Bundle of Trouble

“I really fell for her. I thought we were going to get married.” His voice cracked again.

“Sometimes things work out for the best, even though we don’t think so at the time.”

From inside the house a voice called out, “Winter! Who’s there?”

He turned around as though he’d been struck. “No one, Ma. I’m coming.” He turned to me. “I gotta go.”

“Thanks for your time,” I said, retreating down the stairs.

I walked down the street, reflecting on the case. If Jennifer killed Brad, how could she dispose of the body on her own? Maybe Winter had helped her. Perhaps that was why he didn’t want to give her an alibi. If he admitted to being with her, he could implicate himself as her accomplice.

What could have happened?

Brad was in love with Jennifer, Jennifer was in love with Winter. Brad was pestering her. Hounding her. Wouldn’t leave her alone.

Maybe Jennifer grew afraid her boyfriend, Winter, would find out about the affair? Would that be motive enough to kill Brad?

Jennifer knew George, so maybe she knew about the gun in his bag. She could have taken George’s gun and shot Brad and then asked Winter to help her get rid of the body.

But then why would Winter help her dispose of Brad’s body? That part of my scenario made no sense. I’d have to work on it a bit more.

I sipped my soda as I walked into Heavenly Haight. Incense was burning. The chime rang as I stepped on the floor mat. Jennifer looked up. She glanced at me, but turned her attention back to the customer she was waiting on, who couldn’t decide between unscented candles, which her boyfriend liked, or scented candles, which she preferred.

I fingered a collection of handmade earrings as I waited. As soon as the customer left, Jennifer turned her attention to me.

“What’s up?” she asked, nervously tugging at her blond curls.

My visit was clearly annoying her. “Can you tell me again where you were on June fifteenth?”

“I was with my boyfriend, Winter. I already told you, and that fat cop, too. I mean, how many times do I need to answer the same stupid questions? I was with Winter.”

“Winter’s not really sure about that.”

Jennifer blinked. “Well, he’s just bitter. He’s upset because I met his stupid mother and she didn’t like me. She didn’t think I was good enough for her little boy, so he broke up with me. Can you believe it? He dumped me because his mommy said so! I was this close to getting engaged.” She made a gesture with her hands, bringing her fingers together.

I noticed the nail on her index finger was broken, making it the only short nail on either hand.

Could she have broken it in a fight with Michelle or Svetlana?

“What happened to your hand?”

“What?” Jennifer glanced down at her hand.

“Your nail. It’s broken.”

“My nails break all the time. I don’t think I’m getting enough protein. I’m a vegetarian, you know, so I have to eat beans and cheese and those kinds of things, but they’re very fattening, so I try to avoid them and my nails get brittle.”

She looked at me. I suppose she expected me to encourage her or applaud her choices. Instead, I sipped on my leftover Diet Coke and wondered what her opinion of McDonald’s was.

“Yeah, so you say you were at Winter’s but he can’t confirm it, so that kind of leaves you without an alibi.”

“Well, I was there.” She played with one of the silver rings around her thumb. “You can ask the neighbors, or whatever you guys do. I don’t know what to tell you. I was there.”

Should I mention the Brad sighting at her apartment?

“How about Thursday morning? Since she’s your boss, I presume you know Svetlana Avery was murdered.”

Jennifer looked genuinely confused. “I was working. Here. Like I always am. I told the cops that, too. Everyone here was shocked when we heard. But we were told to stay open. Business as usual.”

“Someone sure had it out for Brad’s whole family, huh? First him, then Michelle, now the ex-wife.” I eyed her carefully. “With odds like that, I’d hate to be his mistress.”

She grimaced. Our eyes locked. Was that fear in her eyes? She slipped past me and locked the store door, pocketing the key.

“What are you doing?” I said, the panic in my voice scaring even me.

Jennifer ignored me and rummaged through a shelf behind the counter.

Blood roared in my ears. I felt dizzy.

What was she getting, a gun?

If I moved now, I could take her. I was taller. I could push her against the wall, grab the gun, and call 9-1- 1.

I rushed the counter and shoved hard against her shoulders. She jumped, dropping the object in her hands. A bong.

“Hey! What are you doing?” she demanded.

I stared at the bong. “When you locked me in here, I thought you had a gun. For Christ’s sake, I’m investigating three murders!”

Jennifer rubbed at her shoulders. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted a little something to take the edge off.” She pulled open a drawer. Inside were baggies filled with marijuana.

Who kept that kind of stash in a store?

She selected a bag from the drawer and squatted behind the counter, safely hidden from street view as she lit the bong and inhaled. “Maybe you need a hit, too.”

I exhaled and slumped down next to her. “I’ll pass. Want to tell me about you and Brad?”

After a moment she nodded. “We were working at the restaurant together and, you know, one thing led to another. We were staying out late, partying. . He was really cool and everything, but a little uptight. So, not totally my type, but, you know, he was so good lookin’.” She opened the baggie and loaded the bong. “Anyway, we were smoking and drinking, and what can I tell you? The sex was really hot, so we just kinda kept at it.”

“Were you seeing each other up until his death?”

“Oh, no! It went down kinda rough. Eventually, I had to tell him that he wasn’t my type. By then I’d started seeing Winter. We were much more alike, much more compatible. I thought he was my soul mate.” She sighed. “I had to tell Brad. He didn’t take it too good. . cuz, you know, I think he liked me a lot.”

“Why did Brad come to see you on June fifteenth?”

She played with the lighter in her hand. “To try and get back together.”

“You said no?”

“I told him no way in hell. He left really mad. If I had known that I was never gonna see him again, and that Winter was gonna dump me, well, hell, one final final wouldn’t have been too bad.”

“Do you have any idea who killed Brad, Michelle, and Svetlana?” I asked.

Jennifer took a hit and slowly shook her head. “Wish I did.”

•CHAPTER NINETEEN•

The Sixth Week-Discovery

Monday rolled around sooner than I would have liked. I hated the idea of Jim having to go to work.

“I wish you could take more time off to be with me and the baby. After all, I’m supposed to be back to the office next week.”