by Lonni Lees
“I thought we had an understanding. Don’t demean yourself.”
“I’m tired of understanding.”
Armando walked over to the bar and emptied the remainder of a bottle of champagne into a glass. He drained the glass, set it down hard and looked at his watch.
“Not now. This will wait until morning.”
“No, it won’t wait,” she said, moving towards him.
He shoved her.
“We need to talk now,” she demanded.
He shoved her harder and she reeled backwards and into the shelf that held his statues. Several of them fell and broke at her feet.
“You foolish gringa! Look what you have done.”
Barbara looked down at the broken figurines, bent over and lifted one, ready to apologize. White powder poured out of the broken statue and onto the floor. Armando turned as white as the powder.
“What is this?” She dampened her finger and ran it along the inside of the piece.
“What it is is no your business,” he said.
She touched her finger to her tongue and tasted it.
“How could you do this to me! How could you do this to the gallery?”
“Is no your business,” he repeated.
“Smuggling cocaine in those stupid little statues is none of my business? No wonder they sell! You could ruin me!”
Armando shoved her again, harder this time. Barbara had never been so angry as when he came at her once more, his fist raised. She turned and picked up the Gaia statue and held it over her head.
“Don’t come any closer. I’m warning you.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he said, laughing as he turned away.
* * * *
“I didn’t mean to kill him,” Barbara said. “I worked my whole life to build up The Mosaic Gallery and he was going to ruin everything. I couldn’t let that happen. I never wanted him dead, but he was. So I swept up and threw things into the neighbor’s trash bin.”
Adrian took her hand.
“You should have let me take the blame,” she said.
“You could be charged with withholding information,” said Maggie to Adrian.
“She didn’t know until yesterday.”
“And how long has Rocco La Crosse known?”
“He doesn’t know.”
“Your best friend? I find that hard to believe.”
“I couldn’t put him in that position.”
“Being?”
“Making the choice between supporting his friend or doing the right thing.”
Maggie looked at the two women. Barbara reached into her purse, pulled out a paper and handed it to Adrian.
“What is this?” Adrian asked.
“The gallery is yours now. Yours and Rocco’s.”
“But....”
“Don’t argue, I want you to have it.”
Maggie couldn’t help but feel touched.
It wasn’t often she saw such deep love and dedication.
“I’m not a lawyer and I can’t give legal advice,” said Maggie, “but this wasn’t First Degree Murder. Not by a long shot. Call it a crime of passion or even stretch it to self-defense. Get a good enough lawyer and he can probably plea it down from there.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” said Adrian.
And Maggie knew she would.
* * * *
Drops of rain fell on the blacktop as Detective Reardon walked across the parking lot to her car. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and punched in the number.
“Hello Rocco,” she said. “This is Maggie.” She raised her head and let the welcome rain wash against her face. “If you’re still interested, I’m ready for that cup of coffee.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lonni Lees has had several of her short stories published in Hardboiled Magazine, where she is a regular contributor. An award-winning writer, her stories have also appeared on ezines Yellow Mama, A Shot of Ink, Black Petals, Shotgun Honey, and Einstein’s Pocket Watch, as well as in the anthologies, Deadly Dames, More Whodunits, and Battling Boxing Stories. Her award-winning first novel, DERANGED, is published by Borgo Press.
She’s also received awards for her art, having illustrated books as well as the L.A. Mensa Journal. Her artwork accompanies several stories in Yellow Mama, A Shot of Ink, and Black Petals.
Lonni was twice selected as a Writer in Residence at Hedgebrook, a writers retreat for women on Whidbey Island in Washington State. She’s traveled to many countries and lived in several states and currently resides in Tucson, Arizona with her scientist husband, Jonathan and shows her art at a Tucson gallery. She’s currently working on two more novels and more short stories.
