by K. C. Turner
Elizabeth watched as all the people walked away from the gravesite back to their vehicles. Brandon DeFranco was arm in arm with an older woman. She figured her to be Brandon’s mom or possibly the mother of the deceased. “Those poor people. It’s just so tragic. Do you think he did it?”
Gulping down some of his soda, he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Too soon to tell at this point. Of course, if Pam was sleeping around and got knocked up by another guy, couldn’t be a better motive. Well, I take that back. Samantha Brown could be another nail in the coffin. No pun intended.”
Her forehead crinkled together. “Samantha Brown?”
Raising his chin towards the people he said, “See that foxy little chic in the black dress with the long black hair walking behind Brandon?”
She smirked and flexed her eyebrows at him. “Foxy huh?”
“Well she is!”
Elizabeth squinted as if it helped her see better from a hundred feet away. “I guess I’ll take your word for it.”
“I’m guessing she and Brandon have a thing. She called herself his work wife.”
“Well that doesn’t make any sense. If they were both cheating on each other why kill Pam? Why not just get a divorce and they both be on their merry way?”
Pointing a French fry into the air like a conductor wand he said, “Exactly, my dear Watson!”
She flirted with him with her smile, loving the fact he found such comfort in a character born to him out of such a terrible childhood. One that obviously played some type of role in who he became.
Chewing his last bite, he stuffed the remnants of his food and container back into the bag and crunched it up, throwing it into the back seat. “You know, even though I was busy with the investigation this weekend, why did it seem like you were avoiding me?”
Her eyes flickered anxiously. She took a breath and leaned on the headrest. “It’s not that I was trying to. There was just too much running through my head. With Pam, then – then Steve. I was just beat.”
“See, right there. You paused. You were about to say something. Did I do something wrong?”
She turned her head towards him, her eyes sad with adoration. “You only became my worst nightmare.”
Taken aback he said, “Wow. That’s a first.” He bit his bottom lip, slowly releasing it as he lowered his head.
Open mouth insert foot, Liz. “The other night when you came over, I was all out of sorts. Before you got there, I was in the bath and had an ‘episode’, or so my shrink likes to call them.” She shook her head embarrassed at herself. “I dreamt that you turned into Steve. You turned into him but you were still you. I mean, I saw you, but all I heard and all that happened were only things he would say and do.” She grabbed her temples and rubbed them hard. “I know I don’t make any sense. I’m sorry.”
Resting his elbow on the armrest, he rubbed his chin for a moment before turning to look at her. “You know that would never happen, right?”
Looking out towards Pam’s grave she said, “Well, that’s what my conscious likes to tell myself. My subconscious, however, makes up it’s own stories.” She met his eyes and asked, “I’m a train wreck waiting to happen, Martinez. Are you sure you wanna get any more involved? She shook her head and looked back out at the gravesite. “I really couldn’t blame you if you want to back out.”
“Tell you what, how ‘bout we discuss it over some phone records?”
She gave him an awkward look.
He winked and his lips curled mischievously.
The last car rolled out of the cemetery and Martinez got the feeling Brandon saw his vehicle. Not that he cared. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes before they noticed a man walking towards the open hole in the ground that would soon be filled with dirt by cemetery employees.
“Looks like you may have called it, Detective. So, now what’s your plan?”
“We’ll just sit here and wait for him to leave. Before I can do anything, I need to identify him. We’ll get close enough behind his vehicle to get his plate number so I can run it.”
“I’m not sure that’s the best way to go about it, do you?”
“Of course it is. What do you mean?”
“Well, what if it’s not his car?”
He looked at her weird. “Why wouldn’t he be driving his car, Liz?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Not every one has their own vehicle, I guess. Or a driver’s license for that matter.”
He contemplated her logic for a moment. Before he could respond, she opened the car door and began to get out. “Liz, what are you doing? Liz!” She shut the door behind her and began walking towards the man. “Damn it!” screamed Martinez as he slammed his hand on the steering wheel. Rather than chase after her, he decided to sit tight and see how it played out.
She slowly walked up to the grave and stood some distance behind the young man. His hands were stuffed in the front pockets of his Khakis. Not noticing her at first, he was sniffling, quietly. He jumped when he realized he wasn’t alone. “Jesus, lady!”
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Using his sleeve as a tissue, he cleared his face. “Don’t worry about it. I’m done here.” He turned away from her and began to walk away.
She stepped up a bit closer. “Wait! I’m so sorry. Did you know Pam? She and I were friends years ago. I wish I would have stayed in touch.” She looked down and forced tears from her eyelids then reached into her bag for a tissue.
Shaking off his own grief, he stopped and walked over to her. He shook his curly bangs out of his eyes and they fell perfectly over his eyebrow. “Hey, I’m sorry. I’m just not really – I didn’t want to come. Are you okay?”
Wiping her nose with her tissue, she said, “Yeah, I know what you mean.” She laughed it off. “I literally waited for the family to leave before getting out of my car. I didn’t want to be here either but I would feel terrible if I didn’t say goodbye.” She put her tissue in her pocket and offered her hand to him. “I’m Lisa. Lisa Swanson. Pam and I went to high school together.”
Shaking her hand he said, “Damian. Damian Burk. Sorry, I’m just not much of a people person. That’s why I waited in my car too. Don’t really need the family drama, ya know?”
She rolled her eyes in agreement. “Yeah, right? So, how did you know Pam?”
“We worked together at Creative Industries.” He starred down into the ground. “Such a talent gone to waste.” Tears fell down his defined cheekbones. “I’m sorry.” He began to walk way. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go.” He wiped his nose and stuffed his hands back into his pants pockets before briskly walking back to his vehicle. He turned on the ignition, and quickly drove from the site leaving Elizabeth standing alone over Pam’s grave.
Her eyes suspiciously followed Damian’s vehicle until it was out of sight. Looking down at Pam’s coffin covered in expensive flowers she said, “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Pam. I promise we’ll find whoever did this.”
Reaching Martinez’s vehicle, she jumped into the passenger seat and closed the car door. Martinez gave her a scolding look.
“Damian Burk. They worked together at Creative Industries.” She smiled being quite proud of herself.
His facial expression failed to change.
“What?” she asked befuddled by his irritation. “You’re welcome.”
The sun dimly shone through the second story windows of Brandon’s lakeside apartment as he sat alone on his sofa. His tie hung loosely, half way down his unbuttoned white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms and tucked in on one side of his black pants. He grabbed his rocks glass, taking the last sip of Johnnie Walker Black Label and chomping down on the ice cube, when there was a rap at the door. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and forced himself to get up and answer it.
Walking sluggishly into the foyer, he reached the door, unlocked the deadbolt, and slowly pulled it open. Sam stood on the other side with
a concerned look on her face. He looked at her and said nothing.
Her blue eyes peered up at him from under her black bangs. Shrugging her shoulders she said, “I thought you could use some company.” She lifted a brown bag in front of him and pulled out the bottle enough for him to see the black label. Opening the door a little more, he moved to the side to allow her entry.
She walked straight to the kitchen and set the bottle on the island. Brandon returned to his place on the sofa and she grabbed his glass to fill it for him. She opened a few cabinets before finding the rocks glasses and poured herself a drink as well before sitting next to him on the plush cushions.
Looking around for a moment she thought to herself how nice his place was. Large picture windows facing the lake, which allowed plenty of natural light to showcase the original brick; antiquated piping lined the corners of the walls and ceiling for a stylish, vintage feel against the new granite countertops and expensive tile and hard wood floors. After taking a sip of whiskey she asked, “So, how you holding up?”
Raising his glass he said, “Johnnie’s doin’ me right so far.”
Grabbing her hair, she pulled it over her left shoulder. “I wanted to check on you but I also wanted to fill you in on what’s going to appear in tomorrows run.”
Rubbing the stress from his neck he said, “Please tell me he didn’t...”
She set her glass down on the coffee table and placed her hands on his forearm. “Brandon, trust me. It’s best if we get ahead of this. Jim did the right thing. He had me work the write up. Right now, you’re the grieving husband, not suspect number one. Of course, according to Silverton Police, her death is still under investigation and they are not willing to make a statement at this time. That only helps you.” She reached in her bag and pulled out a paper, setting it on the table in front of him. “I brought it with me in case you wanted to read it.”
He eyed the paper for a moment before picking it up and glancing over it. “That’s a nice write up, Sam. I appreciate it. But it doesn’t change the fact that they are looking at me for this. That damn cop showed up at the cemetery,” he said handing it back to her.
Flinging her hair behind her back she said, “Yeah, well, I took care of that.”
As his eyes welled with tears he took a hard breath in and slowly let it out. Sam put her drink down placing one hand on his knee and the other on his cheek, turning his face towards hers. “Hey – hey, hey… everything is gonna be alright, Brandon.”
As he placed his hand on hers and looked into her eyes, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. Stopping for a second to gauge the other’s emotion, they latched onto each other in a sexual frenzy. Brandon pushed her onto her back and ripped open his shirt before unbuckling his belt and pulling down his pants. Sam lifted her dress over her head and flung it onto the floor. Her panties and bra followed.
Kissing his chest, she removed his shirt and grabbed him from behind, aligning their bodies. Once he entered her, they became imprisoned in a web of passion.
Peggy was busy with a phone call when Elizabeth arrived, but she saw her pass by her door as she walked down the hallway. As soon as she hung up the phone she scurried to Elizabeth’s office. No sooner had she sat in her chair, Peggy was standing in the doorway. “I need to see you in my office,” she said sternly before quickly disappearing.
Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth pushed herself out of her chair and walked towards Peggy’s office, passing China along the way. China gave her a look of indignation and Elizabeth took a deep breath before entering the dragon’s lair. “Yes -”
“Shut the door and sit down.”
Her eyes grew wide at Peggy’s crudeness. “O-kay...”
As Elizabeth sat in one of the chairs across the desk, Peggy remained standing with both hands on her desktop. “I just got off the phone with Chief Holden.” She cocked her head a little. “Would you like to tell me why you thought it was a good idea to show up at Pam DeFranco’s funeral with Detective Martinez?”
Oh shit. Unsure of how to respond, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “I really didn’t think it was a good or bad idea to be honest.”
“Bad idea. It was a bad idea, Liz.”
She remained calm. “It’s Elizabeth.” You are far from having earned that right, lady.
Biting her bottom lip and then releasing it, she took a deep breath and continued as she looked down her nose, “Eliza-beth, you are seriously out of line here. How dare you show up to the funeral of a victim! Do you know how bad that makes this office look?”
“I paid my respects to a woman I was trying to help, Peggy.”
The color in her cheeks became a rose color. “Chief Holden received a complaint that Detective Martinez was ‘staking out the funeral’ with a blonde woman from the prosecutor’s office. They found it offensive and intrusive and frankly, I couldn’t agree more. There is a fine line, Elizabeth.”
“Well frankly, Peggy, I find it somewhat suspect that someone even noticed that we were there. First of all, we were parked inconspicuously, far enough away that the average person in mourning wouldn’t notice. And if they did, maybe it’s because they had a guilty conscious.”
“That is not for you or I to decide. You are not a detective, Elizabeth. Maybe we need to go over your job description? Or maybe you would feel more comfortable working for SPD rather than this office?” Her nostrils flared.
Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth felt defeated. She shook her head to the side and said, “Okay, I apologize, Peggy. At the time Martinez asked me I didn’t see the harm. He was able to obtain a new suspect in the case with my help and, like I said, I paid my respects.” She stood up to leave and added, “I should emphasize the fact that whoever made the call to Chief Holden, should be made aware to Martinez because I am sure the family of the victim would never have been concerned, least of all noticed.” She grabbed the handle to the door and asked, “Can I get back to my work, please?”
Peering down her nose and frustrated with Elizabeth’s lack of remorse and respect for authority, she waved her hand demanding Elizabeth’s exit. “I’ll be speaking with Marilyn about this.”
Not responding, Elizabeth walked out the door and down the hall to her office. Whatever Peggy. Cheese and rice! She took a beeline to China’s office, who was diligently working at her computer, and flung herself into the chair in the corner. She sighed deeply.
Jumping at the distraction, China laughed at herself and said, “Damn Liz! Give a girl a little warning next time, will ya?”
Brushing a few hairs out of her face she apologized. Then she took her voice down a few decibels. “You know, Peggy Cabot is the worst thing that has happened to this office since we’ve been here. What was it, two, three years we haven’t had or needed a supervisor?”
China turned in her chair to give her full attention. “Two. It’s been two years, honey.”
“It’s not that I’m completely opposed to having a supervisor per se, but what the hell? This is what we get stuck with? I swear, China, if she looks at me down her nose one more time – Oh my God, I can’t even stand her nasally, pretentious voice! Like she is so much better than us. She has a BA. I have a frigin’ law degree for crying out loud.”
“Don’t feel bad. She made a comment about my clothes today.” She pursed her lips together and batted her eyes.
She eyed China up and down. She had on an off-white button-down shirt, a black pencil skirt hanging just a few inches above the knee, and a pair of black high heel open-toed shoes that wrapped around her ankles. Stunned, she asked, “What about your clothes?”
“Well, let’s see, my skirt is too short, my top is too revealing, and I need to look a little more professional.”
“Oh, come on? What the...”
Waving her French manicured nails in front of her she flung her bangs off her brows and said, “I kid you not. She literally asked me to button my shirt up further. As if it’s my fault she has no cleavage. I have been working
here how long? No one has ever made a comment about the way I dress. Hell, at least she kinda has a reason to be on you but I haven’t done anything to warrant her riding my ass. Jealous bitch.”
A little offended, Elizabeth replied, “I haven’t really done anything, either.”
“You know what I mean. I got one word for you, Liz. Cankles. And now we can add superiority complex to the mix. Per-fect combination.” She frowned.
“I guess we should get something done before she comes down here and yells at us both.”
China scrunched her eyebrows together and curled her lips. “Screw her. Peggy obviously has issues. She’s pissed off because you’re smarter than her and she hates the fact that I am ten times more attractive. I really wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
“Yeah, but still.”
“Come on, Liz.” Her shaped brow was high and rounded. Matter-of-factly she reminded her, “Doctor’s wife.” Changing the subject she asked, “So how was lunch with your Latin Lover anyway?”
“Okay I guess. Pam’s boyfriend showed up after the family left just like Angel anticipated. I was able to get his name so he could run a background check on him.”
Her face filled with excitement. “Success! You guys should open up your own PI business.” It was like she had an epiphany. “Oh my God, Liz, that’s it! Angel can be the detective, you be the lawyer, and I’ll take care of the office. Win, win, win!”
“Really, China? That’s crazy.”
“Uh, not crazy, entrepreneurial. One of these days you’re going to totally love one of my ideas and we’re both going to leave all the Peggy Cabots in the world behind forever.”
Elizabeth stood to leave. “Well, for right now, we should both get back to work before Jabba the Hutt makes her way down the hall and catches us.”
