by PJ Fernor
“Saw someone?”
“You’re going to think I’m out of my mind, Ben, but I swore I saw someone dressed in white. A girl. A young woman.”
“Nikki?” Ben asked.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t be sure. I saw her and tried to chase after her. I kept catching glimpses of her while I chased after her. I called for her to stop. She ended up going down a dead end and was gone after that. She either darted through more yards. Or she went into the woods.”
“Okay,” Ben said. “Near the ridge?”
“No,” I said. “Not near the ridge at all.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe I was just imagining things?” I asked.
“Does that happen a lot?”
“I don’t know, Ben. I don’t know why I’m telling you this. What I saw - or didn’t see - it has nothing to do with Nikki.”
Ben touched my arm. “Maybe it does. We don’t know. That’s good you told me, Allie. No matter what. I had no idea you were doing that. If it helps, that’s good. I don’t like the idea of you walking around in the middle of the night, but I understand it. You know, sometimes after I get Dad settled for the night, I just wander through the house. It’s quiet. Calm. He’s sleeping. It’s…” Ben shook his head. “What am I doing? You were talking about yourself. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I just wanted to tell you that. Maybe it’s connected. Maybe it’s not. I don’t think the girl I saw was Nikki. She wasn’t wearing ripped jeans.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Ben said. “I know it’s been tough for you. And here we are again, jumping into another case together.”
“It’s what we do, Ben.”
“Yeah, it is,” he said with a smile.
We walked down the steps together in silence.
In a way I felt vulnerable. And I didn’t like that feeling at all.
I had too much to care for and too much to lose.
But at least we knew the name of the young woman who was found dead.
Did she have anything to do with the girl I saw on my walk? I knew what I really believed - even if I didn’t say it.
Chapter Twenty
I took the case home with me.
We were waiting for the rest of the information from the scene to come back to us. Anything found that could lead us to exactly who Nikki Pearson was and why she ended up on that ridge, stabbed to death .
What that meant for me - and Ben - was a lot of long nights, not much sleep, and digging through the life of someone who was murdered.
I needed to make sure Lo was safe, alive, and at home, then I could get back to work.
Ben had to do the same with his father.
Every little sign in my life pointed right to Ben.
Yet it just never happened…
I parked outside the apartment building and grabbed my bag.
As I walked the steps toward the door, I was still thinking about Nikki.
There were too many scenarios to count.
My gut told me she was put there on purpose. To be left there and never found. Which meant she wasn’t from Sandemor. But the person who put her there was. Whoever did it knew about the ridge and that not many people went up there.
Plus, the trees were so thick in places… it was a miracle that Rick even tripped over her.
Outside the apartment door, the images played through my mind.
The sight of Nikki’s body on the ground. The blood around her. The bloody trail back to the tree where she had been left. The rock with the message on it. WE’RE ALL HIS. Written in blood.
I assumed it was Nikki’s blood.
She wrote that herself… why?
To warn someone?
To warn me?
I took a breath and opened the apartment door.
I stepped inside just in time to hear an explosion of laughter from the kitchen.
To me, it sounded like two voices.
“Lo?” I called out.
A second later, she popped out of the kitchen with what looked like whipped cream on her nose.
“Hey, Allie,” she said while still laughing.
Right behind her, someone else appeared.
It was Steph.
“Hey there,” Steph said with a wave.
“Hope you don’t mind I invited Steph over,” Lo said. “That’s cool, right?”
Steph was holding the can of whipped cream.
“What are you two doing with that?” I asked.
I knew the stories about that stuff. Something as innocent as whipped cream being used to get high…
“I wanted hot chocolate,” Lo said. “Perfect weather, right?”
“I’m sorry, I kind of made a mess,” Steph said. “I was just joking. Shoot.”
Lo looked at me and looked mad.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said.
I hurried toward the kitchen. I tossed my bag to the table.
There were two mugs on the counter.
Overflowing with melting whipped cream.
“Can I have that can, please?” I asked Steph.
She handed me the can and worried.
I looked at Lo. “You told her she could come over? Without talking to me first?”
“You said to invite her over,” Lo said. “Allie…”
I looked at Steph. “And you feel it’s okay to take someone’s groceries and just waste them?”
“I am so sorry,” Steph said. “Um… Miss Down… I’m…”
I slowly smiled.
“You missed a spot,” I said.
I pressed my finger to the nozzle and whipped cream shot all over Lo’s forehead.
She let out a scream and turned.
Steph’s jaw dropped.
I put the can on the counter.
“It’s good to finally meet you, Steph,” I said. “And please call me Allie.”
“Of course,” she said. She touched her chest. “You scared me for a second there.”
“Yeah? So I’ve the whole intimidating Mom vibe?” I asked.
“No,” Lo said.
“Yes,” Steph said at the same time.
Lo grabbed a dish towel and wiped her face.
“This is gross,” she said.
“But it’s okay when Steph does it?” I asked.
“I like Steph,” Lo said.
“Oh, ouch,” I said. “Someone’s bitter.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Lo said. “I thought you would be working late tonight. With the big news and all.”
“What big news?” I asked.
“Steph told me there was a body found up on the ridge,” Lo said.
I looked at Steph.
Her face turned red. “Sorry again.”
“Where did you hear that?” I asked.
“In class,” she said. “This one guy… Wesley. He knows everything. I think his uncle or cousin or something is a firefighter. He’s not the best student in the world, if you know what I mean. But he knows everything. He said some guy was trying to climb over the mountain and got stuck on the ridge. Then the guy found some dead girl and fell off the ridge and broke his leg.”
“Is that true?” Lo asked.
I let out a long sigh. “Okay, girls. Here’s how this is going to work. There’s a lot of truth and a lot of crap. You can’t get lost in either. It’s my job to do that. Yes, something happened up on the ridge. I was there. Everything is being processed and investigated.”
“A dead body?” Lo asked.
“Lo…”
“That’s a yes,” Steph said.
I clapped my hands together. “Be careful with stories and rumors, okay? Again, it’s not your job to deal with it. It’s my job. I came home to check on you, Lo, and then I was going to get to work. So here’s what we’re going to do. Steph, you’re more than welcome to stay. I’ll order a pizza. You two have fun. I’m going to go visit Miss Kesslier. I don’t want to hear another word about what you think you know about what happened up on that ridge. Got it?”
> “Got it,” they both said.
“Now drink your hot chocolate,” I said. “Nobody likes cold chocolate, right?”
I laughed.
They didn’t.
I guess I was cool as a detective but not as a mother figure.
Oh well.
I took my bag and went next door where Miss Kesslier greeted me with open arms, then a big hug.
She always knew how to make me smile.
I sat down at her table and she made tea.
I filled her in about Lo and Steph. And the story about the ridge.
I talked fast, probably sounding like a kid as I did so.
Miss Kesslier finally sat across from me.
“Well,” she said. “Your day’s been productive.”
“Hardly,” I said. “That young woman up there… it reminded me of Lo. Lo and Steph, actually. She was so young. Nineteen. And somehow her life took her in that direction with that ending.”
“You can’t compare everything you see to Lo, Allie,” Miss Kesslier said.
“Any why not?”
She smiled. “You’ll drive yourself crazy. Just think, what, a month ago, Lo didn’t have this, right? She didn’t have this friend. Or her therapist. You and her weren't this close. I know this whole Trevor thing is still lingering, and probably will…”
I nodded.
I hadn’t even gotten to the Trevor thing yet.
The bracelet was most certainly being processed by now. And soon enough someone would see the name, make the connection, and I was going to hear about it.
I probably should have said something to Ben. Or Laura. Or gotten ahead of it.
What I didn’t want to do was to appear as though I was helping in any way.
“You’re right,” I said to Miss Kesslier.
“I know I am,” she said. “Life moves fast, Allie. But I think it’s moving in the right direction now. For you. For Lo. The only thing you need to do is make a decision on Ben.”
“Ben? Why…”
I cringed.
Miss Kesslier smiled even bigger. “I’m not any getting any younger. So if I have a chance to make a run at that man, I want to.”
“A run…?” I asked.
“He’s the detective and I’ve got a case for him to solve,” Miss Kesslier. “Oops, never mind. He solved it. My missing passion is suddenly back because of him.”
I put my hand up. “You have to stop saying that stuff.”
“Nope,” she said.
We both laughed.
The tea was perfect. The company was even more perfect.
Talking to Miss Kesslier was like when I lived in the city and I would go to Eno’s Cafe. It was a little corner cafe that always had people in it. There were cop bars and cop cafes all around the city but I snuck to Eno’s on my own.
I’d sit there and sip coffee, chat with the waitresses, and think about a case. Or ten.
Miss Kesslier had such a calming effect on my life.
When I saw her yawn, I realized I had maybe overstayed my welcome.
Of course she wanted me to stay.
“I have to get moving on this case,” I said to her. “This one is interesting.”
“They all are,” she said.
“True. I better go check on the apartment too. See what the girls have trashed.”
“I wish you could see how happy your face it right now,” she said.
“I can feel it,” I said. “All I want is for Lo to be happy. To feel at home and settled.”
“She’s getting there,” Miss Kesslier said.
Of course we had to hug before I left.
When I walked back into the apartment, it was quiet.
Way too quiet.
I hurried down the hallway and opened Lo’s door with fury.
She sat on her bed and looked surprised to see me.
“Where’s Steph?” I asked.
“She went home. She had to be home by a certain time. She has a curfew.”
“Is that so?” I asked with a smile.
“Don’t do that,” Lo said.
“So having rules is a good thing, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Lo said. “She said thanks for the pizza.”
“Anytime. She seems like a good friend.”
“She is.”
I gave Lo a goodnight kiss to her head and closed her door.
I then settled into my favorite chair in the living room and started to work on the case.
What I needed was to know who was the officer that arrested Nikki for shoplifting. Who screwed up all the paperwork. And why.
And when it came to shady cop and detective work, I knew who I needed to call.
“Johnny Barby,” I whispered.
The thought of that made me cringe.
Chapter Twenty-One
Placing a call to Detective Johnny Barby just before midnight was always a risky thing. Knowing him, he would assume the call had nothing to do with police work. At the same time, when his voicemail had picked up, I rolled my eyes, figuring he was off the clock and enjoying the company of a woman.
There was still a faint hint of jealousy that bothered me. I had no desire to be with Johnny Barby. I didn’t even want to be in the same room as him. Yeah, we had shared a kiss or two, but that was in the heat of the moment as we were solving a murder investigation.
And after I had shot Patrick to death to save Johnny.
So even if there was something between us, I would never be able to look at Johnny without seeing Patrick.
I left him a quick voicemail about my case and concerns over a strange looking police report. And I fell asleep in the chair.
I woke before my alarm and rushed into the kitchen to get coffee and dropped frozen waffles in the toaster.
Lo knew if she wanted something better, go next door.
It wasn’t a bad thing, however.
Miss Kesslier insisted she loved to help us, and I wasn’t going to turn down the help.
When Lo shuffled out of her room like a sixteen year old zombie, she gave me a grunt and a head nod.
“I’m leaving now,” I said. “I have to work on this case. Miss Kesslier is next door if you’re hungry. Just please get to school on time.”
Another grunt.
“Please don’t talk about the case or worry about it,” I said. “Don’t listen to rumors. Don’t say anything.”
Another grunt.
“I’ll take that as an I love you, Allie.
Lo smiled.
Then grunted again.
She disappeared into the bathroom and I poured myself a coffee to go and left the apartment.
It was an interesting feeling to just get up and go.
Not that I didn’t care or worry about Lo, but I felt as though I had to do less of it.
I felt relief.
That was the word.
Relief.
My job with Lo was endless, but the small victories were good to have.
I drove to the station and almost ran into Ben.
Literally.
We parked our cars at the same time, almost hitting one another.
He got out of his car with a coffee.
I got out of my car with my coffee.
When he smiled at me, I smiled back.
Is it so bad, Allie? Imagine waking up next to him and being able to do this together. Taking care of Lo. Caring for his father. Working these cases. What is so wrong about it?
That was a question I couldn’t answer.
“I called Johnny last night,” I said as I shut my door.
“Good morning to you too,” Ben said. “And thanks for the heads up on your personal life.”
“Ben… about the case. I figured if someone knows about messy police reports, it’s him.”
“Logical thinking,” he said.
“He didn’t answer.”
“Of course not,” Ben said. “He was probably…”
Ben trailed off and looked away.
He was
jealous too. Of Johnny. Because of what he saw.
I hated that Ben saw me kiss Johnny.
“I was thinking about the case all night,” I said. “And I think we-”
“Going for a ride!” Garrison’s voice boomed.
I looked back. “What?”
“Laura will have my head for telling you this,” Garrison said. “She’s on her way to your son-in-law’s house.”
“Excuse me?”
“Trevor,” Garrison said. “I told you this was going to happen, Down.”
I looked at Ben.
I could feel the color leaving my face.
“Get in my car,” he said.
He hurried around the driver’s side and I ripped open the passenger side.
Before Ben could start the car, I yelled at him to drive faster.
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Allie…”
“Just drive,” I said. “You don’t get it.”
“Get what?” Ben asked as he backed up.
“I found a bracelet up on the ridge,” I said. “Trevor’s bracelet. He and Lo have matching bracelets with each other’s names on them. I left it there. Of course I left it there. I wasn’t going to…” I sighed. “I wanted to talk to Lo last night. Then I was going to find Laura… I shouldn’t have waited…”
“Wait a second,” Ben said. “You’re telling me that evidence points to Trevor in Nikki’s murder?”
I looked at Ben. “Yeah. The kid is screwed.”
“And here we thought maybe he was the one messing with the pumpkins and the porches,” Ben said. “This is bad.”
“That’s why I need you to drive fast,” I said. “Please, Ben.”
Ben nodded and picked up speed.
We flew through town, lights and sirens going, gathering all the attention we could get.
“I wanted to talk to Laura privately and make sure she understood I was going to do this right,” I said. “No favors. But…”
“You’re too close to it,” Ben said. “Maybe you should wait in the car.”
“Ben, if you ever tell me to wait in the car again, I’ll make it so you never have the ability to drive again. Got it?”
“Loud and clear,” Ben said.
Trevor lived in a beaten down part of town.
Where houses were old, sometimes crooked, and in need of work.
Shutters missing. Tires littering driveways. Basketball hoops attached to garages with no nets. Windows in the houses that were cracked and boarded up - or with cardboard duct taped to them.
