Mourning Commute

by Sam Cheever

  Rolling my eyes, I stepped backward. “Come on in before you disrupt Doug and his ‘shows’ again.”

  “Is there a new season of Naked and Appalled I should know about?”

  I chuckled. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “I’d love a beer.”

  I opened my refrigerator and pulled out one beer and one diet soda. Handing him the beer, I popped the tab on the soda can and sipped gratefully. “I’m surprised to see you again.”

  Eddie moved over to my couch and plopped down onto it, resting the beer on one thigh and his dark head on the back of my sofa. “I didn’t like the way we left things.”

  Shakes jumped up and circled next to him, curling up with a contented sigh.

  “Oh? I’m not sure why. You didn’t say anything insulting or rude. In fact, you didn’t say much of anything at all.”

  He lifted his head and looked at me. “Sorry. It was just…sitting there talking about Josh was depressing. I guess it just hit me how much I’m going to miss him.”

  “I totally get that.” I lowered myself onto the other end of the couch and sat cross-legged, leaning back and sipping from the icy can.

  Eddie absently petted Shakes, his expression thoughtful. “Your questions were good ones.”

  “Huh?”

  “To Alex. Those were all questions I’d have asked him if I could.”

  “Why couldn’t you?”

  Eddie sipped his beer. “I just can’t.”

  I did a mental shrug and changed the subject. Eddie would tell me what was bothering him when he was ready. In the meantime, I had more questions. “Did you get the guest list?”

  “I did. I haven’t had a chance to go over it in detail yet. But on a first glance, I didn’t see anybody who seemed even remotely questionable. Everyone except for the Doc and James is close friends or family.”

  “What’s the deal with James?”

  He gave me a suspicious look. “Why?”

  “I just wondered how he fit into the mix. You excluded him from both close friends and family.”

  “Oh. James went to school with Josh and me. He’s a good guy. A little too driven at times. Comes from a really poor family and built himself a successful business fairly quickly. I think he’s been working with Alex on some project.”

  “At Crime Clean?”

  “Not sure. I haven’t had a one-on-one with James for a while.”

  “Is there any chance he’s our killer?”

  “Not unless Josh tried to steal his girl,” Eddie joked. As soon as he made the joke, he paled, looking spooked. “Oh.”

  “Okay, that’s clearly something we need to rule out.”

  “Yeah. We should. But I really don’t believe James would ‘gack’ Josh for sleeping with a woman. Neither one of them is that into monogamy.”

  “Still.”

  “Yeah. I’ll propose dinner or something and pick his brain.”

  “Good. And you already know I’m suspicious about the doctor.”

  “Yeah. That one’s going to be a bit harder. He’s not a real open guy. I don’t even know his first name.”

  “Is he Alex’s personal physician?”

  “No. Actually, he’s a forensic pathologist. He used to work for the Medical Examiner’s office. Now he consults on Crime Clean and Alex’s secondary, private autopsy business.”

  I lifted my eyebrows. “Curiouser and curiouser. You realize that makes my theory that Josh’s murder was tied to something at Crime Clean even stronger, right?”

  Eddie didn’t respond at first.

  “Hello?”

  He looked up and I was shocked to see guilt in his gaze. “I have something to confess.”

  My heart skipped a beat. Please don’t let him tell me he’s the killer. “Should I grab my mace?”

  He didn’t even crack a smile. “You know how I told you that I’ve been focusing on a case for a new client?”

  I nodded, dreading what he was about to tell me.

  He sighed. “I didn’t lie about that. Not exactly. But I left something really important out of it.” When I frowned, he went on. “The client I was helping was Alex. Someone has been threatening him.”

  I stared at him for a long moment and then lowered my gaze, knowing he’d see the anger there. “You certainly waited long enough to tell me that.”

  He gave me a look. “Are you going to pretend you’ve been entirely honest with me all this time?”

  I chewed the inside of my lower lip. “You know everything there is to know about me.”

  “Because I did background. If I hadn’t, would you have fessed up to lying about being Josh’s girlfriend?”

  “I wasn’t lying. I was doing a job. You should understand that if anybody should. I’m sure you misrepresent yourself all the time in the pursuit of information.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that. Let’s put the accusations aside and focus on the information we have.”

  I nodded. “Who was threatening Alex and why?”

  “He claims he doesn’t know.”

  “But you don’t believe him?”

  “He’s lying.”

  “Then how in the world does he expect you to find out who it is?”

  “To be honest, I don’t think he does expect me to find him. I’m not even sure he exists. I have a sneaking suspicion he was just trying to get me out of the way.”

  Curiouser and curiouser. “Why?”

  “Because I pay attention. I notice things. Like, for example, I noticed that Alex met face to face with William Tomlinson a few weeks ago.”

  I frowned. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

  “Maybe because he’s a rich businessman who’s considering running for Mayor. Or maybe because he’s been accused of killing his girlfriend. Unfortunately, the evidence they have against him is all circumstantial. They need to find the weapon.”

  “I remember that murder. Wasn’t it a couple of months ago?”

  “Yeah. It’s definitely a cooling case. And I’m pretty sure they won’t find the weapon.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I believe Alex’s cleaners took evidence from the scene. And I think Alex is holding onto that evidence for whatever reason. And I think there’s a good chance it got Josh killed.”

  I sat there for a long moment, thinking about what he’d said. It was all new information, taking me in an entirely new direction, but it made a slimy kind of sense. “Okay, if what you say is true, why Josh? You don’t think he was involved in the evidence tampering, do you?”

  “No. Although, I’ll admit there’s an outside chance he was. Josh was a risk-taker. He got high from taking impossible chances. But he also hated his dad’s occupation. And lately, I don’t know if he was finally starting to grow up or what, but he seemed almost angry about the business. He’d begun to hate it, and his father.” Eddie shook his head.

  “Like he’d learned something he didn’t like?” I offered.

  Eddie’s gaze shot to mine. “Exactly like that.”

  “Okay, let’s assume, for the moment, that Josh wasn’t in on it. Would he have taken an active interest in changing it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, would Josh have tried to out his father for the crime?”

  “I’m not sure. But he definitely might have gotten proactive about finding out the details.”

  “Because…?”

  “Because he might have been fun-loving and lacking a bit in the personal responsibility department, but Josh wasn’t impulsive about important stuff. If he suspected his father was involved in something nefarious, he would have gotten his facts together before confronting him.”

  I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around my knees, resting my chin on them. “Okay, I’m with you so far. Where would he have started?”

  “With Collen Landon, the victim’s brother. He’s been very vocal that he thinks Tomlinson killed his sister. What if Josh had contacted him and they’d agreed to mee
t?”

  “Do you know where to find him?”

  “Yep. He lives in Asheville. In fact, he owns one of the clubs Josh frequents.”

  “Okay, that seems important.”

  “Yeah. And I was thinking we should talk to him. Are you game?”

  I didn’t hesitate…though I definitely should have. “I am. When did you want to go?”

  “No time like the present.”

  11

  Illusions was located on Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville. Apparently, an extremely popular night spot, the line to get in was all the way down the block and around the corner. Music pulsed out into the night through the open front doors and light flashed colors over the excited faces of the clubbers in line. Conversations were lively and loud.

  I eyed the long queue with trepidation, wondering if we’d make it inside before the sun started to rise in the sky.

  Eddie didn’t seem concerned. He clasped my hand in his big, warm grip and strode directly to the beefy bouncer standing in front of the gilded front doors. The man had an earpiece coiling from one ear, and an intimidating glare fixed onto his wide face.

  Eddie’s smile smacked up against the bouncer’s glare and pinged off, unaccepted. But that didn’t deter Deitz. He reached for the bouncer’s big paw and gave it a couple of pumps while leaning close and whispering something into his ear.

  A beat later the man gave us a nod and motioned for the statuesque brunette at the door to let us through.

  She eyed Eddie as we moved past, her exotic almond eyes filled with invitation.

  My smile she rejected, looking at me like I was a particularly nasty type of bug. Eddie kept hold of my hand as we moved through the writhing crowd. Hips and shoulders and arms formed a vertical minefield that threatened bodily harm under the flashing lights. The music pulsed deep in my chest like a growl.

  I stared around like a country girl who found herself in the city for the first time. It wasn’t far from the truth. I didn’t go out at night much. My previous excursions to late night entertainment venues had mostly been into dives with offbeat bands and one-dollar beer nights.

  Cop bars.

  At that moment I realized just what a complete and utter dud I was. I was thirty-three years old, attractive, and had a certain kind of charm…if biting humor and self-deprecating wit could be called charming.

  I needed to get out more.

  Then I thought about what that would entail, and weariness swept over me. There was a half-gallon of fudge ripple ice cream and a warm Pomeranian who thought he was a lion waiting for me at home. Who in their right mind wouldn’t choose those things over three-inch heels that stabbed into their feet, music-induced deafness, and dance-generated eye gouging hazards?

  “Gah!” I mumbled to myself. “I’m old.”

  Eddie gave me a funny look and then shook his head. Leaning over the bar, he shouted something to the twelve-year-old behind it.

  Which was further proof that I was old. Everybody in the bar looked like they’d just stumbled out of a preschool class and were soothing their teething gums on the ice in their plastic cups.

  The pre-teen bartender pointed down the bar, where a handsome man stood staring morosely out over the roiling, rhythmic landscape, hands shoved into the pockets of his charcoal gray slacks.

  Thank heavens, an adult. He had to be at least twenty-one.

  Collen Landon fixed an unwelcoming stare on us as we fought our way down the bar. He skimmed a negligent look over Eddie and then let his gaze linger on me. Something about me must have caught his interest because he stopped looking morose for a moment and let humor tug his perfect lips upward in the corners.

  He probably enjoyed watching me stumble around in the unaccustomed heels. I felt like a very old toddler wearing her mother’s shoes.

  Eddie offered the other man his hand and leaned close to be heard above the music. “I’m a friend of Josh Mitner’s. Do you think we could talk somewhere quieter?”

  Landon’s gaze never left mine. It narrowed a bit when Eddie made his offer, but he didn’t show any other sign of having heard as he stared into my eyes.

  Finally, he gave a small nod and turned away, moving through the crowd with liquid grace that put my clomping steps to complete shame.

  He ascended a flight of stairs at the side of the big club and moved behind a wall of glass that substantially cut the noise from below.

  Only a few of the dozen or so tables on the second floor were occupied, and most of those people were too interested in each other to even notice our arrival.

  Landon motioned toward a booth along the back wall and signaled to the waitress who was just settling a drink onto a nearby table. “What would you like?” he asked me in a deep, smoky voice.

  At that moment, as his voice soothed over me like warm maple butter, I suddenly wanted something that wasn’t on the menu. My mind went blank. “Um…”

  With both men’s eyes on me…Landon’s filled with clear interest and Eddie’s pure amusement…I swallowed self-consciously. “Just water please.”

  Eddie requested something on draft, the name of which I didn’t recognize.

  We slid into the booth, Eddie on one side and me on the other. Landon slid in next to me.

  His thigh briefly touched mine before I scooted away from it as discreetly as I could.

  He looked at Eddie. “What’s this about?”

  “You heard about Josh’s death?”

  Landon frowned. “Josh who?”

  The two men forged a battle of flashing gazes for a minute, during which time my water arrived. I gulped it like a woman who’d been lost in the desert for a month.

  “I’m Josh Mitner’s friend and a private investigator. I’m looking into his murder,” Eddie finally said into the conversational void.

  Landon blinked and looked up as the waitress put two icy mugs of beer in front of them. When she’d left, he took a moment to sip his beer. I got the impression he was playing for time. Finally, he settled the mug onto the table and leaned back. “Josh was killed?”

  Eddie nodded.

  Landon tapped a finger on the table top for a few beats and then expelled air in a rush. He ran his fingers through his thick mop of hair and closed his eyes for a beat. “I guess I should be worried.”

  “Tell me what Josh found out. I’m trying to help.”

  Landon shook his head. “I’ll never know. He was meeting me here that morning, while the club was empty. He said he’d found something out about Tomlinson that I needed to know.”

  “You have no idea what he discovered?”

  “Only that he had a lead on the murder weapon.”

  “What was she killed with?” I asked.

  He glanced my way. “And you are?”

  Heat filled my cheeks. “I’m sorry.” Offering my hand, I told him my name. “I’m working with Eddie on this.” I didn’t think it would help our case to tell him what my real job was. I could just hear our conversation…

  You’re a what?

  I’m a fake mourner.

  And you’re investigating the death of the person you were fake mourning? Why?

  Um, I believe in giving a job my all. Going above and beyond. Seeing it to its full conclusion.

  Uh huh.

  I was pretty sure he’d throw Eddie and me out of the club.

  Landon drank more beer. “Her throat was slashed.” He paled, his lips compressing as emotion rolled through him. “They haven’t found the blade yet, and they won’t tell me anything about it while the investigation is going on. But I know what Tomlinson used to kill her. I gave it to her when she graduated from med school.”

  I felt my brows climb north on my face. “Your sister was a doctor?”

  He gave me a proud smile. “On the way to becoming one of Asheville’s finest surgeons. That’s why I got her the scalpel.”

  “Scalpel?” Eddie asked.

  Landon nodded. “An antique silver one with intricate markings on the handle. It was from
the late 1800s and was worth some money. Not a lot, but more than just a regular scalpel. She loved that knife. Kept it locked up in a safe. She’d have brought it out to show him if he’d asked…otherwise…he probably wouldn’t have even known she had it.” Landon swallowed hard. “She trusted him.” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe he killed her.”

  “Why do you believe it was him?” Eddie asked.

  “There’s a ton of evidence against him,” Landon responded. “But unfortunately, it’s all circumstantial.”

  “Tell us,” I urged.

  He sighed. “Allie was dressed for a dinner out, her purse nearby and her keys on the floor close to the door as if the purse had gone flying and the keys had flown out of it. Her cell phone was underneath her body, the front crushed.”

  Eddie stopped him. “Crushed? From what?”

  “It looks like a heel,” Landon said. “The original report had it down as damage that happened when she dropped and fell on it. But that’s not possible. I saw the crime scene photos. That phone had been crunched under someone’s heel, probably a wider heel like from a man’s shoe.”

  “Okay, go on,” Eddie said.

  “No money was taken from her purse. Nothing that we can identify was taken from the home…”

  “You mentioned a safe. Was it open?”

  Landon shook his head. “No. And it seemed like everything was still inside.”

  “Everything except the scalpel,” I reminded gently.

  “Right. That’s still missing.”

  “Her throat was cut,” Eddie prompted gently.

  “It was. And there were defensive wounds on her palms.” He swallowed hard. “She apparently put up quite a fight.”

  Something was bothering me about his account. I had to stop him to ask. “You said the police wouldn’t tell you anything about the investigation. How do you know all this?”

  He stared at his beer for a long moment. Finally, he said, “Josh sent me pictures. He got them from Crime Clean’s database.”

  “Is that normal?” Eddie asked? “For the crime scene cleaning company to have crime scene photos?

  Landon frowned. “Tell you the truth, I don’t know. I just know he told me he could get in a lot of trouble if his dad knew he had them.”