A Novel Murder (17 page)

Michelle paused and wiped welling tears.
Naomi, the perp? Of all the people she would have though capable of murder, Nay would never have made the list. Taking a breath, she continued reading.

On a whim, I took Cara’s journal because I feared she might have mentioned something about Paul in it, and that would have led you to me.
I’ve been carrying it in my purse because I didn’t know what to do with it. I considered burning it, but somehow I never got around to it. If my crummy apartment had come with a fireplace it would have been easy, but you can’t just start a bonfire anywhere in Philly. Oh, and Paul...he might have turned me in, but I was his meal ticket and a roof over his head. If the arsenic I put in his coffee this morning worked, you’ll probably get a report about someone finding a body today. I couldn’t leave the son-of-a-bitch to his carefree, skirt chasing, woman abusing ways. He had to pay, and I’m hoping he did.

So, my friend, even though I know you’ll cry over me, please make it brief.
Celebrate the years we had together and how much we loved one another. I hope where I’m going I’ll be happier, but I know God’s not big on people who cut their own lives short. Pray for me, don’t forget me, and please, marry that man you love and have a wonderful life together. If I know you’re happy, then my death won’t have been in vain.

Love,

Nay

Michelle calmly refolded the note and put it on her desk.
She wiped away what she swore would be her last tear...at Nay’s request. Michelle’s heart ached, but she understood how loving a man could drive a woman crazy.

Tony snapped the journal shut.
“Wow, that was a eye-opening–”

“Let me guess....” Michelle spoke before he had a chance to recover from the shock and spill what he thought was a surprise. “Paul was cheating with Cara Austin.”

“How did you...oh, I guess the note told you more than the journal told me. So...”

“Nay followed him to Kitty Katz and followed them back to Cara’s place.
At her first opportunity she killed Cara.” Recalling the whole note was too painful. Michelle picked it up and slid it across her desk. “Read it yourself.”

He stretched across and nabbed it.

She watched and waited.

The more he read, the wider his eyes became.
He finished, shaking his head. “Poor Persia. She might have died for nothing. How sad, and Paul...I hate to say he deserved what he got, but I suppose he did.” He turned and clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention. “Anyone here get a call about a deceased male today, please direct it to me or Detective Wallace.”

Michelle’s mouth gaped.
“Do you really think he’s dead?”

“Arsenic isn’t anything to play around with.
I’m sure he is.”

“I still can’t believe Naomi capable of hurting a fly.
It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Part of her note made a lot of sense.”

“What part was that?” Michelle raised her brow.

“You need to marry this man and have a happy life.”

He walked around their desks and got down on one knee and produced a velvet box from his pocket. “How about it Meesh, will you marry me?”

A crowd gathered around, smiles and confusion on a
myriad of blurred faces as Tony’s proposal raced through her mind.

“I know this isn’t an ideal time, with Naomi’s death and all,” he continued, “but this is the one request she made.
I love you and I can’t think of better way to honor your best friend’s memory.”

He opened the box and displayed a beautiful diamond.

“But when...?”

“Right after you kissed me.
I’ve been trying to deny it, but it’s no use. When you’re in love, you’re in love, so...will you marry me?”

“Give me a minute, will you.”

He nodded, still on one knee.

She took out a note pad from her desk, dated it, and
scrawled, “I quit” across the page and signed it. Thrusting out her left hand, she blinked back tears she didn’t know she had left. “Yes, yes, I’ll marry you, and I won’t be breaking anymore rules.” They stood and Tony gathered her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. In her opinion, the kiss that sealed the deal was the best ever.

“Hey, Tony,” someone called from across the room.
“Got a call from hospital. They’ve got a stiff named Paul Hance there. You said you wanted to know."

Tony pulled back for a moment, leaving Michelle with her mouth open.
“Not now, can’t you see I’m busy.” He continued the kiss where he left off, and this time Michelle didn’t care who saw. She was about to become a wife and a full-time author.

At the kitchen table, laptop in front of her, Michelle worked on her third novel. Her growing stomach filled the space where she once had a lap.
Her gaze occasionally caught the sparkle of the rings on her hand and she found it hard to believe she’d been married for almost a year with a child on the way. The recent sonogram showed the baby to be a girl, and her name would be Renee Naomi Rizetti. Nay would be pleased with the choice.

Wherever Naomi’s soul had gone was up to the Lord, but her cremated ashes had found a home in the beauty of the countryside.
Michelle and Tony had forgone a funeral and held their own special memorial service when they scattered her remains on an evergreen covered hill where flowers were just beginning to bloom. Although Tony hadn’t known Naomi, he participated as though she’d been his life-long friend. That was his way with everything. If something was important to Michelle, it was important to him.

Michelle had finished her “breakout” novel, but missed the deadline. She’d changed the entire plot, deciding that writing romance came much easier than crime stories.
To her relief, her publisher had loved her choice and encouraged her to keep on writing. Despite her shortcomings in life, Naomi was the heroine in that story and the title came with the final paragraph...
Never Ending Love.

The royalty checks didn’t total as much as Shell’s police salary, but she earned enough to help qualify for their perfect family home in the suburbs.
She’d never been happier, and Tony had just received news of his official promotion to Captain. Pains and bad memories from the past vanished with the happy future looming before her.

She stopped musing about the past and went back to typing her unnamed story about a female pirate whose identity was hidden by the name of Raven and everyone thought her a man...everyone except the captain of another ship who knew better.
Somehow, every hero she wrote about resembled Tony, but in her mind, he was one in every sense of the word. She’d even shared her ‘secret’ about the sporadic visions she’d had since childhood, and he didn’t appear too shocked, only requested that she share them only with him.

She’d told him everything there was to know about her, and he still loved her.
Maybe, just maybe, having his love put an end to anything bad in her life, including those nightmarish scenes. She crossed her fingers and looked up. “What do you think, Nay? Is my future going to be as rosy as you predicted?” For a split second, she conjured an image of Naomi...smiling and nodding. That was one vision she didn’t mind keeping forever.

The End

About The Author

Ginger lives in Tennessee with her husband, Kelly and both are retired…sort of. Ginger views writing as her second career and loves the voices in her head. As transplants from California, both have accepted that in the south, you get a side of gravy with everything you order in a restaurant, and humidity is far worse than dry heat. Preferring the slow Tennessee pace to the hustle and bustle of California, they’ve decided being close to their only grandson is a good enough reason to stay. When asked how long she plans to keep writing, Ginger will always say, “as long as the Good Lord allows me.”

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