by Rose Pressey
Did they think I was the murderer? Why else would they be here if not to find out about the realtor? Just because I’d been there when the body was discovered didn’t mean I had information for them. Had they been to see Dorothy and Morty too?
I pulled out my phone and dialed Dorothy’s number. I hoped she realized that it was actually ringing and not the radio or TV. Most of the time she accidentally turned the ringer off. I thought it was most definitely going to voicemail when she finally answered.
“Hello?” she said with her soft voice.
“Dorothy?” I whispered. “Do you have reporters at your house?”
“Hello?” she asked again.
I sighed. She couldn’t hear me. Though in her defense, I had been whispering.
“Dorothy,” I said a bit louder this time.
“Maggie? Is that you?” Dorothy asked.
“Yes, it’s me. Are there reporters at your house?”
“I’m not at my house,” she said.
“Well, I meant Morty’s place,” I said.
“I’m not there either.”
“Where are you? I thought you were going to Morty’s place?”
“I decided to go grocery-shopping for dinner ingredients. What are you talking about? Reporters?”
“They’re all over the place here at the office. I think they want to ask me about the murder.” I peeked out the window again.
They’d moved away from the window, but they remained nearby on the sidewalk.
“Oh, goodness. This isn’t good,” she said. “What if they’re at Morty’s right now attacking him?”
“Well, I don’t think the reporters will actually physically attack him. They’re not mean. They just want a scoop.”
“Right,” she said. “A scoop. But we won’t let them have it.”
“There’s nothing to let them have,” I said. “We found the body. Nothing more.”
“Where are you now?” she asked.
“I’m in my office. They’re waiting outside for me.”
“I’ll just have to come over there and get rid of them,” she said.
“Oh, no,” I said. “I don’t want that.”
“Why not? I can get rid of them.”
“Oh, I’m sure you can. That’s completely not necessary though. I’ll just go out there and confront them.”
“Call Jake and ask him what to tell them.”
“I suppose I should do that. Although no comment is much better, right?”
“No comment seems as if you’re hiding something,” Dorothy said.
“I guess that’s true.”
“Well, technically you didn’t find the body, Morty did.”
“What if they want to ask about that?” I asked.
“Then you say no comment.”
“Okay, Dorothy, I’m going out there to talk to them. I’ll call you back.”
“Just be safe out there,” she said. “I worry about you.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine,” I said.
I was more worried about Morty and Dorothy than myself.
I inched the door open. Within seconds, a reporter had shoved a microphone in my face.
“Ms. Thomas, can you tell us anything about the murder of Jessica Combs? Is your friend guilty?”
As if I would say yes. How had they found out so quickly?
I scowled. “No comment. I mean, of course, he’s not guilty. I mean, no comment.”
Oh, now she was getting me all flustered. I ran toward my car. The seagulls squawking overhead caught my attention. I peered up into the bright blue cloudless sky. The birds swooped down, divebombing toward the humans. To my shock, the birds left me alone this time. The reporter squealed as the birds took aim at her head. Had the birds just saved me? Maybe they deserved a special reward after that move. I took this opportunity to escape to my car. As I glanced over my shoulder at the reporter and cameraman, I fumbled with my key. The news duo waved their arms frantically to shoo away the birds. I managed to unlock the car and rushed to safety.
After getting in the car, I decided to give Jake a call and tell him what had happened. I supposed I wasn’t confident in my statement of no comment. Jake picked up right away. The reporter and cameraman had made it to their vehicle, but they hadn’t left yet. I assumed they were planning their next move. Maybe I should just leave, although I figured they might follow me.
“Don’t tell me you’re canceling on me,” he said.
“No, nothing like that,” I said. “It’s just that I have a bit of a situation.”
“Please tell me you didn’t find another dead body. People are just dropping like flies around you.”
“That is not funny,” I said. “No dead bodies, but I have a reporter and a cameraman. I’m sitting in my car and they’re inside their van after the seagulls attacked them.”
He chuckled. “What were they doing there?”
“It’s certainly not to ask for my expert fashion advice or how to style my frizzy hair in this humidity. My guess is they got wind that I was involved in finding a murder victim.”
“Yeah, they probably want to know what’s going on with the case,” Jake said. “Don’t talk to them.”
“I assumed that, but what do I tell them? I can’t just remain silent. You know how hard it is for me to shut up,” I said. “Should I have said no comment?”
“This is a tough one,” he said.
Oh, great, if even he didn’t know what to say, then I was really in trouble. He was used to dealing with the media. I moved back over to the window for a peek outside.
“Are you sure they’re still there?” Jake asked. “Maybe they left.”
“I’m looking at their van right now. Wait,” I said. “It looks as if they might be leaving. The van’s brake lights are on now. I guess I can let you go now. Crisis averted.”
“Not so fast, Ms. Magnum P.I. Maybe you’d better stay on the phone with me until they drive out of there. They could even follow you when you leave.”
“Do you think they would be that sneaky?”
“I think they might try anything to get you to talk.”
“So I should say no comment if they catch me?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said with lack of confidence in his voice.
I watched as the white news van pulled out of the small parking lot.
“They’re gone now. How long do I wait?” I asked.
“When you see them drive down the street, maybe give it five minutes.”
“All right, I’ll call you and let you know what happens.”
“Be careful out there, Maggie,” he said.
“You know I will,” I said.
“Actually…” he said.
After ending the call, I realized I had forgotten my tote bag in the office. I scanned the area again. It looked as if the reporters were truly gone, so I rushed out of the car and back to my office door. I even made it inside without the birds attacking. Maybe they would leave me alone now. They were like my own tiny bodyguards. All those breadcrumbs had paid off.
Once I retrieved the bag, I eased the door open just a bit again. I poked my head out, looking to the left and to the right. Thank goodness there was no sign of the reporters. I would take this as my chance to get out of here. If I didn’t leave now, I might be trapped in here all night. They’d probably come back.
Once I stepped outside, I pulled the door closed behind me and locked it quickly, then moved down the short path toward the open parking lot. The seagulls swooped down at me.
“Dorothy,” I yelled out.
She was constantly feeding the seagulls, even though I’d told her time after time not to do it. Now every time the birds saw me near, or someone came out of my office, they attacked for more food. So much for thinking they were my protectors.
I waved my arms. “No, guys. Not now, I have no food. Thanks for chasing the reporters away, but I can’t feed you now.”
They didn’t listen. In fact, I’d probably
made them mad now by not repaying them for their kindness. I rushed toward my car and jumped inside, locking the door as if the seagulls might actually open the door and grab me. Luckily, now that I was in the safety of my Ford, the birds flew away. Whew. After crisis averted. I cranked on the air-conditioner and turned up the music. So far, there was no sign of the reporters coming back.
A bird dove down and landed on the hood of the car. I screamed out. He stared at me for a few seconds before flying away.
If I wasn’t dodging reporters, then I was fleeing seagulls. I started the car and headed out of the parking lot. Turning left, I pointed the car in the direction of my apartment. It wasn’t a long drive since I’d found a great place nearby. The tiny apartment was all that I needed for now.
When I stopped at a red light, my phone rang. It was listed as an unknown caller again. Again, I had to take the call just in case.
“Hello, Maggie Thomas,” I said.
There was no response.
“Who is this?” I asked. “Why are you calling? If you’re not going to say anything then maybe you should stop calling.”
I would have to block this number. The person had called at a time when I was almost at my wit’s end. It had been a stressful day and I didn’t need a prank caller to add to it. I ended the call and then took off when the light turned green. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the silent caller thing was beginning to annoy me.
I looked in the mirror for any sign of the reporters. Thank goodness there was nothing. Actually, I was surprised they had given up that easily. I had halfway expected them to be waiting for me when I pulled out of the parking lot. That wasn’t to say that they wouldn’t show up later. Or possibly in the morning when I came back to work. It would be kind of embarrassing if they found me tonight when Jake and I were on our date.
Soon I arrived at my apartment building and found a parking spot along the curb. This was usually no easy task since there was no assigned parking. It was another downside to the apartment. I was willing to put up with it though in order to live close to the beach.
Before I got out of the car, my phone rang again. My face probably turned red and my blood pressure spiked. I looked at the screen, ready to tell this person what to do with their phone. But this time, the screen actually had a number listed. Maybe this was a different caller now, though I was still skeptical. Nevertheless, I answered the call.
“Maggie Thomas,” I said, trying not to sound too agitated just in case.
“Is this the private investigator?” the soft female voice asked.
“Yes, it is,” I said.
Thank goodness this wasn’t an unknown call, but I wondered if it was the same person who had just called. Regardless, at least she was talking now.
“How may I help you?” I asked.
“I’m in need of help locating someone,” the woman said.
“Locating someone? A missing person?”
“Yes, I suppose you could say that. Well, actually it’s more than that.”
“Who is this person?” I asked.
This was turning out to be a strange call after all. Though I was kind of used to weird calls.
“It’s a friend of mine. She’s been murdered. I fear the police will never find the killer. I have to do something to help her.”
“Murdered?” I paused with my hand on the ignition.
Murdered?
“I hadn’t heard from my friend all day and I knew something was wrong,” the woman said. “I went by her place and the police were there. That’s how I found out what had happened to her.”
“I’d be happy to look into this for you,” I said. “Maybe we can meet and you can give me more information.”
“How soon can you do this?” she asked. “I just feel like every minute counts.”
Jake would be upset with me if I tried to get out of our dinner tonight.
“I can meet you first thing in the morning,” I said.
She hesitated and I knew that wasn’t fast enough for her, but ultimately, she said, “All right. How about nine a.m.?”
“That sounds perfect,” I said. “I’ll see you then at my office.”
“I have the address,” the woman said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. “Try not to worry too much. I know how rough it is.”
“Yes, it’s not easy,” she said around a sniffle. “I’ll see you soon.”
She ended the call and I released a deep breath. I wished I could meet with her and help her tonight. Maybe I should have cancelled dinner with Jake. Surely Jake would understand. Did I have time to squeeze in a meeting with this woman before dinner? I was torn on what to do. Should I call her back? Yes, I had to do it. I couldn’t wait. She’d sounded so upset.
Chapter 5
I couldn’t believe that I’d failed to get the woman’s name. Nevertheless, I hit redial. After a couple of minutes, she answered.
“Hello?” she said hesitantly.
“This is Maggie Thomas. I’m sorry to call you back but I was just worried about you and I wondered if maybe we can meet tonight.”
“Are you serious? That would be fantastic, yes.”
“How soon can you meet me at my office?” I asked.
“I can leave right now. I’m probably about five minutes away.”
“That sounds perfect. I’m about the same distance so I’ll see you soon,” I said.
“I really appreciate this. Thank you so much,” she said.
“Don’t think anything of it,” I said. “I want to help as much as I can.”
“I’ll see you soon,” she said.
At least she sounded a bit more optimistic now. And that made me feel better. If I had to be late for dinner with Jake, then I hoped he understood. But this seemed important.
I started the car and pulled away from the curb. Driving around the block, I headed back in the direction of my office. There would be no need to tell Jake about this trip because I would probably be back before he could say shrimp cocktail.
I would just get the information from her, maybe do a little investigating really quick, and then be ready for dinner. No reason to upset him. Although I was definitely anxious to ask for any updates on the murdered woman. As the woman’s murdered friend Jessica Combs? It had to be, right? I hadn’t heard about any other murders today. Maybe this woman had details that would help solve the case.
A short time later, I pulled up to my office parking lot. Thank goodness the reporter wasn’t there. As I got out of the car, I made sure to watch out for her. All signs pointed to me being all alone out here. I inhaled the fresh ocean air and strolled toward the office. The air was still warm and a million stars filled the night sky. The humidity held on tight to my hair though.
After unlocking my door, I stepped into my office and turned on the light. Now what would I do? I looked at the time on my phone. It had been five minutes so I assumed she would be here soon. Sitting behind my desk, I tapped my fingers against the metal. Too bad Dorothy wasn’t here so that I would have someone to chat with. I looked over at her empty desk and felt sad again. Poor Dorothy. I sure hoped we cleared Morty’s name soon. Maybe I needed a peppermint. I was feeling a bit anxious about everything.
I stepped over to her desk and opened the drawer and took a candy out from the top dish. What was I doing? She wasn’t even here to give me this thing and now I was purposely eating it on my own? She’d finally gotten to me. Next thing I would be feeding the seagulls. Though I supposed taking on Dorothy’s qualities wasn’t such a bad thing.
I sat back down at my desk, flipping the candy around in my mouth. I tapped my fingers against the desk again. If Dorothy were here that would drive her crazy. Was this caller going to show up? I checked my phone again. It had been ten minutes. That was plenty of time to get here. Unless something had happened on the way. I stood from my desk and paced across the floor.
Next, I went over to the window and peeked out the blinds to see if there
was any sign of a car pulling in. Still nothing. I would wait another five minutes and then I would call her again. After all, I had to be somewhere soon. I’d come here just to see her tonight. Not that I had waited that long already, but still, I’d made a special trip. I picked up my phone and gave her a call. But she didn’t answer. It just went straight to voicemail.
“Hi, this is Maggie Thomas. I’m just calling to make sure that you have the correct address and that you’re on the way. Give me a call back and let me know. Thanks.”
Apparently, she was going to be a no show. It had been thirty minutes now since I’d arrived back at the office. If she wasn’t going to come for this meeting after all then why had she called? I couldn’t wait any longer. She didn’t answer my call when I called back yet again and she wasn’t calling me, so I assumed she had changed her mind. It was so strange because she had seemed so upset and as if she wanted to help her friend. I’d been curious to find out the details too. Now I’d never know.
Had something happened between here and when I talked to her? I hoped she was okay, but there was no way for me to know. Especially since I had forgotten to get her name. All I had was the phone number. I’d done a quick search online to see if there was any name attached to the number but found nothing. I would try harder some other time, but now I was just going to head back to my apartment and try to get some rest before dinner.
I stepped out into the night air, walking across the lot toward my car. The heat hadn’t eased much. I was all alone out here and the emptiness brought an uneasy feeling over the area. The other cars that had been parked for the nearby businesses had left as well, although the street out front of the office was busy as usual. I looked toward the road to see if there was any sign of a car slowing down to turn into the lot, but there was nothing.
Just as I walked past the palm trees on the edge of the property toward my car, a rustling noise caught my attention. I stopped and spun around.
“Is anyone there?” I called out.
My heartbeat faster. I thought for sure I’d seen someone back there. Maybe it was just some of those seagulls flapping around in the palm tree fronds. Nevertheless, I had my hand on my gun just in case. Things were way too dangerous in this profession and I had to take care of myself by any means necessary. I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was there.
