A Taste of Honey

by Tom Benson

  She stopped for a moment and pushed her fingertips into the front pockets of her jeans. She spent a moment looking at the city in the distance and wondering how her best friend was coping. Maria was desperate to know that all was okay.

  *

  Indianapolis, Indiana

  “Hello, again Karl,” Honey said as she sashayed up to the car salesman. “Have we got a deal?”

  She’d found him walking around the forecourt, wiping the odd smear from a hood or windshield, even though a man was patrolling the lot with a chamois leather for that purpose.

  “Hello,” he said and smiled as he checked his watch; 12 noon. He nodded to his left towards the servicing bay doors. As they approached together, Karl waved at somebody who was just inside the doors of the massive building.

  The dark blue Dodge crept out slowly, the motor purring with a hint of the power. The Midnight Blue bodywork gleamed in the sunlight. Even the fresh tires still had a dull shine. The engineer got out of the driver’s seat, removed the protective sheet from the seat, and waved before turning to go back indoors. He stopped briefly and gazed with envy at his suited colleague when he saw for whom the car was being prepared.

  “Well, now Karl,” Honey said. “That looks much more presentable than before.”

  “If you decide to take it and there is the slightest problem, all you have to do is bring it back and we’ll take care of it.”

  “Karl, if I decide to take it and there is the slightest problem, I will bring it back,” she beamed at him, “and I’ll park it in your office.”

  “Right,” he said a little nervously and tried to smile. He wasn’t quite sure if she had been joking. He offered a test drive, but his lovely client said it wouldn’t be necessary.

  She said, “Are we agreed on my terms for the price?”

  “There is one small clause,” Karl said, trying to sound confident.

  “Which is?” she asked and melted him with her gaze, and a shapely, raised eyebrow.

  “Would you let me take you to dinner one day this week?”

  Honey gave the man an obvious top to bottom appraisal and looked him in the eyes, which caused his confidence to waiver a little. He was cute, if a little timid.

  “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Could we give it a rain-check. I’ll be out of town for a few days, but you seem like a genuine guy. My name is Honey.”

  “What a beautiful name,” he said, “and it suits you.” He got a smile in return.

  Karl looked as if somebody had just given him the keys to a mansion full of scantily clad young beauties in bunny costumes. A small gold card appeared in his hand as if by magic. He held it out to Honey.

  “Please call me,” he said. “Any time … day … or night.”

  “I will,” she said and treated him to a beaming smile. “Now let’s go and get the paperwork organized while I still like you.”

  Karl walked slightly behind her and to one side so that he could breathe in her fragrance. He grinned as he imagined the engineers checking out the security cameras.

  *

  During the time she had to spend mid-morning waiting for her wheels, Honey had been busy setting up a liaison with her sister’s best friend. Honey had called the college and pretended to be a relative. She told the switchboard that she was the girl’s Aunt Kim.

  Constance Parkinson had been summoned to the phone and immediately asked who was really calling. She was a teenager, but she wasn’t stupid. To the best of her knowledge, her Aunt Kim was a charity worker in Africa. When asked, she assured the caller that nobody could overhear the conversation and then she listened intently.

  Honey apologized for the ruse and said it was something to do with Harriet. She told the girl that she would like to have a chat, but they couldn’t meet near the college. The reason for the secrecy and the meeting was to maintain the girl’s personal safety. If she agreed, she was to memorize the details, but not write anything down. The college girl went along with the suggestion. Her best friend Harriet had been missing for a couple of weeks.

  At 1:35pm, Honey parked her car. She was 100 yards away from St. Joseph’s Church. The old building stood in an expanse of real estate with a large graveyard out to the rear. It was a quiet, tree-lined area about half a mile from the college.

  As Honey watched, a tall, fair-haired girl wandered along the road with a brown satchel slung from her right shoulder. She was pretty and had a pale complexion. Her long hair had a few lighter and slightly darker streaks, and it lifted from her shoulders as she strode along the sidewalk. Her floral dress only reached halfway to her knees and showed a shapely pair of legs for a teenager.

  Honey held her cell on her lap and keyed in a number. She watched the girl stop and fumble in her satchel before pulling out her cell. She glanced at the display and then looked up and down the street. There were cars parked along the length of the roadway on both sides.

  “May I call you Connie?” Honey said.

  The girl agreed, and Honey saw her nod as she continued to look around.

  “We spoke earlier,” Honey said. “Do you want to help find Harriet’s killers?”

  The college student took her phone away from her ear and looked up and down the long avenue again but more slowly. She didn’t see anybody that looked suspicious. She told the mysterious woman on the phone that her friend had run off with an older guy.

  “Who told you that?” Honey asked. It seemed that Harriet’s stepfather, the police detective had said so and then told Connie to clear off.

  I bet he did; Honey thought.

  She said, “Have you told anybody else about this meeting?” She listened to the rapid denial before continuing. “Go inside the church to the fifth pew from the rear, on the left side. When I come in, I will kneel behind you. Do not turn around under any circumstances. Understood?”

  Connie said she understood, and Honey watched as the girl nodded absently and then slipped her cell away. She marched the short distance to the church, stopped briefly and then went inside.

  It took only ten minutes for Honey to be sure that the girl was alone. She got out and walked away from the car, passed the church and checked out the parked vehicles within 300 yards. After crossing to the other side, she checked the vehicles parked along that side. When satisfied, she went inside and knelt behind Connie in the otherwise empty church.

  Honey said, “I need you to trust me. Please do not turn around.”

  “How do I know I can trust you?” the girl said quietly over her shoulder.

  Honey related quickly and quietly that she knew Connie lived with family friends, but they were not relatives. She was able to say that Connie’s father lived in Europe, which was not where Connie told everybody else. She was able to tell her that the woman referred to as Aunt Kim, was the girl’s mother. Connie’s head half-turned, but she stopped herself.

  Connie said, “How could you know that? The only person I told about that is Har-,”

  “Harriet,” Honey interrupted. “I know. She knew she was in danger and left a note for me.” Honey twisted the truth a little. She said that Harriet had a bad feeling about something at home and confided about her best friend’s secrets. “You are the only person she trusted, so she knew I would have to gain your confidence.”

  “There have been no reports-,”

  “There will be soon Connie. I can’t tell you how I know, but I do know.”

  “Harriet trusted her sister too,” Connie said and started to sob. “Harriet loved her sister and was so proud of her. Her name is Kimberley, and she’s a police detective. We should go to her with what you know.” She sobbed. “Kimberley would find the-,”

  “We can’t do that I’m afraid,” Honey said. “I was like a sister to both of them.” She wiped the tears from her eyes as she thought of Harriet’s devotion and faith in her.

  “Harriet had been killed you said,” Connie whispered. “If that’s true why can’t we just go to the local police?”

  “It isn’
t that simple, so I need to know if you want to help. If not, I’ll go it alone. I’ll try to explain as best I can, but I don’t want to put you in any danger.”

  “I want to help,” Connie said. “Harriet would do it for me. What do I have to do?”

  Honey gave brief instructions. Connie understood, and although it worried her, she agreed. Honey placed her hand on the teenager’s left shoulder and squeezed as she stood up.

  “Thank you, Connie,” she whispered and leaned forward. “It will all become clear very soon.” She left as quickly and quietly as she’d entered.

  Connie dropped to her knees and cried without restraint as she said a prayer for her best friend, and then she too left the church and returned to college. The plan would start to take shape at the college. She had a couple of hours to compose herself.

  *

  Lincoln Park West, New York

  Maria walked around the park for half an hour and then returned to her car. She got in and slipped the key in the ignition before she noticed the folder in the foot-well of the passenger side. She leaned down and picked up the file. It was a plain manila-colored file with a wad of printed sheets inside. She looked outside around the car park and then removed the report to read it.

  At the top and bottom of the file it declared, ‘Confidential’ in red ink. In the center it read, ‘Captain Kelly, J. - NYPD’. She flicked through the pages up to the halfway point. One page had a bright yellow sticker attached at the top. She read the first sheet of the flagged report, glanced sideways out of both windows and then continued reading.

  “Oh, sweet Jesus,” Maria said and closed the file.

  ***

  Chapter 7

  Teamwork and Terror

  .

  Lincoln Park West, New York

  Maria was sitting in her car, still clutching the file about her boss. It was only after reading it twice that it struck her about it being left in her car. Somebody not far away was obviously as good at gaining entry to cars as she was. That thought amused her.

  The detective was gazing out across the playing field and park, deep in thought. Earlier in the morning before heading out to meet Captain Kelly, Maria had received a package by courier. There was a note inside in Kimberley’s handwriting. It read:

  ‘Maria, I would have preferred that you didn’t read the enclosed journal, but it might help to put my actions in context if you read some of it. Keep it in a safe place. The contents are disturbing, but also incriminating. There is a list of people inside who must be brought to justice. My self-imposed mission has a tight schedule, because the faster I operate, the less chance there will be of failure or capture.

  If anything should happen to me and it becomes public knowledge, copy this note and the contents of the journal. Keep the copies safe. Mail the journal to our local District Attorney’s office. Don’t take it in personally, so that there is no direct connection to you. Please take the same action if you don’t hear from me again by Tuesday, 1st July.

  I’ll be in touch. Honey x’

  *

  Maria watched a young woman jog past, her right hand clutching a bottle of water. The jogger raised her left wrist to check on her progress. She had an athletic figure and long dark hair like Kimberley. As the woman maintained her stride, her ponytail swished side to side, occasionally catching on the cable of her large earphones.

  Watching the girl caused Maria’s thoughts to drift back to the events of Saturday evening. She had so nearly left her friend but was glad she’d hung around for a while.

  *

  After dropping Kimberley at the Pinewood intersection on Saturday, Maria had set off to drive a short distance to Greensburg, but then changed her mind and performed a u-turn. She returned to the intersection and parked the car before finding a vantage point nearby.

  About ten yards from the intersection began woodland, so the Italian wandered in amongst the trees. She reached a point inside the tree line where she could observe the area unseen. Maria was able to see the house with a white picket fence, the point where the alleyway joined the highway and the highway leading to the town.

  Maria had watched as the stepfather turned up in a green sedan and was dropped off. The car made a turn, left the street and headed towards Greensburg. She continued to observe Kimberley’s stepfather Detective Morgan as he approached the house from the sidewalk.

  Less than one minute later, the man left in a hurry in his pickup. Shortly afterward, when the flames had started licking out of the windows of the house, Maria had almost run down the street, but then she saw Kimberley stepping out of the alleyway.

  Due to the roadway being so straight and the area in that direction largely featureless, Maria was able to watch Kimberley walk to a group of stores a few hundred yards away. Her friend disappeared behind the stores, where several delivery vehicles parked overnight. Maria fought the urge to leave her hiding place near the intersection.

  She turned to watch as the fire took hold, and noted that only a handful of neighbors came out of their homes to see what was happening. At least one man used his cell in the street, so Maria figured he was calling 911.

  It was a few minutes later, when Maria saw a large white delivery truck approach, parking across the intersection. It was close to where Maria stood within the trees, so she saw the driver clearly; it was Kimberley. The Italian glanced back at the burning house, looked at the approach routes and realized the purpose of the badly parked vehicle. She was about to slip back to the car and head home to New York, but she paused to watch. Maria’s moment of hesitation prevented disaster for her friend, and she acted without fear for her safety.

  *

  Now back in the present, sitting in Lincoln Park, Maria read the small portion of Captain Kelly’s personal file again. Until she read the reports, she had been between a rock and a hard place regarding how far she could trust him. The contents of his file had swung the decision in his favor; for the most part.

  On the way to meet Captain Kelly, Maria had taken the mystery journal sent from Honey. She had read enough of it to know that whatever happened, she would support her friend. She then repackaged the book and hid it in a secure location.

  The fact that she was now sitting in her car, in possession of the boss’s file told her two things. Captain Kelly had placed his trust in her, and he would still be in his car nearby. He must know her well enough to know her response.

  Maria replaced the reports, closed the file and took it with her when she left her car to go back across the lot. She gave nothing away in her expression as she approached and got inside the boss’s car again. She noticed that the front windows were still down. Kelly wanted plenty of fresh air.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as she closed the door.

  “You’re sorry,” Kelly said, looking at her. “What have you got to be sorry for?”

  “I’m sorry for acting like a precocious fucking rookie, and for what I’ve just been privileged to read, sir.”

  Captain Kelly accepted the file with a nod. He placed it in the glove-box and sat back.

  “Maria,” he said, turning to gaze out across the park again. “I was wondering if you could help me solve a riddle.”

  “Go on sir,”

  “I think unofficially, we’re both agreed that Kimberley was responsible for the house fire.” Kelly glanced at Maria and then looked away. “I told you that shortly after the fire took hold, a delivery truck was strategically parked across the nearest intersection.”

  “Yes,” she said. “We agreed that it would prevent the Fire Department getting to the house-,”

  “Exactly,” Kelly said, “and I haven’t changed my mind about that.” He turned to look at her. “It seems that things got a little more complicated before they reached the scene.” As he looked out across the park again, he was barely able to conceal a smile.

  Maria said, “How could it get more complicated sir?”

  “The details are still a bit hazy, but I think I can tell you the s
equence of events.” Once again, he glanced at her and looked away before he continued. “The house was carefully prepared and then set ablaze. A truck nearby was hot-wired and then parked in such a way as to impede access for the Fire Department.” Kelly paused and looked sideways at his detective again.

  She met his gaze but said nothing, her expression inscrutable.

  Kelly continued. “A police detective in a green sedan was in the area and responded to the call. He had just dropped off his partner, so he returned to the street.”

  “That must have been a stroke of luck,” Maria said brightly.

  “Not for the guy in the green sedan,” Kelly said. “He saw a person walk away from the abandoned truck, so he swerved into the intersection and drew his sidearm. Before he could call a warning, he was approached from behind, and a gun barrel pressed against his ear. He was told to drop his gun inside the car, and climb into his trunk.”

  “Whoever did that had balls-,”

  “They had guts Maria,” Kelly said and eyeballed her, “but they didn’t necessarily have balls.”

  “Surely we would call it the same thing sir,”

  “We would normally,” Kelly said and a smile played on his lips. “It seems that the police detective is not sure about the identity of the person who threatened him. There was a short-sighted old man who was walking his dog in the woods. He said he was sure he saw a young woman nearby.”

  “There was no positive sighting though sir?”

  “No, there was no positive sighting Maria,”

  She said, “So you are saying that whoever this person was, somehow managed to aid the escape of a felon?”

  “I suppose I am, but if I was honest,” he paused and winked at her. “If I had been there in those circumstances, I would have done the same thing.”