Black Bird: A Murder Mystery Suspense Thriller, page 7
Arnie had drilled into him that no matter what happened, Jerry was to keep walking and not stop until he got to the house. And when he got there, to knock and ask for Roseanna.
Jerry had done exactly as Arnie had instructed. When he’d arrived, though, the house had surprised him, considering the neighborhood it was in. It was big and ornate, like one of those Victorian homes Jerry had seen on his drives around the outskirts of Chicago, but those neighborhoods had been much nicer, with sprawling manicured lawns, statues, and fountains.
This house had none of that. The weeds were tall, the grass uncut, and cobwebs hung outside the windows, but Jerry didn’t care. He did as Arnie said, wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeve, and knocked.
A woman with short spiky blonde hair and heavy makeup, wearing minimal clothing, had answered. She looked him over with curious eyes. “You’re a young one. But cute.” She smiled, rested her hand on the doorframe, and smacked her gum. “Who you looking for, handsome?”
“Roseanna.”
Her smile fell, and she appraised him. “You in some kind of trouble?”
Jerry didn’t know how to respond. “I’m just supposed to ask for Roseanna.”
“What’s your name?”
A Hispanic woman with long braided hair, wearing big silver earrings and a long flowy dress, emerged from the back. “I’ll take it, Becca. You can go.”
Becca hesitated. “You sure, Rosie?”
Rosie came to the door. “I wouldn’t have said so if I weren’t.”
Becca smacked her gum. “Okay.” With a last glance at Jerry, she walked away.
Rosie regarded him. “What’s your name?”
His hands in his pockets, Jerry looked down. “Jerry Lee. Arnie sent me.” He half expected her to turn him away and, for a moment, panicked when he wondered what he would do if she did.
She stepped back. “Come in.”
Relief bloomed in his gut, and he stepped inside. “Thank you.”
She closed the door behind him. “Arnie okay?”
Jerry looked at her as tears sprang to his eyes. She stared for a second, and he detected the slight tension in her body before she nodded. “Follow me.”
She’d taken him to a back room beneath the stairs with a cot and a chest of drawers, but no windows. “You can stay in here.” She pointed outside the door. “There’s a bathroom in the hall, and grab any food you want from the kitchen. Just stay out of the girls’ way.” She perused him. “Or maybe I should tell them to stay away from you.”
He tried to grasp what was going on and where he was. “What girls?”
She smiled. “You’ll find out soon enough.” She studied him. “You look like you could use some sleep.”
“I haven’t slept much.”
“Get it while you can. Things get busy around here at night, but you’ll get used to it. You need anything?”
He shook his head but still didn’t understand. “I…I can’t pay you.”
Rosie paused. “Arnie took care of that. Don’t worry about it. You can stay here as long as you like. I’ll let the ladies know.”
“But…but…” He stammered. “You don’t know me…or do you?”
“No. I don’t. But I know Arnie. He helped me out when I needed it, and he was a good friend and a regular customer of mine. I owe him. He told me you might stop by, and I told him if you did, I’d help.”
Jerry thought of all the trouble he could cause if the killer found him here.
“Arnie just said you would need to stay hidden, and we can do that,” she said. “No one needs to know your name. Just say your name is Lee. No one will care. You’re not the first I’ve taken in, and you won’t be the last.”
Jerry thought about the reward that his mother had offered for his safe return. “Anyone around here watch the news?”
She laughed. “My girls? No.”
Jerry Lee slumped with relief.
“But I’d suggest you stay out of sight on evenings and weekends. Those are our busy times. But even if you don’t, most of our customers keep to themselves. They don’t want to be seen any more than you do. They’re far more interested in the ladies.”
Jerry Lee was getting the picture of the kind of house Roseanna ran. It’s what his grandfather would have called a house of ill repute. “Okay. I will. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She hesitated before leaving. “Arnie told me one thing about you.”
“What’s that?”
“He said to tell you that you can’t stay here forever. At some point, you’ll have to make a decision.”
“What decision?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose that’s up to you.” She patted his arm. “Get some rest.”
Rosie walked away, and Jerry had spent the next several days sleeping on the small cot, eating food from the kitchen, and listening to the sounds of the various customers being entertained by the women of the house. The ladies he’d met called him Lee but mainly ignored him and didn’t ask questions.
The days weren’t terrible, but the nights were awful. He’d replay in his mind what had happened to Arnie and blame himself. Then he’d imagine contacting his mother, but the thought of her getting hurt terrified him. Then he’d think of his grandfather and consider calling him. If anyone could keep Jerry safe, it would be him. But that decision came with a price, for both him and his mom, and Arnie had cautioned him about paying that price. So Jerry had held off.
But now, as the days rolled into nights and back into days again, Jerry recognized Arnie was right. He was going to have to make a choice. He couldn’t live like this much longer.
Listening to the sounds of the bedsprings resuming their monotonous squeaking, he seriously considered his last option. Arnold and his grandfather had never trusted cops, but Jerry recalled the visit from the two detectives before Arnie had died. They’d seemed genuinely concerned about Jerry Lee’s safety, even though Arnold had balked at involving them.
A sprinkle of hope building, he reached for his duffle bag, opened the pocket, and pulled out the card printed with the name and number of Detective Aaron Remalla. Lying back on the bed, he clutched the card, debating again what to do, before finally falling asleep.
Rem knocked on Lexie’s apartment door.
Daniels looked up and down the walkway and caught the slats in the window shade next door lowering. Eyes stared back at him. He frowned at the person watching, and the slats closed.
“Who is it?” asked Lexie from behind the door.
“Holmes and Watson,” answered Rem.
Lexie opened the door. Her brown hair brushed her shoulders, and she wore her typical jeans, T-shirt and sneakers. “More like Laurel and Hardy.” She stepped back. “Come on in.”
Daniels followed Rem inside. “Who’s the neighbor on this side?” asked Daniels, pointing.
Lexie closed her door. “Lonny.”
Daniels recalled meeting Lonny the last time he and Rem had visited. He’d definitely been interested in Lexie and curious about the two men visiting her. “Oh, that guy. I should have known.”
“Why?” asked Lexie.
“He was watching us.”
“That guy’s weird,” said Rem. “Why doesn’t he just ask you out on a date and stop with all the cloak and dagger stuff?”
Lexie went into her small kitchen. “Who says he didn’t?”
“Oh,” said Rem, standing on the other side of the counter. “Now I feel sorry for him. Did you let him down easy?”
Lexie opened her fridge. “I told him the truth. My life has no room for a relationship right now.” She leaned over. “Water, orange juice, iced tea, or…” She glanced at Rem. “Let me take a wild guess. Coffee.”
“You got it,” said Rem.
“I’ll take orange juice,” said Daniels.
Lexie grabbed a bottle of juice and a pitcher of tea and set them on the counter.
“If you told him no, then why does he keep watching you?” asked Daniels.
Lexie grabbed two glasses from a cabinet. “He wasn’t watching me. He was watching you.” She opened the juice and poured some into a glass. “I don’t think he likes you guys.” She handed the juice to Daniels. “Imagine that.”
Rem grunted. “Tell him to get in line.”
Lexie flicked her gaze at Rem and poured herself some tea. “Someone got out on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”
Daniels held his juice. “He’s grouchy today.”
“I’ll be much better after a fresh cup of coffee.” Rem glanced back at Lexie’s dining table, which was covered with papers, notebooks, and folders. Her open laptop sat among the mess. “Looks like you’ve been busy.”
Lexie set her glass of tea down and grabbed the coffeepot. “I’ve barely slept since you gave me that list of names.”
Rem grunted again. “You and me both.”
Lexie went to the sink and added water to the pot. She eyed Rem with a somber expression. “I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to you at Cain’s funeral.”
Daniels noted Rem’s slight stiffening of the shoulders. “Sorry about that,” said Rem. “Daniels and I were thinking it was better to keep our distance. In case you know…”
Lexie turned off the faucet. “They were watching. I get it.” She poured the water into the machine.
Daniels didn’t recall any conversation with Rem about keeping their distance from anyone. He knew his partner had just preferred to keep to himself.
“I wanted to say how sorry I am about your cousin.” Lexie set the empty pot on the burner and grabbed a bag of coffee grounds from the counter. “What happened to him…was awful.”
Rem eyed the countertop. “It was…and thank you.”
“I met your Captain Lozano,” said Lexie. “He’s a nice man.”
Rem made a snort. “Frank Lozano? Since when?”
Lexie smiled. “Nice to me, at least. He seems to be doing okay considering his suspension.”
“He’s hanging in there,” said Daniels. “He took a few days after the funeral to go to his cabin up at Secret Lake with his wife. Try to take his mind off things.”
“I don’t blame him.” Lexie added a filter to the machine. “Has there been any progress in finding out who murdered Cain?” She scooped grounds into the filter, closed the top of the machine, and flipped it on.
Rem shot a look at Daniels. They hadn’t told her about what Cain had said to Rem. “No,” said Daniels. “Nothing yet.”
“But it obviously had to do with his connection to the black birds, and what happened to Marjorie?” She closed the bag of grounds and returned it to the pantry.
Rem gripped the edge of the counter.
“Yeah,” said Daniels. “Something like that.”
Lexie leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. “So spill it.”
Rem straightened. “Spill what?”
Lexie furrowed her brow. “Why this visit? What’s changed?”
The sound of the coffee percolating prevented the deafening silence, but not the added tension. Daniels debated how much to say. “We figured it’s time to talk about the list.” Daniels determined they would have to tell her everything but didn’t see a good place to start.
“Plus, a few other things,” replied Rem.
“What other things?” asked Lexie.
“I’m gonna need my coffee before we have that conversation.”
Lexie studied Rem. “You look like you may need a shot of whiskey in it.”
“That’s damn tempting.” Rem rubbed his neck.
“Why don’t we sit at the table?” asked Daniels. “Get comfortable.” He drank some juice and walked over to Lexie’s cluttered workspace.
Rem walked over with him. “We haven’t been comfortable since before that trip to Elmwood.” He pulled out a chair and sat.
Daniels sat beside him, and Lexie, holding her glass of tea, came over and sat in front of her laptop. “Why stop by today? Did something happen?”
That one Daniels could answer. “We’ve got a new victim. Martin Bailey.” He told her about the circumstances of Martin’s death.
Lexie sat back in surprise. “A doll? Why do you think that’s connected to the black birds?”
Rem told her about the doll found in Cain’s desk. “That one had a black feather tucked into a slit on its chest. I doubt that’s a coincidence.”
Daniels thought of the doll in Bailey’s truck. “You know, Bailey’s doll had a slit in the front but no feather. I wonder if it fell out.”
Rem pursed his lips. “That could be interesting. Especially if we find someone with a black feather floating around nearby.”
Lexie leaned forward. “What is the point of the doll? And who’s making it?”
“We called the Morgans and Durning families to see if they ever saw a doll,” said Rem. “The detective in L.A. is handling Beelson’s family. Morgans is a bust. No one can remember a creepy doll. Durning’s wife can’t remember one either, but we’re still waiting to hear from Martha Cravitz, Durning’s assistant, to see if she recalls anything.”
“Our thought is it’s a warning,” said Daniels.
Lexie frowned. “So, if you get a doll, that means you’re dead?” She paused. “But how does that explain Bailey? Why is it in his car? If he got it early, wouldn’t it be in his apartment? Or tossed in his trash?”
“Bailey must have been last minute,” added Rem. “There wasn’t time to warn him.”
“Then why bother with the doll?” asked Lexie.
“We haven’t figured that out,” said Daniels. “But there must be a reason.”
“Maybe Bailey and the doll were a warning to others,” added Rem. “A way to say don’t do what Bailey did?”
“It’s an effective strategy,” added Daniels.
Lexie moved a notebook. “You think Rhonda could have done this?”
Daniels shook his head. “Don’t think so. This isn’t her style. She’s more flashy.”
“Plus, she likes to brand her victims,” added Rem.
“Not always,” said Lexie.
Daniels wondered what Lexie would think if he told her he and Rem were the supposed new hitmen who’d replaced Rhonda. He chose not to ask.
Lexie grabbed a blue notebook next to her and opened it. “Who is this Martin Bailey?” She wrote his name at the top of the first clean page. “What’s his story?”
“We’ve learned he worked at the port of San Diego for US Customs and Border Patrol. He was in Operations Support.” Rem moved some papers around and sighed. “You got any chips or something?”
Daniels grabbed a paper before it fell off the edge of the table. “Chips? We just had lunch.”
“You know me,” said Rem. “I think better on a full stomach.”
“I’ll get some.” Lexie stood. “Keep talking.” She walked into the kitchen.
Daniels shook his head at Rem’s unrelenting appetite. “We’re wondering if Bailey’s connections could have served a purpose for the group.”
“Since his name is on the list,” said Rem, “and we assume everyone on that list provides some sort of function or benefit to the group.”
“Maybe in exchange for something else,” said Daniels. “Either money, or clout, or help of some kind.”
Lexie grabbed a bag of potato chips from her pantry. She grabbed a container from the fridge, some napkins, and returned to the table. “Coffee’s almost ready.” She set the bag of chips on the table and opened the container. “French onion dip.”
Rem’s eyes brightened for the first time that day. “If Lonny doesn’t marry you, then I will.” He grabbed a chip and dunked it in the dip.
Daniels smirked. “If I had known it would improve your mood this fast, I would have had this delivered to your desk.”
Rem munched on a chip. “I’ll expect a delivery tomorrow.”
Daniels rolled his eyes.
Lexie reached for a chip. “The question is, why is Bailey in that alley, and why is there a human bone nearby? Plus, what about that strange room with the circle and candle? And that blood? Is it human?”
“We’re still waiting to hear from forensics,” replied Daniels.
“I mean, this has all the earmarks of some sort of occult practice.” She ate her chip. “You think Bailey stumbled onto some sort of ceremony?”
“He was running toward the building. Not away from it.” Rem dunked another chip and ate it.
“He was meeting someone in the alley,” said Daniels. “He must have realized he was in trouble but couldn’t get away.”
Lexie swallowed and tapped her jaw. “So, a black bird member who works for customs has a late-night meeting in the rain in the alley of an abandoned building.” She squinted. “Where apparently there’s been some sort of ceremony.” She paused. “A patrol car sees two vehicles, but one gets away before the police arrive.” Her eyes widened. “Could Bailey have been delivering the bone or bones?” She sat up. “Maybe for the ceremony?” She typed on her keyboard.
Daniels considered the possibility. “You think the bone, or possibly bones, came from Bailey?”
Lexie typed some more and read the screen. “A friend of mine did a story once on the black market. There’s a demand for items used in certain darker practices that you can’t get through legal channels over here.” She narrowed her eyes at the screen. “Things like animal skins, potions, statues, fabrics, oils, incense…”
“You can get a lot of that stuff here,” said Rem.
“Not all of it. Especially if you want it from a certain country.” She grimaced. “How about blood, teeth, and bones?”
Rem blanched and stopped chewing. “Seriously?”
“That’s pretty dark,” said Daniels.
“Why else would that bone be there?” asked Lexie. She closed her laptop. “It sounds like Bailey got something through customs and was delivering it. But whoever met him wanted more than the bones.”
“Maybe Bailey wanted a bigger payout,” said Daniels, “and threatened to go to the cops.”
