Full Bodied Murder

by Christine E. Blum

  “I’m sure they’re just fine, Aimee, I’ll confirm with my friend Mark who works with the DEA,” Jack said.

  “Have we heard anything about what was found on the roof, Jack or Aimee?” Peggy was all business.

  “Unfortunately they found very little,” Aimee replied. “Some fibers and some other samples were bagged and sent to the lab; they said that unless Halsey saw who pushed her, we’re probably out of luck.”

  “Halsey, I don’t want you taxing your brain, you’ll have plenty of time later, good Lord willing, and the creek don’t rise,” of course Sally said.

  Aimee said that she brought the DEA up to speed on Rosa’s murder and all that ensued involving Ray, Ali Baba, and Zeke, even Musso and Inez. Some of the information they already knew. She asked a lot of questions back but got few answers except to learn that they were closing in on this drug ring. The lead officer gave Aimee his card and told her to call him at any time if she saw something. He stressed “anytime.”

  “As I locked up and was finally heading home, I heard someone call ‘Miss Aimee.’ It was Ali Baba. He said that he didn’t know about or have anything to do with the accident.”

  “This was no accident!” I felt my blood begin to boil.

  “I’m sorry, assault and battery. Ali said that he wanted to explain why they left and say goodbye. He said that Ray and Zeke are relying on this next big drug shipment and are nervous. He said that with all this heat going on Ray wants them to be totally on the down low. He said that he will just be in the background and will then go back home.”

  “I’m going to call Mark right now, and I am going to speak to Ali Baba, he seems to be the loose link in this drug chain. Maybe I can convince him to turn informant,” Jack said, heading into another room.

  Aimee applauded.

  “Now, let’s run through everything we have. Peggy, you’re up first,” I said.

  Peggy assumed the floor. “I have visual aids,” she began, “and a bit of a confession.”

  That got everyone’s attention.

  “Let’s start with ‘show,’ and then I’ll ‘tell.’ On my iPad I have the video file that was sent anonymously to the cops. It shows someone going in and out of Rosa’s house. The time and date stamp indicate that it was shot the day she was killed.”

  They all gathered around and stared like they were watching a baby being born.

  “When the cops got this it was so grainy that you could only barely make out a human form. I have a friend in forensics and I gave him a shot at enhancement.”

  “Forensics, is that like the study of sick people in Europe?” Cassie asked.

  No one answered, there was nowhere to go with that.

  “Now, take a look at this version, it’s still blurry but tell me what you see.” Peggy ran the video twice before she let them speak.

  “That’s definitely a woman,” Sally replied.

  “But who? You really can’t tell from this,” Aimee said, frustrated.

  “It’s got to be either Tala or Inez, don’t you think?” Jack had returned and was tugging at his beard.

  “Maybe Tala needed to exercise her revenge for Musso before she left the country. After all, she must have been hoping that he’d marry her so she could stay here for good,” Sally reasoned.

  “But he was still stuck on Rosa,” said Marisol, stepping up in her role as Mayor of Rose Avenue. Her second in command, Bardot, was sleeping at her side.

  “How coldhearted,” teary Aimee sighed.

  “Let’s not dismiss Inez so easily. If Ray didn’t know that he’d been cut out of the will, then maybe she got tired of waiting to move into that house,” Peggy said, closing her tablet.

  “You said there was a ‘tell’ part Peggy, so please, spill it!” said probing Aimee.

  “Yeah, and how is it that you have a friend in forensic science?” Jack asked.

  Peggy smiled. It was time for her CIA story.

  “I knew it!” said Sally. “At that time I remember that you became awfully evasive about how you spent your days. I wondered what extracurricular activities you were engaging in.”

  Peggy feigned shock.

  “So they may have had accomplices, but it looks like we can narrow down Rosa’s killer to these two women,” I summed up.

  “And we lose one of them in a week and a half,” said Sister Cassie, looking at the large calendar from Carl’s office.

  “She’s already packed her suitcases and hidden some of Musso’s cash in the padding of her bras. I always knew those boobs were fake,” Marisol enlightened us.

  We all looked at her and wondered the same thing: “How does she know all this?”

  “That’s good, Marisol,” I said, “you keep tracking Tala and let us all know the second it looks like they are ready to leave. I’ll try hard to remember details of who I saw on the roof.”

  “And Marisol, tell Augie all about this, maybe he can go back over the evidence at Rosa’s house and tie something to her,” Peggy instructed.

  Now that she knew Peggy was a secret agent she took everything Peggy said as a direct command and she saluted.

  “Aimee, you work with Sally and keep feeding the DEA with as much info as you can. If Inez is our killer, then the best thing would be for the DEA to catch them taking a shipment. From there they can extract the murder charge. Maybe for both of them, it’s hard to believe that Ray knew nothing about that,” I concluded.

  Sally cringed but nodded.

  Jack looked at Peggy and Cassie.

  “You two will need to help Halsey when she gets home, that is vital to her overall recovery and for anything she might remember about the night on the roof. She needs a lot of TLC and no stress, understand, Bardot?”

  Bardot rolled on her back and played dead.

  “I’m also giving my friend another crack at enhancing the video, he has some more tricks up his sleeve,” Peggy said.

  Once again Marisol saluted her.

  Chapter 28

  It felt so good to be home, there is just nothing about a hospital that says, “this is nice, maybe I’ll stay for a while.” I had just settled into my favorite sofa when the doorbell rang. Bardot ignored it and wouldn’t leave my side. She must really have missed me.

  Jack went to the door.

  I heard him open it but was too weak to get up and see whom it was.

  “This is not a good time, Detectives. She just got home and she needs her rest.”

  “We know, we just came from the hospital. The doctor who discharged her told us she’d be fine to answer some questions as long as we didn’t take too long.”

  He didn’t wait for permission and walked in followed by his partner. Just as Jack was closing the door, he felt some resistance and Marisol pushed her way in as well. He tried again to shut it but Augie held it open and stepped in.

  Augie introduced himself to the detectives and explained that he was working a murder case that I was also involved in.

  The detective and his partner looked at me with renewed interest.

  “Hello, Ms. Hall, I understand that you are feeling better.”

  “I was.”

  The detective explained to the group that since this crime was committed in their jurisdiction they had to follow up, at least initially. Without stepping on Augie’s toes.

  “How many more questions you gotta ask before you figure this out? That bitch next door to me had to have pushed her.”

  “What are you doing here?” the detective asked Marisol as she settled herself on the sofa with Bardot and me.

  “I’m her home nurse,” she replied.

  It was then that everyone noticed that she was wearing a white button-down nurse’s dress and matching white clogs.

  “We need to talk to Ms. Hall alone.”

  “Not going to happen,” Marisol said, crossing her arms. “My nephew and I are here to find out who killed poor Rosa.”

  Augie winced.

  “Ms. Hall, can you tell us what happened? Please star
t with why you were at the strip mall in the first place.”

  “My friend Aimee owns the Chill Out yogurt shop there. She’d called to say that she thought there was someone walking around on her roof. She’s gun-shy because some weeks ago someone sent rats down the vent to destroy her shop.”

  “Who could blame her,” Marisol said while petting Bardot, who was lying somewhat obscenely supine.

  “Was this investigated? What was the conclusion?”

  “The patrol cops found little to no evidence and theorized that this was a prank done by the kids from the school next door.”

  “And you and this Aimee were not satisfied with that explanation?”

  “No,” I replied. “This had to have been done in the middle of the night because the rats were discovered before seven the next morning.”

  “We believe that this was some kind of warning because the girls were doing some sleuthing of their own into Rosa’s murder,” Jack explained.

  “Let me pick up from here,” Augie said and proceeded to bring the detectives up to speed.

  “At this point have you been able to narrow down the field of suspects at all?” the detective asked Augie.

  “I think I can help you with that, Detective,” said Peggy, walking in with her iPad.

  “Sure can,” said Sally, who was followed in by Cassie and Aimee.

  Peggy showed the cops and me the enhanced video that she’d played for the group the other day.

  “Wow, so it was a woman who killed Rosa, and tried to kill me!”

  “What do you remember about that night on the roof?” Augie asked me gently.

  I went through the sequence of events.

  “And the shoe, can you describe it, Ms. Hall?”

  “It was too dark to really see, and everything happened so fast.”

  “Take your time, just let the thoughts come to you.”

  Everyone gathered around me reminiscent of my initiation Wine Club.

  “The shoe was dark, but not black. A deep brown or red maybe.”

  Marisol stopped petting Bardot and listened intently to me.

  “What about the size?”

  “If it was a man’s, it was probably on the small side. If it was a woman’s, then she had a really strong kick. I wish I could tell you more, but that’s all I remember.”

  I was getting tired.

  “If someone tried to kill Halsey once, then you can be sure that they’ll try to again,” said Peggy. “They obviously think that we know something, which we do.”

  “You think that I have to worry about my life?”

  “Calm down, honey, I’ll be here,” Jack said.

  “You’d better put a unit on her house, or I’ll pull together my own protection squad.”

  It was clear that Jack wasn’t kidding.

  “We can do that. Please understand that we are here to protect you. I think that when we get the forensics results we’ll turn them over to your team, Augie. It seems clear that this incident is tied to the murder.”

  “Happened to run into Tala this morning, so I asked how things were going,” Cassie said. “Since I live further down the street she didn’t seem to think that she had anything to hide. I asked her if she and Musso were planning on taking a vacation anytime soon. She laughed and said, ‘why when it is so beautiful here?’ ”

  “She’s so full of it her eyes are brown,” announced Sally.

  * * *

  “Anybody else starving?” asked Jack, standing up to stretch.

  “I’ve got a mushroom lasagna I took out of the freezer this morning,” said Cassie.

  “I’ve had beef burgundy in the slow cooker all day. I could boil up some egg noodles to go with,” offered Peggy. “Marisol, want to help me get it ready?”

  She nodded but seemed a little preoccupied. It struck me as odd since she’d just been given the opportunity to snoop in a whole new house.

  “We’ll be back in a bit,” Peggy said.

  I wonder what the proportion of burgundy is going to be to beef.

  “And I’ve got fresh veggies for a salad, and I’ll crust some goat cheese in chopped hazelnuts and bake it,” said Sally.

  “I need to relieve Kimberly so she can take her dinner break, but I can be back with frozen yogurt in a couple of hours. Are you sure you’re up for all this company, Halsey?”

  “After being in a dark, quiet room and trying to live off of broth, Jell-O, and cottage cheese, I am so ready for a party with you guys. I know I have wine but I’m not sure what is left in the fridge.”

  “I got you eggs, milk, berries, and a New York cheesecake,” Jack said.

  “I’m keepin’ him,” I proudly announced.

  * * *

  The party went well into the night. This was actually the first time that we had all gotten together with spouses, boyfriends, etc. Even Tom popped in after he got off his shift at the hospital.

  Having all these great people around helped me forget the whole murder business and that someone was out there, no doubt planning their next attack on me. I nestled into Jack’s arms on some floor pillows, noticing that after all the delicious food, wine, and dessert everyone was sitting in some form of repose. And at the center of us all was Bardot, snoring happily with her head resting on the big stuffed Santa Claus that Jack had bought for her.

  As I started to doze off, I couldn’t help but think that this was the calm before the storm, . . .

  Chapter 29

  It was December and, believe it or not, Jack and I were going to the beach. This was to be our little holiday party. He was going to be busy over Christmas with all the new puppies that Santa put under the trees and I had meetings and deliverables for work, so this seemed to be our best opportunity to be together.

  Still being fairly new to California, I had not really explored the beaches beyond Venice and Santa Monica. As is Jack’s way, where we were going was a “surprise.”

  “Normally you are not allowed to have dogs on this beach, but since it is so off-season there will be no one there to enforce that.”

  “I’m a little worried, Bardot has never been in the ocean. I’m afraid that she’ll get so excited that she’ll swim all the way to Hawaii.”

  “It’s cool, Clarence will be with her and they’ll stick together. Worst case, I’ll go in and bring her back.”

  “Better you than me, I read in the paper that the water temp is only fifty-nine degrees!”

  “Are you becoming a West Coast wimp?”

  “I never liked the cold, I guess I was meant to live here all along.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to stay here for a while?”

  “Hah, I have no choice. I owe too much money to leave.”

  Not the response he was hoping for. After that we rode in silence up the coast.

  * * *

  El Matador State Beach is at the northern end of Malibu and is one of the most spectacular locations in the country. Like anything worth having, it is a little tough to find and a trek to get down to.

  Off PCH, you pull into a small area marked only by a brown wooden sign. In the summer, you have to get there pretty early if you want to park or you’ll be left trying to find a space on the highway. In December we were one of four cars.

  The parking area completely misleads you to the beauty below. Just like a caterpillar reveals nothing of the butterfly it will become. The surface is made up of dirt and pebbles, the surrounding brush is moldy and unkempt, and at the head of the trail down the cliff stands a port-o-potty. There is no way to put lipstick on that pig.

  When you start down the 150-foot bluff via an old wooden staircase half buried in the sand, you quickly see what all the fuss is about.

  From atop, you get the full vista of this rugged shoreline with pocket beaches nestled between the corrugated cliffside. The sand is almost white compared to the muddier-looking beaches further south. Just offshore, the often-powerful waves had created craggy rocks with worn through caves and sea stacks.

&
nbsp; Once down on the beach, you can walk along the beach pockets until you find your own private little slice of paradise.

  * * *

  “I’m breathless,” I said as we made our descent.

  “You want to stop and rest a minute?”

  I laughed. “No, I’m just astounded by this beauty.”

  The dogs had taken off and raced down the cliff as if they were in the Iditarod. The ocean was flat, which made me a little less worried about Bardot drifting off to sea. Jack, my sand Sherpa, refused to let me carry anything but my beach bag so I could get down easily and enjoy the view doing so. He, on the other hand, was loaded up with a backpack, an umbrella, two beach chairs, and a cooler, which he carried on his head. Somehow this beast of burden still managed to move spryly down the steps.

  When we reached the shore, Bardot came racing toward us. She was already wet and full of sand. Clarence was right on her heels in the same condition. I’d never seen him so happy and frolicsome.

  Bardot and I have that kind of influence on our friends.

  We found a spot and set up camp. In addition to the chairs, Jack had brought a soft beach blanket, which he anchored down on each corner with rocks he had picked up. Bardot watched with fascination and as soon as he was done, jumped on it and rolled on her back and did enough serpentine undulations to twist the blanket into a soggy mess. Once satisfied, she hopped up and joined Clarence who was waiting so they could go back in the water.

  “You can’t take us anywhere, I’m afraid.”

  “I could have stopped her but today is about freedom and enjoying just being,” he said, channeling his new age spirit. “Besides, I also brought a bunch of towels,” which he produced from the seemingly bottomless backpack.

  “Cheers,” I said, clinking plastic cups which were filled with my new special agave lime margarita potion.

  “Happy holidays,” he said, taking a sip and then kissing me with sweet, limey lips.

  It was a lingering kiss. A really nice kiss.

  “So what’s home like?” I asked after we came up for air.

  “Well, I’m a small town mountain boy, grew up about an hour outside of Denver. I’ve got a sister, Jill, and my wonderful mom, Mary Beth.”