Charm & Deception

by Stephanie Damore

  “Ziva, I know it’s your day off, but I need help. Both girls called off today, so it’s just me running things here. I’m sure I can handle it, but I thought I should call and let you know.”

  I doubted my assistant manager had heard my crazy morning news and for that I was grateful. She would be the perfect companion. “No, you did the right thing. I’ll be there in just a little bit.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Anna truly sounded like it but didn’t have to be.

  “Don’t be, it comes with owning a business and I really don’t mind.”

  Those last words were the truth. With Finn and murder on my mind, spending the morning at work would be just what I needed to try to clear my head and figure out what my next steps were. “I’ll see you in fifteen,” I said and then clicked off.

  Detective Roxy met me at Aria’s car to hand me Captain Jack and tell me a whole lot of nothing, or at least that’s what I initially thought.

  “There’s no ID on the victim and no sign of a murder weapon,” Detective Roxy said by way of greeting. I thought it was odd that she was smiling, until I saw that Agent Cooper was nearby.

  I took the leash she had clipped to Captain Jack’s collar. He danced around my leg, jumping enthusiastically for some loving. I picked him up and held him in my arms where he proceeded to lick my face. This time I let him, grateful that his spunky personality was restored.

  “Nothing, huh?” I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. “Finn didn’t leave a note?” I had just thought of it, and it would’ve been mighty convenient if he would have said where he had run off to.

  “Ha, no note, but he did leave his cell phone on the nightstand.”

  “He did? I hadn’t even seen it there.” So much for him calling me. If even possible, that news made my husband’s disappearance even more suspicious and I said as much to Detective Roxy.

  “I don’t like this and I’m not buying what the FBI is selling,” I said.

  Detective Roxy looked around carefully before speaking again. “You didn’t hear this from me, but there wasn’t any sign of forced entry or struggle, in or out.”

  “Meaning?” I was a little slow on the uptake today. Captain Jack looked confused, too. But that may have been because his overgrown hair was in his eyes, making it difficult for him to see.

  “Somebody let the victim in, and if it was Finn, it looks like he made a quick and clean getaway.” Detective Roxy’s comments gave Agent Cooper’s theory even more credibility, even if I couldn’t believe it.

  Scratch that. I could see Finn letting his buddy in, but that was the end of it. What could possibly have drawn him to killing him in our home, and why in the world didn’t I wake up? And if Finn hadn’t been involved, where was he now?

  “This case is out of my hands, but I’d still be in deep trouble for passing anything onto you,” Detective Roxy said. She scratched Captain Jack’s ears as if we were just having a friendly little chat.

  “I know. I appreciate you sticking your neck out like this. I’ll make sure to keep my nose clean, scout’s honor.” Never mind the fact that I was never a Girl Scout.

  “Well, I didn’t ask you to do that,” Detective Roxy said with a genuine smile this time. “I know you too well to expect anything of the sort. Just be careful. Agent Cooper is a stickler for the rules and he’d have no qualms throwing your butt in jail.”

  “Yeah, I got the message loud and clear.” At that moment I spotted the special agent staring at us. I gave him a little wave and told Detective Roxy I was heading to the shop. “If anyone needs me, you know where to find me.”

  “I’ll pass it on,” Detective Roxy said.

  “Thanks, appreciate it. Although between you and me, I hope Agent Cooper doesn’t come calling.” I needed a break from him. The next time I spoke to him would be too soon.

  3

  Aria met me at her car and handed my overnight bag to me. “What are your plans for tonight?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.” My parent’s house was always an option. I shuddered at the prospect. Not that my parents were bad people, it’s just my mom would drive me nuts.

  “You know you can stay with us.”

  “Yeah, I do. Thanks. But I’ve got Captain Jack,” I motioned down to my fluff ball. As if on cue, he sat and stared up at Aria all angelic-looking.

  Aria looked at my little guy and sneezed. Her allergies are what landed me with the pup in the first place. Although it was a fortunate accident in this case.

  “Bring him,” she said.

  “What? Are you crazy? I know how allergic you are.”

  “I’m sure you’ve got plenty of histamine stocked up, it being spring and all,” Aria replied.

  That was true. Flowers were my kryptonite. In fact, I felt my nose twitching just thinking about it, which was why I kept a couple of allergy pills in my purse, truck and desk drawer. It’s always good to be prepared.

  “Just bring those along. Besides, I highly doubt he’ll bother me if you guys stay out in the guest house.” Yes, Aria was rich enough to have a guest house. Technically, it could also be called the pool house since it sat across from it in her lush, private backyard, complete with a helicopter landing pad on the side. My business was doing well, but not that well.

  “I’ll be home after picking the kids up from school,” Aria said.

  “Okay, I’m probably going to be at the shop for most of the afternoon. A couple of girls called off, and if Finn’s looking for me, it’s a good spot to be.”

  “Good thinking. I’ll call you after my class.” Aria taught yoga at the studio just down the street from my old downtown apartment. She was holistic through and through. We were definitely opposites there. I considered chocolate a food group and lately the only time I practiced yoga was when my lipstick rolled under my pickup’s seat.

  “Okay, girl. Thanks.” It was all I had to say. Aria knew that “thanks” covered a broad spectrum. I would have been lost without her today. Someday soon I would have to find a way to pay her back.

  I shouldn’t have been shocked to see Mrs. J. standing outside of my shop. What I was shocked to see was her having it out with some cigar-smoking, spray-tanned, Hawaiian shirt-wearing septuagenarian.

  The man was hot—his temper, not his looks—and I found myself taking a step back to gauge the situation.

  “No one says no to me!” he shouted at Mrs. J.

  To which she replied, “Is that so? Well, let me say it again so y’all hear it clearly. No. Did you get that? Now keep movin’. I have business here.” Mrs. J. nodded in my and Captain Jack’s direction.

  For a tense moment, I wasn’t sure what the man was going to do.

  Finally he said, “You drop your pageant, or else.” His hand contracted into a fist, which he pulsed at his side in anger. Was he going to throw a punch? Captain Jack and I raced forward, without even thinking what I was doing. In a hot second, I was at Mrs. J.’s side. My sudden appearance had the man doing a double take.

  He threw his fist down one last time and shook his head in disgust before turning on his heel.

  “Cancel my pageant. He’s out of his mind. Don’t need anyone telling me what I can and can’t do. Humph,” Mrs. J. said.

  “Who was that?” I asked, watching the man slide into his Lincoln Town Car and pull away. He glared hard at us as he passed. I felt my skin chill. Captain Jack whimpered in my arms.

  “You know Little Miss Atlantic?” Mrs. J. asked, referring to the local beauty pageant.

  “Yeah, isn’t that coming up?” I asked.

  “This weekend. Mr. Big Head there thinks I should cancel the gala. Doesn’t want it taking away from his contest. I told him no one gives a hoot about his beauty pageant. He can just get to gettin’ and take his princess crown with him.”

  “Ah, that would explain the temper,” I replied.

  “Am I wrong? Heck no, I’m not. He should change his date if he’s so worried.”

  �
��You told him that?”

  “You betcha. I have no idea what’s going on around here, but things need to straighten up right now. So,” Mrs. J. turned and gave me her full attention, “Did you catch him?” she asked.

  “Catch who?” I didn’t know how much Mrs. J. knew and I wasn’t about to give anything away.

  “Finn, of course. Who else would I be talking about?”

  “Silly me.” My heart sank a little bit. If Mrs. J. already knew the police’s suspicions, the whole town of Port Haven would soon know and that included my parents. Right on time, my cell phone started ringing. This time, I moved a little slower knowing Finn didn’t have his phone on him. Sure enough, my mom’s number was ringing my line. I silenced the call and looked at Mrs. J. with exasperation on my face.

  “Now don’t go looking at me like that, Sug’. He’s just your first husband. Heaven knows your starter husband isn’t always a diamond. And it’s not like you all have been married for all that long anyway. Maybe you could still get an annulment. Brush this whole little mess under the rug where it belongs.”

  No one could ever say Mrs. J. didn’t speak her mind, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hear it.

  “Hold on a minute, Mrs. J. Who’s to say Finn’s guilty? My husband is missing. Did you ever think of it that way?”

  “Well, from the way the FBI spins it, they say he’s only missing because he’s on the run. I hate to say it, but I’m going to be more in line with the authorities on this one, especially given the circumstances.”

  Geez Louise. Good thing Mrs. J. wasn’t a judge. She wouldn’t throw just the book at Finn but the whole darn bench.

  “You’d think you’d be a little bit more understanding. What with being falsely accused of murder yourself.” It wasn’t that long ago that Mrs. J. was the prime suspect in a murder investigation right here in town. That was before she was the mayor.

  Mrs. J. said the same thing, “That’s before I was the mayor. I have a whole town to think of now. You’d be feeling the same way if you were me.”

  “Well, I’m going to keep an open mind. And in the meantime, I have a store to run, so I’ll catch up with you later.” It wasn’t often that I was short with Mrs. J., but this was one of those times.

  “Tomorrow afternoon,” Mrs. J. said.

  “Tomorrow afternoon?”

  “The gala? You know, the planning committee? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all about it.”

  Of course I had forgotten about it. My life was a little crazy at the moment. You’d think the woman would cut me some slack, but I wasn’t going to say that. Mrs. J. clearly wasn’t going to give me any sympathy, and I wasn’t going to go looking for it.

  “No, I didn’t forget. I’ll see you at the library,” I said.

  “Two o’clock. And don’t you go being late. This is crunch time. We got a lot of business to discuss. I want everything to be perfect.”

  “Got it.” I turned to walk away. Mrs. J. touched my arm.

  “If you see that husband of yours, you tell him to march his buns right to the police station. I’m not gonna have a fugitive on the loose during my gala, you hear?”

  “I’ll be sure to pass the message on,” I said over my shoulder while walking Captain Jack the rest of the way into the store, grateful to put Mrs. J. behind me.

  “And don’t forget his truck!” Mrs. J. hollered.

  I just nodded in response. She had asked me last week if Finn’s truck could pull the parade float. I told her it could, but she wouldn’t take my word for it. She wanted to see it. Give it a once over to make sure it was up to the task.

  “Everything okay?” Anna asked me when the bell clinked behind me.

  “Yeah, just a crazy morning.” I closed my eyes and let the aromas of lavender, lemon and chamomile fill my senses as I took deep breaths of the calming scents. I was pretty sure I’d have to bathe myself head to toe in the oils for them to have any true soothing effect, but at least the smell was pleasant. Anna was looking at me like I’d lost my mind.

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Just promise me that if you hear anything crazy about me that you come directly to me and asked me about it. I can guarantee ninety percent of it is rumors.” Okay, maybe eighty percent.

  I looked behind me at the store’s front window and spotted Mrs. J. sitting in her car on her cell phone. Heaven only knew whom she was talking to. In my mind, it was the equivalent of a news bulletin being sent out. Speaking of which, I sincerely hoped this mess would be solved before the reporters got a hold of it. What were the chances I’d be that lucky?”

  It turned out, not that lucky.

  Twenty minutes later, I recognized Adam Cunning, reporter for TV 25, before he even had a chance to walk through the doors. Instead of being my usual boss babe self, Captain Jack and I snuck into my back office and I told Anna to tell him I wasn’t in. Chicken? Absolutely. Necessary? Absolutely. I had no idea what was going on and there was no way I was going to let any reporter know that. This time, avoidance was my best course of action.

  “What about you? Do you have a statement?” I overheard Adam ask Anna.

  “About what?” Anna replied.

  Oh no. Perhaps I should have filled her in a bit more? I thought as I peered out my cracked office door.

  “About the murder.”

  “I, uh, say what?!”

  I smacked my hand on the top of my head. Why couldn’t Mr. Cunning just keep his questions to himself? So much for work being a quiet place where I could think. This was going to take some smoothing over. That is, after Adam Cunning left.

  “She stopped in too?” Aria asked me. We are sitting poolside, sharing a pitcher of margaritas and a bowl full of guacamole while I recounted my day.

  “Not only her. Pretty much every major news outlet in the Savannah area stopped in. It must be a slow news cycle,” I said while swirling my drink around.

  “Well, murder and missing husbands freak people out,” Aria replied.

  “Tell me about it.” I downed my glass.

  “I’m sorry, girl,” Aria said.

  “I just hope Finn’s okay.” It had been over twelve hours since I had found Cody’s body, and still no word from Finn. As far as I knew, the police still considered him a suspect and not a victim. How they could be so set in their ways? I blamed it on Agent Cooper. He better pray that not even one hair was harmed on my husband’s head or he’d never hear the last of me. I’d have his badge, and that would only be the beginning.

  Captain Jack laid snoozing on my lap. As long as Aria stayed downwind and she made sure to take antihistamines every four to six hours, she was golden.

  “What did your mom say?” Aria asked.

  “I haven’t talked to her.” I looked sheepish.

  Aria stared back at me wide-eyed. She knew how my mom could be. Avoiding her wasn’t in my best interest.

  “After talking with Mrs. J. and dealing with work, I just didn’t have it in me to return her calls.”

  “Speaking of Mrs. J., what is with her lately? She’s nuts,” Aria said.

  “I know! This gala has her going off the deep end. She’s convinced of Finn’s guilt. As if Finn has ever shown a cruel regard to anyone, let alone murder his childhood friend and abandon his wife.”

  “Finn’s such a nice guy. What is it with people not giving him the benefit of the doubt?” Aria asked.

  “Thank you! That’s my point exactly. I know on the outside it doesn’t look so hot for him, but come on! What does anyone really have on him? As far as I know, it’s all circumstantial evidence and weak at that. Hearsay, I would even say.”

  “From the sound of it, more like a vendetta,” Aria added.

  I nodded my head and filled my glass. “Agent Cooper has some serious issues with Finn, which I think is clouding his judgment.”

  “What are you going to do now?” Aria asked

  “Solve this crime like all of the others.” I took a healthy sip of my margarita, allowing the tequila to embolden m
e. I just had to think of where to start. “Here, help me make a suspect list. With its history, this case has to have more leads than just Finn.”

  A little over an hour and another pitcher of margaritas later, we had a list to work from. I had started by thinking back to the photo Agent Cooper had shown me. Finn and Cody obviously popped out, but I didn’t know who the other two guys were. But that didn’t mean that Finn’s sister, Kat, wouldn’t know them. In fact, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t thought until now to check in with her. I’m blaming the bombardment of press today for my slip of thought. Juggling a PR nightmare and a personal crisis made it hard to think clearly.

  I quickly scrolled through my phone book and dialed Kat, though I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer. She worked most nights and was rarely able to answer her phone when tending bar. I did a quick Google search and called the bar’s direct line, but that didn’t get me anywhere either. The phone just rang and rang and rang. They must be slammed. Hole in the wall or not, Red’s clientele knew how to have a good time. My third option was to shoot her a text, which I did this time and told her to call me as soon as possible.

  I shrugged my shoulders at Aria. “That’s the best I can do on that front.”

  I had no way of contacting Finn’s dad or his mom, and I wasn’t even sure if he could either. That was still a very touchy subject, and I rarely prodded it. Instead, I let Finn talk about it whenever the mood struck him and tried to be as supportive as possible. He definitely got the short end of the parenting stick.

  When it came to Cody, I also wasn’t sure where to look, not knowing where he was from. But I could do an Internet search for his name over the coming days and hope an obituary would pop up, that is once his family was notified. I was confident Agent Cooper knew Cody was the victim. It was only a short matter of time before everyone else did, too. I looked at my short list. It was a starting point.

  “Catch up with Kat, track down Cody’s family, and pray Finn turns up in the meantime.”

  It felt good to have a plan. I wasn’t sure if it was that, or the tequila, but I suddenly felt very tired.