Sifting for Suspects

by Cindy Bell

  “Lucy, I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier.”

  “Don’t worry, Dad, I’m okay. I’m glad you’re here.” She hugged him and let her head linger on his chest for a moment. Despite the fact that she was in her thirties she felt dwarfed by her father’s embrace, and comforted by the sheer strength of his presence, as if she could be a child again, weeping over a scraped knee instead of a lost loved one.

  “It’s all going to be all right, sweetheart. With time, it will be.”

  “I know, it will get easier. But it would get easier a lot faster if I knew what really happened to Derek.”

  “It’s a terrible tragedy.” He pursed his lips beneath his bushy blonde mustache. “Have you considered who it might have been?”

  “Well, as far as I know there wasn’t a break-in so it was more than likely someone he knew. Someone he trusted enough to allow into his home.”

  “Well, that should make things easier. You know all of his friends, don’t you?”

  “I thought I knew Derek very well, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

  “Okay.” He rubbed his palms together. “Well then, who did? Who knew him the best?”

  “Maybe Lance, or Sharon, his good friends and colleagues.”

  “Then you need to talk to them.”

  “I’ve tried. Lance is avoiding me, and Sharon doesn’t like me very much. We had a bit of an argument.”

  “There’s your mistake. You need to flatter her, hit her in the heart, be as kind as you can be, and that’s what will get her talking. Someone in his life knows who killed him, even if they don’t realize it.”

  “What if no one does? What if it was just some random person?”

  “Well, if there was no break-in do you think Derek would have allowed himself to be vulnerable with some random person?”

  “I really don’t think so.”

  “Then trust your knowledge of him and go for the person closest to him first. In my experience if you want to get to know a man you get to know his friends first, they will reveal all you need to know.”

  “That’s great advice, Dad, thank you.” She hugged him again. “I’m going to do just that.”

  After visiting with her family for some time, Lucy said goodbye and headed back to the house. Once she was alone again she began to form a plan. If her father was right about Derek’s friends knowing the truth then she was going to find out. There was a lot of tension around Sharon, but she was the one person Lucy suspected Derek would confide in especially if he was on the outs with Lance. As she fell asleep that night she set aside her grief and focused only on the one thing she could still do for Derek, find his killer.

  Chapter 13

  First thing the next morning Lucy arrived at the gym, determined to speak to Sharon. When she walked through the doors she did her best to have a warm, approachable attitude. Sharon stood near the front desk as the gym had just opened.

  “Morning Sharon.” Lucy smiled at her.

  “Lucy?” Sharon raised a pencil thin eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to speak to you. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Look, if it’s about yesterday, I’d been drinking. Whatever I said, it was just the grief talking.”

  “I understand that, really.” Lucy held out her hand to her. “I’m here because Derek recommended you to me.”

  “What?”

  “When he tried to convince me to work out here, he insisted that you would be the best trainer for me. I didn’t have any interest in it then, but now I do. After what happened to Derek I feel like I need to be more prepared to defend myself.” She sighed. “I know you’re probably busy with a ton of clients, but I was wondering if you could add me to your list.”

  “You want to train with me?” She grinned. “You should know that I’m not someone who takes things easy. If I train you, you’re going to get pushed. I don’t take it easy on anyone.”

  “That’s exactly what I need. Do you have any time to fit me in today?”

  “I can fit you in right now if you want. My first client doesn’t come in for an hour so that will give us enough time to go over things and get you started.”

  “Perfect, thank you so much.”

  “Let me just get my bag from the trunk, okay? Then we can get started on the workout. You can walk with me if you want, we’ll call it a warm up.”

  “Okay.” She smiled. “Are these sweats okay to wear?”

  “They’ll be fine.”

  As they walked out into the parking lot together Lucy tried to come up with subtle ways to steer their conversation towards Derek.

  “I’m still having a hard time believing that he’s gone.”

  “I miss him, too. He was my best training partner. He always pushed me harder than any of my other partners were willing to.” She popped the trunk of her car and reached inside for her gym bag. As she lifted the bag out of the trunk Lucy noticed a dumbbell and a stained towel inside the trunk. Her heart raced at the sight of it. She wanted to say something to stop Sharon, but she was about to close the trunk.

  “Sharon, I think there’s a leak in your car.”

  “There’s no leak.”

  “No, I mean in the trunk, it looks like something spilled.”

  “Nothing spilled.”

  “Here let me take a look.” Lucy leaned in as far as she could. Sharon grabbed her shoulder and steered her back out of the trunk.

  “Watch it, that’s a good way to get yourself decapitated.”

  “Oops, sorry, I just didn’t want your trunk to be ruined.”

  “It’s fine, let’s go, we’re wasting time and your heartrate isn’t going to stay up if we’re standing around.”

  “Okay.” Lucy looked back over her shoulder at the trunk. She wanted to go back and take a look, but she knew if she did Sharon might become suspicious. As she followed the woman into the gym she considered whether the dumbbell in the trunk of her car might just be the murder weapon. It was a blunt object and heavy enough to land a fierce blow to the back of the head. Sharon took out a training towel and water bottle from her bag and dropped the bag along with her keys off at the front office with Alice, then led Lucy to the wall of exercise machines. She didn’t have much time to think about it as Sharon engaged her right away by putting her on the treadmill. Ten minutes later she was in the squat position jumping up as fast as she could. Sharon barked at her from beside her.

  “You’re going to have to do better than that if you think you’re going to trim that belly. Squat lower! Jump Higher! Let’s go! Let’s go!” By the time the hour was over Lucy’s body ached, her muscles felt as if they were screaming and she was drenched in sweat.

  “Good first day, Lucy. Tomorrow we’ll do a full training session.”

  “That wasn’t full?” Her eyes widened.

  “Not even close.” Sharon winked at her.

  “I’d better get rested up then.”

  “See you soon.”

  After Sharon walked away with her next client Lucy headed for the front door. She hoped that her ploy would work on Alice. She paused beside the front desk and dug in her purse. “What? My keys aren’t in here. Oh no, I must have dropped them in the trunk of Sharon’s car. What am I going to do?” She looked over at Alice. “Sharon’s already started her next session.”

  “You don’t want to interrupt her once she’s started a session. If you do she’ll take it out on you during your next workout.” Alice frowned. “I don’t think she’d mind if you go look for them. Here.” She retrieved Sharon’s keys and offered them to her.

  “Are you sure? I don’t want you to get into any trouble.”

  “Just get them back to me right away and she’ll never even know.”

  “Thanks Alice, you’re a lifesaver.”

  “Don’t worry about it I leave my keys everywhere, too.”

  Lucy clutched the keys in her hand and held her breath for a moment. What if her hunch was right? What if the dumbbell in Sharon’s tru
nk was the murder weapon? What would she do then? With only a few minutes to check before she looked suspicious Lucy rushed out to the parking lot. She walked up behind Sharon’s car and slid the key into the trunk. As she turned the key her heart pounded. She wasn’t sure what she expected to find. It wasn’t as if Sharon would be foolish enough to stow a blood-stained dumbbell in the car.

  Even if it was the missing one from Derek’s house, that didn’t prove it was the murder weapon. The trunk popped open and Lucy peered inside. The dumbbell was there just as she expected. Careful not to touch it, she looked it over. Was it the dumbbell that was part of the pair that was at Derek’s house? Why would someone have only one dumbbell in their car. Lucy leaned into the trunk and pulled down her sleeve to cover her hand. She tried to nudge the dumbbell but it was very heavy so she only managed to move it a bit. She found that as she had thought the towel underneath it was stained. Would she really leave a bloody towel in the trunk of her car? Maybe, if she was in a rush. She grabbed the edge of the towel and pulled on it hard to get it free. Once it was free she snapped a picture of it with her phone. Another car pulled into the parking lot. If it was a trainer, they would know that this was Sharon’s car. If she didn’t close the trunk soon they might alert Sharon to her rooting around it. In a split-second decision she grabbed the towel and stuffed it in her purse. Then she slammed the trunk shut.

  With her purse pinned to her side to hide the towel she slipped back into the gym and gave Sharon’s keys back to Alice. Then she drove straight to the police station. Once there she sat in her car and stared at the front door. What was she going to say to them? She stole a towel from the trunk of someone’s car? They didn’t have time to waste on her silly theories, and she might even get in trouble for taking the towel in the first place. As she sat and contemplated what to do, her mind traveled to thoughts of Derek’s last moments. If it was Sharon who killed him, he wouldn’t have seen it coming. They’d been friends for such a long time that Lucy had even been a little jealous of how close they were. He would never expect Sharon to hurt him, and neither would Lucy. Darkness settled over her as she considered what it meant to accuse someone who Derek considered to be a friend, of his murder. If Sharon found out she would never forgive her. She was just about to turn the car back on and leave when there was a tap on her side window. She jumped and let out a cry. When she turned to look she found Jack right beside her car.

  “I’m sorry.” He waved his hand. She rolled down the window. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I saw you sitting here, and I just wanted to say hello.”

  “Hi.” She smiled at him. She couldn’t help it.

  “What are you doing sitting here? Are you going inside? I’m dropping off some lunch to my sister.” He held up a brown paper bag.

  “No, I don’t know.” She sighed and looked back at the front door of the police station. “I honestly don’t know what I’m doing here.”

  “Are you okay?” He rested his hand on the door frame, and gazed at her. “You seem upset?”

  “I am, a little, I guess.” She glanced down at her purse. “I’m a little lost.”

  “Do you want to talk?” He walked around to the other side of the car, and without waiting for an invitation opened the passenger side door. Her heart raced at the thought of him sitting right beside her. What was that strange feeling she experienced whenever he was nearby? She grabbed her purse to move it out of the way, but in the process the stained towel slipped out. He froze, and stared at the towel. “Lucy, what is that?”

  Lucy’s heart sunk as she realized how things looked. There she was with a bloody towel sitting in front of the police station, clearly upset. There was only one conclusion he could draw.

  “I, well, I.”

  “Lucy.” He looked into her eyes. “Whatever has happened you need to be honest. It’s the best way that you can keep your name clear.”

  “My name clear?” She frowned.

  “Well, somehow you have this towel, and I know how it looks, but I also know you’re not a killer. So whatever has happened, you need to just tell the truth.”

  “How do you know that it wasn’t me?”

  “I just do. So where did you get the towel?”

  “I found it in the trunk of someone’s car. I thought it might have something to do with Derek’s murder. But I don’t know how to explain that. I don’t want to accuse someone of doing something so horrible and end up being wrong.”

  “Who’s car?” He leaned closer and held her gaze.

  “I don’t know if I should say. What if I’m wrong?”

  “What if you’re right?”

  “Well then I’ve stolen the towel haven’t I? Isn’t that a crime?”

  “You don’t have to worry about that, Lucy. If you’ve got evidence of a murder, you need to turn it in.”

  “What if they don’t believe me? What if they think I’m the one who did it? Derek and I just recently broke up and maybe they will think we had some kind of fight over it. What if they arrest me?”

  “No one’s going to arrest you.” He reached out and took her hand. She started to pull away from his touch, but the warmth that flowed through her as a result of it was too calming to resist. “I’m not going to let them.”

  In all of her life she’d never experienced a sensation of trust with a man so quickly. When he said he would protect her, she didn’t doubt him even for a second.

  “Okay.” She nodded. “Then I’ll turn it in.”

  She picked up the towel and stepped out of the car. He closed the passenger side, rounded the car, and took her arm. As they walked into the police station her anxiety built. She’d helped them solve crimes before, but they didn’t know that. All they knew about her was that she dated Derek and he broke up with her a few weeks before he was murdered. As they walked up to the front desk, Annaliese arrived to greet them.

  “Where’s my lunch, Jack?” She smiled at him, but her smile faded when she saw his expression. “What’s wrong? Lucy, what are you doing here?”

  “I found something.” Lucy held out the towel. Her hand trembled some as she waited for Annaliese to take it.

  “What is this?” Annaliese plucked the towel from her hand and stared at it. “Is that blood, Lucy?”

  “She found it in someone’s car, she hasn’t told me who. She was afraid to bring it inside.” Jack released her arm but remained close to her. “I told Lucy that she could trust you.”

  “Well, of course she can, but you need to tell me where you found this, Lucy.” She looked into her eyes. “I need to know everything.”

  “I found it in the trunk of the car of one of Derek’s friends, Sharon. There was a dumbbell in there, too. I noticed that there was only one dumbbell at Derek’s house and I think the one in Sharon’s trunk might be the one that is missing. I didn’t know what to do when I found the towel, so I just took it.” She pulled up the picture on her phone to show her the dumbbell. “As far as I know it’s still in the trunk. Sharon is in a session right now that should last another half hour.”

  “Well, let’s go take a look.”

  Lucy followed Annaliese’s patrol car to the gym. Annaliese parked behind the car that Lucy pointed out, then stepped out of the car.

  “This is it?”

  “Yes. But I don’t have the keys anymore, I left them at the front desk.”

  “Then I will have her open it.”

  “No, you can’t do that! Then she’ll know that I suspect her.”

  “Lucy, I can’t just break into her car. Either she opens it for me without a search warrant, or we don’t have any evidence. It’s worth the risk.”

  “I don’t know.” She frowned. “She’s going to hate me.”

  “If she murdered Derek, why would you care if she hates you?”

  “You’re right. If it helps solve Derek’s murder it needs to be done.”

  “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Lucy lingered by the car. For a moment she thought about getting in
her own car and driving away before Sharon came out. But she wanted to know the truth, she wanted to be there when Derek’s killer was caught. Her body grew tense as Annaliese and Sharon walked towards the parking lot.

  “Lucy, what is all of this about?” Sharon glared at her. “You interrupted my session with this nonsense.”

  “Just open your trunk please, ma’am, or I’ll have to get a search warrant.” Annaliese tilted her head towards the trunk. Sharon scowled but slid the key into the lock and opened the trunk.

  “I have no idea what you’re looking for, but whatever it is, it’s not in here.”

  “I’m sorry for the inconvenience. You can close the trunk now.” Annaliese stepped back from the car.

  “Sorry?” Sharon huffed and slammed the trunk shut. “Sorry doesn’t make up for this. Lucy I don’t want to see you on this property again. Whatever you’re up to, I’m not getting pulled into it. If I see you again, I’ll press charges for harassment.” She stormed off towards the gym. Lucy waited for Annaliese to go after her, but she only stood beside the car.

  “What are you doing? You’re not going to arrest her?”

  “I can’t. There wasn’t any dumbbell in the trunk, Lucy.”

  “Then she must have taken it out!”

  “She was in a session the whole time, her client Reggie confirmed it. So she couldn’t have taken the dumbbell out. Is it possible that you were confused? Have you been sleeping okay?”

  “You think I just imagined it?”

  “I don’t think that. But grief can do funny things to our minds.”

  “What about the towel?” Her eyes widened.

  “We will still run tests on that. But as of now you need to stay away from Sharon, and away from the gym.”

  “Great. Wonderful. I’m the one in trouble when she is the one with the murder weapon in the trunk of her car.”

  “Listen, it’s possible that someone else took it out of the trunk. Maybe she has an accomplice, or maybe someone else did it, or maybe it wasn’t the murder weapon. Whatever the explanation is, you’re not going to get any farther with this. You need to stay away from the gym from now on, or they may begin lodging complaints against you.”