The Rake and the Researcher

by Sara Bourgeois

  We arrived at Stan’s Ice Cream Shop just in time to see a set of county deputies putting Sylvie in handcuffs. “It’s not what you think. The cat’s in the back room. Please take him,” she said.

  “What’s she being arrested for?” Brody asked one of the deputies.

  “That’s none of your concern, sir,” the younger one said to Brody in an excessively surly voice.

  “Rogers, take her out to the car,” the older of the two barked at him. “Mr. O’Malley, she’s being arrested on suspicion of writing bad checks. We’ll have her processed and out on bail by morning.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Brody said and shook the deputy’s hand.

  Sylvie had seemed so sweet and sincere, and yet there was a web of suspicion quickly growing around her. I walked to the back, convinced that just because she might have been a thief, it didn’t mean Sylvie was a murder. I didn’t want to believe that I could have misread someone that badly.

  Sure enough, the back room of the ice cream shop contained my prize. On top of a pile of old boxes was what I could only accurately describe as a giant ball of fluff.

  The big kitty lifted his head and meowed at me before he began to groom his thick yellow fur. “You’re coming with me, big mister,” I said and crossed the room to him.

  As if to ready himself, the cat got up from his reclined position and sat patiently on the box. I picked him up and carried him out through the ice cream shop.

  Without a word, Brody followed me as I walked quickly to the inn. I needed to stow the cat in my room and get to the police station.

  “I’ve never owned a cat, but you can’t put him in your room with no food, water, or a litter box, Lara,” Brody said.

  “I think he’ll be alright for a little while,” I corrected.

  “We don’t know how long we’ll be at the police station. Let’s just stop at the general store after we drop him off in your room. It’s a block over that way,” he said and pointed the opposite direction of the diner. “Unless you’d rather put him at my house,” Brody offered.

  “Absolutely not. You’re not stealing my cat, Brody O’Malley,” I said and realized I’d already started to think of him as mine.

  “Alright, sorry,” Brody said with a chuckle and put his hands up in surrender. “I know what it’s like to need a friend. What are you going to call him?”

  “Hmm. Considering how this day has gone so far, I think that Jinx is appropriate,” I said.

  “That’s an excellent name for a cat.”

  Brody said there was a back door into the Magnolia and Willow, and we were able to smuggle Jinx in without detection. I knew it wouldn’t be long before the housekeeper came in to clean my room and discovered my secret, but for now, it was safe.

  We walked quickly over to the general store, and I found everything I needed for the cat. After that, Brody and I went back to my room and set up our haul. Once Jinx had everything he needed, Brody and I went back to his house and got his car.

  The short drive to the police station was quiet. I wanted to talk to him about everything that had gone wrong, and at the same time, I didn’t. It was soothing sitting there quietly next to him, and I didn’t want to ruin it with accusations and bickering. Even if it was a false sense of security, it was better than feeling like crud.

  Brody parked his Mercedes in the small parking lot and we walked inside. We weren’t holding hands, but somehow, we were walking close enough that we could have been.

  The inside of the police station was like a ghost town. As far as I could tell, the only person there was the bubbly, red-headed receptionist who introduced herself as Clair. She told us to have a seat and she’d try to find someone to speak with us as soon as possible.

  “That’s going to be a while, isn’t it?” I asked.

  “Yeah, sugar. It is. You can leave, and I’ll have someone call you. But, to be honest, the best way to get anyone around here to actually pay attention to you is wait,” she answered sympathetically.

  So Brody and I sat down in the tiny waiting area. The orange, plastic chairs became uncomfortable within minutes. There wasn’t much else in the wood-paneled room. There was a small table with a white plastic top and black metal legs. On top of it was an ancient coffee maker, Styrofoam cups, a container with sugar and sweetener, and a plastic bottle of non-dairy creamer. The coffee looked like it was from early that morning and had already begun to turn to brown sludge. Next to the table sat a watercooler with paper cups.

  About a half hour into our wait, I was raking the toe of my shoe through the stiff, brown carpet on the floor. Clair came in and tutted when she saw the coffee maker.

  “I’m a terrible host,” she said and took the pot away.

  When she returned a few minutes later, it was clean and full of water. I watched her make a fresh pot of coffee and then leave the room again.

  “I should call my father and see if he can get someone to come talk to us. This is ridiculous,” Brody said, and the sound of his voice made me jump because I’d been so spaced out. I could hear the hesitation when he spoke, and it was pretty obvious he didn’t want to talk to the mayor.

  “Only if you want to, or if you think it will do any good,” I responded without any conviction.

  “I don’t,” he said quickly. “I don’t’ want to talk to him, and I certainly don’t want to ask for any favors. But we’re going to be here all day and all night if someone doesn’t do something. I don’t think we’re a priority.”

  We both sat quietly for a few more minutes, and then Brody pulled out his phone. “Here goes nothing.”

  But before he’d finished dialing, two local police officers came through the front door of the station. They stopped to talk to Clair and didn’t notice us at first.

  Clair said something I couldn’t hear and pointed at us. Both of the cops stopped talking for a moment and looked at Brody and me. Then they turned back to each other and had an animated and hushed conversation.

  Eventually, both of them walked away in the opposite direction, and I let out a loud, exasperated sigh. Brody threw his hands up in frustration, and they slapped his thighs as they came down.

  “I’m going to call him. This is ridiculous,” he grumbled.

  “Just give it a few minutes. Maybe they are grabbing a soda or something.”

  A few minutes later, one of them showed up again. “Ma’am, can you come with me please?” I stood up, and Brody did too. “Just the lady,” the officer said.

  “Unless you’re arresting her for something, I’m coming with you,” Brody said in a voice that was not to be argued with.

  “Fine. Whatever. You’re not under arrest.”

  We were escorted out of the waiting area to a sparsely furnished office. Brody and I sat in two slightly less uncomfortable black plastic chairs while the police officer took a seat across the desk.

  “I’m actually here to ask a favor, Ma’am. So please excuse my lack of manners. This is my first homicide, and I’m a bit shaken.”

  “What do you need from me?” I asked.

  “We believe the deceased is Elenore Kazamakis. We can’t locate any next of kin, and we’d appreciate if you could I.D. the body. Our facilities aren’t that great, and we would like to move her remains to the next county. We need you to identify her first,” he said softly.

  I bit my lower lip. I’d known it was probably Ellie, but now I had confirmation. “I will.”

  The officer, whose name I learned was Clement Jenner, led us back to a small, mostly concrete room in the back of the police station. Inside of the chilly room was a single metal table. There was a body covered in a large white sheet on top of it.

  Ellie’s body.

  “I’m sorry that we don’t have any of the fancy viewing equipment they have in the big cities. You’ll have to make an up-close identification, but then we can get your friend over to the medical examiner,” he said and took a step that put him right next to Ellie. Officer Jenner reached out and grasped the top of the
sheet. I could see his hands tremble and I remembered that this was his first time too. “Let me know when you’re ready,” he said in an unsteady voice.

  I took several long, slow breaths. “Okay. I’m ready,” I said, and I felt Brody’s hand rest reassuringly on my shoulder.

  The sheet was peeled back and I looked at Ellie’s face for as long as I could stand. It was her. There was no doubt about that, and there was no hope I’d ever see her alive again.

  It was my fault. If I hadn’t brought her in on this case, she’d still be alive. I vowed right then and there to solve the mystery surrounding the Horowitz estate. If it was worth killing over, then it might have been the most important case of my life. I also resolved to stay in Ash Road until I saw my friend’s murderer brought to justice.

  I needed somewhere a little more long-term to stay.

  Chapter Ten

  Lara

  Back at the bed-and-breakfast, I spoke with Becca about the cat. She said it was okay for a couple of days as long as he didn’t damage anything, but it was evident he wouldn’t be welcome as a long-term guest.

  The only two people I knew in town very well were Brody and Sylvie. Even if Brody offered to let me stay with him, I figured it wouldn’t be a good idea. Living with Sylvie seemed like a mistake too since she might be a criminal.

  I couldn’t go into the records hall and work the next day. I’d decided the night before, while Jinx sat on my lap purring, that I’d go to the hospital and visit Officer Booth. It felt like I needed to do something to solve Ellie’s murder.

  There was no way for me to know if Officer Booth could tell me anything about Ellie’s death. In fact, I didn’t even know if she was awake or still in a coma. It was a chance I was willing to take.

  The next morning, I told Becca that I planned on finding a longer-term housing solution because I couldn’t bear to get rid of the cat. She understood and told me that I could still stop by for breakfast anytime, even after I moved. She also gave me Ellie’s luggage.

  “The police tell me there is no next of kin, so can you take her things?” she asked sadly.

  “Yes. Thank you for cleaning out her room.”

  I took the luggage upstairs and found Ellie’s keys. I figured I’d try not to put too many miles on the Escalade just case there was someone who should inherit the vehicle, and I knew I’d compensate them for the use.

  Breakfast that morning was freshly baked croissants with a spread of bacon, eggs, sausage, and cheese to make sandwiches. There were also crispy pan-roasted potatoes that tasted of rosemary and a hint of pepper. The food definitely lifted my mood. I made a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich—my favorite—and piled my plate high with the tasty home fries.

  “I assume I’ll still be seeing you for breakfast,” Becca said when she wandered over to my table during a slow moment.

  “Only if you let me pay you,” I said and took another bite of my food.

  “That’s not really how we work around here. It’s good enough for me to have someone enjoy my food as much as you do, but I suppose I can let you kick a few dollars my way if it makes you feel better,” she said with a proud smile.

  “Thank you so much for everything,” I said. “Can you point me toward a gas station? I’m going to make the drive to visit Officer Booth,” I said.

  Becca gave me directions to the hospital where Officer Booth was admitted—I learned her name was Amelia—and then quickly put together a bouquet of fresh cut flowers for me to deliver to her hospital room. She also pointed me in the direction of Ash Road’s only gas station.

  After filling up the tank in Ellie’s SUV and buying snacks for the road, I headed out. Once I was far enough out of town, I pulled over at a rest stop and sent Brody a text to let him know I wouldn’t be at work.

  Visiting Amelia Booth at the hospital today. Won’t be at the office.

  I waited a few moments for him to respond.

  I would have come with you.

  At least that time he hadn’t tried to tell me not to go. The truth was that I needed some distance from him. I’d begun to want Brody to be innocent. I spent too much time thinking about being in his arms again. I knew that if I didn’t get my head on straight, I’d subconsciously start looking for reasons why Brody wasn’t guilty. I couldn’t get to the truth if I let my bias get in the way.

  The hospital where Officer Amelia Booth had been admitted was huge. It was lucky that Becca had given me her room number because I doubt I’d have been able to find her without it. Since she was the victim of attempted murder, none of the nurses would have helped me either. They couldn’t even have told me that she was in that hospital, let alone tell me where her room was located. In a small-town hospital I could have wandered around, but not in that place.

  It was chilly in Amelia Booth’s room. She had several blankets pulled up to her shoulders but I could still see all of the tubes and wires running underneath them. I hadn’t met her before she’d been attacked so I had no idea if she looked surprisingly healthy given her condition or not.

  Amelia was pale, but I was relieved to see that she wasn’t hooked up to a ventilator. I told myself that it was good that she was breathing on her own.

  “She’s no longer in a deep coma.” A soft voice from the chair in the corner startled me. I jumped and whirled around on my toes to face whoever had spoken. “Sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  I was face-to-face with an older woman sitting with her ankles crossed and a book on her lap. She had reading glasses pulled down to the tip of her nose. She pushed them up to the top of her head with one hand while putting the book on a side table with the other.

  “Hello,” I said and pressed my palm to my chest as if that gesture could still my enthusiastically-beating heart. “I just thought the room was empty. I mean, other than Officer Booth. You caught me off guard, but I’m sure my heart will stop doing backflips any moment now,” I said with a relieved chuckle.

  Something about the woman’s kind hazel eyes and welcoming smile put me at ease immediately. “Again, I apologize. I wasn’t expecting any other visitors today, and I assure you that I wasn’t sitting here like a troll under a bridge waiting to scare people,” the woman said, and it made me laugh.

  “I’m Lara Tyler,” I said and extended my hand to her.

  Sadness filled her eyes with the realization, and that’s when it hit me that this woman must be from Ash Road. She already knew who I was. “I’m Nora White. I’m so sorry about your friend, and I’m sorry that our introduction has been so full of apologies.” Nora took my hand and shook it for a moment before pulling me into a hug.

  I didn’t normally like it when strangers hugged me, but Nora’s embrace was a welcome respite from the stress I’d felt as of late.

  “Are you related to Amelia?” I asked when we’d parted.

  “Not by blood,” Nora said wistfully. “She was my daughter’s best friend for as long as I can remember. Amelia was at my house all of the time, and even after the girls went to college, she still spent a lot of holidays and vacations with us.”

  “Is your daughter going to visit today? I don’t want to intrude,” I said.

  “My Debbie passed a few years ago. Amelia is practically the only family I have left,” Nora said and took a step closer to the bed.

  “Now I’m sorry,” I said.

  “I just hope that Amelia pulls through.”

  “You said that she’s not in a deep coma anymore?” I asked. “Do you know what that means?”

  “I’m Amelia’s power of attorney when she is not mentally able to make decisions. So the doctors have been keeping me updated on her condition. She was in a lot of trouble when she came in. They thought they’d have to put her on a ventilator, but she’s breathing better on her own. Instead of being in a deep coma, it’s like she’s right there under the surface. The doctor told me it’s so her brain can heal. It’s a good sign.”

  After that, Nora went to the nurse’s station and had th
em bring another chair into the room. We sat quietly for a while. When lunchtime rolled around, my stomach growled audibly.

  “I feel the same way,” Nora said gleefully in response. “The cafeteria here is pretty good. We should go get some lunch.”

  I agreed and we took the elevator down to the first floor. I was stunned when I walked into the hospital cafeteria. It was huge, bright, and reminded me more of a mall food court than something you’d find in a hospital.

  There were several chain restaurants with counters selling their food in addition to a generic grill that served up burgers, sandwiches, and fries. Before you got to the cash registers, there were also several coolers full of cold sandwiches, salads, and desserts. My attention was drawn to a Chinese restaurant and a fried chicken place. It was hard to decide, but I went with the Chinese because I knew I could get fresh fried chicken at the diner in Ash Road. I had no idea when I’d have the chance to have Chinese food again.

  “I’m going to the grill,” Nora said. “I could use a Rueben and some Cajun fries.”

  “Okay, I’m going to get some Mongolian beef,” I said. “I’ll meet you in the seating area?”

  “It’s a date,” Nora said with a wink. “It will be so nice to have a lunch buddy.”

  There were only three people ahead of me in line so I was done collecting my food before Nora made it to the counter to order. “I’m going to go find us a prime spot,” I said, and I hoped that there’d be a table near the floor to ceiling windows I’d seen when we came in.

  “Sounds good,” she said and then it was her turn.

  I lucked out, and there was one table left in front of the windows. It was perfect because there was a view of the lawn and pond outside, but there wasn’t too much sun.

  Nora joined me a few minutes later. I was hungrier than I’d thought and I wolfed down my food. I barely took a breath between bites, so that limited our conversation. Nora did glance at me occasionally, and I couldn’t tell if she was horrified or impressed.

  “I’m not sure how long I can stay after lunch,” I said after looking at the time on my phone. “In addition to work and Ellie and Amelia’s attack, I’ve found myself in possession of an orphan cat. I’ve been staying at the Magnolia and Willow Inn, but I need to find somewhere else. Becca said I could keep the cat there for a short time, but I’m nervous about securing longer-term housing.”