by Marja McGraw
“Jolly, what’s that on your shirt?”
He glanced down. “Oh, I guess I must have gotten some blood on my shirt when I helped your friend after she cut her hand. Kinda makes the costume look more realistic, don’t ya think?”
I was beginning to wonder who Pamela hadn’t bled on and began taking a closer look at the people seated in the living room. Joshua had blood on his sleeve, where Pamela had allegedly touched him. Jason Redman, the artist, had blood on the back of his hand and edge of his sleeve, and when he saw me watching him, he glanced down, saw the blood, and jammed his hands in his pockets. Interesting.
I heard Felicity speaking to someone in the entryway. Turning, I saw Rick Mason and another homicide detective entering the house. Rick saw me and motioned for me to follow him as he instructed the other detective to talk to the guests. A uniformed officer stood inside the door.
I was actually relieved to leave the party guests behind and followed Rick willingly.
“Sandi, what is it with you? Every time I see you, there’s a dead body nearby. Can you explain this to me?”
“I, uh, you see… Rick, it isn’t my fault. I just seem to be unlucky that way. I seem to be a limp body magnet.”
“Huh. I like that. ‘Limp body magnet.’ Yeah, that would be you. Okay, show me where this limp body is.”
We weren’t being particularly professional, but I chalked that up to being friends and needing to make light of a bad situation. People often do that when faced with something horrendous. I have a friend who giggles uncontrollably when disaster strikes. It’s a reaction to nervousness.
Rick followed me to the Spook Room where we found Pete waiting. “This the body?” Rick looked embarrassed when he realized what a silly question he’d asked.
“This is, was, Purity Patton.” Pete glanced at her. “We’ve kept everything intact.”
“Purity Patton? Huh. Who’s been in here since you found the body?” Rick asked.
Pete gave him a rundown, including what little background he knew. He mentioned Felicity, Stanley, Mavis, Bogey and himself.
“Bogey? Who’s that? You look like you’re supposed to be Bogey.”
I glanced at Pete and decided to field the question. “I can answer that, sort of. This guy who looks like Humphrey Bogart has been tailing me – ”
“So not only are you always running across dead bodies, but you have someone following you? Seems like there’s always somebody following you.”
Pete nodded his agreement while Rick kept talking.
“Lady, you need to take a vacation. Get out of town for a few days. Give L.A.P.D. a break and go drive some other cop nuts.” He leaned over Purity’s body and began examining her.
I sputtered before I could respond. “But Rick, I don’t do anything to bring this on. It just happens.” I didn’t feel like I should have to defend myself. Rick is a friend, and I knew he wasn’t serious, but what he said bothered me. “You know, I am a private detective. This kind of thing comes with the territory.”
Grinning, Rick glanced at me over his shoulder. “I’ll bet I could talk to every detective in this city and not come up with someone else who’s always running across dead bodies.”
“Well, you know what you can do with – ”
Rick turned back to Purity’s body and continued his inspection of her and the scene, effectively tuning me out. “Anyone touch anything? Hmm, she’d got some ugly bruises on her arm.”
“As a matter of fact, Mavis Brewer had her hand on the knife when we entered the room. I don’t think she did it though.” I actually believed Mavis. She might have sued Purity, but I didn’t think she would have murdered her.
Rick groaned. “Anything else?”
I fumed. “We’re not a bunch of amateurs, Rick. We wouldn’t – ”
The uniformed cop stood in the doorway and interrupted me, probably saving a friendship.
“The techs are here.” The officer stood back to let the technicians enter the small room.
“Let’s get out of here and let them do their job.” Rick walked out of the room, expecting us to follow him. And we did.
Felicity was waiting in the hallway. “Is there anything I should do?”
“Not at the moment, except maybe help keep everyone calm. You sure know how to throw a Halloween party. Dead body and all.” Rick grinned at Felicity, but it was so quick that it was only a flash of teeth.
Rick and Pete moved just past Felicity and stood, talking quietly.
“Sandi, I can’t believe any of this is happening. No one will ever forgive me.”
“Oh, yes, they will. First, it’s not your fault. Second, this gives them all a war story to tell. They can say they were there when someone famous was murdered, even if they’re famous themselves. You know people love to be in on things. They’ll be talking about this fifty years from now.”
“That didn’t help.”
“Sorry, but it was the best I could come up with on the spur of the moment.”
“We’re all being awfully casual about this. I know Purity wasn’t the sweetest woman in town, but she didn’t deserve death.” Felicity’s voice shook, sounding like she was ready to cry.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t be joking.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Pete said, glancing back over his shoulder. “This is serious.”
“I know it is, Pete. To be honest, I’m feeling a little guilty because a murder happened here tonight. I feel like we should have been able to do something to prevent it.”
“Yeah, like we knew someone was going to be stabbed. You’re being silly, Sandi.” He glanced at me one more time before following Rick into the living room.
I heard him telling Rick about the fire in the front yard. Maybe that had been set to divert our attention while the killer did his job. I hate being outsmarted.
~*~
It was early morning before Rick and the techs told everyone they could leave. Felicity had to come up with clothing for those who had blood on them, because Rick collected each item for testing. He was unhappy about Traci Marks leaving, but we’d all been in the Spook Room when she left. He couldn’t believe she’d leave the site of a murder to get her beauty sleep. And when Rick is unhappy, someone pays. In this case, I believed Traci was going to be rudely awakened, and not by her alarm clock.
Felicity tried to explain to him that she didn’t think Traci had actually understood someone had been murdered. “I believe she misunderstood and thought someone had had an accident. She’s not the brightest Hollywood star.”
“Apparently not.” Rick looked weary, so I didn’t think her explanation would carry much weight.
Felicity and I adjourned to the kitchen to make some fresh coffee. When we returned to the living room, I was disappointed to find that the police had let the Bogey Man leave. “Rick, did you at least get his real name?”
“Yes.” He flipped back a couple of pages in his notes. “His name is Christopher Cross.”
“Christopher Cross? Chris Cross. Huh.”
The techs worked early into the morning, so after Felicity changed clothes and packed a few things, we gathered at my house. She’d stay with me until the police were done at her place. Dolly, Felicity, Stanley, and Pete sat around my kitchen table, each lost in his or her own thoughts. I stood at the sink and debated whether or not to make coffee. We were all wired enough without it.
Felicity spoke to the group as I began placing coffee mugs in front of them, having made up my mind. “Do you think I’ll be able to get back into my house any time soon?”
“Probably,” Pete said. “Rick is gathering evidence, but it appears there’s not much there. Purity must have snuck into the house through the back door, and someone caught her before she made it to the party.”
“You know, there are a lot of people who won’t feel a loss because of Purity’s death.” Felicity was speaking again – she was the only one of us who’d known the actress. “But what an awful way to go.”
“And what a sad comment about the woman and her life.” Dolly was frowning. “That poor woman.”
Felicity patted Dolly’s back. “Don’t feel too sorry for her. She’s hurt a lot of people and brought on all the hard feelings herself. Joshua has been trying to get her out of his life for quite a while, but she wouldn’t let go. Although, I don’t think he would have wished this on her either.”
“Sandi, would you mind if I use your restroom to wash this make-up off my face?” Stanley had managed to smear gray make-up all over his sleeve.
“Sure. Come with me and I’ll find you a clean wash cloth and a towel.” I found what he needed and returned to the kitchen just in time to hear one of the night’s many bombshells, although it seemed kind of puny after everything else that had happened.
“Purity was known to have a drug problem. That was one of the reasons Joshua broke it off with her. We’ve all seen this coming for some time. He had to call the police a couple of times because she kept harassing him. He actually kicked her out of his house a couple of months ago, but initially they continued to appear in public together. His agent had insisted, because it was good publicity since they were both so well-known.”
“That might account for her actions tonight. What else can you tell us about her?” Pete leaned forward, concentrating on Felicity.
“A couple of days ago she told Joshua that she thought she was pregnant. He didn’t react well to the news.”
Chapter Nine
“What do you mean by ‘He didn’t react well?’” I asked, pulling a chair over and sitting down next to Felicity.
“Well, I’m not supposed to know this, but they had a screaming match because he didn’t believe her. He grabbed her arm and forcibly ejected her from his house, saying that he’d had enough. He told her if she ever came back, she’d regret it.”
Pete nodded. “That would account for the bruises Rick found on her upper arm. And it makes Joshua the Number One suspect at the moment. I’ll mention this to Rick. They’ll want to determine whether or not she was pregnant.”
“And who told you this, Felicity?” I wanted to know if her information was reliable or not.
“Joshua’s aunt and I have our nails done at the same place, and she spilled her guts while we were there. She’s kind of a gossip.”
“Kind of a gossip? What else did she tell you?”
“Oh, she wasn’t talking to me. She was telling the gal who does her nails, but I couldn’t help overhearing, along with the rest of the patrons.”
“Like I said, Rick needs to know about this.” Pete picked up his cell phone.
“Do you have to tell him?” Felicity asked. “I can’t imagine Joshua hurting anyone.”
“Don’t be naïve, dear. I’m sure people thought the same thing about Lizzie Borden.” Dolly was good at putting things in perspective.
The doorbell rang and I glanced at the kitchen clock. “Who could that be? It’s four o’clock in the morning.”
“I’ll get it. You wait here.” Pete stood up and headed for the front of the house.
I slumped a little lower in my chair. We needed some sleep, at least I did. I was amazed that Dolly had made it this long. I thought octogenarians needed lots of rest, but then, Dolly isn’t typical of her age.
“Look what someone left on your porch.” Pete entered the kitchen with the Bogey Man following.
“You,” I said. “It’s about time you started answering some questions, Mr. Cross. I want to know what’s going on.”
“I know. I’m so sorry about the way I handled this.”
“Handled what?” I narrowed one eye to a slit and pursed my lips.
“Meeting you. Trying to learn from you.”
“What? What do you mean?” Trying to learn from me? That was an odd statement.
“Let me start by saying that I’m truly sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He was talking in his own voice for a change, no trace of Humphrey Bogart noticeable, and he held his fedora in his hand, bumping the hat against his leg.
“You didn’t scare me, but you surely did annoy me. However, I appreciate the apology. Now tell me what’s going on.”
I retrieved a chair from my breakfast nook and Chris joined us at the table. Bubba decided it was time to see what all the commotion was about and began sniffing Chris’s feet, moving upward and thoroughly studying the man. His tail gave a tiny twitch with every new scent.
“He must smell my sister’s dog.” He patted Bubba’s head, apparently unafraid of my bear-sized dog. Bubba grinned and Chris pulled his hand back. I didn’t bother to explain that Bubba was smiling. It gave me an edge.
“Let’s get on with this. Why have you been following me?”
“You’re going to think I’m nuts.” Chris rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
“I already think you’re nuts, but humor me. Tell me why you’ve been hanging around.”
“I’ve had a fascination with Humphrey Bogart since I was a kid. I realized early on that I resembled him, so I watched all of his movies, numerous times, and began talking like him. My friends thought it was funny.”
“And I hear you’re quite good at it,” Dolly said. “And, oh my, yes, you do look so much like Mr. Bogart. We’ve been calling you the Bogey Man.”
Felicity placed her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands, studying our visitor.
“The Bogey Man? I’ll take that as a compliment.” Chris smiled at Dolly with a thankful expression on his face. His shoulders relaxed and he stopped rubbing his neck. Dolly managed to put him at ease.
“One day I was watching The Big Sleep and realized that I needed to do more than walk and talk and act like Bogey. Since I knew I resembled him, I decided to take advantage of that and start dressing like him, too. By the way, the women love it. Well, at least those who know who he is.”
Felicity nodded as she watched Chris, seemingly entranced by him. Stanley sniffed and patted her back.
“How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” I was curious. He appeared to be in his thirties. Would most women in that age range really know much about Bogey?
“I’m fortyish,” he replied.
I don’t know many men who bother to hedge about their age and I studied him closely.
It appeared to make him uncomfortable again. “Okay, okay. I’m in my late thirties, if that even matters. The point is, I look like Bogey and I talk like Bogey. But I’m not nuts. I don’t think I am Bogey.”
“That’s one thing in your favor,” Pete said. “Now come up with some more before I kick your butt out of here.”
“Now, Pete. Let’s hear what he has to say. Go ahead, tell us more.” I smiled at Chris. There was something about his story that reminded me of… Me. And he was awfully cute, in a tough, Bogey sort of way.
“Here’s the deal.” Chris pushed back from the table and crossed his legs, right ankle on left knee. “I became so involved with Bogey and his P.I. movies and tough guy attitude that I started to think about what it might be like to be a private eye. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.”
As much as I hated to admit it, that was pretty close to my reasons for becoming an investigator. I loved the old hard-nosed gumshoes who always got their man. I enjoyed solving cases, finding the missing pieces and putting the puzzle together.
Pete glanced at me. There was no doubt in my mind that he knew exactly what I was thinking.
Chris saw our interaction and looked puzzled before going on with his story. “Then I saw an article in the newspaper about a cold case you solved. So I began to study you. I checked the archives and found an article in the paper about another case you solved. I decided to follow you and see how you handle yourself. That’s how I ended up saving you from that angry guy at the motel.”
I stiffened, not liking this turn in the conversation. “You didn’t save me. If you hadn’t been there, I could have taken care of myself. I’ve been in tight situations before.”
“Well, maybe you did help a little. But you didn’t save me.”
He perked back up. “Anyway, to make a long story short, I want to be a private dick, like Bogart was in some of his movies.”
“Well, that’s not very realistic.” Stanley had a funny look on his face. “I’ve been a private investigator for some time now, and it takes a lot of work to do what we do.”
I glanced from him to Felicity. She was studying Chris like an insect under a microscope, and apparently she’d found a decidedly good bug. Aha! Stanley was jealous.
I turned to Pete. He was watching me and didn’t look all that happy either.
Dolly looked at Chris with interest. “See? I’m not the only one who says private dick.” She winked at him. “My granddaughter is always telling me not to say that because it doesn’t sound nice.”
“So what do you want from me?” I asked.
“A chance to prove myself. I’d like to work this case with you, the murder tonight, and see if I have a knack for this type of work.”
“Whoaaaa, slow down.” Pete was ready to jump in and stood up. “We’re not working this case. The police will handle this one.”
Felicity turned to Pete. “You know, I do wish you and Sandi would work on this. After all, the murder did happen in my house, and I’m as much a suspect as everyone else. I’d like to clear this up before everyone in town starts avoiding me.”
“Why would they do that?” Chris asked. “It’s not your fault that someone was murdered in your house.”
Felicity nodded, smiling shyly at Chris, which was totally out of character for her. She wasn’t a shy person, at all, and probably never had been.
Dolly tapped her fingers on the table. “Remember, we all ran out front when the scarecrow was set on fire. No one has an alibi, except those who recall seeing each other. I didn’t pay attention to who was outside during the fire. Did any of you?”
“I didn’t notice who was there,” Pete replied. “I was busy putting out the fire.” He turned to me. “Did you see who ran outside with us?”
“No. I was helping you with the garden hose.” I turned to Stanley. “Did you see who was on the front lawn?”