by Cindy Bell
“I’ll send Quinn the picture. Maybe he can find out more about her.” Nikki texted the picture that Sonia sent to her with all the other information she had, to Quinn. “I haven’t heard much from him. He must be fully involved in the case.”
“If Daniel sent flowers to Martha, it would kind of make sense that she was Malcolm’s mother. Maybe, once he discovered that Malcolm was telling the truth, he decided to reach out to her. But if her house is empty, and her friend hasn’t heard from her in some time, I wonder what happened to her?”
“I’m not sure, but something seems strange about it. If Daniel knew that Malcolm was his son, why wouldn’t Malcolm tell him about his mother? Why wouldn’t he have mentioned that she was no longer at that address? Unless she is just on vacation? But why wouldn’t Malcolm tell him?” Nikki shook her head. “It’s hard to piece this one together.”
“One secret leads to another.” Sonia rolled her eyes as she popped a blueberry in her mouth. “It always seems that way to me.”
As Nikki and Sonia shared their meal, Nikki considered the possibilities. Malcolm claimed that he was Daniel’s son, but they still hadn’t been able to prove that. She wondered if she might get more information if she happened to stop by the police station. She was sure that Quinn would appreciate a cup of coffee, and she always enjoyed seeing him.
“Are you doing okay, Nikki?” Sonia gave her hand a light pat. “I know this has to be weighing on your mind.”
“It’s nothing that a good walk with the dogs can’t help.” Nikki flashed her a smile. “I’ll be over to walk Princess with you after my rounds today.”
“Great. I’m sure I’ll be ready for a walk by then.” Sonia patted her stomach. “Especially after this breakfast.”
“Thank you for breakfast. I’m glad you suggested it. Sometimes I get so caught up in things I forget how nice it is to sit down and enjoy a meal with a friend.” Nikki finished her last spoon of yogurt. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
“We’ll be here.” Sonia nodded, then looked up as Nikki stood up. “Be careful. I don’t want you going off investigating too much on your own.”
“Would I do that?” Nikki grinned. “I’ll let you know an update as soon as I manage to track down Quinn.”
“Perfect.”
Nikki gave Princess a cuddle on the way out. She left Sonia’s with her mind still focused on Malcolm. It seemed to her that he was the biggest change that had happened in Daniel’s life. It made sense to her that he would have something to do with Daniel’s murder. It crossed her mind that maybe, just maybe, Martha had something to do with his murder. Maybe that was why Malcolm didn’t mention who she was. Maybe she harbored resentment towards Daniel, and when Malcolm reached out to him, she couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer.
“It’s possible,” Nikki muttered to herself as she walked in the direction of the police station. “But where would Martha have gone?”
Chapter 17
Nikki stopped by Gina’s to pick up two coffees, then headed to the police station. She pulled open the door to the station and stepped inside. It was quiet, but with tension in the air, as if everything could erupt at any given moment. She nodded to the officer behind the desk, then continued towards Quinn’s office.
The officer nodded back and did nothing to stop her. Most of the officers knew her by now, not all, but most. She hoped that she wasn’t pushing too hard by just showing up, but she needed to try to find out what Quinn might have discovered. She knocked lightly on the open door of his office.
“Nikki?” Quinn smiled as he looked at her.
“I brought you coffee.” Nikki held up a cup.
“Aha, a coffee for an update.”
“Well, maybe.” Nikki nodded as she stepped farther into the office and closed the door behind her. “I figured you were pretty busy.”
“Thank you, it’s just what I needed.” Quinn took the coffee from her. “I keep meaning to text you and then I get pulled away by something.” He wiped his hand across his face. “Despite Malcolm not being willing to help, I was able to confirm that Malcolm’s mother, is Martha, the woman in the picture that you sent me, and she is also the owner of the house that Daniel sent flowers to. However, no one can confirm seeing her or speaking to her in the last few weeks. She was reported missing a couple of weeks ago. We managed to bring Malcolm in for questioning with his lawyer. He stuck to his story and has no alibi. It appears that Malcolm is Daniel’s son, though he was not listed on his birth certificate. He still hasn’t agreed to a DNA test, but from records we can access we can see that their blood types match and there are some other characteristics that make it seem very likely.” He stretched his arms above his head. “I’ve been stuck behind this desk all morning. I’d love to go for a walk with you. Are you due for your rounds?”
“I am, actually.” They headed out of the police station and Nikki offered him her arm.
“Nikki, I keep thinking about that day. I know you say you saw nothing, but are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Nikki sighed as she looked at him. “Quinn, don’t you think I want the murderer found?”
“I know you do.” Quinn wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I guess I’m just grasping at straws. Without a gun, without even a shell casing, it’s hard to narrow a suspect down.”
“What about the gunshot residue test you did that day on everyone?” Nikki frowned. “Did you find any residue?”
“Yes, just about every person there came back positive. Apparently, there was some kind of shooting competition right before the auction. A new shooting range had opened up at the country club.” Quinn rolled his eyes. “Talk about the perfect day to plan a murder.”
“Oh yes, I remember that now.” Nikki paused as she glanced over at him. “Do you think it was planned? I mean, do you think someone decided to do it that day for a reason?”
“I do. I think someone had to plan ahead in order to pull it off. I don’t know if things just worked out in the murderer’s favor, or the murderer knew quite a bit about how the day would unfold.” Quinn draped his arm around her shoulders. “At this point, Malcolm is a definite possibility, not just because of his lack of cooperation, but because he doesn’t have an alibi. He will not speak to anyone, except through his lawyer.”
“What about Martha?” Nikki raised an eyebrow. “I thought perhaps she had a motive to commit the crime, and she’s apparently impossible to find.”
“That is true. But as I said we haven’t been able to locate her.” Quinn shrugged. “She is still on my suspect list.”
“It feels impossible to get any proper leads with this case.”
“It takes patience sometimes. The goal is to solve the case as quickly as possible of course, but some just take more time. Especially in cases where the victim is well known and had many enemies.” Quinn scratched the back of his neck. “Which Daniel certainly had plenty of, unfortunately. He didn’t seem to mind who he double-crossed when it came to business deals.”
“Did you find out anything more about Sylvester?” Nikki stopped at Coco’s house to collect him. Once she had him on his leash, she returned to Quinn’s side.
“Hey buddy.” Quinn reached down to greet him. “There was definitely some bad blood between Daniel and Sylvester. According to Daniel’s phone records, Sylvester had called him over one hundred times in the week before his death. From the length of the phone calls I would guess that most Daniel didn’t answer.”
“So, he was pretty much harassing him, and Daniel was ignoring him?” Nikki frowned. “Sounds like motive to me.”
“It does, yes.” Quinn cleared his throat.
“Sylvester was there, I know he was, I saw his car in the parking lot.” Nikki hurried Coco along to pick up the next dog. Once Sassy was on her leash, she continued her conversation with Quinn. “Do you think he might have done it?”
“Well, he was there. But he has a pretty good alibi.” Quinn patted Sassy on the top of her head.
“Yes, apparently the manager of the country club prevented him from entering the banquet room, and then threatened to call the police. Geoff tipped him off to the man’s presence and warned him that Sylvester would cause a disruption in an attempt to get to Daniel. I thought maybe he still could have done it, but the manager claims to have watched Sylvester drive away, and the shooting occurred only minutes later.” He frowned. “It really seemed as if he had the best motive, especially since he has a criminal history.”
“It’s still possible, don’t you think? Maybe he doubled back?” Nikki collected Ben, a Beagle, from his house as she tried to figure out how Sylvester might still be guilty.
“It’s doubtful, but possible. I’ll still look into him, but I think I’m better off concentrating on other suspects at this point.” Quinn crouched down and patted Ben’s head. “Is this all of them?”
“Yes, I’ll walk Princess with Sonia later.” Nikki gathered the leashes tight in one hand. It often surprised people that Nikki could walk so many dogs at once, because she was very skinny.
“How is Mrs. Whitter holding up?” Quinn matched his pace to hers.
“She is doing okay, I think. She definitely wants to find out what happened to Daniel. It seems every time we think you’re getting close, there is a new suspect.” Nikki glanced over at him. “I don’t know how you do this every day.”
“Well, I’m not investigating a murder every day. But yes, it does get pretty exhausting, until that moment when you find that one piece of evidence that turns everything around. Then the excitement kicks back in.” Quinn grinned. “That makes it all worth it.”
“I hope you get to that point soon.” Nikki laughed as the dogs tugged her forward.
“Me too!” Quinn jogged after them.
Sonia’s patience began to wear thin as she continued to pace back and forth through the living room. Nikki had promised an update, and she couldn’t wait to hear it. She’d been checking through the front window frequently for her arrival. However, it was Princess who jumped up and ran to the door before Nikki could even knock.
Sonia followed right behind her dog and opened the door while Nikki’s hand hovered in the air.
“Nikki. Spill.”
“I’ll tell you all about it on our walk.” Nikki smiled at her as she grabbed Princess’ leash and clipped it onto her collar.
“Did you talk to Quinn?” Sonia stepped out through the door behind her.
“I did.” Nikki detailed her conversation with Quinn as they started off on their walk. “It’s a good thing you figured out who Martha was, it certainly cleared up some details of the case.”
“After taking the walk down memory lane to find out who Malcolm’s mother was, I realized that maybe that’s just what we need to do, too.” Sonia linked her arm through Nikki’s as they walked back towards the house. “Maybe we need to go back to the country club, to that banquet room, and see if something doesn’t shake loose from our memories.”
“That’s a great idea.” Nikki frowned. “The only problem is, I think it’s still a crime scene.”
“What about Quinn? Do you think he would let us in?” Sonia met Nikki’s eyes. “If he’s hitting brick walls, and we are too, maybe he’ll be willing to do anything to see if he can get somewhere on this case. After all, we were there when the crime took place.”
“Maybe, I’ll give him a call and find out.” Nikki pulled her phone out of her purse and walked towards a bench on the sidewalk.
Sonia hung back to give her some privacy. She watched as a couple strolled past, hand in hand. It wasn’t easy for her to imagine having someone permanently in her life, but sometimes there was a part of her that longed for it. She missed her husband.
“Sonia.” Nikki walked back towards her. “Quinn gave us the go ahead. He said the crime scene has already been processed and they are releasing it back to the country club tomorrow. There’s still an officer there who will allow us in.”
“Perfect.” Sonia smiled. “Do you want to head over now?”
“If it’s okay with you. Do you think Princess will be all right?” Nikki fell into step beside her as they turned up the driveway that led to Sonia’s house.
“I’m sure she will. She’s been having a great time with that remote that I fished out from under the ottoman for her.” Sonia laughed, and pushed the thoughts of her late husband from her mind.
“I’m glad she likes it.” Nikki slipped her arm through Sonia’s. “Are you doing okay? Are you sure that you want to go back to the country club?”
“I’ll have to eventually. You know I can’t miss too many parties.” Sonia squeezed the crook of Nikki’s elbow, with her arm. “I’ll be fine, especially if you are there with me.”
“I will be, every step of the way.” Nikki flashed her a smile, then led Princess inside.
Sonia started the car, while Nikki locked the door. Despite feeling on edge about Daniel’s murder, she felt some comfort in Nikki’s presence as they drove to the country club. It had been strange at first to find a kindred spirit in someone so much younger than her, but Nikki had become one of her best friends. At that moment, she couldn’t imagine not having her at her side.
Chapter 18
“It looks pretty quiet.” Sonia pulled into a spot near the entrance of the Corgi Country Club and parked. “The parking lot is practically empty.”
“A murder on the property can do some damage to your reputation.” Nikki frowned as she stepped out of the car. “I’m not sure how easily this place will recover from this.”
“It won’t be long before the golf tournaments and parties start again, trust me.” Sonia followed her to the front door. “One thing that the elite are good at, is sweeping things under the rug.”
“That may be true.” Nikki held the door open for Sonia. “Obviously, Malcolm was swept under the rug for his entire life.”
“That’s if Daniel even knew about him.” Sonia glanced at her. “We don’t know if he did or not.”
“You’re right. We don’t know for sure if Malcolm is telling the truth.” Nikki led the way to the banquet room. An officer stood near the door, his eyes glued to the phone in his hand. “Excuse me, Officer?” Nikki paused in front of him.
“Go ahead in, Quinn gave the okay.” He tipped his head towards the door. “There’s not much to see, though.”
“Thanks.” Nikki walked past him and into the banquet room with Sonia right behind her.
Sonia froze just inside the door. The room seemed to tilt, and then rock back and forth. She grabbed the wall to steady herself.
“Sonia, are you okay?” Nikki turned back to look at her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect coming back here to have such an impact on me. I just need a second.” Sonia straightened up. There was the podium, and the stage, and the chairs. Everything was exactly the same, aside from the absence of people.
“It’s okay, take your time.” Nikki gazed at her. “It’s overwhelming, I know.”
“I guess I didn’t think it would be exactly the same.” Sonia took a breath, then nodded. “I’m okay now, let’s do this.” She walked towards the stage. “I was right here, with Daniel at my side.”
“Yes.” Nikki nodded as Sonia took her position. “And I came in through the entrance with Spots.” She looked back at the doors that led into the banquet room. “I’m going to try walking through again and see if there’s anything that surfaces.”
“Okay, I’ll stay right here.” Sonia stared up at the podium. “The vase,” she murmured to herself. Not everything was the same. The vase that had held her attention was gone. Of course it was, it had to be processed as evidence. But its absence made it hard for her to find anything to focus on. She heard the door to the banquet room swing open, but she didn’t turn to look. She hadn’t heard the door that day, it had been too loud to notice it. She hadn’t known that Nikki was there.
Sonia heard Nikki’s footste
ps as she retraced her movement through the banquet room.
“I remember looking at you and Daniel on the stage before the vase came up for auction. I was going to come see you, but I got distracted.” Nikki sighed, then took a sharp breath. “I do remember something.” Nikki’s voice raised. “Princess.”
“What do you mean?” Sonia frowned as she glanced back at her. “I remember her, too. She was here with us.”
“I know. But I remember Princess going after something on the floor, a reflection, or a light of some kind.” Nikki spoke quickly, her voice wavered with excitement. “I thought it was so cute. I almost took a picture.”
“I wish you had.” Sonia smiled. “But what does that matter? Princess is always up to something.”
“It matters because maybe it wasn’t nothing. Maybe it had something to do with the killer.” Nikki stared at the floor. “Are you sure that was where you were standing, Sonia?”
“Yes.” Sonia looked back at the podium, then nodded. “Yes, this is it, or as close to it as I can remember.”
“And Princess was right next to you, right here.” Nikki walked up beside her and stared at the floor beside Sonia. “At the time I didn’t think much about it, but now.” She looked up at the ceiling, then over at the few high windows. “What could have made that reflection?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe one of the chandeliers?” Sonia pointed out the crystal chandeliers that spanned the room.
“No, I don’t think so. At least, not on its own. It was moving.” Nikki looked up again. “It had to come from a place quite high up. Over there.” Nikki pointed to the elevated seating at the rear of the banquet room.
“That’s used when there is a wedding or some kind of performance. But it wasn’t being used on the day of the auction.” Sonia gestured at the floor to ceiling windows that flanked the seating. “I think they had the curtains closed, so it shouldn’t have been light from those windows.”
