by Rose Pressey
“Hey, you need to get out of the way,” he yelled, gesturing for me to move.
His face turned red.
“Mr. Louis, I need to ask you a few questions regarding the death of your law firm partner,” I said, getting right to the point.
“Why are you here?” he asked with a frown.
If he had someone following me, then he knew very well who I was.
“My name is Maggie Thomas. I’m a private investigator hired by Arthur Abbott’s wife,” I said with determination in my voice.
The red immediately vanished from his face.
“She hired you?” he asked.
He had to have known that she hired me. He was just playing dumb. I walked closer.
“Yes, she did. I just have a few quick questions. You don’t mind answering my questions, do you?” I asked, staring him right in the eyes.
Had he even been to see the woman he claimed to be so in love with? He should be trying desperately to get her out of jail. But maybe he wanted her to stay there. Maybe he’d used her so that he’d have her to take the rap for the murder that he’d committed. But why would he kill Arthur? What was his motive? Something told me that he wouldn’t be forthcoming with me.
“Sure, I guess can answer your questions,” he said as he looked at his watch.
“Do you know who killed Arthur Abbott?” I asked.
It was worth a shot just to see what his reaction would be.
His eyes widened. “Don’t you think if I knew who did this that I’d tell the police?”
“So you don’t believe that Allison killed her husband?” I asked pointedly.
His expression saddened. “No, I don’t think she did it.”
“Have you been to see her since she’s been in jail?” I asked, as I examined his expression for a clue of the truth.
“She doesn’t want to see me anymore,” he said, looking away.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“She told me so on the day of his murder. She broke things off,” he said, clearly angered by having to tell me something so personal. “She broke off our relationship. I don’t think she wants me to visit her.”
So that was why she’d taken the walk on the beach? To think things through? Plus, Allison had gone to the condo. Obviously to tell her husband that she’d stopped seeing Sam. But why hadn’t she shared this pertinent information with me?
I nodded, but decided to switch gears. “Do you know of anyone who would have a reason to kill him?”
He looked away, avoiding my gaze, then said, “No, I don’t know of anyone.”
“Just one more thing,” I said.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Did you have someone follow me?” I asked.
“I’m finished with this conversation,” he said.
I released a deep breath. “Well, you’ll call me if you think of anything, right?”
He looked me in the eye and nodded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get going. I’m late for a deposition.” He gestured toward his car.
I stared for a breath, the nodded. “Yeah, okay. Thanks for talking to me.”
That had yielded little information, but Sam Louis hadn’t seemed completely forthcoming when I asked if he knew of anyone who wanted to kill Arthur or if someone had followed me. Was he keeping something from me?
I needed to head by the gym and look for the goons who had left the note on my car. I wasn’t afraid to confront them—maybe I should have been, but I wasn’t. So what if the guy had chased me out of his apartment, he couldn’t do anything to me in a public place, right? But before I did that, there was one other thing that I’d do.
Now that Sam was gone, it wouldn’t hurt to look around a little bit, right? In his haste to get away from me, he’d left his garage door open. I glanced around the quiet neighborhood. In the distance a man walked his little white dog, but he was headed in the opposite direction and I didn’t think he’d noticed me. A woman a few houses down backed out of her driveway in her SUV. She glanced in my direction, but we never made eye contact, so I wasn’t sure if she’d seen me.
I likely wouldn’t find anything, but it was my job to snoop. How would I ever find answers if I didn’t stick my nose where it didn’t belong occasionally? From where I stood, the only items I saw in the garage were a lawnmower and a bicycle, but it was worth a look nonetheless. Since there were no other cars in the garage, I figured no one was home. At least I prayed no one was home. What if someone was in there though? They’d wonder what I was doing snooping around their house. They’d probably think I was a burglar.
I locked my car door and walked up the long driveway toward the house. A bird flew from the top of one of the scrubs and I jumped, stopping to look around. The neighborhood was still eerily quiet. I wasn’t used to such silence, no cars and honking horns. When I reached the open garage door, I paused and glanced back one last time. I inched into the space and looked around. The place was immaculate. Every item had a designated spot. Lawn care equipment on the left with racks, broom, shears, and other items hanging on the wall. A bicycle hung on the right wall and a few storage bins were stacked underneath on the floor. As much as I wanted to snoop, I knew that there was no reason for me to look inside the bins. There was a door on the wall in front of me that lead into the house. That door was probably locked. I’d gotten lucky that he’d left the garage door open. Besides, what would I do even if it was unlocked?
A muffled sound floated across the air. What was it saying? I climbed the two small steps and pressed my ear against the door. The sound came again. But this time I knew it was someone calling out. They were asking for help. Over and over they said they word help. But it was just a muffled voice, barely audible. If only I could get in to help this person.
I twisted the doorknob, but just as I’d suspected, the door was locked. I had to get in to help this person. Why had he left someone who was obviously in distress? I rattled the door again and banged on it.
“Is anyone in there? Are you okay?” I yelled.
No one answered and the muffled voice calling out for help had stopped too. I had no choice but to get into the house. There wasn’t time to call the police. I ran out onto the driveway and looked around for help, but since the neighborhood was dead quiet, no one was outside of their homes. I thought maybe a neighbor would have a key to the house. I’d have to figure out another way in.
I turned to my left and headed down the pathway toward the front door. The sprinklers had turned on making the path wet so I had to watch my footing so I didn’t fall. If I landed on my butt I wouldn’t be of much help to the person who needed me inside. I jumped up the front steps and twisted the front doorknob. Of course it wouldn’t open either, but it had been worth a shot. Sometimes people hid keys by the front door, so I looked around for a hiding spot. There were no fake rocks around and I checked under the mat but found nothing. I was running out of options. I’d have to put my feelings aside and call the police as much as I didn’t want them involved. They would only want to know what I had been doing snooping around this house in the first place. Jake would definitely find out.
I decided to try a back door. As I sprinted across the lawn and around the house, I attempted to dodge the sprinklers. I slipped and almost lost my footing, but managed to remain upright. The pool at the back of the house was surrounded by a black gated fence. If that thing was locked then I’d have to climb the fence and I hadn’t done that in ages. Probably not since I was seven years old and had climbed the baby tree in the front yard and then fibbed to my mother about it.
When I reached the gate, I moved the lever, but just as I’d feared, the gate was locked. I’d have to climb over the thing. I hoisted myself up and attempted to swing my leg over. After a couple of grunts I got one leg over, but my shorts were caught on one of the posts. Now I was straddling this gate with my shorts attached. How would I explain myself to Jake when he saw me dangling on their gate?
I frantically pulled at my
shorts, then a loud ripping noise rang out. I was afraid to find out what damage I’d done to the shorts. I should have just swallowed my pride and called the police in the first place. Now that the fabric was loose I slipped my other leg over and rushed across the patio, careful to avoid the pool area. My clumsiness would probably kick in and I’d end up taking a little dip in the sparkling water.
I finally made it to the patio door, not bothering to peek in before trying the door. It was probably locked. I mean, who would leave their door unlocked? But the door opened when I twisted the knob. My heart rate increased. Was I really going in this man’s home? That was when I heard the muffled call for help again and I knew I had to save this person. If the door was open then it wasn’t breaking and entering, right? Yeah, tell that to the judge.
With the door now open, I slipped into the house. The door led into the hearth room which was connected to the kitchen. The ceilings were tall with beams and the kitchen had stainless steel appliances with granite and was bigger than ten of my apartments. The little voice was quiet. Had the person heard me enter the house?
“Hello?” I called out. “Is anyone home?”
“Help,” the weak voice called out.
I made my way through the kitchen and into a long hallway. The blinds were drawn throughout the house so the space was dimly lit. The voice sounded again and I was sure it was coming from the room at the end of the hallway.
When I reached the door, I paused before entering, wondering if I was doing the right thing by being here. What if the killer was waiting for me? But why would the killer ask for help? Unless to lure me to my death. I pushed those thoughts out of my head and opened the door. I had no idea what to expect, but the room was empty. The voice called out again.
I turned around to see if it came from behind me, but no one was there. That was when I saw the bird in its cage. It called out for help.
“Are you kidding me?” I said. “It was you?”
Who had taught him to say help? Now I was standing in this man’s house and I started to panic. There was no way to explain this away.
“You scared me.” I waved my finger in the bird’s direction. He didn’t seem affected by what had happened.
I backed out of the room in a hurry and headed down the hallway. I had to get the hell out of there before I was caught. I rushed through the kitchen again, but stopped in my tracks when I saw pictures on the counter. I couldn’t help but notice who was in the pictures. It was Arthur Abbott and a woman who wasn’t his wife. She looked familiar and within seconds I knew where I recognized her from… she was Matt Cooper’s wife. I’d seen her picture on his desk.
The photos showed them kissing and in a couple more comprising positions. I picked them up for a closer look, studying the glossy pictures, but I didn’t need to see more, so I placed the photos back on the counter where I’d found them. What was going on in that law firm anyway?
As I placed the photos back on the counter, a business card fell to the floor. I reached down and picked it up. Two words under the person’s name popped out at me. The card was for a private investigator? So Sam had used another private eye to snap these photos. I was a little disappointed that he hadn’t hired me, but I couldn’t get all the jobs in that law firm. I recognized the name on the front, but where had I seen the name before? It only took a couple seconds before it hit me…it was the guy from the gym. The klutz who couldn’t stay on the treadmill without falling on his face. This made me furious why hadn’t he told me who he was when I told him I was a private investigator? What was he up to anyway?
I’d almost made it to the back door, but that was when I heard a door open. My stomach dropped. What the heck would I do now? I was going to be caught. Where would I go now? How would I explain why I was in this house? I ran through a few ideas in my mind, but nothing sounded believable.
Footsteps were coming down the hall, so I knew I had to get out of there. I looked around the room for a hiding place. There was a sofa in the hearth room. I could hide behind it, but that wasn’t the ideal location. Someone could come and have a seat and I’d be busted right away. That was when I spotted a door on the right. I opened the door and realized it was a small closet. I climbed in and closed the door, praying that the door wouldn’t lock behind me or that the person wouldn’t open the door. I heard footsteps walking around the room. I held my breath and tried not to make a sound.
Was it Sam Louis? What was he doing back? Had he forgotten something? Maybe he’d forgotten to take the pictures with him? Why did he have photos of Arthur and Matt Cooper’s wife? I’d have to find out answers about their affair.
I couldn’t believe that I was hiding in that man’s closet. The footsteps came closer and I thought for sure I would be caught at any moment. That was when I remembered that I’d left the back door open when I came in. The footsteps passed the closet. The back door that I’d left open was shut and I heard the lock click. The footsteps walked past again and I held my breath again. The person paused and I knew they were close to the door. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I knew that they sensed my presence.
I couldn’t stay in this tiny space for much longer. I was beginning to become claustrophobic. I never knew that I was claustrophobic until now. And I practically lived in a closet. Finally the footsteps moved again and went farther away. Then the front door clicked again and I prayed that he’d truly left the house.
I eased the closet door open and let out a deep breath. I peeked out and didn’t see anyone, so I ran over to the back door and unlocked it. This guy would think that his place was haunted when he came home and the back door was unlocked again. I climbed over the gate again. Thank goodness my shorts didn’t get caught this time. I peeked around the side of the house. Wouldn’t Sam have seen my car still parked on his street? That had to make him suspicious.
When I made it to my car, I let out a huge sigh of relief and made it out of the subdivision before I got myself into any more trouble. All this over a bird. Now it was time to find out how long Arthur and Matt’s wife had been having an affair. Wait until Dorothy found out about this.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After I felt I was a safe distance from the house, I pulled over so that I could dial the number on the card. Still angry, I punched the private investigator’s number onto my screen and waited for it to ring. It rang countless times, but no one answered. Instead, the call went to his voice mail.
As much as I wanted to leave a sarcastic message, I decided it was best to keep my remarks inside for the moment, so I just hung up. I pulled back onto the street and headed toward my house. I replayed the scene when I’d met Keith at the gym in my mind. He’d had plenty of opportunities to tell me who he was.
That was when an idea hit me. I steered my car over to the side of the road again and pulled out the business card. His address wasn’t far away, so I decided to pay him a visit. Just as I was about to pull away from the curb, my phone beeped letting me know I had a text message. I picked up the phone and peered at the screen. I had no idea Dorothy knew how to text. She wanted me to pick her up. Apparently, she was bored of knitting. I had created a private detecting monster.
Driving as fast as the speed limit would allow, I wheeled into the parking lot of my office. Dorothy was waiting outside the front door with her giant pocketbook draped across her arm.
She jumped in. “I thought you never would get here. Where are we headed this time?”
“It’s good to see you too, Dorothy.”
She whipped out a pair of binoculars. “I got my own pair,” she said displaying a proud smile.
I bit back a laugh. “We’re headed to the competition’s place. Apparently there’s been another private eye on the case and I never even knew it.”
“Who?” she asked with her mouth draped open.
“It was that klutz from the gym who fell off the treadmill.” I shook my head at the thought.
“I knew there was something wrong with that guy,” she said.<
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If she’d known that much, why hadn’t she told me earlier? I pulled up to the building and assessed the place to see if it was nicer than mine. Hey, he was the competition and I needed to see what I was up against. The building wasn’t huge, but it was bigger and newer than my office. It had pretty landscaping and a large parking lot, but I had a view of the beach. Albeit, it was a small view, it was still a view.
Dorothy hopped out of the car. “We’ll see what this guy has to say for himself.”
Dorothy had that giant bag draped across her arm and a look of determination in her eyes. He wouldn’t know what hit him when she got done with him.
When I stepped into the office, a woman behind the desk greeted me. She was probably my age and had long dark hair and pretty brown eyes. She smiled widely as we walked toward her. On the right was a sitting area with big leather chairs and even a TV in the corner. He must have a lot of business to afford something that nice.
“May I help you?” she asked cheerily.
“I’m here to see Keith Manchester.”
“Sure, may I tell him who’s here to see him?” she asked.
I nodded. “Tell him it’s Maggie from the gym.”
Her face scrunched into a frown. What was that look for? Had he told her about me?
“One minute please.” She held up her index finger and grabbed the phone. She turned her body away from us as she talked, lowering her voice.
“He’ll be right with you. Please have a seat if you’d like,” she said after she turned around to face us again.
Dorothy and I stepped over into the lobby area, but I didn’t sit down. After a few seconds, Keith walked into the lobby. He smiled widely when he saw me.
“It’s nice to see you, Maggie. What brings you by today?” he asked with a smile in his tone.
I furrowed my brow. He thought he was so clever. I wasn’t the one falling off treadmills though, so who was the clever one?
I crossed my arms in front of my chest and asked. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”
