The Diva Cooks up a Storm

by Krista Davis

  Wolf sat back and sipped his coffee. “We would have to take it on a case-by-case basis. If it’s a misdemeanor, we might be able to work something out. But if it were murder, for instance, then that would be entirely different. I’m sure you understand.”

  I didn’t like it, but I did understand.

  We walked over to the Habermans’ house. I unlocked the front door, flicked on lights, and led him upstairs to the master bedroom.

  Even with the overhead chandelier on, it wasn’t easy to see the earring. It took us a couple of minutes to find it.

  “It was just dumb luck that the sun was at an angle that reflected the earring yesterday.”

  “You’re sure this belongs to Madison?” asked Wolf.

  “Madison was wearing a pair just like that at the underground dinner. She said they were a gift from her husband. It’s true that someone else could have the same or similar earrings. I can’t quite reconcile finding the earring here with Parker murdering Hollis.”

  Wolf nodded. “I’ll follow up. Thanks, Sophie. You’ve been a big help.”

  After he left, I spent a few minutes watering flowers and making sure everything was in order before going home. Over my lunch of leftovers, I thought about Parker and how to get evidence on him. As I mused about his victims, it dawned on me that Kelsey may have been one. If Parker discovered that she was wanted for murder, he may have tried to blackmail her into bed, too.

  The problem was getting someone to testify against him. Very briefly, I considered making up a legal problem and paying him a visit. But he would wonder why I hadn’t gone to Alex. Hmm. I could invent something that I wouldn’t want Alex to know.

  But wouldn’t that be some kind of enticement? I wasn’t sure if it was legal. Parker was on the library board. Maybe I would see him in the evening.

  In the afternoon, I walked down to see Alex again.

  “Two visits in one day?” he asked.

  “I want to be sure I understand the technicalities of attorney privilege.”

  “Okay.”

  “If I came to you because someone was suing me, but I happened to have committed a crime several years before, would you have to turn me in?”

  “I’m under an obligation to keep your secrets.”

  “So then, let’s say I want to be a witness in a case against someone else. Could you help me clear up my previous crime?”

  “Depends on what it is.”

  “But you wouldn’t turn me in?”

  “Probably not.”

  “That’s not very helpful.”

  “I can’t help someone commit a crime, for instance.”

  “Okay. I’m going to send someone to you. Wolf seemed to think he might be able to cut her some slack.”

  “Thanks. What’s her name?”

  “Hmm, if she’s not your client and Wolf comes asking you questions, then you might have to reveal her name.”

  “Sophie, you’re driving me a little nuts here. Wolf can cut her some slack, but he doesn’t know who she is?”

  I grinned at him. “That pretty much sums it up. I’ll let her tell you everything, if she decides to trust you.”

  “Sophie, don’t forget there’s a statute of limitations on most crimes. Whatever she did may not be a problem anymore.”

  “Except for murder, right?”

  “She murdered someone?”

  I said no, but I was thinking that Kelsey had.

  I borrowed a sheet of paper from him and wrote a note to Fawn.

  We desperately need a witness against P. The police cannot move forward without one. They may be able to help you with your previous problem. Please contact attorney Alex German. I can vouch for him personally. He will look into your issue and may be able to help you resolve it. Don’t worry about the attorney’s fees. You would be helping other women if you could talk to the police.

  Sophie

  I folded it in fourths and tucked it into my purse. “Thanks, Alex. If she comes in, I’ll cover her legal fees.”

  His eyebrows raised. “That’s a problem. But since you really want me involved in this, I’ll see her pro bono, at least initially. If you don’t tell me her name, how will I know it’s her?”

  “Oh, you’ll know when you hear her story.”

  I walked around his desk and planted a big smooch on him. “Thanks, Alex.”

  As I walked out, he said, “Whatever possessed me to get involved with Old Town’s biggest snoop?”

  I waved to him on my way out of his office and headed straight to Fawn’s apartment.

  I let myself into the building and walked up the stairs. The neighbor’s door flew open. She stood in her doorway, her eyes suspicious slits. She held her chin raised and crossed her arms over a sagging bosom.

  I smiled at her and slid my message to Fawn under the door. “I’m glad Fawn has you to watch over her,” I said, and hurried down the stairs.

  I walked home leisurely, pausing to gaze in shop windows, but everywhere I looked, I thought of the murders. Would we ever know the connection between Parker and Angus? Or had Angus’s death been unrelated to Hollis’s?

  At six o’clock, Alex showed up at my house bearing a giant bag of Chinese takeout.

  He walked into the kitchen and set the bag on the table. “That was a fascinating client you sent my way.”

  “Oh? I thought you couldn’t talk about clients.”

  “She asked me to tell you that she’s in the clear. Her crime was a petit larceny, and the statute of limitations has already run. She’s been worried about it because that idiot Parker lied to her and misled her into believing that someone would take her kid away.”

  “So you can talk about Parker?” I brought dishes, napkins, and chopsticks to the table while he took boxes of goodies out of the bag.

  “I can promise you that Parker is toast.”

  “Iced tea or jasmine?” I asked.

  “Definitely iced. It’s too hot for anything else.”

  We sat down to eat. Alex wasn’t a super chatty type, but he talked like crazy. “I’m stunned. I had no idea. In fact, it never would have occurred to me to be so heinous. It shows a totally evil side of him that I don’t think any of us knew existed. He’s twisted!”

  “Trula is in for a big shock.” I picked up a piece of spicy Kung Pao chicken with my chopsticks. “I bet the police reopen Gage’s death. Don’t you suppose Gage was on to him first?”

  “Probably. Which proves that he’s getting more and more desperate. No wonder Fawn is afraid of him. She has seen his dark side.”

  “Should I call Wolf and put him in touch with you?”

  Alex grinned. “I already phoned him. He came to the office.”

  “So wheels are already in motion!”

  “Thanks to you.”

  “No, I think we’ll have to thank Fawn for being brave,” I said. “Without her, nothing would go forward.”

  After dinner, I changed into a simple navy-blue sheath style dress and added dangling pearl earrings. If I was going to help the library with an event, I probably ought to look the part.

  At eight thirty that night, I realized that the days were getting shorter. We had passed the summer solstice, and it was hard to believe that darkness would be falling a little earlier every day. I left the kitchen light and outdoor lights on, locked the doors, and set off with Alex.

  “Are you sure you want to walk over there alone?” he asked. “I don’t mind going with you.”

  “An escort? I don’t think that’s necessary. Parker doesn’t know that we’re on to him. It’s Fawn who needs to be careful.”

  He squeezed my hand. “Call me if you change your mind.” He turned off toward his home, and I headed for the library. I had walked about four blocks when I began to wonder if someone was following me. I made a point of walking on King Street, which buzzed with people and was well-lighted.

  I stopped a few times and pretended to study store windows, but I didn’t notice anyone suspicious on the busy street. I deci
ded I was being silly. Besides, I now knew that Madison or Parker had killed Hollis. All I had to do was keep an eye out for them. Nevertheless, I stuck to busy streets.

  It wasn’t until I neared the library that I was certain someone was tailing me.

  I dodged behind an open gate that was surrounded by a lush delicate cypress vine thick enough to hide behind. Pressing my back against a brick wall, I watched as someone scurried by. I was about to leave my hiding place when a second person rushed past me.

  Either I was losing my mind, or something very peculiar was going on. I leaned to the left just enough to watch as they continued. Maybe they weren’t following me at all. But now I was intrigued. What were they doing?

  I left my hiding place and darted from shadow to shadow as I followed them.

  The first figure appeared to stop and look back. I stopped, too, well away from the beam of the streetlight.

  The second person darted to the side and waited until the first one continued on his way.

  Trying to hide the light from my cell phone, I called Wolf’s cell phone.

  This time he answered. “Hi, Sophie. What’s up?”

  I whispered, “I’m on my way to a meeting. I thought I was being followed, but it turns out that someone is following someone else. It could be completely harmless, but I’m getting a little worried about them.”

  He took down our location and promised to send a squad car by.

  I had barely slipped my phone back into my purse when the first person appeared to turn right. The second person rushed forward. I picked up speed so I wouldn’t lose them.

  Although they were in a dark shadow, there was no mistaking that the first person reached out and dragged the second person off the sidewalk.

  Nor was there any mistaking the chilling scream that followed.

  Chapter 33

  Dear Natasha,

  I love the look of concrete planters. There’s something very permanent and classic about them. But my husband thinks plants won’t do well in them. What’s the scoop on concrete?

  Garden Lover in Concrete, Washington

  Dear Garden Lover,

  Concrete planters and urns do offer some benefits besides their looks. Their weight prevents them from blowing over easily, they last longer than a lot of other materials because they don’t rot or become brittle, and the thickness helps the soil maintain a more constant temperature.

  Natasha

  Iran forward, careful to slow as I neared the spot where I thought they were. I inched up and peered around the corner.

  They were in an alley. One of them appeared to stand behind the other, strangling him with something. The second one was grabbing at his own neck, desperately trying to survive.

  I looked around in a panic for something—anything—I could use to knock out the attacker. I spied a concrete urn overflowing with flowers just outside a gate. I tossed the plants and hoped I would be able to lift the heavy urn high enough.

  It turned out that adrenaline really does help a person do amazing things. In an angry frenzy, I swung that baby up over my head, rushed forward, and let gravity take care of the rest. The urn came down on the attacker’s head with a cracking sound so awful that I cringed. I hoped it was the concrete and not his head that made that sound.

  He instantly released his grip and crumpled to the ground.

  The other person fell, too, and lay there in a fetal position, hacking.

  I grabbed my cell phone, which started to ring. It was Wong. I held my purse by the strap, ready to sling my bag at the attacker if he so much as raised his head.

  “Wong!”

  “Where are you? I’m cruising the street, but I don’t see you.”

  I backed toward the sidewalk, never taking my eyes off the two people lying on the ground. The beam of car lights caught me, and the next thing I knew, Wong was standing next to me.

  She flicked on her flashlight and walked forward. I went with her.

  The beam lighted Madison Jenkins gasping for air with her hands on her neck. Not a foot away from her, Parker Dixon bled profusely from his head.

  Wong called for an ambulance.

  I knelt beside Madison. “Do you need help sitting up?”

  She gazed up at me and blinked. “Sophie?” she rasped.

  “Don’t try to talk yet. Just concentrate on breathing.”

  I held her in my arms until the ambulance arrived. One EMT tended to Parker and the other checked out Madison.

  When they asked what happened, I had to tell them the truth. “I hit him over the head with that.” I pointed at the urn.

  The EMT grimaced.

  “He was trying to strangle Madison.” I didn’t want him thinking I made a habit of running around slamming urns on people’s heads.

  It wasn’t until they were loaded into the ambulance that Wong’s flashlight picked up the flash of a bloody knife on the ground where Madison had lain.

  Wong looked over at me. “Does that belong to you?”

  “Never saw it before in my life.”

  She bagged it as evidence. “This should be a heck of a story.”

  Wong was still shining her flashlight along the alleyway when Wolf arrived.

  “There!” I shouted.

  Wong backed up. “What did you see?”

  “A chain.”

  The three of us studied the ground.

  “Right there.” I pointed at a golden chain that gleamed under the beam of the light.

  Wong picked it up with a gloved hand and held it in the air for us to see. The ends had fancy clasps on them.

  “I’d be willing to bet that chain belongs on a pricy purse that Trula can’t find.” I looked over at Wolf. “The weightlifting chains didn’t match the marks on Angus’s neck, did they?”

  “How did you know?” he asked.

  “I’d bet this chain will be a perfect match.”

  Wolf gazed at me. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I might be a little sore tomorrow, though. That urn was pretty heavy.”

  “Do you know why Parker was trying to strangle Madison?” asked Wolf.

  “If the chain matches, then Parker murdered Angus. But I have no idea why Parker was after Madison. Maybe she knew too much?”

  “I’d better get over to the hospital,” said Wolf. “Wong, can you give Sophie a lift home?”

  I waved them off. “If it’s not too late, I’m due at a meeting.”

  * * *

  The story about Parker exploded through the rumor mill in Old Town the next day. My phone started ringing at seven in the morning and didn’t stop. By eight thirty I turned the ringer off for some peace and quiet.

  Of course, that didn’t stop Nina, Mars, Bernie, and Francie from coming over and demanding confirmation.

  Over coffee, frittatas, and a luscious fruit salad of summer berries with cantaloupe, I told them everything I knew. Mostly they were shocked about Parker.

  “Maybe we should go over to console Trula,” suggested Nina.

  “Might be too soon,” said Francie. “At the moment she must feel sort of shell-shocked. Who would ever have thought that mousy man would be so sick and devious?”

  It wasn’t until Wolf dropped by that we got the full scoop about the murders.

  He sat down at the kitchen table with us and ate ravenously. “I’ve been up all night.” He looked over at me. “Parker has a cracked skull.”

  I gasped. “Oh no! That’s my fault.”

  “He was trying to kill Madison. No one is bringing charges against you. You were defending her,” said Wolf. “Besides, he’ll be all right. He’ll be in prison, but his skull will heal.”

  “In prison? So he murdered Hollis?” asked Nina.

  Wolf gulped coffee. “Madison killed Hollis. Gage had asked Madison how she would feel if he left the firm. She knew something was wrong but he wouldn’t tell her anything except that he was having a meeting with Hollis. She came to the conclusion that it was Hollis who was doing something wro
ng at the firm and that Hollis murdered Gage to keep his secret. Seems she told the police, but there wasn’t any evidence. She thought Hollis was getting away with murdering her husband. Madison had a key to the Haberman house from the days when they were close. After the underground dinner she walked over there. She was lurking in the alley when she saw Kelsey leave, followed by Gavin. She let herself into the house, saw the foggers that Kelsey bought and set them off in the master bedroom in revenge for Gage’s death.”

  “So she didn’t know about Parker and what he was doing at the firm?” asked Mars.

  “If we can believe her, she didn’t know a thing about it. Parker picked his victims very carefully. He has lawyered up and he’s not talking, but we think Gage found out what Parker was doing. Gage may have even confronted him and planned to tell Hollis. Angus made a very hefty deposit into his bank account the day after Gage died. If we follow the money, we’re pretty sure it will lead to Parker.”

  “Parker hired Angus to murder Gage?” asked Mars.

  Wolf took a deep breath. “That’s how it looks. And it appears that Parker was paying Angus to spy on Hollis. Apparently, Hollis learned about Parker’s unorthodox billing. We suspect that being a good guy, Hollis tried to give Parker a chance to give up his law license and retire. Before he stopped talking, Parker was highly amused by the fact that someone else murdered Hollis. He says he didn’t know who did it, though. I think Parker imagined he was home free, except for Angus who would surely have testified that Gage’s death was murder for hire.”

  “Then why was Parker following Madison last night?” I asked, sipping my morning tea.

  “Madison thought you were getting too close to the truth. She was afraid that you would expose her as Hollis’s murderer. Madison knew she’d lost her earring and was terrified that you would find it. Madison was following you last night, Sophie. That knife she was carrying was meant for you,” Wolf explained.

  I felt a little queasy. “I must have confused her when I ducked out of sight. But the knife was bloody . . .”