Belly Up in the Koi Pond

by Cheryl Zelenka

  “Zachary, you need to calm down. We’re here to help. You should probably speak with a lawyer. My friend Nancy Topper is an attorney. I’ll give her a call and share the details of today. I’m sure she’ll be happy to chat with you over the phone, and give some advice. I’ll have her call you in a little while.”

  “Can’t you just give me her number? I’m in deep trouble, Ms. Sunshine.” Sadie could hear frustration and impatience in Zachary’s voice.

  “Zachary,” she protested, “I haven’t spoken with my friend in months. She’s a very busy attorney. As a courtesy, I should let her know about your situation before you speak to her.”

  There was silence on the other end. Did he hang up? No, there isn’t a dial tone, reflected Sadie. Then she heard, “Fine, I’ll wait for her to call me.”

  There was a sudden click and Sadie was left holding the phone and feeling quite confused and irritated.

  Dora walked over to Sadie and asked who had been on the phone. Sadie told her about the weird conversation she just had with Zachary. “Sounds like Mary and Timothy are building their suspect list,” noted Dora. She passed off Zachary’s atypical behavior as stress. “Aww, he’s just scared and feeling the pressure of the day, Sadie. He’ll be fine. Call Nancy and let her know you have an old student in need of some legal advice.”

  Listening to the voice of reason, Sadie agreed with Dora’s conclusion but decided to change out of her wet swimsuit first.

  Nancy and Sadie both graduated from the University of Oregon. She had many fond memories of their intrepid adventures and long nights preparing for finals, fueled by too much coffee and chocolate Hershey bars. Unfortunately, after Nancy moved her practice up to Portland, they went for long times without chatting. Thankfully, theirs was the kind of friendship that could sustain gaps in time and still feel like it was only yesterday when they last spoke.

  Nancy picked up after only the third ring. Sadie was glad she caught her friend at a convenient time. They caught up on life, including aging, feisty parents and Nancy’s new puppy. Eventually, Sadie brought up her former student and the trouble he was facing. Nancy said she was more than happy to help Zachary, pro bono, and took down his number. They ended their conversation with Nancy agreeing to have dinner at Sadie’s house the next time she was in Rogue Valley.

  Now dressed in jeans and a green top, Lilly joined the conversation. “I’m glad your friend Nancy wants to help Zachary. I just can’t imagine he’s a murderer, Sadie. He has too much going for him and besides, he’s one of the kindest young men I’ve ever met,” praised Lilly.

  “Don’t worry, Lilly,” Sadie patted her friend’s shoulder, “good always triumphs over evil. Criminals make mistakes; they slip up. When our villain missteps, we’ll be there to catch them as they trip.”

  Across the room Dora’s phone rang. It was just past six and Timothy O’Cleary was on the line. After jotting down an address, Dora ended the call and hollered, “Dinnertime!”

  CHAPTER NINE: Blackmail

  Lying to Mr. Banks was easy. He was gullible and utterly incompetent as the Treasurer of OAN. After leaving the Convention Center and stepping into the main office, he was questioned about the membership funds. Mr. Banks had noticed a $10,000 discrepancy, but was amazed when the same account remarkably gained $23,000 over the next three days. Justin knew how to schmooze, having been called a silver-tongued devil by several past girlfriends. He considered it a gift. So with some quick thinking, he pacified the Board member and left the office with a pat on his back for doing such a great job growing membership fund donations. Justin never set out to be a thief; he was raised to be polite and a productive member of society by kind mid-western parents. No, his life of crime started after his hit-and-run and Ashley Sweetwater’s threat of blackmail.

  When he accidently hit the young man, he panicked. He had stopped at a local bar for a few drinks before heading home. The rain was horrible that night, and the additional fog made visibility nearly impossible. When he backed out of his parking spot and accelerated, some would say at a recklessly fast speed for a parking lot, he was stunned by the sudden impact. Out of nowhere, a dude practically jumped in front of his car. The next thing he knew, the body flew up onto the windshield and landed in the muddy and unpaved car lot.

  A woman with long blond hair suddenly jumped out of a parked car and ran over to the man crumpled on the ground. Nobody else was in the area and Justin figured the lady would call for help. There was no need for him to stop. Without another thought, he backed his Ford Ranger up and raced home. He was certain he’d made it inside his garage before the police arrived at the scene of the accident.

  Once the garage door was shut, Justin jumped out and checked his truck. The windshield was the only damaged part, as far as he could see. So, Justin decided to claim a deer jumped in front of him and messed up the glass. A buddy who worked on cars replaced his windshield the next morning with no questions asked. Fortunately, Justin already had the morning off, thanks to a dental appointment. He rescheduled it for another day and nobody was the wiser.

  The following day, the hit-and-run was all over the news. The son of a magazine journalist had been killed. The news reporter added, “Due to the heavy rains last night, no witnesses have come forward. The police do have a piece of evidence, but it’s considered questionable due to its poor condition.” Justin wondered what the evidence was and if the blonde would come forward. If she weren’t an idiot, she’d be able to report that the driver was driving a truck. However, he was confident she didn’t make out his license plate, thanks to the rotten visibility.

  Almost a week after the accident, Justin found a note attached to his new windshield.

  “I saw what happened and I’m gonna tell…unless you hand over $10,000 cash. Meet me in three days at the Walgreens on 82nd Avenue. 9pm sharp. Don’t be late! You know what I look like. I have long blonde hair. I know you work for OAN.”

  Justin didn’t have $10,000 in savings and he wasn’t about to ask his parents for a loan. But, working as an accountant did have its perks. He decided to “borrow” some of the membership funds and work the stock market using a practice called, “Swing Trading.” He was happy to discover he was good at it, a natural in fact. He made $12,000 in just three days, and returned the money borrowed from the membership account before Mr. Banks noticed the deficit.

  When he met Ashley in person, Justin couldn’t help but find her confidence annoying. She was as cool as a cucumber when she accepted the backpack filled with cash. Before driving off, she informed him that three more exchanges were necessary to keep her silence. “$10,000 a month for the next three months. I’ll be in touch.”

  Justin was stunned. He’d have to play with the ONA membership funds three more times, and risk prison to keep the blonde bombshell quiet. Even then he had no guarantee she’d keep quiet. Greed did funny things to a person. He had a month to think things over. Determined to take the bull by the horns, he assured himself he would never go to prison or live under the shadow of fear, simply because he made a stupid driving mistake.

  Last night he gave Ashley her second “installment” in front of Le Pigeon. It was the last payment he’d ever have to make. He still owed $20,000, but now she was deceased and his secret went to the grave with her, or did it? She was with her boyfriend last night. Justin had no idea how much the successful businessman knew about her blackmail scheme. Everybody knows everybody in the landscape business, so Justin recognized Joseph Wiley. He was pretty sure Ashley was his lover, considering the embrace he caught them in last night. If Joseph took up where Ashley left off, Justin would fight back and threaten to tell his wife about his affair.

  Ashley Sweetwater had been as sweet as an Atomic Fireball. Those jawbreakers were hot and nasty. Justin was glad the bombshell was no longer in the land of the living.

  CHAPTER TEN: 72-Ounce Sirloin

  Dora, Lilly, and Sadie arrived at the steakhouse 10 minutes before the detective walked through the door. They were
delighted with the cozy and unpretentious atmosphere and excited to have a good old-fashioned meal of meat and potatoes. Dora told Lilly and Sadie about the challenge Sayler’s offered every customer.

  Sadie just about swooned when Detective O’Cleary greeted her at Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen with a big ol’ smile. She felt like a teenager with raging hormones and wanted to get off the bus. Unfortunately, her body had other ideas.

  “If anyone eats a 72-once sirloin within an hour it’s on the house. Free!” Dora pretended to have a bellyache and rubbed her tummy.

  “Wow, that sounds fun,” chirped Sadie. “I want to try it. Anyone else up for the dare?”

  “Chica, no seas boba (Don’t be dumb). You have a healthy appetite, but you’ll upchuck if you try to eat that much beef in an hour.”

  Grinning from ear to ear, O’Cleary took Sadie on, “I’m in. I won’t let a retired teacher put the Portland police force to shame. Loser has to buy the drinks tonight.”

  Sadie chuckled and shook his hand. Lilly and Dora simply shook their heads. “Well, it’s never boring when we hang with Sadie,” remarked Lilly.

  “No…not ever,” agreed Dora.

  The hostess called out, “Sunshine, table of four!” They all turned to follow her as she guided them to a back room and then to a nice table beneath a beautiful stained glass window. Once they were seated with menus in hand, Lilly tried to convince Sadie to abandon the bet. “You’re going to regret this, Sadie. You don’t want to be miserable all night and unable to sleep.”

  “Oh Lilly,” Sadie jested, “what’s life without a few silly bets? If I win this contest, I’ll have a good story to tell Pop when I get back to Rogue Valley.”

  Dora did some math, “You know, Sadie and Thomas, if you finish 72 ounces of sirloin, you’ll have consumed six 12-ounce dinner steaks.” Facing Sadie she added, “It’s a good thing we went swimming BEFORE dinner. If you tried swimming after this crazy challenge, you’d sink straight to the pool’s bottom like a ton of bricks.”

  “Probably so, but I didn’t have lunch and I’m famished. I’m pretty sure I can eat six steaks, I’ll just skip the baked potatoes.”

  Timothy was sitting across from Sadie and enjoying every minute of it. Sadie was smart, cute, adventurous, and full of fun. He was confident he could manage six steaks. Last year, he tried this very challenge with four of his buddy’s from work. He failed by just six bites, but got further along than any of his brothers in blue. He was determined to get a free steak dinner and some recognition down at the police station. He couldn’t let Sadie get all the praise and fame.”

  When their waitress came by to take their order, Dora and Lilly spoke first. They both selected the 10-ounce prime rib. Sadie then took a big breath and smiled, “Hi, um, Molly,” reading her name tag, “you have two at this table opting for the 72-oz sirloin dinner.” Cognizant that Sadie and Thomas had yet to order, the waitress gave them both a wide toothed grin and wrote something on her notepad. When the waitress looked up, Sadie continued. “Detective O’Cleary and I have a bet.” The rugged officer was not in uniform but the waitress pointed to his PPD baseball cap. “The loser must pay for the drinks, so a separate bill from the bar would be appreciated. I was told you have an impressive list of wines.”

  Molly nodded then took a few minutes to explain the challenge. “Simply eat the steak in an hour and your dinner is on the house. If you DO succeed in consuming the entire steak, your name will be added to the other plaques in our lobby, applauding your incredible appetite and impressive success. When your steak arrives, I’ll set a timer on the table and quietly stand off at a distance to monitor your meal.

  Snickering, Detective O’Cleary added, “To make sure Ms. Sunshine doesn’t slip any of her sirloin into a napkin, or toss sections under the table, right?”

  Molly laughed, “Or you for that matter, Sir.” O’Cleary growled and grabbed his heart. Again, Molly laughed and added, “Bathroom visits are not allowed during the allotted one hour, so please use the facilities before your meal arrives.”

  Dora spoke up. “Do they get a free dessert if they finish within the timeframe?”

  Sadie knew exactly why Dora asked that question. She was hoping one of her two friends would actually finish their steak, but be too full to eat anything else. Dora had a big sweet tooth and would certainly volunteer to take the sweet course off their hands.

  “Sure. I’ll even pay for it myself. It’s not a part of the challenge but I’ll be more than happy to buy you a slice of cheesecake,” smiled the attractive server. With that, Molly departed to place their order, and set up a running bar tab.

  Sadie wanted to make sure she asked O’Cleary about Stephen Sproutman’s son, Paul. She wondered if any new facts about the hit-and-run had come up, or if the death was now considered a cold case. Having a fun evening was her top priority, but she also wanted to help the editor of Digger magazine.

  “Timothy,” Sadie tried not to bat her eyelashes, “we ran into the editor of Digger magazine while you and Mary were removing the body from the Koi pond. Stephen drove up from Rogue Valley just to see the Koi exhibit. He was going to write an article about it and make it the feature article of the March issue. I’m sure Mr. Wiley would be heartbroken to hear that news. It’s not every day your name and business is featured in Digger. Anyway, this murder has interfered with an excellent opportunity of free advertising and certainly some major sales.”

  Sadie had O’Cleary’s attention so she continued. “Well, it turns our Zachary Fry was not only friends with Ashley Sweetwater. He was also friends with Paul Sproutman, Stephen Sproutman’s son.”

  “And Whinny Wiley’s son too,” interjected Dora. Sadie nodded.

  “Well, about two years ago, there was a lover’s quarrel. Paul, Zachary’s then best friend, went behind his back and started to woo Ashely with some romantic love notes.”

  Raising his eyebrows Timothy teased,“Ms. Sunshine, are you trying to drop me a hint?”

  Blushing at the Irishman’s flirtatiousness, Sadie replied, “Maybe, but if you send a romantic note my way be sure you include a poem and a good Irish joke.”

  Winking he replied, “Gotcha, thanks for the heads up, Sadie.”

  Lilly and Dora tried their best to keep straight faces. Sadie wasn’t much of a flirt and they were getting a kick out of her recent vixen persona. They both wondered if Mark Sportly was still in the picture.

  Getting back to the topic of Paul’s death, Sadie added, “Zachary felt so betrayed, he cut ties with his friend Paul, and the entire Sproutman family. He didn’t know Paul was recently killed in a hit-and run.”

  Timothy cleared his voice. “Sadie…,”

  His voice is as delicious as chocolate! Oi, I need to focus, Sadie silently admonished herself.

  “…there are several hit and run cases every year in Portland. In fact, statistics show they’re on the rise and alcohol is a major part of the problem. I remember the Sproutman case. The local news did a great job covering the accident, but then lost interest when nobody came forward as a witness.”

  “Yes, detective,” Lilly chipped in. “Mr. Sproutman emphasized how awful the weather was the night of his son’s accident. He believes that’s why nobody saw the collision.”

  “That’s a pretty reasonable conclusion, Lilly. When the weather is really nasty, people tend to stay home.”

  “Well,” Sadie wanted to bring up Mr. Sproutman’s suspicion before her steak arrived, “were you aware he suspects Ashley Sweetwater of the hit and run?”

  Putting down his glass of wine, O’Cleary’s mood changed and he took on a tone of seriousness. “So you’re telling me that Paul Sproutman was dating Ashley, and his dad thinks Ashley is the missing hit-and-run criminal? Why would she try to kill him? Were there problems in the relationship?”

  All three ladies nodded their heads.

  “Tell me more,” advised the detective.

  Sadie relayed the conversation Paul had with his dad on the night of
his death. “He was going to break up with Ashley. It appears she wasn’t a very nice person. She was posting malicious gossip on her Facebook page and Paul didn’t approve.”

  Timothy crossed his arms and shook his head. “These teenagers and their social media obsession. There’s a lot of bullying associated with technology. If she was angry about a break-up, that would give her a motive. But, I think Mr. Sproutman’s suspicion is unfounded and emotionally biased. I’ve read the report about this incident. When the reporting officer arrived at the scene, Ashley was with the body and very distraught. She’s the one who called and reported the crime.”

  O’Cleary leaned forward and folded his hands, “But that’s not all. We found a few tire tracks on the scene, so plastic molds were made of the treads. Even though they weren’t perfect, due to the rain that night, we were lucky in that the imprint was on sand. We could tell they belonged to a truck just by looking at them, but we’re still waiting for SWGTREA to send us a detailed analysis. I also saw in the report that Miss Sweetwater drove a blue Honda CR-V, not a truck.”

  Sadie considered O’Cleary’s remarks and replied, “Thanks Timothy, I appreciate hearing the whole story. Do you think the two murders are connected somehow? And, when will the police department receive the analysis from SWGTREA? It seems like six weeks is way too long to wait for important data.” Sadie remarked.

  “You’re absolutely right.” Timothy rubbed his nose and spoke with frustration. “SWGTREA is a wonderful tool used in solving crimes, thanks to its large forensic database. Unfortunately, a computer virus messed up their system about a month ago. They were down for nearly a week, so you can imagine how backlogged they were on cases. I expect we should have our report within the next day or two. At the very least, we’ll know the make and year of the car involved in the hit-and-run.”