Under the Moonlight collection

by MaryAnn Kempher

  “Hey Jack,” said Scott. “Two visits in one week? Don’t I feel special.”

  Jack smiled. “Yeah, yeah,” he said. “I got your message about the seat bag.”

  “Oh yeah, sorry about that.”

  “What? Why?”

  Scott looked embarrassed. “It’s not here. It’s at Katherine’s apartment. Alex brought it over last night. I meant to bring it in with me, but forgot.”

  “So why’d you call?”

  “I called from her place.”

  “Oh. So when do you think I can get it?”

  “I promise to bring it into the shop tomorrow.”

  Jack turned back toward the door. “Okay, I’ll see you then.”

  ***

  Alex walked out from the back room, “Was that Jack I heard?”

  “Yeah,” said Scott. “He stopped by for that bag you brought over last night, but I left it at Katherine’s.”

  “Oh. So…about dinner last night, did we gather any clues about out who that pregnancy test belonged to?”

  “I didn’t,” Scott told him. “Why don’t we just ask?”

  “No. I told you: if it’s Sophie, she’ll be really disappointed if she can’t tell me in her own special way. Until we know, I can’t say anything. Now, let’s review. Sophie isn’t drinking booze, a rarity. Katherine is cooking healthy, a disaster. What else?”

  Scott thought for a second. “One minute Sophie was smiling and laughing, and the next she was quiet and seemed a little…how should I say this… bitchy. Mood swings, right?”

  “No,” Alex said flatly. “That’s just how she is. What about Katherine? Is it just me seeing things, or has she gotten a little thick lately?”

  Scott laughed. “Don’t let her hear you say that. Sophie said something about retaining water, didn’t she? Isn’t that a sign of pregnancy?”

  “I think so, yes.”

  Scott watched Alex scratch the stubble on his chin. “You’re really serious about growing a beard to go with that mustache?”

  “Sure am,” said Alex.

  “You don’t look enough like a porn star, huh?”

  Alex smiled. “Hmm, funny…not yet.”

  ***

  Nene was on Jack’s heels as he walked back into the office. She was holding a carrot.

  “Not giving up on that diet, Ms. Albright?” Jack asked.

  “No way,” she said. “I’ll be bikini-ready by summer.”

  Jack and Curt smiled at each other, both a little unsure if she was joking or not.

  Nene walked toward the window and looked out at the passing cars and people walking by. None of them were coming into the shop.

  “Business is really slow,” she said. “That big ‘D’ rating on our window is killing us.”

  “I’m really sorry,” Jack told her. “I haven’t had a chance to call anyone at the health department yet.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Jack. We’ve given the store a thorough cleaning. We’ll be ready for the second inspection.”

  “When is that?” Curt asked.

  “Next week some time. In the meantime, there’s very little coming in.”

  “Do you think Burch is behind your inspection?” Jack asked.

  “Funny you should say that,” Nene said. “We did at first…but Gaga and I found out later that the man who inspected us also inspected the diner down the street.”

  “Did they pass?”

  “As I understand it, yes. It’s not bad enough Burch wants us out so he can sell to the building to the city, but now this inspection business is spreading all along the street, too. I don’t know…maybe it’s time to close up the shop and retire. Maybe take another cruise.”

  “Why not just move?” Curt asked.

  “I can’t see us starting over at a new location at our ages…we’ve been here so long. But the area is changing so much. It’s not going to be the same once the chain-owned donut shop goes in across the street. The lady a few doors down from that building says she’ll likely sell too—if not to the city, to whoever is willing to buy. She says they’re turning the lot she uses for parking into a sitting area with a fountain. Sounds nice.” Nene sighed as she walked out. “I feel worse for you boys than I do for any of us. You just got here and now you’re being pushed out.”

  “Tough break for all of them,” Curt said.

  “It sure is.”

  “How’s the investigation coming along? Anything I can do to help?”

  “No,” Jack said. “Saturday will be two weeks since Candy’s murder. If I don’t catch a break soon, we may never figure out who her killer is.”

  “Jack…” Curt’s voice came slow and thoughtful. “What if they have already caught the killer?”

  “You mean Mark?”

  “Yeah. What if it really is him after all?”

  Jack didn’t feel it in his gut. “Then a little more digging won’t hurt…”

  “True,” Curt agreed. “What about the crime scene photographer? What’d he have to say about the snow globe?”

  “Nothing I didn’t expect. Says he didn’t move it, and doubts anyone else would have. He did tell me something a little strange.”

  Jack told Curt about the napkin on Candy’s counter.

  “What do you think it means?” asked Curt.

  “Candy was expecting a guest…seeing the soda and two glasses on her counter, I’d already figured that. But who was she expecting? That’s the question. It could have been anyone, really. Mark thought she had something on Pike…I think it was his note. He was at the party; he could have given it to her there at any time. Nolan said he’d been told Pike headed out of town right after that, and didn’t return until later in the week, which was why they didn’t interview him first thing Monday.” Jack’s eyes lit up. “And I just gave myself an idea of how to find out if he was in town or not.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  Jack just smiled and picked up his phone.

  It would be risky, but it was maybe the only way to find out what he wanted to know.

  He held his breath and dialed Pike’s office. The same woman he’d talked to before answered.

  “Hello,” he said casually. “I’m calling from the mayor’s office, from payroll? I just need to verify Sergeant Pike’s hours on security detail for the mayor—specifically the hours he worked last week. Would you be able to help me out?”

  “I can’t give you that information, sir.”

  Jack laid it on thick. “Please?” he whined. “It would be so helpful if you could. I’m kind of new, and these time cards were supposed to be in already. I don’t want to get fired in my first two weeks, y’know?” He winked at Curt, who was stifling his laughter.

  There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Well…let’s see,” the woman said. “He was in and out of this office most of last week. He worked for the mayor a lot in that time.”

  “So he wasn’t out of town at all last week?”

  “No. What does that have to do with—”

  “Thank you so much for your time…g’bye.” He rushed his words and hung up before she could say anything else.

  “Man,” said Curt. “You’ve got some iron balls.”

  Jack laughed. “Yeah, no kidding. Pike’s assistant says he was in and out of the office, mostly working security for the mayor, but this is good news. If he was in town but couldn’t be found for an interview, he was likely laying low to avoid Nolan. Just one more reason to take a closer look at Pike.”

  “Didn’t Mark say he saw a man at Candy’s front door that night?” Curt reminded Jack.

  “Yeah…he did.”

  “Maybe it was Pike. Have you considered staking him, just to see where he goes and who he sees?”

  “I have thought of it, actually,” Jack said. “Which reminds me…” He pulled the parking ticket from his pocket. “I got this while I was inside talking to John.”

  Curt looked at the ticket and laughed a little. “Coincidence?”

 
; “No way. It was a warning. A pretty tame one, but still—a warning. In a way, the fact that I’m an ex-cop works against me. There are a lot who would consider, just the fact that I’m investigating this case, an insult and a betrayal of sorts. If I mess with another cop—and a sergeant, no less—some won’t hesitate to show their displeasure. Those types have their own set of rules. I’m guessing my iron balls will be on the chopping block.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  Jack smirked. “I’m going to stake out a cop’s house, of course.”

  Curt laughed. “Before I forget,” he said, “Burch called while you were gone. I didn’t want to say anything while Ms. Albright was here.”

  “Oh jeez...what did he want?”

  “He offered to pay our moving costs and the first months’ rent wherever we end up.”

  “Wow. That’s quite an offer.” Jack rubbed his chin. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Curt said. “Maybe I’ll start looking for a new place, just so we know what our options are.” He looked at his watch and jumped from his chair. “I’m out of here. I’ll be back later.”

  “Where you going?”

  “I have some…stuff to do.”

  “How’s the pet store investigation going?”

  Curt shrugged. “I don’t have much to go on. Daisy got some more new birds in today. I’m going to spend the night in her store and see if I can catch another disappearance as it happens. Hope it’s not a big waste of time.”

  “You think someone might try to steal the new birds?”

  “Either that, or they’ve figured out a way to escape on their own,” he chuckled. “Worth a shot, either way. I don’t need to be there until about midnight…you want me to come with you to Pike’s? You know, just in case something goes down?”

  Jack smiled. “Thanks, Curt. I’m good, though. Don’t worry about it.

  A surprise visitor walked into the office. “Hey, Jack,” Scott said happily.

  Jack stood. “Scott! How’s it going? What brings you by?”

  Scott perused the space. “Thought I’d stop over and check out your new digs.”

  “Scott, this is Curt Noble, my partner in crime-solving. He makes the coffee, eats the donuts…and if we ever get a real case, hopefully he’ll help me solve it.”

  Scott smiled.

  “I’ll be back soon,” Curt said, passing Scott on the way out. “Nice meeting you.”

  “You, too.” Scott walked toward the window. “This is nice…not too fancy. And this window is great. I wish I could look out the window of my store, but it’s blocked by all the bikes.”

  Just then Nene walked in holding a small white box. “Jack,” she said, “I thought I’d bring you a sample of our newest doughnut flavor!”

  “Thank you Nene.” Jack gazed hungrily at the contents. “You really didn’t have to, but I’m so glad you did. Thank you!”

  Nene walked out happy.

  Jack laughed. “The ladies who run that store are very sweet, but that one has been trying to fatten up Curt and me since we got here.”

  “Alex and I used to come by here after school,” Scott said. “It’s a good thing we were both into sports. We’d have packed on the pounds a long time ago otherwise. So Jack, I have to admit, I have an ulterior motive for stopping by.”

  “Is it about Candy’s bike?”

  Suddenly Scott remembered. “There’s that, yes…she had a basket—a bag, actually. Alex forgot to give it to you…and so have I now. We’ll get it to you for sure.”

  “Nice. Thank you.”

  “But that’s not it.”

  “Oh…”

  Scott seemed a little nervous. “You know what they say about not shooting the messenger?”

  Jack smiled. “Can’t wait to hear this.”

  Scott gulped. “Okay…here goes. Katherine says Amy has been calling you, but you’re not answering or returning her calls.”

  “That’s right,” Jack said, “I’ve been very busy.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  Jack hated to lie, especially if it wasn’t strictly necessary. “No, it’s not. Look Scott, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my relationship with Amy.”

  “I know all I want to know,” Scott said, “but Katherine is going to want something to tell Amy, and she thought it would look less obvious if I asked you than if she did.”

  “Just tell Katherine I’ve been busy and that I’m working a case. I’ll call Amy once the case is over.”

  Scott smiled, looking relieved. “Works for me.”

  “Good,” Jack agreed. “So have you spoken to Jason lately?”

  “No, it’s been about a month, which is unusual.”

  Jack tried not to smile. “I talked to him recently, to pick his brain about this murder investigation I’m working. You should call him.”

  Scott gave Jack a questioning look, but Jack didn’t elaborate.

  “I’d better get going,” Scott said. He looked around. “The office looks really good. Good luck. I’ll make sure you get that basket-bag-whatever-it-is from Candy’s bike.”

  Jack laughed at that. “Thanks for stopping by.”

  ***

  Wednesday evening, Jack reluctantly walked from his apartment. The air was frigid and the streets deathly quiet. He pulled his coat shut tight, loaded his car with a thermos of hot coffee and a few sandwiches, then drove toward Pike’s home.

  Pike lived alone in an upper middle-class neighborhood. The plan was to watch the house for a few hours, just to determine his schedule. When Jack turned the corner on Pike’s block, the street was empty and quiet. He pulled over, turned off his car lights, and took out his phone. He had another message from Amy. He knew he’d call her back, but it wouldn’t be this evening. He had more important matters to tend to.

  He sat for a while, parked down the street and waiting for any scrap of action. Soon enough, a car moved down the street and pulled into Pike’s driveway.

  He watched as Pike rushed around his car to the passenger side and opened the door. Even from a distance, Jack could see that the woman who emerged was a stunner. She was tall, with dark hair and legs that didn’t quit. Pike put his hand on the small of the woman’s back and guided her toward the front door.

  Jack wondered about the woman’s taste in men, thinking she could definitely do better than Pike.

  The loud shrill sound of a car horn blaring startled the couple and they turned toward the noise. Jack hadn’t noticed, but when he’d stopped, he’d parked in front of a neighbor’s driveway. A car was trying to pull out. No tapping the horn for this homeowner, Jack thought. No, they have to inform the whole neighborhood I’m sitting here.

  He quickly put the car into reverse, but the damage had been done. Before he had backed up even a foot, his eyes met Pike’s. The sergeant saw all too clearly who was parking on his block. Jack kept backing up until he had turned off the street. He drove away cursing his crap luck.

  Pike had seen him, and had most certainly recognized him. What would happen now? Jack was suddenly wide awake and in no hurry to go home. He drove around Reno, wondering what his next move should be.

  ***

  Pike watched Jack’s car peel out as it left his neighborhood. Then he followed the woman inside and watched as she took off her coat and started pacing the room.

  “Who was that?” she asked.

  “Just some private detective…used to be on the force. He’s investigating Candy’s murder. He’s been nosing around in everyone’s business.”

  “Does he know something about you that I don’t? Should I be worried?”

  “Relax. If he had anything useful, he’d have brought the police with him.”

  “What he needs,” she said, “is a wake-up call to put him in his place.”

  “What did you have in mind?” asked Pike.

  ***

  Daisy let Curt into her pet store through the back entrance. She was wearing head to toe black, but st
rands of pink hair peeked out from under her ball cap.

  They couldn’t stop smiling at each other. “You should go,” said Curt. “I don’t know that it will be safe for you to be here if someone breaks in to steal the birds again.”

  “Leave?” said Candy. “And miss all the fun.”

  Curt laughed. “I don’t know how much fun it will be.”

  “Follow me,” said Daisy.

  Curt followed her into the store. It was dark and eerily quiet, the only light and sound coming from the fish tanks. Daisy led Curt to a corner where she’d laid out a table cloth. She’d made a picnic. “And I brought games for us to play, too.”

  Curt smiled even more.

  Their stake-out consisted of the two of them eating sandwiches and played some card games. By one a.m., they were both getting sleepy.

  “Do we have to stay the whole night?” Daisy asked.

  “You can go if you want to,” Curt said, though it was clear he hoped she’d stay.

  “No, I’ll stay as long as you do.”

  Curt leaned against the wall, and Daisy leaned against Curt. He looked down at her and smiled as she dozed. His eyes grew heavy, but then snapped opened. Had he heard something? His eyes began to close again. He heard it once more: a scratching, flapping sort of noise. Nothing else seemed amiss. He gently laid Daisy down and stood, looking around.

  “What’s up?” she asked, sleepily.

  “I think I hear something.”

  The store was of good size, but not so big that Curt couldn’t see entire layout from where he stood. His eyes strained in the darkness, but he didn’t see anyone, or anything unusual. A loud clanking noise startled him as he sat back down. An air vent cover had flopped open, banging against the wall.

  What the heck?

  He and Daisy watched and waited. The sound was loud and whiny, and definitely coming from the vent. They kept their eyes focused on it. Then, to their mutual surprise, out climbed a small brown monkey.

  “What in the world?” Daisy said. “Gladys?”

  They looked at the monkey, and the monkey looked at them. Then it climbed out from the vent and traveled around the store, stopping on top of the cage that held Daisy’s newest bird, a Cockatoo named Fred. Daisy and Curt were too shocked to react as Gladys reached down and unlatched the door to the cage.