Words of Wisdom

by D E Dennis

  I looked away. “Because we got into a fight and he left saying he wanted space.”

  I could feel her eyes on me. “You told him you were back with Arnie, didn’t you?”

  My jaw clenched. “Yes. I did. I did nothing wrong,” I added, back on the defensive.

  She sighed. “You really think that don’t you?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She shook her head. “You know what it means. And you know what you need to do.” She picked her book back up. “Close the door when you leave.”

  I was dismissed.

  Entry Seven

  SOME DAYS, I’M THANKFUL I’m an empath, because when your emotions are a tangled mess, it’s actually a relief to hide out in someone else’s. I had a whole day of clients booked and after I wrapped up my final session, I closed up shop and went to the grocery store.

  I meandered up and down the aisles, picking up ingredients for dinner. I was passing by the fish section, when I laid eyes on slices of peach and silver salmon. In the next moment, my phone was in my hand and I was dialing Paxon.

  I held my breath as it rang. I didn’t know what I would do if he didn’t answer. I also didn’t know what I would say if he did.

  Ring. Ring. Ring.

  When the robotic female voice sounded in my ear, I ended the call, put my phone in my bag, and began my breathing routine.

  Five breaths in. Hold for five. Release to five. Five breaths―

  “Excuse me, miss?”

  My eyes flew open.

  “Would you mind handing me the salted pollock?” An elderly woman had sidled up beside me. I quickly handed her the fish and strode off.

  DINNER WAS A DISASTER. It was my night to cook, but I was in such a weird headspace that instead of producing my garden variety disasters, I created a catastrophe. I succeeded in breading the chicken but burned every piece. I let the pasta cook for too long and it became mush. I cut myself preparing the salad and got blood on the romaine. Then the jar of pasta sauce slipped from my clumsy, hurt fingers and went flying all over the kitchen floor. Needless to say, Kali took one look at the kitchen and immediately dialed for takeout.

  An hour later, the three of us sat on the couch eating Chinese food and passing the phone back and forth while chatting with our dad. That is to say, Kali and I were eating Chinese food and talking to my father. Makayla was just sitting there.

  “Okay, Dad,” I said. “Love you too...I’ll talk to you tomorrow...yes, here’s Kali... Bye.” I handed Kali the phone and picked up my chopsticks.

  A mouthful of properly cooked noodles were halfway to my lips when a buzzing made me stop and groan. Who was calling in the middle of dinner?

  Maybe it’s Paxon―

  I scrambled to grab it and check the screen.

  Arnie.

  I swiped accept.“Hi, baby. What’s up?”

  “The suspect...we don’t have a choice...it’s decided!” Arnie wrapped up a heated argument with the person on his end and then cleared his throat. “Amari, what’s your schedule like tomorrow?” he asked.

  “My schedule? Why?”

  “Are you seeing clients all day?”

  “No,” I said. “My last slot of the day is wide open. But again, why?”

  He sighed. “I need you to come down to the station after you’re finished with work. We have Sophia Bell in custody, but she’s refusing to speak to us. She says she’ll only talk to you.”

  “Me?” I cried. “Why me?”

  “She won’t say,” replied Arnie, “but with the...inconsistencies...regarding Tad Breyfogle’s death it’s important we get all our facts straight. We need to know what part she played in all this.”

  “So...” I began, “now you want me to get involved?”

  “I don’t want this at all,” he growled. “But I’ve spent the last six hours utilizing every interrogation technique I could think of and she won’t budge. She says it’s you or she’s calling a lawyer.”

  I hesitated. “I just don’t understand why she’d want to speak to me. The last time we spoke, her side of the conversation consisted of her repeatedly screaming at me to get out.”

  “Look, babe, I just need you to get her to open up. If the mayor was murdered and the killer wrote the note, then they either did so to avenge the deaths of the people in Best Foot Forward or they are trying to frame the mayor and send an innocent woman to prison. We need to know which one it is and the quickest way to do that is to get Sophia Bell talking. So will you come to the station tomorrow?”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll come.”

  “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I appreciate you doing this. This will be the last time you get involved in this case.” His voice became stern. “The very last time.”

  We said our goodbyes and I hung up.

  Kali was ready the moment I clicked end.

  “What was that about?”

  I gave up on my noodles. “Arnie wants me to go to the police station tomorrow.” I put the noodle container on the living room table. “Sophia Bell is refusing to speak and told them she would only talk to me.”

  Kali frowned. “Not again, Mari.”

  I sighed. “I know, but what else am I supposed to do?”

  She didn’t reply.

  “Look,” I said softly, “I’ll be in a police station surrounded by armed officers. I can handle a simple conversation with a woman with a bum wrist. I’m not in any danger and even better I’m not sneaking around this time. Arnie called me.”

  She still looked unsure, but in the end, she said, “Okay, just be careful, alright?”

  “I will.”

  “And be home on time,” she continued. “We have a guest for dinner.” She shook her carton of Hunan beef. “I invited them over on my night to cook.”

  “What guest?” I froze. “Is it...is it Paxon?” I said, trying not to let hope rise to the surface.

  But Kali shook her head. “Nope,” she said around a mouthful of beef. “It’s Dr. Shroder.”

  “Excuse me?” My eyes narrowed. “Kali, you promised you would let me go at my own pace!” I exploded.

  “Uh oh.” Kayla whistled. “She’s mad.”

  Kali put her hands up in surrender, food and all. “She’s not coming for you,” she said quickly. “We’ve just been talking about having dinner together for a while and I’d like her to meet my sweet, loving big sister.” She smiled innocently at me.

  I harrumphed. “That better be the reason...although it’s still a strange one.” I screwed up my face. “Aren’t there rules about that? Isn’t it forbidden for you to meet with your psychiatrist outside of sessions?”

  Kali waved that away. “Forbidden? Of course not. Why would it be?”

  I shrugged agitatedly. “I don’t know, because you aren’t supposed to know they have actual lives.”

  She snorted. “I know all about Dr. S’s life. She’s got three kids, she’s going through a divorce, and she just started a new ceramic class.” Kali popped another piece of beef into her mouth. “We’ve been discussing the benefits of art therapy. I think it’s really been helping her work through her feeling about the divorce.”

  I just blinked at her. “You are unreal, Kali Moon,” I said slowly, “only you could add your shrink to your collection of best friends.”

  She winked at me. “Tomorrow. Seven o’clock. Don’t be late.”

  “Fine,” I relented, “but if her mouth even opens to form the word ‘Kayla,’ I’m tossing her and you out.”

  “Fair enough.” Kali shrugged. “Do you think Daisy will drop by? I’ll make extra.”

  “I have no idea,” I said honestly, giving into the subject change. “I hope so. It’s been a while and oh boy, do we have a lot to tell her.”

  Kayla tsked. “Tell me about it.”

  THE NEXT DAY, I WAS distracted during my sessions. I couldn’t help but glance at my clock every five minutes, as time ticked down I got more and more anxious.

  What did Sophia Be
ll want to say to me?

  After waving goodbye to my last client of the day, I hurriedly locked up and ran to my car to find out the answer to that question.

  Arnie was waiting outside the station when I pulled up. He led me inside and straight back to the interrogation room.

  “She wants to talk to you alone, but if you don’t feel comfortable then I’ll stay in the room with you, end of discussion.”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll talk to her by myself and get the information you need.”

  He glanced at me, this close I could feel he was a mix of fearful, sad, and angry. He was not pleased about me being in the center of this case. Again. His duty to his job was competing with his desire to protect me.

  “Arnie, don’t worry,” I repeated. “I’m assuming you’ll be on the other side of the glass?”

  He nodded.

  “I’ve taken on bigger, scarier, and deadlier people. I’ve even had clients try to come for me a few times and they have all quickly regretted it. One young woman with a swollen wrist isn’t a threat.”

  We stopped outside the door of Interrogation Room Two.

  “I’m not worried about her attacking you, Mari,” he said. “I’m worried that whatever she has to say to you will result in you digging yourself deeper into this case. A case you should never have been involved with from the start. Veronica Breyfogle shouldn’t have contacted a psychic when her life was under threat. She should have come straight to the police. Chief Bauer was wrong to let you onto the crime scene and you were wrong to snoop around speaking to the witnesses and stealing evidence.”

  “I didn’t steal it!” I spluttered.

  “You shouldn’t have been there,” he said firmly. “And after today, your involvement with this case is over. I mean it. Promise me.”

  “Arnie, I―”

  “Promise me, Mari,” he insisted.

  “I―” I threw my hands up. “Can we just get this over with?” I exclaimed and shoved open the door. I shut it firmly behind me and turned to face Sophia.

  She looked back at me, slumped in her seat and appearing pretty defeated for a girl who withstood hours of interrogation. I could see her wrist had been properly bandaged.

  I took the seat across from her and waited for her to speak. She didn’t.

  Okay. I guess I’ll start.

  “Why did you want to speak to me?”

  She looked down. “You are...you’re a psychic...right?”

  I nodded. “Yes, I am. Why?”

  “I spoke to Tad before he...” Her eyes filled with tears. “...before he d-died,” she forced out. “He said things got so bad, because you have a lot of pull in Zinnia Springs. High-profile clients and a cop boyfriend.” She sniffed. “He said all this would stop if you knew the truth and took back what you said.”

  She rubbed her eyes and straightened. “He didn’t get the chance to tell you, so I will.” She nodded. “If you’re the real deal then you’ll know I’m telling the truth and all this can finally be over.”

  “You want me to do a reading?” I clarified.

  “Yes,” she tried to say confidently, but there was a slight tremble in her voice. “What do I have to do?”

  I slowly extended my hands. “First,” I instructed, getting into Madame Moon mode. “I need you to take slow, measured breaths. When you’re relaxed, I want you to grab my hand and begin telling your story.”

  She nodded and followed along while I did breathing counts. When her sadness retreated enough, I could register her other feelings. I told her to begin.

  “We did not kill Veronica Breyfogle.” She started right out of the gate. “Tad loved her and I didn’t wish her any harm. At the time of the fire, Tad was with me at my house. Miles away from Best Foot Forward.”

  I shivered. I felt uneasy, twitchy. My grip on her good hand tightened. “Why was he at your house?”

  “What does that matter?” Her tone was annoyed, but the spike of fear that followed that question went right through me. I flinched and let go of her hand.

  She blinked at me and I tried to play off my reaction. “Fine,” I said, heart racing. “If you’re not going to be straight with me then I’ll―”

  “No, wait!” she cried.

  I paused, halfway out of my seat.

  She swallowed hard. “Okay,” she whispered, “I’ll tell you.”

  I sat and put my hand once more palm up on the interrogation table. She took it. I was overwhelmed by her fear.

  I was trembling, my breaths were coming faster, and I almost didn’t hear her say―

  “My boyfriend...he gets angry and he―” She broke off. After a couple seconds, she tried again. “That was the first time he broke something.” She held up her bandaged wrist and my eyes widened in horror. She looked away. “He would have gotten upset with me if I went to the hospital, but it really hurt.” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back tears. “So I called Tad. He brought me some painkillers and an ice pack. Tried to convince me to go to the hospital, but I wouldn’t so he stayed with me for hours. He didn’t leave, not even to get lunch. He was nowhere near Best Foot Forward.”

  I studied her. Her fear was real. It made me want to scurry under the table and hide. Her sadness was also real. I believed someone hurt her, but did I believe the rest?

  “Why would Tad Breyfogle drop everything and come running to help you? Who were you to him?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “Were you his mistress?” I said bluntly.

  Her mouth twisted and disgust rushed in, blotting out almost everything else. “No!” she snapped. “I was not sleeping with him.”

  I cocked my head. “You weren’t sleeping with him, but the mayor of Zinnia Springs cares enough about you to try and look after you when your boyfriend hurt you and get angry at me for upsetting you. If your relationship wasn’t sexual then―”

  I broke off as it hit me full in the face. “Oh my goodness...” I whispered. I smacked my hand on the table. “That’s why the thought of having sex with him made you want to vomit.” I shook my head. “You aren’t his lover...you’re his daughter.”

  She sniffled.

  “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Her mouth trembled. “Yes...he was my dad.”

  “I...I think you should start from the beginning.”

  She wiped her nose on her sleeve. “Mom got pregnant with me in her senior year of high school. She never told Tad and he went off to college having no clue I existed. Mom refused to tell me anything about my father, so it wasn’t until after she died, when I found her old diary in the attic, that I learned his name.

  “That was three years ago,” she admitted. “It took me so long to make the call. I was afraid of how he might react and...and afraid of what Shaun would do. But a few months ago, I plucked up the courage and I called him. I told him who I was and he...” She gave me a watery smile. “He was happy. He said he was sorry he wasn’t there for me growing up, but he wanted to get to know me now. He would call me every day just to talk.”

  I was nodding along. “You kept it secret, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said softly. “It’s a big thing, having a whole other child out there. He didn’t know how to break it to his family. And I just didn’t want Shaun to know. I was worried he’d tell me I couldn’t see Tad anymore.” She absentmindedly rubbed her arm. “I wasn’t allowed to see Mom either,” she added and I balled my fist. This dude was a piece of work.

  She went on. “I’m telling you the truth, Miss...”

  “Moon,” I supplied automatically, then I shook my head. “No, call me Amari.”

  She nodded. “Amari, I’m being completely straight with you.” Steel worked its way into her voice. “Tad Breyfogle was my father and when his wife was killed, he was with me. He was a good man. He tried to be a good father to me and we had only just met.” A tear dripped off her chin and splashed onto the table. “You believe me, don’t you? You can sense I’m telling the truth.�
�

  Slowly, reluctantly, I nodded. I wasn’t a human lie detector, but I could feel her grief and pain. It never faltered. There were no flashes of guilt to indicate she had done something to be ashamed of. No creeping happiness to point to her spinning me a tale. No bouts of anger to indicated a grudge or bitterness. She was just a woman who had been through a lot of crap and despite myself...

  “I believe you.”

  She squeezed my hand. “You do?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Tad Breyfogle was with you...which means he wasn’t downtown setting fire to a building full of people....and he most certainly wouldn’t have killed himself over a crime he didn’t commit.”

  She beamed through her tears. “Thank you. Thank you,” she cried. “So you’ll tell the police and the news the truth? Clear Tad’s name and get me out of here?”

  I was only half listening as I tried to process this new evidence. “Yes...I’ll tell them.”

  She kept thanking me as I stood and walked out the door. Arnie exited the viewing room at the same time.

  “You heard everything, of course.”

  He nodded. “We’ll do a DNA test to confirm, have a doctor look at that break to get an estimate of when it happened and possibly see if she wants to file charges on this Shaun guy, but even I think she’s telling the truth. She and Tad did not hatch and carry out a plot to burn Veronica Breyfogle alive.”

  “No,” I said softly. “But Tad’s killer thought he did, because I went blabbing to the world about tie clips.” I cursed. “Kindler must have been right. He lost the tie clip during one of the many trips he must have made to her office.”

  “Hey.” He grasped my chin and made me look at him. “It wasn’t you who thought the mayor was a killer...it was his wife. She was scared for her life and thought someone was going to hurt her, and she was right about that...she was just wrong about who.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying this all has to be connected.” He rubbed his head in frustration. “What exactly did Veronica say to you that day? Why was she afraid of her husband?”

  I thought back. “She said he had been acting strangely toward her. Cold and unaffectionate. He’d look at her strangely, giving her the creeps. And one day she overheard him on the phone saying he wanted to change his will.”