by CeeCee James
The dark haired woman looked up from where she was crushing cardboard packing boxes. “Hi, I’m Linda.” The young woman reached out her hand. “And this is Seth, my husband.”
Her husband wandered over from where he’d been moving the trash cans. He wiped off his hand and held it out. “You might not want to shake after I’ve been hauling those.” He indicated the cans.
“No, that’s fine.” Elise took his hand too. “Welcome to the neighborhood.” She remembered the box of cupcakes and held them out.
“Oh, thank you!” Linda said, giving a warm smile as she accepted the container.
“Are you guys getting settled in okay?” Elise asked, noting another pile of empty boxes in the garage.
“Yes. We’re nearly done.” Linda said. “I’ve discovered we’re a bunch of packrats. I really can’t believe we had so much stuff.”
“It’s been a huge job, and I’m so over it. I never want to move again,” her husband added. He smiled at his wife. “But it was worth it for the fresh start.”
Linda nodded in agreement, smiling up at him. “We’ve moved here because our counselor recommended it. For that new beginning, like Seth was saying.”
Elise felt her eyebrows flicker. Too much information. “Well, I’m sure you’ll love it here. It’s a quiet neighborhood, and we all look out for each other.”
“Sounds amazing!” Linda said.
“Okay, well I have to get going.” Elise took a few steps back. “I just wanted to have a chance to introduce myself.”
The three of them said their goodbyes, and Elise waved before heading to her car.
She paused before she climbed inside the Pinto. “Elise in Wonderland” was written in the dust on the side.
Maybe normally she would’ve laughed at that, but with yesterday’s crime and the picture of her, it gave her the chills. She snapped a picture of it with her cell phone. Not sure if she’d need it, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Then, she climbed into her car for a napkin and wiped it clean.
Dave was on the phone when she arrived. “She just came through the door. You want to talk to her?” He beckoned her over, his forehead creased with stress.
Elise glanced around the store, tripping out a bit about all that had happened yesterday. What a difference twenty-four hours can make. Really, anything can happen in a day, she noted grimly.
Sighing, she reached for the phone. A jolt of alarm shot through her when she saw Dave’s expression as he passed it over. He appeared as though he were sending her to the principal’s office.
“Hello?” she said, trying to keep the nervous twinge out of her voice.
“Miss Pepper?” The voice was commanding.
“Yes, this is she.” Her hands felt awkward holding a real phone. It’d been so long since she’d talked on anything but a cell.
“I’m Detective Sloan. I need you to come down to the station. Purely procedural. Just need you to give us an official statement.”
Elise could hardly believe what she’d just heard. “What?” She pressed the phone more firmly to her ear as if that would change the Detective’s words. A statement? For finding a dead body?
“We may need to fingerprint you. There is another set, not yet identified—that’s all over that room.”
“If they’re mine, that wouldn’t be weird. I was just up there the other day!” Elise stammered. She immediately became on guard at his accusation.
“Miss Pepper,” his voice was a low hiss like a cat after a mouse. “What were you up there for?”
“Dave…”
The Detective made a noise when she mentioned the store owner by his first name.
She continued boldly. “Dave, my boss, took me through it.” At the second mention of his name, the bookstore owner looked up. He did not appear happy.
“So you’re quite comfortable with the layout of the room then, I’m assuming?”
She could hear scratching as if Detective Sloan were jotting on paper. Elise wanted to reach through the phone and grab him by the lapel and give him a good shake. Why was he turning her words around like it was a guilty statement?
“I wasn’t exactly comfortable. We were trying to figure out the puzzles.” She breathed out slowly.
“Puzzles, huh?” Detective Sloan gave a short chuckle. “You good at puzzles?”
“What do you mean?” Every physical sense in Elise rang its alarm. This guy was out for something.
“It’s in my notes you went upstairs by a hidden door.”
“I told them yesterday, I had to get upstairs. The men were stuck in the room.”
“All of them trapped in a way that led to a man’s death.”
She turned around to face the window and stuck her chin up. I will not let him intimidate me. “I’m sorry he died but I had nothing to do with it. It’s ridiculous to even think I did.”
“Did I say that you did?”
“Your line of questioning sounds accusative.”
He continued as if she’d said nothing. “You were the first one in there.”
“I was not. His friends were there with him.”
There was a long pause on the other end before he let out a slow breath. “You must think we’re stupid.”
“The level of your intellect is none of my business,” Elise snapped back. “But it does come into question when you seem to believe a woman of my size could kill a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound man.”
She heard him scribble some more. Why would he write that down?
“You seem familiar with his weight then,” he said when he finished scribbling.
Elise felt heat as her face flushed. “What are you talking about? It’s just a guess based on his size. I did see him, you know.”
“I’m sure you have. You may actually know him better than you’re letting on.” He breathed heavily, letting that sink in. “Why don’t you come down now so we can continue this in person?”
“Shouldn’t I be calling my lawyer?”
“Miss Pepper,” The Detective’s voice was immediately softer. “I can see how this is coming across, but I promise you, this is just routine questioning. I’ll be bringing everyone down that was at the bookstore that day.”
Elise closed her eyes feeling a weight descend on her. “Fine. I’ll be right there,” she muttered before handing the phone back to Dave. Her boss nodded goodbye to her as he finished the conversation with Detective Sloan.
Like I said, I have to do everything twice today. With her phone to her ear, Elise got back in her car. When Brad didn’t answer, she sighed and drove to the station.
The police station was fairly empty, with just two cars parked in the lot. Inside, the city clerk pointed down a hallway when Elise asked where Detective Sloan’s office was. “First door on the left!” she called after Elise.
Elise marched her way down the hall and found the door. She sniffed the air, and fought to keep from wrinkling her nose. Coffee, she decided, did not always smell good. Not when it’s stale. And bitter. And left in a pot to overheat for hours on end. Straightening her shoulders, she knocked on the door.
“Come in,” rang out the same authoritarian voice she’d just heard through the phone.
Elise adjusted her face into an emotionless mask and walked in.
“Miss Pepper,” Detective Sloan said by way of greeting. He pointed with a pencil to a chair in front of the desk and pulled a pad of paper closer to him. Like I figured.
“Detective.” She sat in the chair and primly straightened her back.
“As I was saying on the phone, I’m wondering how well you knew the victim, Steve Miller.”
“I’d never seen him before yesterday.”
“No? Never?” He smiled. His grin looked lopsided as his lip hung up on a crooked canine tooth.
Elise stared at him and waited. It didn’t seem to do any good to try to defend herself. She’d let him lead the conversation instead of making her feel like she was digging herself in deeper. He had to be bluffing. Wha
t could he possibly have on her?
“Miss Pepper, I wish you’d work with me here. Woman-up and admit what really took place. You come clean and we can help you. I know you didn’t really want this to happen.”
The sudden softness in the Detective’s voice almost brought tears to her eyes. For a moment, after feeling alienated and accused, it made her think he was finally in her corner.
Stop. This is a trick.
“If you really want to help me, you can tell me why I’m here.” Elise crossed her arms before her. She wasn’t going to fall for his mind trick.
His face hardened and he tapped his notebook like the evidence was right there. “We know you needed money.”
“What do you mean?”
“The money that’ll come from the sale of the stolen book. Come on. Don’t act like we’re stupid.”
The detective passed over a piece of paper on the table. She glanced at and sucked in her breath.
It was the same picture stuck under her wiper a few nights before.
“How did you get this?” She suddenly felt weak.
“Just tell me who’s working with you. Where’s the book?”
She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was broken, with the second hand bouncing back and forth in place. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just work at the bookstore as the cashier, and sometimes make an espresso if I’m lucky. I would never steal the book and it makes no sense that I would kill the banker. I don’t even know how he died.”
“I already told you that we’ve found extra fingerprints.”
Elise fought the urge to wipe the tips of her fingers against her pants. She balled her hand into a fist instead. The Detective’s eyebrows flickered at the movement and he made another note.
“And I already explained to you why my fingerprints could be there. I was in the room the day before as the first test subject.
“Even on the murder weapon?”
Elise felt sweat trickle down her spine. She swallowed even as the room seem to sway around her. “I think I need a lawyer.”
He pushed back like a cat that had finally caught the mouse. “An attorney now? Why? We’re just having a friendly little chat.”
“What was the murder weapon?” Elise asked.
Detective Sloan stood and walked to the door. “Oh, aren’t you clever. Playing coy? I think you know exactly what it was.” He looked back, his face was insufferable.
Elise tried to hold back the sarcasm in her retort but the bite was still there. “If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked.”
His hands jammed into his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. “What else does a sweet little barista like you serve at the coffee stand? Cookies?”
Cookies? Dumbfounded, her mouth dropped open as she tried to come up with a response. “He choked on a cookie?”
“Choked on the poison, anyway. Now, don’t you be leaving town. We’ll be talking again real soon.” His lips stretched into a raptor-like grin again. “Let’s get your fingerprints done.”
Elise’s hands felt clammy at the thought. What is going on here? What have I gotten myself into?
She desperately wished Brad was there, but she’d probably be a sobbing mess burrowing in his arms.
Instead, she needed to be tough, and she needed a lawyer. And, only one person came to mind.
Her ex-husband, Mark.
Chapter 7
It was nearly five o’clock that evening when the fingerprinting was finished and she was allowed to leave the police station. The whole experience was humiliating and she’d fought to keep the stiff upper lip. She was not going to let the detective see her struggling with any of this.
She dialed Mark as soon as she walked out the door. He was a big time lawyer in New York.
“Long time no hear,” Mark answered on the third ring. “You need bail money?” He laughed at his own joke, having always teased her about what a goody-two-shoes she was.
“I hope not, but it may be close.”
At her tone, his laugh cut off. Quickly, she filled him in on what had happened in the last two days.
“Honestly, it sounds like they just want to scare you. If they really had something they wouldn’t be calling, they’d be knocking on your door. Just don’t sign anything, and if they tell you to come down again, call me first.”
“Thanks, Mark.” Elise said, relief making her voice higher than natural.
“Hey, I wasn’t always a bad guy.”
“Mmm. How’s Jennifer?” The corner of her mouth raised in a half-smile. It had been long enough that his affair didn’t hurt anymore.
“All right, all right,” he grumped back. She could picture him rolling his eyes the way he always had when she provoked him.
“I’m just kidding, Mark. I hope things are well. I want you to be happy.”
“You too, sweetheart. You know I’ll always love you.” He cleared his throat and continued light-heartedly, “Those bad guys bug you again, let me know. I won’t let them bring you down. But don’t worry, they’re just fishing right now.”
Feeling a bit more secure, she ended the call. She zipped a text off to Brad, then headed back to the store.
Dave looked up from his book when she came in. “Everything okay?” His voice sounded tight with concern.
“Yep,” Elise slung her purse off her shoulder and onto the counter. She rubbed her temple and gave him a smile. “They just wanted an official account of my story.”
He got up and poured her a mug of coffee. “It’s definitely been exciting around here lately.”
She eyed him to see if it was a dig at her recent hiring, but he had settled back on his stool with an air of heaviness.
Then she remembered…his family heirloom had been stolen.
“Dave, I’m so sorry about the book.”
“Yeah. Just sucks. They took my laptop to examine the video.” He leaned on the stool and Elise could see he was struggling to keep his emotions at bay. “I have to admit, I already watched it. All that it shows is a hand, and then the screen blanks out.”
“Why did it blank out?”
He raised his finger to point. “Someone covered the lens with black spray paint. And whoever it was knew exactly where the camera was located.”
“Can you hear anything?”
Slowly, he shook his head. “There’s no sound, just video.”
“The police will find it. It will pop up somewhere when they try to sell it.”
He sarcastically snorted. “You realize that relics are sold all the time underground. Some of the world’s most famous ancient paintings and sculptures are missing, squirreled away in someone’s house.” He sighed again. “Anyway, if you think you’ve got this, I’m going to head home.”
“Going to write?”
He half-heartedly shrugged. “Or nap.”
“Aw.” Elise frowned. There was nothing she could do to make it better. “Hang in there. Have hope yet.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, scooping his jacket from the hook on the back wall of the coffee stand. “What will be, will be, I guess.” He slumped to the door. The chime of the bell didn’t ring like it normally did when he closed it slowly behind him.
Elise glanced around the store. The glass case where the book had been was cleaned up, leaving the stand bare and forlorn. Her skin prickled a little as the quietness of the room became almost an oppression.
Normally, she loved working alone—the smell of the coffee mixed with the books and cinnamon diffuser that Dave had installed. She could read to her heart’s content.
But she was the main suspect of a murdered man—here in this very building—coupled with the picture of her and threatening note made being alone the last thing she wanted.
Brad had promised via a text to drop by the store later, which helped. She dialed Lavina, knowing Dave would understand her talking on company time.
“Are you okay?” The first words out of Lavina’s mouth came in a rush.
“Well, hello
to you too!” Elise smiled at her friend’s voice.
“You aren’t texting me so there has to be an emergency,” Lavina quipped back. “I swear, I’m about to start a GoFundMe to get you a security guard. My heart can’t take this!”
“I should have texted, but I got lonely.”
“Where are you? At work?”
“Yes, and it’s especially spooky today.” Elise shivered and pulled her cardigan closer.
“You want me to come down there?” Lavina’s concern laced through her voice. “I have an event at the Children’s Hospital in a little bit, but I can drop in early if you need me.”
More than anything, Elise wanted her friend there. But she was a big girl. She could do this on her own. “No, it’s okay. Have fun.”
Just then, her phone vibrated with an incoming text. It was from Brad. She read the text- Forensic confirms it’s your fingerprints. Don’t worry. You already knew that would be the case. I’ve got your back and we’ll get through this.
Elise knew that as a police officer, Brad was keeping quiet tabs on the case at the station. But he could only fill her in and not do much else. She appreciated the heads up, but at the same time, her eyes closed as a feeling of desperation gripped her. How could this be happening? They’re going to send me to jail for this!
No. I’m not going to let that happen. There has to be something more that they missed.
She knew what she was going to do next, even though she hadn’t let the thought completely form in her head. With a deep breath, Elise walked across the room. She gripped the handrail and looked up the stairs with trepidation.
Yellow tape, like a limbo bar, was strung across the top of the stairwell. Its end trailed down the wooden treads like a child’s forgotten slinky.
Taking a deep breath, she walked up the stairs, unable to help the wince as her shoes clattered on the lacquered steps.
I’ll be super careful not to disturb anything, but I have to see for myself.
The doorknob twisted under her hand and the door opened, unlike last time. The inky black of the room seemed to reach out and try to suck her in. Chills trickled down her spine as if the man’s ghost were in the room taunting her to come in deeper. Come in, come right in….