Killer Cuts: A Dead-End Job Mystery (37 page)

elen managed not to faint like an overgrown Victorian

maiden. She clung to the pool fence until the paramedics

took her to the emergency room. She was grateful to lie on the gurney.

“Head wounds bleed freely,” Margery told her, as the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance. Helen didn’t find that reassuring.

Margery was allowed to see Helen in the ER two hours later.”The doctor says the X-ray of your head revealed nothing,” she said.”I could have told her that.”

“I think she meant I don’t have a concussion,” Helen said.”The doc put butterfly bandages over the wound.Those will look lovely with my wedding dress.”

“Don’t worry,” Margery said.”The veil will cover them.”

“But what about my hair?” Helen said.”She shaved off a patch.”

“Your boy-wonder stylist can hide that by parting your hair on the left,” Margery said.”I’ll pick up the emergency room bill. I should just adopt you and put you on my insurance.”

“You’d make a better mother than the one I have,” Helen said.

“I’m hoping to marry you off and get you out of my hair,” Margery said.

A gray-haired man wheeled a cart into their cubicle. “Juice?” he asked. “Crackers?”

Helen took a carton of juice and a pack of graham crackers, but her hands were so shaky Margery had to open them for her.

“I think this is dinner,” Helen said, and sat up too fast. The little room shifted and the privacy curtain danced. “Ohmigod. Kathy and Tom are due in Friday and I wanted to get some food for them this afternoon.”

“I’ve already thought of that,” Margery said. “I sent Phil to the su permarket with a list of things they’ll probably need. I got a call from your sister.They’re making good time.They may get here a day early, on Thursday, depending on the traffic.”

“Good. Did the cops arrest Phoebe?” Helen asked.

“You bet they did,” Margery said.”I had them contact that Hendin Island detective, Richard McNally. He came rushing over to Phoebe’s condo. I gave him the wedding video.Took a while to calm him down. He’s not happy about you stumbling around in a murder scene.You’re darn lucky he’s pretending to believe my story that you found that video on the sidewalk outside Mireya’s town house. I didn’t mention Phil. He needs to stay clear of this.”

There was a knock on the cubicle door. Helen said, “It’s probably the hospital after more of my blood. All they’ve done is stick me with needles.”

“Maybe they can give you a shot of common sense,” Margery said.

Helen was surprised to see Richard McNally in the doorway.The white-haired detective was taller than she remembered. She hadn’t for gotten those steel blue eyes. Now they were lit with an angry fire.

“May I have a minute with Miss Hawthorne?” he asked.

“You can have her as long as you want,” Margery said. “I need a cigarette.”

“Are you after my blood, too?” Helen asked McNally.

The lanky detective leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “No, but I should be,” he said. “What were you thinking, going after that young woman alone?”

“I had Margery with me,” Helen said.

“An old woman. She can really protect you against a seventeenyear-old killer.”

“Did Phoebe confess?” Helen asked.

“Oh yes. Once she knew we had the video, she decided to talk. She didn’t want a lawyer. She believes she’ll get away with murder because she was underage and sexually assaulted by the victim.”

“It’s going to be hard to figure out who the victim is here, isn’t it?” Helen said.

“Mireya was definitely a victim,” McNally said. “But I don’t think there will be much sympathy for King Oden.”

“Was Phoebe blackmailing him?”

“For more than a year. She got close to half a million dollars out of him.When King got engaged, he quit giving her money. She threatened to tell his blog competitors, and he laughed at her. She made one last attempt to convince him at his wedding. He said he’d married a woman with class and nobody would believe a hooker with a tramp stamp.”

“I thought tramp stamps were lower-back tattoos,” Helen said.

“I don’t think he was in any position to argue. He was trying to get out of the pool. He had one hand on the pool edge when she slammed him with her spiked heel and said,’I’ll show you a tramp stamp.’”

“And he fell back into the pool and drowned,” Helen said.

“While she turned her back on him. That’s a cold woman, Miss Hawthorne.A jury might have let her get away with killing him if she hadn’t beaten that little photographer.The only thing Mireya was guilty of was greed.”

“Her death was sad,” Helen said.”And useless.”

“Don’t think for one second I believe you found that wedding video on the sidewalk,” he said.”I ought to throw you in jail, but I hear you’re getting married on Saturday. I’ll give you a wedding present: I’m not going to press charges.”

“Thank you,” Helen said.

“You get one pass from me, and one only,” he said. “If I find out you’ve ‘accidentally stumbled’ onto any more murders, you’ll be a guest of the Broward County correctional facility. Got that?”

“Yes,” Helen said.

“Good. Keep your nose out of police business. And heaven help your husband.”

McNally walked out. The room felt suddenly emptier. Helen was freezing in the cold cubicle. She crept to a cart in the hall piled with hospital blankets and helped herself to three. She was shivering under the thin blankets when she heard a man shouting above the chaos of the emergency room.

“And I say she’s my fiancée and I can, too, see her.”That was Phil.

“Sir, if you’ll calm down,” a nurse said in a professionally soothing voice.”I don’t want to call security.”

Helen sat up, grabbed the edge of the gurney to keep from falling, and stuck her head out of the cubicle.”Phil!” she cried.

“Do you know this man?” the nurse asked her.

“It’s okay,” Helen said.”We’re getting married. He’ll be paying the hospital bills after Saturday.”

Phil loped over to Helen’s cubicle, his tanned face several shades paler with anger. “What did you do to yourself?” he asked between gritted teeth.

“I had a little accident with a high heel,” Helen said.

“Bull! You went off alone to catch a killer.”

“I wasn’t alone. I had Margery with me,” Helen said.

“A seventy-six-year-old bodyguard. Then I had no reason to worry.”

“Hey! She’s tough,” Helen said.

“You’re damn right I’m tough.” Margery materialized in the crowded cubicle, trailing the scent of cigarette smoke.”I can take care of myself—and your wife-to-be.”

“I’m sorry, Margery,” Phil said.”It’s not your fault.This is between Helen and me. I thought we were in this together, Helen. Instead, you went running off to meet a killer without telling me. I found out what happened when I saw a breaking news story on television. I was putting the groceries away in your apartment and nearly dropped the eggs.”

“The story is on TV?” Helen said.”Already?”

“Somebody at the condo called Channel Seven. Phoebe was nearly naked, and that didn’t hurt. The station ran a shot of the cops helping the topless murderer out of the water.They called her the Bikini Killer. I saw you at the edge of the shot, holding on to the pool fence.You had blood running down your face.”

“You could tell it was me?” Helen said.

“I could, because I’m the man who’s going to marry you. I doubt if anyone else will recognize you. I drove to the condo, and the guard said you’d been taken to the hospital. I was afraid you were badly hurt.”

Phil’s blue eyes showed white all around, like a frightened horse’s. Helen took his hand and kissed it. “Phil, I’m sorry if I upset you. I promise I will never, ever, chase a murderer without you.”

“You better promise,” Phil said.”Margery, you’re my witness.”

“I can’t believe the Bikini Killer story has made the news already,” Helen said.

“Made it? It’s the lead local story on three stations,” Phil said.”Only one channel had the arrest on tape, but the other stations rushed over to King’s Sexxx and interviewed all the strippers who claim they knew Phoebe.There were so many half-naked women, I’m surprised Phoebe ever had room to dance on the stage.”

“Then the word is out. Miguel Angel is safe,” Helen said.

A nurse in hospital scrubs entered the room with a pile of papers. “I have your instructions and release,” she said,”plus a prescription for pain medication. If you have a severe headache or vomiting, come back to the emergency room.”

Helen signed the papers.

“I’ll take her to the pharmacy for the painkillers,” Margery said.

“Skip the pharmacy,” Helen said.”I want to go home.” She scrubbed at the dried blood on her face with a hospital washcloth. “Maybe I should put on some makeup.”

“You’ll look better if you don’t try to cover up the damage,” Mar gery said.”My car has air-conditioning. I’ll drive her home, Phil.”

“I’ll pick up something for dinner,” Phil said. “Mexican food okay for both of you?”

“Chicken burrito for me,” Helen said.

“I want a side of guacamole,” Margery said. “The nice thing about wearing a minister’s robe is I don’t have to watch my figure.”

Helen was silent on the ride home. Her head throbbed.When they got to the Coronado, she was glad that Peggy and Cal weren’t home. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone.

Helen saw a blank envelope taped to Phil’s door. Inside was a bill for $110 for the rental of a tux, cummerbund, shirt and shoes.A note from Cal said,”Thought you’d want to pay this, since it’s your wedding.”

“Of all the—” Helen said.

“What’s wrong?” Margery said. Helen handed her the bill.

“Don’t that beat all?” Margery said. “He wants Phil to pay for his tux. I think I’ll raise his rent a hundred and ten dollars.That guy is too cheap to live.”

“Don’t bother,” Helen said. “He is cheap, but he pays his rent on time and he’s quiet.”

Phil came up the walkway, carrying a fat takeout bag. Helen was hungrier than she thought. She finished the last crumb of food, then yawned.

“I’ve had a long day,” Helen said.”I need some sleep.”

Phil walked her to Margery’s doorstep. Helen kissed him.”This time Saturday, we’ll be married,” she said dreamily.

“Can’t wait,” Phil said, kissing her again.

“One last kiss,” Helen said,”then I go inside.”

“Oh, wait,” Phil said,”I forgot this letter. It was in the mailbox for you.”

Helen opened it and grabbed on to the doorknob for support.

“What’s wrong?” Phil asked.”You’re the color of putty.”

“It’s another threatening letter. This one says, Y
OU HAVE BRO
KEN YOUR PROMISE AND WILL DIE.
It’s postmarked Berlin, Maryland. Where’s that?”

“That’s another town near the Eastern Shore,” Phil said. “All the other letters are from the same area. I googled them.”

“Aren’t Josh and Jason, the ousted renters, from around there?” Helen asked.

“Close,” Margery said. “Jason said he lived in Ocean Pines, Mary land.”

“Maybe they’ve been sending those letters,” Helen said.

“I doubt if they’re smart enough,” Margery said.

“Who cares? They’re gone,” Phil said.”Quit worrying.We’re getting married Saturday. Nothing can stop us now.”