by Jaden Skye
Wayne was impressed. “Sounds like it,” he replied. “You’re smart.”
Fillippa closed her eyes. “Of course I’m smart. I know what I’m doing. I won’t be in this line of work forever. I’m saving every penny I make here to build a better life.”
Despite himself, Wayne was moved. “Good for you,” he said, “start building it as soon as you can.”
“I’d make a terrific detective, you know,” Fillippa said then, in a soft tone. “You guys need someone to work with you?”
Wayne smiled. “Not at the moment,” he replied. “But there are plenty of other private investigation firms around.”
“Okay.” Fillippa spun around on the barstool. “What’s next now then?”
“Anything else you have to tell me about Megan or Tyron?” asked Wayne.
“I’ve told you all I know.” Fillippa seemed suddenly bored. “That’s all you really want of me? Only dirt on Tyron?”
“That’s all, that’s fine.” Wayne stood up. “It’s everything I need right now.”
“Okay, good-bye then,” said Fillippa, swinging away on her barstool and reaching for a drink.
Wayne walked out of the clubhouse slowly. Once out on the street, he had a sudden urge to call Olivia and tell her what he’d learned. He also wanted Olivia to know that his interview with Fillippa hadn’t lasted very long. And that even though Fillippa was beautiful, she couldn’t hold a candle to Olivia at all.
Wayne felt shaken by his reaction. Of course he had no intention of actually saying that to Olivia. Rather, he’d just call to check in and ask if she’d like to have a routine dinner and go over what they found.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Olivia was disturbed to hear that Wayne was spending time alone with an escort. And she was startled by her own reaction as well. What difference did it make who he spoke to? Why in the world did it bother her? It made no sense at all for her to get personally involved with Wayne’s life. Olivia flashed on the pain she’d gone through with Todd. Wayne wasn’t Todd, Olivia told herself, and their relationship was purely professional, anyhow. He could spend time with anyone he liked, and he should!
While Wayne was interviewing the escort, Olivia wanted to speak to Megan’s friends. She decided to immediately put a call into Andrea, the friend Bella had suggested.
When Olivia called, Andrea picked up the phone sounding as though she’d been asleep.
“Who’s calling? Who?” Andrea mumbled over and over.
“This is Olivia Wells, private investigator,” Olivia repeated several times. “I’m helping investigate the death of Megan’s husband.”
Finally, Olivia got through. “Oh yes, sure,” Andrea exclaimed. “So, why are you calling me, exactly?”
“You’re a friend of Megan’s, aren’t you?” asked Olivia.
“I am.” Andrea couldn’t deny that.
“Do you have time for a cup of coffee?” Olivia asked.
“Do I have to?” Andrea mumbled.
“It’s important,” Olivia replied briskly. “We’re investigating a crime.”
“Okay, okay, where are you?” Andrea drawled.
“I’m at a diner down near the pier,” Olivia responded.
“Funny you should suggest that location,” Andrea murmured. “I live just a few blocks away.”
“Great,” said Olivia. “I’m going to Townsends Diner.”
“I’ll be there in a little while,” Andrea said begrudgingly.
*
Olivia waited in Townsends Diner, which was big and clean with many booths. In about twenty minutes Andrea ambled in, dressed in jeans and an old T-shirt, her hair piled high on her head. Olivia stood up from the booth she’d been sitting in and waved at her.
Andrea looked at Olivia for a long while before she wound her way over to the booth. Olivia wondered what she was thinking, what her hesitation was.
“Just let’s be sure this is all totally confidential,” Andrea said as she slipped into the seat. “The last thing I need now is to have my name splashed all over the news.”
Olivia understood her concern, but couldn’t guarantee anything. “This is a serious situation,” she responded. “Megan could be accused of a crime.”
“What crime?” Andrea snapped. “I heard that Tyron’s death was declared an accident.”
“Officially, yes,” Olivia agreed. “But we’re beginning to see circumstantial evidence against Megan pile up.”
Andrea looked flummoxed. “Sorry to hear that,” she whispered. “But I can understand it. Megan isn’t always the easiest person to be around. She’s probably done a million things that seem suspicious.”
Olivia was surprised by Andrea’s response. “I heard you’re good friends,” Olivia mentioned.
“We were good friends,” Andrea corrected her. “We had a falling out and then recently got back together again. It’s actually happened a few times.”
“What caused the falling out?” asked Olivia, fascinated.
Andrea looked around for the waiter to bring her coffee, paying no attention to Olivia’s comment.
Olivia tried another tack. “How do you know Megan?” she asked.
“Megan and I were both former escorts,” Andrea quipped, “if you know what I mean?”
Olivia didn’t know exactly what Andrea meant. “What?”
“It means we both pulled ourselves out of a rotten life,” Andrea breathed. “It also means we both know how to be tricky. And how to take care of ourselves.”
“You don’t trust each other?” asked Olivia.
“It’s not that,” said Andrea. “Megan never really came clean with me about the whole truth about anything in her life. I mean, if you’re a friend you’re entitled to the whole truth, aren’t you?”
“Of course,” Olivia agreed.
“Well, Megan always kept me an arm’s length away.” Andrea sounded petulant. “I definitely wasn’t thrilled with her relationship with Tyron either, and I took the liberty of telling her. She didn’t take that well. Never answered my questions, just started defending herself.”
“What did she say?” Olivia was fascinated.
“She said it was none of my business and that I didn’t know the whole picture, so I should shut up. So I said, well then tell me the whole picture. After that she didn’t say another word. I didn’t like that. She was always hiding something.”
“What didn’t you like about her relationship with Tyron?” Olivia needed to find out whatever Andrea knew.
“Megan took Tyron completely for granted,” Andrea murmured. “And it wasn’t right. That old guy gave her the shirt off his back. She owed him some loyalty, at least.”
“Megan wasn’t loyal to Tyron?” Olivia was hungry for details.
“That’s putting it mildly.” Andrea leaned closer to Olivia over the table. “In fact, if you ask me, I’m positive that Megan recently had an abortion! And the baby wasn’t his either! That’s for sure.”
“An abortion?” Olivia’s jaw dropped. “How do you know that? Are you positive?”
“Megan’s other friends think so too, though no one knows for sure. I told you, Megan can be tricky. She dropped a few remarks about it to another friend, Nellie. Nellie and Megan have always been tight. I know she tells everything to Nellie. This time Nellie was really upset, though, and mentioned it to me.”
“So, Megan had someone on the side?” Olivia breathed.
“Sure,” Andrea said. “I always thought that, though of course she never said so. One day recently, though, she looked awful when we met for lunch. I asked her what was the matter and she mentioned that Tyron was furious with her. He’d actually gone ballistic and Megan hadn’t been able to sleep all night. I asked her what he was so mad about and she rubbed her belly. That stopped me cold. It made me wonder if Tyron found out about Megan’s abortion and flipped his lid.”
Olivia was stunned by the information.
“Did you ask her if she’d had an abortion?” asked Olivia. “If th
at was why she was rubbing her belly?”
“No, I didn’t! Of course not,” Andrea fumed. “If she hadn’t mentioned it to me on her own, she was just going to deny it!”
“Is this just rumor or is it true? I really need to know,” Olivia exclaimed. “And if there’s some other man in Megan’s life, we must know who he is. He could certainly be implicated in Tyron’s death.”
Andrea froze up. “Go talk to Tyron’s daughter, Kayle,” she whispered. “Kayle was around Tyron more than the rest of the family. She has to know specifics.”
“I will,” said Olivia, hurriedly. “And how about Megan’s friend Nellie? I want to talk to her, too.”
Andrea looked skeptical. “Nellie works in a big club as a hostess,” she replied. “She’s busy all the time. And she’s also very loyal to Megan. I doubt she’d tell you everything she knows. Start with Kayle and see where it takes you.”
“Okay,” Olivia replied. “I’ll go see her right now.”
*
Fortunately, Kayle was still back at the home when Olivia got in touch with her. Kayle agreed to the meeting without hesitation and Olivia immediately headed back to Tyron’s home.
When Olivia arrived, Tyron’s home was filled with family and friends back from the funeral. Megan was nowhere to be seen and Olivia wondered where she had run off to. Olivia located Kayle quickly in a vestibule talking to an older woman and interrupted the conversation abruptly.
“So sorry for getting in the way, but I really need to speak to Kayle for a few moments.” Olivia felt shaken by what she’d heard.
“No problem at all,” said the older woman. “I’m staying here until later this evening. Kayle and I can talk anytime.”
After the older woman backed away, Olivia suggested that she and Kayle go somewhere private to talk.
“There’s no place private here right now,” said Kayle. “We can go down to the beach for a few minutes, if you like?”
“Yes, fine,” Olivia agreed, as they both turned out of the house and back down to the ocean that had grown rougher as the day went by.
“What’s wrong?” Kayle asked as they got close to the water and she plopped herself down on the sand.
Olivia sat down beside her. “I’m hearing all kinds of things about Megan,” Olivia started, “and I need corroboration about what I hear.”
Kayle perked up immediately at that. “Great!” she exclaimed. “I’m glad the truth is coming out finally and she’s going to get what she deserves!”
“What truth, Kayle?” asked Olivia. “It has to be substantiated or it won’t hold up in court.”
Kayle paused for a moment. “You’re telling me I’ll get into trouble if I can’t back up whatever I tell you, right?”
“That’s definitely true,” said Olivia. “False accusations make matters worse. They waste time, lead investigators astray.”
“Okay, so ask me what you want. I’ll tell you what I know.” Kayle seemed a bit more subdued.
“I’ve heard a rumor that Megan might have been pregnant and had an abortion recently,” Olivia began.
Kayle smiled. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised,” she whispered.
“Had you heard that yourself?” Olivia wanted to know.
“Something.” Kayle shrugged, afraid to speak her mind now.
“You don’t know for sure, though, that Megan had an abortion?” Olivia went on. “Your father didn’t say anything to you about it?”
“No, my father didn’t say that exactly,” said Kayle, “he just seemed more and more upset around Megan recently. It figures she might have had an abortion, though. She wasn’t around much these past few months. We all wondered why. Where was she? When I asked my father where she was, he only said he was very glad she was gone.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Olivia replied.
“It’s not worth being sorry for my father,” Kayle quickly replied. “He wasn’t exactly an angel. While Megan was gone these past months, he had even more girls than ever coming in and out, taking good care him.”
Olivia shivered. “The visits from these escorts had gone on for a long time, right?”
“Yes, they had.” Kayle confirmed that it was common knowledge.
“And that didn’t bother you?” Olivia began to feel edgy.
“Of course it bothered me,” Kyle suddenly blasted out. “But what could I do about it? And who knows how much money he gave these girls? That’s money that should have belonged to me!”
“Wasn’t your father generous with you as well?” Olivia asked.
“No, he definitely wasn’t!” Kayle’s grating voice rose in the wind. “I came last, after everyone! His own flesh and blood. I should have come first with my sister, Lana. And my mother should have been important to him, too.”
“That’s rough,” Olivia agreed, suddenly wondering whether Kayle might have been the one who finally decided to do something about this. Was she the one who took matters into her own hands and pushed her father down the stairs?
“How did you handle your upset about all these extra girls visiting your father, Kayle?” Olivia asked.
“I didn’t handle it.” Kayle grew restless. “I just lived with it! What else could I do? My mother just lived with it too! She hated it! My mother kept saying that my father was making a fool of himself and of us all.”
“Were your father’s escorts the reason why Megan had someone else on the side?” Olivia persisted.
“Frankly, I don’t know or care!” Kayle ran her trembling hands over her face. “I don’t care about anything Megan did. She was a dark cloud that fell over our lives and broke up our entire family. She took my father away from me.”
“How can I find out if Megan had an abortion?” Olivia whispered.
“Go ask Megan’s best friend, Nellie,” Kayle quickly replied. “Nellie knows every little thing about Megan. She’ll definitely know if this story is true.”
“I’ll go see her right away,” said Olivia.
“If she’ll see you, that is.” Kayle smirked.
“Nellie has to see me,” Olivia exclaimed, “whether she likes it or not. Or else she’s obstructing justice.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to mean a damn to her,” said Kayle, “but you go and find out.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The club Nellie worked at didn’t open until early evening. After Olivia’s call, Nellie agreed to meet her there half an hour before work started. Olivia was meeting Wayne for dinner that evening and she called and asked him to come to the club. He could arrive after Olivia spoke with Nellie and then she and Wayne could have dinner there. It would be the perfect way to go over all that had transpired.
The club Nellie worked in was upscale and flashy with a long red runner that led up to the front door. The entrance was flanked by pine trees with a large billboard over it, announcing who would be performing that week. Nellie had said she’d be inside waiting, but she couldn’t stay with her long. Olivia made a point of arriving early, to get as much time as possible.
When Olivia arrived Nellie was sitting at the end of the bar, looking annoyed. She was beautifully dressed and coiffed, as a hostess had to be. Naturally, Olivia recognized her immediately.
“Thanks for getting here early.” Olivia walked straight up to her immediately.
“I hope Megan knows that you’re here speaking to me.” Nellie was aloof. “I tried to call her and tell her, but she didn’t pick up.”
“Actually, Megan doesn’t know that I’m here with you.” Olivia was taken aback by Nellie’s abrasive style.
“You’re working for her, though, aren’t you?” Nellie’s eyes flashed. “Why wouldn’t she know? I’m not doing anything behind her back!”
“I am working for Megan,” Olivia replied starkly, “and my task is to find out who killed Tyron.”
Nellie looked Olivia over carefully. Olivia was fully prepared for her, too. She’d dressed for the occasion, wearing a fashionable, well-fitting, lime silk dr
ess. With her long hair brushed over her shoulders, Olivia knew that she looked pretty and chic. She was certainly not the image of a private investigator Nellie might have expected.
“Where did Megan find you?” Nellie looked skeptical. “How long have you been in the business?”
“Long enough,” Olivia quipped.
“Well, I hadn’t heard anyone say that Tyron’s death was determined to be a murder.” Nellie tacitly refused to go along.
“Evidence is building in that direction, though.” Olivia knew she had to shake Nellie up, get beneath her carefully constructed veneer.
“What evidence?” Nellie was startled by the idea.
“I’m not at liberty to say, of course,” replied Olivia.
“So you’ve got all the cards stacked on your side, and I have none?” Nellie looked disconcerted. “That doesn’t work for me. I’m supposed to tell you everything and you stay tight-lipped?”
“It doesn’t matter what works for you or not.” Olivia became steely as well. “This is bigger than both of us. And I need your help.”
Nellie got up reluctantly then and shook her head in wonderment. “It is bigger than both of us,” she agreed. “Okay, let’s go to the cocktail lounge on the side and talk.”
Olivia followed her into a large, dimly lit room which was empty now. There were small velvet seats and sofas strewn around for the many guests who were sure to be arriving in a little while.
Nellie immediately sat down on a small sofa and crossed her long legs.
“Ask me what you want and make it fast,” she ordered. “My shift is starting soon.”
There was no reason to beat around the bush. “What can you tell me about Megan’s abortion?” Olivia boldly exclaimed.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Nellie lips pursed tightly and she looked displeased.
“I heard that Megan had an abortion recently,” Olivia repeated coldly, as if it were a well-documented fact.
“Well, if she did I know nothing about it.” Nellie looked away.
