Sleuthing In The Pink, page 6
part #4 of Witch's Cove Mystery Series
He chuckled. “The human lie detector?” I nodded. “I heard she didn’t do so well the last time.”
That would be the case that involved the former deputy’s death. “No.”
I pushed back my chair. “Let’s see what Carl has to say.”
Jaxson drove. When we entered the bowling alley, a young man was manning the desk. Darn. Jaxson stood tall, probably just to tower over the kid. “Is Carl here?” Jaxson asked as he slipped our Pink Iguana Sleuths business card across the desktop.
I doubted it would carry any weight, but it was worth a try.
“You’re private investigators,” he announced with respect. I didn’t see the need to correct him. “I’ll tell Carl you want to speak with him.”
As soon as the young boy disappeared, I held up a palm and smiled. Jaxson gave me a high five. A second later, the boy returned with Carl in tow.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said to Jaxson. “How can I help you?”
“Can we speak someplace quieter?” I asked.
“Sure.” He pointed to the door we’d passed when we entered the building. “Go through there, and I’ll open it from the inside.” Carl entered his office from the desk side.
We stepped inside. Since I didn’t want Jaxson to have to lie, I spoke up. “Not that I don’t think the sheriff and his brand-new deputy aren’t capable of solving Mr. Draper’s murder, but I’m not sure it’s a priority for them.”
My face heated from the lie, but I felt we had a good chance of finding the culprit. If I had to resort to a little magic to do it, I wasn’t against it.
“How can I help? I told the sheriff everything.”
“Can you go over it again?” Jaxson asked. “Sometimes you remember something the second time.”
Carl shrugged. “Sure. Many times after the league ends, and everyone is gone, I’ll challenge Dirk to a game.” He pointed to a wall of plaques. “I used to be good, but with my arthritic knee, the best I can do is play a few games a week.”
“I’m sorry.” I couldn’t imagine not being able to do what you loved. “Did you bowl a game last night?”
“I did. Dirk won, as usual, but I was pleased with my score. After that, we shook hands, and I went back into my office to tally up the day’s receipts.”
“Did Dirk leave?” I asked.
“No. He wanted to get in a few more frames. I was fine with that. I must have worked another half hour. The noise had stopped, so I assumed Dirk had gone. I exited by the door you two came in. Since we had played on lane ten, even if I had looked in that direction, I wouldn’t have seen anything since the wall blocks my view. I turned off the lights and went home.”
“That must have been a shock to receive the call the next morning about what happened,” I said.
“I was devastated.”
“Was the maintenance man there when you two were bowling?” Jaxson asked.
“No. Gerald finished work at three. He needs to be here in the morning to make sure everything is in tip top condition for when we open.”
I leaned forward. “If the front door was still unlocked, could someone have come in, killed Mr. Draper, and then left by the front entrance without your knowledge?” I asked.
“I’m assuming that is what happened.”
That increased the suspect pool to anyone. So much for narrowing it down. I wish we knew if Dirk’s diamonds were missing or not. Robbery could have been a motive.
I looked over at Carl. “If you can think of anyone who might want him dead, let us know.” I started to stand.
“I can tell you who I think killed him.”
My pulse soared, and I dropped down onto the seat. “Who?”
Chapter Eight
If anyone knew who might have killed Diamond Dirk, it would have been the bowling alley manager. People in the service industry were often invisible to most people.
“Who do you suspect killed Diamond Dirk, Mr. Edwards?” I asked.
“Lanky Lou Owens.”
I hadn’t expected to hear that name, especially since he hadn’t been at the bowling alley last night. On the other hand, Lucy’s husband might have believed he was creating an alibi by saying he was sick. If he returned after the league night ended and killed Dirk, his wife, Lucy, would be crushed. My question was how could Lucy not have noticed that her sick husband wasn’t home when she returned after the league? Or was she in on the murder too? So many options made my head spin.
“Why do you think that?” Jaxson asked the manager. I was glad he said something, since I was reeling from the news.
“Lou accused Dirk a few times of messing around with his wife.”
Lanky Lou was no looker, but he was a sight better than Diamond Dirk—even with the man’s many jewels. “Do you think there is any truth to that?”
While I didn’t spend a lot of time studying the interaction between Dirk and his teammates, I certainly didn’t pick up on any budding romance between him and Lucy.
He shrugged. “I’ve heard rumors that Lucy wasn’t completely happy in her marriage.”
“Why is that, do you suppose?” Perhaps it would shed some light on what was going on.
“Lou had secrets.”
Why did everything come down to that? When I was trying to find out who’d killed Morgan Oliver, his aunt said she’d left her husband because of all of his secrets.
“What kind of secrets?” Jaxson asked. My partner usually let me lead the investigation, but clearly, I wasn’t on top of my game.
Carl chuckled. “Who knows? That’s why they’re called secrets. Besides, I try to keep out of everyone’s affairs. That being said, since I occasionally bowl with Dirk, I hear things. That’s all.” He slapped his thighs. “Listen, I have a ton of stuff to do, what with the cops being here for much of the morning.”
We had overstayed our visit. “Thanks for being so open with us.”
“You bet.”
Jaxson and I headed out. I was glad he didn’t suggest we get in a game, because at the moment, my head wasn’t in the right place.
As soon as I slipped into the car, I faced him. “Your thoughts?”
He started the engine. “Hard to say. His story seems consistent with the events.”
“I thought that too. At first, I believed he would have heard a struggle, a grunt, or a yell, but with his door closed, it was surprisingly quiet.” The falling of pins was a dull noise in the background.
“Which means we’re back to square one,” Jaxson said.
That was a bummer. “The next obvious person to speak with is Mrs. Draper.”
Jaxson glanced over at me. “Why? She already confessed to your nail tech lady that she suspected her husband of cheating, which confirms what Carl Edwards said.”
“True, though I would like to ask her if it was common for Dirk and Carl to bowl a game or two after league night ended.”
He shot a glance at me. “You didn’t believe him? He had enough plaques and trophies to prove he was good enough to go head-to-head with Dirk.”
So many options were short-circuiting my logic. “I don’t know what to think anymore—other than we need a white board for our office so I can jot down my thoughts—jumbled as they might be.”
Jaxson laughed. “I hope you aren’t planning on installing it on the wall across from the sofa where everyone can see it.”
“Funny. No, I thought we could get a small table and place it across from the kitchen sink and then put a white board on it if you can’t hang it.” The wall was portable.
“I imagine I can figure something out. What would go on this board?”
“I’d list every person who was in the league, as well as people who came in contact with Dirk. Next to each name, I’d write my thoughts.”
“Like a spreadsheet?”
“Yes, only you can add stuff too. As they say, two heads are better than one.”
He flashed me a smile. “I like it. How about we go first thing tomorrow morning?”
“I told my aunt I’d work until noon. Corinne had a doctor’s appointment.”
“After that then. Stop on by and we’ll go pick one up.”
I appreciated that he liked to do things in a prompt fashion.
When I returned home, Iggy was pacing the floor. I couldn’t tell if he was agitated or excited. “Hey, you. What’s up?”
“You’ll never guess who stopped over.” From the excitement in his voice, it was someone good.
“Who?”
“Guess.”
Only one thing would excite him this much. “Aimee.”
“How did you know?”
I laughed. “Lucky guess. What did she want?”
“Just to talk. She even licked my nose.”
Eww. “Is that a good thing?” Iguanas liked water, but cat saliva?
“Are you kidding? I took it to be like a kiss. You should try it sometime.”
I laughed. “And which man should I be licking?”
“Humans don’t lick. They kiss. Even I know that,” Iggy said.
I’d go along with his little game as soon as I grabbed something to drink. Iggy followed me into the kitchen where I grabbed my pitcher of tea and poured a glass. “I’ll ask again. Which man are you thinking I should be kissing?”
I held my breath, not certain what I wanted him to say.
“Unless you’re holding out on me, there is one choice. Jaxson.”
My pulse soared. “I’m not kissing my business partner.” It didn’t matter he was the subject of more than one of my dreams.
“Why not? He likes you.”
“All the more reason I should keep my distance. We’re business partners. What if Aimee said she wanted to move in here? Would you like that?” It was better to turn the tables on him.
“I’m not suggesting you and Jaxson get married tomorrow.”
“I’m glad to hear it. While I appreciate the suggestion, I’m going to take things slow.”
Iggy crawled up my leg and sat on my shoulder. “Trust me, Aimee is taking things slow, and it is driving me crazy.”
“Welcome to the real world, Iggy.”
He head butted my neck, and I laughed.
Because I had been working at the office for a few days in a row, my body decided it was normal to sleep in. When my alarm went off at five-forty-five, it came as a rude wake up call. I most definitely wasn’t ready to rise and shine—but I did.
I muddled through the breakfast shift and was very happy when noon rolled around so I could leave. After I changed out of my costume, I headed over to the office. It was nice to find Jaxson at his desk, hard at work. “Hey,” I said.
He looked up and smiled. “Ready to get that white board?”
“Absolutely. Maybe afterward, we can grab a bite to eat. I’m famished.”
“Deal. Oh. Check this out.” He lifted his pant leg.
“Pink socks. Are you kidding me? That’s awesome.”
Jaxson laughed. “Gotta go pink if I’m going to be a sleuth.”
I grinned. “You got that right.”
How cool was he? First the pink silicone bracelet and now pink socks. I wondered if he’d ever wear a pink shirt?
Naturally, Jax drove, but even a trip to the stationery store was not ordinary, because I was doing it with another person. I hadn’t realized how much I’d miss the companionship.
We checked out a few sizes of boards and then both agreed on the six-foot by four-foot model.
Jaxson even found fasteners at the store with which to hang it. After I purchased some markers and an eraser, we headed back to the office, but not before we stopped at a fast food place for a quick bite.
“I need to check on Iggy first before I get to work,” I said. I was curious if he was still floating on a cloud after their intimate touch yesterday.
“Go ahead. I’ll hang this bad boy.”
Bad boy? I laughed. “That would be great. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
I left by the inside stairwell. Drake was in the front conversing with a customer, so I slipped out the back and headed over to the Tiki Hut Grill. Just as I pulled open the door to the gift shop, who should be coming out but Penny. I hadn’t realized it was time for her to get off work. Time really flew when I wasn’t waitressing.
“Hey, fancy meeting you here,” I said, happy to see her.
I expected a smile, but instead I received a sniffle. “I was just coming over to your office to find you.”
“Oh, no. What’s wrong?”
“Can we talk?”
“Absolutely. Let’s go upstairs.”
Together, we hiked up to my apartment. I said nothing, waiting for Penny to tell me what terrible tragedy had befallen her. Because she was kind of a drama queen, I had no idea what to expect.
When I entered, Iggy hopped down from his stool. “I’m bored and hungry.”
I had to assume Aimee hadn’t shown up today. That had to hurt. “I’m sorry. I’ll get you something to eat, but even if you’d been with me at the office, you would have spent most of the day alone. Jax and I did a lot of running around.”
“That’s always your excuse.” Iggy looked up at Penny. “You don’t look so good.”
“I feel even worse.”
“Tell me about it,” Iggy said. “My supposed girlfriend was really friendly yesterday and then didn’t even had the decency to stop over today.”
“Iggy,” I said. “Life isn’t always about you. Can’t you see that Penny needs our attention?”
He looked between us and then lowered his head. “I guess.”
“Why don’t you go over to Aunt Fern’s place? Maybe Aimee wants you to make the next move.”
He perked up. “You think?”
“Go see.” Sheesh. It was like raising a teenager. My only experience with that age group was when I taught middle school math for a year.
“Okay.” Iggy rushed to the cat door, pushed it open, and jumped out.
It was a little after three, a bit too early to be enjoying a glass of wine. “Come into the kitchen while I grab us something to drink.”
“It’s Hunter.”
If her ex-husband had messed up, I could handle it, but not Hunter. “What happened?”
“It’s more like what didn’t happen.” She pulled out a kitchen chair and plopped down.
There were too many blanks to fill in. “I don’t understand.”
“I really, really like Hunter and want to get to know the man better, but every time I ask him where he came from, why he hunts at night, and stuff like that, he lies.”
That was bad. “Does he know you can tell when someone isn’t telling the truth?”
“No, and that’s the problem. I don’t want to accuse him of anything and chance losing him.”
That was quite a dilemma. It never occurred to me not to tell Jaxson the truth. “What are you going to do?” I had no words of wisdom.
“Maybe you can do a truth spell on Hunter.”
I laughed, only because that idea was so preposterous. “Me, put a spell on someone? Knowing my luck, Hunter would end up only being able to tell lies from here on out. Why don’t you go to Hex and Bones and see what you’d have to do to put a spell on Hunter?”
“You know I don’t do spells—at least I don’t do them often. I’m more of a sense things kind of person.”
Like an empath. “I get it.”
I fixed us two glasses of iced tea and then motioned we return to the living room where it would be more comfortable than the hard, wooden kitchen chairs. We sat next to each other on the couch in our usual positions.
“Didn’t you say Miriam told you that Gertrude gives lessons in spells?” she asked.
I blew out a breath. “I had totally forgotten about that, what with all the murders, but she apparently does.”
“Why don’t you see if you can improve your witch skills? You’d be a better sleuth if you could do a few more things.”
I was convinced her suggestion was to get me to put an honesty spell on Hunter. As nice as that would be, the two of them needed to figure things out without witchcraft.
“I love that idea, but what if I mess things up even more? If I’m being paid by a client, I’m not about to put a spell on some unfaithful husband. It could prove disastrous.”
Penny shook her head. “Haven’t you heard the expression, ‘Practice Makes Perfect’?”
“I think you mean, ‘Perfect Practice Makes Perfect.’ I’m not sure I’ll ever get the hang of being a witch—at least as far as spells are concerned.”
My friend grabbed my hand. “Since when do you give up?”
“You’re right. Never.”
“So there. Let’s pretend Gertrude could guarantee success with your spells. What would you love to be able to do?”
I thought she’d come here to discuss her issues with Hunter. Maybe she was looking for a distraction. “I probably would try honing my telekinesis skills, but I would never use it to cheat.” Under dire circumstances, Iggy could cloak himself, but his ability to hold the shield of invisibility was suspect. “I’d love to be able to become invisible so I could eavesdrop.”
Penny waved a hand. “There you go. Ask Gertrude about putting up some kind of shield. All she can say is no.”
My friend was right. I had to try. “I’ll check it out. Now that you’ve solved my greatest desires, what can I do to help you—besides putting a spell on Hunter to reveal his deepest, darkest secrets to you?”
“You being here and listening to me is good enough. I’m hoping that with time, Hunter will come to realize that he can trust me.”
Translated, she meant she didn’t need any witchy help. “I think you might be right.”
Once Penny left, I thought about checking up on Iggy, but I didn’t want to embarrass him in case he and Aimee were having a good time. I returned to the office. The more I thought about taking those witch lessons, the more I liked the idea, but I wanted to pass it by Jaxson. He might have a moral issue with it.
When I entered the office, he was sitting at his desk, typing something on his computer. He looked up and nodded toward the kitchen that was situated behind the portable wall. “Check it out.”
“You installed the white board already?” I was so excited.
