by Anna Burke
Her face was another story. The full spectrum of color was in bloom on her face, more red and purple than black and blue but dramatic, nevertheless. She touched her face, gently, especially around her left eye which was tender and swollen. A dark circle was settling in under her right eye too. She would skip the goggles while swimming, even though that would take a little off the effectiveness of her workout. She was going to make quite an impression on Paul at lunch tomorrow. With that thought she experienced her first anxious flip-flop of the day. She had a lot to do today if she was going to have much more to tell Paul by lunchtime tomorrow. Well, that wasn’t really true. She had plenty to tell him, just not much that was going to help Laura.
A second bout of fluttering fought to take hold as she thought about the problems she had discovered in the files on Roger’s laptop. None of the accounts were up to date. This year and last, Roger’s business financials had gone from bad to worse. Roger’s business had dwindled down to almost nothing. He was in a hole and a pretty big one.
Their personal finances were in pretty bad shape too. The mortgage payments hadn’t been made on the house in Cat City for a couple months. Roger had been juggling credit card, auto loan and household bills for the past year. He paid some one month and let others go, then made a stab at catching up here and there.
Jessica began to assemble a list of unhappy topics to discuss with Laura. There were likely to be more questions, though, after going through the remaining documents collected from Roger’s office. She’d put off the “talk” until she had a more complete picture. Laura was sure Roger had a life insurance policy that would help cover expenses, including funeral arrangements. That would be a blessing, now that Laura would have to get by solely on her income as a nurse.
“Please, Roger, don’t let me find out you let the life insurance premiums lapse,” Jessica whispered as she slipped on her robe and sandals. Grabbing a towel, she left her room and nearly floated to the kitchen on the aroma of freshly brewing coffee.
Bernadette was hovering over a French press of steeping coffee wearing her robe of many colors. She had three hefty mugs sitting nearby. Jessica was giddy with anticipation.
“What is it, Bernadette? It smells absolutely wonderful.”
“It’s that mocha tsunami—sanini—you know what you get from Peet’s in the mail.” She plunged the French press on the pot of coffee and poured two cups, putting milk in her own and sliding the piping hot dark brew in the other cup toward Jessica.
“Arabian mocha sanani, Bernadette. It’s the bean that grows on little bushes in Yemen.” Jessica sipped the dark rich coffee, savoring the intense flavor. She would have preferred to drink it black, but added milk to tame the steaming brew and cool it quickly so she could get on with her swim.
“Sanini, sanani—whatever. It does taste good, though. You want me to fix you some breakfast? I’m going to have some scrambled eggs with cheese and veggies and can fix enough for two. Should I make some for Laura?”
“Sounds yummy but I’ve got to swim first,” Jessica replied, continuing to sip her coffee. “Go ahead and eat. It’ll take me a half hour or more to do my laps and then I’ll have to shower. You’ll be starved by then. Have you heard anything out of Laura yet?”
“Not a peep, chica. I think that might be good. She needs to rest with all that she’s been through. And it’s not over yet.”
“You’re right about that Bernadette. Let me worry about Laura and me. If I don’t hear from her by 10 or so I’ll go make a nuisance of myself. I’ll bang on the door just to be sure she’s not too depressed to get out of bed. I’ll fix something for breakfast. After that you can take over and help her with what she needs to do in order to get the funeral arrangements underway. I’ve got my own list of things to do, starting with a visit to the Cathedral City police department, hurray. I hope Detective Hernandez is in a better mood.”
It was unfortunate that their first meeting had been marked by such aggravation. A crime scene probably isn’t the best place to make a new acquaintance. Jessica had anticipated clearing the air regarding Laura’s mistaken account of her whereabouts Friday night with more aplomb and without drawing any more unflattering attention to her friend than necessary. Of course, if a troubled marriage was a motive for murder, there were dead-men-walking around everywhere. One in particular came to mind.
“You sure you’re okay doing extra duty today, Bernadette?”
“Okay with me, Jessica. I’ll be glad to do what I can to help the poor girl. Aye, que Dios mio, there’s just too much trouble sometimes.” Bernadette said, already pulling items from the fridge to make breakfast.
Jessica finished her coffee, poured a large glass of ice water and made her way out to the pool. Despite the beating her body had taken from her ill-fated wrestling match the day before, her workout went smoothly. By the time she was done with her laps she had a pretty good idea about how to make the most of the day ahead.
As soon as she was done with her workout she showered and dressed. There was little reason to put much effort into her hair or makeup given that she looked like she was in recovery from a rhinoplasty. She slipped on a pair of the Tahari pants she had bought and paired them with one of the Armani knit shirts. She added ballet flats unearthed from the debris in her closet.
She spent the next twenty minutes or so organizing the closet from hell. Jessica was only mildly surprised by how much she was able to do in that amount of time. Wasn’t that often the case, though? Tasks that loomed so large in your mind became more manageable when you actually dug in and tackled them. Cleaning the closet was, in part, a way of avoiding what she had to do next. She needed to take another stab at going through the materials from Roger’s office.
In another hour Jessica had sorted through most of the items she had taken from Roger and Laura’s home in a sort of triage fashion. That included documents that were easy to figure out, obviously relevant and needing attention right away. Next were those that were easy to figure out but not important or that required no attention. Finally she was left with a stack of items enshrouded in various degrees of mystery about their meaning or relevance.
Most of the items in the latter category were related to Roger’s business as far as Jessica could tell. Laura might be able to clear up some of the mystery regarding such items, but Roger was either sloppy or intentionally vague about matters related to his business. From what Laura said he was increasingly upset and demoralized over the past few months. Maybe he had just given up trying to keep track.
At least Jessica had some good news for Laura. The premiums on Roger’s life insurance policy were, indeed, up-to-date. A hard copy of the policy itself was in a file, clearly labeled “insurance policies.” The homeowner’s policy was in there too. Thankfully, it was paid up, too. Laura needed help cleaning up the disaster left in the wake of two crimes committed there in less than a week and that policy gave her the resources to do it.
It was nearly 10:00 and Jessica’s stomach was growling. She needed more coffee and food. Now that she had some good news for Laura she hoped that would make the bad news about their financial situation more palatable. Jessica scooped up the pile of insurance papers and began to organize them so she could put them back into the folder for Laura. She had only taken a passing glance at the auto insurance policy and was about to put it away when she noticed a couple pages in the pile that were askew. Jessica’s heart skipped a little beat when she realized that what she had in her hand was an add-on to Roger’s basic life insurance policy. It was an Accidental Death & Dismemberment policy rider, doubling the payout in the event of Roger’s death from an accident.
AD&D policies were notorious thanks to Body Heat, the film that had rocketed Kathleen Turner to stardom. That movie was a remake of one of Jessica’s favorite noir classics called Double Indemnity. Barbara Stanwyck, the conniving wife, and Fred MacMurray, insurance salesmen turned co-conspirator, plot to make murder look like an accident. No wonder wives were so often suspects
when husbands turned up dead. Crime stats bore out the fact that it was worth taking a careful look at those closest to the murdered victim. You’re far more likely to be killed by the one you love than by a stranger even though “stranger danger” runs rampant in news and prime time crime shows.
AD&D riders were always a little tricky. Not all insurance companies included murder as an accidental death but if it was, the payout on Roger’s death benefit would double, in this case from $250,000 to $500,000. That amount could make a huge difference for Laura, eventually. The insurance company would do a thorough investigation into the cause of death and the circumstances surrounding Roger’s death. Life insurance companies had been taken to task in California and elsewhere for delaying or withholding payment of death benefits, even without the added wrinkle of a double indemnity clause. Of course they would not have to pay out if Laura was implicated in Roger’s murder in any way.
Jessica pored over the policy. She examined every word and read the fine print. According to the policy, accidental death included: “death resulting directly and solely by external, violent and accidental means, without warning or anticipation.” The policy went on to exclude death by violence or trauma related to acts of war or terror, drug use, suicide or willful negligence. Murder was not on the list of exclusions. The rider, signed by Roger Stone, had been in place for well over a year.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Roger was either prescient, or had a more tangible reason to believe he might meet with an untimely accident. Jessica was obviously still spooked by the events of the previous day. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Roger knew he was in trouble.
CHAPTER 15
Jessica placed all the insurance papers neatly into the file folder and tucked them under her arm. She made the short trek down the hall to Laura’s suite and knocked lightly on the door. After waiting a moment she called out.
“Laura it’s Jessica. Are you up? Can I come in?”
She heard no response and was about to knock again when the chatter of voices from outside caught her attention. Someone opened and then shut the sliding door, creating a crescendo and then decrescendo of sound.
“I’ll see what’s up with Jessica. Then I’ll be back with a pitcher of orange juice.”
It was Bernadette. Apparently all the action was taking place outdoors.
“I hear you, Bernadette,” Jessica cried out. “I’m on my way.” Jessica walked into the kitchen as Bernadette was bustling around, bending over in a cupboard and pulling out a large mixing bowl.
“I stopped to fetch Laura but it sounds like she’s already up and about.”
“Yes, she’s talking to Brien after having a swim. That new suit you bought her is gorgeous. And it’s a good thing you got that cover up for her so Brien could put his eyes back into his head. I can make you all some breakfast now if you’re hungry. Brien was hinting about French toast. Like I don’t know what he’s up to. ‘Oh Laura you gotta try some of Mrs. B’s French toast while you’re here. It’s righteous, the best ever...blah, blah.’ So much smoke blowing I was about to get an asthma attack and I don’t even have asthma.” Bernadette tried to sound put out but she was lapping up the praise.
“Well you’ve got to admit he’s right. Your French toast is to die for! Are you game to fix it if I pitch in?”
Jessica was eager to help. She hoped to wangle the secret recipe from her. Over the years she had figured out a lot of the ingredients and had tried out several renditions on Jim. They both agreed. Close, but no cigar! Of course she didn’t fool Bernadette one bit.
“I can do it. You need to go keep Laura company so she doesn’t have to listen to Brien go on and on about so-and-so’s heinous surfin’ or about how turburler the waves are. She’s a good sport, but no match for his mouth this morning given all she’s been through. You can take the pitcher of orange juice from the fridge out there. Get some glasses for everyone if you want to help.”
“Tubular, Bernadette, the waves are tubular,” Jessica corrected, assembling a tray with the orange juice and glasses.
“That’s what I said, turburler. That boy doesn’t use good English. Half the time he makes no sense. You go sit with Laura and make sure he cleans the pool. Even though he’s ‘muscle’ now as he told Laura, he’s still got to keep the pool clean or he’s outta here. I haven’t forgotten about finding him in your room the other day. He better not get too big for his pantalones cortos.”
Jessica knew full well the discussion was over. “I do have some things I need to talk over with Laura, sooner rather than later. I’ll go play pool boy supervisor and get him back to work. My mouth is watering just thinking about your French toast and butter and maple syrup and fresh berries...” Jessica’s stomach growled all the way to the back door and out onto the patio.
Brien was perched on the end of one of the lounge chairs, pool scrubber in hand. He flipped his hair out of his face as he spoke animatedly to Laura. Laura looked about as good as a newly widowed young woman could, two days after finding her husband murdered in her own home. Oversized Bulgari sunglasses hid the red rims and dark circles that went with her grief. The deep red Colleto cover up did not hide the fact that the matching swimsuit fit perfectly! Laura sat quietly with her hands folded in front of her.
She seemed attentive to Brien stretched out on a chaise next to him. Her head moved just a little too slowly though. The movement was almost robot-like when she turned at Jessica’s approach. Was she on some sort of medication? Maybe they had sent it home with her when they released her from the ER. Maybe too much tragedy in too short a time. Or maybe Laura had slipped into some sort of stupor from listening to Brien talk a blue streak. A few minutes of conversation with Brien went a long way.
“Hey, Jessica, how are... Wow you look even worse than you did yesterday,” Brien said, sitting back and almost spilling to the ground. Her appearance literally knocked him off balance, apparently.
“Sorry, Brien. I guess my sunglasses aren’t hiding the damage very well. I’ll go back and put on some makeup before leaving the house.” He said nothing, but continued to stare. That gave her the pause she needed to rescue Laura.
“Laura, are you up for doing a little business while Bernadette gets breakfast ready for us?” Jessica asked, taking the seat on the chaise next to Laura. Laura nodded somberly.
“Brien can you give us a little privacy?” Jessica asked.
“Uh, sure Jessica, I guess so. I gotta go put my equipment away. I have another job down the street but I, uh, I thought I’d just sort of hang out for a while and make sure no suspicious characters show up.”
“Sure Brien, but you can do that from your truck for a few minutes so Laura and I can talk?” Brien nodded but hesitated as he gathered his pool cleaning gear.
“I’ll be right out front if you need me, or if Mrs. B is looking for me or anything like that. I mean she was talking to me about breakfast and all. I don’t want to be rude by leaving without saying goodbye.” Jessica was not puzzled one bit by Brien’s sudden surge of concern for etiquette.
“Etiquette, my ass,” Jessica thought. “Brien I’ll make sure Bernadette knows where you are if she asks. Even if she doesn’t ask I’ll come get you when the French toast is ready. She’s fixing enough for you too and it would be rude to leave her with all that extra food on her hands.”
Brien’s entire demeanor changed. “You got that right, Jessica. Totally great meeting you Laura and I’m sorry about all the bogus stuff going on in your life. It’s not right.” He was about to say more but Jessica folded her arms, then looked at him over the top of her sunglasses.
“Take this with you, Brien.” Jessica handed him a glass of orange juice.
“S’ later.” Brien said, shifting his pool cleaning paraphernalia around so he could take the juice. In a split second it was gone. Handing the empty glass back to Jessica, he was gone in a flash too.
Laura seemed visibly relieved. She let out a little sound. It was somewhere bet
ween a sigh and a breath of relief.
“That boy can talk. I hope I didn’t offend him, Jessica. I could not keep up.”
Jessica sat up on the edge of her chaise and poured two glasses of orange juice. She handed one to Laura and took the other for herself, wiggling back into position on the chaise next to Laura.
“I doubt he noticed. He means well, I think, but his judgment is off at times. Something’s going on in the frontal lobe. Maybe one too many wipeouts. You know, head first off the end of his board? I’m sorry he was here so early this morning. You could have used a little quiet time to just float around in the pool without hearing about the most excellent adventures of a surfer boy stranded in the desert!”
“It’s okay Jessica. I couldn’t sleep once the sun came up so I got in an early swim. After that I went back inside for a while. I was going to shower and put on one of the new outfits you bought me but I thought I’d get coffee first. That’s when I ran into Brien and Bernadette.” She and Jessica both sipped their juice quietly for a moment.
“I guess we just missed each other because I was out here earlier for a swim too. Fortunately before our surfer friend showed up. If he gets too much for you let me know and I’ll get him to cool his heels somewhere else.”
“No problem, Jessica. It’s reassuring that you’re all looking out for me, but it’s also a little overwhelming. I’ve never been in a situation like this where everything is so out of control and I’m dependent on others. I’m the nurse. I’m the one who gives help not the one who gets it, you know?” She stared down into the glass of orange juice as if there was something in there to see.
“Yeah I know exactly what you mean, Laura. I didn’t expect to wind up here in Mission Hills at this point in my life any more than you did. We’ll just have to hang in there until we can figure out what to do about the situations we’re in. It is overwhelming to have your whole life turned upside down. We have no choice but to depend on each other until we can sort things out. Agreed?”
