Murder at Le Bijou Bistro

by Dianne Harman

  DeeDee was getting more confused by the second. “What’s this Knight woman got to do with you, Al?”

  “She’s an ex of Al’s,” Cassie said, “who’s been bothering him ever since she found out we got married. She was one of the persons of interest in the death of Megan Reilly that Al was following up on.”

  “I’m pretty sure we can rule her out,” Al said, “although accordin’ to Briana’s appointment book, she was due to meet Kitten yesterday mornin’. I can find out if that meetin’ went ahead easily enough. If it did, she could be one of the last people to have seen Briana.”

  DeeDee felt a hard object underneath the pile of papers she was looking through. Moving some magazine clippings and unopened envelopes out of the way, she uncovered an iPad. Raising it in the air, she looked over to Cassie with a smile. “Look what I just found.”

  Cassie’s face broke into a grin. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  DeeDee nodded excitedly. “Yes.” She started tapping. When she looked back up at Cassie and Al, her eyes were dancing. “We’re in business. Briana has installed the Find My iPhone app on her iPad. This should give us an exact location of her phone.”

  Cassie and Al came over to the table beside DeeDee, who was activating the search function. Nothing happened.

  “It’s not working,” DeeDee said, burying her head in her hands. “If Briana’s device is out of battery power or without a network or Wi-Fi coverage, it won’t connect.”

  “We can get her phone company to run a trace on the phone,” Al said. “DeeDee, were there any phone records in that pile of paperwork?”

  “Yes, I think so. Let me find them.”

  “Stop,” Cassie said, her finger tapping the iPad tablet screen. “It’s…it’s connecting. There must an intermittent signal on Briana’s end. That suggests she’s somewhere remote. Quick, get the directions while I try and get her on the line again.” Cassie thrust the device at DeeDee and she reached for her cell phone.

  DeeDee’s eyes widened. “We’ve got a location. Briana’s on Orcas Island. I’ve got the GPS coordinates for the exact location on the island. I’ll let Jake know. Shall we go?” She looked up only to discover that Al and Cassie were already heading for the door.

  CHAPTER 17

  Ashley Simmons picked the heavy laundry basket up off of the floor of Shell’s Laundromat and tipped its contents into the industrial size washing machine. It was just after 10:00 a.m., and it was her fourth large wash load of the day. She slammed the door shut and put the machine on the hot water setting before moving onto the next basket, repeating the procedure all over again.

  “That’s a pretty big sigh for a Friday morning” Shelly, her boss, said as she looked up from the counter where she was counting a pile of coins that had been emptied out of the machines. “Cheer up, it’s payday. Have any big plans for the weekend?”

  Ashley’s shoulders sagged, and she shook her head. “Nope. I was going to ask if you wanted me to work tomorrow. I could kind of use the money.”

  Shelly bagged the last of the coins and locked them in the safe under the counter, before coming out to help Ashley. “Is everything all right, Ash? I’m worried about you. You’ve been down lately, and I hate to see you looking so unhappy. Why don’t you tell Auntie Shell all about it, huh?”

  Ashley handed Shelly one end of a bed sheet and they started to fold it. Ashley felt Shelly’s kind eyes on her, and she wished her mother cared for her even a fraction of what Shelly did. In the two years Ashley had worked at the laundromat, Shelly had been more of a mother figure to her than Jessica had been her entire life.

  It was several long moments before Ashley spoke. “Jackson and I broke up last night,” she said eventually.

  They were interrupted by a customer who was having trouble operating one of the dryer machines. “I put my money in, but it’s not working,” said a hostile young man wearing a hooded jacket pulled up over his head.

  Ashley, being used to dealing with challenging customers, smiled at him tightly. “Let me help you with that, sir,” she said, going over to the machine and sizing up the situation. “I think you forgot to put the money in,” she said in an even voice.

  The youth turned towards Ashley. “You callin’ me a liar?” he asked. He jutted his chin out and sneered at her.

  “Of course not.” She stared coldly back at him, and entered the code for the free setting on the machine. The drum started to spin around. “There you go, sir.”

  The youth smirked and walked outside where Ashley saw him light up a hand-rolled cigarette. She walked back over to Shelly, who had finished folding the basket of clean laundry and was waiting for Ashley to return.

  “What happened with Jackson?” Shelly sat on the wooden bench, and patted the seat beside her. “Sit, Ash.”

  Ashley did as she was instructed. “I caught him stealing my money again,” she mumbled, staring at the floor. “It disappears as quick as I earn it. I told him I’d had enough, and to get a job and pay me back, or to get out.”

  Shelly bent her head down and looked across at Ashley. “What did he say?”

  Eyes turned downward, Ashley kicked the floor with her scuffed tennis shoe. “A lot of nasty stuff that I won’t repeat. It was mostly the usual sort of insults he likes to throw around, about me being worthless, and that I’d be nothing without him.”

  “Hmm. I hope you set him straight about that”

  Ashley looked up and met Shelly’s eye, a shy smile crossing her face. “Yes, for once I did. I don’t know what happened, but something in me snapped, and I let him have it with both barrels. I told him he had it all backwards. I told him he was holding me back, and I wanted more out of my life than to be stuck with a loser like him. I told him to leave and to never come back.”

  “How did that make you feel?” Shelly said.

  Ashley shrugged. “It felt good at first. He thought I wasn’t serious and that I’d calm down, but when I stuffed his things in a drawstring duffel bag and threw them out the door, he got the message. He started to sweet-talk me and begged me to reconsider. When I told him no, he turned nasty again. Now it’s over, and I’m sad, lonely and a little bit scared.”

  Shelly brushed Ashley’s hair out of her eyes. “Ash, you’re what…twenty-two?”

  Ashley nodded.

  “You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Don’t let anyone drag you down, or tell you you’re not good enough. Sleazy manipulators like Jackson prey on women with low self-esteem. They’re bullies, and they take advantage of vulnerable people. I’m proud of you, Ash, for standing up to him like that. It’s the first step in taking back control of your life. What did your mom say when you told her?”

  “I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning,” Ashley said. “I stopped by like I always do, and she turned on me. I’m not sure what’s going on with her at the moment, but she was worse than usual. She was really angry, ranting that she never got a break and how everything in life was always against her, even when she had it all planned out. Somehow, she thinks her problems are all my fault. And my dad’s, of course. I just didn’t feel like stopping by today.”

  “I’m sorry your mother hurt you like that,” Shelly said. “May I suggest something, and will you think it over?”

  Ashley hesitated before replying. She trusted Shelly, but if it was going to be something about patching things up with Jessica, Ashley didn’t want to know. Between her mom and Jackson, she’d taken enough abuse to last a long time. “I guess,” she said eventually. “It won’t hurt me to hear what you have in mind.”

  Shelly went over to the counter and opened the till, taking out a handful of bills. “I want you to take this money. It’s your pay and then some. Use it to get away for a while.”

  “Shell, I—”

  Shelly raised her hand to stop Ashley. “Wait, I haven’t finished. Call it a loan. Take some time to think about what you really want, Ash, and how you can make that happen. I’m here to help you in any way I can.
If you decide you want to go to community college, you can work your shifts here around that. Please, let me help you. I can afford it. I won’t go into it now, but someone helped me a long time ago, and as the saying goes, I’m paying it forward. You can do the same someday, once you get on your feet.”

  Ashley’s eyes welled up. “Are you sure? No one’s ever been this kind to me before.”

  Shelly’s face broke into a grin. “Sure, I’m sure.” She waved the money at Ashley. “Quick, take it before I change my mind. Do you have somewhere to go, and someone to take you?”

  Ashley nodded. She self-consciously approached Shelly, who gave her the cash.

  “Thank you,” Ashley whispered, stuffing the rolled-up bills in the pocket of her jeans and taking her backpack from under the counter. She hugged Shelly who smoothed Ashley’s hair and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

  “Get out of here,” Shelly said, picking up a laundry basket full of dirty clothes. “That’s an order, okay?”

  “I’m going,” Ashley grinned, pushing past the scowling youth in the hoodie who was loitering in the doorway, and stepping into the sunlight outside.

  *****

  There was only one place Ashley had ever known happiness, and she didn’t get to go there very often. As a child she’d spent many summers on Orcas Island, when her parents were still together, and her mother used to smile. It was the largest of the San Juan Islands and was located about a hundred miles north of Seattle. In order to get there one drove to Anacortes and then took the ferry to Eastsound on Orcas Island.

  She still had fond memories of playing in the woods beside her grandparents’ cabin, or on the beach until dusk with Dexter, her friend whose family lived on the island year-around. Dexter had long since moved away, but her family’s cabin was still there, untouched by time. Ashley’s mother had kept it after her divorce from Pat, since it was her separate property.

  Ashley didn’t know if her mother was aware she still visited there on occasion, the last time having been with Jackson the year before. Jackson had complained the whole time they were there about the cabin being too remote and not fitted out with modern conveniences like Wi-Fi or a smart TV set. Since watching television and playing video games were Jackson’s favorite pastimes, in his opinion there was nothing to do on Orcas, and the place was beyond boring. Looking out of the window at the cars they were speeding past on Interstate 5, Ashley wished she’d dumped Jackson back then, instead of suffering another year of his slovenly ways.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” said the voice beside her, and she turned and smiled at the driver, her friend Sam.

  “I was just thinking that what I love about Orcas is exactly what Jackson hated. The slow pace of life, talking to people instead of being connected to devices 24/7, and being close to nature. Thanks for taking me, Sam. I really appreciate it.”

  Sam’s freckled face beamed back at her. “I’d drive you to the end of the earth if it meant getting you away from that low-life. You’ve no idea how happy I was when I got your call. Are you sure you’re going to be all right there by yourself, or do you want me to come across on the ferry with you?”

  Ashley stared at Sam, and wished she could feel the same way about him that he seemed to feel about her. They’d first met when they were both in detention hall in high school. Ashley had forgotten her homework, and Sam had been caught skipping school to attend a band rehearsal. The rock band he formed, Meteor, went on to Billboard chart success and had even toured with Bruce Springsteen. Ginger-haired Sam was rich, charming, and had groupies throwing themselves at him, but as he often reminded her, he only had eyes for Ashley. Sometimes she caught herself wondering what it would be like to be with Sam as more than a friend, but the thought of jeopardizing their friendship had always held her back from acting on it.

  “Thanks, I think I’ll be fine,” Ashley said. “Let’s meet up when I get back.” She checked herself, in case he got the wrong idea. “We can go to lunch or something.”

  Sam’s eyes widened, and his smile grew broader, if that was possible. He began to sing the chorus of his band’s latest hit. “Only got eyes for you, babe, don’t you know it. If you like me too, babe, you never show it.”

  Ashley giggled. “Sam, you’re so cheesy.”

  “I wrote it for you, you know that, don’t you, Ashley?”

  “Yeah, right. We’re at Anacortes, and it looks like I’ll make the next ferry crossing to Orcas. By the way, this new car of yours is pretty fast. What’s it called again?”

  Sam rolled his eyes. “A Porsche, Ashley, a Porsche Cayenne.” He stared at her long enough for her face to flush. “I did, you know. The song, I mean. When are you going to give me a chance, Ash? How about letting me in, instead of keeping me out?”

  Ashley chewed on her lower lip. Being with Sam was so easy. She hadn’t thought about Jackson or her mother once since she’d left Shell’s and called Sam and asked him if he could pick her up. Maybe it was time she stopped making life difficult for herself by hanging out with mean people who put her down all the time.

  “Can I think it over?” she said softly. “My head’s all over the place right now. I know you’re one of the good guys, Sam, but I don’t want to hurt you.” She waved her arm up and down. “Quick, turn left at the Safeway market. The ferry terminal’s down that way.”

  Sam checked his rearview mirror and changed lanes to make a left turn. After he’d parked at the ferry terminal, he got Ashley’s backpack out of the trunk, and opened the passenger door for her. “Take all the time you need,” he said, kissing her forehead when she got out. “Call me when you’re ready to leave, and I’ll come and get you, all right?”

  Ashley nodded, and dumbly watched Sam get back in the car and drive slowly away. She waved to him, but he was too far away to see her. On the ferry, she wondered why she felt worse about Sam leaving just now than she had about Jackson leaving the night before. So many thoughts were going through her mind that she was in a world of her own on the Washington State Ferry boat trip, as well as on the taxi ride to the cabin.

  “Staying long?” the taxi driver asked her as the car bumped along the potholes on the gravel road through the woods.

  She realized she hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “A few days, maybe longer,” she said, smiling. “I’ll see how it goes.” Ashley wondered how long the food she’d brought with her in her backpack would last.

  When she’d paid the taxi driver, and the car had turned back down the gravel road the way it had come, Ashley walked around behind the cabin to the old painted tin shed and opened the latch on the door. There was nothing of value in there, just some wood blocks and tools for the garden. She reached her hand inside the flowerpot sitting on the end of the shelf, and found what she was looking for. Her mother didn’t know she kept a key hidden there, and Ashley had purposely chosen to never mention it.

  The lock creaked as she turned the key to open the cabin door. She stepped into the living room and looked around. Nothing had changed since her grandparents were alive. Her mother had never updated the decor. Ashley loved the familiarity of the blanket on the sofa that her grandmother had made from knitted squares sewn together, the sheepskin rug in front of the fireplace that was yellowed with age, and the copper kettle on the stove that was blackened around the bottom. Childhood memories came flooding back, and she felt a sense of contentment settle over her as she walked across the wooden floor to the stove. When she lifted the kettle, it felt warm, which surprised her. That’s when she heard the noise from the basement, a muffled banging, and what sounded like a woman yelling.

  Although her heart was pounding, Ashley lifted the poker that was next to the fireplace, and started down the dark steps in the corner leading to the basement. She never noticed the baking supplies that were laid out on the dining table in the corner as she passed by it.

  By the time she reached the bottom of the stairway, her hand that was holding the poker was shaking. There was definitely someone in t
he basement, and she quickly turned the dead bolt lock before stepping backwards. The shock on Briana’s face when the door swung open was mirrored by her own.

  “What on earth are you doing here?” Briana asked, as Ashley lowered the poker.

  “I could ask the same of you,” she said in surprise, before a sound from upstairs caused both young women to freeze.

  Jessica’s head appeared above them, followed by a cackling laugh. “Ashley, what good timing. I was just about to bake a cake. It’s your favorite—Killer Chocolate Cake. There’s plenty to go around, but I needed one more ingredient. I just got back from the store.”

  Jessica walked down the stairs, holding a carving knife in one hand and some nylon rope in the other hand. “But that’s enough talk for now. Mommy’s home, and you naughty little girls better start behaving yourselves.” She stabbed the knife in the air. “Or else.”

  CHAPTER 18

  “If Carlucci killed Megan and took Briana, he’s gonna’ regret the day he ever messed with Al De Duco’s family.” Al turned to Luke, who was sitting behind him on the seaplane. “Ya’ never heard that, right, Luke?”

  “It might not be Mario who’s taken Briana. It could be Jessica Simmons,” Jake pointed out.

  “Ima happy to kill her too,” Al muttered, before he was silenced by Cassie.

  “Ssh,” Cassie said. “I don’t want to hear any more talk about killing anybody. As long as we get Briana home safely, that’s the end of it, as far as I’m concerned. We’ll leave it to law enforcement.”

  Luke joined the conversation. “Cassie’s right, Al. It won’t be necessary for you to kill anyone. I’ve got the local sheriff’s department on standby in case we need reinforcements. I’m hoping when we find Briana it will be a quick matter of going in there and removing her from danger. If the killer is there, we’ll deal with him or her in accordance with police kidnap protocol.”