Shades of Deception

by Charlie Hudson

“Look, guys like him enjoy the reputation, but I could tell it was different for him with me.”

  “He said that to you?”

  “Not in those exact words. He always spent the night though instead of just making tracks after. Okay, it’s been a couple of days since I’ve heard from him, but he has this pen he really likes. His uncle hand crafts them from exotic woods and I found it under the bed. I bet he doesn’t know where he lost it. He loves my lasagna. I’m going to invite him over to get the pen and have the lasagna just ready to come out of the oven. I’ll have a nice bottle of Chianti open — you know he’s going to want to stay and then, well, it’s not like he’ll turn me down. I’ll get everything straightened out.”

  “What if he asks you to drop the pen off instead?”

  “Oh, I’ll come up with some reason not to be able to. That’s why I’m going to wait until next week. For starters, he might think about it being at my place and call me first. If not, he ought to be bummed thinking he’s lost the pen for good. He’ll be happy to come over.”

  The stupid ring tone of “Low on Helium” cut in and Deena went into a conversation on the phone about some shipment at the store.

  The bitch had no idea how skilled Crystal was with eavesdropping. The day before, she’d been coming from the breakroom and Matt was talking with Julio standing in the entry to the stockroom. She hadn’t caught the first part of whatever was said.

  “Yeah, Deena’s hot, but that’s run its course. There are a lot more out there.”

  “Jesus, man, you swap women out like I…,”

  She couldn’t linger without being noticed and she didn’t need to. She’d heard the clear dismissal of Deena in Matt’s voice. Anyone who thought of her as a kid didn’t know how closely she paid attention. Matt, he was something special and all the women he was with didn’t bother her. Of course they were attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be? What a smile he had. He hadn’t come right out and said he was just waiting for her to turn eighteen, but he had agreed to be her scuba instructor for each of the courses she’d taken. There had always been a lot of touching while making sure her equipment was properly fastened. She wore the tiniest bikini she could find, didn’t use a swimsuit cover-up when she wasn’t in a wetsuit and she hadn’t missed the glances when he thought she wasn’t looking. She shivered right now imagining what it was going to be like when they did come together. He would be the first real man she’d been with and that would make it incredibly special. The couple of high school boys had been worthwhile for experience to see how easy they were to manipulate. If she was going to carry out her future plans though, she wanted to learn from a man like Matt.

  She’d felt a flare as intense as anything she ever had in listening to Deena. The thought of killing the bitch was a natural reaction. As much reflex as anything. How to do it though was the question as it always must be except in those cases where someone’s rage and unstoppable impulse took over. She couldn’t quite define the feeling of sitting in the coffee shop and having decided Deena was going to die. She’d lifted her eyes from the laptop’s screen, taken a sip from her mug and swept the emptying room. Was everyone else focused on normal thoughts like about work or what to have for dinner? Well, obviously Deena was thinking about sex.

  No, she couldn’t sit there any longer. She’d heard all she needed to, and she wanted to be able to concentrate. She had to work out method and opportunity. Or means — wasn’t that the correct term? After having overheard Matt’s comments, she didn’t think it was likely he would call Deena, which meant she had a few days before the pen and lasagna scheme was to take place. Although it wasn’t like she couldn’t kill her after, she sure as hell didn’t want Matt with her again if she could help it. Crystal was comfortable with firing the .32 pistol her mother kept, but a murder like that would be intensely investigated. Random acts of violence like muggings or home invasions where people were killed and drive-by shootings were common enough to become mired in a backlog of overburdened detectives would have been perfect. Too bad it was such a small town and those things didn’t really happen. Even though some kind of fatal accident would be best, it was the same problem with figuring out how to kill her mother. There weren’t many practical options.

  She’d left the coffee shop, mentally sorting through different true crimes shows she’d watched about how people thought they had the perfect murder planned and got tripped up. The research she’d done about slowly poisoning her mother through extra doses of natural herbs certainly wasn’t a solution. She and Deena were barely acquainted. She’d taken a longer route home than usual because she didn’t have to be at the store until later for the close-up shift and her school assignments were caught up. She pedaled easily, the morning sun still partially shielded by trees and a light breeze wicking sweat away before it trickled down her face. It would be simple to find out where Deena lived and what the arrangements were. She was pretty sure there was no roommate involved based on what Deena had been talking about. She would go into the shop where Deena worked at a slow time to buy a present and strike up a conversation. She was sure the bitch was the type who would chatter away and reveal all sorts of personal information. Then what? How, how, how?

  The trailer park was quiet, everyone either gone or tucked inside with their daily routines. She smelled the burned eggs as soon as she opened the door. The skillet was on the stove, the bottom caked without even water put in it to soak the mess loose. Based on the few bits of yellow on a small plate her mother had scraped out however much was edible. The coffeemaker was still on and dribbles of brown liquid dotted the counter. Crystal imagined it was like many other mornings. Bleary-eyed and maybe hungover, her mother would have shuffled into the kitchen, eaten a little something to settle her stomach and not taken time to clean up before heading to work. Was it any wonder Crystal preferred to go to the coffee shop instead of facing that sight? She squeezed a few drops of dishwashing liquid into the skillet, added water and set it aside before she washed the plate.

  The rum hadn’t been put in the cabinet either and it struck her as she lifted the bottle to wipe the counter. Hadn’t she seen a news article recently about a college student dying from alcohol poisoning? He was a local and it had made Page Two. He was up in Gainesville maybe and there was this whole bullshit deal about what the college was doing to discourage binge drinking. Was it part of the stack of papers on the floor or had she thrown it out? She found it, poured her own mug of coffee and read the details closely. Thankfully, the reporter had been surprisingly graphic — probably in an attempt to highlight what they referred to as “senseless tragedy.” She’d been correct in what she remembered, the guy had passed out in a spare room and no one had noticed until the following morning. That logically meant he hadn’t tried to get help and no one else around had heard anything to alert them.

  Okay, how could she use this? She’d overheard enough snippets of talk to know Deena liked to party, but how would she gain access to her? It wasn’t like she was in with that crowd, could just show up and hang around until everyone else was gone. She’d thought back to the conversation that had pissed her off. Deena might or might not remember that she worked with Matt. What was it she’d said? The pen, she was talking about this pen as a way to get him to her place. For starters, he might think about it being at my place and call me first. It was something like that. She admitted he’d stopped calling her. Crystal concentrated on Deena’s words and her friend trying to point out it wouldn’t be worthwhile to pursue Matt. If she was desperate as she sounded like, there was a good chance she’d be willing to believe someone coming to her with the idea Matt was still interested.

  It had taken more thought, laying out each piece to make them flow together. Another advantage of most people viewing her as just a kid was it never occurred to them how adept she was at lying. One of the things she’d learned a long time ago was how eager people were to buy into whatever they wanted to hear. Getting booze was no
problem. That was about the only thing her mother’s worthless boyfriends had plenty of. The last stupid son-of-a-bitch had turned out to not be divorced after all and his wife had called threatening to beat up her mother. He’d stocked the liquor cabinet only a few days before that happened and Crystal assumed he wouldn’t be back again.

  She couldn’t take credit for the element of luck when Matt was scheduled to take a night dive. Her idea of sending multiple texts from Deena’s phone wouldn’t work if for some reason Matt actually decided to answer her, or worse, weaken and agree to come over. The timing of the night dive meant he wouldn’t be near his phone and she knew there was often a follow-up gathering either there at the shop or the neighboring bar. Even if he checked for messages, odds were he wouldn’t be in the mood to respond. The final problem she saw was if Deena intended to go out herself, although she didn’t think a Tuesday was a big party night.

  It’s funny, she didn’t remember being nervous when she’d strolled into Everything Nautical. At twenty minutes to closing, the store was empty and Crystal smiled disarmingly. “Hey, I know you’re almost ready to close. I just need one of those nice bath baskets for a gift. The small one if you have it.”

  Deena came around the counter, the friendly look on her face shaded with wondering if she should know her.

  “I’m Crystal — I’ve been in a few times. I work three or four days a week over at Scuba-Plus.”

  “Oh sure,” Deena said with that bright tone people use when pretending to know someone they don’t. “I love these baskets. I’m Deena.” She lifted one from the display and held it out.

  Crystal took it, allowing a tiny trace of puzzle in her voice. “Deena? Deena Powell, no, it’s…”

  “Pierce,” Deena said, moving back to the register.

  “Oh that’s right, Pierce,” Crystal said and took out a twenty. She exaggerated a look toward the door and around the shop. “You’re going out with Matt Raney, aren’t you? He’s a hunk, isn’t he?”

  Deena’s reaction had been predictable. Eyes widened, a little intake of breath. “Uh, yeah, he is.”

  Crystal dropped her voice. “I don’t mean to be nosey, but I happened to overhear him the other day. I mean, I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop or anything — it’s just one of those things that happen sometimes. I know he goes out a lot so I was a little surprised with how serious he was talking about you. Guess he’ll be off the market for a while.”

  What an easy set-up! Deena’s eager expression was pathetic.

  “Oh well, yeah. Uh, he was talking to one of the guys in the store?”

  Crystal had nodded enthusiastically. “Oh sure. Like I said, though, I didn’t want to seem nosey and didn’t hear everything.”

  Deena counted out change and reached for a bag. “Of course not. Hey, I remember now. I’ve seen you at the coffee shop sometimes. I was going to stop there on the way home. You want to join me?”

  Crystal glanced at the clock on the wall. “Ah gee, I’d like to, but I’ve got to fix dinner for my mom before she goes to work. She’s on night shift and I always make sure she has a good meal in her. Otherwise, she’ll grab some junk.”

  “Oh, that’s really sweet.”

  Crystal had snapped her fingers. “Hey though, you live in town, right? If you’re not busy, I could swing by after I get the kitchen cleaned up. I don’t know what you did to get to Matt, but it’s definitely something. I mean, I’ve heard him joke around a lot and this sounded more serious.”

  “Well, yeah, okay. It will be fun to hear. Matt’s like most guys — they’re terrible about telling you what they’re really thinking.”

  Jesus, no wonder Matt was tired of this bitch. She was totally buying into this bullshit. Crystal had been counting on her desperation and she hoped like hell Deena wouldn’t immediately call one of her girlfriends with this nugget. She was betting she would hold off until she could quote whatever Crystal was going to pass on. With address and cell phone number in hand, she had hurried out after a quick finishing touch of, “You aren’t going to tell him about me, are you? I got the idea he’s not quite ready to be public about this yet. And like I said, I don’t want him to think I was trying to listen in. It really was accidental that I heard anything.”

  She hadn’t waited for confirmation and had been grinning all the way home. Thankfully, Deena did live within biking distance. A neighbor was less likely to remember a bicycle than a car — not to mention there would be no sound with either arrival or departure.

  Of course, Deena had been surprised when she carried in the tequila and margarita mix as Crystal grinned and said, “I look really young for my age — you probably get carded all the time, too.”

  It had been simple to reverse Matt’s words — “there’s more out there” became, “I’ve been out there a lot and she’s special.” Crystal didn’t add too much, launching instead into her carefully practiced approach. “He’s not my type, but most of the girls in the shop are crazy about him. How did you hook up to start with? I mean if you don’t mind me asking.”

  She kept Deena’s glass filled, drawing out details to keep her talking. The advantage of margaritas was they went down smoothly and, for whatever reason, tequila seemed to work faster than other booze. In less than an hour, Deena was showing the effects and when she’d gone to the bathroom, Crystal added extra tequila. That also gave her the chance to send the first text to Matt from Deena’s phone. The bitch was definitely swaying when she came back to the table and Crystal brushed aside her giggle that she should probably stop drinking. She’d dropped her voice with a seemingly embarrassed revelation that she personally didn’t have much experience when it came to sex and since they were sharing…

  Crystal’s high had nothing to do with the tiny sips she was actually taking. Jesus, manipulating Deena was a bigger rush than any buzz from booze. When she suggested they switch to doing shots, there was no hesitation. She’d calculated she could handle two if necessary to pretend to keep up, but Deena’s eyes started to lose focus after one and Crystal’s teasing, “Come on, shot, shot,” worked to get three more down her. She’d slumped toward the table, mumbling — whatever she was saying was lost when she passed out.

  Had it been enough? Her complexion was pale and she wasn’t moving. She might only be unconscious and there was no way to have her swallow another shot or two. Crystal took the phone, no movement from Deena. She sent the next message, then set about wiping away her fingerprints and clearing away signs of another person. Deena didn’t stir as she applied her finger prints to the phone, bottles, the pitcher, and the stirring spoon. She’d been careful not to touch the counter or the table again. After sending the last of the messages, Crystal had finally bent close to Deena who was warm, yet didn’t seem to be breathing.

  Even if this didn’t work, the odds were the bitch wouldn’t remember what happened. That was another common effect of tequila. If she wasn’t dead, Matt would either ignore the string of embarrassingly whimpering texts or make it clear to her there was no chance between them. That might have to do. With one final look around, she’d slipped on the gloves she had in her purse to let herself out and locked the door. Fortunately, she’d been able to conceal her bike behind the shrubbery close to the door. The sleeping neighborhood was not particularly well lit and there were no dogs in yards to alert anyone to her presence.

  Crystal hadn’t expected the death, if there had been one, to be announced on the morning broadcast. The noon news was brief and guarded — “…name being withheld pending notification of next of kin,” but Jesus, “…the young Verde Key woman found in her home by a neighbor…,” couldn’t be anyone other than Deena, although, “investigation is in progress…” didn’t provide much information. As Crystal replayed the entire evening step-by-step, she was certain she hadn’t made any mistakes. The worse part might be waiting to see if she had somehow slipped up, but she really felt like she’d pulled it of
f. The thing she was clear about was a lack of guilt. As stupidly as Deena had behaved, she might have done something like this to herself at some point anyway. All she’d done was make sure it happened.

  “We’re not seeing this as anything other than accidental,” Bev said and waited while Kyle refilled her wineglass. “A waste is the term mostly used.”

  Clean-up from dinner had been quick, as it usually was with grilling fish and the vegetables and using a single pot for a boxed rice dish. They’d eaten outside since the terrace was their preferred dining spot when napkins weren’t snatched from the table and sent flying into the shrubbery. The day of winds at twenty-plus knots accompanied by small craft advisories had abated to leave no more than a mild stirring of air.

  The three-bedroom, two-bath house they’d bought before the wedding had required extensive repairs, but none were structural. It was in their budget and was almost in sight of the oceanside homeowners’ park. The original owners had fenced the adjoining lot to accommodate the RV they’d gone off in after woefully neglecting regular property maintenance and basic cleanliness. For Bev and Kyle, use of the extra lot was something for future consideration. Getting the house ready was the important part and gutting virtually all the interior for a complete refresh had come with cheap labor thanks to both sets of parents. Bev had idly wondered what it was going to be like bringing the families together. The initial dinner at Bev’s parents’ house was more like one with old friends than strangers. The two women shared a skilled love for gardening and the men were climbing all over her dad’s thirty-six foot Luhrs charter boat before they’d finished their first beer. By the end of the meal, Kyle Stewart, Senior and Melissa made the decision to rent a condo and stay through the wedding instead of making a return trip to Michigan. A schedule for the renovations was created amid the weak protests Bev and Kyle felt obliged to make. They didn’t have the time to spend and couldn’t argue with saving thousands of dollars by not having to hire professionals. They’d pitched in when they could, of course, especially with re-tiling the floors. Bev had watched her mother’s bargain hunting skills all her life and Emma was closely matched by Melissa. Higher end kitchen cabinetry and other features Kyle and Bev would have otherwise put on a wish list took the house to a level beyond what they expected.