Death of a Hot Chick

by Norma Huss

  Yes I had. I could see it in Gregory’s eyes. A “wow” accompanied by a “my god what will she do next?”

  “Do you have a washing machine I can use?” I asked.

  ~ ~

  After I told the full story, Gregory rubbed a spot on my forehead. “You need a shower,” he said. “So do I. Does that suggest anything to you?”

  “No.”

  He grinned. “Jumping to conclusions, aren’t we? I really wanted to ask if you wanted the first shower. But I’ll take one while you start the washer.”

  Did I believe that? No way. “Sure. Go ahead.”

  Gregory had a top of the line washing machine, the kind that does a super job, with a window in front so you could see how little water it needs. I pulled the chair over and watched as the water started running in. Almost immediately, the basket inside started turning. The clothes climbed up one side, then flopped down as the top circled over. It was a series of falls. My clothes didn’t fill up the washer. Even the water didn’t fill up the washer. After a bit, the revolving stopped, the water ran out, then more ran in and the basket began turning again. I stared as if hypnotized.

  Okay, I would get several thousand dollars. I didn’t know how much, but way more than I had already. I’d just finished the classes and learned everything I already knew. I’d take the test. I’d have my license, money, and.... A ghost demanding answers.

  I talked to her, like she was living inside my body. Thoughts really. Thoughts that went unanswered.

  “Nicole, I didn’t find your killer. I don’t know what to do next.”

  Would she always be with me, haunting me forever?

  “Nicole, perhaps you need to go where ghosts go.” But, how could I tell her to go away? Where would she go? Would she know? Could I ask her?

  Probably not. She was remarkably uninformed. Just knew that she was dead. That was something. Did ghosts always know they were dead? What if she’d insisted she was still alive and made me take care of her boat, and who knows what else?

  “Your turn,” Gregory said. He knelt on one knee, so his head met mine, with the clean, soapy, shampoo aroma enveloping me.

  “Um, you smell nice.”

  “You smell like the bay, which is always a nice smell to me.” He brushed his nose in my hair. “Damp, and mud, and salt, and a hint of crab shell.”

  I turned my face to tell him how silly he was, and he kissed me. Tenderly. I didn’t want to, but I pulled back. “This has got to stop,” I whispered.

  “I know,” he whispered and kissed me again, then jumped up. “You’ll taste so much better after that shower.”

  Of course, that’s when the washer stopped. “Drier time.” Quickly I threw everything in the drier, started it, and headed for his shower.

  Which was completely masculine. Navy blue towels. Razor beside the toothbrush. The toilet seat up.

  I stood in the shower for a long time before I heard my cell phone ring. Had to be Kaye. I dried myself, wrapped up in clean towel and looked for a hair drier. None. I used Gregory’s comb. Sat and called Kaye.

  “Cyd,” she said before I got a word out. “He’s out of jail. He must be in town. Pop, I mean.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “How? Oh, no. He came to the boat, didn’t he? What happened? What’s he like? Is he scary? Are you okay?”

  “I’m not exactly sure.”

  “That you’re okay or that he’s scary?”

  Instead of answering, I said, “I tried to call you earlier. Where were you?”

  “I was at another meeting of the Joline Foundation to discuss the fifty thousand dollars Pop donated to the foundation. No one seems to connect it to Nicole’s boat. Was Pop actually buying her boat? If so, where does that leave you?”

  “First tell me,” I said. “Did you know Al was cheating on me?”

  “He.... Ah.... Al cheated on you? I guess he did, but....”

  So, she knew. “But you didn’t tell me, right?”

  “Now, I didn’t say I knew anything, did I? Where are you? At the boat? I’ll come by.”

  “No, I’m not. Pop bought it. I’ll get back to you later.” No way did I want to tell her I was taking a shower at Gregory’s house. And walking around in nothing but a towel. I sneaked into the laundry. Gregory wasn’t there, but my clothes were dry. I grabbed a handful and headed back into the bathroom. My color combination wasn’t very well thought out, but I did have the required undergarments, a pair of formerly red shorts and a washed-out yellow T.

  I padded bare-foot through the house until I found Gregory. He was taking care of business, sitting at a desk with a computer open, his phone to his ear, and saying, “Can you be at the dock by nine? They want to leave before ten.”

  The answer must have been affirmative, because he hung up and turned to his computer. But, he must have sensed my presence, because he turned. “Hey,” he said.

  I had to know. “Gregory, I want to ask you a question.” Suddenly I had his full attention. “Did you know Al was cheating on me?”

  “God, Cyd.”

  I bit my lip. He knew. He didn’t tell me. I felt my eyes water. Had everyone known?

  In a low voice, Gregory said, “If I’d known, he’d never have made it out of town alive.”

  Didn’t make sense, but I whispered, “Thank you.” He held his hand out to me. I didn’t take it. “I better go.”

  “Everybody lets you down. First me, getting blotto, then Al.” When I nodded, afraid to say a word lest I start a crying jag, he added, “Okay, sorry. Too soon,” stood back, and let me gather the rest of my clean clothes. “Sorry about before. Can I drop you off someplace?”

  “No. But, do you mind if I borrow this plastic bag?” He didn’t. I folded everything while he watched. I left. I didn’t turn to see, but I could feel his eyes on my back. I walked, head high down his long hall until I reached the corner. I’d known he’d be out of sight. I just didn’t know where I was going, or what I’d do when I got there.

  Nor did I know if anyone would ever find out who killed Nicole.

  Chapter 25

  I did have a destination for the evening. Lizzie had promised to take me in.

  Which Kaye knew. She waited for me at Smith Harbor Marina with questions. I had questions, but I wouldn’t mention Al’s name again. If she’d known he was cheating, she didn’t want to believe it, just like Teddy. She wanted to protect me. So I told her about Pop and his giving ways.

  “Two...hundred for each of you?”

  “And buying the boat, as is, for twenty thousand over the going price.”

  Kaye was momentarily silenced, which didn’t last long. By the time I had answered every question she asked at least twice, and explained, several times, that I knew absolutely no details of the sale, we were both sitting cross-legged on the dock. “So, Pop will pay me and even after I pay off Wes and the lawyer, I’ll have more money than I’ve ever had,” I finished.

  “But you’re still wondering about Slim’s connection to an ex-con. What could it possibly be?”

  I shrugged. “Who knows?” I didn’t want to admit the probable reason. Family was involved somehow.

  “This is all good news. We have no more worries about Pop,” Kaye said. “But we still have to worry about Lizzie and the killer. Mr. Joline will come tonight, you know.”

  “Don’t forget there are other suspects. Chester, and Finley’s choice, Brandon Bates.”

  “In any event, we must protect Lizzie. You’ll be with her tonight, but we could use the rest of our group. I’ve tried to round them up and I got nowhere. Teddy said it’s over. Finley didn’t answer. Have you heard from her?”

  “No. How about Doug Yarnell?”

  “He laughed.”

  “That’s it? He laughed?”

  “Oh, he listened, but he didn’t commit to helping. It’s up to you and me to save Lizzie and catch the killer.””

  “But he laughed?”

  “He might have characterized it as a chuckle.”<
br />
  That sounded like Doug. “Maybe all of them are right. Like Teddy says, it’s over. Chester is...just let me say, I wouldn’t sell him any life insurance.”

  “You really think his life is in danger?”

  I nodded. “And the other two are smart enough to figure it out. Our trap, I mean.”

  “Then why not stay with me instead of Lizzie?” When I didn’t answer. Kaye jumped right on it. “Aha! You don’t think the danger is over. You agree with me. You do believe the killer will come after Lizzie.”

  “Better safe than sorry,” I muttered, which reminded me of Granny and her adages. Which reminded me of something else. “Dad has a slip all saved for me. He wanted to cart me and my boat off yesterday.”

  “Was that what he wanted? After what happened, perhaps you should have done it.”

  “Hind sight,” I mumbled. Another of Granny’s favorites.

  “Of course. But eventually this will be over, one way or another.”

  “You sound so nonchalant. In other words, either Lizzie will be killed or she won’t. Either we’ll trap the killer or we won’t.”

  “Then you’ll move in with me,” Kaye said, ignoring me entirely, and taking up her favorite refrain ever since the police told me about the demise of Al and my little boat.

  “Kaye, forget it. I have other options. Don’t forget the money Pop will pay me for my boat.”

  “Until then, you don’t have a place to sleep. You’ll stay at my house. But first, maybe you can talk sense into Lizzie. I put up a cot for you so you can both stay with me. You do agree Lizzie is in almost as much danger tonight as she was last night.”

  “Possibly.” Did I really want to move in with Kaye? Even temporarily? Not really. But, I couldn’t just live on the boat proceeds indefinitely. I’d have to find another job, and some place to stay. I did have a promise of a job with Gregory. But when? I hadn’t asked. “I suppose you called the state police and struck out there too.”

  Kaye said, “Come on. Let’s talk to Lizzie.”

  Hadn’t Kaye called the state troopers? Or, she didn’t want to admit she’d been ignored there as well? Either way, no police would come. I followed Kaye as she headed for Lizzie’s boat Podunk.

  “Try to convince Lizzie that she’s in danger,” Kaye said. “You certainly would feel guilty if she’s killed tonight.”

  Kaye obviously was perfecting the guilt-trip-method our mother used so well. However, she did have a point.

  ~ ~

  “You told me the same thing yesterday,” Lizzie said. “No killers came to my boat, did they? So why should I believe you today?”

  I knew exactly how Lizzie felt, but I said, “I’d feel awful if the killer didn’t read the paper until today and he came here and killed you. It’s possible.”

  “Even if the killer read the newspaper, he may have seen us preparing to catch him last night,” Kaye said. “Think about it. You’d be all alone. No one would hear you scream. No one would be around to save you.”

  “You’re worried about me being alone?” Lizzie asked. “I won’t be alone. Cyd will be here. She sure can’t sleep on her boat.”

  Kaye finally admitted defeat. She said. “We’ll go out to dinner, my treat, and discuss our strategy.

  I heard, “...dinner, my treat,” and nodded.

  Lizzie heard the same thing, because she said, “Fine. I could eat a bear. But I’ve got money, you know. You don’t have to pay for me.”

  During our meal, Kaye got to the strategy part, with elaborate sneaking-around plans to give the appearance that Lizzie would be alone.

  “I have a much simpler idea,” I said. “Why don’t we just cruise by and be sure no one is in the area. You know, no cars with engines running. No killers lurking behind a piling. Then we can enter any way we like.”

  Kaye agreed to a compromise. She parked at the marina. She reminded me, twice, that she’d already programmed her cell number into my phone with a one-button access. “In emergencies time is at an essence,” she said. “Just push this button, and I’ll know you are in trouble.”

  “Still overkill,” I said.

  “Maybe, maybe not.”

  After a lot of useless sneaking back and forth, and senseless “Good-byes” in loud voices, Lizzie and I were both successfully inside her boat.

  Bedding was another unexpected controversy.

  “This is where I sleep,” Lizzie said, as she unfolded a cot in the salon near the hatch. We hadn’t seen that the night before.

  “You should be in the V-berth,” I said. “You’ll be out of the way of any killers coming in.”

  “Yeah, and out of any fresh air. You’ll find out. That’s a stuffy, lumpy place to sleep. Can’t get the windows open no how. Here, I just leave the back hatch door open, and this one window over here. Cross ventilation.”

  “How can I protect you from behind you?” I asked.

  “I got this broom. Anybody comes in here gets it in the kisser.”

  “Do you have to leave the door open?”

  Lizzie didn’t answer that one. She just pulled a sheet and a pillow out from somewhere, laid it out just so, said, “Good night,” and snuggled in.

  I discovered Lizzie had been right about the lumps, and the ventilation. She hadn’t mentioned the way the only light bulb in this part of the marina shone through the hatch. Eventually, I fell asleep.

  ~ ~

  Almost midnight

  Deep in sleep—it had to be a dream. No one was saying, “It’s time.” I pulled the pillow over my ear. Or was it a dream? I opened an eye. I saw Nicole. She glowed in an eerie light that seemed to ooze from inside the cabin. I sat up. There was no sound except the voice in my head.

  “Wake up, get up.”

  The light disappeared, and so did Nicole. I snuggled back into my pillow, but the voice continued. “He’s here.”

  “Go away, Nicole,” I murmured into the pillow.

  But the boat started rocking. Outside, the wind blew. Inside it swirled around me, with a whisper that seemed to say, “He’s here. He’s here.”

  “What?” I sat up.

  Lizzie screamed.

  I wasn’t dreaming.

  As the boat bucked and writhed, Lizzie screamed again and again. I jumped up, fumbled for my cell phone, pushed the button, then ran forward. Lizzie wasn’t in her cot. Her screams came from outside. I put a hand out to steady myself, but the boat wasn’t moving.

  Was this another of Nicole’s storms? A dream after all? Kaye would be so mad. But the screaming continued. Where was Lizzie? I couldn’t see. The single light bulb that shone last night was out.

  I heard a blare from the horn and saw the headlights illuminate the dark. Kaye was on shore, in her car. But where was Lizzie? Dimly, I saw a tangle of struggling, gasping bodies headed for the boat’s lifeline, then falling overboard.

  A single glub, a strangled, “Help,” came from the water and the screams stopped.

  The water roiled. I jumped on top of bodies, writhing beneath me. I felt a head of short hair. Not Lizzie’s. I grabbed a handful and yanked.

  Suddenly there were too many arms. “Lizzie,” I yelled. Then my head was underwater, with a hand, or something, forcing me down.

  Chapter 26

  I’d die? I knew it. I had to get away. I struggled, kicked, turned, kicked again and hit something soft. For a moment, the pressure left my head and I pushed away. But something grabbed at me again, pushed me to the bottom. I ducked down until I touched the mud below with my fingers. I doubled my feet underneath me, surged up, and knew there was no longer anyone in my way. With lungs about to burst, I kicked to the surface.

  As I gulped the air, I heard Kaye shriek, “Cyd, Cyd.” A beam of light flashed over my face.

  I took another breath before I answered. “Where’s Lizzie?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I dived down again. Too dark to see anything. I felt around, then pushed up for another breath of air. Down again. Up again. Down, and f
inally, I felt Lizzie. I tugged her up. “Kaye, help me.”

  But it wasn’t Kaye who reached down, grabbed Lizzie with one hand, yanked her up onto the finger pier, and flipped her over on her back. It was Gregory. “Call an ambulance,” he said, then put his hand on her throat, feeling for a heart beat. Then he laid his head on Lizzie’s chest, listening for a moment before he began rhythmic thrusts to the center of her chest.

  I found the ladder and climbed out of the water. I placed a hand on Gregory’s arm and asked. “What can I do?”

  “Check her breathing again.”

  I placed my hand near Lizzie’s face. Nothing. Then something. “A gasp, maybe two.”

  “No more?” he asked.

  “No.” He moved forward, pinched her nose, and placed his mouth over hers. I asked, “Can I help?”

  He breathed into her mouth, listened, then returned to her chest. “I’ve got it.”

  I knew my certification wasn’t up to date. But Gregory had to have taken the test recently. He couldn’t run his business without that.

  “Calling the police,” Kaye said into her cell phone.

  “Tell them the killer swam away.” The killer was wet, but Gregory’s sleeve was dry. It wasn’t him in the water. I’d had to check.

  My sister still held the phone to her ear, waited for an answer, but asked, “Did you see him? His face, I mean?”

  Slowly, I shook my head. I knelt down, then sat. I rubbed my arms and took gulps of air. I was exhausted. Kaye screeched into the phone—a jumble of words. The killer had been a glob of darkness in the water. I’d tangled with him, sensed his size. Taller? Stronger, definitely. The words whirling in my head became distinct. “You did it. You found my killer. Why didn’t I know?”

  “Nicole,” I whispered. “Is that you?” I heard no more. I was so wet, so tired. “Nicole,” I whispered again, but she was gone.

  Figured. She got what she wanted and she left. Did it ever occur to her that the living wanted to know who killed her? Needed to know. He was after Lizzie.

  “Doug will be here in a few minutes,” Kaye said. “Did you see who it was?”

  All I could do was shake my head.