Nick glanced over at me and I gave a small shake to my head. Any thoughts of drinking had flown out the window as soon as we’d entered the establishment. I didn’t trust that their glasses would even be clean. “I’ll take a pint of whatever you recommend,” he said, flashing the bartender an easy smile.
She smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling like a cat that just spotted a slow moving mouse. “You got it, handsome. Anything for you, miss?”
Miss? He’s handsome and I’m miss?
Clearly Nick was going to have to do the talking if we were going to get anywhere with Jess. I gave her a thin-lipped smile and shook my head. “No, thank you.”
She gave a shrug and scurried off to the far end of the bar to pull Nick a pint of pale looking beer from one of the taps that the large man wasn’t working at. I cringed as she shook her hips on her way, worrying that her microscopic shorts were going to ride up another inch and turn the bar into and entirely different kind of establishment. Was that what Katerina used to wear to work too? No wonder Bobby had taken issue with it.
Nick fished out his wallet and dropped a twenty on the bar. I raised an eyebrow at him and he gave me a crooked smile. “Lesson number one, always overpay. Tends to grease the wheels a little.”
“That’s why you’re the brains of the operation,” I teased.
Nick chuckled and hopped up onto a bar stool and gestured for me to follow suit. The stools were covered in vinyl, though most of them had patches where the material was peeling away. I perched on the edge of mine, keeping the tips of my toes on the ground, and glanced around the dimly lit room. No one was staring at us now, and they’d all gone back to their own conversations. Loud cheers erupted from the side room and Nick and I both swiveled to glance over. One man was holding his pool cue up in the air, pumping his arms victoriously. Another pair of men were wearing disgruntled expressions and bickering among themselves.
“Now, I’ve gotta ask, what brings you two in tonight? You’re not from around here, are you?” Jess asked, her voice a seductive purr as she slid Nick’s beer over to him. She spotted the twenty and her eyes gleamed before she snapped it up from the bar in a blink-and-you’ll-miss it grab.
Nick wrapped a hand around the glass but didn’t make a move to drink it. I hid a smile, realizing he was just as sketched out by the cleanliness factor as I was and had only ordered something to get Jess talking. “Actually, we’re here to talk to you.”
“Me?” Her flirtatious smile faltered. She folded her arms as she glanced from me to Nick. “What for?”
“It’s about Katerina,” Nick said, getting right to the point.
Jess stopped cold, her arms sliding down her body as though she’d lost the strength to keep them pinned against her chest.
She obviously already knew that Katerina was no longer alive.
Nick glanced down at his hands on the bar. “I take it you heard what happened?”
Jess nodded slowly. “She hadn’t been home for two days. I kept calling and calling but it was going to her voicemail. I knew…I knew something was wrong. So yesterday I called her mother. I’d never spoken to the woman before, but her number was inside one of Katerina’s notebooks. She didn’t even know that Katerina worked here. Kat knew her mom wouldn’t approve so she told her she worked at the donut shop in the next town over. Anyways, I introduced myself as one of Kat’s friends and she just lost it. She told me that her baby was…” Jess stopped, her voice too thick to continue speaking. She pressed her eyes closed and shook her head softly. “It’s just so awful.”
“We’re so sorry for your loss,” I whispered.
Jess nodded and swiped at each eye, wiping away the tears gathering at the edges.
“From what we’ve been told, the two of you were quite close. We were wondering if you could tell us anything about her.”
“Are you cops?” Jess asked.
Nick shook his head. “I’m a PI.”
She looked at me. “And you? Cop?”
I frowned. “No.”
I didn’t know how else to explain my interest in the case, so I left it at that.
“A PI, huh?” she repeated, turning her attention back to Nick. “Who hired you?”
“Katerina’s mother, Pearl, hired me when she thought that Katerina was missing. As you probably know, the two of them had been having some trouble communicating and had fallen out of touch.”
Jess leaned forward and braced herself against the bar, her palms flat over the sticky looking surface. She stared down at the grains in the wood for a long moment before sighing deeply and pushing herself back upright. “Pearl didn’t approve of Katerina and Bobby’s relationship. When Katerina and Bobby broke up a couple of weeks ago, Katerina didn’t want to tell her mother out of fear that she’d get the whole, told you so, thing. She didn’t want to hear it while she was still grieving the end of the relationship. So, she put a little space in between them. It was never meant to be permanent.” Jess sniffled and wiped under each eye again, blinking frantically to get herself back under control.
“And what did you think about Bobby and Katerina?” Nick asked.
The tears in Jess’s eyes were suddenly ignited by a flicker of rage. “He’s evil. He was always bossing Katerina around, telling her what to wear, who she could and couldn’t talk to, and most nights, when she was working the bar, he’d come down here to check up on her. He was a total control freak and would berate her in the middle of her shift, with customers watching and listening to everything he said. He’d call her names and make her cry and then Lou would send her home early for causing a scene and she’d miss out on tip money. That’s all we get around here. Tips. And Bobby was costing her almost all of them with his constant circus.”
“Wow.” I shook my head slowly. Poor Katerina. No wonder she’d blocked out the memories of her ex-boyfriend.
“He was a nightmare.” Jess grit her teeth together. “The last time he came in here was almost three weeks ago. Bobby stormed in here and threw a huge fit. Lou tried to get him to leave and the two of them got into a fight.”
Nick glanced over to where Lou was standing at the beer tap, getting refills for a cluster of patrons at the opposite end of the long bar. He was a beefy guy. I wasn’t sure who would have the upper hand when it came to a fight between him and Bobby. Lou had quite a few more years and pounds on him, but still, it would have been close.
“Lou had him pinned against the bar and was screaming at him to leave and never come back. Katerina was terrified, crying under the bar. Bobby got a hold of a beer bottle, smashed it on the counter, and threatened to cut Lou with it. Lou pushed him off and Bobby threw it onto the floor before leaving.”
Nick cursed under his breath and Jess nodded sadly. “It was a mess. Right before he left, he told Katerina that she better not even bother coming home.”
I gasped. “Woah!”
“So, after the bar closed, Lou called up some buddies and they all went to Bobby’s house and packed up Katerina’s stuff and she came to stay with me.”
Nick nodded. “Smart.”
And yet, she’d still ended up murdered.
My heart plummeted to my stomach, beating frantically. It was all so tragic.
“Did Bobby ever come back to the bar after that?” Nick asked.
Jess shook her head. “No. Lou hired a security guard and took out a restraining order. He told Katerina that she should do the same.”
“She didn’t?” I asked.
“No.” Jess worked her jaw as though the thought of it still irritated her. “I kept trying to get her to go to the police. I offered to go with her. She always refused.”
“Any idea why?” Nick asked.
Jess drew in a long, shaky breath as though fighting to get herself back under control. “I think she missed him. He was her high school boyfriend. Maybe even longer than that. I can’t remember. In any case, they were together for years and years. He was all she knew.”
Nick gave a solemn nod. “Do yo
u think that Bobby would hurt her? Physically, I mean?”
Jess paused, her expression crumpled again. In a tiny, quiet voice, she finally said, “She told me that he never hit her and I never saw bruises on her. But there are obviously ways of damaging a person without hitting them.”
Nick reached across the bar and squeezed Jess’s hand. “I’m so sorry that you lost your friend, Jess. Truly. I can only offer a glimmer of hope in that the BHPD and myself are doing everything we can to find whoever did this to her and bring them to justice.”
I nodded, silently adding my promise.
Jess’s eyes filled with tears again and it was obvious that she couldn’t speak.
She shook her head and hurried from the bar area, back through the same swinging door that must have led to a kitchen or storage room.
Neither of us said a word.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ONCE JESS HAD excused herself, Lou, the large bartender lumbered over. “What’d you say to her?” he asked, glaring at Nick and me.
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t our intent to upset her, but we were asking her about Katerina.”
“You cops?” he asked, his eyes shifting between us.
“No, sir.” Nick extended his hand across the bar. “Name’s Nick. I’m a PI and although I cooperate with police efforts, I was independently hired to look into this case.”
“Hmm,” he grunted, briefly shaking Nick’s offered hand. “Well, I’m sure none of us here know what happened to that poor girl. But, if you’re looking for leads, you should check out that ex-boyfriend of hers. A real hot head.”
Nick nodded. “Yes. We spoke with him yesterday.”
I leaned forward, capturing Lou’s attention. “Lou, is there anyone else that might have been a threat to Katerina?”
Lou shook his head. “Not that I can think of. You might ask Sully, he’s a retired Army guy I recently hired to work security.”
Nick glanced around. “Is he here tonight?”
Lou nodded. “He’s in the back, watching the cameras. I don’t put him on the door unless we’re really busy.”
It was hard to imagine that Lou’s was ever a hopping place, but I kept my opinion to myself. “Could we speak with him?”
“Sure. I’ll go get him. But, you ask me, you’re wasting your time. The cops should be rounding up Bobby and haulin’ him away for good. A lifetime in a box would only scratch the surface of what he really deserves for the things he said to that poor girl, but it’d be a start.”
Lou wandered off to the back room and Nick and I sagged against the bar, taking a collective sigh. Nick glanced at me and dropped his arms down to the bar top. “Sounds like our initial impression of Bobby was right on the money.”
“I wish it wasn’t. Poor Katerina.”
Nick nodded and pushed his pint out of the way. The foam on top was melted and judging by the lack of condensation on the outside, it hadn’t been all that cold to begin with. “There’s just one thing that doesn’t add up.”
“The hiking thing?”
“Yeah. I mean, they weren’t together anymore, so what would they have been doing hiking along the coast?”
I shrugged. “Maybe he promised to change.”
Nick snorted. “Guys like that don’t change.”
“I’m not saying they do. But from what Jess said, Katerina wasn’t truly over him. She might have jumped at the chance to meet up if he dangled a little bit of hope over her head.”
Nick frowned as he mulled it over. “But then was it premeditated? He wanted to get her alone so he could shove her off the side of the cliff? Or did he truly want her back and things got heated? Or, was it just an accident?”
I tapped my fingers on the bar. “I can’t imagine that it was planned. From what Jess said, he’s a reactionary guy. He fights when he gets riled. I don’t think he would have planned to take her up there just to kill her. It makes more sense that they were talking and got into an argument. He’s a lot bigger than her. It wouldn’t have taken much for her to get pushed back. Maybe she lost her footing and then—” I stopped, not wanting to say the rest out loud.
“But if it was truly an accident, then why didn’t he come forward and call the police? There might have been a chance that the rescue team could have gotten there in time to save her life.”
I arched a brow. Nick hadn’t seen her body sprawled at the bottom of the cliffs. “I don’t think there would have been a chance of that.”
“Well, he didn’t necessarily know that. Why just leave her like that?”
“Probably because he knew how it would look.”
Nick nodded. “I just can’t imagine someone being so cold. Especially not to someone they’d shared their life with for so many years.”
“I can’t either.”
Our conversation came to a stop as the door opened again and a tall man with a full beard, dark eyes, and rough features appeared. Lou followed in his wake and came over to our place at the bar. “This is Sully. He’s been here for a few weeks now. I need to see to my other customers, but for what it’s worth, I hope you nail the guy that did this to Katerina.”
Nick inclined his head at Lou as he went back to the other side of the bar and continued getting refills for the people gathered around the pool tables.
Sully shook Nick’s hand. “I don’t know how much help I can be. Like Lou said, I haven’t been here all that long. But I’ll answer your questions as best as I can.”
“Thank you,” Nick replied. “Jess told us about the altercation between Lou and Bobby. Did you see anyone else around here that had an issue with Katerina? Anyone that stands out?”
Sully glanced toward the broad back of his employer. Lou was far enough away that he couldn’t possibly hear us, especially with the music, but Sully waited a beat longer before leaning in. “This stays off the record?”
“Of course.”
I held my breath.
Sully licked his lips nervously. It rattled me to watch a man of his stature and background act so shaken. “I think Katerina and Jess were getting into trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Nick asked, his tone cool.
Sully glanced around once more before inching in closer. “I think they were stealing from the till. I haven’t caught them on camera, but I overheard a conversation where they were talking about splitting up their share of the loot. It was very hushed and gave me a bad feeling.”
Nick and I exchanged a reproachful glance. Neither of us would want to start thinking badly of the sweet, pretty young woman but if it could lead to the truth about what happened to her, it had to be done. The worst part was that if Katerina was stealing, Nick would have to turn over his findings to the police, and possibly more difficult, explain the theft to Katerina’s mother. How could you add to the misery of a family that was already in mourning? I, on the other hand, would have to go and confront ghost Katerina in order to get to the bottom of what had happened.
“Like Lou said, I’ve only been here a few weeks. So, I could be way off, but I’ve been doing security and consulting for a long time and I trust my instincts. And, when it comes to those two, my gut told me something was going on.”
“Or, might still be,” Nick added under his breath.
Sully inclined his head and then straightened, his shoulders automatically dropping back into a relaxed but ready stance of a soldier at ease. “I wish you luck on the investigation. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here, but if you need me—” he paused to retrieve a glossy business card from his wallet. “You can reach me at this number.”
Nick glanced at the card and I sneaked a peek over his shoulder. Sullivan Pope ran a private security company based out of Tacoma. What in the world was he doing here in this dive?
As though he read my mind, Sully chuckled. “Lou’s a family friend. He asked me to come scope things out until the drama blew over.”
Nick and I hopped up from our place at the bar, thanked Sully for his time and the informatio
n, and then made our way to the exit.
Outside, the cool evening air breezed over my cheeks, mercifully driving out the stale scent of beer and bar food from my nostrils. I looked over to ask Nick for his thoughts, but stopped short. Jess was standing at the corner of the building, halfway concealed in the shadows, beyond the reach of the lights along the front of the bar. I nudged Nick and he followed my stare.
She wasn’t alone. She was speaking with a man, only a few inches taller than her, with dark clothing. The shadows concealed most of his face but from the glimpse I got when he turned his head, he looked to be in his thirties, with a scruffy beard, and angular features. Their conversation was too quiet to pick out, but based on their body language alone, neither of them appeared to be very happy.
“Who is that?” I asked.
Nick stared but shook his head. “I can’t tell. But it looks like the right height for the security guy.”
I cocked my head. Yes, that’s who it was, Sully. But why was he chatting with Jess outside in the shadows? From what he’d told us, he certainly wasn’t her friend.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Nick said, starting out into the parking lot again.
I followed after him but couldn’t help craning around before getting into the car. Jess and Sully were gone.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ONCE INSIDE NICK’S car, I leaned back against the seat and rubbed my temples, attempting to fight off the subtle throb pulsing across my forehead. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so confused.”
Nick turned, heading back into Beechwood Harbor. “I’ll do some digging tomorrow. See what I can find out about Jess. I don’t know how long she’s been working at the bar, but I doubt she’s been there all her life. If I can find out where she worked before, I can see if she’s ever had legal trouble in the past.”
I nodded but couldn’t shake the feeling of disbelief over the entire thing. “It’s just hard to believe. Katerina seems like such a nice girl. A normal girl. I didn’t peg her as a thief.”
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