Necklaces & Nooses Read online

  “You should have brought some of your writing to work on after I left.”

  “True, but I’m so tired. I really hope I can go back to bed for awhile.” Taking a mid-afternoon nap would be a perk of being at home. Kids didn’t know how good they had it being able to have naptime.

  Anna looked at her watch. “Crap. It’s late. I need to run.” She gathered her stuff and slung her red purse over her shoulder. “Wish me luck on my presentation.”

  “Good luck!”

  “Call me later.”

  “Will do. Bye, Anna.” I almost felt jealous that she had something she was jazzed about at work, and I didn’t have anything I was passionate about to go to everyday. Guess I just needed to stop worrying so much about it and think about what was truly going to make me happy.

  Chapter 4

  I still had some of my latte left when Anna left, so I decided to just sit and drink it and continue to people watch. It was a rare occurrence when I could just sit without a place to rush off to. It felt really weird to essentially be unemployed again, or even worse than unemployed, because I didn’t know what my next step was. If the store didn’t open back up, I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t have a backup plan, which didn’t bother me as much as it probably should have. I had an In Style magazine in my bag. I tried to always carry a magazine or book with me in case I had a free moment. I also had a notepad in my bag in case I got the sudden inspiration to write. So I pulled out In Style and thought one benefit of not having a job was I could leisurely hang out at Starbucks and read my magazine. If only it paid, it would be a great gig.

  My phone rang, and I saw a Chicago number I didn’t recognize. Maybe one of the girls from the boutique was calling me from a different number that wasn’t programmed into my phone. I had only been able to get ahold of one of the three: Staph, luckily the one who was supposed to work today. The rest I had to leave messages to call me ASAP without sounding frantic. I was sure they had already heard, since it was all over the local media. But I was somewhat surprised they hadn’t called me already, so maybe I was wrong and they didn’t watch the eleven o’clock news.

  “Hello?” I said tentatively. I hated answering the phone when I didn’t know who it was. It usually ended up being someone I didn’t want to talk to, usually a sales person.

  “Presley?”

  “Yes, this is she.”

  “Hi. It’s Willie.”

  “Oh, hi.” I felt myself blush. I think I might kind of like this guy if this was how I was going to react to him calling. I got a little flirty realizing it was him. “I didn’t recognize your voice.” As much as I had been thinking about him, I should have.

  He chuckled. “That’s okay, we haven’t known each other long, although it somewhat seems like it.”

  My sentiments exactly, last night on the ride home I felt we really connected. “Did you need something?” I asked and then immediately regretted it. I had just made it sound like he was putting me out even though I was happy, surprisingly so, that he was calling me. “Not that you need to have a reason. I just assumed you did. That you wouldn’t just call for nothing, I mean.” That was worse. I’d be better off not saying anything. I always babbled when I got nervous.

  He laughed again. Great, now he was laughing at me.

  “I called to tell you that you were in the clear, officially that is. Like I said last night, I didn’t think you were a real suspect, but I had to follow procedure. I did the follow-up legwork early this morning and can officially extend the all clear.

  “That’s great.” And it was great to hear. I had been taken off guard by even being questioned, and it had been in the back of my mind all night. I mean, I knew I didn’t do anything, but still, it was amazing at how you could almost feel you were guilty just by being in the police environment and being questioned. “So can you tell me how she was killed now?” I realized that sounded a bit morbid and probably more than a little strange, but I was curious. Hopefully, he would see it that way, as plain weird curiosity.

  “You really want to know? Why?”

  I sighed. “I know it probably sounds freaky that I want to hear about it, but I’m a curious person. I love Crime 360 and American Justice with Bill Curtis. I love to read Ann Rule, and I find this fascinating. I just wish it hadn’t happened to someone I know.”

  He laughed again. I was glad I was able to provide him with such entertainment. “What are you doing for lunch?”

  “What?” Where did that come from? Still, I was pleasantly excited. He must not think I was too weird wanting to know, if he was willing to spend time with me in public, no less.

  “I thought we could meet and I’d tell you what happened in person. It would be easier than over the phone. Plus, I would like to see you again under different circumstances than last night.”

  I smiled. So maybe his interest in me wasn’t just professional. “Sure, lunch would be great. Where do you want to meet?”

  “I’m at the station, and I don’t have a lot of time. Would you mind coming down here?”

  “Not at all, whatever is convenient for you. It’s not like I have to work today.”

  “Okay, then meet me at 12:30 p.m. at Harry’s. I hope you don’t mind a loud, obnoxious atmosphere, but it’s worth it. Their corned beef sandwiches on rye are out of this world.”

  “It’s a date. See you then.” I hung up, wondering why in hell I had said it’s a date. How stupid could I be? What if he thought I meant a real date? Oh well, I wasn’t going to let myself obsess too much. I looked at my watch, almost ten. I had plenty of time to go home and get ready for lunch with Willie. I was a lot more excited than I should have been for what was to be a mostly professional lunch. Though he certainly didn’t need to ask me to lunch to tell me about Solange. He didn’t need to tell me in the first place, and definitely not in person. Maybe he did find me as interesting as I found him. In a good way, of course.

  I pulled my black Kia into the packed parking lot of Harry’s and saw Willie walking up to the door. He looked great in soft-looking faded jeans with a T-shirt and blazer over it to turn it from casual to professional. He must have noticed my car out of the corner of his eye. He waved and pointed to the restaurant, so I knew he was going in to get us a seat. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a wait, as busy as the parking lot was, but maybe as a cop he had pull.

  I got out of the car, locked it, and tossed my keys in my oversized orange-striped Kate Spade purse that matched my orange linen sheath dress. With it, I had added some turquoise accessories for a hot summer look. Though I was second-guessing my choice of linen as it was a scorcher already at noon, and linen was the worst material for wrinkling. I walked to the front of the restaurant, trying to smooth out the wrinkles that had already formed during the drive over. I opened the door, and a wonderful aroma assaulted me. It smelled divine, a greasy smell that made my mouth water. The place was bigger than it looked from outside, but I didn’t see an open table anywhere. I saw Willie waving at me from a table in the back right corner. He stood up as I walked over and reached out his hand to shake mine. I felt a little shock. There was definitely chemistry between us.

  “I’m glad you could make it,” he said.

  “Me, too.” I smiled, and we sat down. “You said the corned beef was good. What else can’t I live without?”

  “They have great mac and cheese, and I also like their Reuben. There’s nothing that isn’t greasy, cheesy, and fattening.” He looked a little worried, probably afraid I was a cottage cheese and fruit girl.

  “No worries. As you can tell, I’m not one of those who eat salad all the time.”

  “You don’t need to. You look great.”

  I glanced up from the menu when he said that, and he blushed. It was so adorable.

  He said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “What? You didn’t mean it?” I teased, pretending to be mad. “I’m so offended.”

  “No. I mean, yes I meant, it but I didn’t mea
n to be so forward. I hope I didn’t offend you.”

  “Not at all, and just to show you how not offended I am, I will be ordering the Reuben with slaw and sweet potato fries. I might even have pie for dessert.” I set my menu on top of his so the waitress would know we were ready.

  “If you can eat dessert after a Reuben and mac and cheese, you’re a better person than me. The portions are huge.”

  “I can eat, trust me.”

  After giving my order, I could barely wait until the waitress walked away to finally hear what happened.

  “So, fill me in.”

  “On what?” he looked at me blankly.

  What a tease but with a fun sense of humor. I liked that in a guy. I gave him a look. “Funny. I know you probably think it’s weird that I am this interested in how she died.” I didn’t even know how to adequately explain to him why I wanted to know without seeming morbidly curious. I wasn’t even sure myself. Maybe I was just weird.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I thought maybe you wanted to investigate on your own and show me up.”

  “Ha! Like I would even know where to start.”

  “You seemed to do a pretty good job earlier this year with solving Senator Daniels murder.”

  My jaw dropped. How did he know that? For the most part my name was not in the media. I thought only the locals knew about it. I felt a little uncomfortable.

  “How....?” I didn’t even know what else to say.

  “I am a detective,” he said smugly.

  “I’m not doubting your detective skills. I guess I’m just surprised the news traveled all the way up to the big city.”

  “It was a senator who was murdered. That was pretty big news.”

  “I know, but Cooper Sands was the one who caught the killer, not me.” I really didn’t do anything, except be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  “Well, from what I heard, you had quite a hand in it.”

  “What did you hear, exactly?”

  “The FBI called up here asking us to do some background work on you when that all happened. I wasn’t one of the people assigned to look you up, but word got around. One of the guys who did, however, saw your report on my desk this morning, connected the dots, and then filled me in.”

  “Really, they did that?” I felt embarrassed and somewhat violated. I could understand why they had to look into my background, but the fact that I was just now finding out months later was unsettling. “Rest assured, I have no plans on trying to show you up and solve her murder before you do. I didn’t have plans on ever getting involved in solving anything. I just kind of fell into it.”

  “Hmmm… How does one fall into a murder investigation? At least with this one you found the body, so it’s pretty obvious.”

  “Oh, stop it. I was writing for an online magazine at the time, and I had to get the whole story. I had interviewed Senator Daniels, and then he turned up dead. I had been one of the last people to see him alive, so I was questioned. The fact that the investigating officer and the head of the senator’s security detail were both high school friends of mine got me more involved than I should have been. Now tell me what happened, or do I need to sign something that says I won’t investigate on my own? Is your ego that worried?” I teased him.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “I’m not worried.” He sobered up and continued. “She was strangled. The hanging was to try and cover up she had been strangled and to make it look like suicide. That was why I was pretty sure you weren’t the killer. It takes a lot of hand strength to strangle someone, plus lift a dead body up and make it look like a suicide. It points to a male killer or multiple people involved, which we won’t know until the crime techs are done and the lab work completed.

  I was shocked and rattled. “That’s horrible. Who would want to kill her, especially that way?” I became a little upset thinking about Solange being killed.

  “I don’t know. I need to do more detecting, and I am hoping you might be able to help me.”

  “I thought I was supposed to leave the solving to you? You don’t have any leads and are so desperate you need civilian help?”

  “Funny. I talked to the ex, or rather soon-to-be-ex, and I talked to the fired employee over the phone. She is out of town just like you said and is coming back tonight to meet me at the station tomorrow. The employee has an alibi and the ex doesn’t, but neither one made me feel they were anything but truthful.”

  “If only whoever killed her would just say I did it when asked.”

  “That would be nice. Now you do realize, don’t you, that I shouldn’t really be sharing this? I need you to keep this information to yourself.”

  “Do you make it a habit of telling people you shouldn’t about ongoing investigations?” I was partly kidding but then partly wondered why he would tell me. He didn’t know me very well. I could be the kind to tell this to everyone I met instead of just Jared and Anna, who I told everything to.

  He shrugged. “Not usually. But you aren’t a suspect, and you have proved useful in solving mysteries, and there isn’t a hard and fast rule about not sharing unless specifically noted. I’m hoping that maybe you can help. It’s always good to have a different perspective, and since you knew her you might pick up on things I wouldn’t.”

  “You told me not five minutes ago I shouldn’t be investigating.”

  “I never said those exact words. I simply mentioned that I knew about your penchant for investigation, and that I knew of your investigating Senator Daniels murder. At least I know you’re experienced.

  “Okay, fair enough. I meant what I said about not having a desire to do any investigation. Especially this time, because I know her … knew her.”

  “Completely understandable, though it seems you were good at it. If the store doesn’t reopen, maybe you should switch careers.”

  “Thanks, but that was purely dumb luck.”

  “Sometimes luck is what helps us solve most crimes. So I’ll take all the luck I can get.”

  “I can give you my opinions, I suppose.”

  “I am talking to her family later today. How well do you know them?”

  “Not very much. Solange was quite closed mouth about everything. Her mom came in once, and of course you know I spoke to James more than I wanted. I know she has a brother and sister, but I’ve never met them. She is, I guess was, from an affluent family, not that people with money don’t kill, but I hardly can see her family being involved in strangling her.”

  “Like I said last night, you never know.”

  The waitress brought our food, and it smelled delicious. I could barely get my hands around the Reuben, as it seemed to have a pound of meat on it. I brought it up to my mouth and took a huge bite; dressing and juices just oozed out the sides and dripped down my hands. I set it down and wiped my mouth and hands and took a drink of my Diet Coke. “You were right, this is so good.”

  “I knew you would like it. It’s one of my favorite places for lunch.”

  Over the next several minutes we focused more on eating and meaningless chit chat while trading bites of food. I finally pushed away my plate and groaned.

  “Full?” Willie asked.

  “Full doesn’t even begin to cover it. If I eat another bite I would explode.”

  The waitress walked up after hearing my comment. “So I take it I can’t interest you in pie a la mode or some banana pudding? I thought you said you would be up for dessert?”

  I groaned, smiling. “It sounds good, but all I need right now is a box.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right back with a box and the check, one or two?”

  “Put it on one,” Willie said.

  “Thanks. I can’t believe you ate all yours,” I said, teasing Willie.

  “Solving crimes makes you hungry. Plus, I’m a growing boy,” he said patting his perfectly flat stomach.

  The waitress walked back with a box, and I proceeded to put my sandwich remains in there and close it up. It would make a nice dinner tonight. I not
iced Willie looking at his watch. “Lunch time over?”

  “Yeah, I have to get to the other side of town for an interview on another case before I talk to Solange’s family.”

  “Okay.” I paused. I wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Would you like to do dinner tomorrow?”

  My heart swelled. “I would like that.”

  “Well, then I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Chapter 5

  Wait until Anna hears about this. I didn’t expect lunch to be so fun and turn into another actual date. He asked me to dinner, and it wasn’t related to Solange’s murder in any way. So that meant a date, at least in my book. I definitely found him attractive, and it felt a little strange, as he was the first guy I had been at all interested in since the Cooper fiasco. I guess to be fair, I shouldn’t call it a fiasco. Cooper was a great guy. We just unfortunately were in different places in life and wanted different things, not to mention we didn’t even live in the same place. It was hard ending things, and both of us ended up being hurt over it. I hadn’t talked to him in a few weeks, but we were still good friends, or so we had both agreed to be. At the time we ended things we hadn’t wanted to cut off all ties. We had both felt we had a good friendship, and that good friends were hard to find. We didn’t want to give that up. Even though we hadn’t talked, I was glad. I didn’t want to totally lose touch with him even if thinking of him made it hard to move on.