by D E Dennis
“His will?”
I nodded. “She was the sole beneficiary.” I bit my lip, thinking. “I asked Nadia about them and she swears they were the perfect couple. Tad worshiped her, so I’m guessing Tad’s sudden personality change just threw Veronica off. She couldn’t understand why her loving husband suddenly recoiled at her touch. Then she hears him on the phone about the will and—”
“—and she assumed he was changing his will because he knew the sole beneficiary wouldn’t live long enough to inherit.” Arnie snapped his fingers. “That’s why she suspected him.”
“And that’s why she didn’t go to the police,” I added. “All she had was a bad feeling, no proof.”
He kissed his teeth. “But that bad feeling was wrong, Mari,” he reminded me. “Tad didn’t do it. Someone else set that fire. Someone else killed him and tried to make it seem like a suicide. We just need to figure out how these events are connected.”
I lowered my head. “Isn’t it obvious?” I clenched my fists. “This was always exactly what it looked like. The arsonist got a taste for killing when she killed that homeless man. She liked the high and she loved all the attention. She decided to go bigger next time, deadlier, and picked a high-profile target like the wife of the mayor. Her death would be in the news for weeks.”
Arnie held up his hand. “Hold on...she? Why do you think it’s a woman?”
“The woman in the black dress, Arnie. It must have been her.”
He slowly nodded.
“I thought she was the accomplice, but she was the perpetrator the whole time. Because of what Veronica told me, I fixated on the mayor and I told his killer that it was Tad who murdered Veronica and her employees. He was killed in revenge for a crime he didn’t commit because of me.” My voice broke.
“Whoa.” He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me in for a tight hug. “You don’t know that.”
I sniffed. “Yes, I do. It’s the only thing that makes sense and you know it.”
“No,” he said firmly. “I don’t know that. What I know is that a woman came to you for help. You gave everything you could to help her and when she was killed you then kept perusing it to ultimately get her justice.” He rubbed my shoulders. “I’m going to find out who killed her and her husband and from now on you’re going to leave the detective work to me.”
I stiffened. “Are you seriously slipping in an ‘I told you so’ right now?” I asked in disbelief, stepping out of his embrace.
“What? No!” he cried, but then he shrugged. “Although if you had listened to—”
My jaw dropped. “You’re...you’re...you’re unbelievable.”
I spun on my heels and walked off, ignoring his calls for me to come back.
I TRUDGED INTO MY APARTMENT a half hour later. I was making one stop on the way to my bed and that was for the pint of salted caramel ice cream I kept in the fridge for emergencies. I’m sure Kayla was waiting for me on the other side of my bedroom door.
“Kali,” I said morosely, “just put my plate in the microwave and I’ll eat it later.”
“What was that?” Kali yelled back from the kitchen. “I didn’t hear you.” She poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled at me. “You’re just in time, sis. I’m making ackee, saltfish, and roti. Lilian won’t be here for another thirty minutes so you have time to grab a shower.”
I blinked at her. “Lilian?”
She nodded. “Yeah, Dr. Shroder.” Her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t forget she was coming, did you?”
I frantically shook my head. “Nope, not at all. I just didn’t recognize the first name.” I jerked my thumb at the bathroom door. “I’m going to bathe.”
I showered quickly. In and out in ten minutes. I climbed out of the tub and hurried to my room to throw on a simple seafoam green dress. I wasn’t one for makeup or fancy accessories, so I just combed my hair, restrained it with a ponytail, and that was that. I was setting the table when I heard the knock on the door.
“I’ll get it!” Kali exclaimed and raced out of the kitchen. I shook my head at her excitement. It was hard for me to understand at first, because I didn’t grow up in an empath community like Kali did, but our kind collect shrinks like children collect game cards. The stigma of seeking professional help did not cling to our people. For people who dealt in emotions, there was nothing cooler than picture-perfect mental and emotional health. Something that was near enough to impossible to achieve, but that didn’t stop empaths from trying.
“Hi, Dr. S,” Kali said cheerfully. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
I fidgeted while they exchanged greetings. Smoothing down my skirt, tugging on my ponytail, gnawing on my lip. Even though Kali claimed the doctor wasn’t here to talk about me and my mile-long list of issues, I flat-out didn’t believe her.
Kali showed our guest into the dining room. Dr. Shroder was a tiny woman. She couldn’t have been more than five feet tall. She had on a pair of stylish rimless glasses and her brown hair was done up in a simple bun.
“Hello, Dr. Shroder,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you. Kali has told me a lot about you.”
She smiled warmly. “Please, call me Lilian. It’s wonderful to meet you. You must be Amari.”
I nodded and gestured at the table. “Shall we?”
Lilian and Kali sat, while I popped into the kitchen for a bottle of wine and a pitcher of juice. I got busy pouring the drinks while they chatted.
“So, Amari.” Lilian suddenly turned to me. “Tell me more about yourself.”
“Uhh,” I began lamely, retaking my seat. “There’s not much to tell, really.” I put my hand out for her plate and began scooping ackee and saltfish onto it. “I’m a psychic. I work out of the office below us.”
“Really? What’s that like?”
She sounded genuinely interested. “My gift is to read people. I see to the core of who a person really is and what makes them tick. What makes them who they are. All I do is share with my clients what I find, to help them discover the root of their problems and come to terms with them.”
“You know our jobs sound pretty similar,” she observed.
I waved that away. “No, no,” I said, embarrassed. “You’re a professional. You’re trained and you studied for years. I just sit in a dim room and pick up on vibes.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” she said seriously. “I’m sure your clients appreciate the help and insight you give them.”
I looked away. “I like to think I help my clients...but lately, I don’t know.” I whispered that last part both Kali and Lilian had to lean in to hear me.
“What makes you say that, sis?”
I bit my lip. “I was wrong,” I said softly. “I was wrong about the mayor.” My eyes filled up with the tears that I had been holding back for an hour. “I think I got him killed.” I dissolved into tears.
It was a while before I calmed down enough to tell them what happened, but when my tears slowed, I shared the whole story from the beginning to catch Lilian up.
“He didn’t set the fire, but I got in front of those news cameras and told his killer that he did. Then when Sophia Bell came forward and it looked like he was going to get away with it, Gwen, Oliver, or Chef Tatiana killed him and faked his suicide and confession.”
“But you can’t know that it was one of them or that it was Veronica Breyfogle who was being avenged?” Lilian said. “Five other people died in that fire and they had family and loved ones too.”
I shook my head. “I thought of that, but I kept coming back to the study door being locked after the killer left. Who would have access to the study’s key besides those three people? Chef Tatiana discovered the body and if she’s innocent she’d have no reason to lie about the door being locked. If she’s guilty, we come back to her having access to the key to lock and unlock it.”
“Who was home at the time of his murder?” Lilian asked.
“None of them. They claim.”
“So the mayor’s killer...is whoev
er lied about being away from home?”
I nodded. “I just have to find out who that was.”
“I?” Kali burst out. “What I? You don’t have to do anything, Mari. The police will track their alibis. That is what they are paid for.”
“I got an innocent man killed.”
“It’s not your—”
“I got him killed.” I raised my voice to drown out hers. “And I can’t just sit here and do nothing while a murderer runs free. Not if there’s something I can do.”
She slammed her fist on the table, making Lilian jump. “You think because you’re a...a psychic that you have some flipping duty to right wrongs and chase down killers, but you’re not a superhero, Mari! You almost died the first time! Died!” she repeated, furious tears streaking down her face. “It’s not just you anymore. You have an entire family behind you now! We love you! We just want you to be safe, but you just keep nursing that flipping death wish! I can’t take it anymore!”
Kali shoved away from the table and stormed off. She punctuated her retreat with a door slam that rattled the whole building.
I wiped my face with a napkin, calmly stood up, and smiled at Lilian. “Please excuse us for a moment. Keep eating while I talk to my sister.”
She smiled back. “Of course, take your time.”
I knocked once on Kali’s door, ignoring the shout for me to go away, I opened it and let myself in.
She was weeping quietly into her pillow. I sat down on her bed and gently rubbed her back. “C’mon, Kali, please don’t cry.”
She lifted her head. “I’ll stop crying when you stop being an idiot,” she snapped and buried her face back in the pillow.
I chuckled. “I think your tear ducts will dry up long before that happens.” She didn’t lift her head. “Look, I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I know you guys worry about me. I must look like a self-destructive mess to all of you, but I don’t have a death wish. I don’t want to chase down villains or play the superhero. All I want...all I want is Kayla back,” I whispered.
“But I can’t have that because she’s gone. And she’s gone because, despite my supernatural abilities, I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. Maybe no one else blames me, but...but I blame myself. I still carry Kayla with me because I can’t let go of what I did...or rather didn’t do. I have the ability to see the evil in a person’s heart and if I don’t use that ability to help others, and stop awful things from happening then someone else could lose their Kayla.”
Kali slowly lifted her head and turned to look at me. “But what if I lose my Mari?” She sniffed.
I opened my arms and she scrambled into them, hugging me tightly. “I’m not going anywhere, baby sister,” I said into her dreads. “I just found you, I’m not going to lose you now.”
“It’s too dangerous,” she insisted. “I know you feel like Mayor Breyfogle’s death is on your conscience, but the truth is you don’t truly know what prompted his killer to act. What you do know is that this person is smart and cold-blooded. This isn’t someone you mess with, Mari. You can’t do this alone.”
I nodded. “You’re right. I can’t do this alone.” I pulled back and looked her dead in the face. “So how about we do it together?”
She blinked at me. “What?”
“Help me, Kali. Help me figure out who Tad Breyfogle’s killer is. You’re ten times the empath I’ll ever be. You’ll take one look at Gwen, Oliver, and Chef Tatiana, and know who did it, right then. We’ll watch each other’s backs, keep each other safe, and end this once and for all.” I sighed. “And afterward, I’ll...I’ll start seeing Dr. Shroder.”
She perked up. “You will?”
I gave her a half grin. “I kinda like her. And she tore up that ackee and saltfish within seconds of me placing it in front of her. Can’t ask for much more in a shrink.”
Kali couldn’t help but crack a smile. “So let me get this straight...you’re using one of the things I care about most, your well-being, to bribe me into visiting a den of potential killers to interrogate them until their emotions betray them?”
“Yes,” I said, “that’s about the gist of it.”
She grinned but quickly turned serious. “And if I say no will you just go there by yourself?”
I didn’t reply.
Kali sighed. “Of course, you will.” She was quiet as she thought. “Alright,” she said finally. “Let’s go together.”
“Thank you, Kali,” I said sincerely.
She slid off the bed and got to her feet. “That’s what sisters are for. Now, let’s get back to our dinner.”
“Everything okay?” Lilian asked when we joined her.
We shared a look and then smiled at her. “Everything’s fine,” I said. “Sorry about abandoning you like that.”
She batted my apology away. “It’s not like you left me with three kids, two dogs, and a mortgage. Now that’s abandonment.” She laughed. “I can survive being left alone with delicious food and a whole bottle of wine.”
We dissolved into laughter, enjoying a light, happy moment.
Entry Eight
“I’M GOING TO BE TEN pounds lighter by the time we find the killer,” I grumbled to Kali. We were in my car speeding our way downtown. I had a full day of readings, so the only time I could get away to pick her up from school was during my lunch break.
“Actually...” Kali opened up her backpack and pulled out a take-out bag. “I got us chicken quesadillas from GuacAmore’s,” she said triumphantly.
I groaned in happiness. “You know I might just keep you, Kali Moon.”
She laughed and handed me my food. I ate, drove, and spoke to her simultaneously. Zero points for driving safety.
“Where are we going?” Kali asked.
“Best of the Baltic.”
She frowned. “The Polish restaurant? What for?”
“It’s the restaurant Nadia owns,” I said around a mouthful of tortilla, chicken, and cheese. “She’s a client of mine and a friend of the Breyfogle family.”
“Why do we need to talk to her?”
I swallowed. “The Breyfogles live in Calm Meadows, the gated community. You can’t get in there without permission. I’m hoping Nadia has Gwen’s number so I can call her and ask that she lets us come over tonight.”
She nodded. “Makes sense. Our first stop needs to be the Breyfogles’ house, because the people inside had easy access to the mayor but...” She trailed off, biting her lip.
“But what?” I prompted.
“I think we jumped off the other victims of the fire too soon,” she said. I noted her use of “we” but knew better than to call her on it. “Like Dr. Shroder said, they had loved ones too who might have wanted revenge.”
“But how could they have gotten into the mayor’s home? How could they have gotten into Calm Meadows at all?”
“Calm Meadows isn’t a fortress,” she argued back. “Daisy sneaks in there to sleep in the park all the time. Don’t you think someone bent on revenge would try much harder than her to get inside undetected? And as for how they got in the mayor’s office, they could have shown up on the doorstep and told him exactly who they were. They also lost someone in the fire and they wanted the mayor’s help in finding the real killer. So, thinking they are on his side, he lets them in.”
“But how did they lock the study door when they left?”
“If there really was no one else in the house then they could have searched, found the key, locked it, and then put it back before they left.”
“That is a really risky plan considering they didn’t know when the mayor’s kids or the chef would come back.”
“Risky, but possible,” she said firmly. “I think we should find out more about the other victims of the fire and even talk to the survivors, again. They could want revenge as well.”
I nodded. “Okay, we can do that.”
“And that woman in black.” Kali had slipped into full detective mode. “She might have been the arsonist,
but the truth is we don’t have any real evidence to back that up. We need a lot more information on her to make the leap from witness to mass murderer.”
I sighed. “I don’t know how we can get that info, Kali. Sandy Lake saw her from a distance and Yuri Stevens spoke to her, but she bolted the moment Yuri opened her mouth. I don’t know how much more information we can glean about a woman in disguise that didn’t even speak to anyone. Empathically or otherwise.”
She inclined her head. “That’s true, but maybe they noticed something they didn’t think was important at the time. It wouldn’t hurt to ask them about her again.”
“No,” I agreed. “It wouldn’t hurt. But let’s take this one step at a time. First Nadia, then our three main suspects in Tad Breyfogle’s murder.” She nodded and we spent the rest of the drive chowing down and listening to music.
We pulled up in front of Best of the Baltic and parked right outside the entrance. We walked in and found Nadia weaving through the restaurant, greeting and chatting up guests.
“Nadia,” I called. She turned toward my voice. “May we speak to you for a moment?”
Instead of coming over, she gestured for us to follow her. We were led through the kitchen, a riot of clanging pots, Polish swear words, and heavenly smells greeted us. We stepped into her tiny office in the back of the kitchen and she closed the door behind us.
The office could barely hold the three of us, a desk, two chairs, and a small couch, but still Nadia made the most of her humble space. The wood paneling was hidden by pictures of her, her son, and her fiancé. Multiple desk lamps brightened the windowless room. We made to sit down in the chairs in front of her desk, but she protested. “No, no. Please sit with me on the couch.”
We changed directions and took a seat on the couch. Nadia squished herself in next to me and grabbed my hand. “Oh, Madame Moon, thank you for coming.” Nadia looked completely worn out. Her hair had been wrangled into a sloppy bun, the bags under her eyes looked packed for a lengthy vacation, and she only had on one earring. “Could you sense how much I’ve been struggling the last few days?”