by Amber Crewes
Meghan, smelling expensive perfume Rosie had been wearing during the party only moments ago, shook her head. “She’s here,” Meghan responded. “I know it.”
Meghan eyed a gold coat rack filled with mink coats, and she pushed the expensive jackets apart to find Rosie Jakes cowering behind them.
“Rosie Jakes,” Lawrence said with authority. “You are under arrest.”
18
“This is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted,” Jack declared as he lifted his fork to his mouth. “Meghan, your King Cake is to die for.”
Meghan beamed. She was thrilled to have her boyfriend home; Meghan had picked him up from the airport at noon, and they were going to spend the rest of the weekend together.
“He is even more handsome than I remember,” she thought to herself as Jack licked his lips, smiling at her with his bright blue eyes. “I practically melt every time I look at him.”
Jack placed a hand atop of Meghan’s. “I don’t think I ever want to leave you again,” he told her as she smiled at him. “I went out of town for ten days, and in that time, my girl was mugged twice, apprehended a murderer, and learned martial arts.”
“Well, the mugger wasn’t the murderer after all,” Meghan corrected Jack. “Trudy thought it was Ron at first; she didn’t think he seemed upset enough after his sister’s death, and given their family fortune, he stood to inherit a lot when she passed.”
“That makes sense,” he agreed.
“But then, I wondered if Mariah had something to do with the murder,” Meghan shared. “Pamela mentioned it first, and once I thought about it, I agreed with her. Mariah seemed to know a lot about Cathy’s colorful past, and she was being very coy about it when we talked with her.”
Jack nodded. “So what do you think about the case now, Detective Truman?” he teased, his blue eyes sparkling.
Meghan took a deep breath. “I was convinced that the mugger was the murderer,” she told Jack, her voice shaky as she thought of the two incidents with the malicious man. “I had no doubt after he tried to take off with my purse the second time.”
“But then…” Jack prodded.
“But then, I saw Rosie’s bracelet at the pampering event,” she revealed. “She was wearing a bracelet that matched the one that the mugger dropped. I couldn’t believe it!”
Jack shook his head. “I can’t believe rich girls like Rosie Jakes would resort to murder. How did Chief Nunan get a confession out of her?”
“Her boyfriend, the mugger, turned against her.”
“What?” Jack asked, his eyes bulging in disbelief. “The mugger? Wealthy Rosie Jakes was dating a low-life mugger? The same jerk who tried to rob you twice?”
“She was,” Meghan confirmed. “And she tried to throw him under the bus. She kept insisting that they had the wrong person, and something clicked for Officer Nunan. The Chief wondered if Rosie and the mugger might have a connection. Chief Nunan bluffed and told the mugger that Rosie was blaming him for everything, and then, the mugger spilled the beans.”
Jack shook his head. “Unbelievable…”
Meghan nodded. “Get this: his name is Lenny, and he was Rosie’s current boyfriend, and an ex of Cathy’s. He hated Cathy, but he didn’t want to kill her. Cathy and Rosie had an argument, and in one of her fits of jealousy and rage, Rosie killed Cathy after the pampering session.”
Jack shook his head. “Those people sound twisted,” he murmured.
“They are,” Meghan agreed. “Chief Nunan told me that Rosie cracked faster than an egg against a fry pan. To get a confession from Rosie, they told her that Lenny turned against her, and she blurted out her part in the whole mess.”
Jack whistled. “What a load of drama!”
Meghan rolled her eyes. “And, there is more! Yesterday, right after Rosie was arrested, a news report announced that Rosie had been stealing from Mariah. She had been embezzling funds in order to open her talent agency. From the phone records, it appears that Cathy knew about the money and was threatening to tell. Rosie had to do away with her to maintain her status and image.”
Jack leaned back in his seat. “You know,” he began. “Sometimes, I think it would be nice to have a million dollars, or even two million dollars,” he shared. “I would like to have some money to buy a nice boat, or go on a ski trip with the boys, or buy some pretty things for my girl. But, at the end of the day, I would rather have good character than a full bank account. It’s crazy what some of these wealthy people will do.”
“It is,” Meghan agreed.
“Speaking of wealthy people,” he said. “What about Ron Thomas? Did he have anything to do with Rosie’s deception?”
Meghan shook her head. “He finally flew home to Wisconsin to be with his family and bury Cathy,” she said. “After the news came out about Rosie, he was inconsolable...I think the impact of last week’s events finally sank in.”
Jack buried his head in his hands. “I’m never leaving you again,” he declared. “I’m happy you were able to fend for yourself, but I hate that you went through all of this alone.”
“I’m tough,” she insisted. “I missed you so much, but it was nice to come to my own rescue this week.”
Meghan’s cell phone rang, and she glanced down at the screen to see Jackie’s name appear. “It’s Jackie,” she murmured.
“Take it,” he urged her. “You said that things have been tense between you two. Why don’t you clear the air?”
“Okay,” Meghan agreed.
“Meghan,” Jackie said as she answered. “Hey, I just wanted to apologize…”
Meghan smiled. “Jackie, I wanted to apologize, too.”
“No,” Jackie replied. “You have nothing to apologize for. Meghan, I’ve really let money blind me lately. I’ve been jealous of my wealthy clients, and trying to live like them, and it isn’t working for me. The deal with Mariah sent me through a loop, and I am sorry for the way I acted when I got my checks.”
“It’s okay,” Meghan told her friend. “We all can go a little crazy when it comes to money. You’re my friend, Jackie, and whether or not you have a Honda Civic or an Audi, you are still my friend.”
“About the Audi,” Jackie said sheepishly. “I took it back. I decided to hire a financial advisor to invest the rest of the money from Mariah. It seemed like a good idea.”
“That’s great!” Meghan said. “I’m really proud of you, Jackie.”
“I’m proud of me, too,” she admitted. “You’re a good influence on me, Meghan, and I’m glad we’re friends.”
“Me too,” she agreed as Jack mouthed hello at Meghan. “By the way, Jack says hello.”
“He’s home?” she cried. “Sorry I bothered you. Go have fun with your man!”
“I will,” Meghan said gleefully. “I’ll talk to you later!”
Jack kissed Meghan on the forehead. “That’s my girl,” he said as he reached into his police satchel. “So, I made a grave mistake, Meghan…”
Meghan furrowed her brow. “What?”
“I brought a special surprise for you,” Jack told her.
“I don’t think surprises are ever mistakes,” Meghan giggled. “What did you bring for me?”
Jack blushed. “Great minds think alike, I guess?” he said as he pulled out a tin of New Orleans’ King cake. “You made a King cake for me, and I brought one home for you.”
Meghan laughed. She opened the tin containing the King cake from New Orleans. “This is a sweet surprise,” she said. “I never get to just enjoy treats. I’ll tell you what, Babe...let’s put my cake away, and let’s dig into yours.”
“Deal,” he said with a smile. He leaned over the table and softly kissed Meghan on the lips. “This is the sweetest homecoming I could have asked for,” he whispered. “Truly, the sweetest.”
The End
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