Murder and a Pinch of Rosemary

by Michelle Francik

  Reed could sense she was deep in thought, but when she burst out laughing, he turned and saw a blush on her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes. She didn’t share what was funny, but the look in her eyes made his stomach do flip flops. He turned his eyes back to the road and focused on doing his job.

  When they reached the house, he didn’t have to say anything. “I know the drill,” she said, grinning to show she wasn’t irritated. “I’ll sit here and wait for you to check the porch, then when you whistle, I’ll come running.”

  He knew she was teasing, and he had to join in. “One whistle for ‘all clear’ and two for ‘run for the hills’?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows. He’d expected to her to laugh or tell him he hadn’t learned his lesson, but she just gazed into his eyes and for a moment, he stopped breathing.

  Reed shook his head to clear his mind and get back to business. He saw the grin on Susan’s face as she turned to look out the window, and he wondered if his feelings were written all over his face.

  He got out of the car, his eyes scanning the yard and the neighborhood as he walked. He had one foot on the bottom step when he saw it. A photo of him and Susan, with a big hole cut into his chest. He grabbed his phone and dialed Maggie, signaling for Susan to stay in the car.

  “Hey Maggie, another gift, another escalation.” His somber tone conveyed his concern and she responded instantly.

  “I’m still at the doctor’s office, but I’ll send the crime scene unit and some patrol cars. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  The gasp next to him didn’t entirely surprise him. He hadn’t really expected Susan to stay in the car and follow his directions, but he wished she had.

  “Hey, are you alright to stay here for a moment?” he asked. He needed to check out the house so he could get her inside, but after last time, he wasn’t willing to leave the porch unattended.

  Her face was pale and pinched, but she nodded vigorously and told him to hurry. He bounded up the steps, leaving the door wide open so he could hear her call if she needed him. He cleared the house and returned to the front door.

  She was sitting on the top step, about 16 inches from the offending picture, looking out into the front yard. He walked over and sat down next to her. She turned to look him and tried to smile, but her lips just quivered as tears ran down her face. Reed reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. They sat in silence while he tried to think of something comforting to say.

  Susan drew a deep breath, took her hand back and wiped her face. She looked over at him and grinned. “I’m okay now but I’m hungry. What’s for dinner?” This time her smile was genuine, and he smiled back at her. He stood up and held out his hand, helping her to feet. They carefully walked around the offensive “gift” and entered the house.

  Reed hesitated, but Susan was one step ahead of him. She grabbed a chair from the kitchen and moved it into the hallway. “It’s okay, leave the door open until the police get here. I’ll keep an eye on things while you cook.” She sat down in the chair and folded her arms across her chest. He grinned. Nobody better mess with his lady.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Susan moaned, rubbing her tummy. “Another amazing meal, Mr. U.S. Marshal.”

  “Why thank you, Miss WITSEC witness.”

  Susan stood up and started placing dirty dishes in the sink. “I’ll get to these in a few minutes,” she said. “Right now, I’m too full to stand up.”

  Susan watched as pleasure and concern chased each other across his face. She walked over to him and looked him in the eye.

  “This is why I don’t talk about my bulimia. People who know about it watch everything I eat and check on me afterwards to make sure I’m not sneaking off to throw up.” She grimaced and shrugged her shoulders. “I liked it better when you didn’t know. Then you were happy when I ate with gusto.”

  Reed looked at her, his expression thoughtful. “I guess I’m just not sure how it works. When you say you’re too full is that because you enjoyed the food or because you feel like you need to purge?” He shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands. “I looked it up, but I really don’t understand.”

  Susan grinned. This handsome man had done some research. Knowing that he cared enough to google her illness made her feel tingly inside. But now is not the time, she told herself.

  “How about we figure out what the heck is going on first, then I’ll answer any questions you have about bulimia. For now, just know that I’m rubbing my belly because your carne asada tacos were divine and I enjoyed them immensely.”

  “Got it,” Reed said. “Changing the subject to something I’m more comfortable with, do you mind if I use your laptop to do some research on Mary?”

  Susan didn’t believe it was Mary terrorizing them, but the girl’s behavior today had been decidedly odd, so she nodded her head. “Go for it. I’m going to go sit on the porch for a few minutes and get some air.” She held up her hand to stop him before he could argue with her. “The techs are still out there as well as two police officers. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  She walked over to the front door and opened it, pausing for a moment. The techs had removed the picture and the dried-up rosemary, but the memory was still imprinted in Susan’s mind. She sat down on the top step and watched the activity in her yard.

  The police officers were interviewing her neighbor from across the street. Susan lifted her hand as the man waved at her, a big smile on his face. This was the most excitement this neighborhood had seen, and he was clearly enjoying the attention.

  The techs were loading the last of their things into the truck and talking amongst themselves. They were almost done packing up so pretty soon, she and Reed would be alone again.

  Susan leaned her head against the handrailing and closed her eyes. “Please God, let this be over soon. I’m so very tired,” she prayed. She sat like that for a few moments, eyes closed, enjoying the sense of peace that came over her. Feeling renewed, she opened her eyes and stood up. Time to do the dishes.

  13

  Reed felt sick. How was he going to tell Susan? He closed his eyes, but the disturbing images didn’t disappear. He picked up his phone and dialed Maggie. The call went to voicemail, so he left her a terse message, “Hey Maggie. Check out Mary Garza’s social media. We need to locate her right away. And where the heck are you? Call me back.”

  He looked up at Susan. She was washing the dishes, humming to herself. He hated to interrupt her, but she needed to know what he’d found.

  “Hey Susan?” he called out.

  “Yes, Reed?” Susan’s sweet voice made his gut churn thinking about what he had to show her. He knew it would devastate her; but he had no choice.

  “I’ve found something you need to see.” He tried not to sound freaked out, but the look on Susan’s face as she walked towards him, drying her hands on a dish towel, told him he hadn’t succeeded.

  Susan stood behind him so she could view the laptop screen over his shoulder. When she realized what she was looking at, she gasped and grabbed Reed’s shoulders, her fingers digging in as she struggled to come to terms with the images. “What the heck?” she whispered.

  The screen was full of pictures and drawings of Susan. She leaned in closer, focused on the images on the screen. There were photos of her in the classroom, walking to her car, even photos of her in her own yard, weeding the garden. “Where she did get all those pictures of me? She must have been taking them in class and following me around for weeks. How did she find out where I live?”

  Her voice was shaky, and Reed turned to look up at her, afraid she was going to fall apart. But her eyes were full of fury and her lips were twisted into a look of determination. “We need to find her and talk to her. This young woman needs help and she has some serious explaining to do.”

  Reed’s phone dinged announcing a new text message. “It’s Maggie. She says she’s looking for Mary and will let us know when she finds her.”

  “I can’t believe this.” Susan’s voice trembl
ed and her eyes filled with tears. “I saw potential in Mary so I reached out to her. I’d lost everything too, even if it was in a different way. I thought I was doing a good thing.” She looked down at Reed, seeking some kind of reassurance, but he didn’t know what to say. He turned in the chair and took her hand in his.

  “This girl was broken before you even met her,” he said softly. “Befriending her wasn’t a mistake. You probably gave her the most security and affection she’s ever had in her life.”

  Susan reached for a napkin from the table and used it to wipe her eyes. “But how do you know I didn’t make it worse for her?”

  “You didn’t make it worse for me, he did.” Mary’s voice came from behind them, startling them both. Susan jumped and Reed reached for his gun.

  “Don’t even think about it.” Mary walked over to the table, keeping them both in her sights, holding a pistol firmly with both hands. “I saw you at the car that day, when you reached into your jacket and pulled out your gun. I promise, I’ll shoot her if you try anything.” Reed raised his hands above his head, and she nodded, “Good boy. Miss Sinclair, I need you to reach around and remove his gun, then toss it to me.”

  “Mary, let’s just talk about this.” Susan tried to start a conversation, but Mary pointed the gun at her head and her voice trailed off. She looked down at Reed who nodded. She leaned forward and reached into his jacket, pulling the gun from its holster. Holding it with two fingers, as if she couldn’t bear to touch it, she set the gun on the table in front of Mary.

  “That’s a good girl,” Mary crooned. She shifted the pistol to her right hand and used her left to take Reed’s gun and throw it behind her, onto the floor.

  Reed’s mind was racing. He had to play this smart or they could both end up dead. He wasn’t going to let that happen; not when he’d finally found the woman he wanted to marry. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks and for a moment, it took his breath away. He loved Susan and with her, he could have everything he’d ever wanted. He wasn’t going to allow this girl to take away their future.

  He took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. He looked down at the laptop screen. “So, Mary. This is a pretty cool site you have here. Did you take all these pictures yourself?”

  “Shut up, Reed.” Mary pointed the gun at his chest and Susan gasped.

  “I’m sorry, Mary. I’ll be quiet.” Well, that didn’t work the way I’d hoped.

  Susan’s hands gripped his shoulders and he could feel her shaking. “Mary, I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?” Her voice was strong, but he could hear an undercurrent of panic and he prayed that she could hold it together a little longer.

  “Why am I doing this?” Mary’s voice was loud and full of fury. “Because you betrayed me, that’s why. You betrayed me, just like everyone else I’ve ever loved. And you’re both going to pay for it.” She shifted her gun from hand to hand and aimed it first at Susan, then at Reed, then back at Susan.

  He didn’t want to antagonize the young woman, but he knew the longer he could keep her talking the better their chances of surviving. “You know, Mary, Susan really does care about you,” he said softly.

  The girl’s eyes darted to Susan, widening as she nodded. “I really do. I have ever since I met you. I don’t know what I did to upset you, but I’m so sorry.”

  Mary harsh laugh sounded more like a snort of derision and Reed felt Susan’s fingers dig deeper into his shoulders. “You don’t know what you did to upset me? How about abandoning me. How about lying to me and leaving me alone after you promised you’d always be there to protect me?”

  Reed sensed a shift in the girl. Her pupils had dilated, and she seemed less focused, more unbalanced. She didn’t seem to be talking about Susan anymore. He guessed she was talking about her mother.

  Susan swallowed hard behind him. She let go of his shoulders and took a step towards Mary, her hands hanging loosely at her sides.

  “I don’t understand, Mary. What did I promise to protect you from?” Her voice sounded calm, but he heard a slight quiver. He wasn’t sure if it was fear or anger, but he silently warned her to tread carefully.

  “You know,” Mary sniveled. “From him! You promised! And then you left me, and I was all alone.”

  Susan took another step towards Mary, her hands out, palms open. Mary’s hand shook and the gun dipped, but she quickly lifted it, pointing at Reed. “Don’t move again or I’ll shoot him,” she warned.

  Susan stopped and he could see she was shaking like a leaf. “I’m sorry, Mary. I’m sorry if I let you down once, but I won’t do it again. Just give me another chance.” As she pleaded with the girl, she took another step and a shot rang out.

  Reed felt a searing pain in his shoulder, and he was thrown against the back of the chair. He looked up into Susan’s horrified eyes as he lifted his hand to his chest. He heard her say his name, but her voice sounded like it was underwater. Everything went blurry as he struggled to stay conscious.

  “I told you not to move,” Mary said, smugly. “I told you not to move then and I told you not to move now.”

  Susan was furious. She grabbed some napkins and pressed them into Reed’s shoulder. She didn’t like the vacant look in his eyes, but she wasn’t in a position to do anything besides slow the bleeding. She knew she had to keep the girl talking if she wanted to keep Reed alive, so she asked, “What do you mean you told me not to move then?”

  Reed grunted as she pressed the napkins into his wound, but the pain seemed to clear his head. Susan saw his eyes focus on her face and he managed a small nod, to let her know he was back. She winked at him, willing him to be strong, then turned to face her student.

  “I asked you a question. What do you mean you told me not to move ‘then’?” She placed her hands on her hips and she was pretty sure the girl could see the fire in her eyes. She was tired of being terrorized by a child and it was her fault Reed had been shot. She needed to get Mary to back down so she could get Reed to a hospital.

  Mary’s face crumpled and tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t mean to do it. Really, I didn’t. He’d already hit me twice and you hadn’t done anything to stop him. I couldn’t take any more. I told you to stand up to him or else. When you told me to put the gun down, I knew you’d always take his side. Then you started walking towards me. I told you to stop, but you didn’t. I had to do it. I had to.”

  “Well, hello, Susan.”

  Susan closed her eyes and clenched her fists so hard she drew blood with her finger nails. This could not be happening. How were all of these people getting into her house. She needed to get a dog. A big dog. A big, scary dog with sharp teeth.

  She opened her eyes and slowly turned to look at the man who’d just spoken--the man who’d committed murder in front of her. The man who wanted her dead.

  Bruno Deluca was pointing a gun at Susan. He was flanked by two large men, each the size of a small SUV, holding semi-automatic rifles aimed at Mary.

  “You might want to tell your crazy friend here to put down her gun. You know firsthand that I have no problem dispatching. . . annoyances.” The man’s voice sounded rough, like sandpaper, and dripped with menace. Susan had hoped she’d never hear that voice again, outside of a courtroom. He waved his gun towards Mary. “Do it now or your friend here won’t be the only one sporting a bullet hole.”

  She looked over at Mary. The girl was shaking so violently it looked like she was having a seizure, but she was still holding onto her pistol. “Mary, put the gun down.” The girl’s wild eyes met hers and she nodded, “Please, Mary. It’s over.”

  Mary looked at Bruno and his two companions and her last bit of sanity kicked in. She set the gun on the table and raised her hands in the air. One of the goons moved to grab it, while the other kept his gun pointed at the girl. The man handed Mary’s gun to Bruno who stuck it in his chest pocket.

  “So, Susan. I can’t believe they let you keep your first name. Normally WITSEC makes you change everything. But I guess Sus
an is so common they figured it wasn’t a big deal.” The goons laughed like it was a funny joke, but Bruno’s eyes were hard and cold, and Susan felt her skin crawl as the man moved closer.

  Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure it was going to jump out of her chest, and she felt like she couldn’t catch her breath. She didn’t dare look at Reed. She loved him and she knew if Bruno figured it out, he’d hurt Reed just to get to her.

  “How did you find me?” Her voice sounded more confident than she felt, and she saw something like admiration in Bruno’s eyes. The man he’d killed had been sniveling and begging for his life. Bruno had told him he hated cowards just before he murdered him.

  “Well you have this little girly to thank for that.” He chuckled and gestured at Mary. “I had people monitoring social media using facial recognition software and they came across your crazy little crush here.”

  Susan felt sick. She’d never noticed Mary taking pictures and she’d been unaware of her obsession. But she should have been paying attention. This was all her fault and she couldn’t let Reed and Mary pay the price for her negligence.

  “Let them go, Bruno. They don’t have anything to do with this. It’s me you want. Just let them go,” she pleaded.

  “Well, that was my intention before we arrived and found this delightful tableau. Now, I’m not so sure. I think I’m going to use this situation to my advantage. Just like I use everything to my advantage.” The two goons chuckled and nodded.

  “What do you mean?” Susan was frantically trying to figure a way out of this situation, but she was coming up blank. Her stomach was doing flip flops and she prayed she wouldn’t lose her dinner. She glanced down at Reed who’d been suspiciously quiet this whole time and his eyes were glazed over, face pale, his expression grim.