellite radio in to something thumping to keep her awake.
Kim was still in the ER, and Mindy was waiting for Melissa when she came through the ER doors.
“I don’t even know why I’m still here. She still won’t see me,” she told Melissa.
“Just wait, please, Mindy. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out anything.”
“Thanks,” she responded. “I’ll be in the waiting area.”
Melissa spoke to Kim’s nurse and found out that Kim was still under observation because they had not yet decided whether they were going to admit her. They were pumping her full of fluids and had been taking blood samples every two hours to ensure all the medication was getting flushed out of her system.
Kim had her eyes closed when Melissa walked in, but she opened them, looking around for her. She reached for Melissa’s hand, giving her a wan smile. Tubes, needles, and monitors were everywhere, and the activity outside the door was frenetic.
“Kim,” Melissa said, starting to tear up. She realized she was overly emotional because she was so tired.
“It’s okay, Melissa. I’m going to be okay.”
There was no chair in the tiny room, so Melissa just stood by the bed, holding Kim’s bandaged hand containing the IV needle. “What happened?” she asked.
Now, it was Kim’s turn to tear up. She squeezed her eyes shut. Melissa looked around, pulled some tissues from a box on a nearby table, and handed some to her.
“I drove to Sonorita to meet a friend. While I was there, Brandon called me and said he was at the house. He said that he needed to see me one more time before he left. My friend and I had just finished dinner, so I took off and came back home.
“We talked all evening, and he got me to drink with him, which I knew was a stupid idea, but I kept thinking, it’s the last time, no big deal. I was really drunk, but not blacking out drunk, you know, so I can still remember what happened. He started feeding me the pills. I distinctly remember him telling me they were candy, and I believed him. Little red capsules. In my drunken haze, I thought they were those little red jelly candies. I just kept eating them, and then he took me in my bedroom and tucked me in. He kissed me, and said he’d miss me. I don’t even remember him leaving; I must have passed out right after that.”
Melissa just nodded. She pushed the hair back out of Kim’s eyes.
“Why won’t you see your mom, Kim?”
“Because I don’t want to hear her say, ‘I told you so.’”
Melissa nodded again. “Is there anything you would like me to tell her?”
“Just that I’ll be all right, and that she can go home.”
Melissa just stood there for a few more seconds. “She’s your mother, Kim.”
The tears started down Kim’s cheeks, and she shook her head. “I’ve told you before, Melissa, that you’re like a mom to me.”
“I’m your friend, Kim, but I can’t replace your mom.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t see her right now.”
Melissa nodded a final time. “You sleep now and get better. I have some phone calls to make.”
She stepped out and spoke with Mindy.
“I’m sorry, Mindy,” she sympathized—once she had relayed Kim’s message.
“I know I’ve made my bed, Melissa. Just don’t be so quick to call me next time,” she said as she turned and left.
Melissa sighed. She called Brian, telling him exactly what she had heard from Kim.
“I’ll let the authorities know. Are you all right?”
“No.”
“Do you want me there?”
She was silent for a few seconds. She never knew how to answer questions like that. She always tried to discern the motive behind them before answering, but she rarely was able to figure it out. “I’d like very much if you were here, but I’ll understand if you don’t want to. You have to be more tired than I am. I’m not sure you want to take that winding road through the Santa Ritas again tonight.”
They talked for a few more seconds. He said he would call the Sheriff’s Department.
She thought about going back to say goodbye to Kim, but she didn’t. She just went back out to her car and went home.
# # #
It was much later that evening when she heard her front door open.
She got up and donned her robe and walked into the living room just as Brian turned on a lamp.
“They apprehended Brandon and arrested him for attempted murder. Now they’re sorting out whose collar he is, and whether they need to extradite him back here. Kim will have to testify.”
She put her arms around his neck.
“That’s good news,” she said. “At least the first part is. I’ll have to think about the rest of it later.”
“Despite the heat,” he said. “I do wish you had a hot tub on your back patio.”
“Mm…that would feel good right now, wouldn’t it?”
“Perhaps once I get some of the inheritance, that will be one of my first purchases,” he said.
They laughed, collapsing together on the chaises.
# # #
The next morning was Sunday, and Melissa felt refreshed when she got up. She went to the kitchen, fed Sweet Pea, and put on the coff
ee.
She was sitting on the back patio with her first cup when Brian came looking for her.
“I smelled coffee, so I was pretty sure you hadn’t abandoned me,” he said, bending over to kiss her. “I’ll grab a cup and join you.”
Melissa leaned her head back in her chair, wrapping her hands around her cup. Even though the day was already warm, the hot cup felt good; she could feel the warming sensations all the way down her spine.
He came back and sat down next to her. They were silent for a bit, listening to the birds warbling their morning devotions.
“I didn’t have a lot of business yesterday,” Melissa said.
Brian reached for her hand. “I wondered how it went,” he said.
“All I’ve been thinking throughout this is ‘poor me,’ not considering how it could impact the business.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m betting it’s not because people think ill of you. It’s simply that no one knows what to say about the situation, and they’re afraid if they come, they might have to make small talk with you.”
She looked at him for a moment. “I guess that makes a lot of sense. Perhaps I should stay away until this whole thing is over,” she said.
Brian laughed. “What good would that do? Are you going to put a sign in the window that says, ‘C’mon in! Melissa will not be here until further notice.’”
She smiled and took another sip of her coffee. “I guess you have a point.”
His phone buzzed, and he looked at it. “I’ve got a voicemail. Not sure how I missed the call.”
“It’s just the area,” she said. “Calls get dropped out here.”
He walked back into the house to take it.
She heard him whoop, and he hurried back out to the patio.
“They’ve dropped the charges?” Melissa conjectured.
“No, but I just found something that should very well help it along. Remember when I downloaded the backup from my old phone onto this one? It has the message with Dunnick’s confession on it!”
“That was your new message?”
“No, but after answering the new one, I pressed to listen to other messages, and there it was. Dear god, I never thought…. I need to call Harms right away.”