Weapons of Mass Distraction

by Camilla Chafer

  I called Lily as I drove to Lorena’s place, cursing the slow traffic. “Tell me this,” I said. “Are Solomon and I boyfriend-girlfriend or what?”

  “Have either of you said you are?” she asked, her voice filling the car’s speakers.

  “Not exactly. I know we're dating but... I mean, who says ‘are you my boyfriend?’ It’s so…”

  “High school?”

  “Yeah. So I kind of just call him my boyfriend in my head,” I said, pausing at how lame that sounded. On the plus side, I could call all kinds of guys my boyfriend in my head and they could never complain. Win!

  “So what’s the situ? Did you have dinner last night?”

  “Yeah, at some Thai place that no one we know goes to.”

  “Maybe he really likes the food.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t want to be seen with me. He stayed over at my house.”

  “Oooh!”

  “But I think it was because there was zero chance one of the guys at work would make an accidental driveby.”

  “Pfft,” said Lily. “Do you care when you leave your car at Solomon’s?”

  “No. He made me French toast.”

  “He’s your boyfriend.”

  “He kissed me on the nose this morning.”

  “Had you brushed your teeth?”

  “No.”

  “He’s still your boyfriend. And your problem is?”

  “My phone kept going off and I said maybe it was a guy, and Solomon said ‘your business’ like he didn’t care, and it didn’t matter if I had another guy in the wings.”

  “What exactly were Solomon’s words?”

  “’Your business’.”

  “So he didn’t say anything else?”

  “No.”

  “Have you told him you love him yet? You know, since you two actually got together?”

  “No! Okay, in my head. But he told me ages ago and he hasn’t said it since.”

  “Maybe he’s waiting for you this time. Be brave, Lexi. You don’t need to wait for a guy. You are a modern woman. You can do whatever the hell you want, including making the first move.”

  “You speak sense.”

  “I know and I haven’t even been drinking. When are you coming by the bar? We need to talk wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and everything else wedding. Oh! The wedding reception!”

  “At the bar? The reception is at the bar?” I turned onto Lorena’s road and began the tedious search for her house. They all looked the same, which didn’t help. "I thought it was at The Belmont."

  “Talking about the reception at the bar,” Lily clarified. “Where are you anyway? Are you going to work? Did you get a case? Is it juicy? Is it about the two people from our gym?”

  “Schwarz and Doyle?”

  “They sound like a coffee brand. Are you investigating their deaths?”

  “No, Maddox said Jim Schwarz’s death was natural, and I don’t think anyone even called the police for Karen Doyle, just an ambulance.”

  “Huh. Well, I guess, they’re the experts. Wasn’t Karen the same woman who sat next to Jim yesterday?”

  That made me take notice. I did think she looked familiar. “Really?”

  “I think so. Yeah, I’m sure she did. Oh, that’s bad.”

  “I know. Really sad.”

  “No, I meant you’ll never be able to find out where she got that cute top from now. Where did you say you’re going again?”

  “My friend, Lorena’s house.”

  “Who?”

  “My running partner. I told you. You met her last week. She called and said she needed to talk.”

  “What about?” Lily asked and I heard a smash in the background. Lily groaned.

  “No idea, but I’m here now,” I said, stopping at Lorena's house, right behind her Toyota. “See you at seven?”

  “There will be a mojito with your name on it.”

  “I won’t be late.”

  Lorena’s house was the middle in a row of link houses all painted the same sandy beige with identical paths leading to the door and identical rectangular patches of grass. It was a new development, less than a decade old, and mostly populated by singles. I remembered Jord once looked at a house here and decided the area was too boring for a single guy. Lorena, as a mom, clearly had different priorities. I crossed the sidewalk, taking the pathway that led up to her steps and small porch.

  My hand was already raised to knock when I noticed the door was ajar, not by much, maybe only an inch or so, but enough to make me frown. Lorena never left her door open, or unlocked, even when she was home since she'd had the uncomfortable feeling someone had been in her home a month ago… and she was expecting me. I pushed it open a little further and poked my head around. “Hello?” I waited a moment, then, “Hi, Lorena. It’s me. Lexi.”

  Nothing.

  I stepped inside. Lorena’s purse was on the console by the door and her pumps underneath it. A radio played in the kitchen, pumping out a Bruno Mars track. Despite the upbeat music, a chill traveled through me. Something wasn’t right. The house was too still.

  “Lorena?” I called one more time, just in case she was in the bathroom. Still nothing. I remembered her telling me she just had a deck built out back and she liked to sit there some mornings.. I closed the door behind me, shrugged off my discomfort, and walked past the leather couches and the round, oak dining table. I veered off to the left into her kitchen. Stepping inside, I saw her; and a cold wave of fear gripped me, rooting me to the spot.

  Lorena couldn’t answer the door. She would never answer the door again.

  She lay sprawled on the floor, facing the ceiling, eyes open and motionless. Judging by the stillness of her body, she clearly wasn’t breathing. A knife handle protruded from her chest and her top was soaked red. The blood pooled beneath her, spreading into a vile puddle as I watched.

  I gazed down at my dead friend, knowing there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to bring her back.

  It could have been seconds, or minutes, I didn’t know, before I fumbled in my pocket for my phone and hit “speed dial.” This time, I didn’t call Maddox; I called Solomon. When his voicemail clicked on, I left him a calm message telling him my friend was dead and where to find me.

  After hanging up, I slid my back down the wall until I was huddled into a crouch, my arms around my knees. I was trying not to look, but unable to resist, being so close to Lorena and a whole world away. All I could do was sit on the cold tile and wait anxiously for Solomon to come.

  Chapter Four

  “One death is unlucky, two deaths a coincidence, and three is downright suspicious,” said Solomon.

  We were sitting in my living room, an hour after being finally allowed to leave the crime scene, but even my sunny, little house couldn’t cheer me. Not after the brutal scene I stumbled upon.

  Solomon came for me, as I knew he would. He entered the house, stealthy as always and found me staring at Lorena’s body. After checking my vitals, he took charge, carrying me outside and settling me on the porch steps before calling the police.

  Maddox arrived first, apparently back from the fraud squad to homicide, then my oldest brother Garrett, now a lieutenant. After them, came a stream of cops, the coroner, the morgue van — the guys driving it did a double take when they saw me, then waved cheerfully like we were old friends. Solomon insisted on taking me home before they removed Lorena’s body. He hadn’t left me alone for more than a minute or two since.

  Now, there was just the two of us. Well, the two of us, plus Delgado, Fletcher and Flaherty, the three other PIs at the agency. Lucas declined for reasons Solomon didn’t share, and chose instead to text them several times to check on me.

  With the exception of my colleagues camped in my living room, and the horrible scene every time I closed my eyes, all was normal in my world. I clung to it, seeking it out, taking comfort in all the things that hadn’t changed. Next door, Aidan had some machinery running and Barney, his dog, was barking. Someone honke
d a horn. A cell phone rang. The aroma of coffee was fresh, the liquid hot on my tongue, but I could barely taste it.

  I nodded at Solomon’s declaration, noticing my three colleagues looked equally interested now that we had one murder and two suspicious deaths.

  “How much do you know about Lorena?” Matt Flaherty asked. He was an ex-detective, no longer on the force after an unfortunate incident with a bullet rendered him an invalid, but he was still a great investigator. I wasn’t sure how Solomon knew him, only that their friendship went back a long time.

  “Not much,” I told him. “We met at the gym and we’d been running together these past two months. She has an adult daughter at college. She’s single. We didn’t talk about her daughter’s dad so I don’t know what the deal is with him.”

  “You met at the gym,” Delgado repeated, clearly pondering it. Settling himself in my oversized armchair, his massive body filled the whole thing. With a huge physique, he could look pretty scary if you didn’t know him. Unlike my colleagues, I knew a softer side to him, which was recently revealed when he started dating my sister. My baby niece adored him and hers was an excellent seal of approval. “Did Lorena know the other two people that died?”

  “I don’t know.” I tried to recall. Had I seen her talking to anyone? Yes, yes, I had. “I think she knew the woman. Karen. The treadmill…” I used my fingers to mime two legs running, then flying off it. It wasn’t much of a demonstration, but I never managed to find a temp job where I could have possibly perfected my skills at it. “I remember now. I saw them talking a couple of times so I guess they knew each other, but I don’t know how well.”

  Delgado nodded. “It’s a start. At least, it’s a connection.”

  “And Lily said Karen was the woman who was sitting next to Jim Schwarz in our spin class when he died.”

  “That’s damn suspicious,” said Solomon amidst murmurs of agreement.

  Opening my mouth to point out that’s exactly what I’d been saying the last two days, my cell phone suddenly rang and I reached for it, recognizing the name that flashed across the screen. “It’s Michael. He manages the gym,” I said.

  “Answer it,” said Solomon and the room went quiet. Nosy bunch. All the same, I answered, “Hi, Michael.”

  “Lexi, is it true? Is Lorena dead?”

  I took a deep breath. “Yes.”

  “I heard you found her.”

  “Also true.”

  “Oh, God. I just can’t believe it. First Jim and Karen, now Lorena. Does it sound bad that I’m relieved she didn’t die at the gym too? I’d be so much happier if she was alive, but… this is terrible. I’m really sorry you were the one who found her.”

  “Me too.” We paused, and mine was silent and reflective. I couldn’t blame him for anything he said. Of course, he didn’t want another death occurring at the gym. Two was two too many already.

  “Lexi, I heard you are a private investigator. Is that true, too?”

  “Uh, yes.”

  “Then, I want to hire you,” Michael said promptly.

  “Say what?” I asked, as Solomon mouthed something incomprehensible.

  “I want to hire you. The gym group has their own lawyers here in case we get sued by the families, but I want someone to find out what happened. I want someone I can trust to find out if there is anything up with these deaths. If it's... it's... I guess what I'm trying to see it’s all too suspicious,” he added, echoing the same words now coming from several others’ lips.

  “Hold on a second,” I told Michael, before covering the phone with my hand. I locked eyes with Solomon. “He wants to hire me. He wants someone to investigate and find out what happened.”

  “Tell him to come by the office today.”

  I put the phone back to my cheek. “My boss says to come by the office today.” I reeled off the address while he noted it down before he read it back to me to be sure he had it right.

  “I’ll be there. Thanks, Lexi. This whole business is giving me the creeps. Both Jim and Karen were fit, healthy people, and used to regular exercise. They couldn’t have just dropped dead. And Lorena… I just don’t know. Who would want to hurt her?”

  “You’re not the only one who’s concerned,” I assured him in the most inefficient way. After hanging up, I raised my eyebrows at Solomon, waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t, I said, “Guess someone has to go back to the office.”

  He nodded. “You’re coming too.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t.”

  “Just making sure. Don’t want you going into shock all by yourself. Everyone, we’ll meet you at the agency. We have a meeting to make and a potential new client to interview. Lexi, I want you to ride with me.”

  “My car is right outside,” I said, pointing to my VW in the driveway. Although I’d driven it home, with Solomon on my tail the whole way, I barely remembered the journey. Solomon gave me a look. “Fine, you can play chauffeur for the day,” I conceded, secretly touched at his concern.

  We waited as Delgado, Fletcher, and Flaherty exited my house, softly closing the door behind them before taking off in Delgado’s car.

  “How you doin’?” Solomon asked.

  I grinned. “Better since your Joey impression.”

  “Who?”

  “Joey, from only the biggest sitcom ever…” Solomon gave me a blank look. Right. He probably spent that decade killing people in the jungle or something. How could he have found the time to watch television? “Oh, never mind. I’m okay. I was just so shocked when I saw Lorena. It’s so different finding someone you know murdered.”

  “You’ve found people you know dead,” he pointed out, which, unfortunately, was true.

  “This is different. I actually liked Lorena. She was nice and fast becoming a friend.”

  “I’m sorry you had to see her like that.”

  “She was the one who called this morning, you know, and last night. She kept leaving messages, saying she needed to talk, but when I called her after breakfast, she said she couldn’t talk over the phone. She sounded worried about something. Maybe If I hadn’t called Lily or there hadn't been so much traffic, I could have found out what was wrong and she might still be alive.” It was the same argument that kept replaying through my brain. What, if anything, could I have done differently to change the outcome? The rational part of me said nothing. There was no other outcome.

  “Or you could have walked in on her being attacked and be dead now too,” said Solomon, his blunt tone sending a chill through my spine. “So don’t question anything you did or didn’t do. Lorena Vasquez is dead. You can’t change that now.”

  “That’s some straight talking, John.” I rarely called him by his given name and when I did, he smiled, which is what he did now. Being rewarded with a smile like that, no wonder I saved his name only for special occasions.

  “Yes it is, Lexi Graves.”

  “Okay.” I nodded to show I understood, that I wouldn’t continue to second-guess myself. “What next?”

  “Now we go to the agency and see your potential client.”

  “Mine?”

  “You’re my best PI for the job. You know the people, you’re familiar with the locale. You want point on this?”

  I gave a decisive nod. “You bet.”

  ~

  By the time Solomon and I meandered over to the office, Michael had already arrived and was seated in the small boardroom we usually used for internal meetings or the occasional client. Mostly, we saw our clients in a suite of interview rooms a floor down from our offices, but they were currently closed for painting.

  “When did he get here?” Solomon asked, pausing by Fletcher’s desk. Delgado’s was empty and a fresh take-out coffee sat on Flaherty’s, so I guessed he was around somewhere. Lucas’s monitors were blank, but his jacket hung over his desk chair. I looked up at the ceiling. Hmmm. Maybe he was up there, on the new, not very secret floor, but where very secret things happened. Secret things I made it one of my missio
ns to find out about.

  Fletcher jumped and looked up. I smirked to myself, glad I wasn’t the only one Solomon could surprise. “Twenty minutes, boss. Said he’d wait, so I put him in there with a magazine.”

  “A nice one?” I asked.

  “Your dirty ones are locked in your drawer,” Fletcher quipped as I stuck my tongue out at him.

  Solomon nudged my elbow. “Let’s go talk to him.”

  I dropped my sandwich on my desk. I didn’t have the appetite for it anyway. I could not get the image of Lorena lying dead on her kitchen floor out of my mind. I thought about the other two dead people I previously encountered, but they didn’t hit me in the same way. I only knew them by face, not as friends. With Lorena, it was personal. Jim Schwarz and Karen Doyle’s deaths were so much cleaner too. One minute they were there, the next… gone. I wondered if Michael was taking the ghastly trio of deaths personally. He was a friendly sort and I often saw him chatting warmly to members.

  “Thanks for coming in,” said Solomon, extending his hand to Michael’s as we entered. Michael shook his first, then mine, and I saw the guys take a moment to size each other up while I introduced them. They were comparable in height, but Michael was broader and more muscular than Solomon. That was saying something as my boss was no weakling in any way, and definitely more handsome. All the same, the sight of Michael’s bicep stretching his short-sleeved white t-shirt didn’t bother me.

  “I appreciate you taking the time to see me. Hey, Lexi. You okay?” he asked, his concerned eyes running over me.

  “I’ve had better days,” I said, taking the seat opposite him as Solomon moved to the head of the table.

  “It’s a damn shame. Lorena seemed like such a nice person.”

  “She was,” I agreed.

  “Tell us why you think we should investigate,” said Solomon.

  “Truthfully, I don’t know,” Michael said, giving us a shrug and a confused shake of his head. “I know it looks like Jim Schwarz and Karen Doyle died of natural causes, but two in two days? And now Lorena? It doesn’t make any sense. I have a very bad feeling.”