Murder Ink

by Betty Hechtman

  I crocheted for a few minutes, until I started to feel a bit calmer. I took a couple of deep breaths and began to relax. And then the TV came on all by itself with the volume turned way up.

  ‘That’s it,’ I said, getting up and unplugging it from the wall. I looked at the dark screen and this time nothing happened.

  I grabbed my phone and called Sara. ‘Is something weird going on with your TV?’ I asked.

  ‘Nothing here. Why? What’s going on up there?’ After the business with the DVD, I didn’t want to tell her the TV was changing channels on its own and turning itself back on by itself. She’d really think I’d lost it.

  ‘It’s nothing. It’s probably just my TV telling me it’s time to replace it,’ I said, hoping she wouldn’t push for more details.

  ‘Ben’s here for a makeup dinner since he missed it last night. I’m sure he’d be glad to come up and have a look at your TV,’ she said. I could hear whispering in the background and assumed it was him trying to stop her. I knew she was matchmaking and I was sure he’d figured it out as well. He was a cop after all.

  ‘No, no,’ I said quickly. ‘It’s nothing really. Let him enjoy his dinner and time with Mikey.’

  ‘Then maybe you want to come downstairs if you’re having trouble with your TV. You can watch your program here.’

  ‘It’s already over. Don’t worry about it. Forget I called,’ I said, chuckling at her persistence. She finally gave in and we both hung up.

  But once I was off the phone the uneasy feeling returned. Something was going on.

  NINETEEN

  My mind longed for normalcy and I didn’t want to believe anything weird was going on. So by morning, I’d brushed it all aside. The TV thing probably had just been some sort of fluke malfunction. When I’d gotten up, I’d plugged it back in and watched the morning news without a problem. And the DVD probably was as Sara had suggested – I’d just thought I watched it, though that still didn’t explain who had sent it.

  It was back downtown for another dance class. I had started looking forward to them. Even after just a couple of days, I could feel my body getting into shape. It was easy to get dressed. Once again, I just put on some leggings and a loose T-shirt, throwing a long sweater over it. I wore the boots again and carried a pair of sneakers.

  When I got to the class, I noticed that a lot of the others were in bare feet tying scarves with dangling metal discs on them around their hips. ‘What’s with the wardrobe and lack of footwear?’ I asked Darcy, realizing I hadn’t paid attention to the name of the class.

  She smiled. ‘Some of the people find it easier to dance without shoes. And the scarves make it more …’ She stopped searching for the right words. ‘Interesting. But you don’t have to do either. I did tell you that it’s a belly dancing class, right?’

  I shook my head. ‘My mistake, I should have checked. I think I should put something in all the class descriptions to suggest what to wear.’

  I glanced over the room. ‘Where’s Debbie?’ I asked.

  ‘Her day off. Carmen teaches belly dancing.’ Darcy noticed I seemed disappointed. ‘Carmen’s a great teacher. I’m sure you’ll be happy with her.’

  ‘I’m sure I will be. I was just hoping to talk to Debbie to get more for the About Us part of what I’m putting together for you.’ It was easy with Darcy since we’d spent enough time together that I’d picked up interesting tidbits here and there to include.

  ‘You seem a little frazzled. Is everything OK?’ Darcy asked.

  I let out a sigh. ‘I didn’t realize that it showed,’ I said. ‘It’s the reason I came in here in the first place to see if I could get something about Rachel.’ I sighed again. ‘I think I might have taken on too much when I decided to give the essence of who she was through anecdotes.’

  Darcy nodded sympathetically. ‘Been there, done that. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.’

  ‘I’m sure I will, too,’ I said. ‘Rachel’s husband had been a big help. He’s a good guy. He’s the one who told me about this place.’

  ‘Really?’ Darcy said. ‘I wonder if I ever met him.’

  ‘I don’t think so. He didn’t even know the exact location of Dance with Me. I’m just glad I have him to look over some of what I’ve put together.’ I left it at that, not wanting to say anything negative about Rachel’s stepmother. ‘I’m afraid it isn’t the most efficient way of working, but it seems like the writing is only part of what I do. I spend a lot of time gathering information, which gets me in the middle of things.’

  ‘I see your point. Not everybody would actually take all the classes they’re going to write up. But I’m sure that’s what makes you better at what you do.’ She glanced across the room. ‘Speaking of that, you probably should get some background on Carmen. It would be good to have something about all of our instructors in the material.’

  Darcy pointed to the woman who was jangling as she walked in. ‘That’s Carmen. You better get ready for the class.’ She looked down at my boots.

  I did the usual dropping off of my stuff and changed from boots to bare feet. I found a spot in the midst of the others. This class was all women.

  Carmen introduced herself and said the class was a chance to be seductive, sensuous and have fun. She offered triangular scarves fringed with those metal discs to anyone who wanted to borrow one. I grabbed one and tied it on. Then she demonstrated the basic moves and told everyone to follow along with what she did. There was a lot of hip wiggling and jangling from the scarves. Each song she played had a different routine and at the end there was free dance which was fun and a little crazy. A few of the women really had the moves down, but the rest of us were whirling around the room, making up our own dance. I glanced toward the front window thinking we must be attracting a crowd. Most people walked by without looking in. There was just one well-dressed woman who seemed to be getting her laugh of the day.

  We were all laughing and worn out when the music stopped. After Darcy’s request, I immediately grabbed my notebook and approached Carmen before she could leave. I dropped the scarf in a bag next to her. I began by thanking her for the class and explaining what I was doing for the dance gym. ‘I want to put in some background information for each of the instructors,’ I said.

  Close up, I got a better look at her. Her appearance was very different to Debbie Alcoa. Instead of having her hair pulled back, she wore dark wiry hair loose and it just brushed her shoulders. She seemed heavy into eye make-up which made her seem exotic. And instead of trying to hide her shape under loose clothing, her leotard showed off her curvy hips. The jangling scarf only accentuated them.

  She enthusiastically told me she’d taken belly dancing up in college and when she wasn’t teaching, she danced at a local Middle Eastern restaurant. As we talked several other members came by and hugged her. I noticed that she seemed to know them all. When she finished telling me that she was married with a four-year-old daughter, I asked her if she’d known Rachel.

  When she nodded, I broke the news of what had happened to her and what I was doing. The enthusiasm went out of her face and she let out a heavy sigh.

  ‘Oh, dear.’ Carmen seemed distressed. ‘I wonder if it would have helped if I’d talked to her again.’ Although I’d said that Rachel had fallen off the balcony in an accident, Carmen like the others didn’t seem to buy it. I got the impression she was quite upset and I waited, assuming she would explain on her own. ‘I know this place is about exercise and getting in shape through dance, but I believe in acceptance. Accepting who you are, how you are. When she first started coming to class, she came up to me afterwards and wanted to know how many calories the class burned. I sensed she was upset with her shape and I told her that curves were essential to be a good belly dancer. I said she was a natural, thinking it might make her feel more comfortable. I thought that since I obviously have the same kind of shape, it wouldn’t upset her. But she didn’t seem to take it well and I think making the point that she was curvy made her se
lf-conscious. She didn’t come back to the class. I saw her around here a few times and she kept getting skinnier. I wondered who she was trying to please.’ She shook her head. ‘We come in all shapes and sizes and we need to see the beauty in that instead of all trying to be a size zero.’

  I wanted to give her a round of applause and told her I totally agreed with her philosophy. She’d had plenty to say about Rachel, but unfortunately nothing I could use.

  When I’d retrieved my things, I saw that there was a message from Evan on my cell phone. I called him as soon as I got outside. I braced myself to hear he’d gotten bad news from Sally, but it turned out there was no need. ‘She said yes,’ he said with a happy lift in his voice. ‘But I need to talk to you and show you something.’

  I tried to get details and to do it over the phone, but he was adamant it had to be in person. ‘Please meet for coffee. I need your opinion on something. Everything you’ve done has worked so far.’

  I’d already masqueraded as his neighbor to make contact with Sally and even snuck inside her office, looking for hints as to why she hadn’t responded to him. I was way beyond just writing notes for him. I had a real problem keeping my clients at a professional distance. I couldn’t help getting way too involved. Look at what I’d done with the cat. And Evan’d gotten up my curiosity about what he wanted to show me.

  ‘OK,’ I said. ‘I’m already downtown anyway.’ I didn’t mention that I was already planning to stop by the bar to show Luke what I’d done so far and see if he could add anything. It was none of Evan’s concern so why even bring it up. We agreed to meet at a coffee place down the street from the hotel.

  Once I hung up the phone, I went outside. It was still early, and the sidewalks were relatively empty since the lunch crowd was still working. The rain had cleaned the air and it felt fresh. It was always a pleasure to walk on Michigan Avenue. There was a reason they called this section the Magnificent Mile. The street was lined with high-end shops, hotels and fancy restaurants. It didn’t take long for my surroundings to slip into the background though. I did some of my best brain work when I was walking.

  I thought back to when I was writing the first mystery. I’d made the detective Derek Streeter a Sherlock Holmes wannabe. He wasn’t as clever as Sherlock, but he investigated by deducing things like if someone had a sunburn, it didn’t track that they’d been inside all day. I transferred the concept to Rachel. What could I infer from what I knew about her?

  The teachers had noticed a change when she came back to school in the fall. So something must have happened during the summer months. It was over the summer that she joined the dance gym and was most intense about the classes. Was that out of enthusiasm or something else? I’d heard from a number of people that she’d been obsessed about losing weight. I had to wonder why since when I’d met her before her wedding, while she thought she could lose a few pounds, she seemed accepting of her body.

  Everything I’d heard about her from recent times painted a different picture than the person I’d dealt with. The teachers had remarked how different she’d seemed when the fall term started. Luke had said something about texts he’d gotten that she had no memory of sending. And there’d been packages delivered with things that she insisted she hadn’t ordered.

  What could have caused all the changes? Camille Parker seemed to view Rachel as a problem and who knows what she could have said to her. Mr Parker was a mystery. Then there was the obvious. She was newly married. Maybe it wasn’t turning out as she’d expected. I knew that she was absolutely in love with Luke when we were working on the vows. But what if things had changed after the ceremony?

  I thought of my own brief marriage. I shook my head with regret thinking how stupid I’d been with my romance-novel view of happily ever after. I’d definitely thought that once we were married, we’d be companions sharing life’s adventures. Ha! I laughed out loud at the thought and a woman walking past me did a double take.

  He’d just kept doing what he’d been doing which was finding all kinds of reasons not to spend time with me. I blamed myself for not seeing the truth. I was older and wiser now. I was only interested in a relationship with someone who clearly wanted one with me.

  I was so deep in thought that I didn’t realize I was crossing the river until a bus went by making the bridge shake. As soon as I got to the other side, I started looking for the coffee shop that Evan had chosen. There were so many coffee places around here now, it seemed like there was one on every corner. Luckily Evan was very detail-oriented and had been very specific with his directions.

  He’d picked a new place that wasn’t part of a chain. Burlap coffee bags decorated the walls and gave off the pungent scent of the beans that had filled them. I glanced around the whole place looking for him. As usual, most of the tables had people hovering over computers or some kind of screen – even tables with two people. What had happened to conversation? I didn’t recognize anyone and was about to grab a coffee and find a table of my own, when a hand waved from the back.

  I had to look twice to make sure it was him. We tend to recognize people by the outline of their shape. Evan’s was suddenly different.

  When I got closer, I saw what he’d done and had to restrain a laugh. When we first met, his hair had been non-descript, parted on the side and slicked down. Now it was floppy on top and the part was gone. The color was lighter, but the style was definitely reminiscent of Hugh Grant.

  ‘What do you think?’ he said, noticing that I was staring at his hair.

  It was definitely an improvement, but I didn’t want to be too gushy because it would make it seem like he’d been a total dud before. Kind of like marveling too much about someone’s weight loss, so they felt like they must have been the size of a hippopotamus.

  ‘You look very nice,’ I said. But then I started to worry. The point was for Sally to get to know the real him, not for him to try to be someone else.

  ‘Evan,’ I said finally, trying hard not to turn this into a lecture, ‘I’ve tried to portray the real you in the notes I’ve written for you. I know I said she likes movies with Hugh Grant in them, but do you really want to try to be someone else, or at least have their hair style?’

  Evan’s mouth curved into a big smile. ‘That’s what’s so funny,’ he said. ‘This is the way my hair really looks. I usually put goop in it and comb it flat. I got a trim today and told the barber to leave off the gunk.’

  ‘OK, in that case, great,’ I said, feeling foolish for what I’d said. He motioned for me to sit and I saw that there was a coffee waiting for me. ‘I’m assuming that’s what you wanted to show me,’ I said as I took the chair.

  He nodded. ‘But you’re kind of right. It is the way my hair is naturally, but I was inspired a little by Hugh Grant’s style.’ He ran his fingers through it and then gave it a shake. It was quite amazing what a difference it made to his appearance. Before, he’d seemed too precise somehow and on the nerdy side. Now he had a little sizzle.

  ‘Has Sally seen it yet?’ I asked, and he shook his head.

  ‘I wanted your stamp of approval.’ He opened his computer bag and showed me the tube of hair goop he had. ‘If you thought it was too much, I was prepared to go back to my old look.’

  ‘Keep it,’ I said. I drank some of the coffee and thanked him for his gesture. It was strong and gave me the boost I needed. ‘Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?’

  ‘I want some advice. You were there when the zoo trip went south because she had to leave and you advised me to do the kiss on the hand. I don’t want to blow this date with her. What do I do?’

  ‘You know I am not a dating coach or anything,’ I began.

  ‘Yes, you’ve said that numerous times, but you seem to know more than I do.’

  I laughed inside thinking again of my failed marriage and my doubts about my judgment. But there was one thing I did know for certain. ‘The point is to be yourself. You don’t want her to fall for some fake image of who you are,
do you?’

  He thought a moment. ‘No, I guess not. It’s just that I’m not sure that the real me is enough.’

  He was so open and vulnerable, I felt tears welling up, but I forced them back. ‘Just be that guy and I bet Sally will melt,’ I said.

  He let out a sigh. ‘The trouble is that when I’m around her I freeze up. The boat tour is a good thing because I can talk about the buildings and river, but I know I need to talk about other stuff if I’m going to win her heart. That’s why I’m going to need more notes from you. You know how to say who I am better than I do.’

  He said he would call me after the date and give me a play by play so we could go from there. I wished him good luck and on instinct gave him a hug. I hoped Sally was worthy of him.

  TWENTY

  I had to change gears as I walked back to the Bellingham. The man behind the registration counter looked up as I passed by. I pointed up and he nodded before I continued to the elevator.

  It was convenient that Luke worked in a public place. I could casually drop by without making any arrangements. He was behind the bar organizing things for the day. By now I’d figured that the black pants and shirt were like a uniform for him, though today he’d added a taupe vest which almost matched his hair. The place was empty except for a couple seated at one of the small tables with glasses of mimosas. He looked up and seemed a little surprised to see me. ‘What is it? The draw of the fresh orange juice,’ he said with a friendly smile. Maybe a little too friendly. He pointed to one of the seats at the bar and grabbed a wine glass and the pitcher.

  I set my bag down on the stool next to me and fished out some pages. ‘Actually, this is really just business,’ I said quickly. It seemed like we’d been seeing each other a lot and I didn’t want him to misinterpret. ‘Though the orange juice is certainly exceptional,’ I added and grinned. I watched as he filled the glass and handed it to me. It was fresh-squeezed and smelled wonderful. I suddenly wondered about his easy manner and for just a moment I wondered if it was real or an act? I quickly let it go thinking nobody could be that good an actor. I took a sip of the juice and it was as delicious as it had been before.