Nailed

by Avery Daniels

  Once our drinks and appetizer arrived, we were ready to talk.

  Tammy jumped in first, “Bingo was buzzing tonight. Seems the realtor guy, Preston, is really hurting and he blames Kara.”

  “I still don’t understand what the big deal was about.” I voiced my doubt.

  “Oh, well deals fall through for one reason or another all the time. But Kara’s people wanted their earnest money back when they backed out of buying the house. They changed their mind or something.” Tammy was talking with her hands now, providing a flourish here and there.

  “Anyway, Preston was upset because they hadn’t put down what he considered the standard amount and felt Kara had purposely manipulated for a lower earnest amount. He felt she owed him more money in the first place. But Kara argues that he owes her clients their money back,” she finished.

  “That doesn’t seem enough to kill a person over though,” Porsche said, and I nodded in agreement.

  “Well, Kara took to Facebook and Twitter complaining. She supposedly never openly said his name, but it hurt his business anyway. At least, that is what he’s claiming. His clientele and general business dropped considerably and his wife isn’t happy to be on a budget. So, his marriage is even having troubles.”

  “He claims it’s all Kara’s fault?” I was a bit surprised.

  “Oh yes, she would even taunt him about the decline in his clientele. From what the ladies at Bingo were saying, she took every opportunity to either discredit him shrewdly or twist the knife to make him regret challenging her.” She took a big swig of her Hefeweizen German beer.

  “If the adage is true that anybody is capable of murder if pushed far and hard enough, then everything you mentioned could’ve been a shove over the edge. Whatever caused that heated argument may have been the last straw after a long build-up, then he’s angry and takes a few hours to acquire the nail gun and confront her.” I finished and shook my head.

  Why would anyone purposely taunt and push somebody to such a boiling point? But it happens all the time. She had witnessed Kara at dinner the first night taunting lawsuit Chris and her ex-husband horribly.

  “I spoke to two ladies who actually spent some time with Leona. She was here to meet with her boyfriend – since he isn’t around they theorized he didn’t make it before the storm closed the roads. Seems she wore a heart necklace with rubies that the boyfriend gave her.”

  Tammy’s eyebrows crinkled, “How sad. The next thing the man will hear is that she’s gone.” Seems Tammy was tender-hearted, I swear she was slightly teary-eyed.

  “We have plenty of motives to kill Kara, but why Leona?” Porsche asked.

  “That’s what I was wondering. Could they have something in common against the killer? If it were Preston, could Leona be Kara’s client...or something like that? Something that put both of them on the killer’s angry side.” I was spitballing.

  “You’re always wondering why somebody didn’t see something. What if Leona saw something incriminating for the killer and had to be eliminated?” Porsche offered.

  Ooooooh, that made perfect sense.

  “That’s possible, too.” I sighed, “I just wish Leona had chatted up more people. It was as if she didn’t want to draw any attention.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe she felt lonely without her boyfriend or perhaps from being out with all the couples around made her feel lonelier. I can’t imagine being here for pleasure without somebody to enjoy the location with, even if it’s a friend.” Tammy offered.

  She made a good point. Even with Porsche, I was lonely. There were couples surrounding me continually reminding me I was alone in a romantic resort.

  “Okay, maybe it isn’t suspicious that she wasn’t more outgoing. So, we think she either saw something or was associated with Kara and the killer somehow. I have another wild theory.” I took another sip of my slushy, which was like summer in a glass – with alcohol. The karaoke was in full swing, currently featuring a silver-haired man crooning a Dean Martin song, so there was little chance of our being overheard. “What if Leona is with Kara’s former boyfriend? I was trying to think what they might argue about and that was what came to mind.”

  “You mean Leona stole the boyfriend making Kara rabid mad? Porsche asked.

  “I know, it’s a weak theory. It would explain their argument but it doesn’t explain why Leona was killed.” I admitted. I grabbed a cheddar broccoli bite, dipped it in the sauce and popped it in my mouth. Yum.

  There was silence for a few moments as I chewed and took another sip.

  “Nope, I can’t think of how the boyfriend theory could result in Leona being killed,” Tammy said and Porsche agreed.

  “We really need to know more about Leona,” I stated the obvious.

  Tammy rummaged in her purse and pulled out her tablet with a flourish. “I think there should be plenty of battery left to do some internet searches.”

  Porsche and I pulled our chairs over to each side of her so we could all see the screen.

  She pulled up a search engine on her browser and typed in Leona Dolman. Her fingers hovered over the keys, “What city should I add?”

  “Well, she knew Kara so I think it’s a safe bet she has connections in Colorado Springs too,” I said.

  The results were broad, but after a few false starts we found a newsletter mention with a picture of the same Leona Dolman we sought. It was an announcement of her being the bank’s new Private Relationship Advisor, which was a fancy way of saying she catered to the wealthy clients of the bank. The jobs were also called wealth management advisors and they dealt with financial planning and all the investing and range of products or services the bank provided, only with the personal touch so they needn’t stand in lines with the riff-raff and such.

  “She must’ve gotten paid well,” Tammy speculated.

  “Could she work for the same bank Kara used?” Porsche asked.

  “Don’t know how we would find that out,” I said.

  “She dealt with money and financial planning, anything come to mind with that?” Porsche asked.

  We sat thinking, sipping, and munching for a few minutes. “Nope, can’t see a connection. We really need more information all around.” Tammy huffed.

  “Check her Facebook and LinkedIn,” I suggested. It had worked well for me last fall. We each whipped out our cell phones.

  That was a bust too. She had her Facebook with the highest security restrictions. Her LinkedIn contained basic information only, no resume. She used it to get more clients with the bank and her financial planning role.

  “Financial Planner...could she have lost somebody money and Kara...made the same person’s life hell? Like Bryce.” Tammy suggested. Ah yes, the poor abused ex-husband.

  “I know Kara got their nice house in the divorce,” Porsche said. I stared at her. “I’ve been listening, just not picking up any big news.” Porsche smiled.

  “That scenario could apply to Chris Burns too. He lost his house to a development, spends the money to get a lawyer, and then what if investments Leona advised lost money? That could break a person.” I said.

  “I suppose even Debra could fit that too.” Porsche added. “She doesn’t seem to work, so what if Leona lost her money?”

  “Okay, we found an angle that might explain Leona’s murder. Which isn’t connected to Kara at all, but more of a two-birds-in-one-reckoning weekend scenario.” I summed up.

  “I’d be interested in hearing this angle you have discovered.” Johan stood in front of our table, shoulders slumped and his eyes drooping.

  He grabbed the last chair and joined us. I was surprised he didn’t give a little kiss to Porsche like they had been doing.

  “We were just tossing around why Leona might have been killed, which has bothered each of us.” I shared. He motioned with his hand to keep on talking.

  Between the three of us, we shared our theories of both being on the killer’s angry side or seeing something incriminating for the killer and having to
be eliminated. We saved the financial–planner–gone–wrong aspect and the murder’s convenient timing to take her out while the three of them were in one place.

  “That is certainly some fine conjecture. Top notch even. But, that’s all it is.” He leaned back in his chair as if his back couldn’t hold up much longer. I bet he was running on caffeine and sheer willpower. The handsome Nordic detective I’d met a few days ago was replaced with a haggard looking man who seemed to have aged 10 years before my eyes.

  “I’ve wanted to ask you if you found Leona’s phone and her boyfriend’s contact information to notify him,” I asked.

  He sat forward, “What boyfriend would that be?” His tired eyes grew bigger and his brows crinkled together.

  “A couple of women at the Vegas Blackjack tables took a cooking class with Leona and then had drinks. Leona told them she was here to meet with her boyfriend. Said her heart pendant necklace with rubies was from him.” I saw his eyes flicker with interest.

  “First, we found her cell phone all right. The sim card had been removed. Secondly, there wasn’t any necklace with rubies, heart-shaped or otherwise.” He rubbed his blond five o’clock shadow. “I’ll need a description from them.”

  I grabbed a clean napkin and Johan’s pen to draw a rough sketch of the necklace I saw her wear at dinner. I handed it to him, “Here, I saw her wear it at dinner in Maximilian’s the night before I heard she was killed. It may not be exact because I noticed it from across the room.” I also gave him what I knew of Lisa and Blair for him to follow up.

  “Look, I’ve gotta go. I have to cover one of the halls for the next few hours until another person is brought in by snowmobile.” He glanced at Porsche and gave her a sad smile tinged with regret. It appeared they both realized the short time they had left together, but who would have suspected they would grow close so quickly? I certainly didn’t see that coming. So, they stepped back from their whirlwind romance before it got too serious. Porsche’s eyes showed it was too late, she’d already grown incredibly fond of the detective. Johan wished us all good night and rushed out.

  Timing. I could relate. Relationships – sheesh. The lyrics to a rock ballad came to my mind “love is just a lie made to make you blue. Love hurts.” Guess I still had things to work out.

  “Any other ideas connecting Kara and Leona ladies?” I asked.

  “To my mind, they both could have been involved in something illegal to warrant murder,” Tammy said as she shook her head. It was hard to imagine what would be a strong enough reason to push a person to kill twice.

  “What if these murders aren’t actually related?” Porsche suggested. We thought for a few moments on that.

  “It does seem like too much of a coincidence, but I suppose somebody could’ve thought it would make getting away with killing Leona easier since the police were already stretched thin and concerned with Kara’s murder. It could’ve muddied the waters enough to turn into an opportunity the person took.” I commented.

  “Of course, it could be a serial killer pushed over the edge being snowbound.” Porsche tossed in, seemingly as an afterthought.

  “Ummmm, I don’t think so. The sim card wouldn’t be removed from her cell phone if she didn’t know the person, like in the case of a serial killer.” I said.

  “So the missing sim card seems to suggest there was something on the phone the killer didn’t want anyone to see.” Tammy clarified.

  “Yes, like a photo, a text message, even her email or social media linked to her phone. Anything in there could be incriminating. You can even record audio. No telling what she had that the killer didn’t want the police to find.” I added.

  “It’ll take longer for the police to track down her mobile carrier and then request the records. Television shows make it look so instantaneous Johan says.” Porsche enlightened us.

  “The police can get the text messages and phone log information, but the rest likely went with the sim card or they’ll have to find her home computer to search. That’ll take time to get cooperation and coordination with another city’s police force I imagine.” Porsche was just full of information.

  “Didn’t know you were such a techie there.” I kidded her. She had never seemed interested beyond Facebook and using her cell phone for calls and the camera.

  “You don’t work with college students without picking up on some of the technology.” She answered back.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kylie and Zack walked up and quickly sat down. “Mind if we join you? We can’t very well come to your room anymore with the hall monitors in place.” Kylie rushed to say.

  “We can’t be seen with you for long either, management is strict on fraternizing with the guests.” Zack’s voice held an edge that betrayed there was more to his comment.

  I raised an eyebrow at his surprising attitude.

  “Don’t mind him, he’s upset that the latest love of his life is forbidden to him. She’s here with her parents and Zack thinks he’s in love.” Kylie shared with cold efficiency and a hint he did this regularly. She rolled her eyes to top off her statement.

  Porsche, Tammy, and I exchanged looks in an attempt to not laugh at the young man. However, Zack was oblivious to our hidden smiles and coughs. I almost shared how sweet it was but stopped myself before embarrassing him.

  I cleared my throat to be serious, “Anything new to report?”

  Kylie glanced around then leaned forward. “I actually have a message for you. Seems Kara’s ex would like to speak to the guests who have made friends with the investigating detective. He’d especially like to talk to the gal dating Detective Larson.” The skeptical look on her face was like my father’s when I’d told him a whopper lie. It was the “You expect me to believe that load of crap?” look.

  “Well, that’s new.” Tammy said.

  “Did he give you an idea why he wants to meet with us?” I asked.

  “Something about wanting to convince you of his innocence. But I suspect he wants you to influence the detective for him.” She sat back and crossed her arms and pursed her lips. Kylie might have a young face, but right now she seemed older, a touch worldly-wise, even jaded.

  “Did he have a place and time in mind?” I asked.

  “You aren’t seriously thinking of meeting with him?” Porsche snapped and her eyes squinted at me.

  “No, I thought both of us would go. Strength in numbers and all that. Tammy and these two could wait for us nearby.” I explained in my gentle and coaxing voice – because that always worked.

  “Tonight at ten, in the children’s craft room. But even with the three of us outside, I don’t know if you should.”

  I looked at Porsche. She read my mind, like when we were in school, “You’ll just go anyway if I don’t. Okay, we’ll go together. Don’t make me regret this.”

  My gentle and coaxing voice worked again, it’s better than a Jedi mind trick. Kylie and Zack left with promises to be outside the room in a few minutes waiting for us and left. We only had a few minutes before the meeting.

  “Wish I knew martial arts,” Tammy stated.

  “She’s been getting private lessons from her dreamy boyfriend.” Porsche blurted out, then stopped and covered her mouth.

  “It’s self-defense lessons and I got all of four lessons.” I wanted to move away from the sensitive topic.

  “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend. This is such a romantic resort...” I tuned it out. For the umpteenth time, yes, it’s a romantic hotel and would’ve been wonderful to curl up with Mason next to a fire in the Lobby watching the snowfall. I took a deep breath and ignored the squeeze of my heart and tightening around my lungs.

  We paid and left to meet Bryce, Kara’s ex and the most likely suspect right now. I had my purse containing pepper spray with me. I now carried pepper spray with me regularly after Mason convinced me to last fall. I also had those four self-defense lessons from Mason. It was something at least, but I had no delusions it was a perfect plan.

&n
bsp; We met outside the door to the children’s craft room, which appeared to be unlocked. Then I noticed a sign on the door to pick out your mask for the party tomorrow night. For a moment I thought Bryce jimmied the lock to the kids’ craft room like the killer might have done to surprise and kill the two victims. But it seems the room was left open for convenience to pick up masks.

  “Keep the door open a little, don’t let it latch, so you can hear us,” I told Tammy as we opened the door and entered the dimly lit room

  All along one wall were seemingly hundreds of half-masks hanging, clearly made by the children. Some more elaborate masks seemed made by teens with active imaginations and talent. There were elaborate feathered and rhinestone ones, harlequin styled, and lots of cat or dog themed masks, several with wild-animal faces. I felt like a wall of masked people was watching.

  In the half-light, Bryce was clearly visible, sitting at a worktable waiting. He slumped, elbow on the table, and his head in a hand, which looked as if it kept his head from falling off. His eyes had dark circles and his pale face glowed in the muted light making him look ghoulish.

  “Could we turn on more lights?” Porsche, the horror movie addict, asked right away. I second that request. Gulp.

  Bryce simply pointed to the wall at the front of the room, but I looked around and saw the companion switch near the doorway we entered through and snapped it on. The bank of fluorescent overheads blinked a few times then splashed its garish blue-tinged light over the room. You would think the harsh brightness would make the masks look less eerie, but you’d be wrong. The bright light cast the hollow eyes of the masks in stark shadow making them more ominous, as if dark eyes followed me.

  I looked around, we seemed alone with Bryce. My eyes searched him for signs of a weapon or an inkling of violent intent. I shook my head and drove scenes from the “Shining” that began playing out of my head