Flowers for Her Grave

by Judy Clemons

  “Oh, I doubt it was in the bar,” Dylan said, forcing a laugh. “It was up here, probably. I mean, I know your face, too.”

  “He said you scared him off the weights one time,” Casey said.

  “Oh. Sorry. I don’t know why people think I’m so terrifying.” Tamille bared her teeth in what Casey was sure was supposed to be a smile. It looked more like a tiger ready to pounce. Or devour her young.

  “Um, shouldn’t we get going with my workout?” Dylan still gripped Casey’s arms. “You said you wanted to make sure to get it all in.”

  Tamille crossed her arms. “You trying to get rid of me?”

  Dylan made a choking sound. “No. No, not at all. You’re welcome to…to…”

  Tamille slapped him on the shoulder, and he recoiled, his fingers digging even deeper into Casey’s shoulders. Casey pulled him down off the treadmill. “Come on, Dylan. Let’s get back to work. See you later, Tamille.”

  Tamille gave Dylan one more head to toe gander, and sauntered away. Dylan released his death grip once Tamille was out of sight. He’d gone all sweaty, and was way whiter than a young man in the prime of his life should be.

  “Whoa, Dylan,” Casey said. “What is up with you?”

  “She scares the crap out of me.”

  “But why? It can’t just be because she didn’t want to share the weight room.”

  His mouth twitched. “You really want to know?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked, otherwise.”

  He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Tamille was gone. “I didn’t tell the cops. I know I probably should have, but I didn’t really think it mattered, or that it was relevant.”

  “Dylan…”

  “She did see me down in the bar. A few weeks ago.”

  “So?”

  He ducked his head. “I was with…Krystal. Krystal, Andrea, and another guy.”

  “Who was the guy?”

  “Curtis Somebody. He was from out of town, visiting folks in the Palm. Their grandson or something. Huge guy, I think he might’ve been a football player in his former life, but now he’s in something boring, like estate planning. Or maybe real estate. Or I guess it could’ve been—”

  “Dylan!”

  “Sorry. But he was pretty cool. Tall, dark dude, with a gold earring and brands on his arms. The four of us were sitting around in the bar, just talking, you know? And Tamille comes up, out of nowhere. It’s kind of dark down there in the evenings, and she just sort of loomed up, like a ghost or something out of some spooky movie, or maybe a Stephen King nov—” Casey made a move toward him, and he hurried on. “And she went off, saying how other women would like a chance at the new guy, so maybe some people should share him for the evening.”

  “Had he been here long?”

  “Several days, I guess. I’d seen him talking to Krystal and Andrea other nights at the bar. I had a few beers with him, too. Nice guy, really.”

  “And Tamille’s little speech was enough to put the fear of God into you for life?”

  “Oh, geez, no. It was what happened later.”

  “And what was that?”

  Dylan swallowed. “We were walking the girls—women, sorry—to the elevator when Tamille showed up again. She brushed past me and Curtis and got right up in her face, pinning her against the wall. ‘You leave him alone,’ she said. ‘You leave him alone, or you’re going to answer to me.’ And she stared at her a few seconds, before she spun around and left. I thought I was going to pee my pants.”

  Casey gave a little laugh. “Were there other women around to cheer?”

  “Cheer? Why would they?”

  “Dylan, I know you like Krystal, or you lust after her, anyway. Lots of men do. But you’ve got to know women feel just the opposite. If there were any around, I’m sure they were all wishing they would’ve been the one to give her the ultimatum.”

  “But she wasn’t talking to Krystal,” Dylan said.

  “What?”

  “Krystal was with me that night. We went back up to her apartment and—” He blushed. “Andrea was the one with Curtis. Tamille backed Andrea up against the wall and threatened her. Right there in front of God and me and everybody.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  “But I like Tamille.” Casey took a gulp of water and slammed her cup on the table. She’d finished her session with Dylan, promised him she would offer protection from Tamille if need be, taken care of her other clients and classes, and moved robotically from one thing to the next, completely stunned by what Dylan had told her.

  “Lots of people like killers,” Death said. “It’s the way the world works. Nice people—or even people like Tamille—can get pushed to murder by the strangest things.”

  “I don’t believe it. I just don’t.”

  Neither Sissy nor Laurie showed up in class, and the Parkers hadn’t yet made an appearance. Casey was itching to ask them more about Andrea’s supposed fiancé, but she knew she needed to give them their space. If they were sleeping, she didn’t want to be the one to wake them up.

  Now, on her lunch hour, she struggled about what to do with the landmine Dylan had dropped in her lap. She probably should tell Detective Binns and get Tamille on Binns’ radar, even if a threat made in the heat of the moment didn’t prove later violence. But should she take the word of an overly-dramatic young man who wasn’t exactly the best when it came to judging women?

  “Why didn’t he say anything before?” she whined.

  Death took a seat at the table. “He was terrified. Tamille has that effect on people, you know. You might be just as accomplished as she—maybe more so, seeing how you beat her the other day—but you just don’t have the…you know…” Death waved a hand.

  “The tall, Amazonian, I-could-eat-you-as-soon-as-kill-you thing?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So Dylan didn’t tell Binns he thinks Tamille is a killer because he was afraid—”

  “—she’d kill him. You got it.”

  Casey lay her head on the table. “Why? Why do I get involved in these things?”

  “Bad karma?”

  She rolled her head back and forth on the wood, then got up and went to the kitchen, where she stared into her refrigerator. She grabbed a rotisserie chicken she’d bought, cut off some slices, and made a sandwich. “There’s got to be something in Andrea’s room to prove she was engaged to Brandon. If she really was. No woman has a fiancé and doesn’t have at least one thing in her apartment that’s his.

  “Unless she was hiding the relationship.”

  “Even then.” She drummed her fingers on the counter. “I wonder if Binns knows about it.”

  “Call her. You can at least tell her about that.”

  Casey wiped off her hands and grabbed her phone.

  “This is Binns.”

  “It’s Daisy Gray.”

  “Oh. Sorry I had to run out before you got there last night. You spoke to the Parkers?”

  “Yes, and they told us Andrea was engaged.”

  Silence on the line. “Name?”

  “Don’t know. Her parents didn’t even know his name. But they’re expecting him to come around now they’re here.”

  “They’re going to be disappointed, aren’t they?”

  “I think so. You haven’t heard anything about this, I take it?”

  “Not a peep. Thanks for passing it on. Anything else?”

  Casey hesitated.

  “What is it, Ms. Gray?”

  “Nothing. Not now, anyway. I need more information.”

  “About what?”

  “Gotta go.” Casey hung up.

  The phone began ringing immediately. Casey could see from the display that it was Binns.

  “You can’t give a cop that kind of stuff and hang up,” Death said.

  “But I can’t rat out someone who hasn’t had a chance to tell me the truth.”

  “So you’re going to ask Tamille.”

  “She deserves that much, at least.”

&nb
sp; “Why?”

  “Because she’s like me.”

  “A woman with a fake name and a tragic past, with law enforcement on her tail?”

  “No. She’s…you saw her take me on. She’s a fighter.”

  “And you’re a fighter, too? The woman who’s always asking me to take her to the other side? Who’s always turning tail and running?”

  “I’ve stopped asking you, haven’t I?”

  “For five whole days. That’s convincing. You wanna place a bet on how long it is till the next time you come to me crying, saying life’s not worth living?”

  But Casey wasn’t listening anymore. She was thinking about Tamille. “Do we know where Tamille works?”

  “I don’t.”

  “Let’s find out.” Casey took a few last bites of sandwich and ran down to the office, stopping suddenly at the sight of the lobby bar.

  Death stopped, too. “What?”

  “Now I remember. I was supposed to come down and talk to Jack last night. I completely forgot.”

  “Makes sense. The one normal person here is bound to get ignored.”

  Casey groaned. “I hope he didn’t wait long.”

  “He doesn’t seem the type. When you didn’t show he probably figured something came up, and went to bed.”

  “I don’t want him to think I stood him up on purpose. Do you think it hurt his feelings?”

  “You’re mean to me, and I don’t take it personally.”

  “But I want to get rid of you.”

  Death sniffed and turned away.

  Maria was at her desk, looking only marginally more rested than she had the night before, but was at least back to her unwrinkled clothes and perfect hair.

  “Tamille,” Casey said. “Where does she work?”

  Maria regarded her coolly. “I can’t give out that information. It’s personal. We don’t give out personal information.”

  “Oh, please. You don’t think I can find out on my own?”

  “If you could, would you be in here?”

  “Not if I could find it quickly. I have a class in thirty-five minutes. Come on, Maria. Please?”

  Maria pinched her lips together, but her forehead relaxed. “Fine. She works down at the marina. The one just down the street. Bayside.”

  “I’ve seen it. I turn right out the front door?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Thank you!” Casey called this last over her shoulder as she trotted toward the street.

  “Daisy?” Del sat at one of the tables in the lobby, eating a gourmet sandwich on a paper wrapper. His face was open and happy, and he looked like he was going to keep talking.

  “Hey, Del. Can I catch you later? I need to run out quick before my next class.”

  “Sure. Go. I’ll tell you about it later.”

  “About what?”

  He grinned. “I thought you didn’t have time.”

  “I do if you spit it out. Not the sandwich. The good news.”

  “How do you know it’s good?”

  “Because you’re lit up like the beach in July.”

  He laughed. “I got my loan.”

  “Really? You can open your restaurant?”

  “The new guy at the bank pushed it through. We’re closing next week.”

  She high-fived him. “That’s awesome, Del. Congrats.”

  “I hope you’ll be one of my first customers.”

  “You know I will.” If she was still living in Florida. “I can’t wait. But now I gotta go. I’m sorry.”

  “No problem. But I’m going to be using you for a guinea pig as I get my menu ready!”

  Casey gave him the thumbs up and continued out the front door to the sidewalk.

  “You know what this means, don’t you?” Death now wore tight baby blue shorts, a tank top, and running shoes, and was having no trouble keeping up with Casey while running backward in front of her.

  “Rich food?”

  “No, dummy. Are you forgetting something?”

  “If I am, I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

  “Del said the new officer pushed the loan through. Apparently Andrea wasn’t making it happen for him. Otherwise, why could it happen this quickly after she’s gone?”

  Casey stuttered to a stop. “Oh, crap.”

  “Or something more profane.”

  Casey let out a breath, then started running again. She didn’t want it to be Del. She didn’t.

  The masts of the boats in the marina poked up behind the buildings, and as she turned the corner she was again swept breathless with the wealth spread out before her. Dock upon dock lay lined with boats, some small, others loaded with everything a sailor could want. Deeply tanned, shirtless men, young and old, were dotted here and there on the decks, with fewer women alongside them. The smaller boats bobbed gently in the water, while the larger ones sat unmoving, the water lapping against the smooth white hulls.

  Casey searched for Tamille. “Where do you think we’ll find her?”

  “Wrangling some huge boat into submission. Or carrying one on her shoulders.”

  Casey headed toward the front door of the main building. “I bet she runs the whole place. Can you imagine anyone actually being her boss?” She pushed open the front door, and a bell jangled.

  A young man at a desk acknowledged her. Like the ones outside, he was tanned, and his hair had been bleached a white blond. “Help you?”

  “I’m looking for Tamille.”

  He jerked his head toward a door at the back. “Out in the garage.”

  “Thanks.” Casey followed his directions to the huge building. Gigantic roll-up doors revealed two boats on skids, in various stages of repair. A couple of men in gray coveralls were hunkered down beside the first one, in a heavy discussion about something they kept jabbing their fingers at. Another coveralled man stood to the side, talking with a couple in clean, non-boating and non-mechanic clothes. The couple kept shooting anxious glances toward the boat being discussed by the two mechanics, so Casey figured they were the owners.

  Casey didn’t see Tamille.

  Casey walked past the first boat toward the second. She could see booted feet on the other side, and when she got there, she saw they belonged to Tamille. Casey didn’t know why she was surprised Tamille wasn’t in a suit and heels. Tamille in coveralls, with grease on her face, just made sense.

  “Hey,” Tamille said. “What are you doing here?”

  “Checking to see if you’re coming to class.”

  Tamille barked a laugh. “Not today. Got to get this baby finished and back on the water.” She put down the putty knife she was holding. “But somehow I don’t think that’s why you’re really here.”

  Casey looked over her shoulder at the other people in the garage, and took a step closer to Tamille. “I need to ask you something.”

  “Uh-oh. Sounds serious.”

  “It is. It’s about Andrea.” Casey didn’t expect trouble from Tamille, but still she took a cleansing breath and balanced herself as unobtrusively as she could. “You know that kid you met in the weight room this morning?”

  “The cutie? Sure. He was terrified.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “Because I’m terrifying?”

  Casey couldn’t stop her grin. “Well, that’s true. But…do you remember a few weeks ago when there was a guy visiting? His name was Curtis, Dylan said. He was hanging out with Andrea in the bar.”

  Tamille’s face cleared. “I knew I recognized that kid. He was with them, wasn’t he? When I gave them the old Dutch Uncle talk.”

  “You remember?”

  “Of course. Curtis’ grandma came to me. She feels some kind of kinship with me because there’s so few of us in the development with the same skin tone. Understand? She was worried, because she heard Curtis was hooking up with Krystal. She asked me to make sure he didn’t get involved with…I think she called her the Whore of Babylon, or some other Biblical reference.”

  “He wasn’t with her.”
>
  “I know that now. But I was already into my whole give ‘em hell routine before I realized he was with the other chick, and then it was too late to stop.”

  The tension in Casey’s neck released. “So the message you gave Andrea was actually for Krystal.”

  “Obviously. Andrea may have been pretty, but she wasn’t one to chew them up and spit them out. Not like her good buddy, who wants to get you kicked out of the Flamingo.”

  “Not anymore.” She held up her hand. “Sorry. Dylan told me the story, and I—”

  “—thought I was capable of killing Andrea over some dude I didn’t even know? Thanks so much.” Tamille’s mouth compressed into a thin line, and she looked away.

  “No, actually, I thought you weren’t. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Didn’t want the idea to fester, when I knew it was ridiculous.”

  Tamille hesitated, then gave one short, quick nod. “You’re right.” She held out a fist, and Casey bumped it. “The funny thing? Andrea told me later she wasn’t even interested in Curtis. She had someone else, she said, and was just hanging out.”

  “Do you know who it was she was talking about?”

  “Nah. It’s not like we were buddies or anything. She just said it in passing in the lobby. How about dinner tonight? I know a great seafood place.”

  Casey opened her mouth to agree, but Death, who suddenly appeared on top of the boat in sunglasses, a visor, and Bermuda shorts, waved frantically. “Dylan, remember? You promised he could take you out.”

  “Right,” Casey said.

  Tamille blinked. “What?”

  “I forgot I already made plans. Rain check?”

  “Sure.”

  “And now I have to run back for class in—” Casey checked her phone. “Ten minutes.”

  Tamille picked up her putty knife. “Then you better get a move on, girl.”

  “I’m moving. See you later.”

  Casey was at the mouth of the garage when Tamille called her name.

  “Thanks, Daisy. I appreciate that you came to me.”

  “No problem. Now I’ll see if I can convince Dylan you’re not a psycho killer.”

  Tamille smiled. “I think you’d be better off convincing him to stay away from Krystal.”