Be My Valencrime

by Amy M. Reade

  “I wish I knew. There isn’t enough information yet about Suzanne’s death. We’ll know more when the police finish their initial investigation.”

  “Should I tell Harry?” Lilly asked.

  “He’s going to find out sooner or later that the body of a stripper from Guy’s Place was found. The police may not release her name, and you don’t want Harry to panic. You might want to soften the blow and tell him before he finds out on the news.”

  Lilly took a deep breath. “All right. I’ll tell him. Keep me in the loop, will you?”

  “I’ll tell you what I can. Since the Juniper Junction police aren’t really involved in this one, it may take some time for me to get information on it. But I’ve got some buddies on the force in Lupine, so they’ll let me know what they find.”

  “Thanks.” Lilly hung up. She closed her eyes, wishing she didn’t have to call Tracy. But when Tracy answered the phone, she told Lilly she had already heard the news. She was too distraught to talk about it just then. Lilly hung up and sat at her desk, staring into space for what seemed like a long time, until there was a knock on the office door.

  “Boss,” Harry called, “Hassan’s here to see you.”

  I can’t deal with him right now, Lilly thought. But she knew she should go out and talk to him. The flutter that seemed to take shape every time the phone rang, every time she hoped Hassan was calling to forgive her, wasn’t there. In its place was the dread of having to tell Harry what she had just learned. For once, Hassan wasn’t on the top of her list of priorities.

  She stood up, squaring her shoulders, and walked into the front of the shop. Hassan stood by the door, as handsome as always in a long wool coat and leather gloves.

  “Hi,” Lilly said. Suddenly she felt shy.

  “Hi. I just came in to let you know I’m leaving for Washington this afternoon.”

  She had focused so intently on his face that she hadn’t seen the suitcase on the floor behind him.

  She nodded. “Okay. Have a safe trip.”

  He gave her an unreadable look. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, but remained silent. She had no right to discuss Suzanne’s death with anyone before she talked to Harry.

  “Do you think we could talk when I get back?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Just give me a call,” she said. Her gaze drifted briefly toward Harry, who was conspicuously staying away from them. She focused again on Hassan.

  Hassan reached for the handle of his suitcase and turned toward the door, but he looked back over his shoulder. It looked like he was opening his mouth to say something, but Lilly stopped him by speaking first.

  “Have a safe trip,” she repeated.

  “Okay,” he said with a nod. He walked out onto Main Street and didn’t look in her direction again.

  Every emotion with the exception of happiness was running through Lilly’s head. She didn’t know if she wanted to cry or scream. With an effort, she turned away from watching Hassan head up Main Street and spoke to Harry.

  “Harry, we need to have a talk.”

  Chapter 43

  Harry gave her a confused look. “Am I in trouble? I hope I’m not in trouble. I couldn’t handle it.”

  “Of course you’re not in trouble. But I have something to tell you,” she said, echoing Bill’s words.

  “Is it about Alice?” His breathing was quicker, his eyes wide.

  “No, it’s not about Alice. But there is another dancer, Suzanne, who works with Alice, who went missing last night. They found her body this morning. I just wanted to tell you—”

  Harry sank to the floor, his head in his hands.

  “Oh, no.” Harry shook his head back and forth vigorously. “What do you think that means?”

  He looked up at Lilly, his face contorted with grief and fear.

  “It doesn’t mean anything just yet, except that there will be people trying to find Alice around the clock if there aren’t already. I suspect there already are.”

  “What happened to Suzanne?”

  “I don’t know. I just got the information from Bill. And Suzanne’s best friend, Tracy, called me last night to let me know that Suzanne was missing.”

  “So you don’t know how Suzanne died?”

  Lilly shook her head.

  “I don’t think I want to know, anyway,” Harry said. “Do they think the person who killed her is the one who took Alice?”

  “I don’t know, Harry, but let’s not lose hope. Suzanne could have surprised a burglar, she could have been the victim of a random attack—we just don’t know. Bill’s going to let me know once he hears something.”

  “I can’t stand the waiting. That’s the worst part, Lilly. I wish there was something I could do to help find Alice.” His unspoken words hung in the air between them: or Alice’s body.

  “The best way for you to help would be if you were able to think of something the police don’t already know—something that would provide them with a lead.”

  “I know. Believe me, I know. All I do is try to think of something we’ve missed.”

  “Would you like to go home?” Lilly asked.

  Harry stood up from the floor, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “I think I’d better stay here. I appreciate the offer, but if I go home I’ll go nuts.”

  “Okay. But if you want to leave, just let me know. I have to go to a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, but I can close the store if you don’t want to be here.”

  “No, no. You go to the appointment. I’ll take charge here for a little while.”

  It was a busy day in the shop, for which Lilly was grateful. When the time came for Lilly to slip out to her appointment, Harry was busy with a customer and there was another one waiting to talk to him. Lilly gave him a quick wave and left.

  The doctor’s office was a short walk, so Lilly was back at work in no time, complete with the doctor’s permission to drive again and her blessing to get some paperwork done. The first thing Lilly had done after leaving the doctor’s office was to call Noley to tell her the good news about driving and the bad news about Suzanne. Noley was shocked that Suzanne’s body had been found.

  “I hardly knew her, but she seemed really nice,” Noley said.

  “She was,” Lilly said. “She gave me the impression that she could take care of herself, so I think the person who attacked her must have surprised her.”

  “Meaning it was someone she didn’t know?”

  “Maybe. Or maybe it was someone she did know who came out of nowhere and attacked her.”

  “Are you sure you want to go out to Guy’s Place to get your car so soon?” Noley asked. “I’m not sure we should be going out there with everything that’s gone on. I don’t mind driving you around, so don’t think you need to do it for me.”

  “I know. I just want my car back,” Lilly said. “I like having it because I know I can go somewhere in a hurry if I have to, without calling you or waking you or disturbing you.”

  “If you say so,” Noley said. “I can pick you up after the shop closes and we can go from there if you want.”

  “Sounds good. See you then. And thanks.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Noley said with a sigh.

  “Of course I know what I’m doing,” Lilly said.

  “Famous last words.”

  Lilly didn’t hear from Bill for the rest of the day and she hesitated to call him because she didn’t want to bother him any more than necessary.

  When she and Harry had put away the displays and locked up for the night, Harry went home and Lilly stood on the sidewalk waiting for Noley to show up. She was worried about Harry. He had kept up a brave front for the customers who had come into the store that day, but it seemed to have exhausted him. When he left he looked worn out and haggard. Lilly had made him promise to get a good night’s sleep and come in to work late the next day if he was able to sleep in.

  Noley pulled up to the curb and Lilly slid into the passenger seat.
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  “Are you sure about this?” Noley asked.

  “More than sure.”

  “I can’t believe Suzanne is dead,” Noley murmured.

  “I know. I’ll call Tracy again tonight and see how she’s doing. She was too upset to talk earlier. She and the other dancers must be afraid.”

  “I wonder if the two cases are related,” Noley mused.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. What are the chances that two dancers from the same bar go missing in the same month and the two cases are unrelated? Pretty slim, I would say.”

  “You’re probably right. All the more reason to get in your car and get the heck away from Guy’s Place as soon as we can,” Noley said.

  “I keep wondering about Guy. I just don’t like him.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s a killer,” Noley pointed out.

  “I know. I’m just thinking out loud. He was just so rude the night Hassan and I tried to get some information from the dancers.” She expected Hassan’s name to send a wave of self-pity over her, but it didn’t. “He came into the shop today,” she said.

  “Guy?” Noley exclaimed.

  “No, Hassan,” Lilly said with a little laugh.

  “Really? What did he want?”

  “Just to say that he was headed to Washington and that he’d like to talk when he gets back. With everything else that’s been happening, I’ve been thinking about him a little less. I suppose that’s a good thing.”

  Noley shrugged. “I guess. He didn’t say anything else?”

  “Actually, I think he was going to, but I cut him off. I had just found out about Suzanne and I wanted to talk to Harry about it. That was more important at the time.”

  “I hope things work out between you two,” Noley said.

  “So do I.”

  They drove in silence as the night nestled into the mountains. When Noley pulled into Guy’s parking lot, she glanced at Lilly. “Remember, hurry. I don’t want to be here longer than necessary.” She parked next to Lilly’s car. There were two men talking not far away, near the entrance to the bar. Lilly got out and reached into her coat pocket for her car key.

  “Hey!”

  Lilly looked up, startled. She whipped her head around to see who was talking. One of the men was advancing toward her. A wave of cold sweat swept over her and she held the car key so it was sticking out between two of her fingers in case she needed to defend herself. She could hear Noley’s car door open.

  “Oh, it’s you again. I’m glad you’re finally getting that thing out of here.” The man stepped closer and gestured toward Lilly’s car. It was Guy.

  Noley had come to stand next to Lilly. “She was just cleared today to drive again or else we would have been here sooner.” She sounded defiant, as if she expected Guy to tell Lilly he was charging her for parking.

  “Good. I don’t like cars here overnight. Liability, you know,” he said, his voice gruff.

  “What about the liability of someone being attacked and injured on your property?” Noley challenged.

  “Noley, it’s okay. Let’s go,” Lilly said quietly. Suddenly their roles seemed reversed. Noley was gearing up for an argument and Lilly wanted to leave. Her head was starting to hurt.

  “Just get outta here before I call the cops and report you,” Guy said in a menacing voice.

  “Report us for what?” Noley asked.

  “Just get out!” Guy bellowed. “I don’t need no one gettin’ hurt again.”

  Was that a threat?

  Chapter 44

  “Noley, we need to leave. Now,” Lilly said. Noley turned and got into her car, still glaring at Guy through the windshield.

  “I don’t want to see you back here,” Guy spat at Lilly. “You’re nothing but trouble.”

  Lilly didn’t answer. She slid behind the wheel of her car, started the engine, and pulled out as swiftly as she could without hitting anything. Noley circled around behind her and tailgated her all the way back to Juniper Junction.

  When Lilly pulled into her driveway, Noley pulled in, too. She rolled down her window when Lilly walked over to her car.

  “I’m sorry about my outburst,” Noley said. “That man is the worst.”

  “He is,” Lilly agreed. She shivered, but not from the cold. “And we were standing right next to him. If he was the one who killed Suzanne and kidnapped Alice….” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

  “I don’t think he was the one,” Noley said. “He’s got a business to run, and both women were an important part of that.”

  “But sometimes people let their emotions make decisions instead of their brains. It would have been good for business if Hassan and I could have gotten a drink while we were there, too, but he threw us out. That’s bad for business.”

  Noley acknowledged the logic with a nod. “Well, I’m going to head back to my house. Are you sure you’ll be all right tonight?”

  “We’ll be fine, I promise,” Lilly said. She leaned down and pecked Noley on the cheek. “Thanks for going with me tonight. You made me braver.”

  “I’m afraid I let my emotions make my decisions,” Noley answered wryly.

  Lilly laughed. She wouldn’t have been able to laugh just thirty minutes before, but the stress of being at Guy’s Place was beginning to wane.

  “See you later,” she said. Noley drove away and Lilly went into the house.

  “Laurel!” she called out. No answer. Lilly went to the bottom of the stairs and called again. And again, there was no response.

  Thinking Laurel might be wearing earphones, she went and tapped on her bedroom door. Nothing. She tapped more loudly and opened the bedroom door, peering around it to see if Laurel was there.

  The room was empty. I wonder what ‘grounded’ means to her, Lilly thought. She had returned Laurel’s phone to her, so she pulled out her own cell and texted Laurel

  Where are you?

  She waited several minutes for a reply, and getting none, she called Laurel. The phone went right to voicemail.

  Now Lilly was mad. She made more noise than she should have in the kitchen while she made dinner, then eventually sat down by herself to enjoy the cold, limp tuna salad sandwich she had slapped together. Barney didn’t beg for a single bite—even he didn’t find dinner appealing.

  She was finishing her sandwich when her cell phone rang. She snatched it up, expecting a barrage of excuses from Laurel over why she had violated her punishment.

  But it was Bill.

  “Lilly,” he began.

  “Is it Mom? I haven’t even had a chance to go over there yet. I swear I’ll go over after dinner. Is she all right?”

  “Mom’s fine, as far as I know. I’m calling about Laurel.”

  Those few simple words turned the tuna sandwich in her stomach to cement.

  “What about her? Is she okay?” Lilly asked quickly, her breath caught in her throat.

  “She’s okay, but she’s been brought in again for vandalism. Different type of property damage, same friends.”

  Lilly set her elbow on the table and supported her head in her hand. “Oh, no. What did they do this time?”

  “Spray painting the back of one of the stores on Main Street.”

  “What is wrong with that kid?” Lilly wondered aloud.

  “I don’t know, but she needs a ride home. I can’t take her right now because I’m so busy. Can I call Noley to come get her?”

  “The doctor cleared me to drive today. I’ll be down in a couple minutes. You should probably put her in a cell for her own safety, because she’s going to need it when I get there.”

  Bill chuckled. “The cells are full this evening. That’s why I’m so busy.”

  Lilly was back in the car just a few minutes later, speeding down to the Juniper Junction police station.

  Laurel was in big trouble.

  Lilly stalked into the building, her blood boiling. She told the desk sergeant why she was there and he asked her to take a seat. She fumed in one of the plastic chairs f
or several minutes, trying to breathe through her mouth so she wouldn’t smell the odors of garlic, coffee, and sweat that wafted in the air around her.

  Presently Bill came into the station lobby. Lilly stood up expectantly, but he motioned for her to sit down.

  “Now, I don’t have any kids—” he began.

  “Don’t,” Lilly interrupted him. “Whatever you’re going to say, don’t. I am furious with her.”

  “She’s really upset this time,” Bill said. “I think there’s more to the story than I’ve heard. Just remember that when you’re yelling at her.”

  Lilly slowed her breathing a little bit. “I heard her talking to Noley the other day when she didn’t know I was there. She was afraid that when Mary Louise attacked me and broke the shop window, it was karma’s way of getting back at Laurel for the acts of vandalism she was responsible for. It surprises me to learn that she’s at it again.”

  “It surprises me, too. She’s a good kid, Lil. I got the sense that she learned her lesson the first time. Maybe you can find out what’s going on.”

  Lilly rubbed her eyes. “This has been a long day. I’ll take her home and we’ll talk about it. Can you bring her out here or do I have to go back there?”

  “I’ll bring her out.” Bill stood and went back into the precinct offices to retrieve his wayward niece while Lilly waited less impatiently than before.

  It only took a minute for him to fetch Laurel and bring her to the lobby. It was clear from her puffy eyes and streaked cheeks that Laurel had been crying.

  Lilly clenched her teeth, bracing herself for anything—the truth, a pack of lies, a teary outburst full of excuses.

  But what happened surprised her. Laurel ran to her, hugged her, and repeated “I’m so sorry” over and over again. Lilly hadn’t been prepared for an apology. It disarmed her completely. She looked at Bill for guidance that she knew he wasn’t in a position to give. He looked around, focusing on everything but her face.