by Cindy Bell
“Well, you know Bryan,” Victor sighed as he kissed the top of her head. “He was always taking risks.”
“No!” Emma nearly shouted as she looked up at Victor. “That's not true, you know it's not true,” she glared at him. Bekki was captivated by the man standing before her, not because he was handsome, although he was, but because he was familiar. It took her a moment, but she placed him as the man at the bakery that morning, and then once more, as the man who was standing in the auditorium leaning casually against the wall.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you,” Victor said calmly as he embraced Emma a little tighter. Emma sniffled, and shook her head. “I think I just want to lay down for a little while,” she said quietly. The large motel room had a separate room for the bed, it wasn't enclosed but was in an alcove aside from the rest of the motel room. Victor helped Emma to it, and then returned to the living area of the motel room.
“I'm sorry for being so rude,” Victor offered in a charming tone. “My name is Victor Black, and you are?” he offered her his hand in greeting. Bekki accepted it and smiled politely.
“Bekki, I was just checking in with Emma to make sure she was doing okay,” she explained quickly. “But now that you're here, you must be a friend of hers?” Bekki suggested casually.
“A good friend,” Victor nodded with a frown. “Bryan and I used to perform together, and Emma was our assistant at the time.”
“I see,” Bekki nodded solemnly. “I am so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” Victor sighed and shook his head. “I can't say it wasn't expected though.” Bekki narrowed her eyes slightly at his comment.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked hesitantly.
“I don't mean much,” he replied and then tilted his head towards the door. “We should probably let her rest. I have reserved the next room over, so I can be close if Emma needs me,” he explained.
“That's very kind of you,” Bekki said with a slight smile. “It must have been hard for you to see what happened yesterday at the show.”
“I wasn't here yesterday,” he replied, his brow knotted with confusion.
“I saw you,” Bekki replied with the same level of confusion. “When Bryan died you were in the audience.”
“No,” Victor said firmly. “You must be mistaken. I didn't come into town until I heard the news. I came here to be with Emma.”
Bekki studied him intently. As certain as she was that it was him she had seen, she assumed that in all of the chaos she might have been too distracted to retain a clear memory.
“If Emma needs anything she should feel free to call me,” Bekki encouraged as she stepped towards the door.
“I'll let her know,” Victor promised with a nod.
As Bekki left the motel room, she noticed that the reporters outside had begun to disperse.
Bekki could see that there weren't many cars in the parking lot. There was only one with state plates that were from another state, which she assumed would have to be Victor's. As she studied the car, she again wondered if she could have truly been mistaken. If Victor was at the show the day before why would he be lying to her about it? Why wouldn't he just tell the truth? If she was mistaken she didn't want to accuse him of something that wasn't true.
As she walked towards Victor’s car, she noticed that he had a sticker on the windshield. It was a familiar sticker to her. Whenever you purchased gas at the local gas station they placed a sticker on the windshield. Three stickers meant one free gallon of gas. It was a popular deal since the gas prices had been so high lately. Of course he could have bought gas on the way into town that morning, but Bekki decided to run down what she considered to be a lead. She called to check in with Sammy at the salon.
“Not many customers today,” Sammy informed her. “It looks as if what happened yesterday has people not wanting to venture out much today.”
“So, you're okay to handle things on your own today?” Bekki asked hopefully. She knew that Sammy was perfectly capable of running the salon, but she didn't want her to miss out on any plans she might have had for the day.
“Yes, it'll be fine,” Sammy assured her before she hung up the phone. As Bekki drove to the gas station, her thoughts returned to Emma. She again wished there was some way that she could help her. Finding out about the pregnancy had made the tragedy even worse. When Bekki pulled into the gas station, the owner, Gus, waved to her with a smile.
“Fill up?” he asked.
“Just a top up,” Bekki replied. She had bought gas two days before, and didn't have to travel much since work and home were so close together and she often walked between the two. As she waited for him to pump the gas, Bekki talked casually with him.
“Did you notice any out of state plates yesterday?” she asked curiously.
“Uh,” he considered the question for a moment. “Yes, I had one fellow,” he nodded. “A real handsome, young guy, he stopped in here yesterday morning.”
“Really?” Bekki smiled a little. “Was he from very far away?”
“A few states,” he shrugged a little. “I think it was Philadelphia,” he nodded again.
Bekki narrowed her eyes as this was the same state that Victor's car had license plates for. “Did he say his name, or maybe pay with a credit card?” Bekki asked.
“Why, is this fellow in some kind of trouble?” he countered her question.
“Not really,” Bekki shook her head. “At least, not yet.”
“Oh boy, Bekki's on the case,” he chuckled as he hung up the gas pump. “Come on inside with me and I'll check the receipts.”
Bekki agreed and followed him into the gas station. There was a small television hanging from the ceiling with the local news playing. The reporters were still talking about Bryan's death. But as Bekki watched, they flashed an image up on the screen of Bryan and Victor together.
“Bryan the Brilliant has been a solo act for almost five years now, ever since a fall out between his old partner Victor Black, and himself,” the reporter explained as the images cycled past of Victor and Bryan working together. A few had Emma in the pictures as well. They looked like they were very happy together as a trio. Bekki narrowed her eyes and wondered about the falling out. Maybe there was a reason that Victor was being so deceptive.
“Ah, here it is,” Gus said with a smile as he found the receipt. “Victor Black,” he murmured. “Don't tell Nick I told you though. You know how things are about privacy and all that. Nick's a stickler.”
“He sure is,” Bekki agreed with a slight smile. “Thanks for the information,” she added as she paid for her gas. “And you're sure this was yesterday?” she asked just to double check.
“Time stamp is on the receipt,” Gus pointed out. “Eight fifteen in the morning yesterday,” he tapped the top of the receipt to show her.
“Thanks Gus,” Bekki said as she hurried out of the gas station. Now she had the proof that she had been right, and that Victor had been lying to her. She wasn't going to let him get away with bald faced deceit. But she wanted to know more about his partnership with Bryan and what his involvement might be with Bryan's death before accusing him of anything. She didn't want to upset Emma more than she needed to.
Chapter Four
As Bekki drove back towards the motel she began to rehearse in her mind exactly how she planned to confront Victor. She wanted to approach it as casually as she could, but since she was going to force her way into conversation with him, she wasn't sure how she could do that. She parked beside his car and walked up to the motel room next to Emma's. She knocked lightly on the door.
“Emma?” Victor asked as he opened the door. When he saw that it was Bekki instead, he frowned. “Can I help you?” he asked with a bit more ice in his eyes.
“I was wondering if I could speak to you for a moment?” Bekki asked as politely as she could.
“Sure,” he nodded and held the door open for her. When Bekki stepped inside and he closed the door behind her, she reali
zed she was putting herself into a vulnerable situation. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked as he glanced out the window to see if any reporters were listening in.
“I was just curious about your relationship with Bryan,” Bekki explained. “I mean, you seem to be so supportive of Emma, but I understand you and Bryan weren't on the best of terms.”
“I don't know why you need to know about any of this,” Victor murmured as he began to study her intently. When he moved closer to her, Bekki stepped casually to the side. He didn't seem to notice that she was trying to create space between them, nor was he deterred from still taking another step closer.
“I'm just trying to understand how best I can help Emma,” Bekki explained. “I feel badly that this happened here, in our little town, and I want her to know she has the support of all of us. So, I'm just trying to understand a little more of the dynamics between her and Bryan. Were they lovers?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Victor abruptly snapped.
Bekki stood in the corner of the motel room, closest to the door. She could sense the animosity growing in the man across from her. He was pacing back and forth, his hand rubbing the back of his neck so firmly that Bekki wondered if he was rubbing skin away.
“Why are you here again?” he asked and cleared his throat, as if he was trying to keep his words in a certain tone.
“I'm here to find out why you lied to me,” Bekki explained as she laid her hand on the doorknob of the motel room. “Earlier you told me that you came into town because of Bryan's death. But the gas station owner outside of town said that he saw you filling up yesterday before Bryan's show.”
“And why would you be asking the gas station owner about me?” Victor asked as he took another step in her direction. His eyes were narrowed, but not in a threatening way. He looked more confused than anything else. “Who are you Bekki? Are you a police officer? Are you a reporter?” his voice became a little louder with every question.
Bekki stared back at him. She was attempting to keep her expression open and relaxed, but she knew that she was failing miserably. What she had expected to be just a few questions had turned into a lot more.
“I'm just a concerned citizen of Harroway,” Bekki offered hesitantly. “I see how upset Emma is and I am just hoping to find some answers for her.”
“Answers about what?” Victor demanded as he turned away from her. He walked towards the small table and chairs in the corner of the room. “About why a man, who knew he was going to be a father, would put himself at risk? Would put the woman he loved at risk of raising her child alone, just to squeeze in one last show?” he glanced over his shoulder in Bekki's direction. “Is that what you're trying to find an answer for? Because, that's the only question in my mind. The Bryan I knew was always reckless. He never took the time to make sure that things were in place. Ask anyone practicing the art of escape today, and they'll tell you that Bryan had a reputation for being reckless,” he frowned and stared hard at the table top where he was sorting through a pile of papers. “It is a tragedy, Bekki, a tragic accident, but it was one that he was asking to have happen with the way he acted so carelessly. Yes, I feel sorry for Emma, yes, I hope she'll allow me to be her shoulder to cry on, but the only person at fault here for Bryan's death, is Bryan.”
When he turned back to look at Bekki he was holding a piece of paper in his hand. “Here, you read this, and tell me what you think was going on in Bryan's mind,” he held the paper out to her.
“What is this?” Bekki asked curiously as her mind spun with the new information he had provided her with. She had no idea that Bryan had a reputation for being reckless. Emma had told her not long before that Bryan was always careful, that they always rehearsed the trick before he would submerge himself. She had made it seem as if he was a very cautious man. Bekki glanced down at the paper in her hand.
“It's the last letter that he wrote to me,” Victor explained in a saddened tone. “I got it a few days ago. That's why I came to see the show, okay?” he frowned as he met Bekki's eyes. “I didn't want Emma to ever know about this letter. But since you can't seem to let things be as they are, she will likely end up learning the truth.”
Bekki looked back down at the letter and began to read it. Before she could read much, her cell phone began to ring. She reached for it and saw that it was Nick. He had also texted her a few times asking where she was. Bekki knew that if he discovered she was alone with Victor, and had even been taking an interest in him, Nick would be livid.
“Can I take this with me?” Bekki asked nervously. She wanted to leave the motel room as soon as possible, but she also wanted to know everything he had to share.
“Fine,” Victor nodded a little. “If it'll put your mind at ease about me. Make sure that you don't let Emma see it though, okay? I think she's already heartbroken enough, don't you?”
Bekki nodded slowly as she folded the letter and tucked it into her purse. “I'll do my best,” she promised. Bekki turned towards the door and began to open it when Victor spoke up again.
“And Bekki?” he called out.
“Yes?” she asked through gritted teeth. She had almost made it out of the room, and was a little nervous that he had changed his mind about not being angry with her.
“Thanks for the concern,” he said quietly. “No matter what might have happened between Bryan and me, we were still like brothers. I might think he brought his death on himself, and I might be damn angry about it, but I still feel his loss. It is a comfort to me to know that I'm not the only one who cares about Emma, and who wants to make sure that she gets through this tragedy as best she can.”
Bekki looked over her shoulder at him and was stunned at the genuine gratitude that was evident in his expression. It made her heart soften towards him. Perhaps her first impressions had been wrong. Perhaps, as they were sometimes, her instincts were off base on this one.
“It's no problem,” Bekki replied calmly and opened the door. “I'll be in touch.”
“Good,” he nodded a little and looked very sorrowful as she walked out the door of the motel room. Her phone was ringing again. Bekki sighed and answered it swiftly.
“Nick, I'm fine, I'm sorry, I was just in the bathroom…”
“Too much information, Bekki!” Sammy replied with a short laugh.
“Oh, Sammy,” Bekki giggled quietly. “I'm sorry, I thought you were Nick.”
“Either way, gross,” Sammy snorted.
“All right, I was going to say taking a shower,” Bekki shot back and tried not to laugh again as she walked across the parking lot towards her car. “What's up?” she asked.
“I stopped by your mom's house to drop off some of the old magazines from the salon for her to take to the library, and I found her and your father having a bit of an argument. Maybe you should go by there?” she suggested.
“Of course,” Bekki said with surprise. Her parents very rarely argued, and even when they did it couldn't really be called an argument, but more of a disagreement. “I'll stop over there now,” Bekki promised. “Thanks for calling me.”
“No problem,” Sammy assured her before she hung up the phone.
Chapter Five
As Bekki drove towards her parents' house she dialed Nick's number. He picked up on the second ring.
“Bekki, are you okay?” he asked quickly. “When I couldn't reach you I was a little worried…”
“I'm fine,” Bekki assured him with warmth in her voice. “You do know I can take care of myself,” she reminded him gently.
“I know that,” Nick said firmly. “That's not why I was worried. I just got the results back from the study of the key. It definitely is not designed to open the lock on the shackles,” he lowered his voice as he added. “It is possible that the keys accidently got mixed up but it’s also possible that it was deliberate so this might turn into a homicide investigation, and I know that you had said you were going to go visit with Emma.”
“Wow,�
� Bekki murmured as she turned down the road that led to her parents' house. “Are they sure it was the wrong key?” her mind traveled back to the dress she had wrapped up in a plastic bag in her back seat.
“Yes,” Nick said firmly. “The analyst said there was no way that key would have ever opened the lock. So somehow Bryan ended up in that tank of water with no way to escape. Did you find out about the trick from Emma?” he asked hesitantly. “You're not still with her, are you?”
“Yes, I did find out about the trick, and no, I'm not with her,” Bekki replied casually. “I'm actually on my way to my parents' house. Listen, I have Emma's dress, and I can explain the trick to you, just give me about a half hour to visit with my parents,” she thought about telling Nick about the letter she had as well, but she hadn't had a chance to read it yet. She wanted to know what was in it before she turned it over to him.
“Bekki,” Nick spoke in a more professional tone. “I don't think you understand. Officers are going to Emma's motel room right now. They're going to take her in for questioning on suspicion of murder, that's why I wanted to make sure that you weren't with her. If you have her dress, you need to bring it in as soon as you can,” his voice sped up slightly with urgency.
“You're going to take her down to the station?” Bekki gasped as she parked in her parents' driveway behind her mother's car. “She's pregnant Nick! You have to tell them to be careful.”
“I'll let them know,” Nick said calmly. “But as long as she doesn't put up a fight you know they'll be respectful of her.”
“I still don't understand why you're questioning Emma. Do you really think she had something to do with it?” Bekki asked with surprise.
“Well, she is the one who does the trick with him,” Nick pointed out. “She's going to be the prime suspect unless we come up with anyone else to look into.”
“I have a name for you to check out,” Bekki replied, and held her breath briefly as she wondered if her undercover journey was going to come up. She hoped that if it did, Nick would understand. “It's Victor Black, he used to be a partner of Bryan's. He's in town, and he tried to hide from me when he actually came into town.”