Confidentiality

by Jessica Aiken-Hall

  A copy of Inside Weddings and The Bride Guide were laid out on the coffee table, a pot of tea and some cookies sitting next to them. “Thanks for helping me with this… I have no idea where to start.”

  “Oh, it will be so much fun. You’re going to be a beautiful bride.” Norma poured a cup of tea and handed it to me.

  Sonya’s nose was red and her eyes were bloodshot. “I should be the one getting married … but…”

  “In good time, dear. Your Mr. Right will be here before you know it.”

  “How are you holding up, Sonya?” I looked over at her, sitting cross-legged in the chair.

  Her sniffles increased to sobs. “Considering they think I’m a murderer?”

  “Oh, hush. You know that’s not true.” Norma took a sip from her teacup. “You wouldn’t be here with us if they thought that.”

  “It sure didn’t feel like that. If it wasn’t for Andrew’s lawyer, I’d probably have a girlfriend in jail right now.” Sonya pulled at the seam on the toe of her sock.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s just part of their job. They have to interview everyone they think could be involved.”

  “Involved? Why would they even think such a thing?” Sonya dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

  “You found him. You were the only one in the apartment with him. He was your ex-boyfriend. There’s plenty of reasons. It wasn’t personal.” Maggie took a seat next to me on the couch.

  “Maggie’s right. If they didn’t talk to you, they wouldn’t have been able to clear you…”

  “I can’t believe you didn’t hear.” Sonya sighed. “It’s funny Tim wouldn’t have told you.”

  “Told me what?”

  “That I’m out on bail… or bond… or whatever the fuck they call it when they think you’re guilty, but you can buy your way out of jail.”

  “No… how can that be? Why would they think that? Norma and I were there with you and they let you go.” I turned my head to look at Norma.

  “They came to my house with a search warrant… and took my gun. How would they even know I owned a gun… unless you told him?” Sonya’s tears had dried, leaving her eyes free to send daggers at me.

  “Sonya, I never told Tim about your gun. He doesn’t talk to me about his work. I can’t tell him about what we talk about, and neither can he.”

  “Maybe they only knew about your gun when they found it during the search.” Maggie picked up one of the magazines and started flipping through the pages.

  “Why would they? What were they looking for?”

  “They must have found something.” Norma tilted her head to look at Sonya. “Did you call or text Jimmy before you went over?”

  “Oh my god… I forgot about that…” Sonya’s hand covered her mouth.

  “What? What is it?” I tried to pull it out of her.

  “I told him if he didn’t answer his fucking phone, I was going to kill him.”

  “How? On his voice mail?”

  “No, in a text… I sent a picture of the gun with it.”

  “Well, … that might be why they were looking for your gun… holy shit, Sonya.” It was worse than I thought. I wondered why Tim hadn’t told me any of this. I knew he tried to be careful, but I would have thought this might have slipped out in conversation.

  “But you didn’t do it. They’ll be able to prove it wasn’t your gun that killed him.” Norma set her cup on the coffee table and picked up the other magazine. “Everything will work out, don’t you worry, and after we have this glorious wedding, we’ll throw you a sweet little baby shower.”

  “I can’t wait to snuggle your baby.” Maggie smiled. “This is going to be so much fun… the first baby I’ll get to love since my girls were little.”

  “But, guys… how can you be sure?” Sonya asked.

  “If you didn’t do it, they can’t prove anything. Sure, you sent him a threat, but forensics will be able to rule out your gun. Once they do that, you’ll be cleared.” Norma gave Sonya a smile.

  “How do you know so much about this stuff? Sounds like you know what you’re talking about.” I waited for her to answer.

  “I’m an old lady. I’ve seen a lot. I know things. But don’t you worry. I know Sonya didn’t do it, and she’ll be free to raise that precious little baby.”

  We spent the rest of the morning tearing out pages from the magazines Norma bought and adding them to the folder she titled “Val’s Dream Wedding.” After Norma was able to calm Sonya down, we had a lot of fun. It was disconcerting to think about such a joyful occasion when Tim was waist-deep in unsolved murders.

  Chapter Twenty

  I set the folder full of my wedding dreams on the counter when Gabriel greeted me. The change of surroundings was just as hard on him, and soon, there would be another. “Hey, buddy. Sorry, you’ve been locked up here all by yourself today.” I poured out a few Temptations cat treats into the palm of my hand and knelt down to feed him. “Soon, you’ll have your own window you can watch the birds from. I’ll be sure to keep the feeders full, so there’ll be a lot of action.” I scratched behind his ear after he finished the last treat.

  “Honey, I’m home.” Tim’s voice reached my ears before I heard the door close behind him. The bags under his eyes had grown, and the scruff on his face now resembled a homeless man’s beard. He set his coffee mug on the table and picked up the file full of magazine clippings. “What’s this?” He held up a page. “Oh, I like it.” He winked at me as I scurried to retrieve the pile of pictures from his grip.

  “Hey, no peeking.” I kissed him and pulled it out of his hand. “You look awful.”

  “Gee, thanks.” He rubbed his face. “I thought you’d be turned on by the woodsman look.”

  “Woodsman? I thought you were going for vagrant.”

  “Ha-ha… very funny. I guess it’s time I shave.”

  “So… how did it go today?” I’d been waiting all day to hear the details of the case.

  “The undercover cop who was watching your building was pulled away to Jimmy’s when we got that call. So we think it happened when we were at his place.” He stretched his arms out in front of him. “But I really can’t say much more.”

  “Oh, come on…”

  “Val, this shit is getting serious. We have the FBI involved now.”

  “Wow, in little old Lawrenceville?”

  “I know, it’s crazy… but we found something at every crime scene that ties all five murders together, aside from the clean crime scene and the same kind of gun used… so we definitely have a serial killer on our hands.”

  “Holy shit… all five… so Seth and Jimmy, too?”

  “It looks that way. We just can’t figure out why Seth and Jimmy were included in the mix… all the other guys were on the sex offender registry.” He scratched his head. “You know, that part makes sense. Those three guys were front-page news, and their addresses were listed online. Plenty of people wanted to kill them, hell, the thought crossed my mind when I heard about Bobby… but…”

  “Wait… so what links them all together?”

  Tim shook his head. “I really can’t say anymore. You know, with the FBI involved, I don’t want to…”

  “I get it.” But I didn’t. I wanted to know… needed to know what that link was. It was going to eat away at my sanity now that I knew they were all connected. “But… is it something I could… you know.... guess, and you tell me if I’m close?” I raised my eyebrow in an attempt to look seductive.

  “Hmmm… you make it hard to say no…” He bit his bottom lip. “But… I gotta stay strong.”

  “Fine. I guess I’ll drop it… but do you want to talk about it… at least the stuff you can?”

  “I don’t even know where to start.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “It’s just so much… you know… a real-life 48 Hours Mystery that I have to solve.” He shook his head.

  “Never in all of my years as a detective, did I think I’d have to deal with a murder… let alone five.”


  “You seriously didn’t think you’d have to deal with at least one?”

  “This town is lame… nothing ever happens here. Not that I wanted it to. I kind of liked my coffee breaks and simple DUIs.”

  “I do have to admit, I don’t like the idea of you out there in the middle of it all.” I opened the refrigerator, took out two beers and handed him one.

  “Just what I needed.” He twisted off the cap and held it to his lips. “I shouldn’t be drinking this… but it sure hits the spot.”

  “Why can’t you have a drink? You’re off duty, aren’t you?”

  “I won’t be off duty until we find this guy.” He took another sip before setting the empty bottle on the counter.

  “That’s crazy. What if you never find him?”

  He rolled his neck between his shoulders and expelled a puff of air. “I don’t even want to think about that. We’ve got to stop this guy.”

  “But what if you can’t? Is it really that bad? I mean… regular people aren’t in danger… just… monsters.”

  “We don’t know that… with Seth and Jimmy in the mix, we don’t really know who the targets are.”

  “It seems like it’s just pieces of shit… you know… the people who don’t deserve to live anyway...”

  “I’m too tired to have this conversation again. You know how I feel.” He cracked his knuckles. “I just don’t want anyone else to die.”

  “Fair enough.” I took a quick sip of my beer. “So, you guys think Sonya is innocent? I mean, there’s no way she could have killed all those guys. Right?”

  “We haven’t ruled her out a hundred percent yet… but it’s highly unlikely it was her. She had the motive to kill Jimmy, but not the others.”

  “She said she was brought in and questioned about her gun. So, does that mean it was a nine-millimeter used in all of the cases?”

  Tim cocked his head. “How do you know that?”

  “So, I’m right? Ha… lucky guess. Is that what ties them together?”

  “Yeah… but there’s more. It’s weird. The FBI is checking its database to see if any other areas have reported… shit, Val… you almost got me.”

  “Ah, I was so close.” The more he shared, the more my mind wandered. So far, I knew all five men were shot by a nine-millimeter, and all were dirtbags. What else could it be? I tried to remember some of the cases I’d watched on TV, but nothing came to me. It fascinated me to think about the reason behind it. Was this as simple as a vigilante, or was it deeper than that?

  “Don’t mention the FBI to anyone yet, okay? I’m not sure they want too many people to know about that. We’re hoping with more manpower we’ll be able to catch this guy. But, if word gets out, he might be more careful. He’s already pretty careful…there hasn’t been any real evidence left behind.”

  I nodded my head as I filed away the rest of the details he let slip out.

  “Damn it, you’re so easy to talk to… it’s hard to stop talking.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself, I’m sure you’re tired. It’s been a long few days.”

  “It sure has. You know the only thing keeping me going is knowing in just a few short weeks you’ll be my wife.” He smiled. “And, I’ll never have to wake up alone again.”

  “As you saw, the girls and I did a lot of wedding planning today.”

  “I saw. That’s an impressive file.”

  I felt my cheeks blush. “Yeah, Norma is really excited. She bought a couple bridal magazines and put the whole thing together. I’ll have to bring it to my gram so she can go through it with me.” I smiled as I thought about being able to share it with her.

  “I can’t wait.” He bent down to kiss me. “More motivation to get these cases solved… so we can get away for our honeymoon. Wanna do a practice run tonight?” He winked as he unbuttoned his shirt and walked into the bathroom.

  The sound of the shower was all it took to entice me to join him. I needed the distraction as much as he did. I was not as scared as I should have been. I was more intrigued. Two jobs done for me. Completing the tasks I planned on carrying out… but who? Who was beating me to the dirty deeds? I needed to know.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  After the last visit with Gram, I couldn’t shake the thought that my mom was taking advantage of her. It wasn’t new; she used to borrow money from her after my dad left and before she hooked up with Chad. Mom didn’t keep it a secret that she was waiting on her inheritance. When I was a kid, it was all she talked about. I couldn’t imagine Gram had a lot of money left after all these years of Mom taking it, and now paying for her apartment and nurse at the senior living complex.

  I wanted to know what she had made Gram sign. I tried to push it out of my mind, but it wouldn’t budge. The worst-case scenarios played on repeat in my head. The most illogical thought of all was that Gram had signed a document granting Mom access to end her life. I knew this didn’t exist, but I also knew Mom would be the one to figure out a way to make the impossible happen.

  In one of the Snapped episodes, I remembered seeing someone use a hidden camera to spy on their lover. I’d never needed anything like this before and had no idea where I’d find one. When I typed nanny cams into the search field on Amazon, pages of results came up. I filtered through page after page, unsure of what I was looking for. I knew it had to be simple, and I had to be able to view it on my phone. I ordered the first one meeting those specifications. This wasn’t something I wanted Tim to know about, so I had it shipped to the hospital.

  When the package arrived, I took the afternoon in my office reading the directions and installing the needed app on my phone. As a practice run, I installed it in the conference room before the ladies arrived to group. There was a setting to record and also watch live. I practiced the live feature before they arrived as I waved at the camera before placing my phone in my sweater pocket.

  Lily knocked on the door, reminding me I hadn’t unlocked it. “I’m glad you could join us today. How have you been?”

  “I almost didn’t come.” Lily looked down at her feet. “I feel like you all are so close and I’m just the intruder.”

  “Ah, Lily, I’m sorry it feels like that. You just have to give it time, and I know you’ll fit right in. Did you ever go over to Maggie and Norma’s? She makes a great cup of tea.” I smiled, hoping it would be enough to make her believe me.

  “No. It just feels weird… you know. I don’t want to force myself on them.”

  “I get it. I was the same way. It can take a lot to feel comfortable with people we don’t know.”

  “Really? You make it look easy.”

  “Well… you didn’t see me in the beginning. These ladies are the first friends I’ve had in over sixteen years. Give it time. There’s no rush.” I put my hand on Lily’s back and gave it a quick pat. “Oh, I’m sorry… I forgot.” I cringed as I remembered the bruises covering her body.

  “Nah, it’s okay. Just my ribs hurt now.” She gave me a smile. “You really think they don’t mind me being here?”

  “I know they don’t. They’re good people. People you can trust.”

  Norma and Maggie came through the door, Sonya right behind them. “Oh, it’s so nice to see you, Lily.” Norma walked over and took the seat next to Lily.

  I gave Lily a nod and winked as she smiled back at me. “Aww, that’s sweet of you, Norma.”

  Sonya flopped down next to them, and Maggie sat next to me. “Yeah, it’s nice to see you again.” Maggie smiled.

  “I was just telling Val I feel like an intruder, like I don’t belong here.”

  “Oh, honey, of course you belong here. If we don’t have each other’s backs, then who will?” Norma patted her knee.

  “I was telling Lily it was hard for all of us in the beginning, before we got to know each other.” I looked around the circle and remembered how hard it had been for Maggie to open up, and for Sonya to trust us enough to get past her abrasive exterior.

  “It’s espec
ially difficult when people are so hard to trust.” Maggie nodded her head in agreement with herself.

  “You know what’s funny? Not like ha-ha funny, but funny strange?” Sonya tilted her head.

  “What’s that, Sonya?” I turned to look at her.

  “It seems since joining this group, all my problems disappeared… well, except for the current ones, but you know what I mean.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “First the old pervert, Donald Brice is found dead… then Jimmy… although I’m not sure how I feel about that yet… but it’s like I speak it and it happens.”

  “Yeah… like Seth.” Maggie added.

  Norma laughed. “Well, if we can all be so lucky to have a genie grant our wishes for us.”

  “If it’s that easy… I wish Earl would die.” Lily blinked her eyes and giggled, triggering laughter from the rest of the group.

  “If it were only that easy.” I smiled as I saw the ladies bond a little more over the topic. We all had someone we wished we could erase from our lives. I know I have a few.

  “Did you see the article in the Village News? About the serial killer?” Maggie made eye contact with me.

  “I did. Crazy to think about something like that happening here,” I said.

  “It’s a little scary.” Maggie bounced her foot as it rested on her crossed leg. “How do we know who’s next?”

  “I think you’re safe. It appears only men need to worry.” A nervous laugh spilled out as I tried to remember if that was public knowledge or something I heard from Tim.

  “Yeah, only perverts, by the sounds of things.” Sonya paused. “Do you think the same person killed Donald?”

  “No… he died of natural causes, remember?” My answer came out in an abrupt snap.

  Sonya raised her eyebrows. “Whoa. What’s up with you?”

  “Sorry… I just haven’t been able to get much sleep lately… you know with everything going on.” I pushed up a half-smile. “And, I guess, I should let you all know I’ll be taking some time off. I do want to keep meeting, though, just not here.”