Janet McNulty - Mellow Summers 01 - Sugar And Spice and Not So Nice

by Janet McNulty

  I thanked my boss and grabbed my things. Greg met me outside, holding all the stuff that Tiny and his friends had bought. “What…” I began.

  “Tiny gave me all this and told me to take you out for a very romantic evening,” said Greg, answering my unspoken question.

  The roar of motorcycles grabbed my attention. I glanced over and saw Tiny and his pals. He winked at me as they rode down the street.

  “Of all the people to make friends with,” said Greg, “you just had to befriend the only biker gang in this town.”

  “I didn’t mean to,” I said, weakly.

  “Don’t sweat it,” replied Greg. “It could prove useful.”

  I kissed Greg good-bye and told him I‘d meet up with him later. I decided to grab my camcorder from my car and go back to the college. I had a video assignment to do and wanted to get some filming in. My topic: college student life.

  I stood just outside the student center with my camera going. After interviewing a bunch of other people eating their lunch, or just relaxing, I figured I had enough to do something with it. I knew this wasn’t Oscar winning material, but it would do for my class assignment. I just hoped that Professor Vincent would forget about the incident in the computer lab.

  And speaking of Professor Vincent, I noticed him pop up on the LCD screen of my camera. Curiosity got the better of me. I zoomed in. He fidgeted as he stood in a secluded corner. His manner told me that something wasn’t right. He clearly did not want to be seen, or bothered, and he was obviously waiting for someone.

  Detective Reiss walked into my screen. Intrigued, I zoomed in even more. What were they up to? The two talked a bit and then exchanged brown packages. I had watched enough CSI and detective shows to know that this couldn’t be good. I continued filming their exchange. It only lasted a couple of minutes before both parted and went separate ways. Odd, I thought.

  My gut told me that they were up to no good. I pulled out my cell and called Greg. He answered on the first ring. “Greg,” I said, “I need you to distract Professor Vincent.”

  “What?”

  “I just filmed him and that Detective Reiss exchange something. Vincent is headed back to his office now. I need you to get him out of it so I can search it.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “Do you want to know what he’s up to or not?”

  “Okay, okay,” relented Greg. “Give me a moment.”

  I dashed into the building that housed all of the teacher’s offices. Thankfully, there was a ladies’ room right outside Professor Vincent’s office. I waited near there. Greg showed up a few minutes later.

  “You want to tell me what this is about?” he asked.

  “Haven’t time,” I replied. “I just witnessed him and Reiss exchange packages. Vincent took it into his office just now. If I can get a look at it, we might be able to find out what those two are doing.”

  Greg sighed, but agreed that it might work. He went into Vincent’s office. I listened just outside the door as the two talked. Greg pretended to have a problem with the assignment and wanted Vincent to follow him outside. Despite his pleas, the professor refused to bite. Frustrated, I knew that if he didn’t leave the office soon, I would miss my window of opportunity. I spotted a fire alarm and figured it was now or never. I pulled it and ran to the ladies’ room.

  Instantly, the hall filled with people evacuating their offices and heading for the exit. I peeked out the door, waiting for the hallway to empty. I watched as Professor Vincent and Greg left.

  I slipped out and pretended to go with the crowd, hanging back a bit. When I reached the office door, I took a quick survey to make certain no one saw me. The door was unlocked. I snuck in, closing it behind me. I only had minutes and headed straight for the desk.

  Drawers opened and closed as I searched for the package. I hoped he didn’t have time to hide it someplace. I found a drawer that refused to budge. Locked. It had to be the one. Sirens echoed in the distance coming nearer. I gritted my teeth and ripped a bobby pin from my hair. I silently thanked Jackie for teaching me how to pick a lock as I put the pin in the key hole. Click. I pulled the drawer out.

  Within sat bags of white powdery stuff. I knew they had to be drugs. I found the brown package he had carried earlier. Quickly, I opened it to reveal more. I opened one and tasted it. Drugs all right.

  The sirens stopped right outside the building. Shoot! I took out my camera and turned it on. Hurriedly, I snapped pictures of the stuff and slammed the drawer shut. I ran out of the office. Heavy boots sounded in the stairwell. I darted into the ladies’ room again. They searched the offices at the far end first. When no one was looking, I seized my chance and dashed to the other exit, hoping no one was there. I ran down the stairs and out the door into the sunlight, slipping in among those gathered around the scene.

  I pretended to be just as curious as everyone else as the firemen did their job. After a few minutes, the fire chief declared it a false alarm and allowed people to go back inside. I followed the rest of the crowd as it dispersed, staying clear of Professor Vincent. I went back to the student center and found Greg waiting for me.

  “Did you get it?” he asked.

  I pulled out my camera and showed him the pictures I took.

  “This is great,” said Greg. “Now we can take it to the cops.”

  “And say what, exactly? That I broke into his office and illegally got this? I want more evidence. So far, all I’ve got is assumptions and circumstantial stuff.”

  “You sound like a regular lawyer,” said Greg.

  “Think about it,” I said. “We may be able to get Vincent on possession of drugs, but Reiss can still deny everything. He can claim anything was in that bag. Besides, I want them for Rachel’s murder.”

  “You’re taking this personally,” said Greg.

  “Well, yeah,” I replied. “They got away with two deaths.”

  Greg put his hand on my shoulder. “You are a unique person,” he said. “Just don’t do anything to get yourself killed.”

  I kissed him good-bye and ran off. The drive back home was quick and uneventful. I dumped my stuff on the couch when I got back in the apartment. Putting my sleuthing on hold, I settled down to do my homework.

  The homework went rather quickly, despite being boring. A few essays to write, one film edited. I especially took out the bit with Reiss and Vincent. except, this time, I made a backup copy of it. It was dark by the time I finished my schoolwork.

  I stretched my muscles. At least now I’d have the weekend to relax. Jackie and I managed to get the entire weekend off. She walked through the door moments later.

  “Where were you?” I asked her.

  “Oh, here and there,” she said. “I decided to go for a bit of a drive and explore the surrounding area. How was your day?”

  I reiterated my capturing of Reiss and Vincent on my camera. Jackie gasped when I told her about sneaking into Professor Vincent’s office and what I found. “We need to find what that Detective Reiss is up to,” I said.

  “I guess we could follow him,” said Jackie.

  “That’s an idea.”

  “Hey,” said Jackie, “I just remembered. Tomorrow the police station is having an open house. They didn’t call it that, but as part of their public relations they are doing tours. We could go and somehow slip away.”

  I smiled at Jackie. “Look at you. You’re turning into a regular Nancy Drew. But how are we going to sneak around without getting caught?”

  “Your boyfriend has a cousin that works there,” replied Jackie.

  I had to hand it to her. She did think this out. Maybe it would work.

  Chapter 9

  The next morning we went straight down to the police station for the public tours. Greg told us that he had talked to Jack. Jack agreed to meet us down there. Greg had wanted to come, but I turned him down. Jackie and I together would have enough difficulty sneaking around. A third person would be even more conspicuous.

  A huge
crowd had gathered for the tours. Secretly, I was pleased. The more people, the better we can slip away. We got in line and waited our turn to be allowed in. It finally came. We found ourselves bustled in with a group of people. A nice young lady in a black skirt suit led us into the main lobby. “Here is where members of the public enter and wait to speak with the next available officer,” she said. I ignored her.

  “Look around for Jack,” I said.

  “We don’t even know what he looks like,” said Jackie.

  She was right. We hadn’t thought about that part of the plan. We hung toward the back of the crowd, hoping that Jack would find us. A hand grasped my and Jackie’s shoulders. We turned around to be met by a man putting a finger over his mouth, signaling silence. He pulled us around a corner and away from the rest of the crowd.

  “Jack,” I said.

  He nodded. Jack wore black rimmed glasses and had on slacks and a button up shirt. “I hope you two know what you’re doing,” he said.

  “Just take us to where Detective Reiss is,” I told him.

  “All right,” Jack replied, “but be careful. They found out about my hacking into that file. They don’t know it’s me, but everyone is on high alert.”

  Jack led us through the building on many twists and turns. I quickly became confused. I hoped I wasn’t going to have to try and find a way out. Jack took us to a secluded part of the building. “Here,” he said. “Reiss’ office is here. Just don’t get caught.”

  A noise sounded in the distance. Jack ran off to check it out, muttering something about staying put. Jackie and I didn’t listen. I watched Detective Reiss, intently. He fiddled around in his office. Someone ran in, gave him a message, and left. Reiss glanced at the piece of paper, crumpled it, and put it in the garbage. He left his office.

  I motioned to Jackie to follow. We tip toed down the hall after Reiss, trying our best to be quiet. We stayed a distance away so as not to attract attention. We squeezed against a wall in the shadows when he turned around. He didn’t want to be followed.

  Jackie and I continued after him. He went down some stairs and into the basement. We went after him. He passed through another door and I caught it before it could close. Jackie and I slipped through. I pulled her behind some crates. Reiss stopped at a desk. He talked with the guy behind the counter, but I couldn’t hear what he said.

  The guy behind the counter pressed a buzzer, allowing Reiss through. He went in. Jackie and I waited. Neither of us talked for fear of giving ourselves away. After a couple of minutes, Reiss came out the door, holding something. I noticed he shoved it in his pockets when the guy at the counter looked at him. He filled out some form and then headed back to the door.

  I bolted for the door and once again caught it before it closed. Jackie and I stepped into the stairwell. Reiss had already made it to the first floor. Jackie and I trailed after him. We took the stairs two at a time, being careful not to make any noise. We went through the door only pausing long enough to check that we hadn’t been noticed.

  Reiss was nowhere to be seen. “Where’d he go?” I whispered.

  Jackie shrugged her shoulder in response.

  I motioned for Jackie to follow. We crept through the hallway. I searched in rooms, but found no sign of Detective Reiss. My mind raced, trying to discover what happened to him and wondering if we should go back to the lobby. I had almost reached a decision when—

  “What are you doing here,” demanded a gruff voice.

  Jackie and I whirled around. Detective Reiss stood before me and he looked angry. I immediately disliked the guy.

  “We were on the tour,” I began, “and we got lost searching for the restroom.”

  “Why were you following me?”

  My heart skipped a beat. I pinched Jackie to remind her to stay silent. I hoped he didn’t see me. “Following you?” I tried to sound incredulous, hoping my voice didn’t give away the truth. “We were not following you.”

  “Really,” growled Detective Reiss.

  I had the sudden impulse to run. Only my resolve kept me from acting on it.

  “There you two are.” Jack marched down the corridor towards us. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you two. Don’t you know you are supposed to stay near the tour group and not wander? Come with me.”

  “These two are with you?” asked Detective Reiss.

  “Of course they are,” replied Jack. “I’ve been searching for them everywhere.”

  The expression on Reiss’ face told me he didn’t buy it.

  “I apologize if they caused you any inconvenience, Detective,” said Jack. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a tour to run.” He motioned for us to follow. Jackie and I didn’t argue, grateful to be out of there.

  “What did you two think you were doing?” hissed Jack. “You should have waited for me.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, “but you disappeared and I didn’t want to lose a chance to follow Detective Reiss.”

  “What did you find out?” asked Jack.

  “He went to the basement,” said Jackie, “and took something from there.”

  “The evidence locker is down there,” said Jack. “We’ve had problems of things missing from there. And it’s strange that Reiss would be down there since he hasn’t arrested anyone lately.”

  “Do you think he’s stealing from the evidence locker?” I asked.

  “That’s quite an accusation,” said Jack, “but I guess it’s possible.”

  We had reached the entrance to the building. I thanked Jack and we left. Jackie and I went back to our apartment. We had nothing else to do that day and I wanted to get ahead on my school work.

  Rachel popped in as had become her habit. “Vincent doesn’t do much that can be considered illegal,” she said. “He hits on just about every young female he finds, but otherwise, he didn’t do anything worth calling the cops.”

  “I found some drugs in his office,” I said.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, but I want to get him and that detective on more than just possession.”

  “That detective likes to frequent a place on the outskirts of town,” said Rachel. “It’s called Sal’s. It’s a strip joint.”

  “I guess I know where I’m going tonight,” I said, “When does he go there?”

  “About every night at midnight,” said Rachel.

  Chapter 10

  I dressed in a rather revealing outfit for my trip to Sal’s. I had to borrow some of Jackie’s clothes. It was a good thing we wore the same size. According to Rachel, you got into Sal’s if you showed a little skin. Despite my discomfort, I justified that it was necessary to find out what Reiss was up to.

  I was at Sal’s within the hour. It was about fifteen miles outside of town. A perfect place for a bar that offered exotic dancing. I parked the car and got out.

  The man at the door took one look at me and let me in. I flirted a bit with him like the other girls did. Blend in, I told myself. Once again, loud music bombarded me. I hated loud music. I wandered around the place. Women danced on the stage around poles. They wore enough to barely cover the essentials.

  The full service section seemed to be in the back, which was guarded by a couple of muscular bouncers. I had no desire to get on a first name basis with them. The bartender bustled about the bar, filling orders. Men and women filled the place. I guess some people didn’t care where they got drunk.

  I walked over to the bar and ordered a Morgan Coke. Everyone else had a drink; I figured I should too to avoid arousing suspicion. I accepted the drink graciously and continued my wandering. No sign of Detective Reiss. I glanced at my watch. Half past midnight. According to Rachel, he should have been here for half an hour already.

  “Where is he?” I asked Rachel.

  “I don’t know. He should be here,” said Rachel.

  We split up. Rachel searched the VIP section, while I meandered around the main floor. Still no sign of him.

  “Hey!” yelled Rachel, getting my att
ention. She waved me over. “He’s in here.”

  I peeked through the curtain she held out. Detective Reiss sat in the room on a cushy chair. His unbuttoned shirt showed off his hairy chest. He seemed to be enjoying the pleasure of the woman giving him a lap dance. “Nice to know what those who swear to protect and serve do in their down time,” I whispered.

  “Yeah, he’s really broken up,” said Rachel.

  I spotted an untouched shot of tequila. “Distract the bouncer,” I told Rachel. She vanished. I peered over at the bouncer who suddenly seemed be bothered by an unseen assailant. Chuckling to myself, I drank the tequila and stumbled into the private room.

  I tripped over my own feet and wobbled, pretending to be drunk. “What’s all the fuss in here?” I slurred. I hoped my performance was convincing.

  Everyone stared at me. I stumbled around some more until I practically fell into Reiss’ lap. “I know you,” I said. “You’re that guy that handled that dead girl’s murder.”

  “Someone get rid of her please,” said Detective Reiss.

  “Yeah, it was you all right,” I continued. “Some think you didn’t handle it right, but that’s not true is it?” I leaned in close, letting my alcohol breath overwhelm him. “It’s good to know you’re doing so well. especially since, you’re the one that killed Rachel.”

  Detective Reiss stared at me. I studied his features for any sign of recognition at her name. His brow flickered for just a moment before he controlled himself. “I think you’ve had too much to drink,” he said.

  “That I have,” I blurted. “You think you got away with it, but it’s only a matter of time until some piece of evidence shows up. He killed her!” I twirled in a circle to make my drunk act appear complete. In hindsight, I might have overdone it. I also hadn’t thought it all the way through.

  Detective Reiss stood up and approached me. Instantly, I knew I had to get out of there. I edged toward the exit.

  “What’s your hurry?” said Reiss. “You look like a reasonable girl. And the fun is just starting.” His eyes wandered up and down my body. I knew he undressed me with them. I inched closer to the exit.