by Diana Orgain
The ceremony got underway, and we both became quiet. A priest rose to speak and introduced Kelly’s uncle who provided the eulogy.
The uncle was well spoken, and he told some lovely stories that even managed to put a smile on Ryan’s face once or twice. But by the end of the service, Ryan was a complete mess.
The pastor returned to the front and informed everyone about how to line up for the funeral procession and said they would be leaving in about ten minutes.
Good, that gave me plenty of time to change Laurie.
As the room cleared, McNearny muttered to me, “You asked me about suspects –the groom is at the top of the list.”
“Hmmm...” I said. “I’m not so sure. He seems pretty in love and heartbroken to me. He hardly has a killer’s persona about him.”
“That’s why you won’t make it in this field,” McNearny said, with a back to business tone in his voice. “You want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Believe me, I’ve been at this long enough, they don’t deserve it,”
He flung this insult in my direction and proceeding to exit the room.
Oh, no –he’s not getting away with that chide comment!
I chased after him –Laurie on one hip and dragging the stroller behind me. I caught up to him out on the hall, on look at me and I know for certain he could see that I was seething.
“You don’t get to say something so rude and then just walk away.”
“I wasn’t being rude,” he argued. “If anything I was just giving you a piece of advice. Don’t write someone off as a potential suspect just because they seem too nice or they seemed to get along with the deceased.”
“You could have just said that, then!” I snapped. “Instead you make a snarly remark that’s it inevitable for me to fail.”
“You will fail if you keep it up like this,” he hissed.
My blood pressured skyrocketed, and Laurie sensing my distress let out an angry wail. McNearny took a step back as if he was afraid of us, then we all heard a giggle coming from the other side of the door Laurie and I had just backed him into.
McNearny looked at me quizzically, and I returned the gaze. He indicated for me to step back, as if reached for the door knob.
My pulsed quickened and I looked for the nearest exit. I didn’t want to encounter danger with Laurie in my arms, and in my mom-book anything unexpected counted as danger. But McNearny didn’t wait for my approval, he flung open, and the door and there was Ryan and Merida wrapped up in a tight embrace smacking their lips together.
It was like the universe just wanted to give McNearny a win today –to give him something that would allow him to give me that look I hated so much; I-told-you-so.
Maybe Ryan wasn’t so innocent after all.
Kelly’s not even in the ground yet!
The couple broke away from one another quickly.
“Get out!” Ryan exclaimed angrily.
McNearny flashed his badge at the two of them an insisted they speak privately about what he’d just witnessed.
Next thing I know, McNearny is closing the door behind him and giving me a smirk.
Whatever! He didn’t know I’d be interviewing Kelly’s entire group of friends and relatives the next day at the homeless dining experience.
I made my way out of the building toward the parking lot. As I approached my care, I heard Mrs. Lozano’s voice.
I stopped suddenly and looked around, she was just in front of me, around the corner of the building, out of sight.
“I know I said that, Olivia, but don’t bring it up to anyone,” Mrs. Lozano said.
“I was just wondering if you were relieved,” the older woman, who appeared to be a friend of Mrs. Lozano, asked.
“My son is devastated. Relieved is not the word I would use,” Mrs. Lozano said with a sigh. “But you’re right. I did not care too much for the blonde bimbo that was about to become my daughter in law. But to say I’m relieved, well, that is a bit harsh.”
“I know, I know. Poor choice of words, I guess.”
“I’d say so,” Mrs. Lozano said. “The parking at this cemetery is just awful, and I want to make sure my car is at the front of the line. Don’t want to have to walk just to watch them dump that little tramp onto a hole.”
Adrenaline pumped through my veins.
I finally found someone who didn’t like Kelly.
Mrs. Lozano turned and before she could see me, I darted to the parking lot, out of sight. I didn’t want to be busted for eavesdropping. McNearny had a badge, he could get away with asking questions at a funeral, but I feared I’d cause more trouble than it was worth to talk to Mrs. Lozano here.
I made quick time in changing Laurie’s diaper and somehow managed to get into the line of cars before they pulled off without me.
What had I learned? Mrs. Lozano didn’t like Kelly, but was that motive to kill her?
What about Ryan? Sure, seeing him locking lips with his ex at the funeral was a major red flag, but my instincts about him hadn’t really changed. I’d let McNearny go charging down that rabbit hole for the time being.
Once we reached the cemetery, I tried to get close to Mrs. Lozano, see if I could overhear any more juicy tidbits, but she was tight lipped, standing next to Kelly’s distract parents.
Then all of a sudden, Laurie let loose a loud, ear-splitting scream. The entire crowd to look at us.
Laurie didn’t stop crying. Her little hands flailing around and batting her eyes.
It took me a moment before I realized a bug had flown right into her eye.
Oh my!
A bug in my baby’s eye!
What about her vision?
The lady next to me handed me a tissue. It took me a moment, but I finally got the evil creature out of her and squished it for good measure.
Take that!
At this point Laurie had gotten really worked up and was still wailing while the preacher was trying his hardest to be heard.
I excused myself and took Laurie back to my car.
As a new mama you best believe I was on the phone with her pediatrician less than ten minutes later while discussing the safest brand of eye drops to use on an infant and whether or not rushing her to the ER would be an over-reaction on my part.
For the record, the pediatrician told me it would be.
Chapter Ten
The next day I pulled into the valet parking area of the Mark Hopkins Hotel. The landmark hotel at the crest of Nob Hill was breathtaking. Jim and I had spent our honeymoon night here and it was one of my favorite swanky hotels in all of San Francisco.
The hotel had been booked for Kelly and Ryan’s big day, but unable to be refunded on the catering, Kelly’s parents had decided to honor their daughter’s philanthropic spirit. Soon, shuttle buses would be arriving from the various homeless shelters in the area to provide a classy dining experience for people who’d probably not eaten this nice for a long time –possibly ever.
Just as I was about to get out of the car, I received a video message from Jim. It was Laurie, and she was doing that adorable baby babble thing again. For whatever reason, I imploded. I banged my fist on the steering wheel, slammed my phone down in the passenger’s seat.
I had missed it again!
Tears threatened.
I wanted to whip the car around and head straight home.
I snatched up my phone, ready to call Jim, but then I paused. Why was I so worked up? I mean, really? She was just babbling. She’d be babbling for a long time. I wasn’t missing her growing up. I was on an important assignment that could be the key to solving Kelly’s murder.
Not to mention I was on the clock and getting paid. I needed the money for her college fund!
“Ugh,” I moaned to myself.
The last time I was this up and down with my emotions, I was pregnant!
I took a few deep breaths and sent Jim a simple text, “awe, so cute!” because that is a normal reaction to your husband getting excited about something your d
aughter is doing.
Climbing out of my car, I was almost as assaulted by a woman rushing toward, nearly knocked me over in a ridiculous bear hug.
The woman, of course, was my dear mother.
“Mom” I exclaimed. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Why are you here? I thought you’d thrown your back out.”
My mom stood upright. “Oh, believe me, I can still hardly move my back. But I couldn’t resist the urge to hug you. I haven’t seen you in days!”
“I know. I’ve been busy, but why are you here?”
Galigani approached us. “We’re volunteers too,” he said.
“Check it out, Kate,” my mom said as she proudly puffed out her chest. “I’m undercover.” She winked at me as though she thought this was just hilarious.
A valet attendant made us way over to us and Galigani handed him his keys.
“I figure we can volunteer here and then later you and your ma can head over to Pampered to Death.” He reached into his blazer jacket and handed me an envelope.”Two complimentary, one hour massages for you ladies.”
Mom squeezed his arm. “Isn’t Albert so sweet to think of us?”
I nodded. I hadn’t planned on being gone so long from Laurie and Jim, and suddenly I felt overwhelmed with emotion.
“You mind if I borrow my mom for a moment to chat about something private?” I asked.
Galigani smiled. “That’s fine. I’ll meet you two ladies inside.”
Galigani wondered off, and Mom turned and looked at me like I was a little bankers.
“Everything okay, sweetie?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I’ve been really emotional this week,” I said. “Like more than usual. Is it normal for my hormones to still be out of whack? I mean, Laurie is five months old now. I should be back into the swing of things by now, right? But I almost had a mental breakdown because of a cute video Jim sent me. Then when Galigani mentioned the massages—”
“It’s not that time of the month, is it?” she asked me.
“No, mom,” I groaned.
Wait, was it?
I’d really not gotten back into the swing of things—like keeping track of my monthly cycle. I laughed at myself, realizing I’d probably been acting so loopy because my monthly call of mother nature was just around the corner.
I gave my keys to the valet attendant and Mom and I we entered the amazing lobby of the Mark Hopkins. The lobby was adored with crystal chandeliers and velvet armchairs. We were immediately ushered into the Room of the Dons Banquet hall.
Mom gasped at the nine beautiful mural decorating the room. The murals depict the legend of Queen Califa and the early history of California.
Mom turned to me. “This room is amazing.”
I agreed, my heart sinking at the thought of what Kelly had missed. There were gorgeous floral arrangements graced every table, yet, all I felt was empty. The room would have lit up with Kelly’s smile and I imagined what a beautiful bride she would have made.
A young man, whom I later found out would have been Ryan’s best man, approached us. He gave us instructions on where on how we would be running things that day, and soon the event was underway.
There were cameras present as the press wanted to cover the story. The volunteer work was quite easy, essentially, the wait staff at the Mark Hopkins were in charge of everything. All the volunteers had to do was roam and great guest. It was a perfect cover for me to interview some potential suspects.
After what I’d overheard at the funeral, Mrs. Lozano was at the top of my list. I cornered her by one of the exits and asked politely to talk.
“As you probably know, Ms. North has hired me to look into Kelly’s case,” I began. “And after what I overheard you saying at Kelly’s funeral, I have some concerns I would like to address.”
Mrs. Lozano’s face flushed. “Yes, well, what exactly did you hear me saying?”
I’d caught her off guard. That was a good thing.
“You made one comment at the funeral home about dumping the tramp into a hole, and it was evident you were speaking of Kelly. Your friend asked you if you felt relieved, so I presume you didn’t care to much for her.
Mrs. Lozano let loose a long sigh. “Okay, you’re right. I never liked Kelly. I always thought my son could do better. But honestly, what mother does not think that about every woman her son brings home? But I assure you that if my son was happy, then so was I. Kelly made Ryan happy. In the end, that’s really all that matters to me. I probably would have chosen someone else for my son, but that is not up to me. I certainly did not want this for my son. He is devastated. I should not have said what you heard me say at Kelly’s funeral. It was insensitive of me. I have always been uncomfortable at funerals, and making light of the situation just made me feel better about the whole ordeal. Honestly, I’m just hoping you’re the only one who heard me speaking that way. I would be mortified if my son or one of Kelly’s parents had heard me jabbering like that.”
She seemed sincere, but McNearny was right when he had told me to not let myself write anyone off.
“Mrs. Lozano...” I hesitated with my next question, but I knew it needed to be asked. “Were you aware that Ryan has been having an affair with Merida?”
Whoa!
Based on her reaction, I shouldn’t have asked.
Her face turned beat red and it looked as if smoke were about to come out of her ears. Her lips became an angry red line, and she marched past me.
I followed.
Ryan was serving a table when Mrs. Lozano reached him, yanking him back by his ear with such force that he dropped the plate he was carrying. I followed them out into the hall and proceeded to act as a witness to what would have been considered child abuse if Ryan had not been a grown man.
Pretty sure at this point it would just be called an assault.
She screamed at him in Italian, and every time he dared to open his mouth she popped him in the jaw with an open palm.
And I thought my mother was crazy.
“Why would you cheat on that sweet girl?” Mrs. Lozano said, at last shouted something in English.
“I didn’t cheat on her!” Ryan yelped. “I was just lost control at the funeral,” he sobbed.
Once Mrs. Lozano settled down, she told her son to return to the event and that they would discuss his behavior later. He returned to the ballroom like a dog who had just received a beating with a newspaper.
“Ryan has no idea you didn’t like Kelly, does he?” I asked.
“No, he does not,” she said. “I already told you. If Ryan was happy, then so was I.”
Chapter Eleven
The event continued with little interruption, and when things started to settle down I managed to pull Brittany, Kelly’s maid of honor, aside.
Brittany was quiet a character. She was twenty four and still talked like a high school valley girl. Everything she said, even if she was making a statement or some sort of declaration, sounded like a question with the way her voice fluctuated the end of her sentences.
Not to mention her left her mouth opened every time she finished speaking as if she’d someone had hit a pause button and froze her.
Thinking back to our first meeting at the spa, she certainly didn’t sound that way. Brittany may well be the only person I have ever met who actually sounded more intelligent when she was intoxicated.
I pulled her aside in a corner of the large ballroom, away from prying ears. “I don’t know if you are aware,” I began once I had her alone. “But Jane North, the spa owner, has hired me as a private investigator for Kelly’s case.”
“Really? That’s so sweet of her to do,” Brittany said with a slight hint of perk. “Kelly deserves justice. She was my best friend. Obviously, since I was supposed to be her maid of honor. She didn’t deserve this.”
“I was hoping I could ask you some questions that could help in my investigation?”
“Of course!” Brittany exclaimed. “Anything for Kelly.”
“Could you start by telling me a little more about Kelly?” I asked.
“Totally,” Brittany said and smiled sadly. “She was a such a sweetheart. We met while volunteering at a local animal shelter. Not going to lie to you, I was only there because it was a requirement for a club I was in back in high school, and this really cute boy...” She caught herself digressing and waved an hand. “Never mind about that. Kelly was there because she totally loved animals. We hit it off, and we’d been friends ever since.”
“Kelly sure did have her hands in a lot of volunteer work,” I said. “She sounds like a saint.”
“Oh, you have no idea. That was the one downside to being friends with her. I know that sounds just awful, but when we were teenagers I would have rather spent my weekends shopping or chasing boys around, you know? She always pulled me into whatever new gig she had going. Volunteering at zoos, homeless shelters, soup kitchen, toy drives, bake sales, you name it. Kelly was pulled into whatever sad story motivated her to do something.”
A tears formed in Brittany’s eyes and she finally closed her mouth looking for a tissue.
I grabbed a napkin from the nearest table and handed it Brittany.
Kelly sounded like such a sweet girl with perhaps one of the biggest heart of anyone I’d ever heard of. She knew what it meant to be a good person, and she owned every bit of it. It made me want to solve this case even faster for her.
“Okay, now for a rougher question. I know we have a tendency to over-romanticize people who have left us, but was there something -anything -about Kelly that could have caused her to have enemies?”
“If there was, I wouldn’t know,” Brittany said. “Kelly was an inspiration to me. Someone everyone looked up to.”
“What about Mrs. Lozano?” I asked. “Are you aware that there was some animosity there between her and Kelly?”
Brittany laughed slightly. “Well, yeah. Kelly was pretty aware of it. She always would make side comments to her.”
“Do you know why?”
“I think it had a lot to do with Kelly and Ryan sleeping together before they were married. Mrs. Lozano found out about that and apparently accused Kelly of tainting her precious son.” She rolled her eyes and let her mouth hang open. After a moment, she said. “But the two of them have gotten along a lot better ever since Kelly and Ryan got engaged. Mrs. Lozano started making an actual effort to get along with Kelly, and Kelly was quick to forgive,” Brittany explained.
