by Deany Ray
I smiled. “We'll be glad to have you.”
She took my hand and patted my back as she said goodbye.
“Isn’t she the sweetest person ever?” Rosalie asked.
“Yes, she really is sweet.”
“And she did a great job helping us out. Maybe we could get her on board with the whole Cagney and Lacey thing.” Rosalie’s eyes beamed.
“There were two people on that show, not three.”
“Then we could be Charlie’s Angels.”
Good grief. I had a vision of Mrs. Archer jumping off roofs and doing karate moves in a pastel skirt suit and patent leather flats. I held my fingers to my temples to get the image out of my head.
“You’re picturing it, aren’t you?” Rosalie grinned.
“Yeah. Thanks for that.”
“Anytime, hon.” Then we burst into laughter.
As we left the bank, we wondered what our newest clue could mean. Whoever had demanded money from Mr. Haggerty knew something that the victim wanted to hide. But what? We’d made some progress but not enough. Meanwhile, Houston would be back the next day and I dreaded him finding out that we hadn’t butted out after all.
“Okay, so that was productive,” Rosalie said. “And now I need to go shopping. I've got to find a killer outfit for my date with Dwight tomorrow night. I still can’t find my pink dress. Oh, I have an idea! Why don’t you and Houston come? When’s he coming back?”
“Actually, he’s coming back tomorrow,” I told her.
“That’s perfect!”
I shook my head. “I don't know. Why don't you just go out with Dwight? You really seem to like him.”
With everything going on, the thought of going out with Houston and a policeman didn’t sit well with me.
“Please?” Rosalie begged. “I'd really love it if you and Houston would make it a double date.”
I looked her in the eye. “Fine,” I said. “We'll come.”
“Oh thank you!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.
Driving back to the café, I passed the bay and admired the bright, blue sky and the sunshine reflecting on the water. I watched a few sunbathers and realized how long it had been since I had enjoyed a summer day out in the world, or even hung out on that small beach in Ouna Bay. I had managed to take just one week of vacation per year while Maia ran the café. Now, driving with my car windows down through the warm June air, I longed for time off with nothing to do but relax. Being an amateur sleuth had certainly worn me out. I didn’t understand how Rosalie could take the whole thing so lightly. I myself felt like a big rock was weighing on my shoulders.
When I arrived at the café, Maia welcomed me back.
“How did everything go?” I asked.
“It wasn't too busy, so I could handle everything fine,” she said.
I nodded, feeling grateful. The rest of the day went by quickly and Maia left at about five. I served customers by myself until seven when I was ready to close.
As the last of the customers left, I turned the "open" sign to "closed" and began to clean up. I wiped the tables and filled the sugar shakers, then suddenly I stopped. I really missed Houston. I missed him coming in every day, sitting at his favorite chair at the counter, ordering coffee and muffins and talking to me about his day and the new kinds of cakes I planned to bake. It was nothing special, just a comforting kind of ritual that I’d come to treasure.
“Snap out of it, Becky,” I told myself. “It’s only been a couple of days. And he will be back tomorrow.”
The phone rang and pulled me back to reality. It was Rosalie reporting that she’d found a dress that was even cuter than the one she’d lost. Talk turned to the murder.
“What do you think about Ms. Landry?” I asked.
Rosalie sighed. “I don't know, hon. Although she could work on her people skills, I just can’t picture her murdering Mr. Haggerty.”
“I know what you mean,” I said. “But what if she was lying about what she was doing in his office?”
“It's possible,” Rosalie replied. “Maybe she was the one blackmailing him and she was only in his office trying to cover up her tracks.”
“And what about Mrs. Haggerty? She could have been jealous because of the time Mr. Haggerty and Ms. Landry were spending together. Especially if she thought that they were having an affair,” I said.
“No way,” Rosalie chuckled. “Trust me, if he had an affair with someone, she would have to be a hot, young thing.”
“I’m glad you know so much about it.”
“Hey, I watch a lot of TV. And that’s how it always happens,” Rosalie said.
“Is this what you’re basing your theories on? Movies on TV?” I asked.
“It reflects life, duh,” Rosalie answered.
“Fine. What about Doug Nelson, the executive administrator? He clearly has access to Mr. Haggerty's office,” I said, resting my back against the counter.
“I don’t know. Could be. God, this detective work is harder than I thought.” I could hear Rosalie exhale.
“Well, we've been to the bank twice now, we’ve talked to Mrs. Haggerty, and we've talked to Ms. Landry too. I don't know what else there is to do. I really don't want to repeat the hiding-under-the-desk experience,” I told her.
I was so caught up in the conversation that I didn’t hear the door opening. A deep voice asked, “You did what?”
I jumped and turned to see Houston standing in the middle of the café.
Chapter Nine
I froze and watched as he placed his travel bag onto the floor. The look on his face was a combination of confusion and disbelief.
“I was able to get away today and I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well hi,” I said slowly. “Rosalie, I’m gonna have to call you back.” I hung up and took a few steps towards Houston.
“What’s going on, Becky?” he asked. “Why were you talking to all those people? And, most especially, where and why were you hiding under a desk?”
I sighed, knowing it was time to confess. And suddenly I asked myself why was I so afraid of telling him in the first place. I’ve never been a woman who had to explain herself to a man. Yet the secret had left me feeling restless. I realized it was his disappointment and disapproval I wanted to avoid but it seemed so silly to me now to hide what I’d been doing. I liked Houston a lot, and I really mean a lot, and he was just going to have to accept my decisions because they were mine to make. I stood up straight with my chin up and looked directly at him.
“It all started with Rosalie and the check, as you already know,” I told him. “I know you didn’t want me to snoop around, but I did it anyhow and I’m sorry I haven’t told you. It started with a visit to Mrs. Haggerty and then we kind of got carried away. Rosalie is having the time of her life and dreaming about a new career as a detective. I just couldn’t back out. And once it looked like she was a person of interest, we felt more compelled than ever to find out what was going on.”
“Wait,” he said, holding up his hand to stop me. “You're telling me Rosalie’s a suspect?”
“Oh right. You don't know that part. It turns out that her fingerprints were on the murder weapon – an envelope opener that all of the employees used. So the police were starting to suspect her. Anyway, we felt like we had to clear her name. Now we're in too deep to stop.”
“Wow,” Houston said, rubbing a hand over his face.
“I know.” I nodded. “There's just something we must be missing. I just can't figure out what it is. And I don’t think the police can either.”
The look on Houston's face was intense. He was focused on what I was telling him and I could tell he didn’t like it. While he processed everything, I grabbed him a cup of coffee.
After he took a sip, he looked me in the eye. “Becky, I appreciate you telling me the truth. I wouldn’t want you to feel you have to hide things from me. And I respect your decisions even if I don’t agree with them. But you also have to understand that
I love you and I don’t want you to get hurt and I…”
“What did you say?” I asked and I could feel my eyes popping out.
Houston gave me one of his gorgeous smiles and took me in his arms.
“I said I respect your decisions,” he said.
“No, after that.” My heart rate was over the roof.
“The love part?” he asked, looking sheepish.
Knees melting again.
“Yeah, the love part. Houston, I love you too…” But I didn’t get to finish the sentence because he planted his lips on mine.
Two minutes later, I collected myself.
“Well, I’m glad we straightened that out.” I smiled.
“Look, you know my opinion about this mess. I absolutely do not think it’s okay what you and Rosalie are doing. I can’t say this enough, but you should realize that you're dealing with a murderer and placing your lives in danger. If Rosalie is innocent, which I am absolutely sure she is, the evidence will eventually point to that. I so wish I could convince you to leave the detective work to the police.”
“Aren't there cases where even the innocent are convicted for felonies they didn't do?” I asked him, placing a hand on my hip.
Houston shook his head and looked puzzled. “I don't know how to answer that.”
“Because there are cases where innocent people do get convicted,” I pointed out.
He sighed. “I don't want to talk about this anymore. What I would like is to spend a quiet evening with my girlfriend.”
I nodded my agreement. “Let’s forget the whole thing for tonight. What would you like to do?”
“Is it cool if we just go back to your place? Maybe order dinner in?” he asked. “I’m pretty much exhausted.”
"That sounds great,” I said. “You can tell me about your trip." I started to clean up so I could close. “By the way, tomorrow we’ve got a double date with Rosalie and a policeman. Well, not a policeman really. More of an assistant to the police.”
***
Houston and I drove to Bard's Bar and Grill the next night at nine o'clock. We found Rosalie and Dwight waiting for us in front. The day at the café had been busy and I was looking forward to a relaxing night.
“So this is the guy Rosalie met at the police station?” Houston asked.
“Yep. Rosalie can find a date in the most unlikely places.” I smiled.
“Apparently so. This would make a good story if they ever have kids,” he teased.
I shot him a look and rolled my eyes.
As we reached Rosalie and Dwight, he held out his hand to Dwight. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I'm Houston.”
“Pleasure's mine. I'm Dwight. And you must be Becky?” he asked, turning to me.
I nodded, accepting his hand. “Yes, official best friend.” He laughed at my joke and pulled his hand away.
“Shall we?” he motioned to the door and Houston held it open so that we could all go in.
We found a table and took our seats. Pop-rock music played quietly. The bar was just moderately full.
“Well isn’t this nice?” Rosalie asked, full of excitement.
“Sure is,” Dwight said, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Got my cute girl beside me and my cold beer on the table.” His cheeks went from pink to bright red.
I’d filled Rosalie in on the phone about what had happened after Houston overheard our conversation. I’d begged her not to make it a topic of discussion on our double date. Besides, I assumed that she hadn’t told everything to Dwight. However, she had news to report.
“The police department called me today and told me that they verified my story about the envelope opener,” she said, clapping her hands.
“That's great!” I said. “So you're off the hook?”
Rosalie shrugged, “Sort of. They told me I still shouldn't leave town as a security measure, but at least they know I wasn't lying. God, this feels so liberating!”
“That's good to hear,” Dwight said with a smile plastered to his face. “I'm glad you won't be arrested. That would have made it much harder to date you.”
We all burst into laughter. Dwight was a goofy man, but he was certainly very sweet.
“Aw, shucks,” Rosalie said. They bumped their noses together and began to rub them back and forth. Houston and I stared at them in horror and I could see that Houston could barely hold his laughter in.
After the nose bumping and kissy sounds, Dwight softly patted her on the back of the head, causing her to back away.
“Ouch! I still have a bump on my head from jumping under Mr. Haggerty's desk,” she said, rubbing the place where it hurt.
I quickly looked at Houston and saw that his eyes were as wide as mine. How on earth could she say that in front of Dwight?
After a second she noticed our traumatized looks.
“Oh, it's okay. He knows that we snooped around in Mr. Haggerty's office. He's not going to say anything to his bosses. Are you, my littlou sweetou macaroo?” Rosalie was talking baby talk. I had seen it all.
Dwight's face broke into a smile. “She's right. I'm not going to rat on my girl.”
Then they bumped noses again.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I whispered to Houston.
“I think it’s entertaining,” he said with a grin.
I felt relieved that Dwight seemed to be a trusting guy who cared about Rosalie, but I was worried that such a goofy man might let the information slip.
“I guess it's good that all you got was a bump,” Houston said. “And not arrested for breaking and entering.”
Rosalie nodded. “You're right, even though it was technically only entering. There was no breaking.” She winked at me.
Then Dwight asked the question that neither of us had considered. “How come you were able to just walk into Haggerty's office? I mean, don't banks have surveillance systems that detect movement and things like that?” He took a sip of his beer and waived the waitress for another round.
The rest of us stared, astonished that Dwight, of all people, had thought of something we’d missed. I guessed we would have to come up with something if the police ever watched the tape. Rosalie kissed him on the cheek and asked if he’d always been so clever and shouldn’t they make him a police captain.
Suddenly, it hit me. I knew what Mr. Haggerty had been trying to write on Rosalie's check!
Chapter Ten
I had been just about to take a drink, but stopped with it halfway to my mouth.
“Is everything okay?” Houston asked, giving me a concerned look.
My mind was racing but I replied, “Yeah. Everything's fine.”
We all talked for a while longer and witnessed some more love manifestations until we realized how late it was. Houston, Dwight, and I needed to work the next day so we all agreed to call it a night except for Rosalie who wanted to stay out longer.
On our way out of the bar, Dwight and Houston walked a couple of feet ahead, talking to each other. I slowed and took hold of Rosalie's arm. “Do you have time to go to the bank with me again tomorrow morning?” I asked her in a low voice.
“What? Why?” she whispered back.
I shook my head. “I don't have time to explain.”
“Okay,” she replied. “Sounds like it's something exciting. I'll meet you there before you open the café.”
The men turned to us at that moment and Houston held out his hand for mine. After saying our goodbyes, Rosalie and Dwight climbed into his car and they drove away. Houston held the passenger door open for me, allowing me to sit before he walked around and got into the driver's seat. The perfect gentleman.
We drove to my house, talking about the evening and what we thought about Dwight. Houston, like me, was worried that Dwight might tell the things he knew about me and Rosalie. But we tried not to worry, because what could we do?
We were both tired, so we went straight to bed but I found it difficult to sleep. My mind was racing with speculation about who the murderer
might be. Was I right about what Mr. Haggerty had written on the check? I was anxious to find out. I wanted to wait and be sure before I told my idea to Houston.
***
Friday morning, I climbed out of bed earlier than normal and got ready for the day. Houston was still asleep by the time I was ready to leave, which I was grateful for. I didn't want to have to explain why I was leaving so early. I watched him sleeping for a couple of beats and realized once again how beautiful he was. His hair was a little messy and he slept with one arm under the pillow and he was cute all around.
As agreed upon, I drove to the bank and met Rosalie in front.
“Okay, now can you tell me why we’re here?” she asked. “This will be our third time. They’re probably gonna get suspicious. And I’m telling you, I don’t wanna go to the police station again. No thank you.”
I turned to Rosalie and looked her straight in the eyes.
“Last night when Dwight asked about the bank's surveillance systems, I finally understood," I told her. "I made the connection between the motion sensors Mr. Haggerty ordered and the message he tried to write on your check. He wrote 'Take the…' and the first letter of the last word was smudgy. It was either a 'g' or an 'o' or something. And now I think it was a 'c'. Which stands for 'camera'. The message he was trying to write on your check had to have been 'Take the camera.' He must have had a camera installed somewhere that starts recording when it senses movement. He wouldn't have tried to write a message in the last seconds of his life unless he knew it was important. My guess is that he installed the camera in his office. If we find the camera, we find the killer.”
As I spoke, Rosalie had listened intensely. Her eyes grew wide and wider as she realized that we were on to something.
“Oh my gosh!” she said, stunned. “You are so one of Charlie’s Angels!”
“Good grief, that’s not what this is about.”
“I know, I know, but still. So how come you didn't say any of this last night?”