Two-Faced

by Sylvia Selfman

  As the coffin was lowered into the ground, Jess said a silent goodbye, wishing again that she could take back those last angry words to her father. The service over, she stood, still holding Danny’s hand and they walked away from the gravesite, receiving condolences and expressions of sadness from the other mourners–––most of whom were business associates of her father.

  Ally, true to her word, was a no show.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Jess spotted detective Sykes wandering among the other guests. At first she mistook him for a fellow mourner, but upon recognizing him, she wondered what he was doing there. She was about to go over and ask when an old friend of her father’s approached

  “Oh, Jess, I’m so sorry,” the woman said, taking her hand. Jess nodded as she glanced over at Sykes. It was distracting, his being there, lingering on the outskirts of the group. Watching.

  If he had information about her father's murder, he should give it to her right away. And if not, what the hell was he doing, intruding on such a private moment?

  She tried to focus on what the tall, elderly woman was saying. What was her name? Something French-sounding. Giselle? Lisette? She was the wife of one of her father's old business partners, but for the life of her, Jess couldn't remember her name––it was something that would have fit well on a poodle, she recalled.

  "So remember dear, if there's anything George or I can do...please let us know," the woman continued. Jess nodded politely as George came over and put his hand on his wife's back. "Gigi, there you are."

  Gigi, that was it. George leaned in and gave Jess a hug, speaking softly. “So sorry, my dear.”

  Jess nodded politely, then excused herself to find Danny. She spotted him talking to Maria's youngest son near the iron gate at the cemetery entrance.

  Jess decided to let him play a little while longer. As she walked toward the limo to wait for him, she scanned the area for detective Sykes. She wondered where he’d disappeared to.

  As she opened the limo door, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Jess."

  She turned abruptly to find Lars standing behind her. He reached out and took both her hands in his. "Please, Jess, let me know if there's anything else I can do.”

  Jess pulled away. "You've done more than enough."

  "What?" he said, a wounded look on his face.

  "How dare you act hurt!" She was surprised by her own anger but couldn’t stop it. “Thanks to you, my last conversation with Daddy was a fight. Over money!"

  Lars appeared taken aback. "I...What did I do? Jess...please..."

  Jess glared at him without answering. Finally he mumbled something about how sorry he was about her father, and headed to his car.

  Jess watched Danny and his young friend as they continued their investigation of the stone angel at the cemetery gate. She was tired and wanted only to go home alone, but knew she had a long day ahead of her. There would be the guests stopping by, the drinking, the eating, the endless expressions of sympathy. She would somehow manage to get through it.

  At least Danny seemed to be back to his usual self. Of course Jess wanted him to understand that his grandfather was gone, but she didn’t want him too hurt by the loss, especially coming so soon after the breakup of his family. And if his pursuit of the lizard crawling around the angel's wings was any hint, Danny would survive this latest crisis just fine.

  The warm sun felt soothing on her face as she leaned against the limo door, not wanting to interrupt Danny just yet. Soon enough they would go back and face all the sympathetic well-wishers, but for now she wanted to give him––as well as herself––– a break.

  She turned her face towards the sun to drink in the last of its soothing warmth, when she sensed someone close by. She opened her eyes to find herself staring into the brown eyes of detective Sykes.

  "Sorry to startle you, Mrs. Parks," he said.

  Jess looked at him thinking he didn’t appear sorry at all. Suddenly alert, she stood up straighter. "It’s okay, you didn't.”

  She could feel his eyes on her, watching her closely. Perhaps this was something they taught you in police school, this method of unnerving a person just by looking at them. If it was, Sykes had clearly mastered the trick and then some.

  "You are Jessica, right? I have trouble telling you and your sister apart."

  Jess nodded, though she didn't know why she bothered. He knew exactly who she was, she was quite certain of that. Just another police trick probably.

  "What is it you want? Do you have news about who murdered my father?"

  "Just a few questions. Though they can wait, if you need to get going."

  "No, go ahead.”

  He nodded and looked down at the small notepad in his hand. He flipped a few pages, obviously looking for something specific, though again Jess was certain he already knew exactly what he wanted to ask her.

  "You said you were home sick on Thursday evening, the night your father was killed. I just wanted to know how you knew on Wednesday that you were going to be sick on Thursday."

  "What? I didn't..."

  "Well your husband told us that on Wednesday, you asked him to take Danny for the next day. How'd you know?"

  "I...just..." Jess, shook her head. She had called Lars the day before her trip to Mexico wanting to be sure he could take care of Danny while she was gone. She had claimed she had a late meeting that night and certainly didn't expect to have to account to anyone for her actions.

  "I just..I'd planned to go to a…an open house with Maddy on Thursday, so I asked Lars to take Danny. Then, when I felt sick the next day, I thought he should go ahead and pick Danny up, as planned."

  Sykes eyed her without comment. She wished he'd give her some kind of human response, like a nod. An, ‘Is that so?’ or even a "You’re lying through your teeth." Anything other than this intense scrutiny that made her feel like she was a science project, a helpless specimen he was preparing to dissect.

  "I'm not accusing you," he said, unsmiling. "These questions are routine when a family member’s killed."

  "But you said it was a robbery."

  He nodded, "His watch and wallet were stolen. But we're not so sure that’s all there is to it."

  “Oh? Well, I have to get my son.” She turned and started to walk away.

  "Just one more thing, Mrs. Parks...” Sykes called out.

  Jess stopped and turned to face him.

  "The maid...uh..." He flipped through page after page of notes.

  "Maria," Jess filled in for him.

  "Right. Maria. She said that you and your father had a fight over money the last time you saw him. Would you mind telling me what that was about?"

  "A car." The lie came surprisingly easy to her lips. "I was having trouble with my car and I thought it was time to get a new one. I asked my father for help in paying for it."

  Again Sykes looked at her without comment. It was unbelievably frustrating staring into those unreadable, brown eyes. She could just imagine the hopelessness of ever getting into an argument with this guy. His poor wife, she thought, if he had one.

  "Did your father give you the money?"

  "No, I decided to keep my car for a while longer," Jess said, knowing full well that he didn't believe a word she said.

  "Well I guess that won’t be a problem for you now.” He gave her that same irritating, unreadable look.

  Jess didn’t respond.

  "Do you have any idea how much you and your sister stand to inherit?"

  "Why don't you ask my husband?" she said coldly. "He was my father’s lawyer after all. Though, since you clearly spent some time talking to him earlier, you probably already know that. You probably also already know that my sister was cut out of the will years ago and doesn't stand to inherit a thing."

  Jess couldn't believe she was talking to him this way. She was usually so intimidated by authority figures. So terrified of getting into trouble. But something about his arrogant, cool manner brought out a sense of overpowering rage in her.
Which seemed to only egg him on. He didn't even pretend to consult his notes for the next question. "Maria said he threatened to cut you out of the will as well. That last time you saw him."

  “My father threatened a lot of things, detective.”

  "So you don't think he got around to doing it?"

  “I don't think he ever meant to really do it." Jess said curtly. "Is this interview over?"

  "For now."

  Jess could feel him watching her as she walked away.

  She called over to Danny who scampered into the limo without an argument––undoubtedly as tired as she was. She needed to get away to think things through. Buying a new car had been a good excuse, though if Maria was listening at the door that day, she would know there was more to their fight than a new car.

  As to the lie about planning to go to the open house with Maddy on Thursday night, Jess would ask Maddy to corroborate what she'd told Sykes. In a way, it wasn't even a total lie since had brought up the open house. They just hadn’t made definite plans.

  The limo pulled out.

  Jess sat back, put her arm around Danny and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. She hugged him close and looked out the window. Sykes and Maddy were standing together, already deep in conversation.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  Jess glanced at the front door as she set down the drinks. Still no Maddy. Most of the mourners had already arrived and her small house was beginning to feel uncomfortably warm and claustrophobic. She fought down a wave of panic, praying that if Maddy were still being detained by Sykes, it was because they were involved in a flirtation rather than anything to do with the case.

  "Excuse me," she said to Mrs. Franco, who was describing in great detail how she’d first met her father. Jess had just seen Maddy walk in and she wanted to nab her before she became involved in a conversation with anyone else.

  "What's up? You holding up okay?” Maddy asked, as Jess motioned her into the kitchen.

  "I'm fine" Jess said quickly, trying to hide her anxiety. "I saw you talking to Detective Sykes at the cemetery. What were you two talking about?"

  "You mostly," Maddy shrugged.

  Jess's stomach fell.

  "Me? What about?"

  "He asked if we had plans last Thursday night.”

  "Oh? What did you tell him?" She was trying to sound casual but couldn’t mask the tension in her voice.

  Maddy shrugged. "I just told him that we talked about going to an open house on Thursday, but I didn’t remember if we actually decided to go. But then, you weren't at work that day and Sally told me that you called in sick.”

  Jess nodded, relieved.

  "I did try calling you in the afternoon, to see how you were,” Maddy continued. “But you didn't pick up so I figured you were taking a nap."

  “Yeah, I probably was,” Jess mumbled.

  "You know, he's kinda cute," Maddy said as she scooped some egg salad onto a peppercorn cracker. "In a sexy alpha Navy SEAL kinda way." She popped the entire cracker into her mouth and washed it down with a glass of wine. "Anyway, what are you worried about? It isn’t like you had anything to do with your father’s getting killed."

  "I know. He just makes me nervous. I guess."

  "Hmm," Maddy said, raising her eyebrows, clearly misreading Jess's meaning. "He is single. I checked.”

  "Oh? Well you should go for it. He’s not really my type,” Jess said, happy to change the subject.

  Four hours later the guests had gone and Danny was tucked into bed and sleeping soundly. Must be from all the excitement of the day, Jess thought. Danny’s GI Joe was clutched firmly under his arm, his eyes shut tight. A small snore escaped from his open mouth and he looked for all the world like a younger, plumper Lars.

  At least her concerns weren't affecting him. She could be thankful for that.

  Back in the living room, Maddy offered to stay and spend the night again, but Jess sent her home with her thanks. As she closed the door behind her, she still couldn't get Sykes and his questions out of her head. "How did you know on Wednesday that you were going to be sick on Thursday?"

  She knew the answer she gave him didn’t convince him. Just the way his eyes bored into her when she’d answered, not changing expression at all––as if he wanted her to know that he didn't believe her.

  If only she hadn’t made two different excuses, one to Lars and a different one to her office. She should have waited until the last minute, like Ally suggested and then told them both that she wasn’t feeling well. But when it came to Danny, she had to make arrangements for him in advance to know for sure that he would be taken care of.

  Besides, it wasn't as if they could prove that she wasn't home sick that day. Could they? Jess walked over and picked up paper coffee cups from the fireplace mantel and tossed them into the garbage bag. If only she could talk all this over with Maddy.

  But that was impossible. Not just because she'd promised Ally she wouldn't tell anyone. She trusted Maddy with her life and would certainly trust her to keep the whole smuggling incident a secret. But she didn't want to get Maddy involved in anything illegal. She didn’t want to put her in the position of having to lie to the police.

  Of course Jess had to admit that there was another, less honorable reason as well. She was ashamed of what she'd done. Smuggling drugs or whatever was in that hat was a despicable act for anyone, let alone the mother of a young son.

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  Jess made it to the showing only five minutes late. She walked the client, a single woman in her forties, through the lovely two story craftsman cottage that was priced well below market. The owners were leaving town and in a hurry to sell. "This one's going to go very fast." Jess told the woman. “If you like it, you’ll need to put in an offer right away.”

  "I’d like to see a few more,” the woman told her as Jess locked the door behind them. “How about tomorrow afternoon?”

  "Of course. I’ll give you a call.”

  Jess headed back to her car, checking for messages on her cell. There were the usual business calls but, to her relief, nothing from Detective Sykes. It had been two weeks since the funeral and every day that she didn’t hear from him, she grew more secure. Perhaps she’d only imagined that he suspected her. Or perhaps Maddy’s confirmation of their open house plans had satisfied him after all.

  On her way to her next showing, Jess’s cell phone rang. It was a client calling to cancel his appointment, so Jess headed back to the office. It would be a good opportunity to take care of some of the paperwork piled up on her desk.

  She looked towards Maddy's empty desk. "Maddy’s not in yet?" she asked Sally who handed her a stack of messages.

  "She called and said she’s not coming in today,” Sally rolled her eyes. “Again.”

  Jess nodded. Maddy seemed to be missing an awful lot of work lately. She wondered if she had some hot new secret lover on the side. Though for Maddy, the term "secret lover" was an oxymoron. If Maddy did have a new man in her life, she would certainly have told Jess all about it. In graphic detail.

  Jess started to walk toward her desk, when Sally grabbed her arm.

  "Jessica..."

  "Yes?"

  "I just thought you should know...there was a detective here earlier and...he asked about you."

  Jess stared, dumbstruck. "What did he want to know?”

  "About that Thursday that you called in sick––the day your father died."

  "What did you tell him?" Jess tried to keep her voice even.

  "Just that you called in sick. That day and the next day," Sally shrugged.

  Jess nodded. "Did he ask anything else?"

  "No. Not to me anyway. But he spent like fifteen minutes talking with Mr. Collins in his office. I just thought you'd want to know."

  "Thanks, Sally."

  Jess walked back to her desk, her heart racing. It was what she feared. The detective did suspect her. She forced herself to think calmly. After all, what could Collins have told him
about her? That she called in sick the day of the murder? She’d already admitted to that. Of course there was the matter of her request for eighty thousand dollars. Would Collins have mentioned that? Probably. It was just the sort of the thing the police would be looking for. Money was always the best motive for murder.

  She had to think this through. She had told detective Sykes that she needed the money from her father for a new car. But unfortunately she’d told Collins that she needed the money for lawyer’s fees.

  Well, there was nothing she could do about that now. She'd stick to the excuse of her car problems, though lately her troublesome SUV was purring away like a pussycat. No recent mechanic's bills. Nothing.

  She grabbed her purse and stood abruptly, nearly knocking the chair over.

  "Sally, can you tell Collins I won’t be at the afternoon meeting," she called on her way out of the office. "Just tell him an emergency came up."

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  Jess pressed the buzzer again. Still no answer. Why didn’t Ally answer? She was obviously home, her car was right out in front. Next to it was a shiny black Harley Davidson which meant that Ally probably had company but Jess didn't care. She needed to talk to her sister. Now.

  Jess kept impatiently pushing the buzzer until Ally's irritated voice called from behind the door.

  "Who is it?"

  "Ally, I need to talk to you."

  Ally made no effort to hide her annoyance as she opened the door. "I have company, Jessica.”

  "I don't care. We need to talk. Now."

  "If this is about my not showing up at the funeral again, you can just..."

  "No," Jess interrupted. "I don't care about that. I'm nervous, Ally...the police keep questioning me. That detective...Sykes...."

  Ally let out an exasperated sigh. She cinched the silky tie of her short kimono tighter around her slim waist and stepped out onto the slate walkway, in her bare feet. "Look," she said, pulling a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of her robe. "They're questioning me too. It's not a big deal. Unless..." Ally paused dramatically and looked at her sister."You didn't do it, did you, Jess?"