Loose Ends (17 page)

Memories of the night before rushed through her mind. The police had been understanding and professional. Her entire house had been dusted for prints, photographed and searched in record time. The initial report had determined that her intruder had known what he was up to and left no evidence except for the muddy footprints. She almost felt that he had left those on purpose. Psychological warfare.

She remembered that after they had done all they could, Bradley had volunteered to make her a cup of tea while she sat on the couch. That was the last thing she remembered.

She got up and walked to the bathroom. The muddy footprint, still visible on her white tiled floor, stopped her at the door. She stared at the print with a mixture of fear and resentment.

Who was this monster that violated her most private space?

What were his thoughts when he was standing there watching her?

What would he have done if Bradley hadn’t knocked on the door just when he had?

Her hand crept to her throat and her face paled as she imagined the possibilities.

“Good morning.”

Mary jumped and spun around. Bradley stood leaning on the bedroom doorframe. “I wondered when you would finally wake up,” he added.

“Wake up?” she stammered, confused.

“It’s after nine,” he replied. “I thought you were going to sleep all day.”

“You’ve been here, all night?”

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Do you honestly believe that I would leave you alone after last night?”

She smiled sheepishly. “Thanks...for everything.”

He shrugged. “No problem,” he said, “Now, you need to move out of the way.”

“What...”

She was actually speechless when she saw Bradley retrieve a mop and bucket from the hallway and carry it past her.

“What are you doing?” she finally asked.

“I’m mopping your bathroom,” he replied simply, putting his words into action.

“But, why?”

“Because you don’t need this reminder to haunt you any longer,” he paused and smiled up at her, “If you’ll forgive the pun.”

She smiled back at him. “But, I could...”

“Of course you could,” he interrupted. “But I wanted to do this for you.”

She looked around the room, not sure what she should do next.

“Why don’t you go downstairs and use the guest bathroom?” he suggested. “I’ll be done here in a few minutes.”

She nodded. “Thanks, I will.”

She grabbed her toiletries and a change of clothes. She hesitated at the top of the stairs and saw, to her relief, that the other traces from the night before had already been removed. Courtesy of Bradley Alden, she was sure.

Bright sunshine streaming through her kitchen windows dispelled the rest of the shadows. Mary actually smiled as she walked through the kitchen to the guest bath.

A half-hour later she felt like a new woman. She walked out of the bathroom to the smells of breakfast.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Bradley stood at the stove with a pan of bacon frying on one burner and some eggs scrambling on another. “Has anyone ever told you that, for a private investigator, you ask some pretty stupid questions?”

She laughed and it felt good. “Actually, I used to ask much better questions before...”

“Yeah, I know. Before you died.”

“No, before I met you,” she said.

“So, I have the ability to create chaos in your thought process?” he asked, lifting his eyebrows roguishly.

She laughed. “I think it might be that you are constantly surprising me.”

“Keep ‘em guessing. That’s what I always say,” he quipped, as he moved the bacon from the pan to a waiting platter. “Now sit down, breakfast is almost ready. The cup of tea I owe you from last night is on the table.”

Mary slid into her chair and took a sip of the warm tea. “So, what happened to me last night?” she asked. “The last thing I remember is sitting on the couch waiting for my tea.”

Bradley smiled. “Well, I was trying to impress you with my version of scintillating conversation...naturally, you fell asleep immediately.”

“How incredibly rude of me,” she replied.

“Yes, I thought so too,” he agreed, placing two full plates on the table. “But considering your day, I let it pass.”

“That was gracious of you,” she said, biting into a piece of crisp bacon.

He sat down across from her and smiled. “Yes, once again, I thought so too.”

“And then you slept downstairs?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he replied, rubbing his neck. “Your couch is more comfortable than your recliner, but really, you’re going to have to invest in something that’s a little longer if we’re going to keep this up.”

She reached across the table and placed her hand over his. “I don’t know if I said this last night, but thank you for being at the right place at the right time several times yesterday.”

He nodded and stared at her for a few moments, then slid his hand out from beneath hers. “You were lucky. We were both lucky. And we can’t rely on luck anymore, Mary. You’re going to have to let me in on this one.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I agree.”

He stopped, speechless. “Just like that? You agree?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I figure you’ll up the odds in my favor.”

He smiled and scooped some eggs into his mouth. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“I thought it might be a good idea to review the case and just lay low,” Mary answered. “I’d like to enjoy a day without being someone’s target practice.”

“Good idea,” he said, “I need to go back to my place and get my laptop, but, if it’s okay with you, I’ll plan on working here all day.”

Mary didn’t want to feel the relief his statement gave her. After all, she was a one-person show, a loner, a private eye – she shouldn’t look forward to working with someone.

“And I’ll bring lunch,” he offered. “I make a mean pot of chili.”

Mary smiled and decided not to question the current circumstances, just enjoy the camaraderie. “That sounds great, I love chili. But it doesn’t seem fair, since you made breakfast.”

Bradley stood and picked up both plates. “So, you’ll owe me. Big!”

“Yeah, I will,” she laughed. “If you ever need to locate a ghost, give me a call and I’ll give you a discount.”

The laughter quickly went out of his eyes when he turned back. “No, I don’t think I’ll ever need that,” he replied.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He nodded, quickly, too quickly. “I’m great,” he said, sitting down once again. “Now let’s talk about this case.”

An hour later, Mary had given Bradley an overview of all of the different aspects of the situation. Bradley pushed back in his chair, tapping his hand on the table. “You’ve done a great job of getting the information pulled together,” he said.

Mary smiled. “Thanks, but what I really need is to be able to go over all the pertinent data to see if anything clicks.”

Bradley nodded and then glanced at his watch. “Okay, I need change and pick up the ingredients for lunch,” he said, “I’ll park the cruiser at my place and walk back. That way it looks like you’re alone, in case anyone wants to come by unannounced.”

Mary winced.

Bradley stood up and leaned over towards Mary. “But you won’t be alone,” he said, “I already have an unmarked car watching your house.”

“Thank you,” she said, with a soft sigh of relief.

“Don’t thank me until you’ve tasted my chili,” he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

“Oh, great, just what I need,” she joked. “Another threat.”

After Bradley left, Mary set her laptop up on the dining room table and pulled out a couple of new yellow legal pads. She placed all of the information she had collected over the past week in a pile on the center of the table.

An hour later, when the doorbell rang, she smiled and hurried to open the door. “You didn’t have to ring...” she began, then stopped when she saw Rosie standing on the porch.

“Well, thanks, sweetie, but I always feel that ringing the doorbell is better than walking in,” Rosie grinned, moving past Mary, entering her home and looking around. “You never know what you might be walking into these days.”

“Rosie, please come in,” Mary said.

Rosie laughed and held out a plate covered with aluminum foil. “I come bearing gifts and an inquisitive mind,” she said, “Homemade cinnamon rolls for a quiet Sunday morning. And lots of questions.”

Mary took the offered plate and lifted the foil. She took a deep breath of the yeasty dough and cinnamon scent and smiled, “Rosie, these are amazing.”

“So what’s up?” Rosie asked. “Chief Alden came looking for us at about five, he said the jig was up, the doll had deflated and he wanted to know which one of us lent you a car.”

She giggled delicately. “He was quite determined,” she said, waving her hand in front of her face. “So much testosterone. What happened yesterday?”

Mary sighed. “Well, it was an extraordinary day,” she said, guiding Rosie into the kitchen. “Let me make us some tea, and I’ll give you all of the details.”

Rosie sat on a bar stool next to the counter and nodded, “It smells like you’ve already had your breakfast,” she said, “That’s pretty ambitious for a lazy Sunday morning.”

Mary shrugged as she filled the teapot, “Well, I have a lot of work I plan to do on some cases I’m working on.”

Rosie peered closer. “Your face is looking better,” she said, “How does it feel?”

Mary ran her hand over her cheek. “A little tender. But good for the most part.”

The doorbell rang again and Mary jumped.

“Well, aren’t you a busy lady,” Rosie said, turning in her seat and watching Mary answer the door.

Mary had barely opened the door, when it was pushed forward and Stanley strode into her house.

“I get a knock on the door at the ungodly hour of eight o’clock on a Sunday morning and a police officer is handing me the keys to old Betsey,” he growled. “He wasn’t old enough to shave, much less drive her.

“Then he tells me that someone tried to shoot you yesterday and then someone broke into your house. And you didn’t call me to come over and help!”

“Mary, someone shot at you?” Rosie exclaimed, slipping off the stool and walking over. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It was late...I was overwhelmed...I...”

The back door opened. “Mary, I just thought I’d sneak back in this way, so no one would see...,” Bradley paused when he saw Rosie and Stanley staring at him, openmouthed.

“Rosie, Stanley, I believe you’ve met the Police Chief,” Mary choked.

“Well, damn,” the other three said simultaneously.

“So, what you’re saying is you think this guy is targeting Mary because of the case she’s working on?” Stanley asked, pointing the remainder of his cinnamon roll at Bradley from across the dining room table.

Mary leaned over and pressed the answering machine that was now sitting on her kitchen table and replayed the message from the night before. “He didn’t just threaten – he followed through,” Mary asked.

“Mary,” Rosie gasped. “I had no idea it was this dangerous.”

Stanley nodded, “What do you need us to do?”

“Sorry, this isn’t my usual kind of investigation,” she explained. “I can’t risk having either you or Rosie getting hurt.”

Stanley turned and pointed his cinnamon roll at Mary. “Listen girlie, I’ve dealt with trickier situations than this,” Stanley said, “I don’t expect you to hand me a gun, but I do expect you to let me help.”

Mary shook her head and was about to protest when Bradley interrupted. “Do either of you remember hearing about Jessica Whittaker’s disappearance?” Bradley asked.

“Yes, I remember,” Rosie said, nodding. “I remember because it was the same day Renee Peterson drowned.”

“You knew Renee Peterson?” Mary asked.

“Yes, she worked for me when I had the boutique,” Rosie explained. “It was while she was in high school.”

“I remember her, cute girl, bright as a button,” Stanley added. “Her death was such a shame.”

“Did you ever talk to her about her work with the Senator?” Mary said.

Rosie smiled. “Yes, she’d stop by the store whenever there was a big event. I’d help her pick out the right outfit. Matter of fact, the dress she wore that night was one from my shop. It almost made her late to the party and the Senator was pretty frantic.”

“How did you know that?” Mary asked.

“She had one of those fancy car phones, the senator had given it to her,” Rosie explained. “My shipment was late and we were in the backroom making final alterations when I hear this ringing sound. She pulls this giant portable phone out of her bag – but she can’t understand him because there was no such thing as cell coverage in Freeport back then.”

“So, she called him back on the store phone,” Rosie continued. “He said no one from the campaign staff had arrived yet and asked her to hurry. She teased him that no one wanted to be around a sinking ship.

“She was so happy – she was glowing. That was the last time I saw her,” Rosie sighed and shook her head.

“I always wondered about her death,” Rosie added, “She had been on the high school swim team. It didn’t make sense that she would drown. And I don’t think the coroner’s report showed that much alcohol in her system.”

“They did a toxicology screen on her?” Bradley asked.

“Her mother told me they did it routinely in those kinds of situations,” Rosie replied. “They made them hold off on the funeral for a couple of extra days in order to perform it.”

Mary laid her hand on Rosie’s, “I’m sorry, that must have been hard.”

“Well, at least her parents know it was an accident,” Rosie said, “Not like those little girls you’re helping. It would be horrible to not know after all these years.”

“Yes, it would be horrible,” Bradley agreed.

Mary glanced at him. There was something in his voice that made her feel his comment was more than commonplace. She studied his face – his demeanor was very professional, but she could see the pain in his eyes.

Rosie and Stanley left soon after, promising to not mention their conversation to anyone else.

“Can they keep confidences?” Bradley asked.

“Well, they both love juicy gossip and Stanley loves to tease,” Mary said with a smile. “But if they believe a slip of their lips is going to endanger me – they’ll be silent.”