Major Crimes (7 page)

Chapter 8

Bryce

Being pestered about Freddy agitated me. But Chelsey was wise. At some point, if Chelsey and I didn’t figure this all out, I’d have to take my chances on Freddy. Chelsey trusted him, but I didn’t know him that well. Our food came and I scoffed mine down.

Chelsey raised an eyebrow. “Hungry?”

Gorging like a barnyard animal wasn’t a concern of mine. It wouldn’t be long before everyone was out searching for me and I’d be on the run, not knowing where my next meal would come from.

Thinking of our short conversation with Drew, I wondered, what was he hiding? Defensive, short with us, angry. Could he have killed Archie? What about this mysterious ball game he had to attend? Chelsey determined there were no games in the area. Why lie about that? Something was off. I didn’t take Drew as the killing type. Maybe he was an accomplice. But what would Drew gain by Archie’s death? What was his motive? Wrong place, wrong time? Is someone threatening him?

Lack of time prevented me from following Drew around, otherwise, I would’ve made it a priority. I decided to check other leads first. I had to call the cab driver to question him. I also wanted to find Solar and stop into Savoy’s.

Murder investigations were hard to begin with. When you removed access to police databases, personnel, and DNA evidence, they were nearly impossible to solve. I was starting to believe I’d never find the path to my freedom. I’d either be on the run the rest of my life or serving a stint in a state hellhole. Or there was the possibility of being placed on death row. Oh wait, I forgot. Governor Corzine abolished capital punishment in two thousand seven. Life without parole in a cell with Bubba wasn’t a good thought either.

“Do you think I should call an attorney?”

Chelsey stared at me while she chewed her salad. “Maybe that’s not a bad idea.”

“Do you still believe I didn’t do it?”

“I do believe you. I’m not saying you should contact an attorney because I believe you’re guilty. An attorney can gather evidence. Many innocent people have to hire attorneys.”

I glanced away from her and took a drink. I wasn’t going to show Chelsey how out of control and helpless I felt. “You don’t have to keep doing this if you don’t want. I appreciate the help you’ve given me so far.”

“My daughter will be home on Sunday. You have me until then. Then I have to bow out. I hope you understand.”

“I do. So, less than a week. Let’s hope this is over by then.”

“Cheers to that.” Chelsey held up her water glass and toasted my milk. “How can you drink milk with a burger?”

I shrugged. “Habit, I guess.”

She smiled. I loved her smile. Her sparkling green eyes. I wondered how she felt about me, with my currently tragic life.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Don’t you want to finish your salad?”

“I had enough. We have less than a week to figure out who killed Archie. We don’t have time to waste.”

I nodded. I left a tip on the table for the waitress and we stood in line at the cashier to pay the bill.

The television was on above the cashier. My face appeared on the screen. Apparently, there was a massive manhunt for me. I looked down in an attempt to hide my face. They were offering a reward for information about my whereabouts.

Chelsey saw the television as well. “Go out to the car. I’ll wait to pay.”

I handed Chelsey the money and escaped to the car to wait for her.

* * *

With my foot tapping and my face shielded, I waited impatiently for Chelsey to emerge from the restaurant. Within five minutes she climbed into the passenger seat, and I drove toward Chelsey’s house.

“I had a decent criminal attorney a couple of years ago. I’ll give you his name.” Chelsey smiled.

“Thanks. Why did you need a criminal attorney?”

“Well, that’s a long story.”

“It’s nearly an hour to get back to your house. We’ve got time.”

“We have more important things to do. Less than a week, remember?”

“What are we going to do driving in the car?”

Chelsey looked at her watch. “It’s ten after one. We could make some phone calls.”

“Where do you want to start?”

“Freddy.”

I glowered at her.

“I know, I know. You don’t want me to call Freddy…yet.”

“Dial Gabby’s Cabbies. Ask for Peter.”

Chelsey looked up Gabby’s Cabbies on her smartphone and found the number. She dialed, asked for Peter, and left a message.

“He wasn’t in again?” I asked.

“No. You called there already?” Chelsey plugged her phone into the car charger.

“Yeah, but I didn’t get far. The dope who answered told me Ralph was the cabbie who picked me up, but she gave me a cell number that didn’t work.”

“He’ll be in after three today. We’ll call again later.” Chelsey patted my leg. I felt the chemistry between us, but the time for that wasn’t now.

“So what next?”

“Do you know anything about Archie’s ex-wives?”

“I don’t think they did it. They weren’t at the retirement party. They weren’t at Savoy’s. No opportunity.”

“They could’ve hired someone.”

“Archie hadn’t talked to them in years. He never mentioned any animosity or arguments with them. His daughter, Brittany, is fifteen. It’s been at least that long since he’s spoken to either of his ex-wives.”

Chelsey raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying we should take them off the list?”

“Less than a week.”

“So not enough time to look into everyone?”

I nodded. “I’d rather focus my energy on who is in my gut.”

“Solar?”

I nodded again. Chelsey didn’t seem to agree with me. He had opportunity. Given what happened to his parents, I didn’t know why he wasn’t at the top of her suspect list. The questions were, what was his motivation? And how was I going to get proof?

* * *

Our remaining drive to Chelsey’s house was in silence. I certainly had a lot on my mind. She appeared to as well. With or without Chelsey’s help, I was going to prove my theory.

My mind must’ve been in a cloud, because I didn’t notice the tail behind us. I pulled into the driveway at Chelsey’s house. We hopped out of the car and went into the house.

Three unmarked vehicles pulled in front of Chelsey’s house. I could see them through her sheer curtains lining the front window. I grabbed Chelsey’s arm and yanked her into the kitchen.

Chelsey looked at me in horror. “How did they figure out you were here?”

“Drew, probably.”

“What do we do now?”

“I’m thinking.”

The doorbell rang. Snickers went ballistic—barking and clawing at the door.

Chelsey was a bundle of nerves. “Should I answer? Pretend I haven’t seen you?”

“They’d know you’re lying. They saw me. You’re aiding and abetting.”

“Crap.”

“You’re a mess anyway.”

Not that I wasn’t nervous, but I didn’t show it. I pulled Chelsey close to me. “Take a deep breath and let it out.”

Chelsey followed my instructions. It didn’t work to calm her down.

“Let’s go out the back. Quietly.” I held her hand and we crept through the back door.

“Stay off the rocks,” Chelsey warned. “They’ll make too much noise.”

Chelsey’s yard provided one of the greatest things about shore living—no grass to cut. Landscaping rocks extended from the back patio out to the lagoon. Luckily, she had stepping stones leading to her dock.

The path to the dock was our only choice. There was nowhere to hide. We couldn’t make it into the neighbors’ yards without being seen or heard. If we tried to make a run for it, we’d surely be caught. There were two ways in or out of Chelsey’s neighborhood—the one-way street blocked by police or the lagoon.

I led Chelsey across the stepping stones.

“Get the kayaks,” she whispered.

“No time; plus, they’ll see us.”

“What? How are we going to get across?”

“Swim.” I climbed down the ladder into the lagoon.

“In our clothes?”

“You can take yours off. I really won’t mind.”

Chelsey scowled at me. “This is ridiculous!” She huffed as she followed me down the ladder into the chilly water, fully clothed.

“It’s warm out, this is refreshing.”

“This may be your idea of fun, but not mine!”

We started swimming. The men in black sedans were likely local detectives. I imagined they were in the process of banging on the front door in an attempted arrest. I hoped they hadn’t slithered around to the back of the house yet. We risked getting caught.

“Where are we going?” Chelsey had lost her nerves to irritation.

“Across to the other side.”

“Aren’t you afraid they are going to see us swimming too?”

“It’s less likely if we hurry.”

Luckily, the other side of the lagoon was only a few yards away. I could swim, but I wasn’t exactly Michael Phelps. We climbed the ladder onto a neighbor’s dock and darted through their yard.

“What now? We’re going to walk, sopping wet, to where?” Chelsey’s irritation grew.

I was confident I could smooth things over with her, but I felt bad that she was nearly as deep in the debacle as I was. “My car is over here.”

“Wait, is that how? I thought…” Chelsey paused. “Wait. You parked here and swam to my house? Is that why you went through the kitchen window? Where are your wet clothes?”

“I threw them in the dryer at your house while I showered.”

“You used my dryer, my shower, and helped yourself to my food and wine? Rude!”

“Not rude. Resourceful.”

“If you got inside through the window, why did you unlock the front door?”

“I actually didn’t, you must’ve left it unlocked.”

Chapter 9

Chelsey

What was I doing? Why was I here? Am I a sucker for a handsome face? Would I be here if my goofy-looking friend, Mike Nero, asked me to help him out? Definitely not. Absolutely, definitely, no way would I be helping Mike Nero. I’m an idiot. And how the heck did I manage to leave my front door unlocked? Where was my brain?

We reached Bryce’s vehicle. He opened the trunk and handed me a towel. It smelled like motor oil.

“This towel smells.”

“Well, you can use it, or you can take your clothes off. Again, I won’t mind.”

“Keep your hormones in check there, buddy.”

Bryce smirked and blew me a kiss. He was beginning to aggravate me. No, not beginning to…he
was
aggravating me. He seemed calm and smug while I was a bundle of nerves.

After I dried off as much as possible, which wasn’t much, I laid the towel on his car seat. I didn’t want to mess up the Tahoe. We both jumped in and he started it up.

“Whose car is this?”

“I borrowed it.”

“From whom?”

“I’d rather not make you an accomplice.”

“I already am an accomplice! If anyone asks, I’m going to say you kidnapped me at gunpoint and I had no choice. I’m not going to jail for aiding and abetting a criminal.”

“But I’m not a criminal.”

I believed him, but I had my reservations that this ordeal would work out to either of our benefits. “Where to now?”

“Do you have anywhere we can go?”

“The only place I can think of is Bonnie’s house.”

* * *

We arrived at Bonnie’s house a little before five. I hoped Bonnie would be home from work. She always parked her Mercedes in her garage, so I didn’t know one way or the other if she was home.

Bryce stayed in the car while I rang the doorbell. I could guess what Bonnie would say about our appearances. Bonnie was a good person deep down, but she was a spitfire who often spoke her mind without a grain of sugar.

“Chelsey? Hi. This is a nice surprise. You have to be quick though, I’m on my dinner break. I have to work tonight.” Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

“Bonnie! I need your help. I think I’ve got trouble.”

“No kidding? And to think I was going to ask if you got caught in the rain and if someone tried to dry you off with electric shock therapy.”

Although nothing could be done about my frizz, I patted down my unruly hair anyway. It didn’t help. I hadn’t gotten my Keratin straightener for the summer yet. With a little conditioner and a straightening iron it was fine. But a swim in the lagoon set the stage for New Jersey humidity vs. blonde frizzy hair round one. New Jersey humidity won by a knockout.

Before I could explain what kind of trouble I was in, Bonnie jumped to the conclusion I was asking for her assistance with a hair emergency.

“No, I don’t need your hairdresser’s number, I…”

“Why are your clothes all wrinkled? Wait, are you dripping?”

“Well…”

Bonnie glanced up at the Tahoe and saw Bryce. He gave her a two-finger wave.

“Whose car is that? Oh Lord, don’t tell me…is that Bryce in the car?” Bonnie turned her attention back to me. “You told me you hadn’t heard from him in a long time. He’s the main suspect in Archie’s murder! Get in here fast. I’ll call the cops.”

Bonnie reached out and snatched my arm in an attempt to drag me into the house but stopped suddenly. “No, wait, not on my rug. I don’t want you dripping on my Oriental. It cost a fortune.”

“I don’t need to come in. Let me explain.”

Bonnie crossed her arms over her chest. “You can be really naïve sometimes, Chelsey. Especially when it comes to men with pretty faces.”

“Let me talk for five minutes and if you don’t agree with me, then I’ll be on my way.”

“Fine! Wait here.” Bonnie walked away and returned to the door with two beach towels. She laid one on the floor and handed me the other to wrap around myself. She backed away from the door to let me in. I told her what I knew so far, which wasn’t much. Mainly that Bryce said he didn’t do it and that I believed him.

Bonnie was never at a loss for words, but this time, it appeared I’d stumped her. After a long pause, my friend (if you could call her that) shared her infinite wisdom with me. “You’re stupider than I thought.”

Imagine the look of shock that appeared on my face. “Some friend you are.”

“Your priorities are screwed up. This has nothing to do with you, stay out of it. You have your own life to worry about. The last thing you or your daughter need is to throw yourself into the middle of a murder investigation.”

Bonnie had gotten herself tangled up in her own murder investigation not too long ago. She almost ended up divorced over it. In fact, the murderer came after her, so she almost ended up dead too. Not to mention the fact that she was kidnapped in the middle of it all from nosing around too much. And to think I helped her when she asked for my help!

“Like you should talk, Bonnie. I’ll remember this the next time you ask me to help you with something.”

Bonnie’s look softened. “I’m in no state of mind to be supportive when I just went through what I went through. I’m simply trying to help you to learn from my own mistakes. Being curious or helping someone out who’s in that kind of trouble can lead to no good. You don’t want to go through the same hell I was in. You don’t want to risk your life or your family by butting in somewhere you don’t belong.”

I turned to leave, but Bonnie grabbed my shoulder. “You know I love you like a sister, right? And I don’t want to see you get hurt…or killed…or jailed for aiding and abetting.” She embraced me. “Don’t go yet.”

Bonnie led me to the bathroom and disappeared. She returned with a set of clothes for me and Bryce. I changed and met her in the kitchen. Bonnie rifled around in a kitchen drawer and pulled out a set of keys. She placed them in my hand. “Take these if you need a place to hide for the next two weeks. My boat is docked at the Yacht Club Marina.”

I glanced down at the boat keys. “Thanks, I owe you.”

“Wait.” Bonnie went to a key rack she had near her garage door and picked a key off of it. She handed it to me. “This is the key to my house. You can’t stay here now, but in two weeks, we’ll be on a cruise for nine nights.”

“You’re going on a cruise?”

“Yeah, Jayce surprised me with a trip. We are leaving from Bayonne and sailing to Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, and Labadee with the girls.”

I was jealous. Bonnie’s husband, Jayce, was a neurosurgeon, handsome, loving, and caring. Her two daughters were beautiful. She had the kind of life I wanted. I felt blessed having my daughter, but Bonnie’s relationship with her husband was unlike most. I wondered if Bryce was a Jayce or a Randy.

“One last thing. Call my Uncle Freddy. He’ll know what to do.”

Little did Bonnie know that I wanted to call Freddy, but Bryce wouldn’t agree to it, so I nodded, hugged her, and left not feeling any better about the situation. I thought Bonnie was going to be more supportive emotionally. But Bonnie knew that emotional support for this cause wasn’t what I needed—a dose of reality was. True friends will give you what you need, no matter how harsh it is, and they don’t blow smoke up your butt thinking that’s what you want to hear. Bonnie was a true friend. I resolved to take Bonnie’s advice…by Sunday, when my daughter was back.

* * *

Bryce’s left eye was twitching. “Well, Bonnie was no help. Now what?”

I wondered if his twitching eye was nerves, lack of sleep or anger. He seemed cool until now.

“You tell me what you want to do. This is your issue. I’m not sure why I’m even here.”

“I thought you were my friend.”

“And I thought you were mine. A real friend would look out for me and know that involving me in a murder wasn’t in my best interest.”

“I told you back at your house that I’d leave.”

“And the only thing I can think to do to help you is to have you talk to Freddy, but you don’t want that. So what do you want? Bonnie gave us dry clothes, her boat keys, and her house keys. I wouldn’t say she was no help. Do you want to hide out forever? Continue being a fugitive? Someone is bound to see you sooner or later. We need more help than the two of us can handle.”

Bryce pressed his lips together. Had I gotten through to him?

“If I hire Freddy as an investigator, would he keep it confidential?”

“Yes, he should.”

“Fine. I concede to your brilliant advice. Please call Freddy and ask him if he’ll take me on as a client. A very, very confidential client.”

I couldn’t help but smile. It was the right decision, even if Bryce couldn’t see it yet. “I need a phone to call him.”

“What happened to yours?”

“I left it at my house. And it’s a good thing, because I don’t think it would’ve survived the plunge in the lagoon.”

Bryce drove to a convenience store several towns away. He wanted to buy a couple of prepaid cell phones.

“Is it wise to go in there now that the police are searching for you? I mean, us?”

“We’re in another jurisdiction. I should be fine. I’ll only be a minute.”

I offered Bryce a credit card before he went into the store, but he refused. I guess with all the craziness, I had forgotten that the police could track our credit cards and find us. I pulled some wet money out of my pocket and offered that to him instead.

“I’ve got it.”

“What? My soggy money’s not good enough for you?” I cracked a smile.

Bryce winked and ran into the store. He came back moments later and handed me one of the prepaid cell phones.

“Thanks, but I really need to go back home and get my own phone.” I didn’t mean to sound whiney, but I was starting to get upset.

“That’s not happening.”

“Why not?”

“It will be crawling with cops by now. They’ll be keeping watch. Looking for you to return.”

“I really have to have my own phone.”

“I bought you a phone. You’ll have to use that for now. It’s better this way. Now that they know you’re with me, they’d track your phone and find us.”

“But I need my own phone.”

“Why? What’s gotten into you? You were smiling right before I went into the store.”

“My daughter. She’s going to call on my cell.”

“Call her from the prepaid line and give your ex the number to use.”

“His phone number is in my cell phone. It’s not like I ever talk to him. I don’t have his phone number memorized.”

Bryce rolled his eyes. “Don’t you know anyone who knows him? Someone you could call and ask for his number?”

It occurred to me that I did know someone with his number—Randy’s parents. I had to call Freddy anyway. I could get him to look up their home phone number since the prepaid cell phones were a smart move to keep the cops away, but weren’t smartphones. Maybe he could even locate Randy’s cell number for me, but cell numbers were harder to locate than landlines.

“You’re right. I know someone. I’ll call Freddy first.”

I dialed Freddy’s number, which I
did
have memorized—after all, it was my place of employment. That is, if I was still employed.

Freddy answered on the first ring.

“Hey, Freddy.”

“Well, well, well…if it isn’t my most talented assistant. Where are those bank records I asked you to pull?”

“Um, well, actually…”

“Chelsey, Chelsey, Chelsey. You know I love you, dear, but I would be crazy about you if you finished up that research for me. Soon. Sooner than soon. Like now would be fantastic.”

“I’ve actually been out recruiting a new client for you. I think it could be something big! And possibly a substantial amount of money for you. Or wonderful publicity for the business. So much so that you might have to hire a few more people to work for you because everyone will be calling you to solve their problems.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You know that murder investigation for Archibald Wallace?”

Freddy heard a shortened version of the story from me. That I believed Bryce was innocent. That I had a list of suspects to investigate and about the ring. I begged him to take the case.

“He’s with you now, isn’t he?” I could picture Freddy raising an eyebrow at me over the phone.

“Umm…”

“Chelsey, need I remind you that you could be in serious trouble if you’re caught with him?”

“I know.”

“Where are you now?”

“We are heading toward the Yacht Club Marina.”

“Turn around and head toward one ninety-five.”

I told Bryce to turn around and head for the highway as Freddy instructed. Freddy gave me an address to plug into the GPS. He told me it was his brother’s house and that we’d be safe there until he could figure things out and do some probing.