“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just, I woke this morning to a dead man in my bed.”
“You what?!” Aria swerved over to the side of the road. I’m guessing she wasn’t expecting that.
I kept talking. “At first I thought it was Finn, you know? Who else would be sleeping next to me? It turned out to be a buddy of his, someone from his past, a longtime friend if you will.”
“You knew him?”
I nodded but waved Aria’s question away. “But even more bizarre, I have no idea where Finn is. For all I know, whoever murdered his buddy could’ve made off with him.”
“You don’t think—” Aria left the unspoken question in the air.
“That Finn had anything to do with it? Sweet sugar, I sincerely hope not, but if he did, he’d have a damn good reason.”
“That he would. And you can bet he wouldn’t have left you there.”
“That’s what I tried to tell the FBI, but they seem to think that is just the sort of thing that Finn would do.”
“The FBI?” Aria asked.
“Oh yeah, it gets better. The FBI has its sights set on Finn for a past crime. They were planning on interviewing him this morning. Detective Brandle has even been brought back in.”
“So, the FBI wants to question your husband, but instead they find you and a dead body.”
“Yep,” I replied.
“Holy guacamole.”
“You can say that again.” I sipped my iced latte and tried to wash the worry away. It didn’t budge.
“So, no word from Finn?” Aria asked.
“No.” I checked my phone for the hundredth time in the last two hours. “I need to talk to Mr. Murphy,” I said suddenly. Mr. Murphy was Finn’s surrogate father-figure. With soft white hair, round-rimmed glasses and a cherry-colored nose, he often reminded me of Geppetto from Pinocchio. He owned the marina and most mornings could usually be found running the bait shop.
“Want me to come with?” Aria asked.
“No, but do me a favor. See if they’ll let you on board the house, or better yet, ask Detective Roxy if she can pack me an overnight bag.” I was thinking the body should be gone by now, but I knew my home was still an active crime scene. I wasn’t sure what could be removed. Hopefully my underwear and toothbrush were an exception.
“Okay, yeah, I can do that.”
“Thanks, girl. It’ll probably only take a few minutes with Mr. Murphy. I can pop in to chat with him while you do that.” Inside I was praying Finn had gotten in touch with the old man and given us some kind of clue as to what is going on. None of this was making any sense. And even deeper than that, if I allowed myself to think about it, I wondered if Finn was still alive.
I spotted Finn’s right-hand man, Chris, stocking the ice chest outside the bait shop. Chris had taken over many of Finn’s jobs on the docks now that Finn was focusing on charter fishing.
“Chris, you didn’t see anything did you?” Like most deckhands, Chris would be onsite before the sunrise. It was one aspect of the job that I would never be able to cut. Well that and the open ocean made me nervous. The sharks anyway.
“’Fraid not. I came in late this morning. Molly had her first ultrasound appointment.” Chris beamed.
Chris and Molly had just celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary last month.
“Oh my goodness, I hadn’t heard. Congratulations!” I exclaimed.
“Thanks. Yeah, she’s due in October and hasn’t been feeling well. But I heard that’s normal?” Chris seemed unsure and a tad concerned. It was cute.
“Yeah, that it is. Tell her I said congrats, and promise me you’ll call me if you hear from Finn, got it?”
Chris looked uneasy but nodded that he would. I wasn’t sure I trusted his response and I had a feeling his growing family had something to do with it. Can’t say that I blamed him. If the roles were reversed, I’d avoid murder investigations and missing husbands, too.
“Mr. Murphy inside?” I motioned to the shop. Chris nodded. I said my goodbyes and walked on in.
I was relieved to find the bait shop empty. Obviously, the authorities hadn’t thought to interview Mr. Murphy, but I knew they’d be in there any moment. Agent Cooper might not know who Mr. Murphy was— well, at least I didn’t think he did—but Detective Roxy sure did. She was a good cop, and I knew she’d pass the information on. Something I was both grateful for and terrified of. I tried to remind myself that my husband was a good man, but that doesn’t mean that had always been the case. Was this Karma coming to right all his wrongs? Sweet sugar, I hoped it wasn’t all that bad.
I let out a long breath and scanned the bait shop. Mr. Murphy was where I expected him, sitting behind the counter, reading the paper. If it wasn’t for the chaos outside of the window, it would’ve seemed like an ordinary day at the docks.
“Ziva my dear, I’d ask how you’re doing, but I know not well. So how about I ask how I can help?”
“Have you heard from him? Do you know where he is?”
“Not a clue.”
Mr. Murphy’s response hit me harder than I wanted it to. A tear leaked from my eye despite my best effort to keep them in check.
“Now don’t go crying. I’m sure everything will be all right.”
“How can you say that?” I asked, needing more reassurance than I wanted to admit.
“He’s been in hotter water before.”
“He has?” I know I’ve had my fair share of close encounters of the homicidal variety, but not Finn.
Mr. Murphy folded down the paper and gave me a level stare before speaking. “I’m going to assume Finn didn’t fully confess his past deeds before you two said I do.”
“I guess not, I mean, I don’t know. He told me bits and pieces, never a full story though. I guess I didn’t want to know.” I looked down at my hands. I was absentmindedly spinning the rose gold ring on my finger. “Agent Cooper had a few things to say, but I just don’t know if I can believe it.”
“The one thing you can be sure of is that Finn won’t be away from you for long. He’ll find a way back. Of that, I’m sure.”
“I hope so,” I replied.
“In the meantime, I’m here if you need anything. Don’t be a stranger.”
I promised I wouldn’t be as I stepped out of the bait shop and walked towards Aria’s car, purposely avoiding looking at the docks. It was too much.
While walking across the gravel parking, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I retrieved it faster than you could say Jackie Robinson and fumbled to look at the screen. Of course, I had been desperately praying for it to be Finn, but instead I was greeted by the name Sugar & Sass across my screen.
My flagship store, here in Port Haven, was my baby. When we transferred back from Tampa to Port Haven this past Christmas, the manager and I swapped spots, and now she headed up my Tampa location while I took back home base. I had thought it would be fun and exciting to live someplace new, but the truth was I loved my hometown and wanted to be close to my family and my bestie. Especially after the fiasco in Puerto Rico, I realized just how much my family meant to me.
Sugar & Sass carried an all-natural organic line of beauty products—sugar scrubs, lotion bars, and cosmetics. I had incorporated all my years of experience as a Beauty Secrets Representative into my own beauty line business. In a year and a half, my little store had grown to include a spa line that was carried in some of the top hotel spas in the world and sold in high-end luxury magazines across the country. We had one store in Port Haven, another in Tampa, and a third would soon sprout up in Chicago and possibly even in New York City. My business was growing, and I couldn’t be prouder, which is why no matter how crazy my morning had been, I answered the phone.
“Anna, what’s up?” I said when I answered the line.
“Ziva, I know it’s your day off, but I need help. Both girls called off today, so it’s just me running things here. I’m sure I can handle it, but I thought I should call and let you know.”
I doubted m
y assistant manager had heard my crazy morning news and for that I was grateful. She would be the perfect companion. “No, you did the right thing. I’ll be there in just a little bit.”
“I’m so sorry.” Anna truly sounded like it but didn’t have to be.
“Don’t be, it comes with owning a business and I really don’t mind.”
Those last words were the truth. With Finn and murder on my mind, spending the morning at work would be just what I needed to try to clear my head and figure out what my next steps were. “I’ll see you in fifteen,” I said and then clicked off.
Detective Roxy met me at Aria’s car to hand me Captain Jack and tell me a whole lot of nothing, or at least that’s what I initially thought.
“There’s no ID on the victim and no sign of a murder weapon,” Detective Roxy said by way of greeting. I thought it was odd that she was smiling, until I saw that Agent Cooper was nearby.
I took the leash she had clipped to Captain Jack’s collar. He danced around my leg, jumping enthusiastically for some loving. I picked him up and held him in my arms where he proceeded to lick my face. This time I let him, grateful that his spunky personality was restored.
“Nothing, huh?” I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. “Finn didn’t leave a note?” I had just thought of it, and it would’ve been mighty convenient if he would have said where he had run off to.
“Ha, no note, but he did leave his cell phone on the nightstand.”
“He did? I hadn’t even seen it there.” So much for him calling me. If even possible, that news made my husband’s disappearance even more suspicious and I said as much to Detective Roxy.
“I don’t like this and I’m not buying what the FBI is selling,” I said.
Detective Roxy looked around carefully before speaking again. “You didn’t hear this from me, but there wasn’t any sign of forced entry or struggle, in or out.”
“Meaning?” I was a little slow on the uptake today. Captain Jack looked confused, too. But that may have been because his overgrown hair was in his eyes, making it difficult for him to see.
“Somebody let the victim in, and if it was Finn, it looks like he made a quick and clean getaway.” Detective Roxy’s comments gave Agent Cooper’s theory even more credibility, even if I couldn’t believe it.
Scratch that. I could see Finn letting his buddy in, but that was the end of it. What could possibly have drawn him to killing him in our home, and why in the world didn’t I wake up? And if Finn hadn’t been involved, where was he now?
“This case is out of my hands, but I’d still be in deep trouble for passing anything onto you,” Detective Roxy said. She scratched Captain Jack’s ears as if we were just having a friendly little chat.
“I know. I appreciate you sticking your neck out like this. I’ll make sure to keep my nose clean, scout’s honor.” Never mind the fact that I was never a Girl Scout.
“Well, I didn’t ask you to do that,” Detective Roxy said with a genuine smile this time. “I know you too well to expect anything of the sort. Just be careful. Agent Cooper is a stickler for the rules and he’d have no qualms throwing your butt in jail.”
“Yeah, I got the message loud and clear.” At that moment I spotted the special agent staring at us. I gave him a little wave and told Detective Roxy I was heading to the shop. “If anyone needs me, you know where to find me.”
“I’ll pass it on,” Detective Roxy said.
“Thanks, appreciate it. Although between you and me, I hope Agent Cooper doesn’t come calling.” I needed a break from him. The next time I spoke to him would be too soon.
3
Aria met me at her car and handed my overnight bag to me. “What are your plans for tonight?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.” My parent’s house was always an option. I shuddered at the prospect. Not that my parents were bad people, it’s just my mom would drive me nuts.
“You know you can stay with us.”
“Yeah, I do. Thanks. But I’ve got Captain Jack,” I motioned down to my fluff ball. As if on cue, he sat and stared up at Aria all angelic-looking.
Aria looked at my little guy and sneezed. Her allergies are what landed me with the pup in the first place. Although it was a fortunate accident in this case.
“Bring him,” she said.
“What? Are you crazy? I know how allergic you are.”
“I’m sure you’ve got plenty of histamine stocked up, it being spring and all,” Aria replied.
That was true. Flowers were my kryptonite. In fact, I felt my nose twitching just thinking about it, which was why I kept a couple of allergy pills in my purse, truck and desk drawer. It’s always good to be prepared.
“Just bring those along. Besides, I highly doubt he’ll bother me if you guys stay out in the guest house.” Yes, Aria was rich enough to have a guest house. Technically, it could also be called the pool house since it sat across from it in her lush, private backyard, complete with a helicopter landing pad on the side. My business was doing well, but not that well.
“I’ll be home after picking the kids up from school,” Aria said.
“Okay, I’m probably going to be at the shop for most of the afternoon. A couple of girls called off, and if Finn’s looking for me, it’s a good spot to be.”
“Good thinking. I’ll call you after my class.” Aria taught yoga at the studio just down the street from my old downtown apartment. She was holistic through and through. We were definitely opposites there. I considered chocolate a food group and lately the only time I practiced yoga was when my lipstick rolled under my pickup’s seat.
“Okay, girl. Thanks.” It was all I had to say. Aria knew that “thanks” covered a broad spectrum. I would have been lost without her today. Someday soon I would have to find a way to pay her back.
I shouldn’t have been shocked to see Mrs. J. standing outside of my shop. What I was shocked to see was her having it out with some cigar-smoking, spray-tanned, Hawaiian shirt-wearing septuagenarian.
The man was hot—his temper, not his looks—and I found myself taking a step back to gauge the situation.
“No one says no to me!” he shouted at Mrs. J.
To which she replied, “Is that so? Well, let me say it again so y’all hear it clearly. No. Did you get that? Now keep movin’. I have business here.” Mrs. J. nodded in my and Captain Jack’s direction.
For a tense moment, I wasn’t sure what the man was going to do.
Finally he said, “You drop your pageant, or else.” His hand contracted into a fist, which he pulsed at his side in anger. Was he going to throw a punch? Captain Jack and I raced forward, without even thinking what I was doing. In a hot second, I was at Mrs. J.’s side. My sudden appearance had the man doing a double take.
He threw his fist down one last time and shook his head in disgust before turning on his heel.
“Cancel my pageant. He’s out of his mind. Don’t need anyone telling me what I can and can’t do. Humph,” Mrs. J. said.
“Who was that?” I asked, watching the man slide into his Lincoln Town Car and pull away. He glared hard at us as he passed. I felt my skin chill. Captain Jack whimpered in my arms.
“You know Little Miss Atlantic?” Mrs. J. asked, referring to the local beauty pageant.
“Yeah, isn’t that coming up?” I asked.
“This weekend. Mr. Big Head there thinks I should cancel the gala. Doesn’t want it taking away from his contest. I told him no one gives a hoot about his beauty pageant. He can just get to gettin’ and take his princess crown with him.”
“Ah, that would explain the temper,” I replied.
“Am I wrong? Heck no, I’m not. He should change his date if he’s so worried.”
“You told him that?”
“You betcha. I have no idea what’s going on around here, but things need to straighten up right now. So,” Mrs. J. turned and gave me her full attention, “Did you catch him?” she asked.
“Catch who?” I didn’t know how much Mrs. J. knew and I wasn’t about to give anything away.
“Finn, of course. Who else would I be talking about?”
“Silly me.” My heart sank a little bit. If Mrs. J. already knew the police’s suspicions, the whole town of Port Haven would soon know and that included my parents. Right on time, my cell phone started ringing. This time, I moved a little slower knowing Finn didn’t have his phone on him. Sure enough, my mom’s number was ringing my line. I silenced the call and looked at Mrs. J. with exasperation on my face.
“Now don’t go looking at me like that, Sug’. He’s just your first husband. Heaven knows your starter husband isn’t always a diamond. And it’s not like you all have been married for all that long anyway. Maybe you could still get an annulment. Brush this whole little mess under the rug where it belongs.”
No one could ever say Mrs. J. didn’t speak her mind, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hear it.
“Hold on a minute, Mrs. J. Who’s to say Finn’s guilty? My husband is missing. Did you ever think of it that way?”
“Well, from the way the FBI spins it, they say he’s only missing because he’s on the run. I hate to say it, but I’m going to be more in line with the authorities on this one, especially given the circumstances.”
Geez Louise. Good thing Mrs. J. wasn’t a judge. She wouldn’t throw just the book at Finn but the whole darn bench.
“You’d think you’d be a little bit more understanding. What with being falsely accused of murder yourself.” It wasn’t that long ago that Mrs. J. was the prime suspect in a murder investigation right here in town. That was before she was the mayor.
Mrs. J. said the same thing, “That’s before I was the mayor. I have a whole town to think of now. You’d be feeling the same way if you were me.”
“Well, I’m going to keep an open mind. And in the meantime, I have a store to run, so I’ll catch up with you later.” It wasn’t often that I was short with Mrs. J., but this was one of those times.
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