“Yeah?” I said, confused.
“Well, I kept wondering if there was any truth to it.” He looked at me apologetically. “I didn’t believe it was you, so it had to be someone else who worked there. And then, when Carter explained how Beth took those photos and how she was on to something else, it all started to fall into place.”
“So you broke into Gabby’s house?”
“Yeah. On a hunch I searched the place inside and out.”
“Where did you find the cell phone?”
“Honestly, I figured it was already at the bottom of a lake somewhere. But when I was going through a box in her basement, I found it. And something else.”
“What?”
“Two small digital clocks. I recognized the brand. The same as the one we used to sell when I had my business.” He slipped them out of his shirt pocket. “This little device can record up to ten hours of video at a time. The SD card was still in her phone, so I was able to watch the videos she’d taken of Gabby and her clients.”
“No wonder,” I said, taking one in my hand.
“What?”
“A few days after Beth started working for me, she gave me these to put in the massage rooms. Said she’d gotten them for free and I could have them. I thought nothing of it, and put them in the rooms up on the shelves. Little did I know.”
“And you didn’t notice them missing this past week?”
“Honestly, no. It never even occurred to me. I forgot all about them. But why didn’t Gabby just destroy them? Why keep them in a box in her basement?”
“I’m guessing she never figured anyone would come looking for them. She was never a suspect in the investigation.”
“It’s no wonder we’d gotten so many sleazy guys calling our place. I never put two and two together.”
“Why would you? You trusted Gabby.” Max reached over, put his hand on my knee, and offered a tired smile. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I know Gabby was your friend, and this must be… so hard for you.”
“Not as hard as it’s been for you,” I said, covering his hand with mine. “By the way, can you call Melissa tonight and tell her what happened? She thought someone was in Beth’s room today, looking for something. It must have been Gabby. She must have found out where Beth and Melissa lived from our files. I wonder if she’d begun to worry that Beth might have planted other surveillance devices.”
Detective Flynn, who had been content to sit and listen intently to our exchange, got up. “Well, you must be relieved that it’s over. Of course, I’ll need an official statement from each of you so we can put this thing to rest.”
Of course.” Max said.
“By the way, I’m assuming you have a license for that pistol.”
“Yes I do, sir.”
“Good. Then just hang tight and we’ll wrap this up.”
He walked into the kitchen as we continued to sit on the couch, listening to the subdued voices of the police officers in the other room. Max sat close to me, holding my hand.
“You should probably call your family,” he said, finally breaking the silence.
“Yeah,” I relied, knowing they’d never believe the bizarre turn of events.
An hour or so later, Max walked me to my car. He rested a hand on my shoulder. “Go on home and get some rest, okay?” he said, running his other hand through a strand of my hair.
“I don’t know what to say, Max. I feel numb.” I leaned my forehead into his chest.
“I know exactly how you feel,” he said, caressing my back. “But take it from me, you’re going to get through it.”
“I wish a lot of things were different, you know?” I said, wondering if he knew what I really meant.
He leaned down and kissed my cheek, then slowly backed away.
“And I wish I could say that I hope things work out between you and your husband, but that would be a lie.”
I laughed softly.
“What about Carter?” I said. “Are you going to report him to the authorities?”
“What for? I don’t like him, but he’s just a guy trying to make a living. He never made Beth do anything she didn’t want to do.”
“Good point.” I said, “And what about you, Max? You sold your business. You solved your sister’s murder. Now what?”
He looked away and narrowed his eyes, as if searching for something to say.
“Maybe I’ll go on a little road trip with Marsha Brady. I have some money saved. Perhaps I’ll do what my parents wanted to do a couple of years ago.”
I wanted to say, “Take me with you,” but knew I wouldn’t go even if he asked.
“I think you should do it,” I said, taking his hand and rubbing the side of his arm. “Send me a postcard from somewhere.”
He nodded, smiled, and hugged me again, then turned and walked to his car.
Three weeks later
After Gabby’s death, I decided to close my business and take a much needed vacation. The shock was beginning to subside but I found myself unable to even step foot inside my office. I needed to distance myself. Mostly from the memories that haunted me.
Daniel was leaving on another business trip and I was actually looking forward to having the house to myself again.
I thought of calling Max on several occasions, but stopped myself every time I picked up the phone. What was the point? I had a husband and a son. What kind of mother would I be to run off with a younger man. Besides, I barely knew him. I decided it was best to put him out of my mind. If only it was that easy.
I sat at the kitchen table going through the mail I’d been neglecting. At the bottom of the pile was a small, square envelope in a mint green color addressed to me. There was no return address. I slid my pen under the flap and opened it. On the front of the card that I slid out of the envelope was a glossy photo of a golden retriever smiling with a perfect set of human teeth and the word CONGRATULATIONS, all upper case, below it. I’d seen cards like this at the pharmacy, and had always gotten a chuckle out of them. I opened it and read:
Dear Sarah,
Congratulations on your new job. It was so wonderful to see you a few weeks ago. I’ll be back in town on Friday and I hope you’ll join me again at the same place for lunch. I have some interesting things to tell you about. I do hope you’ll be able to make it.
Your cousin,
Greg
I read the letter several times. I thought I’d made it perfectly clear to Carter a few weeks ago that I wanted nothing to do with him and his ridiculous stunts. And why me, an average mother and wife with no skills whatsoever in his kind of “business?” What could I possibly do to help him? I chuckled as I thought how ridiculous I‘d look sneaking around spying on people.
“Ready to go, Sarah?” Daniel’s voice brought me back from my reveries.
“Yeah, I’m ready. I was just going through the mail,” I gathering everything together in a big heap and deposited it in the trash.
“What time does your flight leave?” I asked, grabbing the car keys.
“A few hours. You’ll have plenty of time to get me to the airport.”
“Wanna stop for lunch on the way?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
“You know, Sarah,” Daniel suggested, picking up his briefcase, “since you’re taking some time off from work anyway, why don’t you and Brian come to San Diego with me for a few days? You’ve no excuses this time, and Brian has no school this week because of Thanksgiving.”
After Gabby’s death, Daniel had been very attentive, even taking a few days off from work to help me get through the shock of what had happened. I suppose he was doing all the things I wished he’d done years ago. So why was I left with such a feeling of ambivalence towards him?
“Well, it’s very tempting,” I said. “And, I’m sure it would be good to get away for a few days. But . . . maybe next time.”
Daniel shrugged, and we walked out the door.
“Go on out to the car,”
I said. “I forgot something.” I ducked back into the house, went into the kitchen, and looked down at the card of the grinning dog staring up at me from the trash. I reached down and slipped it into my purse, just in case.
The end
An Appointment With Murder Page 11
