by Cindy Bell
As she headed for John's bedroom she felt the thick carpet beneath her shoes. He took a lot of care in his home, but probably didn't have enough money to paint the outside. In the bedroom things were just as neat, with no sign of a girlfriend or significant other. In fact there were no pictures on the walls of any family members or loved ones. She thought this was a little odd, but men and women could be different that way. Perhaps he just wasn't the sentimental type. She noticed that his dresser was the only slightly messy area. Here there was a pile of coins, a few extra ties strewn across the blonde wood, and some receipts and old lottery tickets.
Nothing that alerted Bekki to anything she should be suspicious about. It wasn't until she found a note jotted down on a notepad that she took notice. It seemed to be a list. Each item on the list was underlined, but none were checked off. The first item on the list was, paint the front of the house. The next item on the list was, help Ms. Martin with her bills and get her an in-home caregiver. The third item on the list was to set up a program for the city to utilize foreclosed homes for abuse shelters and homeless shelters. Every item on the list was thoughtful and generous.
Bekki assumed that Ms. Martin needed his help sorting out and paying her bills each month, and that he was trying to get her qualified for in-home care. He must have also been hoping to convince the mayor to back a program to refurbish the vacant homes in the area. It was sweet, and proved that John was the good guy that she thought he was, but it didn't provide her with any evidence that she could use. She needed something to prove that either Larry had a motive to kill John, or John had no intention of robbing the cleaners. As she pulled open drawers and peeked under furniture she didn't even find a stray dust bunny.
Feeling discouraged she walked back towards the front door of the house. Just as she was headed that way she noticed a shadow fall across the front window. She froze as she watched the door knob on the front door begin to turn. With her heart pounding Bekki glanced around the house trying to decide if she should hide, or come up with an excuse for being there. If she hid and she was caught it would look pretty bad. The door started to swing open so Bekki laid the mail down on the kitchen counter and ducked down behind a large cabinet. She held her breath as she hoped that the person who was walking into the house wasn't planning to stay long.
“It shouldn't have been unlocked,” she recognized Morris' voice. “That's a little strange. Let me check things out, Sammy,” he said quickly. Bekki was somewhat relieved to know that it was Morris and Sammy, but if Morris found her it still meant he'd tell Nick she had broken in. Morris didn’t see Bekki and when he returned to the living room he and Sammy were talking quietly.
“I just thought if I could find something, someone's phone number,” Sammy sighed. “He was such a nice man, he shouldn't be buried with no one there. I still feel like this is all my fault.”
“How could it be your fault that someone tried to rob a store?” Morris asked sternly.
“You know that I don’t think John robbed that place,” Sammy said with a huff. “If he hadn't been trying to pick up his jacket, I'm sure none of this would have happened.”
“Even if that is the case Sammy, it's still not your fault,” he assured her. “And from the research I've done on his background John really didn't have any family to speak of. His parents have already passed, and he didn't have any siblings, no cousins that I could find.”
“That's so sad,” Sammy sighed. “I guess it'll just have to be a small funeral.”
“I guess so,” Morris nodded. Bekki held her breath as she waited for them to leave the house. As they did, she too felt terrible that John's funeral would barely be a service. Her body shifted and her purse which was wedged between her stomach and her thigh tipped over. Her mascara and lipstick spilled right out of it, and landed with a clatter on the floor. Bekki winced as she wondered if she would be caught, but the door clicked closed at the same moment the makeup dropped. With a sigh of relief she crouched down further and fished her makeup out from behind the large cabinet.
As Bekki was starting to stand up she noticed something wedged behind the cabinet. Bekki narrowed her eyes as she peered closely at it. It looked as if it was an envelope, a bit larger than the average size. She tugged it out from behind the cabinet. It wasn't sealed, it opened easily. Bekki reached in and pulled out the thick stack of papers inside. There were several medical bills, all addressed to Ms. Martin, and many marked as paid. Bekki gasped as she realized that John had actually been paying Ms. Martin's medical bills. He probably hid the envelope in a rush when his neighbor stopped over to see him. The very last piece of paper in the stack wasn't a bill. It was a truncated version of a will declaring his intentions if he should pass. Bekki shivered a little at the sight of it. Had John thought he was going to get killed? Or perhaps he had simply been aware of his own mortality because of his parents passing early in life. She frowned and tucked the papers back inside the envelope. She hesitated a moment trying to decide if she should take it with her or put it back. She was worried that if she tucked it back behind the cabinet, it might never be found. Instead she put it in the pile of bills on the table.
Bekki peeked out the front window of the house to make sure that there was no sign of Morris and Sammy out front. Then very carefully she opened the front door. As she stepped out onto the cement porch she was glad that she had decided not to park her car in the driveway. As she walked towards it, she mulled over what she had discovered in the house. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing, she surmised. Perhaps John's money problems had more to do with paying Ms. Martin's medical bills than paying his own bills. If that was the case, unfortunately, it was only more evidence supporting the idea that John was desperate for money. She was almost afraid to dig any deeper, as so far it was not supporting her belief that John was innocent.
Chapter Five
The next day Larry's Cleaners opened back up. Bekki was walking past it to Angela's bakery when she noticed Larry standing in the window. He was staring out at the street. She met his eyes through the glass and felt a shiver creep along her spine. It wasn't that she was afraid of him. It was more that he knew, she suspected he might be a murderer. Despite the fact that Nick had warned her to stay away from Larry until the facts could be straightened out, Bekki decided she wasn't going to let anyone make her feel uneasy. So she opened the door to the cleaners and walked in. Larry looked a little surprised that she had been so bold.
'Hello Bekki,” he said in a kind voice. “Is there something I can help you with today?”
“Oh, I was just wondering,” Bekki said hesitantly, now that she was inside the building alone with him, she felt a little less bold about what she was doing. “Remember, how John had a jacket here that you were cleaning?” she said.
“Bekki,” Larry grimaced. “I really don't want to talk about that.”
“Oh, I know,” Bekki nodded as if she understood. “But, the thing is,” she bit into her bottom lip before continuing. “I had given John this card for a friend of mine he was interested in doing business with. And I didn't realize, that it was the last card I had, and in fact, I now have no way to get in contact with my friend. I was just hoping that maybe I could get a look in the jacket pockets, to see if the card is there.”
“It's not,” Larry replied gruffly. “He must have put it somewhere else.”
“Oh, really?” Bekki narrowed her eyes as she studied Larry. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I'm sure,” Larry replied with exasperation. It was clear that her questions were making him uncomfortable. “I check all the pockets before cleaning.”
“Well, I just don't understand,” Bekki said with a shake of her head. “I mean if it's payment that's an issue, I can pay you for the jacket, if you would just let me double check.”
“The police have the jacket. So, you'll have to find another way to contact your friend.” Larry barked as his brows raised. “Why would I keep a jacket of a thief? A man who tried to rob me?” h
e demanded as he stepped a little closer to her.
Bekki stared at him, she could feel the heat coming from his eyes. She decided she would ask Nick about it.
“Okay, well, thanks for your time,” Bekki said casually. She started to make her way out through the door, but Larry suddenly grasped her by the wrist. Bekki tensed, prepared to defend herself if she needed to, and glanced sharply over her shoulder.
“Listen, I know what you think of me,” Larry spoke quietly as he looked into her eyes. “But the truth is the truth. If John was your friend, I'm sorry. I had to do what I had to do to protect myself. Can't you understand that?”
“I can,” Bekki replied through gritted teeth and then jerked her hand away from his grasp. As she did the sleeve of his shirt pulled up and she noticed something on his wrist. It was a shiny gold watch. It wasn't the kind of watch that your average businessman would wear. It was the kind of watch that a millionaire would wear. She had seen similar time pieces on the rich and the famous that she had occasionally rubbed shoulders with in New York. It certainly didn't belong on a dry cleaner's wrist.
“Nice watch,” she said as she studied it.
'Oh this,” he tugged his sleeve down over it. “It's nothing.”
“Is it new?” Bekki asked and looked up at him abruptly.
“A gift,” he cleared his throat. “For Christmas.”
“Must be a very good friend that gave you a watch like that,” Bekki uttered skeptically.
“It was,” Larry answered. “Merry Christmas, Bekki.”
Bekki nodded as she stepped through the door.
***
As Bekki walked towards Angela's she still felt uneasy. Nothing about what Larry had said had convinced her that he had not intentionally killed John. She pulled out her cell phone to call Nick, but before she could dial his number, she bumped into him walking towards Angela's as well. She gasped quietly and jerked back in reaction to his sudden touch on her shoulder from just behind her. When she spun around to face him he had his hands up in surrender with an amused smile playing on his lips.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you,” he said, his eyes dancing with mirth. “I went by the salon, but you weren't there.”
“Oh Nick,” Bekki said with a sigh of relief. “I thought you were someone else.”
“Like who?” Nick asked with one arched brow. Bekki remembered assuring him that she wouldn't be alone with Larry, so she decided to keep that to herself.
“No one,” she laughed dismissively.
“I saw all the decorating you did, the salon looks beautiful,” Nick told her with a smile. She could tell that he was up to something from the glint in his eyes. “But this little sprig of mistletoe fell,” he explained as he dangled it just above her head. Bekki was smiling as his lips pressed to hers.
“You don't need mistletoe to kiss me you know,” she giggled as she pulled away from him.
“Maybe not, but it never hurts to have a back-up plan,” he pointed out and dangled it above her head again. After one more sultry kiss she tried to snatch the mistletoe away.
“No, no,” he clucked his tongue and slipped the mistletoe into his pocket. “I'm going to keep this close by.”
Bekki smiled and hugged him. As lovely as it was to share the moment, her mind instinctively traveled right back to the case.
“Nick, I thought of something today,” she said as she began walking towards Angela's again. Nick caught up with her and slid his hand into hers.
“About our ten future babies?” he asked in a voice that sounded so serious it made Bekki look up at him with wide eyes. The sparkle in his gaze made her certain he was joking.
“No, about the case,” she said with an amused smile.
“What about it?” he asked bristling just slightly. He didn't like that she worked so close to Larry's Cleaners. In fact, unbeknown to Bekki he had asked Morris to do a few extra laps near her salon to make sure that she was safe.
“The whole reason that John had gone to Larry's in the first place was to get his jacket cleaned,” Bekki pointed out calmly. “Now, when you and the other officers searched the cleaners, did you take that jacket into evidence?”
“Of course we did,” Nick narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Why?
“Well,” Bekki sighed as she got into the line that led up to the bakery's counter. Nick stayed right beside her. “I just wanted to check because Larry said…”
“When did you speak to Larry?” Nick asked and the tone of his voice made Bekki realize she had made a mistake.
“Uh,” Bekki was next in line luckily, and Angela spoke up before Bekki could explain.
“Hi Bekki,” she said cheerfully. “How are you doing?”
“I'm good,” Bekki replied, feeling Nick's eyes hovering sternly on her. “I was hoping that I could have a special dessert made. My mother is hosting Christmas brunch, and there's this dessert that my grandmother used to make. My mom lost the recipe for it, and I've never been great with baking. I was hoping that maybe you would know how to make it.”
“Give me an idea of what it is and I'll see what I can do,” Angela said with a confident nod.
“It was a three layer cake, with a really creamy frosting in the middle, and walnuts and pecans on top,” Bekki explained, trying not to drool as she did.
“Yes, an Italian Cream Cake,” Angela announced as if it was obvious.
“I guess that's it,” Bekki laughed and glanced over at Nick who still had one eyebrow raised. She couldn't help but think he looked handsome with that expression, even if it did mean he expected her to explain herself. “And do you have anything to cure sour face?” she asked in a playful tone. Angela looked up at Nick, who had already begun to smile at Bekki's words.
“Chocolate chip cookie does it every time,” Angela said as she handed one over to Nick in a napkin. Nick looked as if he might protest, but in the end he took the cookie and grinned at Bekki and Angela.
“I guess it works,” he added as he took a bite and laughed.
Bekki paid for both the cookie and the order of the Italian Cream Cake, and then the two walked back out onto the main street. Nick offered her a bite of his cookie. Bekki leaned in to take a bite, but he pulled it back quickly before she could, drawing a groan of protest from her.
“So, when did you talk to Larry?” he asked, with a frown.
“Ugh,” Bekki sighed and shrugged a little. “Today.”
“So you went to Larry's, and spoke to Larry, alone?” Nick asked and took a bite of his cookie.
“Maybe,” Bekki replied hesitantly. “But, it was a spur of the moment thing.”
Nick sighed and handed her the rest of his cookie. “Well, it's a good thing you got me this,” he said as she devoured the last of it. “Look Bekki, I know you can protect yourself, you've shown me that plenty of times. But, I hate to see you have to, and I don't like being worried about you all the time.”
“So don't worry,” she smiled and kissed the curve of his lip where a small smudge of chocolate chip remained.
“Then don't go talking to murderers,” he replied as he locked his arms around her waist and drew her body close to his. He deepened the light kiss she had begun, and she found herself melting right into his grasp. No matter what was happening in her life, Nick's warm arms around her, and his passionate kiss, were enough to make her forget everything. When he pulled away she looked up at him, her eyes glazed with passion.
“No more talking to murderers,” she said in a whisper. “Should we call it a New Year's resolution?”
“Aren't those famous for being broken?” he pointed out. Bekki could only smile in return. Nick shook his head and chuckled before kissing her again. Even as he was holding her, she was still thinking about the murder. If Larry was back at the cleaners then perhaps there was an opportunity for her to find some real evidence. Maybe he had discarded some things in the dumpster. Maybe he tossed out anything that he felt implicated him in the crime.
“So you want
to play hooky and spend the day with me?” Nick suggested with a glow in his eyes.
“That sounds wonderful,” Bekki replied in a warm tone. “But, I've been leaning on Sammy an awful lot the past few days, and I have a few things I need to prepare at the salon for the holidays. I'm sorry, can we take a rain check?” she asked hopefully. Nick studied her intently as if he might suspect that she wasn't telling him the entire truth, but Bekki's sweet smile either disarmed him, or he had simply become used to it. Either way, he just nodded.
“All right, but if you need any help with anything, give me a call. The case is a little dead right now while we wait for some evidence to be evaluated,” he said almost apologetically.
“I will,” she promised and gave him one last parting kiss. When she got back to the salon she really did do some holiday preparations. She had to take inventory since the salon would be closed for a few days, and make sure she scheduled in all the last minute regulars who might have forgotten to call for an appointment.
Sammy was chattering away about the Christmas brunch but Bekki barely heard her as she was thinking about the dumpster behind the cleaners. As soon as it was time to close Bekki sent Sammy off ahead of her. She didn't want to take any chance of someone noticing her sneaking behind Larry's Cleaners. As she walked towards the store she saw that the windows were dark, and the sign was turned to closed. Just to make sure, she walked up to the front door and tugged on it. It didn't budge, which meant it was locked up tight for the night. Bekki smiled a little and glanced up and down the street. It was a cold enough night that most people were doing their best to stay inside. Once she was in the alley behind the shop she pulled out her penlight and began flipping the beam back and forth across the ground. She could only hope there were no rats around.
She cringed as she could smell a strange scent coming from the large green dumpster behind the cleaners. Was it possible that Larry disposed of his chemicals in the dumpster? She hoped not but she was still going to look through the garbage. She took a deep breath and opened the lid of the dumpster. Inside were plenty of bags of trash, some huge, some smaller bundles. None of them looked too conspicuous. Bekki realized that she would have to look through each one. Since the windows were still dark, she assumed that Larry was gone for the day. But just as she put one foot up onto the side of the dumpster to climb in, she heard his voice through the crack in the back door.