Flowers for Her Grave

by Judy Clemons

  Casey toweled off and headed over to the weight room for her personal training appointments. Both were again young men, neither as charismatic nor suggestive as Dylan, which might have been more proper, but wasn’t much fun. Neither showed any interest in the whole Andrea scandal. They just wanted to do their workouts and get back to their world of banking, which is all they talked about when they chose to open their mouths. And which reminded Casey that Andrea had worked at a bank, along with Krystal, and who knew how many other Flamingo residents. Casey wasn’t convinced she wanted to open a bank account, since she would probably be headed out of town as soon as the investigation closed, but it might be interesting to see where Andrea had worked, and who she worked with.

  She stuck the second client on the treadmill for his twenty-minute workout and ran down to the office, hoping Maria would be in. She wasn’t, but Sissy spied Casey from her office door. “Can I help you with something, Daisy? Didn’t she find you?”

  “Who?”

  “Detective Binns. I sent her up to the weight room.”

  “Must have just missed her. I’ll go back up in a minute. But I’m wondering where the key might be for the desk in the training room. The lower drawer is locked, and I’d like to use it.”

  “It’s not in the top desk drawer?”

  “I looked everywhere in the office, and I can’t find it.”

  Sissy frowned. “I haven’t seen it. When Maria gets back I’ll ask her, okay?”

  “Thanks.” Casey ran back up the stairs and found Detective Binns waiting by the water cooler. Unfortunately, Officer Gomez was also with her, making Casey’s insides turn to jelly. Casey told herself not to be ridiculous, and greeted them. “What can I do for you? I already stopped by and signed my statement.”

  “Yes, thank you.” Binns smiled. “You got a few minutes?”

  Casey glanced at the clock. “Let me tell my client, and we can head back to my office.”

  Casey gave her guy a few last instructions, then led Binns and Gomez out of the weight room. “You’ll have to go in that way,” Casey said to Gomez, pointing at the Men’s locker room door. “Don’t want to surprise anybody who might be changing in the ladies room.”

  Gomez blushed lightly. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Binns followed Casey through the other way, and met Gomez at the second office door.

  “You getting settled in here, then?” Binns asked, looking around the room. She pulled up a seat, and Casey sat in her desk chair. Gomez leaned against the examination table, notebook out and ready. Casey couldn’t help but notice that he looked like he spent his fair share of time in the gym, the way his shirt stretched across his chest.

  “Actually,” Casey said, trying to focus, “I’ve hardly hung out in here. I’m not planning on getting too comfortable.”

  “Yes, we heard about the petition. But from what Mrs. Williams says, it’s not gathering a whole lot of support.”

  “We’ll see. But I can’t imagine you really came to talk about that.”

  “No.” Binns crossed her legs and sat back, like she was getting ready to stay a while. “I want your impressions of some of the people here.”

  “Mine? I hardly know them.”

  “Exactly. Sometimes first impressions are better than long acquaintance when it comes to figuring out a crime.”

  Casey didn’t like it. Who was she to be talking about these people? What could two day’s interaction really tell her? The last thing she wanted was to send the cops after an innocent person who just happened to give Casey the wrong impression. Actually, no. The last thing she wanted was for Andrea’s killer to get away with it. She’d have to help. “Okay, I can try, I guess. Who are you interested in?”

  “Let’s go ahead and start with Ms. Patterson.”

  “Who?”

  “Krystal, Andrea’s friend.”

  “Oh. Well, you know her basic thing. She’s all about reeling in the men.”

  “We figured that out pretty quickly.”

  Gomez made a quiet sound of disgust.

  “But now I think about it,” Casey said, “I can’t help but assume it’s not all real.”

  “She’s had surgery?”

  “No, I don’t mean that. I have no idea if her body’s all real or not. I mean the whole sex goddess persona. She and Andrea were friends. Good friends, from the little I saw. They were very easy with each other, and Andrea wasn’t afraid to scold Krystal when she made suggestive comments.”

  “Why would that make you think the sex thing is an act?”

  “Not entirely an act. I mean…” She had a sudden vision of Krystal and Dylan stumbling into her office the night before. “Krystal and Andrea joked about it. It just felt like…like Krystal didn’t take it very seriously. And the two of them did speak some about work, and how they felt the women were still kept under the men’s thumbs there. So they did have serious issues going on, too, especially with guys.”

  Binns glanced at Gomez. “We have looked at the bank, of course, but maybe we need to look at that angle a little more.” Back to Casey. “And this petition against you?”

  “I don’t know. Her way of dealing with grief, I guess. I’m a likely target.”

  “True. Okay, moving on.”

  “Real quick, first,” Casey said. “Krystal says she saw me in the aerobics room that night before I found Andrea. You saw her on the security footage near the time of Andrea’s murder?”

  “Yes. First of all, she exited the women’s locker room a little after midnight, only minutes before the gloved hand smeared Vaseline on the other camera’s lens. Then, about an hour later, just after you appeared on the tape, she came up the service stairs, looked in the aerobics room and at her watch, and went back the way she came.”

  So the door latch Casey heard was probably Krystal, going back into the service stairs. It was just coincidence that it made Casey look in the locker room.

  Binns was still talking. “Ms. Patterson showed no signs of blood on her clothes. Her hair, however, was rather a mess, and her shirt was on inside-out.” She raised her eyebrow. “Any ideas how that happened?”

  Casey gave a short laugh and glanced at Gomez, who was looking at the floor, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. “I think you can probably figure that out.”

  “Any suggestions about who the other person might have been?”

  Casey thought immediately of Dylan, but from what he’d said it had been at least three weeks since he’d had a “date” with Krystal. At least until the night before, when they’d come crashing into the training room. “Seriously? How many men are there in the Flamingo?”

  Binns nodded. “Speaking of that, it’s pretty obvious that Ms. Patterson is a man magnet. Any chance Ms. Parker had her eye on someone, and Ms. Patterson got in the picture?”

  “I really wouldn’t know. And it seems like that would make Krystal the target, rather than Andrea, doesn’t it?”

  “Unless the man wasn’t willing to give up Andrea and take on Krystal. Do you know of any men who were interested in Ms. Parker?”

  An image of Del’s red-rimmed eyes flashed across Casey’s mind. “Del. He lives here.”

  “Last name?”

  “Don’t know. But he did cook me dinner last night, and it was amazing.”

  Gomez looked up at that.

  Binns was interested, too. “He’s a chef?”

  “In his heart. During the day he works for an insurance company.”

  “And he was after Ms. Parker?”

  “I wouldn’t put it that way. He was interested in her, but it sound like his interest wasn’t exactly returned.”

  “Hmm.” Again, Binns glanced at Gomez.

  “I don’t mean I think he did it,” Casey said quickly. “In fact, I don’t think that at all. He’s one of the good guys. And I would be really surprised if he were interested in Krystal.”

  “We’ll check him out.”

  Casey felt sick. She didn’t want to get a nice man like Del in t
rouble, and cause him more pain than he was already in. “Who else are you wondering about?”

  “How about administration? Mrs. Williams?”

  “Sissy?” Casey wanted to laugh. “I think of her as the fruit basket. She’s cheerful and colorful and joyful. At least, she was until yesterday.”

  “Do you think she had anything against Ms. Parker?”

  “Not that she told me. I know she’s not crazy about Krystal, but then, a lot of people aren’t. I’ve heard negative comments about Krystal from multiple people, not just Sissy.”

  “Such as?”

  “You mean the people? Laurie Kilmer. She helps out with fitness classes. And women from my sessions. More people than I can count, actually.”

  “And you’ve only been here a couple of days.”

  “I hate to say it, but it would’ve made much more sense if Krystal were the one I’d found in the shower.”

  “At this point, yes. But back to Mrs. Williams. You don’t think she’d have it in her to hurt anyone?”

  Casey considered this. Sissy was a woman with some power here at the Flamingo. She couldn’t be completely fruity and flaky and still get her job done. “Possibly. But I’m not really seeing it at this point.”

  “And her assistant?”

  “Maria?” Casey was remembering her perception of Maria on her first day. That she thought life at the Flamingo wasn’t always beautiful. That she lived on the other side of town. That she wasn’t happy with the no children policy. “I haven’t seen her much, but I felt some discontent. Not with Andrea, but with this whole establishment. And…” She hesitated. “With the police.”

  Binns wasn’t surprised. “That’s a common feeling among the Hispanic community. Especially the newer immigrants.”

  Casey forced herself not to look at Gomez. Was he discontent? Did he look at her with disdain? Was he an immigrant?

  Not that it mattered.

  “Anyone else?” Casey asked.

  “You mentioned Laurie. Ms. Kilmer. She has something against Ms. Patterson? Could that have translated over to Ms. Parker?”

  “I really don’t— What do you know about the fitness instructors who came before me?”

  “Nothing. Is there something I should know?”

  Casey wasn’t sure how much of the Flamingo’s dirty laundry she should air. But Andrea’s death had to take precedent over fraud and broken hearts. “Apparently they weren’t all they should’ve been. Two guys ago was just incompetent. Residents liked him a lot as a person, but he apparently didn’t know his stuff when it came to fitness, and Sissy threatened him with a law suit to get him to leave. But the last instructor was worse—he seduced older women in order to get their money. And, actually, I’m not entirely sure it was all older women.”

  Binns sat quietly for a few moments. “And you think this could have something to do with Ms. Parker’s death?”

  “I don’t know. But there are still bad feelings about him. I have no idea who the women were, although I suspect…” She hesitated.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m pretty sure Laurie was one of them. I have no proof, but the one time we talked about him she got all flustered. And there was a really uncomfortable discussion before a class that involved Laurie, Krystal, Andrea, and Sissy, about just how much time they’d all spent in Brandon’s apartment.”

  Binns gave a half-smile. “Well, I guess we’ll have to look into all of that. Not just with Ms. Kilmer, but the others, too.” She stared at the far wall for a few moments, then smiled suddenly. “You see, Ms. Gray, that’s exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for from you. No one else has seen fit to mention those old instructors.”

  “Yeah, everybody feels kind of stupid about them. Especially Sissy. She thinks their failures were her fault, although at one point she made it sound like it was the residents’ choice to hire those guys.”

  Binns stood up and held out her hand. “Thank you for being so forthcoming, Ms. Gray.”

  Casey shook her hand. “You’re welcome.”

  “Perhaps someday you’ll be just as forthcoming with your own history.”

  Casey’s stomach flipped. “Haven’t you checked it?”

  “Oh, yes, we’ve checked it. We’ve seen your Florida driver’s license, and your old address in Tallahassee. We’ve seen your vita. What we haven’t found is a deep history, or actual people who knew you before two days ago.” Binns’ eyebrows were slightly raised, and she held onto Casey’s hand.

  “Yes, well, I’ve always been an introvert.”

  “I see.”

  Finally, Binns let go, and Casey wiped her hand on her pants.

  “Okay, Gomez,” Binns said. “I’ll meet you in the hallway.”

  Casey glanced at Gomez, only to find he was staring at her, his eyes narrowed.

  “Good-bye, Officer,” Casey said.

  Gomez blinked. “Yes, well, good-bye.” He left through the men’s locker room door.

  Binns turned to go. “We’ll be in touch. Oh, I meant to ask, do you have a phone number?”

  “Yes.” Casey felt her pocket, but the phone wasn’t there. Right. It was still under her mattress. “But I just got the phone yesterday, and I don’t remember the number. It’s up in my room. Can I call you with it? My aerobics class is just about to start.”

  Binns handed her a card. “Anytime you think of items of interest.” She looked like she’d just remembered something.

  “What?”

  “Ms. Parker’s phone. We’ve been able to identify every number but one, and it’s an important one. She called it—or it called her—every day. Sometimes more than once, up until about two weeks ago, when the calls stopped. Any ideas?”

  Casey shook her head. “I’d have no way of recognizing a number. I don’t even remember what the area code is around here.”

  “I guess you’re right.” Binns sighed. “We’ll be seeing you.” She left, and Casey slumped into her seat.

  Why did she get involved in these things? Why?

  “Because that’s what you do.” Death stood in the doorway, this time in baby blue Nike warm-ups, with silver cross-trainers. “Krystal may be a man magnet, but you, my dear, are a magnet for trouble.”

  “Thanks,” Casey said. “That’s just what I needed to hear.”

  “Always at your service. Now, get your butt over here. These exercise fanatics are ready to rip down the door.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The women had not only set up their own steps, but Casey’s as well. This class didn’t seem to be afraid of her. In fact, the crowd was even bigger than the last time, with mostly retirement-age women filling the rows. These were the ones who had met her in the hallway the day before, the fat leader defiantly stating that Andrea was probably killed by Cubans. Or the Mafia. Or the Cuban Mafia. The women gazed at her now with no sign of timidity, but with intensity, as if they were trying to read her soul. She thanked them for setting up her step, plugged in some music, and got things going without saying anything beyond the necessary. She turned her back to them and watched in the mirrored wall as they put their minds to exercise instead of scandal.

  Sissy was absent. She had attended this class on Casey’s first day, but Casey imagined she had a lot to prepare, with Andrea’s family coming, and all. She’d be going over paperwork, and talking with the police, and who knew what all legal matters the Flamingo was liable for. Casey didn’t want to even think about that.

  But as Casey moved and encouraged and sweated, her brain was moving even faster about other things, such as her own predicament, and what had just happened in her office.

  Why in the world would Binns come to her for information about people she barely knew? Did Binns really believe that first impressions stuff? Or was that just an excuse to study Casey at closer range? She obviously didn’t believe Casey was who she said she was. Why else would she have asked those pointed questions about her past? Just the implications of what that could mean made Casey stumble on her step. She
righted herself, and forced herself to concentrate on what she was doing.

  For a few minutes.

  Maybe she should just leave. Throw away Daisy Gray and start over. She hated to do it, for a lot of reasons, but maybe it was the best option.

  No.

  If she took off now she’d not only have the Ohio cops after her, but the Florida ones, too. At least the Florida ones said they didn’t suspect her. And she wasn’t behind bars yet. She pounded the step as she jumped. Could nothing be easy? Did she not deserve even one week of peace?

  Another thought struck her. Was there any way they’d be able to connect her fingerprints from the locker room with the murder of that thug in Ohio? Or her DNA? Oh, God, she hoped not. She couldn’t imagine it, but it was within the realm of possibility. She’d bled during that street fight, and knew she’d touched the car that had been sitting there. Had the forensic team been so thorough that her information was just sitting there in storage, waiting for them to connect the dots?

  The music changed, and she realized it was time to cool down. She sent the women to their mats for a few minutes of abs work. The women grunted and groaned, and some simply collapsed onto their backs, completely done in.

  “This is terrible,” one woman moaned. “Brandon never worked us this hard.”

  Another one giggled. “Sure he did. And he worked some of us just as hard in other ways, too.”

  A smattering of laughter flew through room. One woman stopped her sit-ups and rested on an elbow, looking across the sea of bodies. “Bernie could tell us about that, couldn’t you, Bern?”

  Bernie, who apparently was the smallish, darkly-tanned, heavily dyed woman on the far left side of the room, didn’t answer, but closed her eyes and counted out loud as she crunched.

  “Bernie knows more about Brandon’s work out sessions that any of the rest of us.” It was the smarmy woman talking now, the big one who had led the group yesterday in the hallway, her eyes flashing with eagerness at the excitement of it all. “I believe some of those sessions were held in Bernie’s condo, rather than here in the aerobics room. Weren’t they, Bernie?”