by Laina Turner
We talked a while longer and had a few cups of coffee; I switched to decaf after the first cup. He claimed caffeine didn’t keep him up and stuck with regular. At close to two, we decided we’d better call it a night. We walked back to the bar where our cars were.
“I had a great time tonight, Pres. I really liked your friends.”
“I’m glad. They liked you, too.”
“Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Of course you can.”
“Good.” He leaned over and his lips touched mine softly. His kiss was super light and sweet. Just like him.
He stepped back. “I hope that was okay.”
“It was definitely okay,” I said, and he leaned over and kissed me again.
Chapter 9
The crime scene techs had once again made their normal mess. I finally I got the store cleaned up with the help of Steph and Lily and was able to open after the lunch hour. I was a bit worried that when clients started coming and messing things up I would go postal. I was not in any mood to clean this place up again. Ever. Both times we had been in here cleaning the place we had several clients call or stop by just dying to know what had happened. The incident, as I’d taken to calling it, had been all over the news, so I didn’t think there was anyone who hadn’t heard. They just wanted more details than the news. They wanted to be in the know, I suppose. The door chimed, and I looked up. It was Luis, one of our UPS guys.
“Hi, Luis.”
“Hey, Pres. How’s it going?”
“Finally back to normal, I think. Well as normal as it can be under the circumstances.”
“That’s good to hear.” He walked up to the counter and set the two boxes down. He leaned closer to me, and I was sure he was about to ask me a question—and I knew what it was going to be. It was the same question I had been continually asked the last few days.
“So is it true you found her hanging?”
And I was exactly right. People wanted the dirty details. I admit I was the same way, and yes, I asked Willie the details, but he was a cop. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t ask these questions of someone I barely knew who had found her.
“Yes, it’s true,” I said.
“What was that like?”
“Creepy.” I didn’t want to encourage him. This was going to have to stop. It was crass to discuss and made me very uncomfortable.
“Just creepy? How was she…?”
“Luis!”
He at least had the sense to look embarrassed. “Sorry. I got carried away,” he said sheepishly. “I’ve never known anyone who, well, you know.”
“I know, Luis. You’re not the only one, but I would rather not talk about it. Now, how many boxes do you have for me today?”
“Twelve. A lot for you”
“Wow, that is a lot for us, but I suppose it’s the last couple day’s worth. Go ahead and stack them right by the counter.”
Luis raised his eyebrows at this. Solange would have never allowed boxes to be at the front. But then, we never had the kind of foot traffic we had that day. Amazing how many people stopped in who had never been in Silk before and had not one intention of buying anything but still tried on clothes—and asked Is this where you found her? I wouldn’t care as much if they bought something rather than wasting our time for nothing.
“I know, but we are all a little jittery, and it’s been busy today. I would rather have all of us here in the front.”
“Makes sense. I’ll bring them in.”
After a couple of trips I could hardly walk around the counter. But it was always exciting to get shipments and to see what new fun things we got in. Solange had always done the ordering with a little input from us. It was the one aspect I was unsure of in taking over the running of Silk. I had learned a lot from Solange but didn’t have her eye or her innate sense for what people wanted.
“Thanks, Luis,” I said and signed for the shipment then sent him on his way.
“Presley, come look at this.” Lily called me over.
“What?” I peered over her shoulder at the box of accessories she had just opened.
“These aren’t ours. This clearly isn’t anything Solange would ever order. But the shipping label has our address, and the return label is our normal supplier.”
“You’re right.”
“Isn’t this ivory?”
“It looks like it. I mean it could be imitation, but it looks a lot nicer than any imitation I have seen.”
Lily picked up one of the necklaces, running her fingers over the smooth ivory. “Who would actually wear these? They’re so heavy.”
“Don’t!”
Lily dropped the necklace like it was on fire. “What’d I do?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I just think due to what has happened I should tell Willie, I mean Detective Landon, who is handling the case. It might just be nothing, but it might be important. I’m calling him right now.”
After a brief conversation with Willie he said he would be able to stop by in about an hour. I took the box to the back room where it would be away from the stream of steady traffic we had been getting all afternoon. Then Willie walked in, looking delicious in his uniform of faded jeans, navy T-shirt, and brown blazer. Had it already been an hour? I looked at my watch, and actually it had been almost two.
“I take it we aren’t a priority anymore,” I teased.
“What?” He looked confused.
“You said an hour, and it’s been almost two.”
“Ahhhh, so sorry. I will never let it happen again,” he said in mock seriousness.
“Good. Glad we have an understanding.” I had to admit that it was fun having this type of banter. It’s one of those things that I missed about not being in a relationship, the easy exchange of playful barbs. “Follow me to the back. I brought the box back here so as few people as possible would mess with it.”
“Good thinking.”
“Lily did pick up one of the necklaces, but I put a sticky note on that one so it wouldn’t get mixed up with the rest.”
“Gold star for you. I wish I had more people like you in the course of my investigations.”
“I know. I’m such a good detective in the making.”
He looked at the box, and I had to patiently explain to him why even though this was addressed to us there was no way we would carry something like this. He dressed well but sure didn’t understand women’s accessories.
“Maybe Solange ordered something you didn’t know she ordered. Did she ever do that?”
“Yes, but even then she never failed to fill out a purchase order, and there’s not one for this. She was meticulous about her financial records. Probably to make sure James couldn’t find more ways to berate her. And again, this isn’t something she would have ever carried here at the store. I know it might sound weird to you that I’m so sure, but you have to trust me. I know Solange’s taste for Silk, and this is not it.”
“Well, I’ll take this with me and drop it off at the lab. I’m sure it’s just a legitimate mix-up, and they sent it to you by accident, but it can’t hurt to check.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“There is one more thing I wanted to discuss with you.”
“Oh?”
“One of the reasons I was late was I was checking into the people who are renting the places around this building. Just to see if anything unusual popped up. I stopped on the way to visit a few that I couldn’t find information for, and you’ll never guess what I discovered.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What?”
“Are you sure you want to know? I could always wait until later,” he said with a teasing look.
“I think it would be in your best interest to tell me,” I shot back. But I was only half kidding. I really wanted to know and wasn’t above force or bribery.
He smiled. Boy, he had a nice smile. Almost made me forget what we were talking about. “C’mon, Willie, tell me, please.”
“So, the guy with t
he fake German accent that was bothering you the other day who we saw at the bar?’
“How do you know it was fake?”
“He is renting the apartment above the store next door. When I knocked on the door he yelled just a minute in perfect English, but when he saw me he switched back to his horrible German accent.”
“What?!”
“Yep. I knew you’d be shocked. But it explains why he was at the bar, since it’s right around the corner.”
“Wonder if he was American or German at the bar?”
“Good question.”
“What did you say to him? Did you call him out on the accent and ask him what the heck he was doing in that apartment? Not to judge, but if he could afford one of our necklaces, he would be living somewhere else besides one of those apartments above the shops.”
“I kind of thought that, too, but I didn’t even let on I remembered him from the store, although I am sure he knew I did remember. Just like I knew he knew who I was but didn’t let on. I just asked him if he had heard anything the other night like I asked everyone else. He said no and basically slammed the door in my face, and I went about my business.”
“Why didn’t you ask him why he was such jerk and why he needed the necklace so badly? This is too much of a coincidence.”
“Presley, it’s not a crime to be a jerk. I couldn’t ask him those questions; he’s not a suspect and doesn’t even need to talk to me. Plus, if he has done anything wrong, the last thing I would want to do is tip him off.”
“I guess it just sucks that you can’t ask and just be able to cross him off the list of those you think might be involved.”
“I completely agree. I’m going to keep an eye on him, that’s for sure.”
“What’s his name?”
“Peter. Peter Green. I ran him in the system once I realized who he was. There wasn’t much other information on him. He does have a criminal record, but just for petty theft not any major crimes. Just reinforcing the fact that he couldn’t have actually been in the market for a necklace, which at this store starts at, what did you say?”
“Six thousand dollars”
“Right, six thousand dollars, for a necklace.”
“Hey, its quality!”
“I don’t doubt it. It’s just weird to me for jewelry that isn’t diamonds or something of that nature.”
“It doesn’t have to be diamonds to be high quality or in high demand.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“Right now just watch him. I need more proof that he might be involved, if indeed he is. If he comes in here again, obviously, call me right away and try to keep him here until I can get here. Then if he doesn’t actually buy anything, I have more to go on.”
Willie left, and the next few hours that the boutique was open flew by. It had been a tiring day, and I was so glad to be going home and just sitting back and relaxing. I was tired of cleaning and working. That day had been filled with people just wanting to know what had happened. While I could understand (I was somewhat like those people), I didn’t like being the one who gave out the information. It was tiring to talk about the same stuff over and over. My couch, a glass of wine, and a good book were all I wanted that night.
I walked in the door of my building and waved hi to Charles, the doorman who had been here forever; he was an adorable old man. I pushed the button to the elevator going up and jumped in when the door opened. I was so tired I didn’t even admire, as I usually did, the beautiful wrought iron spindles casing the elevator. The elevator shuddered to a stop, and I walked off and down the hall to my door—to find it cracked open.
This was very reminiscent of the store that morning, except I could clearly see someone had broken in. The wood was splintered on the door and the doorjamb right by the lock. It looked like someone had taken a crowbar and pried the door open. Not that I was an expert, but I sure knew who it was, and I knew well enough not to go inside. I grabbed my cell phone out of my purse and dialed what was now a familiar number. Willie.
“Hey there, what’s up? Change your mind about that drink later?”
“No, I wish it were that.”
“Is everything okay?”
“What’s up is that you’d better get to my place. Someone broke in.”
“What? Are you all right?” Again he had that immediate concern that was so sweet.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I haven’t even walked in yet.”
“Don’t. Go back downstairs and stay with the doorman until I get there.”
“Okay. But this routine is starting to become way too familiar, and I’m tired of it.” This sucked. I was so tired and now had no hope of getting to bed soon. Willie would come and bring the crime tech guys, they would do their thing, then I might be able to get in. But probably not until tomorrow—and then I would have to clean.
“I can imagine. I’m sorry, but we’ll get to the bottom of this soon.”
“Do you think this is related to the break-in at Silk or Solange’s murder?”
“You know my standard line is I don’t know yet, but I honestly can’t imagine how it’s not related. I’ve got a call in to the crime scene techs to get the results from their processing of the store from earlier.”
“Boutique.”
“Ah yes, boutique. See you soon.”
“Hi, again Charles,” I said, stepping off the elevator.
“Hey, Red, what brings you back down so soon?”
“Someone broke into my condo, Charles.”
“Oh no, Red, I’m so sorry.” He immediately frowned and started wringing his hands.
“Charles, did you see anyone go up that you didn’t know?”
“No. I got here at six and only residents have been here, not even any visitors. Red, I’m so sorry. This is my fault. It’s the doorman’s job to keep everyone safe.”
Poor Charles looked almost in tears. He took his job very seriously and often said we tenants were like family. I had no doubt he had been diligent at his job.
“Charles, this isn’t your fault. The intruder obviously came in before your shift or snuck in somehow. Please don’t worry. The police will be here soon, and they will figure it out. I don’t blame you.”
As I spoke, Willie walked in. He was in shorts and a tank top. Most definitely workout clothes, and boy, did he look yummy. I must have called when he was at the gym.
“Willie, this is Charles, the doorman,” I said. “Charles, this is Detective Willie Landon.”
Charles looked at me strangely probably wondering how I was on first name basis with the police. I didn’t even want to try and explain that one.
“Hi, Charles, please excuse the way I’m dressed,” he said flashing his shield. “I was working out when I got this call, and it was faster to just come right here than to change.”
“No problem, sir. Like I told Red here, I’m really sorry. I don’t know how this happened. All the doormen here are very good at their jobs. This is terrible; we don’t want people thinking it’s not safe.” Charles wrung his hands nervously.
“I’ll be needing to talk to everyone who was on duty today, Charles. If you could call them and ask them to come in, I’m going to go upstairs and survey the crime scene. There will be more of me here soon; I would appreciate it if you would send them right up.”
“Sure thing, sir.”
“Presley, let’s go take a look at your condo and see what we’re dealing with?”
Back up the elevator again. Being in a small space with Willie made me uncomfortable in a good way. We were silent on the short ride up, and I led him to my door. “There you have it. One more trashed place for me to clean.”
“Sorry, Presley. Or should I call you Red?”
“Only Charles gets away with that.”
“I know you’ve had your fill of cleaning. When did you leave home this morning?”
“Ummm…elevenish.” We stepped through the broken doorway into what used t
o be my lovely home. I had spent so much time and effort painstakingly making my condo the way I wanted it. I had to do it on a budget because, although I’d made a lot more money in my corporate days, I’d never had a ton, and most of it went to the condo payments and basic maintenance. On first glance, it looked as if a bunch of teenagers had had an out of control party. Things were out of drawers and cupboards and strewn over the floor, but not broken and destroyed. Just an absolute mess.
“Someone was looking for something. Where do you keep your valuables?”
“Ha! You’re making an assumption I have valuables. No valuables. Just my laptop. And I see it right where I left it, on my desk.”
“Okay.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Presley, but you aren’t going to be able to stay here tonight.”
I sighed, too, knowing for certain my dream of a relaxing evening was over. “I figured as much.”
“The department will pay to put you up in a hotel.”
“No thanks. I’ll call Anna. I would rather stay with her. She has wine.”
“Good call. I’ll text you when we’re are done here, since it will probably be late, but I want to let you know when you can come back.”
“Okay.”
I texted Anna and told her I was on my way. I called a cab because parking around Anna’s apartment was a nightmare, and I was so exhausted I didn’t feel like driving across town. I just wanted to sit back and relax.
“You poor thing,” Anna said when I arrived. She quickly poured me a glass of wine. “You have been through so much.”
I sat in Anna’s kitchen waiting for the first few sips of wine to take effect. I knew after the day I had, the wine would hit me and I’d be dead tired, but right then I was wide awake and wired.
“So why would anyone want to break into your place?”
“That is the million dollar question. Even Willie says it’s probably related to the break-ins at Silk, that it’s too much of a coincidence not to be. But what I don’t get is what people are looking for. I don’t have anything in my condo of value, and they didn’t take anything at Silk.
