by CeeCee James
“Excuse me,” His voice was polite and he raised his hand to stop her. “Miss, do you have a dollar?”
She glanced up at the hall before shaking her head. “All I have is change,” she added, reaching into her pocket. His hand shook as she spilled the coins into his dirty palm.
“Thank you so much. Now, how about if I give you something?” He squinted, his jaw dark with whiskers.
“Back away, buddy,” Elise warned, tightening her fist. She clutched her purse and papers closer to her chest and continued to walk toward the entrance.
He laughed, but it sounded sad. “I just wanted to let you know the circus is in town.” He patted his chest, a flannel shirt covering a torn t-shirt. “That’s where I’m from. Or was. Before last night.”
Elise’s hand was on the door when she finally turned back. “I’m sorry you lost your job.”
“My job?” He snorted and shook his head, greasy hair falling into his eyes. “No. No, I still have my job.”
Still has his job? What is he begging for then? “All right, well, thank you for letting me know.” Elise said as she opened the door.
“You should check it out. Best circus this side of the Rockies.” He thumped his chest proudly again with the hand that still held the coins. “Worked there for ten years.”
Elise paused. “Why’d they let you go?”
He shook his head. “Like I said, I have a job to do. And it’s going to pay me real well.” He raised his hand to say goodbye and continued to shamble down the sidewalk.
Well, that was weird. Elise lifted her eyebrows in disbelief and walked inside.
The inside of the banquet hall was a replica of the same frenetic activity that she’d left at the church. These people look like starving chickens after a crop of grasshoppers. Elise danced to the left to avoid a man carrying a ladder. She looked around for someone in charge.
It appeared to be no one. A woman rifling through cards at a table across the room glanced up and caught her eye. After scooping up the cards, the woman rushed over. “Thank goodness you’re here! We’ve been waiting all morning for someone to show up,” she said. The papers slipped through her hands and ruffled into the air like the biggest game of 52 card pickup in the world.
Oh. Apparently it’s me. Elise’s thoughts dripped with sarcasm as she turned up the confident smile to greet the woman. “Hi, there. I’m just here to check that everything is on schedule. How are things looking?”
The woman scowled at the cards and dropped to her knees to scoop them up. Elise squatted to help her, no easy task in heels and a skirt.
“My name’s Tanya,” the woman said. “Sonya said you’d be on your way.”
Elise held out her own lists and said, “Okay, let’s get this done. How much time do we have?”
Tanya glanced at her watch. “Five hours. I have some good news and some bad news.”
The two women stood up. Elise steeled herself. “Okay, hit me with the bad news.”
After taking a deep breath, Tanya spouted the words in a rush, “The cake is missing, the florist brought the wrong flowers, the chef forgot to plan a gluten-free alternative for the bride’s mom, and half the champagne bottles broke in transit. Oh, and the DJ says he absolutely won’t work unless the strobe light is on at all times.”
Elise felt herself blanch. “What’s the good news?”
Tanya smiled brightly. “We found the wedding cake topper.”
The two women worked like dogs all morning. The chef was notified of the alternative menu items he needed to provide and had rectified the situation. The cake had been located and set up under Elise’s watchful eye.
The wrong flowers couldn’t be fixed but the florist was able to use them as filler with the correct flowers. The DJ was soothed with a bottle of brandy, and a clerk was sent out for more champagne.
All in all, Elise thought things were coming together nicely. In fact, the most interesting thing all morning was the chatter about the Craigslist Bandits. A week passing had only added fuel to the gossip chain in this small town. People were scouring Craigslist hoping to find another suspicious ad. Grandstone Jewelers had made a generous offer of ten thousand dollars for any information.
“Ladies and gentlemen, how are things looking?” Sonya’s melodious voice cut through the small talk as she strode across the room. Elise turned to search for her. Ah, there she was, but what was she carrying? In her hand was a half-used toilet paper roll, the end fluttering with her boss’s steps. “Elise!” Sonya called when she caught her eye. “I sent you to make sure everything is perfect. What is this?”
“Uhh?” Elise wasn’t sure how to respond.
“A nearly empty roll of toilet paper in the bride’s changing room? No, it’s details like these that make my blood boil. Brand new rolls please.” Sonya tossed the roll to Elise. “Go fix it.”
Elise gritted her teeth and refilled the spindle. After double-checking the bathroom, she searched for her boss again.
She found Sonya in the kitchen in the middle of a rant. The chef stared at a warming plate, his face alarmingly red. “Fix it!” Sonya pointed a finger before turning to Elise.
“Did you clear this food?”
Elise nodded, again not knowing what was wrong.
“The food is very pedestrian looking.” Sonya sniffed before fixing a steely glare on Elise. “How could you accept it?”
“Wha—” Elise started. She looked down at the food. Rosemary-charred chicken. Glazed pork chops. Twice baked potatoes. It looked okay to her.
“You should have refused to allow him to set such low standards. I’m not paying you just so I can later babysit you.” Sonya spun around and waltzed out of the kitchen.
Elise glanced up at the chef. His hands trembled and he grabbed the closest thing to him—a knife—and stabbed it into the center of his cutting board. He looked at her as if daring her to say anything. Elise watched the knife’s handle quiver from the thrust, and eyed the crack in the board. She swallowed and turned to follow her boss out as quickly as possible.
Chapter 5
The wedding went off without a hitch, with a very happy bride and groom dancing late into the evening at the reception. Before Elise had left to go home, Sonya had handed her an unmarked sealed envelope. As soon as Elise had walked through the door of her home, she’d thrown the envelope, unopened, onto her kitchen counter. The only thing on her mind at the time was to immediately remove the torture devices—aka high heels—and walk around on the cool floor, barefoot.
This morning, she spotted the envelope as she poured herself a mug of coffee. After first adding a bit of cream and sugar, she took the steaming mug and the letter to her favorite morning spot, her cozy window seat.
It was seven am, and the sun was just able to peep over the roof of the house across the street, raising a thin coat of fog as it heated the shingles. Elise leaned back against the pillows and tucked her feet under her blue and green afghan—one she’d made while home sick a few years ago. She took a sip of her coffee and savored the sweet roasted taste on her tongue.
Max jumped up next to her and butted her knee a few times, his tail lashing. Elise scratched his ears and smiled at his contented eyes. He closed them completely as his purr rolled through his chest. She leaned to kiss his hard head. “You’re my baby, aren’t you?” she whispered.
Smiling, she lifted the envelope and quickly opened it. Inside was a thin note wrapped around her first paycheck. The note was simple, stating in clear print, No time off. See you tomorrow at noon. One more wedding to go.
She looked at amount of the paycheck and grimaced. Seriously? Was it even worth it? These last few days had been brutal…let alone having to daily face Sonya’s wrath. Sighing, she slid the note back into the envelope. She settled back against the cushions to look out the window with the mug cupped in her hand, relishing the heat that traveled into her fingers.
Better drink it up. Only a few hours until it starts all over again.
Out
of the blue, a feeling of heaviness descended on her. It was frustrating because after all, her life was good. She loved her town, loved her friends. Her cat was the best ever.
But in the midst of everything going on, she wondered what her own legacy would be.
Maybe I’m here just to meet one person. To impact one person’s life, even a stranger.
Max butted her leg again and pulled her from her introspection. She took another sip of her coffee. Girl, maybe you need to get out there and run these feelings off.
Deciding that was the case, she went in search of her tennis shoes. That took a bit, since she hadn’t jogged in over two weeks, but finally they were located under the couch. She sat on the floor and laced them up, relishing the tight grip on her foot. That grip reminded her that somewhere inside of her was a strength. After all, she’d competed in a half-marathon, and that was nothing to sneeze at; especially considering before that training, she’d never exercised a day in her life.
That strength wasn’t something she tapped into often, but it was there when she needed it. A spark.
As she thought about it, she realized the spark had been there other times in her life. Like the night I found out Mark cheated on me. I’d felt so alone. She remembered how she’d reacted, half-screaming, half praying, filled with fear, rejection. Shame that everyone else had known. Out of nowhere, a warmth had come over her and somehow, deep inside her heart, she’d no longer felt alone.
Max joined her and Elise scratched his head. “I guess that’s the reason for the job, lil’ buddy. To keep the both of us fed.” The cat slit his eyes in response and purred.
Ok, shake it off. Can’t stay in this deep spot or it'll suck me down. So in the meantime…
…I’m going to run.
She stood up and stretched, feeling her thigh muscles burn as she slid into a lunge. Then, after a quick search for her keys—in what parallel universe do I live that these suckers keep disappearing from where I know I left them!— she locked the front door. A quick flip on her phone pulled up her play list, then she pushed in her ear buds and started to run.
Her first half mile was slow and easy, feet pounding on the sidewalk. She ignored the barking dogs and the cars that whizzed by. Her steps ate up block after block as she steadily increased her speed. But about half-way through her playlist, her lungs burned and her legs screamed for her to slow down. Give up. You can’t do it.
She clenched her jaw and pushed on farther.
My biggest obstacle is always myself. I wonder if other people have that struggle with themselves, or if it’s just me.
After another twenty minutes she found herself jogging downtown. She passed the bridal shop where she’d watched the jewelry store get burglarized. It made her shiver, which felt weird since she was jogging. All those painters. The people in the diner next door watching from their tables with mouths open wide.
The alley next to Grandstone Jewels caught her attention.
Quickly, she looked both ways and darted across the road.
Elise slowed to a walk in front of Kelli’s Diner with her hands resting on her hips, trying to catch her breath. A couple customers who sat in booths inside the restaurant looked at her curiously through the windows and she smiled.
Just a few more steps led her to the edge of the building where the alleyway between the restaurant and jewelry store began.
What had attracted her here? An alleyway was nothing to run down blindly, especially after some of the characters Elise had seen before roaming the town. But in broad daylight, she felt confident that she was safe enough to at least take a peek. So far, her hunches had never led her astray.
So far….
Light showed at the end of the alley where it connected to the street behind the buildings. Everything looked clear so Elise headed down.
The alley smelled of cat pee and garbage. She made it to the end and looked behind the buildings to Grandstone Jewels. The jewelry store’s back entrance was locked with a steel door. Other than a few cars parked along the side of the street, everything looked empty.
Nothing to see here. I’d say that’s a zero for the hunch. She turned and headed back.
Something sparkled about halfway up the alley, buried amidst beer bottles, wet newspapers, and plastic bags. Elise picked her way toward it trying to avoid the darker, more decomposed and undefinable trash. It sparkled brighter, making her heart speed with excitement.
She leaned over to scoop it up, first needing to give it a shake to remove a dangling piece of yarn.
Something clattered behind her and made Elise jump. She spun around and watched the can roll to a stop. She shivered. Rats, maybe?
Glancing back at the object, she turned it over in her hand. It was the heel from a stiletto, covered in green rhinestones, and ending with a black rubber cap. The top had four holes where it had snapped off the shoe.
Interesting. She tucked it into her hoody pocket and continued on her way back out to the street.
At the corner, she began jogging again. The shoe heel bumped against her hip. What woman, dressed to the hilt, would be down in an alley like that? Or had some poor woman been dragged there?
Reaching for her phone, she thumbed the music louder to wipe out the vision.
Wait, are there scrape marks on it? Something consistent with a violent act? She reached into her pocket and felt the heel. It seemed solid. Even the crystals felt intact, although she’d have to check it closer when she got to Lavina’s house.
Because, really, where else could she go for an expert opinion on the heel?
Maybe someone had a clumsy misstep. That was the only way she could imagine this happening. Just someone running and having an accidental turn of the ankle.
But who would be running down an alleyway?
How long had the heel been there? Even though it had been in the garbage, it was remarkably clean. Was it something the police missed, or had it been left since then? Elise didn’t often wear heels anymore, but even she knew this wasn’t the color of heel that someone would normally wear at night. Black or nude was what was in, not this green iridescent gem.
Is there a club close by? She shook her head. She couldn’t think of one. Just Kelli’s Diner, hardly the place you’d wear a heel like that.
Elise turned down the next street, Adderson Way. Five houses down was Lavina’s gorgeous house with its filigree-edged, wrapped porch. She stopped at the top of the driveway, hands entwined at the back of her neck and her chest heaving for breath.
Lavina’s Camaro was missing.
Are you serious? Is she with Mr. G? She pulled out her phone and quickly texted.
Vi! Where are you?
The response was immediate, like she expected. Lavina never let her down.
At the shop. Why?
Elise rolled her eyes. Of course. Lavina did actually work from time to time, but always without rhyme or reason. She came and went as she pleased. Still, the deli was Lavina’s baby.
Elise texted back—I’ll be right there. I’ve got something to show you.
It’d better be an engagement ring.
Elise nearly choked. Is she crazy?
No! It’s something I found behind Kelli’s Diner.
You better not have stumbled into another mystery. So help me….
Elise grinned as she texted back. Relax, Vi. I found it while jogging. How much trouble could I get into?
Chapter 6
Sweet Sandwiches Deli was just as packed as ever, with the red-headed proprietor slicing ham behind the counter, looking contrary to her glamorous makeup and frilly apron. The scent of pepperoni and creamy cheese filled the air.
“Hi, darlin’,” Lavina called. Several customers turned around to see who she was greeting. “Go on to the back room. I’ll be there in just a second.”
Instead of leaving, Elise watched from the end of the counter. It always tickled her to see Lavina working. She plopped the meat on the scale before wrapping it up in a plastic bag. “You wan
t some cheese with that? I have a fresh loaf of Havarti that came in yesterday. Maybe half-a-pound? It’ll melt in your mouth, it’s so smooth and buttery.” Lavina dragged out the last word and the man’s eyebrows jumped. He nodded as the corner of his lip turned up.
Lavina briskly walked to the cooler and retrieved the half-wheel of white cheese. With a measured eye, she slid a pearl-handled knife through it and then weighed it. “Sliced?” she asked him, her green eyes flashing.
The poor guy was no match for Lavina, and eventually left the deli with another variety of cheese, two containers of Mediterranean olives, and a pound of her best roast beef.
“You’ve got this, Tom?” Lavina checked with her employee. At his nod, she removed her apron and gestured Elise toward the back room. “All right, show me what you’ve got,” she said as she led the way.
Elise followed, her stomach rumbling as she left the lunch meat.
“You hungry?” Lavina asked, smiling at the noise.
“I didn’t think so, but every time I come in here I’m suddenly starving.”
“Tom! Bring back some Italian salami and a few slices of the basil cheese!” Lavina called to the front before leading the way to the break room.
Elise settled down into a chair at the formica table while Lavina fiddled with the single-serve coffee machine. She filled two mugs and carried them over.
“Alright,” Lavina sighed, the kind that expressed the rush of relief of finally being off her feet. “Show me what you have.”
Elise fiddled the heel out of her pocket and placed it on the table. She grabbed her mug and took a sip, peeping at her friend from over the top.
Lavina picked it up and examined the heel. Setting it down, she sent it spinning with one long manicured nail.
“Dolce & Gabbana,” she announced with a raised eyebrow. Tom showed up with a plate of deli food, which he set on the table before hurrying out.