Pretty, Hip, & Hoodwinked

by Madison Johns

  “Please don’t encourage her, Kimberly.”

  “I don’t see what else we can do. We need another clue to follow up on and more than one person told us about that six-foot man.”

  “How long is this disguise going to take?” Eleanor asked.

  * * *

  An hour later, Agnes, Eleanor, and Kimberly were back at Rosemary’s house wearing sweat pants and tee shirts. The Cadillac was outfitted with a magnetic sign that read, ‘Clean in a Jiffy’ that was put on the side of the car.

  Serena caught up with them and said with a snicker, “I’ll keep my mother busy.” She then ran off before any of them could thank her.

  They went around to the back of the house. Kimberly lifted up the handle of the sliding glass door repeatedly until the lock sprung off, allowing them to slide the door open. Then she winked.

  Agnes led the way inside and stepped over the broken Pop-Tarts that were still there. The pill bottle was no longer there and neither was the trash can, presumably taken for evidence.

  “I don’t suppose you’d like to tell us where you learned how to break into a patio door, Kimberly?” Agnes asked.

  “Not really. Let me just say it’s not a talent I brag about.”

  They spread out and began to search through cabinets and drawers in both the kitchen and living room. Kimberly pulled out a photo album that she found in the cabinet of the television stand.

  Agnes and Eleanor sat on either side of her as she looked through it page by page. It began like most photo albums do, with pictures of a baby Rosemary.

  “She was such a cute baby,” Eleanor remarked. “Look at all those curls.”

  Agnes felt a small catch in her chest as each page was filled with Rosemary growing up stage by stage. “I don’t see any siblings.”

  “I noticed that,” Kimberly said. “We might still. She might have some that are younger than Rosemary.”

  Kimberly continued to move the pages and at the back was a picture of Rosemary with a young man, a quite tall one. Someone had taken an ink pen and gouged out his eyes. “It looks like a prom picture,” Agnes observed. “I wonder who ruined his face?”

  “Probably Rosemary,” Kimberly said. “We girls like to do that when we break up with a boy, or when he breaks up with us.”

  “Or a jealous man in her life doesn’t like the thought of her with anyone else, even if it was in the past.”

  “We still don’t know for sure what this man looks like,” Eleanor said.

  Kimberly fingered a bulge in the page and pulled out a photograph of the same prom picture, except that this one wasn’t marred at all. “Rosemary and Joshua,” it said on the back.

  “I think we have a winner,” Agnes said. “Let’s move to the bedroom and see what else we can find,” Agnes suggested.

  “No, Agnes,” Eleanor blurted out. “I have a bad feeling about this. We need to get out of here and now.”

  Kimberly sighed. “I think she’s right. We’ve been pushing our luck. If the sheriff finds us in here, we’re cooked.”

  Agnes refastened the lock to the patio door and they left out the side door, which they locked from the inside on their way out. Then they hurriedly put their cleaning supplies back into the car and off they went. As they finally exited Willow Creek Estates, two deputy cars rolled in.

  Eleanor put a hand against her chest. “See, what did I tell you?”

  “They might be here for another reason,” Agnes insisted.

  “I can imagine that people might have wondered who would show up to clean a crime scene when the tape is still up!”

  “I’m with Eleanor here,” Kimberly countered. “Someone called the cops for sure. At least I brought this prom picture with us. It will be good to use for our investigation.”

  Agnes drove back to the motel where they had spoken to Rosemary’s father before. Agnes rang the bell inside and waited while the man, who appeared visibly upset, approached the counter. “You’re back again?” said Rosemary’s dad, who invited them to call him Bob. “At least it’s not the sheriff this time. Do you have any idea how it makes me feel to be accused of killing my own daughter?”

  “Sheriff Barry said that?”

  “Yes.”

  “It might be standard with cops these days. You know, everyone is a suspect until they all have an alibi,” Eleanor said. “Although it seems premature when your daughter was just found at her house.”

  “They might not even know for sure if it was a homicide yet,” Kimberly added.

  “Tell that to Sheriff Barry.”

  “I’d rather not,” Agnes said. “Especially since he’s not all the excited that we’re investigating a theft. We also believe there is a connection to your daughter and the money taken out at the bank.”

  “I knew it had to be related. There’s no other reason anyone would want my Rosemary dead.”

  “What about Eddie Wright?”

  Bob frowned. “I’ve thought about that. I’ll admit that I didn’t give two cents for that man, but I can’t call the man a murderer, especially when we’re not certain how Rosemary even died.”

  “He has yet to give the sheriff an alibi as of yet though,” Agnes informed him.

  “Is there anyone else close to Rosemary that we could speak to?” Kimberly asked.

  He massaged his chin for a moment. “You could speak to Rosemary’s Aunt Willow, but she lives ten minutes from Port Austin.”

  Agnes sighed. “We’d appreciate it if you could give us the address. I’d feel better knowing that we’ve investigated every avenue.”

  He teared up as he jotted down the address. “Promise me you’ll find out who did this to my Rosemary. I really miss her.”

  Agnes swallowed hard. “We’ll do our best.”

  “Agnes means we’ll find out who murdered your daughter,” Eleanor assured him.

  They left and when they were back in the car and heading off, Agnes said, “Why did you tell Bob that, Eleanor? You can’t promise a family member something like that.”

  Kimberly frowned. “So, that must mean you might not be able to clear my name.”

  “I didn’t mean that, Kimberly. We’ll stay on this case until it’s solved. For all we know, Rosemary’s murder might not even be related to the theft of Barry’s money.”

  “It has to be. What other reason could there be?”

  “Let’s just find Rosemary’s Aunt Willow and find out.”

  “That’s a strange name,” Kimberly remarked.

  “It sounds like something a hippy would call their child,” Agnes said. “Like my daughter Martha. Martha is a transplant from the seventies, I think. She even has a paneled station wagon.”

  “Agnes, Kimberly has no idea what you’re even talking about.”

  “I don’t,” Kimberly admitted with a grin.

  * * *

  They arrived at Willow’s address, which was no more than a small cabin on Lake Huron. But it wasn’t made of knotty pine. It had blue siding with one window and door that took up most of the front of the house.

  Kimberly knocked on the door and received no response. “Let me handle this,” Eleanor said.

  “Wait,” Agnes stopped her. “I think she’s out back. I smell incense burning.”

  “You mean weed,” Eleanor shot back.

  The walked around back and Aunt Willow was indeed lighting up her pipe. She jumped when she spotted them.

  “I have a medical marijuana card if you’re the cops.”

  Agnes’ hands went to her hips. “Do we look like the cops?”

  “Do you want a hit?” Willow offered.

  “No, thanks. We’re here to talk to you about your niece Rosemary.”

  “What about Rosemary?”

  “You mean her dad didn’t speak to you yet?”

  “Bob and I don’t exactly get along,” Willow said. “Why don’t you spit it out already?”

  Agnes interlaced her fingers with a frown on her face. She glanced over at Kimberly and Eleanor, but from
the way they backed up, it was apparent that they didn’t want to tackle telling Rosemary her niece was no longer among the living.

  “I-I hate to be the one to tell you this, but we found Rosemary dead at her house.”

  Willow dropped her pipe, her face whitening by the moment. Eleanor moved in and caught her as she slumped over. “What should I do?”

  “Cradle her back on the chair,” Agnes instructed her.

  Agnes scooped up lake water with her cupped hands and brought it back, splashing Willow’s face with it. Willow opened her eyes, sputtering. “Are you trying to kill me?” she asked, clutching the arms of her chair.

  “No, you passed out. I was just trying to help you.”

  “By drowning me?”

  “Of course not.”

  “We didn’t kill your niece,” Kimberly said. “We came here to ask you if you knew of anyone who might have wanted to, though.”

  “What? How should I know?”

  “Bob told me you and Rosemary are close.”

  “Yes, but how could I possible guess why anyone would want her dead? That’s a bit out there, isn’t it? I mean, the average person doesn’t go around killing people for no good reason. Not that there’s ever a good reason to murder someone, mind you. But I meant that Rosemary didn’t have a husband who was having an affair or have a huge insurance policy.”

  “She did have a boyfriend, though.”

  “Eddie Wright is not anywhere near Rosemary’s boyfriend.”

  “But he even says he was. He wouldn’t even tell us any details about Rosemary the first time we asked.”

  “So, what do you know, Eddie has some values after all.”

  “How did you feel about her involvement with Eddie?”

  “I didn’t think he was good enough to lick her shoes. Now I know that sounds harsh, but he’s not the man for her.”

  “What are you basing that on? What has he done to make you form that opinion of him?”

  “Let me just say that Rosemary isn’t the only woman Eddie is interested in.”

  “Like Missy Todds?”

  “Oh, so you found out about her, then. She was Eddie’s past until she came back to town and moved in with her parents. She might just be the drug Eddie can’t resist.”

  “Did Rosemary find out about her?”

  “Yes, but when Rosemary bumped into her high school sweetheart, Joshua, in Caseville, she was quite confused herself. She was still in love with Joshua after all these years, but Eddie was still in the picture.”

  “Did Joshua ever come to Redwater to see her?”

  “Yes, he came to Redwater. He even visited her at home,” she said.

  “Were they seeing each other behind Eddie’s back?”

  “I’m not certain it came to that point, but Eddie did get angry when he found out she was spending time with Joshua. Even though she told Eddie she was only friends with Joshua.”

  “He had his nerve getting angry at her when he was seeing Missy,” Kimberly said.

  “That’s a man for you,” Willow replied.

  “Some men,” Agnes added. “There are good ones out there though.”

  Willow sniffled. “If you happen to know one, send him my way.”

  “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you. Rosemary was like my daughter. I can’t believe that brother of mine didn’t come out here and give me the news himself at the very least.”

  “Do you have a phone?”

  “No, but he could have driven here. He could have asked that son of his to watch the motel for him.”

  “What son?”

  “Sonny. He works at the pub in Redwater. He’s a bartender.”

  Agnes jotted that down on her notebook. “That I didn’t know.”

  “Rosemary was a teller at the bank in Redwater,” Eleanor began. “We wanted to question her about money that was taken out of an account to the tune of fifty-thousand dollars.”

  “The money was stolen?”

  “It was drawn out by a young lady who resembles Kimberly here. An imposter.”

  “Do you think Rosemary did something wrong, or was somehow involved?”

  “I suppose we’ll never know, but if we can’t find out who took that money, Kimberly will be the fall person. She had the responsibility of handling Mrs. Barry’s money while she recuperates from a broken hip.”

  “Mrs. Barry?” Willow smiled from behind her tears. “That crotchety old woman is still alive?”

  “Yes, and grumpy as ever, but it’s hard not to like her in an odd sort of way,” Agnes said.

  “I can see where you’re going with this. Someone might have wanted to shut Rosemary up.”

  “I just don’t understand why, unless Rosemary knew it was a scam and had second thoughts,” Agnes said.

  “Or Rosemary might be able to recognize the person,” Eleanor added.

  “What if it was someone she knew, but Rosemary didn’t realize until after what happened at the bank?” Willow said. “Please, do all you can to find my niece’s killer, if she was murdered I mean. I’ll be in Redwater preparing for Rosemary’s funeral. I can’t imagine Bob will be able to handle things on his own.”

  “What was his relationship with Rosemary like?”

  “My brother spoiled her rotten, but was unable to control who she decided to hang around.”

  “I understand she had a record?”

  “Yes, but she was a good person at heart. She just got mixed up with the wrong people. I saw a real change in Rosemary the last year. I was shocked to hear that the bank in Redwater hired her, though.”

  “Me, too,” Agnes remarked. “It makes me wonder why a background check wasn’t done.”

  Chapter 15

  Eleanor fumbled with her iPhone when they were back in Redwater. The three of them had agreed it was time they visit the bank manager again, this time at home.

  “Make a right at Elm Street,” Kimberly said.

  “Have you been to Miss Jackson’s house before?” Eleanor asked.

  “No, but I had a friend who lived on this road.”

  Agnes whipped into the drive and they knocked on the front door. Miss Jackson answered the door holding a cocktail, her face contorting. “What do you want?”

  “We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  “Give me one reason I shouldn’t call the cops on you after the lies you told me at the bank. Federal investigators are never your age and they’d have the proper identification.”

  “We’d like to speak with you, could we please come in?” Agnes asked.

  “No! I don’t think so.”

  She made a move to slam the door in their faces, but Kimberly stopped her by saying, “I wonder if the executives at the main office know you hire employees without doing a proper background check?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I bet,” Agnes said. “We found out Rosemary had been convicted of embezzlement in the past. Certainly you must have done a fingerprint check.”

  “I don’t actually handle that part myself, but I assumed it had been done. Lala has never failed me before.”

  “Who is Lala?” Eleanor asked. “I mean, is that actually a real person?”

  “Yes. Lala Davis works human resources for the bank, but only part time. She owns a boutique store in town.”

  “So a boutique store owner also does all the hiring for the bank?”

  “Exactly.”

  “We’re not done with you, Miss Jackson. I think you’re involved with that missing money,” Agnes accused her.

  “I swear I didn’t do anything wrong. I reported the loss just as soon as I began checking out Mrs. Barry’s accounts and realized her money was missing. She’s never bounced a check since I’ve been manager at the bank.”

  “If I find out you’re lying, Miss Jackson, I’m going straight to the sheriff. For all we know, you were the one who killed Rosemary Johnson.”

  “Dead? What?”

 
; “She was found dead yesterday. I suppose it hasn’t hit the news quite yet.”

  Miss Jackson gripped the doorjamb. “I had no idea!”

  “I’m sorry that you had to hear it this way, then.”

  “I’ll have to contact her father and see if there’s anything I can do.” She trembled. “I can’t believe she’s gone. Rosemary was the one employee who could be counted on. She even came in sick and was upset when I had to send her home.”

  “What else do you know about her?”

  “That’s all.”

  “Thank you for your information, Miss Jackson,” Agnes said, as she walked toward the car.

  “Don’t call Lala and tell her we’re coming, or our next stop with be the sheriff’s department,” Eleanor threatened. “I bet the sheriff takes obstruction of justice seriously.”

  Kimberly laughed when they zoomed off down the road. “You two were acting like thugs back there. Especially you, Eleanor.”

  “How else are we going to assure ourselves that we catch Lala at her boutique?”

  “We should have asked Miss Jackson for the address,” Agnes said.

  “No need. How many boutiques do you think there are in Redwater?” Kimberly said.

  They walked into the boutique and Eleanor admired a pink dress on a mannequin that had sequins on the neck and cuffs. She glanced at the price out of curiosity and gasped.

  “This place is overpriced,” Eleanor said a little too loudly, since the woman at the counter gave them a hard stare. Eleanor then admired the hats with feathers.

  “Is Lala here?” Agnes asked.

  “She doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

  “Tell her we’re here to discuss the break in at her house.”

  The clerk’s eyes bulged slightly and she raced into the back, returning with a larger woman. “I’m Lala. Who broke into my place?”

  “Did I say that? I meant we were here to discuss a few things that happened at the bank on the tenth.”

  The woman began to fan herself. “I’m glad to hear that. I mean, I’m happy that my house wasn’t broken into.”

  Agnes glanced at the clerk, who was all ears. “Could we speak with you privately?”