Closet Confidential

by Maffini, Mary Jane

  19

  Every spring and fall, take everything out of your closet and set aside items to toss, sell, or donate. Pack the clothing you won’t need for six months in labeled containers.

  As much as I’d been avoiding Connor Tierney, I was sure glad to see him and his pounding feet this time. I had an emotional wave of relief, which was understandable but not convenient. A large part of that relief was because none of the officers had shot Nick Monahan. He was just lucky they hadn’t known which room we were in and had checked out the downstairs before thundering up.

  “Don’t think these are tears,” I said to Tierney. “I’m suffering from spring allergies.”

  “Who asked?” Tierney said. He had led the charge up the stairs, a couple of armed uniformed officers following behind, weapons drawn. He also switched on the lights and took a hard look out the open window through which Nick had apparently catapulted.

  Tierney turned back from the open window and said, “Who went out there? Was that Nick?”

  I opened my mouth but no sound came out. But I knew I had to tell him the truth. “Yes.”

  “Where did he go?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Tierney shot me a poisonous look. “Did you arrange to meet him here?”

  “What? Of course not.”

  “It sure looks that way. You made sure the officer on guard didn’t see you. You didn’t turn the lights on. Why was that?”

  “I didn’t want a hassle about being here, if you must know. Pepper asked me to get her a few things.”

  “She didn’t have her keys. I was dropping them off tomorrow.”

  I decided to brazen it out. I didn’t want to be hauled into the cop shop. It had been a bad enough day. “That’s a long time to wait for a toothbrush.”

  “Where’s the toothbrush?”

  “What?”

  “You said you were getting Pepper’s toothbrush.”

  “Haven’t had a chance to get anything yet. There was someone in the house, remember? I didn’t know it was Nick when I heard him come up the stairs, so I hid in this closet. But I’d better get her stuff now.”

  As I headed to Pepper’s room, Tierney followed. “Are you sure you don’t know where Nick went?”

  “I wish I did,” I said. That was true, too. But at least I could tell Pepper he was alive and pass on the bizarre story of the message to meet him. I had to tell Tierney, too. I relayed Nick’s tale about being tricked into going to the storage area in the industrial park and knocked out and having his squad car stolen.

  The young officer popped his head into the room at that moment. From the look on his face, neither he nor Tierney was buying Nick’s version of what had happened. They exchanged glances, and I felt like a dope. If Tierney hadn’t been there, I would have asked the young cop his opinion of Nick’s possible guilt, but I didn’t want to do that with those icy blue eyes watching.

  I said, “I’m passing it along, but for the record, I don’t find it any harder to believe than the theory that Nick would attack Pepper.” I located a small rolling suitcase in Pepper’s closet and picked out toothpaste and other basics from her en suite. I couldn’t tell who owned which toothbrush, so I decided to buy a fresh one for Pepper. I rustled up a pretty nightgown and a change of clothing, including underwear. I assumed she wouldn’t be able to shampoo, and I tried to find hair products that would help. I took my time picking out a flattering outfit. I figured Pepper would be coming home soon and it might cheer her up to have her clothing ready to go. I added a photo of Little Nick to the lot. I tried not to think about where Nick would be in that little family.

  Tierney watched me as I worked. I tried to ignore him as I moved on to Little Nick’s bedroom. The room was better furnished than most people’s living rooms, with bird’s-eye maple crib, dresser, and changing table as well as a matching rocking chair with a cushioned seat. I got my bearings and gathered up a few extra items I thought Jack might need until Pepper got out of the hospital. Of course, while I can pick out what a woman would want in the hospital, I wasn’t so sure I got all the right stuff for Little Nick. I took a package of diapers and some little outfits. I stepped over to the crib and picked up the blanket and a giraffe and a blue cow. They must have been favorites to get the prime crib real estate.

  Tierney said, “I can tell when you’re lying. Your eyes move the wrong way.”

  Another thing to worry about, the way my eyes moved. Lucky for me I was telling the truth. I couldn’t even guess where Nick had gone. I slumped on the rocking chair and blurted out, “Fine, arrest me. Ruin my night. I don’t know where Nick is. Let me take this stuff to Pepper first.”

  Tierney glanced behind him, but his uniforms had headed off to search the foundation shrubs and backyard for Nick before fanning out into the neighborhood. “It doesn’t look good for me, either, you know, to be dating someone who gets arrested.”

  I said peevishly, “It was only one date. You didn’t call me back, remember?”

  “I had a good reason, which you know, and there was almost a second date, although fate seems to be conspiring against it.” Tierney sighed, then said, “So where has he been?”

  “Didn’t get that far. He never said. He is totally stressed out. He said not to let anyone kill Pepper.”

  “Why would anyone want to kill Pepper?”

  “Let me remind you that someone did try to kill Pepper. I was about to explore that idea with him and was trying to get him to turn himself in. I was making progress until you kicked in the door and came thundering up the stairs and he went flying out the window.”

  “Where did he—?”

  “I have no idea. That is true, so stop badgering me.”

  “He didn’t give any clue?”

  “Well, I can tell you that wherever he’s been, they didn’t have a shower. I think he wanted to come home and get showered and change into some clean clothes. He sure didn’t smell great.”

  “Did he get any clean clothing?”

  I looked around and didn’t see articles of clothing lying around. “He picked out some clothing, but I couldn’t make out what.”

  Tierney said, “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it? You should try cooperating with the authorities more often.”

  “If you weren’t so difficult, maybe I would. The main thing is that he couldn’t have attacked Pepper if he was knocked out behind the storage units.”

  Tierney laughed a bit longer than was absolutely necessary. “I can’t believe you fell for that one.”

  “I believe him.”

  “Who could have known that was a special place for them? Who would have known his number? Who would have—”

  “Are you kidding? Nick has such a big mouth. I think every one of my friends knew about that spot. We all knew about Bakker Beach, too. We all grew up together here in Woodbridge. There aren’t many well-kept secret make-out spots among teenagers.”

  “Maybe one of your friends was involved.”

  “You can forget that idea. By the way, if you guys hadn’t splintered the door, Nick wouldn’t have jumped out the window and I might have found out something useful. I can’t believe that you think—”

  “Stop saying that.”

  “What?”

  “That we splintered the door.”

  “Well, you did. You didn’t yell a warning, either.”

  “We didn’t.”

  “But I distinctly heard that back door being broken down.”

  Tierney shrugged. “We heard that, too, and that’s why we rushed the house. I took the back, and I can tell you that door had already been kicked open.”

  “But I used keys and I locked it behind me. Nick must have had an extra set. Most people do. Anyway, he was already upstairs with me, and we both heard the door being kicked in. I thought it took you long enough to get upstairs.”

  Tierney stared at me, apparently not quite ready to accept this latest revelation.

  I said, “But that means there was someone else in th
e house. Someone who was following Nick perhaps. Or me. It could be the person who attacked Pepper.”

  “I doubt that was the case.”

  I said, “Well, I realize you think Nick attacked her, but I don’t. Plus I know what I heard here. And if that intruder didn’t go out the back or the front door, then he might still be here. That’s the person who’s after Nick and who injured Pepper.”

  He glowered at me and left the room to call out to the uniformed officers. I could hear him instructing them where to look. I thought I heard him say, “Humor her,” but I could have been wrong. I was glad he’d left the room, because I hadn’t given up on the idea that, like all of us, Nick would have some secret in his closet. And I’d had an idea of a good place for Nick to stash something. I stuck my hands into the pockets of his spare uniform and came up with a small rectangle of paper, thickly folded. I slipped it into my own pocket and went to find Tierney again. I’d already decided I’d fill him in if it proved relevant to the investigation, but not if it turned out to be some kind of confession or private note to Pepper.

  Call me sentimental.

  When I bumped into Tierney, he announced that the search showed no one hiding in the house. I said, “Tell me, how did you know I was here?” I didn’t mention that I’d been careful to dodge the squad car out front on my second visit.

  “We got a call.”

  “Really? From whom?”

  “Apparently someone called 911 and said there was a break-in. Must have been a neighbor. Of course, we had a uniform keeping an eye, and he figured Nick must have gotten into the house. And look at that, we nabbed you instead.”

  “Just lucky,” I said. “So no idea exactly who called 911?”

  “I don’t have any idea, but if I did, guess what?”

  “Well, only a minute or two elapsed between the splintering of the back door and your arrival. So it couldn’t have been that 911 call.”

  “Charlotte, let me make this clear. You are not a detective. I am. You should stop looking for clues and perpetrators and let us do our job without interfering. Do you understand that? I hope so, because I mean it.”

  “No need to be nasty,” I said.

  There was no more talk of dates, and that was fine by me as I left, head as high as I could hold it, rolling the suitcase behind me. As I walked through the front door this time, one of the cops shouted out from the back of the house. “Looks like whoever it was got the security tapes. Didn’t want to leave an image of himself.” I wasn’t sure which cop was talking. I wondered briefly if Nick had taken the tape. After all, what did he have to lose by being on the tape? No, my money was on someone else.

  Tierney was right behind me. The key jingling was truly annoying by this time. I had just opened my mouth to suggest that the tape must have been taken by the person who kicked the door in, when he said, “By the way, did Nick have his cell phone with him?”

  I blinked. “Yes, it rang and when he saw it was you, he turned it off.”

  He said, “So he has that phone? Good. We have evidence that a text was sent from Nick’s phone to Pepper’s twenty-five minutes before you found her at Bakker Beach. That’s about enough time for her to drive out there, get attacked, and have you arrive. Still think Nick didn’t have anything to do with that?”

  Of course, there was no way to get into Pepper’s hospital room at that time of night. And it was too late to bring back Rose’s car and collect the Matrix. I drove home, tired and worried. To my surprise, Jack was heading up my staircase with Little Nick in tow. “We’ve been watching the full moon in the backyard until the little dude fell asleep. It was awesome.”

  The baby’s eyes popped open at the sound of Jack’s voice.

  “We dropped off to see the little dude’s mom, didn’t we fella?” Jack said.

  “How is she?”

  “Glad to see us. And maybe not quite herself.” Jack paused. “Little dude reacted a bit to her face. Those injuries were horrible. How could anyone do that to Pepper?”

  “I have no idea how. Or who.”

  “Did you know she’s trying to make sure someone locates her parents to tell them not to come to town? I can’t imagine doing that.”

  “Think back, Jack. It will all make sense. Contrast your wonderful childhood and her horrible one.”

  For the first time, I asked myself if that was why Pepper valued Nick: He didn’t hit her, he didn’t physically intimidate her or put her down. He was no prize, but maybe he was what she needed. But what do I know?

  Jack said, “Oh right. I guess it’s hard to understand what it was like to grow up in her family.”

  “Yes, and by the way, you have some kind of green baby food in your hair,” I said helpfully. “I’m not sure that’s a good look for you.”

  “All part of the package.”

  “What package?”

  “The practice daddy package. Babies are complicated. I think I needed more training, but we’re keeping afloat. Aren’t we, little dude?”

  The child did seem happy enough. But how long would that last? I wondered if Jack would be cured of his baby fantasies by the time Pepper got home.

  I said, “I ordered pizza. You need to keep your strength up if you’re going to keep doing this.”

  “Why wouldn’t I keep doing it? I love this little dude, and it’s mutual, in a nonverbal way. I’m here as long as he needs me. I rearranged CYCotics to make it a bit more baby friendly.”

  “Huh,” I said.

  “And I thought of a new product line.”

  “What?”

  “You know if I had one of those baby trailers for my bike I could take the little dude to work without stuffing him into the car. So I ordered them for the shop.”

  “Let me repeat. Huh. Oh wait, there’s more. If Pepper ever got wind of you driving her baby through the streets of Woodbridge in a canvas-sided conveyance on the back of a bike, you would have to find Nick and join him in hiding. I would then have to start hoping that you were alive, too. Don’t you think I have enough to worry about already, Jack?”

  “I’ll let you worry about that. I’m going to try to attract young parents in, try the family promotion. Expand a bit from the racing and mountain-biking crowd. It still needs work, but we’ll get there.”

  Luckily the pizza arrived and ended that conversation. I told myself that tomato sauce was a vegetable and anchovies were fish and so Jack and I were on the right track. I watched Jack reading to Little Nick from one of my shoe catalogues. He was making up a pretty good tale about Mr. and Mrs. Shoe and all the little sneakers. I let my mind wander. Truffle and Sweet Marie had gone from apprehensive to jealous to bitter and were ignoring me, although I was totally available to them. My mind drifted back to Pepper. How had it come to be that we had her baby in my apartment in the care of the two most unparent-like adults I could imagine? And even more worrisome, what would happen to Pepper? What had happened to her? And on a less important note, what were all those photos of me about?

  I reminded myself not to dwell on the box in Jack’s so-called closet. I had bigger issues to worry about.

  Eventually Jack conked out on the sofa, which came as no surprise. Little Nick fell asleep beside him and didn’t wake up when I placed him gently in his portable crib, safe from any territorial behavior by the pooches. I placed myself in the bathtub with a large capful of jasmine-scented bath salts and a new mix on the iPod. I tried to let the strains of the day slip away.

  I should have known better. Lounging in the bathtub always triggers buried thoughts. Sure enough, they rose to the surface. Pepper was so badly injured, it was highly unlikely she could have locked the doors of the Edge. The person hit her but didn’t shoot her. Why? Crime of passion? Impulse? Or just didn’t have a gun? How had the person gotten close to her in the first place if it wasn’t Nick? Was Nick right, that the purpose of this attack was to get Pepper? If so, I figured there was a second purpose and that was to frame Nick for the attack. I had no clue who would want to fra
me Nick, but I was pretty sure that same person had kicked in the door of Pepper and Nick’s house. I couldn’t imagine any woman I’d ever met striking Pepper that way. And most women wouldn’t have the physical strength to kick in that door. But this was playing the odds. I had no idea who the attacker was. But this would-be killer knew Pepper and Nick and must have had something to gain by harming one or both. An angry husband perhaps? Someone who might want revenge for one of Nick’s poaching parties? I couldn’t rule this out. Or a criminal? There would be great satisfaction in bringing down two members of Woodbridge’s foremost police families. Something else struck me: That person saw me arrive at Bakker Beach and stole my car. Did he or she think that I might be a witness? My address was on my documents in the glove compartment. Was I in danger, too? In that case, was Jack? Or Little Nick? What should I do about that?

  I glanced at the clock. Should I mention this latest series of brain waves to Connor Tierney? It was close to midnight by this time. How would he interpret a phone call from me? And would he take it seriously? Or would he have it all figured out by this point?

  I got out of the bath less relaxed than I went in. Jack was still snoring on the sofa, and I didn’t want to wake him up, although that’s not so easy to do at the best of times.

  I prepared my To Do list for the next day and then chose my outfit for the morning, making sure it would be practical enough for Wendy’s project yet sufficiently elegant for the Beauchamps and—though I hated to plan for it—also suitable for television, in case I made Todd Tyrell’s news and commentary. I picked charcoal pants instead of a skirt, a fine cotton cardigan in cream, and a pair of medium heels in bronze with gladiator details.

  I exfoliated my face, took care of toothies, slathered on body lotion, straightened up the living room (not including Jack and Little Nick), and found myself wide awake. I have a personal rule about not working at night, a holdover from my former job where that was the normal state of affairs. So no work. I looked around for something that needed dealing with. My apartment consists of a living room, a spacious bedroom, which includes a small office space, a tiny galley kitchen, and a vast bathroom. I am only one person and I keep it under control.