by Angela Henry
NINE
“You look awfully familiar and it’s certainly not from working here,” Harriet said, ignoring Cliff and turning back to me. “Now, I want to know who you are and what you’re doing here.”
The room had grown silent as everyone turned to look at me. Ticia was looking panicky as though her Rollins-induced trance had finally been broken and she’d suddenly realized I shouldn’t be there. I felt a firm hand on my elbow and a smelled a familiar whiff of cologne.
“I’ll take care of this, Harriet,” said Rollins smoothly. “No need for you to get yourself all worked up. I’m sure this young lady was just leaving,” he said, guiding me out of the nearby door and pulling it shut behind us. I jerked angrily out of his grasp.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed.
“Calm down, Kendra. You should be thanking me. This is the second time I saved you this evening. She was about to remember who you really are. Then what were you going to do?” he asked, walking ahead of me out of the funeral home. I silently followed him to his car. He was right, of course, though I was hoping he wasn’t going to make me cook him two dinners.
“I saw you talking to the Prestons and their son. Surely you had time to find out something useful.”
“Oh, I found out plenty, especially about your buddy, Harriet Randall.”
“Harriet? What about her?” I could tell I was amusing him. I briefly told him what Stephanie Preston had told me, hoping to wipe the smirk off his face, but he didn’t appear at all surprised.
“That’s ancient history, Kendra. What would that have to do with Vivianne’s murder?” “Maybe Harriet found out and killed her.”
“I know Harriet Randall a whole lot better than you do. I know she can be abrasive, but she’s no murderer. I knew her husband Elgin, too.”
“What do you know about Elgin Randall?” I asked, unable to contain my excitement. Rollins grinned widely and I knew I was in trouble.
Rollins wouldn’t tell me what he knew about Elgin Randall until I made him the dinner I owed him, which was now scheduled for tomorrow night. I’d barely made it through my front door when my phone rang. It was Donald Cabot, finally.
“He’s coming tonight,” Cabot said, foregoing any kind of greeting.
“Your buyer?” I cradled the phone against my shoulder as I sat down on my couch, kicked off my pumps and massaged my barking dogs.
“Who the hell else would I be calling you about?” he replied irritably.
“No need to get pissy. I just wanted to make sure,” I said, getting testy myself.
“Can you meet me at the shop at eight-thirty? He doesn’t have much time.”
“I’m on my way,” I said, hanging up. I quickly changed into a warm-up suit and my runners and headed out.
Downtown Springfield was pretty empty most of the time, but at night it really looked like a ghost town. I pulled into the parking lot of the marketplace and didn’t have to worry about finding a space. I parked next to Cabot’s beat- up white VW van. I didn’t see the green Honda that I’d seen Noelle and Kurt sucking face in and knew Kurt must not have arrived. I wondered if he’d bring Noelle with him and what they would say when they saw me. I walked up to the main entrance and tugged on the doors. They were locked. I walked around to the side entrance by the elevator and bakery. Thankfully, I found it unlocked and I walked inside. All the businesses were closed but it wasn’t completely dark. The stillness unnerved me, and I quickly walked over and buzzed for the elevator. I got out on the second floor. I could hear the faint strains of music coming from the shop as I walked down the narrow hallway. The door was ajar and I pushed it open, walked into the shop and stopped dead in my tracks.
The shop had been trashed. The display cases were smashed, their contents spilled out onto the floor. The posters had been torn off the walls, racks had been knocked over. I crept a little farther into the shop and saw a figure dressed in black, wearing a ski mask and clutching a hammer, leaning over Donald Cabot, who lay on the floor on his back. Cabot’s glasses were smashed and his eyes were wide open and vacant, staring at nothing. He was dead. I ran.
I raced down the narrow hallway, crashing into a ladder that was propped against the wall and falling flat on my face. I heard footsteps behind me as I half crawled, half ran for the elevator. I pressed the button and the doors slid open. I dived in.
I turned to see Mr. Ski Mask running down the hall after me, the hammer still clutched in his hand. The doors started to slide shut. He sped up and made it to the elevator and stuck the hammer between the doors before they closed all the way. I screamed.
He tried to wedge the doors open. I looked around frantically for some kind of weapon. He succeeded in prying the doors open wide enough for him to get through but I kicked him hard in the crotch. His eyes widened in shock and surprise and he let go, doubling over in pain. The elevator doors slid shut to the sound of his screams.
Once outside, I got in my car and tore out of the lot. I drove across the train tracks heading south and parked on a dark side street. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 911 to report what had happened. Afterwards, I laid my head back against my seat and took deep breaths to try and calm down. This had to be the same person I’d seen at Mama’s house the other night. I knew I wasn’t crazy. I hadn’t been sleepwalking. But what had he wanted and why had he killed Donald Cabot? Poor Donald Cabot. Did I get him killed? Was it Kurt in the ski mask? I was in too much shock to cry. I heard siren in the distance and started my car up to head back to the marketplace.
When I pulled into the parking lot at the marketplace, there was not only a police car but Kurt Preston’s rented green Honda. The police cruiser’s lights were flashing, lighting up the night and turning the brown brick exterior of the building a gaudy red. Kurt was standing by the Honda with a petite, curly-headed, female police officer and gesturing at the building. I parked next to his car and got out.
“I’m the one who called, officer,” I said as I approached them.
“Why the hell are you here?” Kurt asked, looking truly bewildered. He was still dressed in the same rumpled suit he’d had on at the memorial service. I explained what had happened, leaving out the part about Kurt selling his mother’s things, and the officer told us to stay put while she and her partner, a muscular brother built like a haystack, went to check it out.
“I guess it’s better to show up late than never, huh, Kurt?” I said, leaning against his car.
“Okay, I’m confused. Who are you and why were you meeting Cabot?”
“Think, Kurt. Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be meeting a buyer for some of your mother’s memorabilia?” I watched him closely and saw by the way his face went slack that he’d finally put it together.
“You? You’re the buyer Cabot was going on about?”
“Yep. See, I know you and Noelle sold off some of your mother’s things to Cabot the other day. He told me he had a private seller and I figured it had to be you.”
“So what! What goddamned business is it of yours what I do with my own mother’s shit? I could burn it all in a bonfire and it still wouldn’t be any of your business.”
“I’m Allegra Clayton’s sister. And the police seem to think she may have had something to do with Vivianne’s murder. She had absolutely no motive for killing Vivianne. But you sure do.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded throwing his hands in the air.
“Tell me, Kurt. Did you murder Vivianne so you could make a fortune when you found out the value of her memorabilia would increase after her death? Did you kill Cabot to cut out the middle man?” He looked as though he’d been punched.
“Are you insane!” he yelled. “I hated Vivianne, but I sure as hell didn’t kill her, and Cabot owed me more money, which I’m probably never going to get now. So, that blows that little theory out of the water. I oughta sue your ass for slander for even saying that shit.”
Ah, the lawsuit. Hollywood’s way of handling eve
rything. Kurt’s hands were balled into fists and he took a step forward as if he wanted to take a swing at me. One of the officers, the female, emerged from the building and rushed over to her cruiser. We listened as she got on her radio and called in a suspicious death of a white male at the marketplace and requested the coroner and evidence techs. Then she came over and joined me and Kurt.
“Looks like the poor guy surprised a burglar,” she said, eyeing me and Kurt closely.
“The man that chased me had a hammer. He must have just killed poor Mr. Cabot with it when I walked in,” I said, but the officer shook her head.
“Ma’am, I’m not sure who or what you saw, but the deceased didn’t have a mark on him that we could see. There was no blood, either. It’ll be up to the coroner to determine cause of death. In the meantime, I’ll need you both to stay and go over what you were doing here this evening when the homicide detective gets here.”
“Stay? Officer, I just got here less than five minutes ago. I didn’t even step foot inside the building before you guys showed up. And I didn’t see any man with a hammer, either. For all we know, she made that shit up because she’s the one who broke into the shop and hurt Mr. Cabot,” he said, sneering at me and making me wish I had a hammer myself.
“Me? Why would I call the police and then come back here if I was the one who did it?” I said, stabbing a finger in the direction of his chest while he stood there and smirked. The officer stepped between us.
“That’s enough,” she said. “Richards?” she called to her partner, who’d just emerged from the building. “You two stay right here and don’t move.” We watched her rejoin her partner at the cruiser. She whispered something to him and they both turned and looked at us. Great!
“Thanks a lot,” 1 said.
“It’s no fun being accused of shit you didn’t do, is it?” he asked, pulling out a pair of black sunglasses from inside his suit jacket that looked suspiciously like the ones his character Jabari wore on Ninja Dudes. Could he even see out of those things at night? I rolled my eyes.
“So, where’s Noelle this evening? I’m surprised you didn’t bring your little girlfriend with you.” “Sorry. I don’t know anyone named Noelle,” he said, his eyes hidden from me now. What were they hiding?
After talking to a Springfield homicide detective for almost two hours, it was nearly eleven when I got home. To my surprise, Allegra was asleep on the couch in her underwear, snoring lightly with one arm flung over her head and a long leg hanging off the side. I was tempted to wake her up and tell her what had happened. But I wasn’t up for it and tiptoed past her into my bedroom. I sure hoped she’d appreciate what I was trying to do for her when this crazy mess was over.
“As far as I know, there’s no crime in selling movie memorabilia, Miss Clayton. Nor does someone having scratches on their neck make them a murderer,” said Detective Trish Harmon. I’d come to the station to see her first thing that morning to tell her what I’d found out about Kurt Preston and Harriet Randall. Not that it made a bit of difference. As usual, Harmon couldn’t see the forest for the trees.“Then I guess Vivianne having had an affair with Harriet’s husband and her memorabilia increasing in value since her death and the fact that Kurt is desperate for money makes no never mind to you,” I said drily.
“You’ve told me nothing but gossip, Miss Clayton. Of the two people who can verify that Harriet Randall’s husband had an affair with Vivianne DeArmond, one is dead and the other one has been on the run from the law for over twenty years and could be dead, as well. As for Kurt Preston needing money,” she said with an irritated sigh, “he’s an unemployed actor, therefore it only stands to reason that he needs money.”
“You’re not even going to look into it?” I’d figured she wouldn’t believe me. Trying to get Trish Harmon to think outside the box is like trying to get Allegra to shop at K-Mart.
“Miss Clayton, I understand your concern for your sister, really I do. But I think your efforts would be better spent convincing your sister to cooperate fully with us during this investigation and come clean about what she may be holding back. Instead—” she tossed a copy of the Springfield News-Sun in front of me “—of playing detective.”
I looked at the paper with the front-page headline blaring, Shop Owner Found Dead in Shop. May Have Surprised Vandal. My name was mentioned in the article. I shoved the paper back across the desk at her and changed the subject.
“Allegra has been cooperating. Why would you think she’s holding something back?” I suddenly felt uneasy. Had something else come up?
“Your sister stated in a television news interview last night that Vivianne DeArmond told her she had exciting news to announce to her fans. In all the interviews we’ve done with your sister, she never once mentioned this to us. Now, if she’s held that back from us, I’m wondering what else she hasn’t told us. That is, if what she said on the news is even the truth.”
I got up to leave. Not because Harmon had pissed me off, but because I was beginning to wonder if she could be right. I knew my sister wasn’t a murderer, but could she be lying about something?
“I can see I’m wasting my time, Detective. The person who murdered Vivianne is still out there, probably thinking they’ve gotten away with murder, while you look for ways to pin this on my sister. I guess this is my tax dollars at work,” I said and stalked off.
I called Allegra on my cell when I got to my car, but she wasn’t answering her phone. Then I called Carl at work and was told he was in a meeting. As I drove to the store to pick up groceries for the dinner I had to cook for Rollins that night, I drove past the Holiday Inn and saw Kurt Preston heading to his car. Impulsively, I pulled in the lot, parked and called out to Kurt. He acted like he didn’t hear me and started walking faster.
“Hey, Kurt,” I said, catching up to him as he unlocked the driver’s-side door.
“What do you want?” I noticed he had his Ninja Dude sunglasses on again.
“I’ve been thinking. Do you think it’s possible that Noelle, you know, that woman you don’t know, could have gotten desperate for cash to pay off a gambling debt and killed Vivianne herself to increase the value of her memorabilia? I think the police might be interested in Noelle’s little problem, don’t you think?” Harmon had dismissed the memorabilia angle but Kurt didn’t know that. I expected him to try and hit me, but he sagged against the car instead.
“How do you know about... She’s no murderer. She’s got a serious problem but she’s never hurt anyone to get money.” He took off his sunglasses and wiped his eyes. He was crying.
“Where is Noelle, Kurt?”
“I don’t know. She got her hands on that money Cabot gave us the other day and I haven’t seen her since. I think she may be off gambling someplace.”
“I didn’t realize it had gotten so bad.”
“She was doing really good for a long time. But she’s been under a lot of pressure at work. That whole mess with Hollywood Vibe and Ross Abbott is the reason we can’t go public with our relationship. Ross Abbott is my best friend.”
“My sister told me people think Noelle had something to do with her predecessor getting fired.” Kurt shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot and looked off into the distance.
“She did have something to do with it, didn’t she?”
“No! Look, Noelle and I met in rehab. I fell in love with her. When we met she was just an assistant producer at Hollywood Vibe. I think she thought with my father being who he is that I could help her with her career. I’m just a has-been with a drug problem. My father and I don’t even like each other. One day when I was hanging at Ross’s crib, I got an idea of a way I could help Noelle get ahead at Hollywood Vibe. So we got one of Ross’s exes, who was sleeping with Hollywood Vibe’s executive producer, Bob McLean, to feed him that info about Ross being bald, short and not having any teeth. They took that story and ran with it. Then Ross sued and got a big settlement, Noelle’s boss was made a scapegoat and got fired, Noelle got her
boss’s job, and I got Noelle. Everyone made out like a bandit, but—” he said, shaking his head.
“But the job turned out to be more than she could handle, and she relapsed and started gambling again?”
“Noelle is super ambitious but that job of hers is really running her into the ground.”
“And you felt guilty about putting her in that position and sold Vivianne’s stuff to get money to help pay off Noelle’s debts.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t kill Vivianne. I’ve been taking stuff from her for years. When I was kid, my dad made me spend two weeks every summer with her. She never took me anywhere. We never did anything fun. She wouldn’t even give me any money to do stuff on my own. I started stealing stuff from her and selling it. Back then it wasn’t worth much except some pocket change. Now, her stuff’s worth a mint. Seems Vivi has built up quite the cult following over the years.”
“Stephanie was telling me about Vivianne having an affair with Harriet’s husband. Do you know if Harriet knew about it?”
“If she didn’t, she sure as hell knows now.” Kurt laughed.
“You told her?” I asked, trying hard to contain my excitement.
“Dad dragged me here for that recognition program in order to help him butter Vivianne up so she’d take that part in The Wiz. I went to her house to ask if she’d loan me some money. She told me no as usual and we got into an argument. Then Harriet jumps in it and starts calling me a horrible son and saying how I should have a job. I just snapped. I told her she shouldn’t be taking up for a woman who fucked her husband.”
“What did she say?”
“Vivianne just stood there with her mouth hanging open. Harriet called me a filthy liar and told me to get out and never come back. I left.”
I wondered what Harmon would say about that. I tried calling her but she was out, of course.
I pulled into the grocery store parking lot and was about to get out of my car when someone pounded on my driver’s-side window. I almost wet my pants. It was Lynette’s mother, Justine, and she didn’t look happy.
