Sexy Girls (16 page)

 

^***

 

^{Sergeant Jim Jester's phone call on Saturday morning woke us up. He had arranged for the search warrant of Karen Laidlaw's apartment the next day, Sunday. He told us to meet Lieutenant Allan Moss at the Newark Police Department building on Main Street at 12:30 Sunday afternoon. Moss would escort us up the street and through Laidlaw's apartment.}

 

^***

 

^{Edie and I convinced Cyndie to join us on the beach Saturday afternoon. Knowing her reluctance to be on display we selected an even more remote spot, one beach area further north from the usual site.}

^{Cyndie wore Edie's wide-brimmed hat and a long-sleeved white cotton dress a large part of the day while huddled in the shade under the umbrella.}

^{I got Cyn on her feet to join us in the big event of the day. We walked south down the beach and entered the Rehoboth Sandcastle Contest. We were psyched and spent time and good effort to build our sand dolphin. Edie had a knack for shaping the head and body to change our pile of sand into a dolphin-like figure. Flipper had a big smile, little holes for eyes and a funny-looking fluke, but Edie loved the result. We received an honorable mention award and three free t-shirts for our efforts.}

^{The most enjoyable part was looking at all the other sand art work. Some of the other sculptures were nothing short of incredible, especially those in the sandcastle division. The creators were serious, prepared and had techniques and tools to envy. But, they were not designed or created by children. We especially liked
The Lord of the Rings
sculpture and another of a mermaid.}

^{After even more coaxing, we finally got Cyndie to agree to a swim in the ocean. She shed her hat and dress, revealing that she wore a black, two-piece boy shorts and tank top swimsuit. It covered some of her tattoos and I think she relaxed.}

^{Afterwards, Cyndie put on her loose white dress and took a walk south, down the beach towards the boardwalk to get more caramel corn.}

^{Once she left, Edie lay down on the beach blanket, undid her bikini top and had me apply some sunscreen; I massaged it in to her back and shoulders.}

^{“Uhm… that feels so good,” she said. “Oh, Stevie, I wish we could have more days like today. It's really wonderful. I love our beach home and Rehoboth!”}

^{“Me too. I thank the Lord for a day like this.”}

^{“I'll second that,” Edie replied.}

^{“Edie, I would like us to go to church before dinner tonight and pray for Andi. A parish of my church is a short walk from the cottage and they have a brief Saturday night service. It's just something I want to do. Will you join me?”}

^{“Sure, that sounds nice, Stevie. Will Cyndie join us?”}

^{I answered, “No, she doesn't do church.”}

^{“Oh, I didn't know.”}

^{“It's OK.”}

^{Edie said, “Stevie, can you lay next to me on the blanket?”}

^{“Okay, but we can't be too long as church starts at 6 o'clock and we still need to take a shower and get dressed.”}

^{“I understand; just for a few minutes.”}

^“OK.”

^{I moved on the blanket and Edie turned towards me. My body screened Edie's uncovered chest from the few beachgoers in our area.}

^{She said, “Would you please give me hug and a kiss? I need one so much, but don't want Cyndie to see us.”}

^{“Sure, beautiful.”}

^{She smiled. I would fill more of her wishes in the days to come.}

 

^***

 

^{At 5:45 Edie and I were showered, dressed, holding hands and walking to
All Saints Church
on Olive Avenue, one block from the boardwalk. We commented on the sparkling clear blue sky, low humidity and a nice sea breeze that continued our perfect weather.}

^{We met the church rector on the front steps and mentioned the loss of our dear friend. He said, “Wait, I have a message of hope for you.”}

^{We entered the charming, old chapel-sized church. The rector's sermon provided the comfort we needed. He told a tale of two men walking along a road.}

^{“They had lost a loved one; the death seemed to be both unnecessary and unfair. In that moment of deepest and consuming sadness, something mystical happened. God knew they were suffering over the death. He came to them and comforted them.}

^{“Likewise, he will come to you. Be confident. You will never be alone in time of despair - even at your darkest hour. God has claimed victory over every evil power. Be filled with the sense of warmth and hopefulness. Maybe God is working in the midst of your terrible loss to bring about something miraculous - something new. Perhaps, death won't have the last word.”}

^{We prayed for Andi and thought of her life and our time with her.}

^{“Thank you for coming, Edie.”}

^{“I'm so glad you asked me.”}

^{Afterwards, we called Cyndie and she met us at the
Back Porch Restaurant
on Rehoboth Avenue. We had a long, delicious dinner. Afterward, we headed to the boardwalk and I slowly walked the ladies back home, holding Edie's right hand and Cyndie's left.}

 

^***

 

^{On Sunday morning, Edie drove the Miata directly to my home in Brandywine Hundred. I drove Cyndie in the SUV to Newark. I raced that petite beauty for seventy miles before we exited the freeway and headed toward my college town.}

 

 

 

^{Newark is the home of the
University of Delaware
. My alma mater has grown a lot since I earned my bachelor's degree there. Many new buildings have popped up around campus. Yet, it still retains the charm and greenery of my memories. I always liked that it was close to my parent's home but still had a far-away feel to it. The surrounding countryside was always fun to enjoy on a bike or a walk or in a car. This town helped me grow up.}

^{Main Street is lined with small shops and is the main east to west road. The police station was at the east end. We met our contact at the entrance. Allan Moss is a plain clothes detective. He's African-American, my height and had a low key, business-like manner.}

^{He quietly greeted us and said, “Follow me on the drive up the street. We'll park in a bank parking lot a block past Ms. Laidlaw's apartment. A uniform officer will meet us at the apartment.”}

^{We agreed.}

^{Moss then explained how it would go. “I checked out the place from the outside this morning. It looks like someone is living in the second floor apartment. It's above a woman's hair salon named
Style of Women
. I want you two to come with me. I'll hand Ms. Laidlaw the search warrant, explain our visit and we'll go inside.}

^{“Don't touch anything in the apartment. I'll tell Ms. Laidlaw to sit down while we search. I want you, Ms. Myst, to follow me closely during the visit. I want you, Mr. Garrett, to wait in the living room with the uniform and keep an eye on Ms. Laidlaw. If she tries to leave, call out to me immediately. Don't touch or follow her. Of course, you can defend yourselves if Ms. Laidlaw gets violent.}

^{“Ms. Myst, I want to do our search for any other possessions of your friend's before I arrest Ms. Laidlaw. You two will follow my car back to the police station for the booking.”}

^{Then Moss asked for our inventory list and had us explain which items were missing and not sold to Tom Howard. After all three of us were clear about the search, we left his office.}

^{We were off on our Newark adventure.}

^{Cyndie spotted the
Style of Women
shop as we passed it. We pulled in and parked at the bank's rear parking lot. The ride up Main Street brought back memories. Cyndie whispered, “Oh my God, Stevie, we're really doing this.”}

^{I answered, “We sure are. Just be careful.”}

^{From what we could see from a quick look in the window,
Style of Women
was a pretty storefront shop with white trim, pink curtains and white tile floor. Next to the
Style of Women
front door was another glass door, through which we could see the staircase leading to the second floor.}

^{Outside the shop, Lieutenant Moss met the uniformed officer who Moss introduced as Young. Young was indeed youthful; a white kid with red hair and freckles. Young said hello and Moss told him to follow us up the stairs. When Moss heard Young unbuckle the holster snap over his gun, he said, “Easy Young. Don't draw your weapon, yet.”}

^{That comment made me more alert and Cyndie held my hand even tighter.}

^{We slowly walked up the thirteen steps and Moss, Cyndie and I stood on the landing in front of the door. Young was two steps down. I could hear a TV playing inside.}

^{Lieutenant Moss knocked twice, hard, and said loudly, “Ms. Laidlaw, please open up. This is the Newark Police. We have a search warrant.”}

^{The television snapped off. I thought I heard a window open. It looked like Moss was about to test the strength of the door with his shoulder, when it opened.}

^{A tall, pretty woman wearing shorts and a tank top said, “What's going on?”}

^{I immediately recognized the pungent aroma of marijuana wafting out of the room.}

^{Moss answered, “Are you Karen Laidlaw?”}

^{“Yes, what is the meaning of this?”}

^{Showing Karen his badge, he answered, “I'm detective Allan Moss of the Newark Police Department. I have a search warrant to inspect your home for stolen items belonging to Andi Grayson, a friend of these people.”}

^{Moss handed her the search warrant. With that comment, Moss turned his body and revealed Cyndie and me standing behind him.}

^{Moss continued, “Ms. Grayson was killed over a week ago and Mr. Garrett and Ms. Myst inherited the missing property.”}

^{Laidlaw's whole outlook changed in an instant from anger to shock, “What happened to Andi?”}

^{Cyndie answered, “You knew Andi?”}

^{Laidlaw was stunned. She answered, “Yes, I was her hairdresser before Fred and I…” Then she stopped mid-sentence. Allan Moss asked, “Before what, Ms. Laidlaw?”}

^{Karen looked down and said quietly, “Before we moved.”}

^{Moss stepped up into the living room, and said, “Ms. Laidlaw, please stand back.”}

^{Karen relented. Moss told her, “Please sit down on that chair until we leave. This will take about ten to fifteen minutes. If you have any questions, Officer Young will answer them.”}

^{All four of us entered and looked around at the living room. Cyndie exclaimed almost immediately, “That's looks just like Andi's television.”}

^{Laidlaw replied, “You're crazy.”}

^{Moss asked Cyndie, “How do you know that?”}

^{Cyndie answered, “It's the same model, I'm sure of it, look.”}

^{Cyndie pointed to a piece of Velcro on the side of the TV. “This is where Andi hung the remote.”}

^{Karen Laidlaw started cussing and saying Cyndie was a liar.}

^{Moss and Cyndie continued their search and soon added a VCR, an ornate gold edged mirror, china, crystal, and many other smaller items to the list of stolen, but now found, items.}

^{When Cyndie was satisfied that she had identified most of the significant things not sold to Tom Howard, she said, “Lieutenant Moss, I think that's it.”}

^{Moss turned to Karen and said, “Ms. Laidlaw, you're under arrest for theft, trespassing and possession of stolen property.”}

^{He then read Karen her rights. Moss had Karen stand up and handcuffed her. He told her that Officer Young would take her to the station.}

^{Before Karen left, Moss turned to us and said that he wanted our help in tagging and moving the stolen items to the Police Station. Moss told us that they would remain in police custody until after the trial.}

^{Just before Karen left, Cyndie asked her, “Where's Fred?”}

^{Karen was fuming. “That bastard stole my car in early April when he left Delaware. Then, less than a month later, my car was found in California after Fred was arrested for robbing a bank. I just got it back two weeks ago after he trashed it and put five thousand miles on it.”}

^{We stopped, and asked Moss to wait a minute before he took Sherry away.}

^{Cyn asked, “Karen, when did Fred get arrested?”}

^{“I'm not sure, of the exact date, but it was in early May, because California police contacted me a few days later and I paid to have my car shipped back here. It cost me almost $1,000. I got my car back on Sunday, May 23.”}

^{Cyndie asked, “Where's Fred now?”}

^{Karen replied, “In a Los Angeles jail, I think.” She looked at Moss and said, “You should be able to track it down.”}

^{I asked, “Where were you the week before Memorial Day?”}

^{Karen answered, “I was here, working. Why?”}

^{I replied, “Andi was killed early that week.”}

^{“Look, I had nothing to do with it. I liked Andi. Fred was an asshole and a prick and I was fooled by him, just like Andi. I can prove it with my appointment book. I'm sorry she's dead.”}

^{Moss then took Karen away.}

 

^***

 

^{We then followed Moss back to the police station. Over the next two hours we learned quite a lot about Fred Conarto, both his past and his activities after he left Delaware. Fred Conarto's real name was James Madison Winterset, originally from Torrance, California.}

^{Lieutenant Moss let us read his FBI summary. I scooted my chair close to Cyndie so we could both read it. Winterset had two prior convictions for robbery and for an assault. The robbery conviction was in Southern California in 1995 and the assault conviction was in the Chicago area in 1999. He served 18 months in Chico State Prison for the robbery and was released on probation and time served waiting for trial on the assault conviction.}

^{Winterset was thirty-seven years old and was described as six feet tall and one hundred and seventy pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Identifying features included a tattoo on his left upper arm that was a red rose. When I read the physical description I said out loud, “That's Fred.”}

^{We thanked Moss for sharing that information.}

^{However, the most interesting news was that James Winterset was now, and had been sitting in a Los Angeles County jail for the last month. He was awaiting trial for a bank robbery and car jacking he was alleged to have committed on May 5, about five weeks earlier. He was arrested the day of the robbery.}

^{I looked at Cyn - she had finished reading the same final paragraphs - we knew what that meant. James Winterset could not be Andi Grayson's killer. We turned and explained that to Lieutenant Moss.}

 

^***

 

^{We thanked Moss and he told us he'd be in contact regarding Karen Laidlaw and the possible trial. We left the Newark Police Station and headed north, back to my home in north Wilmington. We really were at square one again. God, what happened? Chasing Fred and Karen seemed so promising, only a few hours ago.}

^{What a crazy past nine days! Suddenly, our married-soon-to-be-divorced gorgeous friend, Andi Grayson, was dead. Her lover and my best friend, Cyndie Myst, remained in danger. Cyn, Edie McCall and I were co-owners of an incredible, nearly empty, Rehoboth Beach house, and, yes, Edie and I were in love. We solved one crime we didn't even know about and we now knew so little about the crimes we were pursuing.}

^{Who killed and blackmailed Andi?}

^{Cyndie and I headed to my home tired, befuddled, hungry and still a little scared. We needed to figure out what to do next. I stopped at a favorite roadside produce stand and bought fresh veggies - lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn and a watermelon. Next, I went to my butcher and ordered two filet mignon steaks, a cut-up chicken and four fresh hamburgers. Dinner and lunch were set for the next two days.}

^{We arrived at 3PM. I unloaded the car while Cyn explained to Edie everything that happened during our Newark adventure. Afterwards, Edie and Cyndie marinated the chicken and made a salad. I put our clean clothes in the bureaus and placed the dirty laundry in my hamper.}

^{I listened to my answering machine. There were two messages. The first was from Philadelphia Police Detective Morelli. His brief message was to the point. The medical examiners were done and Andi's body was ready to be released. Andi had already been dead about a week when she was found. Morelli planned to continue his investigation. I sensed that the detective had little to go on. Morelli asked me to return his call.}

^{The second message was left by Walter Hines' paralegal confirming our appointment with Walter the next day, Monday, at 3 p.m.}

^{I called Morelli and left a message that Edie, Cyndie and I would speak to Andi's attorney the next day about handling Andi's body. I said we had an unofficial copy of Andi's will that indicated her wish to be cremated. We would confirm that. I also mentioned that we were back from the beach and I wanted to talk to him about our trip.}

 

^***

 

^{Over dinner, Edie and I coordinated our Florida trip plans. We would leave Tuesday morning for Fort Lauderdale.}

^{We savored a long, slow meal together, saying little but loving our company fully. We finished our salads, six pieces of chicken and four pieces of buttered corn. We were stuffed and definitely decided to wait until some other time for the watermelon.}

^{After dinner was over, it was nearly nine o'clock and an early summer night greeted us on my deck. The last of the light was leaving the western sky. I lit the bug-repellant candles and turned on the string of miniature white lights wrapped in the spokes of the table umbrella. I then soaked in the sounds, sights and smells of this clear warm early June night. Fireflies were lighting over the backyard and cicadas sang out in the grass. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect night to celebrate with a lover. Both houseguests were desirable, very desirable, in very different ways.}