Cold - A Murder Mystery

Cold

Chapter 1

The Doc was sat in his favourite arm chair, reading through the newspaper reports on the previous day’s baseball games. His relaxing morning was interrupted by a frantic knocking on his front door. After considering ignoring it for a fraction of a second, he made his way slowly to the door, by the time he had reached it there had been another two lots of equally frantic knocking.

‘Are you Doctor Hall?’ A young, out of breath, red faced woman asked, with her long hair all in a mess.

‘Indeed I am. Wonderfully inventions aren’t they?’

‘What?’ The Doc’s response was so ambiguous that for the slightest moment it even took her mind off the reason for her visit.

‘Doorbells, don’t you think?’

‘Oh sorry Doctor.’

‘Not to worry, why don’t you calm down a little and explain why you have come to my humble abode.’

‘It’s my best friend, she’s just been accused of killing someone and I just know she didn’t do it.’

‘Who has she supposed to have killed?’

‘Herself.’

Sabine and Jordan got out of her car on the Doc’s driveway, then headed round the back of his house to his ocean view garden.

‘Ah, here’s my A-team now,’ the Doc said as soon as they came into his view.

‘We’re your only team,’ Sabine said.

‘Then you’re definitely the best then.’

‘What’s this case you’ve got for us?’ Sabine asked.

‘This is Fiona,’ the Doc did the introductions, Sabine and Jordan shook hands with Fiona, then all four of them sat around the Doc’s patio table. ‘You tell them everything you’ve told me Fiona.’

‘This is so hard, I have to warn you that I will cry.’

‘That’s all right honey, take your time and we’ll do whatever we can to help you,’ Sabine tried to put her at ease.

‘This morning I went round to see my best friend, we’d arranged to meet so we could go shopping,’ Fiona took a couple of deep breaths and wiped each eye. ‘I knocked on the door a couple of times but there was no answer. Thinking that maybe she’d overslept or was in the shower, I tried the door and it was unlocked. There was no sound coming from anywhere so I figured she must be asleep. When I got to the bedroom, that’s when I saw her,’ some tears rolled down both her cheeks and she paused for a few moments. ‘She was laid out on her bed, face up, still in her regular clothes. There was no sign of any movement at all and she looked even paler than normal. I panicked completely, tried checking for a pulse, but wasn’t even sure I was doing it right. Then I called for an ambulance. I knew before they told me, she was dead. They seemed confident that she had died from an overdose and there was a bottle open with just a few pills in it. Within a minute of the police arriving they had written it off as a suicide. I just know Nadia wouldn’t have killed herself. I called her brother as soon as I found out, he’s a corporate lawyer in New York. He told me that he’d cover the costs of any investigation. When the police arrived at Nadia’s place I asked the officer in charge if he knew of any good private investigators and he said that the Doc and you guys were the best.’

Sabine and Jordan took in every word Fiona said and couldn’t help but be caught up in the emotion she spoke with.

‘I for one am more than happy to look into this,’ Sabine said, looking at Fiona, then Jordan and the Doc.

‘Count me in,’ Jordan added. ‘You want us to start right away?’ He asked the Doc.

‘No time like the present. I suspect the police will still be going over the room, so all should still be in place.’

‘Fiona, can we give you a ride to Nadia’s place? That way you can direct us properly,’ Sabine said.

‘Yeah sure, I guess so.’

‘You don’t have to come in with us,’ Jordan said.

‘Thanks, I don’t think I could handle being in there again.’

Chapter 2

Probably the strongest human instinct is that of survival. Most people spend a large proportion of their life moaning and wishing it was better, yet put in a perilous situation those same people can do extraordinary things to preserve that life. The contradiction I find is that virtually everybody seems to have a self destructive instinctive. Everybody, I would guess without exception, does something to damage their health, something that is bad for them. What’s more they know full well that it is bad for them, but they persist with their harmful habits. I’m equally sure that at some point every human has wished that it would all be over, the struggles, stresses and complications of life would just go away and that they could just lie in peace.

Suicide is often talked about as the coward’s way out. Maybe it actually shows courage, courage in the conviction of that belief that it will all be better if those struggles, stresses and complications went away. Conversely many people commit suicide as a form of self punishment, so overwhelmed with guilt that they feel they deserve to die. But what if there is an afterlife and it’s far better than this one? Do they try to kill themselves again because they don’t feel they deserve this utopian after life? Some people have such great belief in a cause that they are prepared to sacrifice their own life to promote and help that cause. Suicide bombers are beyond my own personal comprehension, but I have a lot less repulsion for them than I do the sort of people who put a bomb somewhere then wait until they are safely out of harms way before detonating the bomb and killing innocent people. There have been other suicides that I am completely comfortable in labelling brave. Lawrence Oates sacrificed himself, fighting that strong survival instinct, in the ultimately vain hope that it would help his fellow explorers survive the extreme hardships of the Antarctic. Thich Quang Duc is just one of the more well known instances of someone taking their own life in a dramatic way, because he felt that it was the only way left to get his point across.

Many people commit the act, purely because they simply can’t go on. Life has become too difficult or too unhappy for them. I’m sure most of them have no strong belief in any sort of after life, but they have convinced themselves that this life has to end. Whenever it’s a famous person that takes this option, it makes headline news and people are so shocked. As if fame must mean happiness. To survive is instinct, to live and thrive is happiness. Most people don’t really live, they merely exist, for some people existing isn’t enough and when it becomes clear that their life isn’t going to be what they want it to be, they think ending it is as good an option as any.

Chapter 3

By the time Sabine and Jordan got to Nadia’s apartment, the police were just about finished looking over the apartment. It would remain sealed off to the public, but Sabine and the Doc’s connections meant that she and Jordan were allowed without any problems. Fiona definitely didn’t want to go into the apartment again, she made the short walk to her own place. Sabine checked with Fred, who was the officer in charge, how the police were handling it, he told her that it most definitely looked like a suicide and for now at least, that’s how they were going to look at it. Just before Nadia was put into a body bag, Sabine and Jordan entered her bedroom, all gloved up. Her gothic look, along with the half empty bottles of bourbon and pills on the floor, did nothing to prevent people from thinking she might have committed suicide.

‘Younger they are, the more tragic it always seems,’ Sabine said as she looked at Nadia’s body with Jordan.

‘Barely into her twenties, seems totally unfathomable. The only time I can understand suicide is if someone is guilty about something they’ve done, can’t imagine someone so young doing something that would make them feel that guilty.’

‘We’re here trying to prove it’s not a suicide remember?’

‘Oh absolutely, not saying I’ve made my mind up already. One thing’s for sure, if this is a murder made to look like a suicide, then the killer has certainly chosen the perfect victim,’ Jordan added as he looked around the room.

‘Yeah, the black walls, black jeans and black ripped t-shirt don’t exactly give off a happy vibe,’ Sabine replied. ‘Plus the Kurt Cobain poster, oh and Janis Joplin.’

‘And Marilyn Monroe, Cleopatra and even Thich Quang Duc.’

‘Without wishing to live up to any ignorant American stereotype; who’s that what now?’

‘Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk. He was protesting against the President’s oppression of Buddhists, so he sat down in the middle of a busy road, covered himself in petrol and set fire to himself. Nobody who witnessed it heard him make any sound.’

‘You know how much I hate pigeon holing people, but sometimes the stuff you know can really freak me out.’

‘Get that a lot, nobody expects somebody as athletically talented as me, not to mention good to look at, to have any great knowledge or intelligence.’

‘That’s possibly the most self praise filled sentence I’ve ever heard!’ Sabine said with a little smile.

‘Okay let’s add arrogance to my list of qualities,’ Jordan said as he was looking at Nadia’s bookshelves. ‘This is amazing.’

‘What?’

‘I’d say she has just about anything that Ernest Hemmingway, Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf ever had published.’

‘All of which committed suicide?’

‘See, you do have knowledge!’

‘I knew about Hemmingway and Plath, I was just counting on you not bluffing about Woolf. Back tracking for a second, Cleopatra committed suicide?’

‘That’s one unsubstantiated theory anyway, something to do with a snake.’

‘Take your word for it. So are you saying you think it is a suicide?’

‘I’m saying it looks like a suicide. Put me in a pair of long shorts, sleeveless top, a pair of Nike boots and I’d look like a basketball player, but I’m never going to grace the NBA with my presence.’

‘So you think it might be a case that looks most definitely like one thing but is actually something else?’

‘Just the sort of case we like.’

‘Absolutely,’ Sabine said and left the bedroom, and headed for the kitchen. ‘Consider me intrigued,’ she said on her return to the bedroom.

‘What have you found?’

‘An extremely well stocked kitchen, with plenty of fresh food, that looks to have been bought yesterday.’

‘And why would a person planning to kill themselves stock up on food?’ Jordan realised the reason for the intrigue.

‘Exactly. Not enough for the cops, but more than enough for me.’

‘And me, we don’t need much do we?! Hang on, here’s something else,’ he added just after opening the drawer in a bedside table. ‘Tickets for the Dodgers game on Friday night and a rock concert the night after.’

‘We absolutely have to take this case now.’

‘I suppose it could still be a spur of the moment type suicide.’

‘Not from what Fred was saying. She’s supposed to have left a note on some website where people with suicidal thoughts chat away in cyberspace. The note makes it sound like it’s been something she has been planning for a little while.’

‘I’m way beyond intrigued now. Where’s her computer?’

‘The cops have taken it, just as procedure. I’m sure they won’t want it for long. In the mean time we can go round to my place and check this website out.’

‘These excuses for getting me to your place are getting thinner and thinner.’

‘You wish they were excuses! We’ll stop off at the station on the way and tell Fred we’ll be taking the case.’

Sabine drove herself and Jordan round to her old headquarters. Scorching September temperatures meant that either the top of her car had to be down or the air conditioning had to be on full. She knew that the air conditioning would probably keep them cooler, but just loved driving around with the top down, so that was the option she went for.

‘I’ll go and talk to Fred, you can go and get us some lunch, or dinner whatever you want to call it,’ Sabine said as she switched the engine off.

‘Yes ma’am, what do you want on your butty?’

‘Butty, oh I still love that word. Some sort of chicken will be fine, and a coffee.’

‘It ever get too hot for you to drink coffee?’

‘Never.’

Ever since she had left the LAPD, Sabine always enjoyed walking through the corridors there that bit more than she used to, feeling a lot less stressed and more in control of her life than she had done as a police officer. Plus it was days like this where the more lax dress code was greatly appreciated. She knocked on Fred’s office door and gently pushed it open.

‘Come on in, oh hey Sabine,’ Fred welcomed her in. ‘Let me guess, you’re taking the case of the suicidal chick who committed suicide?’

‘You know me so well. I’m just checking whether you guys are going to look into it at all?’

‘Let’s see, a Goth girl, obsessed with suicide, who spent a lot of time chatting on the internet about suicide, dies in her own apartment and she’s written a long suicide note on her own computer. You can call it jumping the gun if you want, but yeah we are going to call it a suicide.’

‘We found plenty of fresh food in her kitchen and tickets to a ball game and a rock concert at the weekend in her bedroom.’

‘That just doesn’t make any sense! Newsflash Sabine, suicidal people tend not to be the most logical of thinkers.’

‘I’m not saying that she definitely didn’t commit suicide, it’s just that I think it’s worth investigating.’

‘I don’t know what it’s like to be an exciting private investigator, but as a police force, we can’t afford to go on wild goose chases, when there are lots of real crimes to solve. If we find something that looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, we have to call it a duck.’

‘Enough with the ornithology already. Fine by us, you’d have only got in our way.’

‘I’m sure we would have.’

‘Can we have her cell phone and a copy of the key to her apartment?’

‘Yeah I suppose so.’

‘And her lap top when you’re finished with it?’

‘Sure as long as you look after it, we should be done with it by the end of today.’

‘That’s great, could you give me a call when you’re done? I’ll run on by and pick it up. Have you dusted the bottle of bourbon and the pill bottle for prints?’

‘Of course we have and there was only one set on both bottles, that of the victim. Yes I’ll give you a call when we’re done with the laptop, now let me get back to work.’

‘Of course, you get back to your real crimes,’ Sabine said and turned and started to head out of Fred’s office.

‘Have I mentioned that you’re always welcome back here? The chief says there’ll always be a job for you,’ Fred said as Sabine was walking away.

‘Once or twice Fred. I’ll keep it in mind, don’t be holding your breath now,’ Sabine said without turning round as she walked.

Chapter 4

‘Where you been girl? Pizza’s already here,’ I said to Fiona after I opened my front door.

‘Sorry, had a major indecisive moment over which wine to get,’ she replied whilst making her way in.

‘I see you’ve got two bottles, that’s all I care about.’

We walked to the living area, where our mouth watering pizzas were awaiting us, still in their cardboard homes. Fiona poured us a glass of wine each and we settled in for the night on the sofa.

‘Mmmmm, oh my god,’ Fiona said after taking her first mouthful. ’I’ve been waiting for this all day.’

‘Bad day at work?’

‘Relatively speaking no, but don’t really think there’s any such thing as a good day at work.’

‘Why not do something else then?’

‘Money is good and it’s close enough to walk from my house.’

‘At least you’re honest.’

‘Besides, I know you don’t like being a secretary.’

‘Oh totally, but I’m saving up money, doing something ridiculously easy and stress free. Not long now and I’ll be out of here,’ I said.

‘Any idea where you’re going yet?’

‘No, I think travelling in its purest form doesn’t have particular destinations.’

‘Take your word for it.’

‘Don’t you think that it’s amazing that so many people don’t do what they want with their life, I mean really want?’

‘I suppose so, I guess real life gets in the way for most people.’

‘That’s just an easy get out. Virtually every kid at some point has something great, or at least exciting, that they want to do. Yet where are all the adults doing those things? Does everybody exchange their dreams for alcohol and being able to drive?’

‘You don’t exactly shy away from the alcohol yourself.’

‘No I most definitely do not. But I’m not going to let it get in the way of what I want to do. Humans on the whole seem addicted to compromise. Somewhere along the line most of them make one after another, before they know it their married to someone they’re not in love with and don’t even like that much, have two kids to pay for, are working an average job to pay for an average house, car and vacations.’

‘I do sometimes wonder if people aren’t really looking for a soul mate, instead on some basic level they are purely looking for a mate, someone to have kids with,’ Fiona said.

‘I think there’s definitely a great deal of truth in that. Humans on the whole, just like other animals, seemed to be almost exclusively concerned with surviving and not thriving. As soon as it becomes clear to an individual that thriving is not for them, most of them turn to reproduction. Almost as if they are acknowledging that their life is nothing special, so the only way they can contribute to the human race is to produce more humans.’

‘I still haven’t got any interest in having kids, the only thing that appeals to me is the manufacturing process.’

‘Yeah that is fun, or at least it should be,’ I agree with a chuckle.

‘You seen anybody else from High School lately?’

‘Barely seen any of them since we graduated.’

‘Is that really four years ago? Seems like last week. Sometimes I feel like we’re on summer break and we’ll be going back to class any day now.’

‘Know what you mean. In another way though, it seems like a different life time.’

‘Wonder what they’re all doing now.’

‘Don’t know, but there’s probably none of them that will be wondering what we’re doing,’ I replied.

‘Oh I don’t know, we might not have had loads of friends, but everybody would remember us. Especially you, your cool factor was off the charts.’

‘You really think so?’

‘Yeah so many girls wished they could be as individual as you, so many guys wanted to fuck you.’

‘Not many of those guys made it as far as talking to me.’

‘They were scared of you! Black hair, eye shadow and lipstick, is extremely intimidating for teenage boys.’

‘And for some men too!’

Chapter 5

Sabine and Jordan went back to Sabine’s house and looked at the website that Nadia had written so many entries on.

‘It’s like suicidal anonymous,’ Jordan said after they’d read through a dozen posts.

‘Except that they all keep posting, so none of them are actually committing suicide,’ Sabine commented.

‘That’s true, it’s like they’re obsessed with the idea of it, but have no intention of doing it.’

‘Nadia could have been like that. I don’t know any statistics on it, but my guess would be that for most people who commit suicide, the only time they think about it is just before they do it.’

‘I think you’re probably right, let’s go through her supposed suicide note again.’

“The time has come for the talking to stop. It’s time for me to walk the walk. I’ve been living a life of suicide for so long now that the only fitting way to end my life is to take it myself, whats more is that I want to do it and I am ready. I can no longer stand idly by whilst other people put my words into action. I’m not sure whats on the other side, but it can’t be any worse than this hell of mediocrity and mere survival.”

‘Sounds convincing enough by itself,’ Sabine said.

‘From reading her other posts, the last sentence in particular does sound like something Nadia would write.’

‘If somebody has killed her, then it’s somebody who knows her.’

‘I’m virtually certain of that.’

‘Only virtually?’

‘There’s not much reason to kill a stranger and make it look like suicide, the suicide note appears to be written by somebody who knows how she thinks and indeed the majority of murders are committed by someone close to the victim. However I think after that Scarlet case, I going to precede the word certain with the word virtually a heck of a lot.’

‘I hear you. We’ll be trying to not assume anything,’ Sabine replied with a nod and a little smile. ‘Oh actually the Doc got me a new toy last week that we could use now.’

‘New toy? Please don’t say you have to go to the bed room to get it, because that would just be a little weird, especially if the Doc bought it for you!’

‘I’m going to my office, to get the toy and while I’m doing that you can ask your mind, what the view is like from the gutter.’

‘Love the banter with an intelligent girl, so much more fun!’

As she went to her office the little smile was back on Sabine’s face, this time accompanied by a few shakes of the head.

‘He got me a piece of forensic equipment!’ Sabine said with a broad grin and on the verge of jumping up and down.

‘Awesome. Just how loaded is the Doc?’

‘I carefully avoid asking him that.’

‘So we can check for stains and stuff?’

‘Yeah, this will highlight things like blood and semen and I’m thinking Nadia’s apartment would be the perfect place to start.’

‘Sounds good to me,’ Jordan said as he got up off the sofa. ‘You’re not going to let me use it are you?’

‘Probably not straight away.’

‘For what is supposed to be an equal partnership, you really do call the shots.’

‘Don’t pretend you don’t like me taking charge.’

‘Don’t pretend you don’t love being in charge!’

Sabine drove them back to Nadia’s apartment, the police were gone but the apartment was locked up, so it would still be how it was at the time of Nadia’s death.

‘How about you knock on the other doors in the building and ask if anybody saw or heard anything odd last night?’ Sabine suggested.

‘Whilst you play with your toy?’

‘Yeah, it’s kind of a one person toy anyway.’

‘Actually that’s fine, suits me anyway, technophobe, people person that I am.’

‘There you are, we’re sticking to our respective strengths.’

‘Whatever. Have fun with your toy.’

Jordan knocked on the only other door on the fifth floor of the apartment block. An old lady answered the door.

‘Sorry to bother you but I’m a private investigator who’s looking into the death of the girl in that apartment,’ Jordan said and gestured behind him.

‘Oh Nadia, terrible business, terrible.’

‘Did you know Nadia?’

‘A little, we’d always chat if ever we saw each other. Any time she went down to the grocery store she’d knock and ask if I wanted anything from there. Occasionally she’d come round and we’d have a little chat.’

‘Sounds like a nice young lady.’

‘Indeed she was, that’s what’s so terrible about it.’

‘Did she ever give you the impression that she was suicidal?’

‘Not in the slightest. If wearing black make-up and mostly black clothes meant she was suicidal then she would have done it years ago.’

‘So you don’t think she killed herself?’

‘No I don’t, although I’ve been round long enough to know I shouldn’t be surprised at anything. I’ve learned you can never truly know someone, and I suppose I didn’t know Nadia all that well. But no I don’t think she killed herself.’

‘Did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary last night?’

‘Not at all. I’m always tucked up in bed before ten though and my bedroom is at the back, so I wouldn’t hear much from there.’

‘All right, thanks a lot. I’m going to leave you this card, that’s my partner’s name on there, if you think of anything that might be useful to us then please give us a call.’

‘I certainly will, but don’t be counting on me to come up with anything.’

‘Don’t worry if you don’t, but the card’s there if you do. Thanks again.’

‘No problem at all, good luck with your investigation. She deserves to rest in peace at least.’

‘I think so too, bye.’

‘Goodbye.’

Jordan knocked on the other sixteen doors in the building, then returned to Nadia’s apartment.

‘Find anything useful out?’ Sabine asked as soon as he entered the bedroom.

‘The lady across the hall told me how much she liked Nadia and that she seriously doubted she would have killed herself, but she didn’t hear or see anything strange last night. Knocked on all the other doors, but only got and answer from half of them. A guy on the ground floor said he noticed someone enter the building around 2am, but didn’t get anything like a close look, he could only describe it as a dark figure. He said that he could hear them buzzing to get in and that somebody let them in.’

‘So it sounds like it was a visitor rather than somebody who lived here.’

‘And I went back to the other doors that I’d got an answer from and asked them if they let anyone in around that time, all of them said they hadn’t done that.’

‘So if we can get to speak to all the others in the building and none of them let that person in, we could be confident that it was Nadia who let them in.’

‘It would certainly put the suicide in more doubt, but wouldn’t help us identify the killer that much, apart from virtually confirming it was somebody she knew.’

‘There’s that word again. I suppose even that wouldn’t prove that it wasn’t suicide, only make it less likely.’

‘Anyway, what have you and your toy found?’

‘Some traces of semen, plus some hair. Some of the hairs look like Nadia’s, there are others though, one is too short and too light for Nadia. The other is the right colour but about half the length of hers.’

‘Don’t suppose the Doc has bought you the toys that can tell us who all that stuff belongs to?’

‘No he hasn’t. But I’m sure I could persuade one of my ex colleagues to help me out. A guy who used to work under me called Murray, he joined the CSI a few months ago and I’m sure he’d be happy to help me out.’

‘For nothing but a smile in return?’

‘I’ll need to give him more than that.’

‘What?!’

‘I’m thinking a signed photo of Lauren Fisher.’

‘Oh right, yeah I can see how that would work.’

‘He’s a big fan.’

‘Of her or you?’

‘He already has signed photos of me.’

‘One day you’re going to be serious about something like this and I’m not going to realise.’

‘Until that moment I’ll keep having fun.’

Sabine had contacted her former colleague and arranged to meet him after he’d finished work. She sat on the bonnet of his car, waiting for him to come out of the crime lab building.

‘Hey Murray, how’s it going?’ She asked as he wandered towards his car.

‘It’s going good thanks Sabine, crime lab is definitely more me than pounding the streets ever was. How about you? Private investigating as exciting as people think?’

‘It has its moments.’

‘Not that I’m not happy to see you or that I think you’d only get in touch with me for work reasons, but,’ Murray stopped mid sentence and looked at Sabine in a way that implored her to finish his sentence for him.

‘I admit it, I do have a crime reason for contacting you. There’s an alleged suicide of a girl, which Jordan and I are looking into. I’ve just been looking over her apartment and there are a few things I may want looking at in the kind of detail that only people like you can.’

‘Like what?’

‘Some hair and some semen stains on the bed sheets.’

‘As always, the unappealing parts of humans.’

‘Thought you must like that if you decided to work here.’

‘You know I’m not supposed to work on cases outside police investigations.’

‘Of course, I wouldn’t expect you to use your work time to do this for me.’

‘So you want me to use my leisure time to do work for you.’

‘Now you’re getting it.’

‘And what’s in it for me, and don’t just say a smile.’

‘You used to do so much for me in return for a smile,’ Sabine shook her head with mock dejection.

‘That was when you were my boss.’

‘So the smile was insignificant? I’m crushed.’

‘I’m sure you’ll get over it, just tell me what I get out of it.’

‘You know I wouldn’t be crude enough to give you money, but I can give you something that money couldn’t buy.’

‘Go on.’

‘A signed photo from Lauren Fisher, and I mean properly signed just for you and to you.’

‘Let me clarify this, you mean the Lauren Fisher, not only the undisputed world number one ladies tennis player, but also the best looking player on tour?’

‘Not sure about the best looking thing, plenty of competition there as far as I can tell. But yes, that Lauren Fisher. Who else?’

‘Didn’t want you conning me because you had a friend who happened to be called Lauren Fisher. How can you get her autograph?’

‘Lauren and I are pretty much best friends, or her father and the Doc are old buddies. I’ll let you decide which one you want to believe. Will you do the work? It won't be that much.’

‘Sure.’

‘Good boy Murray.’

‘No longer my boss, but still have a wonderful way with the condescending.’

‘One of my best qualities.’

Chapter 6

Staring into my Vodka and Coke, the bar’s music had faded into background noise in my head, I was playing an impromptu game of “anywhere but here” in my head. Most people don’t like going to bars on their own, at least in some part because they don’t want to appear lonely. As is often the case with human nature, it is having their supposed weakness become known that is the fear, not having the weakness. The same people think nothing of sitting alone at home night after night, watching mind numbing television. Locked away in their homes they are truly alone, but having no one witnessing the loneliness, severely softens the blow for them. More often than not I prefer to go out, who knows who I might meet or what I might witness. Plenty of times I have had a most enjoyable night without talking to anyone myself, but over hearing several conversations, many of them entertaining in their own way. Other times I’ll meet someone and for that night only we get together and improve each other’s lives. That doesn’t always mean a sexual one night stand. Often it’s just one conversation, that might only last a few minutes, but it’s so interesting or thought provoking that it is worth sacrificing a dozen nights safely locked in my apartment.

I was backpacking around the Caribbean when my little game was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder.

‘I said can I buy you a drink?’ A woman who looked all dressed up for a night on the town asked me.

‘Oh sorry, miles away.’

‘Sounds good to me,’ it was hard to judge her age, in great shape but her eyes and her presence gave off an experienced air that lead me to guess she was around forty.

‘Antigua to be precise.’

‘Even better. Would you like that drink? I promise I’m not hitting on you, it’s just that I’ve been stood up so I can either go home, sulk, eat and get my vibrator out or I can make the most of the night while I’m out. Plus you look like you could use some company.’

‘Eloquently put. Vodka and Coke for me.’

‘All right then, but I think I’ll get you on to a proper drink by the end of the evening.’

Instantly I liked her attitude, and begun to wonder what sort of guy would stand her up? She ordered my drink and the most expensive Whiskey they had for herself.

‘What’s a sexy young thing like you doing all by herself?’ She asked after taking a sip of her drink.

‘I was wondering the same thing about you.’

‘To be honest I think we can take the word young out of it as far as I’m concerned, sexy I can handle though.’

‘Can’t imagine you getting stood up too often.’

‘More than you’d think, usually means they’re in a relationship that they haven’t told me about and have lost their nerve at the last moment. Not many single men left at my age.’

‘Sure you could attract some younger ones too.’

‘Indeed I can and do, but I just use them for the good stuff and discard them, because I know that’s all they want from me.’

‘Sounds fun.’

‘It is, although often not as much fun as I’d hoped it would be. So what were you doing in Antigua before I rudely interrupted you?’

‘Backpacking, all part of my travelling the world.’

‘Is that actually something you are planning to do? Or is it merely pie in the sky day dreaming?’

‘It’s all I’ve ever planned to do. Been saving up since I left high school and I’ll be leaving in a hundred and eighty one days.’

‘Sounds fantastic, I love to see people controlling their life and not the other way around.’

‘Rumour is we only get one shot at it, so I figure I may as well do what I truly want to do.’

‘Amazing how much of a minority that puts you in. I’ll drink to that, you look like a girl that can handle a cocktail.’

‘If you don’t mind buying, then bring them on.’

‘I’m more than happy to buy.’

She took a look at the cocktail list, called the waiter over and ordered two of the one at the top of the list. ‘We’ll start at the top and work our way down. You’ve not got anything to be up for in the morning have you?’

‘Only work, and I could do that job whilst asleep, never mind hung over.’

‘Excellent.’

‘What about you? Any grand plans?’

‘I do have a particular goal, but I’m not telling anybody about it for a while, until it’s clear in my head.’

‘Know what you mean, I didn’t tell many people about the travelling until I’d convinced myself I was definitely going to do it.’

‘Other than that I’m intent on living a leisurely, luxurious life, all sponsored by my ex-husband.’

‘Those ex husbands can come in useful.’

‘The rich ones can honey.’

‘Why did you divorce him?’

‘Cheated on me with next doors daughter.’

‘Please tell me she was an adult.’

‘Just about.’

‘Sure most guys would think it was crazy cheating on you.’

‘I’d let myself go a bit during the marriage, after the divorce I got on a fitness drive and I love bumping into him every now and again and seeing the look on his face.’

‘Bet that’s sweet.’

‘Especially as his money has paid for the gym and personal trainers.’

‘Any kids?’

‘No.’

‘Never wanted any?’

‘No.’

‘Oh okay, so erm, any of these personal trainers hotties?’

‘I pick them out myself, so what do you think?’

‘Added perk of being single.’

‘And I love taking advantage of the perks.’

We talked for another hour or so, swapping and sharing opinions on various subjects. By which time we’d gotten half way through the fourteen cocktails on the list.

‘Looks like they’re going to start throwing us out soon,’ she said.

‘Guess so.’

‘You want to share a cab home?’

‘I only live down the street, I can walk home.’

‘You sure you can walk honey?’

‘Oh of course.’

‘Maybe I’ve finally found someone who can drink as much as me.’

‘You probably have.’

‘You want to swap numbers so we can meet up some time and drink the other half of that list?’

‘Sure, I’m Nadia by the way.’

‘Great meeting you Nadia, I’m Leda.’

‘Cool name.’

‘You’ll probably never meet another Leda.’

We swapped numbers and both headed to our homes.

Chapter 7

After convincing Murray to help her out, Sabine went round to Jordan’s house to discuss the case.

‘Come on in,’ Jordan said after opening his front door. ‘Did your old friend say he’d help?’

‘Yeah, no problems at all, he’s a massive Lauren fan,’ Sabine said as she walked into Jordan’s house and to the living room.

‘Take a seat, I’ve already poured you a cup of coffee.’

‘I hate being predictable, but I’m equally disliking of cutting my nose off to spite my face, so I’ll gladly accept the cup,’ Sabine replied and lower herself into a comfy arm chair. ‘Any leads from looking through her phone?’

‘Nothing absolutely clear cut, but there’s definitely one guy we need to talk to.’

‘A boyfriend?’

‘Not really, I believe the youngsters today would call them fuck buddies.’

‘Don’t think that phrase is exclusive to youngsters. How did you get that impression from her phone alone?’

‘Last few text messages between the pair of them weren’t at all ambiguous,’ Jordan flicked through the messages and showed them to Sabine.

‘Maybe he wanted to be with her for more than sex and she refused.’

‘That was my first thought.’

‘But if it is a murder, it doesn’t really have a feel of an instinctive, passionate murder. Actually it looks like a feminine murder.’

‘Poison being the female murder weapon of choice, plus the sheer cold hearted nature of it.’

‘Not all women are as icy as me.’

‘True, but seriously I think you’re right, it does have a women’s touch about it.’

‘Having said that, we do definitely have to go and see this guy.’

‘Oh no doubt about that, and just for once we don’t have to do any investigating to find him.’

‘His address is in the phone?’

‘Yes, too good to be true isn’t it?’

‘Makes me doubt him being our murderer even more.’

‘You want go round there now? It’s only seven, might be a good time to catch him.’

‘Sounds good to me.’

Sabine’s knowledge of the streets of Los Angeles meant that Jordan’s map reading skills weren’t required for them to get to this man’s house. The house wasn’t the grandest, it was around half way between a mansion and a shack.

‘Are you Corey?’ Sabine asked as soon as the front door was opened in response to her knocking.

‘Yeah,’ the man replied, looking at both Sabine and Jordan without any hint of warmness.

‘Nadia’s boyfriend?’ Sabine checked.

‘Nadia’s not my girlfriend.’

‘Oh that’s right, you two just had sex.’

‘Who are you?’

‘Oh I’m sorry, how rude. I’m Sabine and this is Jordan, we are private investigators looking into Nadia’s death.’

‘Nadia’s dead?’

‘Either that or we’re wasting our time,’ Jordan said.

‘Did she finally do it?’

‘Do what?’ Sabine asked.

‘Kill herself, the chick was obsessed with suicide.’

‘It appears to be a suicide,’ Sabine replied. ‘But we think somebody murdered her and made it look like a suicide.’

‘And you think that someone is me?’

‘Not at all, at least not yet,’ Sabine said. ‘You don’t seem too cut up about the news of her death.’

‘Like I said, we weren’t close.’

‘Plenty of other young girls to hook up with on that basis I guess,’ Sabine said.

‘There are plenty of them out there, you just need to find them.’

‘We’re a bit busy looking for a murderer right now, so forgive us if we don’t join you in your search,’ Sabine said. ‘Would you mind giving us a DNA sample?’

‘Why should I?’

‘No obligation of course, just that we’ve found some semen in Nadia’s bed and I’d like to see if it’s yours.’

‘So what if it is? I’ve already admitted to sleeping with her.’

‘But if it isn’t yours, we’d like to know whose it is,’ Sabine said. ‘Is it likely that she was sleeping with anyone else?’

‘I’d be surprised if she wasn’t, the girl liked to have a good time.’

‘Did you think she was suicidal?’ Jordan asked.

‘Like I said, she was obsessed with suicide.’

‘I’m obsessed with the great explorers of the nineteenth century, doesn’t mean I want to go on an expedition to the Antarctic.’

‘I don’t know, I wasn’t really into her for her mind.’

‘I’m sure the feeling was mutual,’ Sabine said. ‘About that DNA sample.’

‘You’re not cops, you can’t make me give you one.’

‘Completely correct,’ Sabine said. ‘It won’t even be official enough to stand up in court, it will just help us a little and is as likely to eliminate you from our enquiries as to incriminate you. But refusing to give us one makes you look guilty, and when we find someone who appears guilty we have this habit of not leaving them alone.’

‘All right then, if it’s not official.’

‘Where were you last night?’ Jordan asked.

‘Out.’

‘Where?’ Jordan persisted.

‘Went for a walk along the beach.’

‘Alone?’

‘Yeah.’

‘You do that often?’

‘Yeah, I find it relaxing.’

‘Good for you.’

Sabine took a sample of Corey’s DNA and then they let him get back to his evening, home alone. Jordan and Sabine decided to call it an night, as she drove him home both of them shared their opinion on their first suspect in this case.

‘Not exactly a salt of the earth character, that you’d want to take home to meet your mother,’ Jordan said.

‘Definitely not, but didn’t seem the murdering type either.’

‘No I can’t see him doing that either, especially not in the clever way it was done. He seems more the bash them on the head a few times, type of murderer.’

‘I have to agree, but let’s not count him out just yet.’

‘Oh absolutely, I’m only virtually certain he didn’t do it.’

Chapter 8

I’d been in the night club for an hour or so, dancing away, before Corey arrived. He came up from behind me and the first time I was aware of his presence was when I felt him kissing my neck. After doing that for a few seconds he turned me around and spoke directly into my right ear.

‘Your female chaperone not here tonight?’

‘Leda? No, she’s not out tonight, and she’s not my chaperone.’

‘Got the impression from last weekend that she thought of you as her property.’

‘You probably picked up on her distrust of all things male.’

‘She trying to get into you?’

‘Just because some woman has a trust issue with men, doesn’t make her a lesbian.’

‘Hey I know that, and there’s no need to get defensive, I wouldn’t mind if both of you were. I’ve never had a problem with sharing you with other guys, so other girls would definitely be all right.’

‘Keep dreaming Corey, are you going to get me a drink or not?’

‘Vodka and coke right?’

‘No, get me a cocktail, can’t remember what it’s called, but it’s the third one on the list.’

‘Cocktail? You think I’ve got a promotion at work or something?’

‘Come on Corey a lot of guys pay a lot more and get a lot less.’

He dutifully plied me with cocktails for the next couple of hours, then I took him back to my place and he got his return on his investment. I do enjoy it, not as much as I make it appear that I do, but it is fun. He’s just one of the many short term aspects of my life right now, all of which I could drop in an instant, none of which I’m going to miss when I’m travelling the world.

Chapter 9

Sabine and Jordan had an early start in the morning, they wanted to speak to the people who had been Nadia’s co-workers. They were hoping that her fellow secretaries might have some gossip for them, and that her boss might also be able to throw some light on Nadia’s existence.

‘From the little we know about her, Nadia doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who took work too seriously,’ Jordan said as he waited by the main door to the building where Nadia used to work.

‘I’d go along with that, plus I get the impression she was more than intelligent enough to do something more challenging, but didn’t feel the need to do so. This lady looks like she’s heading for this building,’ Sabine said, gesturing towards a smartly dressed young lady. ‘Excuse me ma’am, do you work here?’

‘Yeah I’m a secretary here, why you asking?’

‘So you knew Nadia?’

‘Knew?’

‘Oh I’m sorry, you haven’t heard. Nadia died on Saturday night,’ Sabine told her as delicately as she could.

‘Oh my God, that’s awful.’

‘It truly is, I’m Sabine and this is Jordan, we’re private investigators.’

‘Does that mean it wasn’t an accident?’

‘No ma’am, it appears to be suicide, but we believe somebody may have killed her and made it look like suicide.’

‘She never hid her gothic look, not even at work.’

‘You think she was suicidal?’ Jordan asked.

‘No, no I’m not saying that. Just that she did seem to have a dark outlook on life.’

‘You two guys friends or just work colleagues?’ Jordan continued with the questions.

‘Just work buddies to be honest. There are four of, sorry, were four of us in there and I don’t think any of us were friends with Nadia outside work. She was perfectly nice and all, but we just never did anything outside work. I’ll tell you who you should be talking to and that’s our boss.’

‘Why’s that?’ Sabine asked.

‘Been having an affair with Nadia virtually since she started here about three years ago.’

‘And all you secretaries knew about it?’

‘Yeah, although he didn’t know that. Wasn’t that Nadia blabbed about it, just that we picked up a few tell tale signs, the noises coming from the office sometimes left little to the imagination, plus he was always more lenient with her in terms of lateness and hours of work and such. Not that we minded, because Nadia was such a sweetie and she’d always help us if any of us had a work thing we couldn’t do.’

‘Is your boss in now?’ Sabine checked.

‘I would think so, he’s normally in before any of us.’

‘Excellent, can you show us to his office?’ Sabine asked.

‘Sure, only please don’t tell him that I told you about his affair.’

‘Don’t worry about it, we won’t.’

Indeed the boss was already in his office and answered Sabine’s knock on the door with a friendly cry of, ‘Enter’.

‘Hi, Mr Pearson?’ Sabine said as she entered his office with Jordan following closely behind.

‘Yeah, that’s right, Chad Pearson,’ he said and looked at Sabine and Jordan with a hint of puzzlement. ‘Forgive me if I’m jumping to conclusions, but you guys aren’t exactly dressed like most of the people who come to see me in my office.’

‘We’re private investigators,’ Sabine said.

‘Which means we’re allowed to wear what we want,’ Jordan added.

‘I don’t suppose you’ve heard about what has happened to Nadia?’ Sabine asked.

‘No, why? Has she gone missing?’

‘Not missing, dead,’ Sabine told him. ‘You mind if we sit down?’ She asked as she and Jordan lowered themselves into the chairs on the opposite side of Chad’s desk to him.

‘Dead?! How? When?’

‘Saturday night. The how is what we’re investigating.’

‘That’s terrible news, she was a damn good secretary,’ he said. ‘Of course her skills as a secretary aren’t the issue right now.’

‘That all she was to you? A secretary?’ Jordan asked.

‘Yes I never saw her out of work or anything like that.’

‘That is strange, because we’ve been lead to believe that you’ve been having an affair with her for three years,’ Sabine said.

‘Where have you got that nonsense from?’

‘Nadia kept a diary, and several of your text messages.’

‘Oh God, yeah okay we were having an affair, but it was purely sex, nothing else. Neither of us had an emotional attachment to each other. I've never even been to her place.’

‘You sure about never being in her place?’ Sabine asked. ‘Because if you have we can almost certainly prove it.’

‘I swear I’ve never been there. Most of the time we’d have sex in here, the only other place we’d meet up would be a hotel room. Please don’t tell my wife, I promise I didn’t kill Nadia.’

‘Where were you Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday morning?’ Jordan asked.

‘At home with my wife, we were in bed by ten and didn’t get up until around noon on Sunday.’

‘Sounds like a happy couple,’ Sabine said.

‘I truly believe we’re happier than most.’

‘Will your wife confirm this story?’ Jordan asked.

‘Yes, it’s the truth.’

‘You won’t mind us talking to her then?’ Jordan checked.

‘If you have to.’

‘We’d like to,’ Sabine said and took Chad’s home address off him. ‘Thanks Mr Pearson, we might be back in touch. If there’s anything you think of that might help us track down her killer, anything she said or did, then please call us on this number,’ she said and left one of her business cards on his desk.

Sabine and Jordan headed out of the office and back to Sabine’s car.

‘Good bluffing on the diary and text messages,’ Jordan said with a smile.

‘I was happy with that myself, that’s where being emotionless can be a help.’

Chad’s house was further up the scale towards mansion, but wasn’t quite there. His wife opened the door, wearing only a dressing gown and some slippers. She was holding a glass that looked like it could contain apple juice, but Sabine and Jordan suspected it was more likely to have a flavouring of malt.

‘Mrs Pearson?’ Sabine checked.

‘Yes I am.’

‘Sorry to bother you, but we’re private investigators and we’d like to ask you a few questions about the death of a young lady,’ Sabine said.

‘Sounds exciting and awful in equal measure.’

‘We won’t take up much of your time Mrs Pearson,’ Jordan said.

‘You can call me Tina,’ she said as she looked Jordan up and down and then made lingering eye contact with him. ‘Come on in.’

Tina showed them in to an expensively furnished living area, offered them both a drink but both declined.

‘So what’s the death got to do with me?’ Tina asked as she leaned back in an armchair and looked at Jordan and Sabine on a sofa.

‘The deceased was one of your husbands’ secretaries,’ Sabine said.

‘Oh I see. So is Chad a suspect?’

‘We’re still at the stage where everyone is as much of a suspect as anyone else,’ Sabine replied. ‘Can you tell us where Mr Pearson was on Saturday night?’

‘We had an early night, the fun kind. We went to bed around ten I think, neither of us had enough energy to get up before noon.’

‘Are you two happily married?’ Jordan asked.

‘Have to admire your bluntness, and I’m guessing you have a reason for suspecting we aren’t the perfect couple.’

‘What makes you think that?’ Jordan asked.

‘You’re private investigators, it’s your job to be suspicious of people. Plus I get the impression you already know that we are far from the ideal couple.’

‘Do you suspect your husband cheats on you?’ Sabine asked.

‘Subtle, I like that too. Did he beg you not to tell me?’

‘Did you know he was having an affair with one of his secretaries?’ Sabine checked.

‘Let me think; accountant, personal trainer, tennis partner and woman from across the street, no I didn’t actually know about the secretary. Which one was it? No don’t answer that, let me guess,’ she said then paused. ‘I bet it’s the young girl with the gothic look.’

‘That’s the one,’ Sabine said and exchanged glances and slight shrugs with Jordan.

‘Yeah he loves the skinny ones, plus I reckon the Goth look would be a turn on for him too, something different.’

‘So you know he has these affairs and that doesn’t both you?’ Jordan wondered.

‘If I’d married him because we were star crossed lovers, then I’m sure it would hurt like hell. Honestly I married him mainly for his money, so I’m really not that bothered. I could divorce him and taken half his money, but I must admit I like the circles we move in. So instead I just even out the score myself,’ she said and gave Jordan another lingering look.

‘But you didn’t know about the secretary?’ Sabine asked.

‘No, didn’t know about that one, should have guessed really. Is that the girl who has died?’

‘Yeah,’ Sabine told her.

‘Murdered?’

‘We think she might have been,’ Sabine replied.

‘He cheats on me a lot, so clearly he’s not the best guy in the world, but take it from me, Chad is no murderer. He hasn’t got the brains to think it up or the guts to go through with it.’

‘We’ll keep that in mind Tina,’ Jordan said. ‘We’ll be on our way, sorry for interrupting your day.’

‘That’s no problem, you have only eaten into my lounging around time.’

Tina showed the detectives out of the house, said her goodbyes and gave Jordan one last seductive look.

Chapter 10

A day at work is all about getting paid to occupy a certain place for a certain amount of time. Sure I do things while I’m in that space, but nothing I couldn’t do in less than a quarter of the time. It’s a sociological system that I despise, but don’t mind profiting from. Vast majority of my time is spent sat at a desk facing a computer screen. What my bosses and co-workers don’t know is that a lot of that time is spent on the internet in various chat rooms, chatting away to cyber buddies, and or complete strangers. This particular day was particular slow work wise, so I spent plenty of time in cyber space.

Just before lunch time Mr Pearson called me into his office. From the look on his face when he called me I was almost certain what he wanted, when he locked the door behind me any remaining doubt was taken away.

‘Hey Nadia, coming up to lunch time, you must be hungry. I’ve got something you can put in your mouth.’

‘Seriously Chad, you’re not good at the sexy talk. We’re much better getting down to it.’

‘You want to role play?’

‘How about you’re a married boss and I’m your sexy, young, slutty secretary?’

‘Works for me.’

Then he pounced on me, we kissed passionately, without passion. His hands were all over me and he pulled me in tight towards him, allowing me to feel what he wanted to put in my mouth. I’d rather have that in my mouth than his tongue so I dropped to my knees.

I dutifully perform for him, including making several references to his wife not being as good as me and him liking my ass and lot more than hers. As always he unashamedly announces a few times that he pictures me when he’s fucking his wife. Also as always the whole thing doesn’t last too long, I get him to the ultimate pleasure moment in a few minutes, my moment of physical ecstasy would have to wait until I got home and had some alone time.

‘Wear something sluttier tomorrow,’ he said as I made for the door.

I didn’t even bother turning back to face him. Lots of people would call me a slut for what I do, but the way I see it I get some average sex, and that allows me a few little perks like leaving early a few nights, getting in late a few mornings and getting days off at short notice. Plus it breaks up the monotonous drudge through a working day.

Chapter 11

Sabine and Jordan were sat in a coffee shop where they had arranged a meeting with Fiona, Nadia’s best friend. The place was busy and everybody around them was chatting away, so their conversation about murder blended into the humdrum noise.

‘So far we’ve got three suspects,’ Sabine said. ‘None of which I am at all suspicious of.’

‘I’m right there with you. Corey just used Nadia for sex, as did Chad and we know he was getting it from plenty of other ladies.’

‘Then there’s your mate Tina.’

‘The flirting was all one way!’

‘She too old for you?’

‘She’s too married for me! Anyway, she didn’t seem even close to being a wickedly jealous wife, who would kill her husband’s bit on the side.’

‘And none of them seem like the sort to concoct a clever scheme to fake a suicide like this.’

‘Of course appearances can be deceptive, but I really don’t think we’ve met the killer yet. I am still convinced that it’s somebody that knew Nadia. Oh here’s Fiona now,’ Jordan beckoned Fiona over to them and told her to sit down whilst he got her a drink. When he returned with Fiona’s cappuccino the three of them got straight down to talking about the case.

‘Do you guys believe me yet?’

‘We definitely believe there is a strong possibility that Nadia did not commit suicide,’ Sabine said.

‘That’s great, so have you got any leads on who might have killed her? Have you talked to her boss yet?’

‘We’ve talked to him, he confessed to the affair but was home with his wife on Saturday night,’ Jordan said. ‘At least according to him and his wife he was, his wife knows he has affairs but claims she didn’t know about Nadia. She doesn’t seem at all bothered about it, no signs of any jealousy, let alone enough to make her kill.’

‘We also spoke to a guy called Corey,’ Sabine told Nadia. ‘Have you heard of him?’

‘Yeah, he was Nadia’s sex friend. He’s a bit creepy at times, but can’t imagine him killing Nadia.’

‘No neither can we,’ Sabine said. ‘They’re the only people we talked to so far, is there anybody else you can think of that we should be talking to?’

‘Not really, Nadia didn’t have many people she was close to. There was this one woman she mentioned, I never got to meet her. She had a weird name, Leda, that was it.’

‘You get a surname?’ Sabine asked.

‘No sorry, all I know was that she was around forty and that Nadia met her in a bar and they’ve been out drinking a few times since.’

‘That could still be useful. Can you tell us all the reasons why you were and still are so convinced that Nadia didn’t kill herself?’ Jordan asked.

‘She’d planned to travel the world, and I mean really planned. Since leaving high school she’s worked full time and saved up her money, all with the plan of travelling the world. She even had an exact date when she knew she was going to set off. Everybody thinks she had an obsession with suicide, but really it was an obsession with human life, it amazed her how so many people wasted their one chance at life. She did believe in an afterlife, but she had no idea whether it was any better than this one, she wanted so much to maximise her experience of life. And even if she did commit suicide, which she didn’t, she would’ve have done it a different way.’

‘Why do you think that?’ Sabine asked.

‘Because her belief was that our bodies were merely a vessel for us for this human life, and that after death we would have no use for them. So she always said if you commit suicide you may as well do something destructive like jumping off a building or walking in front of a train.’

‘Okay, I understand that,’ Jordan said.

‘But she would never have actually done it, I just know it.’

‘We believe you,’ Sabine assured her. ‘Thanks for coming to see us, don’t forget you can call us anytime if you think of something.’

‘I will do, I’m constantly racking my brains, trying to remember something.’

‘We’re constantly racking our brains too,’ Jordan told her. ‘Between the three of us I’m sure we’ll catch the killer soon enough.’

Fiona nodded with a small, reluctant smile.

After their meeting with Fiona, they headed back to Nadia’s apartment. When the opened they door they found an envelope on the floor.

‘Phone bill,’ Jordan said after picking it up. ‘Could be useful, you can go and look around if you want while I work on this.’

‘Was that you giving me an order?’

‘My knowledge of military history isn’t that great, but I’m fairly sure that no orders have the words, “if you want”, in them.’

‘Let you off this time.’

Jordan sat down in an armchair and looked over the phone bill, whilst Sabine went into the bedroom, to see if there’s anything they missed last time. After fifteen minutes or so Sabine came out of the bedroom.

‘Find anything?’ Jordan asked.

‘No sign of a diary or anything like that, still no signs of any struggle at all. I’ve put her purse in a bag, along with a few receipts. One of those receipts was for her tattoo, and she got it the day she died, so another one of those little things that make suicide seem less likely. What about you?’

‘I’m so excited, I can’t believe I’m still sat down.’

‘Phone bill proving more than useful?’ Sabine guessed.

‘Way more. There’s one number on the bill that Nadia called a few times and sent a bunch of texts to, and yet the number isn’t in her phone.’

‘So either she’s been calling and texting someone she didn’t want in her phone, or the number was in her phone and it’s been deleted for some reason.’

‘I’m thinking the later is more likely, but both are interesting. I’m wondering if the killer deleted their contact details from Nadia’s phone after the murder.’

‘One way or another it’s definitely worth investigating.’

‘No doubt about it. I’m thinking we get some dinner, then track this number down,’ Jordan suggested.

‘I was hoping you mentioned food, didn’t want to be the one to bring it up.’

‘Why not? Ladies are allowed to be hungry too! What I could really do with right now is a chippy, Americans don’t know what they are missing.’

‘If we ever go to England, you are going to have to take me to one of those places, you’ve gone on about those chips so often, I simply have to taste them for myself.’

‘Good girl for remembering to call them chips.’

‘Thirty third time lucky. I’ll give Murray a ring whilst we are getting something to eat, he should be able to find the owner of that number for us.’

Jordan had to make do with something less mouth watering than the chippy chips he was craving, but it took away the hunger.

Before they ate, Sabine had called Murray and asked if he could find out who that phone number was registered to. With that signed photo in mind, Murray had done that with his first spare moment and just a few minutes after Sabine had finished eating, he called her back with a name and address. He also told her he’d tested the shorter hair that Sabine had found in Nadia’s bed discovered that it had been dyed black.

It was almost an hour’s drive to the address, but Sabine and Jordan were more than intrigued enough by the mystery number to travel that far.

‘Classy house,’ Jordan said as they got out of Sabine’s car.

‘Without looking I know there is a swimming pool out back,’ Sabine agreed as she walked towards the door, then pressed the doorbell. ‘Hi we’re looking for Miss Velma Beck,’ she said to the woman who opened the door.

‘Congratulations, you’ve found her,’ she spoke with great calmness and self assurance, wearing a black bikini with a large, white t-shirt over it.

‘We’re private investigators and we’re looking into the death of a young girl, we were wondering if we could ask you some questions?’ Sabine asked.

‘Why would it have anything to do with me?’

‘Because the deceased called and sent texts to you several times over the last month,’ Jordan told her.

‘Oh my, it’s someone that I know? Who is it?’

‘Nadia Taylor,’ Jordan informed her.

‘Oh no, not Nadia, she was such a sweetie, that’s terrible. I guess you guys better come in,’ Velma said and gestured for them to come in.

‘Thanks Miss Beck,’ Sabine said and walked in ahead of Jordan. ‘Great house you have.’

‘The alimony pony I ride is a pure thoroughbred. I was sitting out back, you guys may as well join me there.’

Velma showed them out to a patio area with two tables and eight chairs.

‘How did you know Nadia?’ Sabine asked as soon as the three of them were sat down.

‘Okay if I record what we say?’ Jordan said before Velma could answer and took a dicta phone out of his pocket. ‘Just makes it so much easier for us to remember what you say and saves us coming back another time to bother you by asking a question you’ve already answered,’ he added as he put the dicta phone on the patio table.

‘Sure, no problem. As for Nadia, I met a couple of months ago in a bar, I’d been stood up and she was there on her own. We got chatting, drank a few cocktails and got on really well. Even though I’m just about old enough to be her mother, we found it easy to talk right from the start. We kept in touch and met up every couple of weeks or so.’

‘So you were just friends?’ Sabine asked.

‘Oh yeah, I’m neither a lesbian nor a cradle snatcher.’

‘Sorry no offence meant.’

‘None taken, if anything I’m flattered you think we could have been anything more.’

‘Can you think of anyone who would have wanted to kill Nadia?’ Jordan asked.

‘You guys think she was murdered?’

‘That’s why we’re investigating,’ Jordan said. ‘Don’t you want to know how she died?’

‘What?’

‘Normally when somebody finds out that a friend has died one of the first things they ask is how she died,’ Jordan said.

‘Hadn’t even occurred to me, I guess if you’re dead, you’re dead. Doesn’t really matter how you got there.’

‘She suffered from an overdose, it was made to look like suicide,’ Sabine said.

‘Yet you guys think it was murder?’

‘Do you think suicide is more likely?’ Jordan asked.

‘Who am I to say, but Nadia did have a lot of dark thoughts. She would talk a lot about how humans in general disappointed her and that so many of them wasted life and she wondered why they bothered living.’

‘To me that sounds like it would make her more likely to kill other people than herself.’

‘Maybe, but Nadia never struck me as being anywhere near a murderer.’

‘We have to ask this to be thorough, so please don’t take offence,’ Sabine said. ‘Where were you on Saturday night?’

‘Again no offence taken, just doing your job. I was in an hotel near San Francisco, booked myself a little weekend getaway.’

‘So I’m guessing you’ve got proof of that?’ Sabine checked.

‘I’ll still have the receipt for the room if that’s what you mean.’

‘Anyway of proving you were actually in the hotel all of Saturday night?’

‘One lucky guy can back up my story if you must know, gave him a night he won’t forget.’

‘Anyway we can contact him?’

‘Yeah I kept his number, got it here in my cell,’ Velma picked her phone up off the patio table and scrolled down to this man’s number. ‘There you go,’ she said as she showed it to Sabine, who wrote down the name and number.

‘Thanks Miss Beck, you’ve been extremely helpful,’ Jordan said. ‘Are you sure there’s nobody you can think of that might have killed Nadia?’

‘Any time I met up with her it was just the two of us, so I never saw anyone else she knew and she never talked about any enemies.’

‘Thanks anyway. I have to say that divorce obviously suits you, you look great,’ Jordan remarked.

‘Thanks,’ Velma said, a little taken aback.

‘Like your hair too, playful shoulder length and so magnificently black, almost unnaturally black,’ Jordan continued.

‘I dye my hair, if that’s what you’re getting at?’

‘Nothing wrong with that, especially when it suits you as well as that does.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Is it all right if I use your bathroom before we go Miss Beck?’ Sabine asked.

‘Sure no problem, it’s up the stairs and first on your left.’

Velma and Jordan stayed out by the pool whilst Sabine quickly went to the bathroom. Sabine’s return was Jordan’s cue to get to his feet and allow Velma to show the both of them out.

‘Last question I promise,’ Jordan said to Velma after taking a step out of the house, following Sabine who stopped herself when she heard Jordan. ‘Might sound a little odd, but do you ever go by the name of Leda?’

‘Leda? No,’ Velma scratched her noise. ‘I go by Velma, what with that being my name and all.’

‘Just wondering,’ Jordan said then continued on to Sabine’s car.

As Sabine drove away she and Jordan gave Velma, who was stood looking on from her doorway, a little wave.

‘Houston, we have a suspect,’ Sabine said with a smile as she pulled out of Velma’s drive.

‘Finally a suspect to be suspicious about.’

‘And I just got some of her hair from her hair brush in the bathroom.’

‘You are such a delightfully sly minx.’

‘Oh I know. This the first time you’ve ever fancied a suspect?’

‘Stop jumping to conclusions, she is a bit old for me. She’s even older than you.’

‘You should know better than to insult a delightfully sly minx.’

Chapter 12

Leda and I had met up in our favourite bar, to drink some more cocktails and put the world to rights once again. For whatever reason we were getting even more male attention than usual, maybe it was that Leda’s short skirt was showing off her killer legs or that my sleeveless dress was particularly tight. One thing for sure was that we were both getting bored with it.

‘Where does that sort of confidence come from?’ Leda snapped at the latest guy to ask if we wanted a drink or to have a dance with him. ‘I always thought that confidence must have some sort of basis to it. Yet you seem to think that there was a genuine chance that we would say yes to you. Are you visually impaired or something? Did the phrase “out of my league”, not enter into your head at all?’

It was fun to watch him skulk away back to his gang of friends.

‘Although insulting men can be fun, shall we go somewhere quieter?’ Leda asked.

‘Sounds like a great idea to me, we can go to my apartment if you like.’

‘That sounds perfect, if you’re sure you don’t mind.’

‘Not at all, it’s only a short walk so it makes sense to go there. You can buy a bottle of something on the way, if that makes you feel less like you’re imposing,’ I added with a smile.

‘A bottle each I think you meant.’

‘We could have that drinking competition we mentioned earlier.’

‘If you think you can handle it.’

‘Bring it on grandma!’

‘Two bottles of Jack Daniels coming up! Don’t worry I’ll carry you into bed when you’re done.’

‘This is going to be so much fun.’

Leda bought two bottles of Jack Daniels from the store across the street and I took her back to my place.

‘Not much to it, but it’s cheap and it’s mine,’ I said as she followed me in.

‘Seriously I envy you, I got married so young that I never did the independent girl thing when I was your age, and I wish I had done.’

‘We can do a house swap if you like?!’

‘Wouldn’t go that far, I’m too old now, need my luxuries!’

‘Let’s get these bottles open, we don’t need glasses do we?’

‘Love your style Nadia.’

We opened a bottle each, sat down on the sofa and took a couple of gulps from our bottles.

‘So why do you have this obsession with suicide?’ Leda asked after swallowing hard.

‘It’s actually more an obsessions with human behaviour and survival.’

‘That sounds deep, you better explain before I take too many more mouthfuls.’

‘I best make myself comfortable then,’ I said then kicked off my shoes and turned and put my feet up on the couch so my legs were lying across Leda’s thighs. ‘This okay?’

‘Works for me, we’d have got even more male attention if you had done that in the bar,’ she replied as she kicked off her shoes.

‘The thing is I’m fascinated by a paradox in human behaviour, on one hand the survival instinct is so strong, yet I believe that everybody possess a self destruction gene too.’

‘I think I’m with you on the survival thing, people go to extraordinary lengths to preserve their own life in some situations. The self destruction thing will need some more explanation.’

‘It’s the way virtually every single human being behaves, on a day to day basis. All of us either drink too much, smoke too much, take drugs, eat too much unhealthy food, don’t get enough sleep and a few other harmful things, it’s as if we want life to end, but we don’t want to be seen to be suicidal.’

‘We do like to indulge in harmful habits.’

‘Definitely, I do wonder that if something is bad for us it actually increases its marketability.’

‘You might be right, but it’s also partly that we want to act out, the temptation of forbidden fruit is hard for us to resist.’

I take three big gulps from my bottle. ‘I can’t resist it!’

Leda copied my three gulps. ‘Me neither.’

‘I think that deep down we all have something in us that just wants it all to be over. Maybe we only let that thought creep in every now and again, but it’s always somewhere at the back of our minds.’

‘Life can feel like such a big effort sometimes.’

‘Yet so few people actually make an effort to do something exceptional and worthwhile with their lives. It’s as if that survival instinct is so strong that it’s the only thing people truly care about.’

‘You think too much!’ Leda laughed a little and took two gulps.

‘Probably true,’ I said and took two big mouthfuls of my own. ‘Given the state you’re going to be in when you’ve lost this drinking contest, you can stay the night if you want.’

‘Sure this sofa seems comfy enough.’

‘Oh don’t be silly, there’s plenty of room in my bed for two.’

‘Not going to say no to that, in fact,’ Leda took another mouthful. ‘We may as well go there now, sure it’s more comfortable and when you pass out I won’t have to carry you anywhere.’

‘Best idea you’ve ever had,’ I said and jumped up off the sofa, only to wobble a little bit.

‘Showing signs of weakness already, maybe this is going to be even easier to win than I thought.’

‘Just a little stumble, I’m nowhere near done yet.’

Leda follows me into my bedroom, she takes a little look around before lying down on my bed.

‘Shall we put a DVD on?’ I ask.

‘Sure.’

‘How about a modern horror film? A daft story of pretty young things, wearing very little whilst being stalked by a mass murderer.’

‘Sounds like a great backdrop to my upcoming drinking triumph.’

I load the DVD, slip my dress off and join Leda under the covers.

‘You always been so skinny?’

‘I am naturally thin, but I do a lot of running which probably keeps me that way.’

‘Not an anorexic then?’

‘Far from it.’

‘Didn’t think so, those girls never look good. But some girls like you, look like they are supposed to be as thin as they are.’

‘I think I look healthy enough.’

‘Give it half an hour or so, when you’re chucking up down the toilet, then see how healthy you look.’

‘What were you saying to that guy about confidence with no basis?!’

‘Let’s stop talking and start drinking.’

‘Suits me.’

By the end of the film both of us only had a small mouthful left in our bottles. We looked at each other, I guessed her vision was as blurry as mine, we nodded then finished of our bottles.

‘Call it a draw?’ I said as I dropped my bottle to the floor.

‘Yeah, looking forward to the rematch already.’

I wanted to reply but was asleep before I could muster any words.

Chapter 13

About a mile from Velma’s house, Sabine pulled over to make some phone calls. She put her phone onto loudspeaker so that Jordan could hear both sides of the conversation. First she rang the hotel and they confirmed Velma’s booking and appearance at the hotel the over the weekend. Next she called the man Velma told them she had spent the night with.

‘Hello,’ he answered his phone.

‘Hi, is that Mr Fleming?’ Sabine asked.

‘Yeah.’

‘I’m Sabine Larksson, I’m a private investigator. Miss Velma Beck gave me your number, are you free to talk right now?’

‘Yeah I’m not busy, what’s this about?’

‘We just want to clarify Miss Beck’s whereabouts on Saturday night.’

‘I can promise you she was with me.’

‘You’re certain?’

‘Absolutely, not the sort of night I’m likely to forget if you know what I mean.’

‘Miss Beck did say you two had some fun.’

‘Did we ever.’

‘When exactly did this fun happen?’

‘We met in the hotel bar around ten, by eleven we were up in her room.’

‘She even let me film some of it, I can show you that if you need further proof.’

Sabine looked at Jordan and shook her head. ‘That won’t be necessary for now, but keep that footage just in case.’

‘Damn right I’ll be keeping that footage.’

‘What time did the fun end?’

‘I’d say somewhere between one and two, couldn’t be more exact I’m afraid.’

‘How did it end?’

‘To be honest she had worn me out, so it was me who had to stop.’

‘Did you stay the night?’

‘Yeah, next thing I remember was waking up around nine.’

‘Was Miss Beck there when you woke up?’

‘Oh yeah, still lying naked next to me.’

‘So you slept right through the night? Didn’t get up at any stage to go to the bathroom or anything?’

‘That’s right Ma’am, slept right through.’

‘Thanks Mr Fleming.’

‘No problem.’

‘Bye.’

‘Bye.’

Sabine ended the call, turned to look at Jordan. ‘Somebody’s going to a lot of trouble to prove she was nowhere near the scene of the crime.’

‘Is she ever, even being filmed. Risky alibi though if it is a faked one, he could’ve woke up during the night.’

‘She strikes me as the sort of woman who likes to take a chance.’

‘Not going to argue with that. You want to take that hair down to Murray?’

‘You’ve read me like a book.’

Jordan waited in the car as Sabine went in to drop the hair off with Murray.

‘He said he’ll be able to do it tomorrow morning,’ Sabine said as soon as she sat back down in her car.

‘Not today? I thought you had some control over this guy?’

‘Some control, not complete control.’

‘So are we to ever going to do it?’ Jordan asked out of the blue. ‘I mean actually do it not just talk about it and hint at it.’

‘Do what?’

‘What we’ve been thinking about doing pretty much since we first met. The thing I’d love to be better at you at, but you’re confident you’re better than me. It should only take about three hours then it will all be over with and the underlying tension will be gone. We should make it a reasonably frequent occurrence, it will be perfect for taking our mind off a case, I know I find it extremely difficult to think about anything else when I’m doing that.’

‘We can do it tomorrow morning if you like,’ Sabine said.

‘You more of a morning than evening girl?’

‘Yeah, morning is definitely the best time to do it.’

‘Whatever you’re comfortable with Sabine.’

‘I’ll pick you up at six-thirty and we’ll be on the tee by seven.’

‘Did I have you going at all there?’

‘Not even for a split second.’

‘Golf is fine, but I’m never playing poker with someone so icy!’

‘That would probably be wise.’

Chapter 14

When I spend a night alone in my apartment, which is usually about three times a week, I will almost always spend some time chatting on the internet. Sometimes I turn my web cam on, sometimes I don’t. Whenever I do, a lot of the conversations with males start with them asking me to remove some clothes, my refusal to do that is often the end of the conversation, some continue to chat but I suspect most of them are hoping if I become friendly with them, then I will strip for them. Unless the other person in the conversation has a web cam on, there is no way of knowing who you are talking to. Often you can find yourself convinced a character is genuine, but then when you think about it they could actually be nothing like who they say they are. An eighty year old, white woman, could in fact be a 14 year old, black boy. This in a way makes the conversations more genuine, because the only thing you can judge on is the words. No matter how much we try, it is almost impossible to completely remove prejudices whenever we talk face to face with someone, subconsciously I’m sure I would be judging their age, appearance, fashion sense and body language among many other things. Also there’s no way of shouting during a cyber world chat, so everybody gets to make their point with the same strength as all the others.

I only chat on the internet with people I don’t know in the real world. Meeting up with these people wouldn’t fill me with dread, but I do like the way that they are all separate from my regular life. Often I find myself being far more honest with them than I ever would with somebody I know three dimensionally. It becomes an even more farfetched escapism when I don’t put the webcam on and I can be the one pretending to be somebody I’m not. Then it becomes a lot easier to be more forthright with your opinions, because you know you’re not going to be judged on them.

Chapter 15

When Jordan heard his doorbell he swallowed the last spoonful of breakfast cereal from his bowl, and gulped down his apple juice as he walked to the door.

‘Hey, you did say this course doesn’t have much of a dress code right?’ He checked as he opened the door.

‘That’s one of the reasons I like playing there,’ Sabine replied. ‘You’ll be fine,’ she added after looking at his long shorts and round neck t-shirt.

‘Awesome. I know you ladies can get away with all sorts, vest tops and short shorts, but thought I probably shouldn’t go too far.’

‘Wouldn’t want to show off your arms and shoulders too much would you?’

‘Exactly, you know how much I hate doing that,’ Jordan grabbed his little golf bag and big golf shoes and headed out the door. ‘Are we going to warm up a little before we tee off?’

‘When you’ve got a grand piano of a swing you don’t need warming up.’

‘What about me?’

‘I’ll allow you a few on the range, but we don’t want to be starting after seven, because there will be a bunch of old timers on the tee then. Great guys, but you don’t want to be stuck behind them or amongst them.’

‘That’s cool, just want to feel the ball on the club before the first tee.’

Turns out that Jordan was down playing his golfing ability, but Sabine was still more than a match for him.

‘Us two not playing poker might be a good thing for me, you certainly had me thinking you were a lot worse than you actually are,’ Sabine said after Jordan holed his putt for par on the eighteenth, bringing their game to a conclusion.

‘I know I’m half decent and could be a whole lot better than that, but I had a strong feeling you were better still.’

‘You could be a hell of a lot better if your brain was a talented as your body.’

‘Is that so?’

‘Talented for golf I mean, wouldn’t dream of calling you stupid.’

‘Of course not. So you only play a few times a year and you’re still that good? How good have you been? Looks to me like you could have been seriously good.’

‘When I left high school, I guess I wasn’t far away from golf scholarship standard. But it never really grasped me as something I wanted to do for a living anyway.’

‘Had you already made your mind up you wanted to be a police woman?’

‘Pretty much.’

‘Got to love focus like that,’ Jordan said as they got to Sabine’s car. ‘What’s the plan for the rest of the day?’

‘The tuna melt they do in the clubhouse is worth the green fee alone.’

‘Second breakfast sounds great to me.’

Sabine got her phone out of her golf bag before locking her car. ‘Message from Murray,’ she said then put the phone to her right ear. ‘Wouldn’t you know it, the hair from Nadia’s bed is a match with Velma’s.’

‘Looks like we were right to be suspicious of that suspect.’

‘I’m thinking we can head back to her place this morning.’

‘After the tuna melt right?’

‘Of course.’

Even after Sabine’s build up, Jordan wasn’t at all disappointed with his tuna melt. As soon as they had finished eating, both of them were eager to see Velma again. During the thirty minute drive along a coastal road, Sabine and Jordan both became more suspicious of Velma, using the time to wonder why her phone number wasn’t in Nadia’s phone and why Velma’s hair was in the bed of someone who was supposed to be just a casual friend.

When they got to the house they were disappointed to find no answer to the knocking on the door. This disappointment didn’t last long, before they’d got back into Sabine’s car Velma came running up her drive way. Wearing Lycra shorts and a running vest, carrying a small water bottle and covered in sweat.

‘I had a feeling I’d be seeing you guys again,’ Velma said, only a little out of breath.

‘Why’s that?’ Sabine asked.

‘Got the impression you were both suspicious of me.’

‘Perceptive of you.’ Jordan said.

‘Can’t begin to think why,’ Velma said. ‘You going to record me again?’

‘Was planning on it, didn’t think you’d mind. From what we’ve heard you like to be recorded.’

‘Suspicious, but can’t help liking me can you?’ Velma said to Jordan with a smouldering look. ‘I guess you’ve talked to my acquaintance from the weekend.’

‘Yes we have and he was extremely forthcoming with telling us what you two were doing on Saturday night,’ Sabine said.

‘I bet he was, probably the highlight of his life.’

‘I’ll not be adding modest to perceptive then,’ Jordan said.

‘Probably not. Still have no clue why you are suspicious of someone who was three hours away, and had company, on the night the alleged murder took place.’

‘You not being a contact in Nadia’s phone really does bother us though, can’t make sense of that,’ Jordan told her.

‘Plus you didn’t have any conscious company around the time of the murder and I think with your car you were within two and a half hours of Nadia’s apartment.’

‘Forget about me for a moment,’ Velma said. ‘Why are you so certain this girl didn’t kill herself? She owned and had read every book Sylvia Plath and Ernest Hemingway had ever written, has posters of Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe and even Thich Quang Duc for Christ’s sake. Every day she dressed as if attending a funeral, she regularly went on a website dedicated to suicide and she had a tattoo of Cleopatra!’

‘That rant just makes us more suspicious,’ Sabine said with a cold stare.

‘Guess I’m going to be seeing more of you two then, which isn’t all bad I suppose,’ she said and looked at Jordan.

‘How close were you with Nadia?’ Sabine asked.

‘Like I said not that close, we met up a few times for drinks that’s all.’

‘Ever been in her apartment?’ Sabine continued.

‘Yeah, went round there for drinks a couple of times.’

‘Ever stay the night?’

‘Yeah.’

‘You sleep on the sofa?’

‘No, in her bed.’

‘But you were just friends?’

‘It is possible for two people to sleep in the same bed and not have sex.’

‘I know,’ Sabine backed off from the intensity of her questioning. ‘Seems so odd that someone she met up with on several occasions, allowed to sleep at her apartment and had plenty of phone contact with, wasn’t actually in her phone contacts,’ Jordan said.

‘So you guys think that I killed her and removed my details from her phone, deleted any messages and any calls?’ Velma said and shook her head with an assured smile.

‘Finally we are on the same page,’ Sabine said.

‘Fortunately for me it’s all just a little theory in your two minds, unless you get any actual evidence, then I don’t think I need to worry just yet.’

‘Was that an admission?’ Jordan asked.

Velma stepped closer to Jordan and leaned over so that her head was by his hand that was holding the dicta-phone. ‘For the record that is a no.’

‘That’s cool,’ Jordan said. ‘Finding evidence is our favourite part of the job. If it’s there we will find it.’

‘Can’t find something that doesn’t exist, you guys could be looking for a year and not find any.’

‘Don’t challenge us,’ Jordan said. ‘I’m mega competitive and she is far more so.’

‘Like a bit of competition myself. If that’s all you have for today, I’d like to go shower now.’

‘That’s all,’ Sabine said. ‘For now.’

Velma made her way into her house and Sabine and Jordan headed back to Sabine’s car.

‘If it wasn’t for the fact that I think she’s a murderer, I’d be starting to like her,’ Jordan said as he put his seat belt on.

‘Liking the feistiness?’

‘Love it, especially when it’s combined with a cool assurance.’

‘Let’s see if we can find anything that will remove that cool assurance,’ Sabine said as she started up the engine.

‘As much as I like her cool, I would dearly love to see her lose it.’

‘Evidence is there somewhere, nobody can kill someone without any evidence. Even people who get away with it leave evidence, only nobody finds it,’ Sabine said as she accelerated away from Velma’s house.

‘Loving that philosophy, where do you want to start?’

‘I’d like to go over the posts Nadia made on that web site, and her supposed suicide note,’ Sabine said and took her hair out of its pony tail so it could blow free in the wind.

‘Sometimes I think about growing my hair long, just so I could do that one day.’

‘One of the many ways you wish you was more like me!’

‘I wish I was as good at golf as you and could pull off wearing shorts that short as well as you. Struggling to think of any others to be honest.’

‘I’m sure there are so many more things, you just can’t admit it.’

‘I’m going to put some music on before the hair pulling and eye scratching begins.’

‘Good call.’

Sabine drove them back to her apartment, so they could check the web site. Once inside she poured the drinks, whilst Jordan switched her computer on and found the site.

‘Are you convinced it’s Velma?’ Sabine asked before they started reading the posts.

‘I’m convinced we’re right to be suspicious of her, but still alive to the possibility that someone else could have done it, or it may still prove to be suicide.’

‘As fence sitting goes that was about as spectacular as it gets.’

‘Have to admit that Scarlet case has increased my fear of being wrong.’

‘I still love being right and I’m sure I’m right about Velma.’

‘We best find some evidence then.’

The two of them read through all of Nadia’s posts for the second time, including what was presented as her suicide note.

‘The suicide note does incorporate a few of the themes Nadia mentions in earlier posts,’ Jordan said when he’d finished reading.

‘That only means that whoever wrote it had done their research.’

‘Can we print this off?’

‘Yeah, you think you’ll spot something if you read it off paper?!’

‘I prefer reading off paper, plus I’m convinced we’re missing something here and I want to read this as many times as it takes and it’s easier to carry around a few bits of paper than a computer.’

‘All right, it’s printing. Any ideas for a motive?’

‘For Velma?’

‘Yeah, despite my being extremely suspicious of her, I have no idea what the motive might be,’ Sabine conceded.

‘Me neither, the murder shows a great deal of planning and forethought, so I’m thinking it is probably some sort of long lasting, lingering motive.’

‘I’d go with that, maybe some sort of revenge.’

‘Getting to know Nadia before killing her suggests a cold heartedness to the whole thing.’

‘If she was planning on killing her before meeting her, then she must have done a heck of a job convincing Nadia that they were becoming good friends.’

‘Makes me think the revenge must be about something huge,’ Jordan said as he picked up the printed posts from the printer tray.

‘Could be any one of a number of things, I think we need to do some research into Velma’s past.’

‘Definitely, can’t imagine her past being dull.’

‘From the way she talks about her husband, I’m guessing that Beck is her maiden name,’ Sabine thought out loud. ‘Finding out her married name would be a good place to start.’

‘Sounds like research time.’

‘I’m thinking I just phone her up and ask her.’

‘You think she’ll just tell you?’

‘I honestly think she’s so confident in her alibi that she might.’

‘No harm in asking, she can only say no and it could save us a few hours of research.’

‘Exactly,’ Sabine said, pulled her phone out of her shorts pocket and dialled Velma.

‘Hello?’ Velma answered her phone.

‘Miss Beck?’

‘Yes.’

‘This is Sabine, I was just wondering what you used to be called?’

‘Sabine? Oh yeah right, one of the private investigators who are stalking me. You mean you want to know my married name.’

‘That’s right.’

‘Why on earth would you like to know that?’

‘Call it a loose end, besides I wouldn’t be much of a stalker if I knew nothing about your past.’

‘And you expect me to give you that information.’

‘Yes I do, after all you’re innocent aren’t you? There’s no way we can break your alibi and prove you killed Nadia.’

‘If you weren’t being so annoying, I’m sure I’d like you.’

‘Thanks.’

‘I’m sure you could find out my married name yourself.’

‘Exactly, so you may as well tell us yourself and save us some time, especially as you like me so much.’

‘Corbert.’

‘Thanks, I’m sure we’ll be seeing you soon.’

‘Sure you will.’

Sabine hung up with a smile and looked at Jordan, who throughout the phone conversation had been reading through the printed off internet posts.

‘What was it?’

‘Corbert.’

‘Excellent, that saved us some boring research.’

‘Now we need to find out if that surname is at all significant to Nadia’s past.’

‘We could ask Fiona.’

‘Good idea, I’ll call her while you continue to read through them if you like.’

‘Works for me, I’m convinced there’s something we’re missing here,’ Jordan said and held up the paper.

They went about their respective tasks, each with no success. Jordan still couldn’t find what he was sure was there. Fiona hadn’t heard of a Velma Corbet, so Sabine phoned Murray and asked him if he could run the name through the police records, in case she showed up on there. Feeling like they were hurtling towards a dead end, Sabine and Jordan decided to go and visit the Doc. The fact that the visit would coincide with lunch time for Sabine and dinner time for Jordan, was not lost on them. Both knew that the Doc would be more than happy to provide some expertly prepared food.

As always the Doc was happy to see his two employees, welcoming them into his house as if they were his son and daughter.

‘Come on in,’ the Doc said and waved boisterously. ‘Either you’ve concluded the case or you’re looking for inspiration.’

‘The later I’m afraid,’ Sabine said as the Doc closed the door behind them.

‘Not to worry, glad you’ve come to me with it. Have you eaten?’

‘Oh wow, is that the time?’ Jordan said as he looked at his watch. ‘No we haven’t, getting so caught up in this case.’

‘I’m having a prawn salad, I’ve got more than enough ingredients for three servings.’

‘Only if you’re sure,’ Jordan said.

‘Be my pleasure,’ the Doc turned and headed for the kitchen. ‘You two head outside and make yourself comfortable.

As soon as Doc’s back was turned Sabine and Jordan smiled at each other and tapped knuckles together by way of celebration, Jordan’s battle worn hand, dwarfing Sabine’s. Indeed they did make themselves comfortable, it was almost impossible not to on such a luxurious patio area. In, what to them, seemed like no time the Doc was outside with their drinks, three large prawn salads, and several slices of crusty bread.

‘So what is the problem then?’ Doc asked as soon as he sat down. ‘Does it look like a suicide?’

‘We really don’t think so,’ Sabine told him.

‘Finding a suspect the problem?’

‘Finding her no,’ Jordan said. ‘Proving she’s guilty yes.’

‘You’re certain it’s her?’

‘As certain as we dare to be,’ Jordan said.

‘I’m certain,’ Sabine added. ‘So is he, but he daren’t risk being wrong.’

‘What makes you so sure?’ The Doc asked.

‘Turns out that she was friends with Nadia, we’re not sure how close. But Nadia had made and sent several calls and texts to this woman Velma, yet she was not in her phone contacts list. We found a hair in Nadia’s bed, Velma admitted to being in the apartment and sleeping in the bed, but claims to not have had sex with Nadia. Plus she has gone out of her way to make sure she has an alibi for the night of Nadia’s death,’ Sabine said.

‘On top of all that, there is a definite suspicious vibe we both get off her,’ Jordan added.

‘What made you think it wasn’t suicide in the first place?’

‘A few little things,’ Jordan said. ‘She had a ticket for a baseball game and a concert for this coming week, plus she’d just bought some fresh food. Plus Fiona’s insistence that it wasn’t suicide.’

‘The more we find out about Nadia, the more it seems she wasn’t suicidal, merely interested in the idea of suicide,’ Sabine added.

‘No other suspects?’

‘None that we’re at all suspicious of and they all have alibis,’ Sabine said.

‘You said this Velma has an alibi.’

‘She does, but it definitely has the feel of a carefully constructed one,’ Sabine replied.

‘So at the moment you are putting all your efforts into proving this woman’s guilt?’

‘Yeah, that’s how sure we are.’ Jordan said.

‘Be careful not to make it too personal.’

‘Come on Doc, you know what it’s like when you know someone has done it.’

‘Completely my dear, I’m not suggesting you should back away from her. But do remain alive to other possibilities. My favourite cases were always the ones where I knew who did it and I merely had to prove it. So what have you investigated about her so far?’

‘She’s a divorcee and we’ve found out her married name, but so far nothing has come of that,’ Sabine said.

‘How did you find that name?’

‘She told us,’ Sabine said, the words stuck in her throat a little and the look of slight puzzlement from the Doc made the reason for her discomfort clear in her mind. She didn’t wait for the Doc to say anything, instead she got out her phone and called Murray. ‘Hi Murray, its Sabine, forget that name Corbet. Her name now is Velma Beck, I’m going to try and found out her real married name myself but any help would be greatly appreciated. The address is still the same,’ she left a message whilst shaking her head.

‘Never trust people,’ Jordan said, looking as disappointed in himself as Sabine was with her.

‘I truly felt she’d be arrogant enough to tell us the truth. Maybe she has, but I severely doubt it,’ Sabine said.

‘I get the idea that you’ve made clear your suspicions to this Velma?’

‘Yes,’ Sabine said. ‘And she’s loving the battle even more than us at the moment.’

‘Is she a flight risk?’ The Doc asked.

‘She might be actually,’ Sabine conceded.

‘Nothing to keep her around that we know of,’ Jordan added.

‘I’ll get a freelancer to keep a tail on her,’ the Doc said.

‘Good call,’ Sabine said. ‘I promise we’ll have her arrested within a couple of days.’

‘Don’t doubt it for a second my dear.’

The three of them finished off their large salads and the bread, then sat staring out to sea for a few minutes, hoping for inspiration.

‘We’ve got to attack that alibi,’ Sabine announced, breaking the silence.

‘Any idea how?’ Jordan asked.

‘One that might work,’ Sabine said and quickly rose from her chair.

‘I guess we’re off Doc,’ Jordan said.

‘Appears that way,’ the Doc said with a smile.

‘This idea one you can share with me?’ Jordan asked.

‘I’m thinking that despite her confidence in her sexual prowess, she would’ve wanted to make sure that guy slept through the night. Meaning some sort of drug and a drug that might still be in his system.’

‘You want to literally take the piss out of a witness?’

‘I knew you’d get some variation of that line in there,’ Sabine said with a disappointed look.

‘Damn, I hate being predictable.’

Chapter 16

A Friday night was the perfect time for a second drinking competition with Leda. Venue was once again my place, this time the drinks were shots of tequila. We’d spent about an hour in the bar down the road but we both wanted to get the real drinking game started. We put the bottles and the shot glasses on the breakfast bar and each got a seat.

‘Let battle commence,’ Leda said as she held up her glass, then we both downed our first shot.

‘This is going to be a good one!’ I enthused straight after swallowing. ‘Don’t be too ashamed by your impending defeat, at your age it’s impressive that you can even get close to keeping up with me,’ I added.

‘Hush little girl, I have been doing this since before you were born. Tonight you’ll find out just how out of your league you are.’

‘Pour the next shot.’

‘Best thing you’ve said all night.’

The shots kept on coming, each one was forcefully gulped down in one go, no quarter asked or given. Somewhere between the tenth and fifteenth shot Leda asked me a question, without the merest hint of a slur in her words.

‘You had any regrets?’

‘Regrets?’ I replied, look directly at her and smiled. ‘I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention.’

At this point Leda took over and completed a rousing, and more than reasonably tuneful, rendition of the Sinatra classic.

‘Seriously though,’ she flicked immediately from the big finish into a mundane talking tone.

‘No not really, nothing significant enough has happened in my life for me to regret something.’

‘Nothing at all? Never done or said something you wished you hadn’t?’

‘I’m sure there have been plenty of words that have come out of my mouth that I’d like to take back if I could, but nothing too harmful.’

‘Never hurt anybody?’

‘Not that I know of, apart from maybe a few savage put downs on guys who have asked me out.’

‘That’s nothing to regret, that’s just fun.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Never influenced somebody in a way you wished you hadn’t?’

‘Again, not that I know of. This is becoming a strange line of questioning,’ I was already approaching the room beginning to spin phase, so guessing the motive behind Leda’s line of inquiry was difficult. ‘Do you have regrets? Is that what you’re getting at?’

‘Too many to mention.’

‘Marrying the wrong guy?’

‘That would be right up there.’

‘You don’t have kids do you?’

‘No I don’t, do I?’ she looked at me in a way had she been sober I could only have described as sternly, but knowing what I did, I took it merely as a drunken look.

‘If for some reason I never went travelling and did the things I wanted to do, then that would be something I’d regret.’

‘Way too much time without a drink,’ Leda said then held up a bottle.

‘That one’s empty,’ I said and laughed.

‘She looked at the bottle a couple of times, blinking her eyes in a prolonged manner in between each look, then turn the bottle upside down. ‘So it is,’ she said when nothing came out of the bottle, then joined in my laughter.

‘Here’s what I’m looking for,’ she grabbed the bottle we were in the middle of and poured us a glass each, with a slightly shaking hand.

Somewhere along the line I lost count of how many shots we had drunk, I’m sure she had too. Then it happened, the moment I’d never truly believed I’d see. Leda looked at her latest shot, shook her head and quietly said, ‘I’ve had enough.’

Despite my extreme drunkenness I was able to take into account the significance of what she had just said.

‘Chalk one up for the kid,’ I said and got out of my chair. I was planning on doing a little celebratory dance but I hardly left the chair before realising that dancing wasn’t an option, instead I managed to grab hold of the chair and lower myself back into it.

Somehow we both made it to bed, and when I woke up in the early hours of the afternoon Leda was still lying next to me and looking like she had only just woke up.

‘Knew I shouldn’t have chose tequila,’ she said as soon as she noticed I was awake. ‘That’s a young person’s drink.’

‘Don’t be making excuses now. I will offer you a rematch, any time, any place, any drink.’

‘I will hold you to that.’

‘Counting on it.’

Chapter 17

Sabine phoned Mr Fleming to find out if he was at home, when he told her he was, she drove straight there from the Doc’s house, intent on checking out Velma’s alibi as much as she could. The journey took a little longer than thirty minutes and throughout that time Jordan was sat in the passenger seat listening to their conversations with Velma off his Dictaphone.

‘You really think you’re going to hear something different to the first five times?’ Sabine asked him as Jordan played the conversations from the beginning again.

‘I think she’s most likely to make a mistake verbally. People can plan every last detail of their actions, but rarely can anybody stick to saying what they planned and only what they planned. Once you start talking there is always a chance that something can come out that you don’t want to. I think there’s a chance she has said something that incriminates her, we’re hearing the words but are we hearing what she is telling us?’

‘You could be right, certainly can’t hurt,’ Sabine said as she parked her car outside Mr Fleming’s house. ‘You can listen to it all you want while I go and get my sample.’

Jordan stayed the car, listening for whatever it was he thought he was missing, whilst Sabine went and knocked on Mr Fleming’s door.

‘Hey, are you the detective?’ He asked when he opened the door. ‘I could tell you were hot, just from your voice.’

‘Thanks,’ Sabine said the word but showed no other sign of appreciation.

‘You said something about a favour?’

‘Yeah, I need a urine sample.’

‘What on earth for?’

‘We want to see if you’ve got any sleeping drugs in your system.’

‘You think that Velma chick drugged me?’

‘Yes we do, we think she needed you as an unconscious alibi.’

‘I don’t mind giving one, but I think you’re crazy.’

‘Thanks Mr Fleming,’ Sabine said and held up a little plastic bottle she had got from the Doc’s house.

‘Come on in while I do it.’

‘No thanks, I’ll wait outside.’

‘You sure? Could take me a few minutes.’

‘I’m sure, it’s a lovely day out here.’

‘All right then, suit yourself.’

A few minutes later Mr Fleming returned with a full bottle.

‘There you go,’ he said.

Sabine held out a small plastic bag for him to put the bottle in, which he duly did.

‘Thanks again.’

‘No problem, will you let me know if you find anything?’

‘Will do,’ Sabine said and turned to walk back to her car.

‘Bye then.’

Sabine didn’t offer a verbal farewell, instead just briefly held up the hand that wasn’t carrying the bag.

‘Heard what you wanted to hear yet?’ Sabine asked as she got back into her car.

‘No. You get the pee?’

‘Yeah, think he was ready to give me a sample of some more body fluids.’

‘Really? He must have a thing for older women.’

‘You really can’t think of a put down and not say it can you?’

‘They’re just so much more fun out loud.’

‘Sure they are. I’m going to take this round to Murray and see if he’s had chance to look into Velma’s past for us. Anything you want to do?’

‘No, think I’m committed to listening and reading, until something hits me.’

‘For my sanity can you switch to reading for this trip?’

‘I was thinking of putting some classical music on whilst reading anyway.’

‘Good idea, let’s see if it can simulate our brain cells. Oh I keep forgetting to tell you, that my neighbours have invited both of us round for dinner tonight.’

‘Sounds good, maybe they can solve the case for us.’

Once again, upon reaching her destination, Sabine left Jordan in her car, as she went into Murray’s office.

‘You don’t expect me to have found something already do you?’ Murray said as soon as he saw Sabine enter his office.

‘No not really, but I do have another favour to ask?’ She said and held up the plastic bag.

‘You kidding me? This picture better be worth it.’

‘I’ll make it pictures.’

‘That’s good, because I deserve it. I’ve found out her married name.’

‘Oh Murray you are good.’

‘Worked through my lunch hour for you. It’s Southern.’

‘That’s the name? Or you mean it’s a southern name?’

‘That’s the name.’

‘Excellent Murray, you must have had a good mentor when you were younger.’

‘Can’t believe you’re still trying to take credit for things I do. What’s this next thing you want me to do.’

‘Merely testing a urine sample, it won’t take a man of you talents long at all.’

‘Whose is it?’

‘The guy who provides an alibi for our main suspect. He slept through the night, so he can’t quite prove that she was with him the whole time. We’re thinking she might have drugged him to make sure he stayed asleep and didn’t miss her five hour round trip.’

‘That was on Saturday right?’

‘Yeah.’

‘And you’ve just taken this sample?’

‘Yeah, I know it’s a long shot, but if you could find some evidence of a sleeping drug in there it would be extremely incriminating.’

‘From over forty eight hours ago, I don’t like your chances.’

‘Neither do I. I should have thought about it sooner.’

‘The great ones really do make mistakes then.’

‘I sure as hell have made plenty.’

Back in the car Jordan was excitedly looking back and two between the alleged suicide note and Nadia’s posts on the same website. A huge smile had come across his face by the time Sabine got back to the car. She had just finished talking on the phone and had a smile to match Jordan’s.

‘We’re going back to have another chat with Velma,’ Sabine announced as she jumped back into the driver’s seat.

‘You analyzed it already?’

‘No, but Murray had found out her real married name. And I’ve just been on the phone to Fiona and she recognises the surname of a girl who went to high school with Fiona and Nadia. This girl killed herself when she was fifteen.’

‘Wow, step back, we have a motive.’

‘Absolutely. Wait a minute, you were smiling before I told you that.’

‘Finally the continuous reading has paid off.’

‘You’ve seen something we hadn’t already seen?’

‘Yeah, just came down to basic proofreading in the end. We can say with virtual certainty that Nadia did not write the suicide note.’

‘Don’t milk it, just tell me how.’

‘Punctuation has let the murderer down. You see here in the suicide note,’ Jordan showed the note to Sabine and pointed to the offending words. ‘What’s should have and apostrophe, but in both cases in the note the apostrophe is missing. Yet looking through Nadia’s posts she used the word several times and always uses the apostrophe.’

‘How had we not seen that before?’

‘Difficult to find something when you don’t know what you’re looking for.’

As she drove to Velma’s house it took all the restraint Sabine could muster to stop herself breaking the speed limit. Jordan continued to read, hoping that his breakthrough might be the start of the floodgates opening and several ideas pouring through. In the time it took to get to Velma’s house he hadn’t spotted anything new, but that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for the latest confrontation with Velma.

Answering the door wearing a green, one piece swimming costume and a yellow wrap around skirt, Velma gave off the impression of not having a care in the world.

‘You guys really can’t keep away from me can you?’ She said immediately after opening her front door.

‘We thought you’d want to be kept up to date with our developments in the case, what with Nadia being such a good friend of yours.’

‘Come on in,’ Velma stood aside and gestured with one hand for them to enter her house. ‘I’m guessing that guy is something to do with you?’ Velma said and looked across the street to a man parked in a car, as Sabine and Jordan made their way into the house.

‘We didn’t want you going anywhere without us knowing,’ Jordan said.

‘You guys really do care about me. You’re even still recording all our conversations, that’s how much I mean to you,’ Velma closed the door behind them.

‘You are becoming a special someone in our lives, someone we think about all day, every day. Much the same way I’m sure Mr Corbet did once upon a time, sorry I mean Mr Southern.’

‘I thought you would figure it out for yourself, sooner or later,’ Velma said then looked at her watch. ‘Should’ve been a little sooner.’

‘When I mentioned that surname to Nadia’s best friend, she told me about a girl they went to high school with. Tragically this girl committed suicide when she was fifteen,’ Sabine’s toned turned grave and close to sympathetic, as she and Jordan sat down on the sofa in the living room whilst Velma remained standing.

‘Nadia went to the same school as Tori?’

‘I think you knew that already,’ Sabine said.

‘I had no idea. Small world isn’t it.’

‘We were struggling to work out your motive,’ Sabine said. ‘Now we know your daughter committed suicide, and a girl who was in her class has been murdered six years later. A girl who was obsessed with suicide.’

‘Losing a daughter like that must be horrific,’ Jordan added. ‘She your only child?’

‘Yes she was my only child,’ Velma said and sat down in an armchair. ‘And yes it is horrific. For two years I did nothing but plunge into depression and blame myself. In the second of those years my husband stopped trying to help me and instead decided to get over it by having as much sex as he could, none of it with me. Took me a year to even notice that. Finally I realised it wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault, Tori had gotten herself confused, upset and had made a stupid decision. Since then I’ve done my best to live my own life, trying to put that horrible past behind me. So thanks ever so much for bringing it up.’

‘When you investigate murders, you tend to find out horrible things that have happened to people,’ Sabine said.

‘So you think I killed Nadia out of some sort of misguided revenge?’

‘Seems perfectly clear to me,’ Sabine said.

‘All right, let me see,’ Velma got up out of her seat and went over to one of her bookshelves, then pulled a big dictionary off the shelf and started flicking through the pages. ‘Ah, here’s what I’m looking for, the word: coincidence.’

‘That your defence?’ Sabine said.

‘Unless there’s been a fundamental change in the justice system that I’ve not heard about, it’s you that have to prove my guilt, not me my innocence.’

‘Indeed we do, you have to say that the evidence is mounting up against you,’ Jordan said.

‘Here’s something else, quite nearby to coincidence in here,’ Velma said after flicking a couple of pages. ‘Circumstantial.’

‘Could you write something out for us Miss Beck?’ Jordan asked.

‘Write something?’

‘Yeah, it’s just a little theory I’ve got. Don’t worry it won’t prove your guilt.’

‘Of course it won’t, it can’t prove I did something that I didn’t do.’

‘Exactly, then you won’t mind playing along.’

‘All right I’ll humour you,’ Velma said, put her dictionary down and picked up a pen and a piece of paper from a table in the corner of the room.

‘The time has come for the talking to stop. It’s time for me to walk the walk. I’ve been living a life of suicide for so long now that the only fitting way to end my life is to take it myself, what's more is that I want to do it and I am ready,’ Jordan dictated to Velma.

‘Oh my God,’ Velma said. ‘Is this Nadia’s suicide note?’

‘You ever take acting lessons?’ Sabine asked.

‘No, why, you think I should?’

‘I’d say you were a natural,’ Sabine replied.

‘Just a little more Miss Beck,’ Jordan said. ‘I can no longer stand idly by whilst other people put my words into action. I’m not sure what's on the other side, but it can’t be any worse than this hell of mediocrity and mere survival.’

‘That it?’ Velma asked.

‘That’s all thanks,’ Jordan said.

‘Do you want to read it now to check my handwriting?’

‘You’re good,’ Sabine couldn’t help but smile.

‘Am I?’

‘You know full well that the suicide note was type written,’ Sabine said.

‘Why on earth would I know that?’

‘Yes I would like to read it,’ Jordan said and took the piece of paper Velma had written on.

‘Isn’t that amazing,’ he said after reading what Velma had written.

‘I’m guessing your little theory was proved correct,’ Velma said.

‘Yes, you see you’ve produced the two grammatical errors that were in the suicide note itself. What’s has an apostrophe in it.’

‘So you’ve proved Nadia and I have the same lack of understanding of the apostrophe.’

‘No that’s not it,’ Jordan said. ‘You see we’ve read all of Nadia’s other posts on that site and she used that same word several times, each time with an apostrophe.’

‘Oh I see, so you’re using this to back up your somewhat wacky idea that she didn’t kill herself.’

‘I’d say it proves that it’s extremely unlikely that Nadia killed herself, plus that the killer didn’t have a great grasp of the use of an apostrophe.’

‘I don’t know what it’s like back in England, but over here there are millions of us who really haven’t got a clue exactly when to use one of those things. If she didn’t kill herself, the only thing you have proved is that I share a lack of command of the English language with the killer. Good job I have my dictionary with me, so I can look up that word circumstantial.’

‘You really are sure we are never going to prove your guilty aren’t you?’ Jordan looked at her with a hint of admiration.

‘I just can’t see how you’re ever going to prove that I committed a murder some two hundred miles away from where I was that night.’

‘What would you say if I said we took a urine sample from Mr Fleming and that we’ve found traces of a sleeping drug in it?’ Sabine asked.

Velma looked Sabine in the eye for a few moments. ‘I’d say you were bluffing. For one thing if you had done that then you wouldn’t have said, “What would you say if”, you would have just told me. Secondly I’m sure that would definitely be higher up on your list of things to tell me than his lecture on the English language. Thirdly, I’m no expert but I would have thought something like that would’ve been out of his system by now. Finally I can be virtually certain you’re bluffing because I know that I did not drug him.’

It was Sabine’s turn to make the lingering eye contact. ‘You are good,’ she conceded again. ‘Thing is we are better,’ she added then got up from the sofa.

‘Guess that’s another thing you’re going to have to prove,’ Velma said.

‘You might want to look up the meaning of words, “confident” and “over”,’ Jordan said as he got up from the sofa and followed Sabine to the front door. ‘I think we can let ourselves out.’

When she got back to the car, Sabine didn’t start the engine straight away. Instead she shook her head and stared straight forward.

‘She is so close to actually annoying me,’ she said in between two deep breaths.

‘I thought I detected your temperature nearly getting above freezing in there.’

‘The most annoying thing about her is that she is right, we still haven’t got near enough evidence to convict her.’

‘Come on, let’s not give up. Johnny Oxford wouldn’t would he? No, he’d keep going.’

Sabine turned to face Jordan, with a suitably perplexed facial expression and holding both hands out. ‘Did you even think there was a chance I’d have a clue what you were going on about?’

‘None whatsoever, but every now and again I like to be the only one who understands a conversation I’m in.’

Sabine couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. ‘With a mind like that, we might just get her yet,’ she said and started up the engine. ‘I’m thinking we head back to my place, do some more investigating for an hour or so and then we can easily slip next door for dinner.’

‘I concur, what’s more Johnny Oxford would be proud of you.’

Chapter 18

The next Friday night after my heroic victory over Leda, it was Fiona’s turn to be the guest for the evening in my apartment. We would drink alcohol, but not in competition and not to anything like the same excess. The main thing the two of us had in common was our past. I wanted to travel the world and lead an exciting life akin to a nineteenth century explorer, she wanted to find a rich, preferably handsome, man to look after her and allow her a life of leisure. I wanted my life to have some meaning and for me to learn and experience copious amounts, she was here for a good time and not a long time. Despite our polarised opposite outlooks on life, Fiona was my one true friend. We could talk for hours about anything and nothing, when she asked how my day had been, she genuinely wanted to know, if somebody hurt me she would take a baseball bat to their head without a second thought and I knew she always had my best interest at heart.

‘No date this Friday?’ I asked, with us settled on the sofa, a full glass each and plenty of finger food within reach.

‘No, Saturday is my favourite date day anyway. Allows me the full day to prepare myself.’

‘You don’t need a full day of preparation to impress a guy, all you need to do to impress a guy is show up.’

‘Oh I wish that were true.’

‘I don’t just mean you personally, I mean women in general. Guys will take the fact that you’ve showed up as a big compliment and they’ll be pleased with that.’

‘Don’t think that pleasure will last throughout the two hours or so of a date.’

‘Never understand the fuss people make of dating anyway, what’s the point in going out of your way to do and say the things you think they want to hear. If everybody acted themselves on dates, the divorce and break up rates would fall dramatically.’

‘How do you figure that?’

‘Because if you pretend to be somebody you’re not when you’re on a date and the person likes who you are pretending to be, then you have no idea whether they actually like you, because they’ve not met you yet. Sooner or later everybody drops the pretence and then and only then do you find out if they like you. Some people make it through years of marriage not being true to them self.

‘I don’t see it as not being myself, I see it is being an edited version of me. I try to leave out the bad bits and show all the good bits.’

‘But those bad bits are a part of you, and if somebody is going to truly fall in love with you then they will have to fall in love with them too.’

‘Time for a subject change! You still excited about your trip? Not long now.’

‘Calling it a trip hardly does it justice.’

‘Sorry I mean your globetrotting extravaganza. You planned out which route around the globe you are going to take yet?’

‘Down through Mexico, into South America, across to Africa, over to Australasia, up to Japan and the rest of Asia, continue on to mainland Europe, the UK, across the pond to Canada then every state and finish in the Caribbean.’

‘Only leaving out the Antarctic and Arctic then?’

‘Pretty much. As for being excited, am I excited about seeing as much of the world as I possibly can, travelling as a free spirit, on a voyage of self discovery, learning so many things about the planet and its history as well as myself and all whilst giving my life a sense of meaning and purpose? I’d say excited doesn’t get close to covering it.’

‘Love seeing how happy it makes you. How long will you stay in each place?’

‘No idea, depends on how much I’m enjoying it and how soon I get the urge to move on.’

‘I’m going to miss you so much.’

‘I know honey, you’re the only thing I’m going to miss. I have decided to take my phone with me. It will hardly ever be switched on, but it does make sense to take it. Plus I’ll write you a letter every couple of weeks or so.’

‘You’ll be able to find somewhere to email from in a lot of places,’ Fiona suggested with a smile and numerous nods.

‘Not the sort of places I’m planning to be spending most of my time. Plus emailing would crush my illusion of being an eighteenth century explorer.’

‘So does the phone! Not that I don’t want you to take it.’

‘I know, but I’ve accepted that the phone is a near necessary evil of the modern world and could even save my life.’

‘That’s true. Just think who you might meet whilst you’re on your travels.’

‘You’re convinced I’m going to meet an exotic stranger and fall madly in love aren’t you?’

‘Would be so good if you did.’

‘I’m certainly not counting on it. So much of what I want to do can be done without any interaction with another human. Having said that, I am looking forward to meeting lots of interesting characters. Getting to know locals and other travellers has to be one of the best ways to learn about the planet.’

‘By the time you get back I’m going to feel like even more of a moron than I already do around you.’

‘You’re nowhere near a moron, trust me I’ve met a lot of them and I know what they are like. By the time I get back I’m sure you’ll have snagged a rich guy and you’ll be living a life of luxurious leisure.’

‘Here’s hoping! How long do you think you’ll be away?’

‘Really have no idea. If I had to guess I’d say around three to five years.’

‘Five years? That long?’

‘Yeah, could be easily that long. Even if it is, by the time I get back I’ll still only be in my mid-twenties and I’ll have a much clearer idea of what I want from life than most people that age.’

‘Plus you’ll have already done what you really want to do.’

‘Exactly.’

Chapter 19

Back at Sabine’s house the detective team had spent a couple of hours going over Nadia’s case. They’d both read through all of Nadia’s internet posts, the suicide note and all the receipts that they had found in Nadia’s apartment. After the reading they had listened to the recordings of conversations they had with Velma. The tedium was agonising, but nothing compared to the pain of feeling that there was something they were missing.

‘We know she did it,’ Sabine said at the conclusion of the latest playing of the conversations, after running both hands through her hair and letting out a prolonged exhalation. ‘She knows we know that she did it.’

‘Every time we meet her I get closer to removing the “virtually”.’

‘She must have made a mistake.’

‘I’ve heard they all do.’

‘Why can’t we spot it? A young lady is going to have died with the world thinking that she killed herself, whilst her murderer walks free, unless we can spot the mistake.’

‘Let’s get ready to go next door, maybe if we stop obsessing about it then the answer might hit us,’ Jordan suggested.

‘Can’t do any worse than we are right now,’ Sabine said and went into her bedroom to get changed quickly.

‘You sure I’m all right dressed like this?’ Jordan said as soon as Sabine appeared from her bedroom, wearing a long skirt and a smart v-neck t-shirt.

‘Oh yeah, no problem. Bert and Edna aren’t at all fussy about things like that.’

‘I like them already.’

‘It’s impossible not to like them. You ready to go round there?’

‘I’m right behind you.’

The pair of them made the short trip round to the adjoining house, both intent on not thinking about the case for the rest of the evening, both sure it was an intention that would be impossible to carry out.

‘Come on in,’ Edna said with a big smile and waved them in with her hand. ‘Perfect timing I’m just about to serve the starter.’

‘We’re having a starter?’ Jordan said as he followed Sabine in. ‘Now I definitely feel under dressed.’

‘Oh not at all,’ Edna insisted.

‘Edna this is Jordan,’ Sabine said with a little shake of the head and a slightly withering look at Jordan. ‘Jordan, this is Edna and this gentleman is Bert,’ she added as Bert came into view from the dining room.

‘Hello Jordan, it’s wonderful to finally meet you,’ Edna said as she shook his hand. ‘We’ve heard so much about you.’

‘I’ve heard so much about you,’ Bert said and shook Jordan’s hand as soon as Edna had let go. ‘Then I tell Edna.’

‘Has Sabine told you about her frequent chats out on the balcony with Bert?’ Edna asked Jordan.

‘Indeed she has, in fact I suspect that it’s actually Bert that solves most of the cases and Sabine is just the pretty figurehead.’

‘Don’t throw the word pretty in there, in an attempt to disguise your latest insult of me.’

‘She is pretty though isn’t she?’ Edna said. ‘Can never begin to imagine why she is single,’ she added as she showed Sabine and Jordan into the dining room and to their seats.

‘I know what you mean,’ Jordan said. ‘If I was a few years older I’d be all over her.’

‘I’ve never actually mentioned to Bert your addiction to insulting me, so now they are seeing you in a new light.’

‘Sounds like harmless fun to me,’ Bert said. ‘I’m sure you two have plenty of that, besides I’m damn sure you can give as good as you get Lieutenant.’

‘I told you not to call me that, even when I actually was one,’ Sabine told Bert and gave him a playful tap on the shoulder.

‘I’m sorry it became a habit, you know how happy I was to live next door to a Lieutenant, equally so now you’re a Private Investigator. At my age it doesn’t take much to excite me.’

‘Keep doing the crosswords Bert, that will keep your mind young,’ Sabine said. ‘You finished your sports one today?’

‘No, two answers missing.’

‘That’s my queue to go and get the soup,’ Edna said and went to the kitchen.

‘Give us the clues Bert, we could do with something to occupy our minds,’ Sabine said.

‘I thought you’d say that, so I kept the paper in here,’ Bert said and picked the paper up from the floor by his seat. ‘Venue of 1912 Olympics, only letters I have are.....’

‘Stockholm,’ Sabine interrupted.

‘Yeah that works,’ Bert said and started to fill in the blanks. ‘Last one then, surprise men’s Wimbledon Champion 1996.’

‘Richard Krajicek,’ Jordan replied immediately.

Bert looked at Sabine for confirmation.

‘Sounds great to me, beat Washington in the final I believe,’ Sabine said whilst looking at Jordan.

‘After earlier causing a sensation by beating Sampras,’ Jordan said and returned the look.

‘How do you spell his surname?’ Bert asked.

Jordan spelled out the Dutch surname.

‘That fits, you two should form your own sports quiz team.’

‘No, we like competing against each other too much,’ Sabine said.

‘You were a ball player yourself I believe,’ Bert said to Jordan.

‘Yes I was. No doubt Sabine has filled you in on my brutality.’

‘She did say something along the lines of you being able to look after yourself,’ Bert said.

‘Nothing wrong with a man being able to defend himself,’ Edna said as she brought in four bowls of soup on a tray. ‘Hope everyone likes mushroom.’

‘Sounds perfect,’ Jordan said.

‘You know I do,’ Sabine said.

Edna placed a bowl in front of each of the other three, then put one down for herself and sat down. ‘Sabine tells us that the sport you played was extremely rough, you must have a few injuries from all those years of playing.’

‘There’s the shoulder that stopped me playing, a few cracked ribs that will never quite be the same, every finger isn’t quite the way it should be and both knees and both wrists creak a bit. At least I got out of it with my looks.’

‘That face hasn’t been damaged?!’ Sabine said with a cheeky version of her smile.

‘Listen to you two,’ Edna said. ‘It’s a classic case of school kids picking on the one they like.’

‘She wishes!’ Jordan said at the exact same time that Sabine said, ‘He wishes!’ Both of them had to laugh a little, but couldn’t look at each other for long.

‘Awesome soup,’ Jordan said.

Throughout the rest of the starter and the main course the four of them were constantly chattering. Bert and Edna wanted to know more about Jordan and he wanted to know all about their life, growing up and living in California for all those years. Sabine found out things about all three of them by listening to and joining in their conversations.

‘Absolutely exquisite Risotto,’ Jordan said, shortly after swallowing his last mouthful, the last of the four to finish.

‘Completely agree,’ Sabine said. ‘Didn’t know you could make Risotto Edna.’

‘Neither did I, until yesterday,’ Edna admitted. ‘Bert has had it two nights running now. I found it in a recipe book and thought I’d make it for tonight, but wanted to try it out first. I think we should wait a little before dessert.’

‘Probably wise,’ Sabine concurred.

‘Are you two going to tell us about the case you’re working on?’

‘Shall we?’ Sabine asked Jordan.

‘May as well, I can’t stop myself thinking about it and I bet you can’t.’

‘Have to admit I can’t,’ Sabine said and turned to face Bert. ‘There’s this young lady, Nadia, who on first glance would appear to have committed suicide.’

‘But you suspect murder,’ Edna guessed excitedly.

‘Yes and there is this one woman who we are sure has done it, but we can’t prove it,’ Sabine said as she turned to Edna.

‘Some say Cleopatra committed suicide,’ Bert said.

‘What on earth has that got to do with anything? Edna asked. ‘You silly old fool, no wonder Sabine is reluctant to share details on all her cases with you if come up with ridiculous comments like that.’

Jordan suddenly raised his left hand up as high as his face, with his index finger extended and pointing upwards. The other three looked at him, waiting for him to speak, especially Sabine. Jordan’s eyes moved, back and two, up and down and then a smile came across his face, a smile of great satisfaction.

‘You about to fill me in?’ Sabine asked.

‘We’ve put Velma in check so often, that I just want to make sure this one is check mate,’ Jordan said then had a few more moments of silent thought. ‘I do believe it is. Bert I knew you were the brains of this outfit, Edna I’m sorry but dessert will have to wait, Sabine we are going down town to absolutely confirm that we’ve got her,’ Jordan jumped up out of his seat, quickly followed by Sabine. ‘We’ll let ourselves out,’ Jordan said.

Chapter 20

Just after 2am on Saturday night and I was all alone in my apartment. I’d just stripped down to my underwear and got into bed, when I was startled by buzz from the main door downstairs. Curiosity got the better of me and I found out is was Leda doing the buzzing, so I let her in.

‘Strange outfit,’ I said about her long black coat and hat, immediately after opening my apartment door for her.

‘I can get down to my underwear too if that will make you more comfortable.’

‘Feel free. Anyway what the heck are you doing here at this time?’

‘You said anytime,’ she held up a bag full of bottles.

‘I did indeed,’ I said with a smile. ‘You better come in then.’

She came in and took her hat and coat off.

‘Like the gloves,’ I said of her black leather gloves that went halfway up to her elbows.

‘I’m experimenting with my look a little, always like the look of the old film actresses with these gloves on.’

‘Speaking of clothes, I really should put some on,’ I said and went into my room and gestured for Leda to follow me. When I got in there I grabbed a pair of black jeans off the floor, along with a cut up black t-shirt. ‘What’s our poison this time?’

Leda gave me a delightful little smile. ‘Bourbon.’

‘Definitely not a young person’s drink this time.’

‘No,’ she said and handed me a bottle out of the bag. ‘This is how we are going to play, we have to gulp down as much as we can in ten seconds, then we have a break for two minutes and repeat the process until someone wins. After each ten seconds of gulping we check how much we have drunk and if one of us is behind then they have to drink more until they catch up.’

‘This could be a fast game!’ I said as we both sat down on the bed.

‘It is after two in the morning, I for one am in favour of a fast game.’

‘I hear you,’ I said and took the top off my bottle.

She took the top off her bottle and we looked each other in the eye and put our bottles to our lips.

‘I’ll count out the ten seconds in my head,’ she said. ‘You stop drinking when I do.’

‘Cool.’

We gulped away for what felt like a little more than ten seconds. As soon as I stopped drinking I felt strange, and not just the sort of strange you get from gulping down bourbon.

‘You all right honey?’ she asked. ‘You’re not quitting on me already are you?’ She glared at me in a way she had never done before.

‘I’m fine, just must have had some problems swallowing,’ I said, but I was feeling dizzy, feint and nauseous.

‘Good girl,’ she said and looked at her watch. ‘Let’s have a look at your bottle.’

She checked the two bottles. ‘Close enough,’ she said. ‘Thirty seconds to go until round two.’

‘Bring it on,’ I said slowly.

‘All right then,’ she put her bottle to her mouth and I did the same thing with mine.

She flicked up her bottle and I copied her. This time after what felt like nearer ten minutes than ten seconds, I coughed as soon as I finished drinking and felt like I had to lie down.

‘Where did you get this Bourbon from?’ I asked as I lay flat out on my back.

‘Have I found a drink you can’t handle?’

‘I’m fine,’ I said, but the room was spinning and I felt completely awful.

‘You’re not fine,’ she said as she stood up and walked around the bed, then leaned over to glare at me. ‘Soon enough you’ll be as far away as possible from fine. The reason this is happening to you is that you answered a question incorrectly. When somebody asks you if you have any regrets, the correct answer for you is to say you have one big one. You should tell them about how a girl in your high school committed suicide and all because she wanted to be like you.’

‘Tori? I, I hardly knew her,’ I could hardly breathe, let alone talk.

‘She knew you, she mentioned you more than once. And I knew her, the way mothers are supposed to know their daughters. The day she killed herself you had done a class presentation on suicide.’

‘I, con....con....conclu...lu....ded with how stu....stu....stu....stupid it was.’

‘That’s what everybody is going to think about you, just another stupid little girl.’

Chapter 21

Jordan knocked boisterously on Velma’s front door, with Sabine by his side. After a minute or two Velma answered the door.

‘It’s almost eleven guys, so I’m guessing you think this is important.’

‘Guessed right, always knew you were clever,’ Sabine said.

‘You look good in a skirt,’ Velma said then turned to Jordan. ‘You two been on a date?’

‘We have been having dinner together,’ Jordan said.

‘From the time of night and the mixture of excitement and smugness on your faces I’m guessing you think you’ve found your proof.’

‘Oh no not at all,’ Jordan said. ‘We know we’ve found it.’

‘Really? You better come in then.’

‘Very kind of you,’ Jordan said as he followed Sabine into the house and into the living room.

‘Please take a seat,’ Velma said after following them into the lounge.

‘I think we’d rather stand, because of the excitement,’ Jordan said.

‘It’s getting late, I know I look great but I am still a lady of a certain age and I need my sleep, so if we could please get to the part where I dismiss your latest pathetic bit of so called evidence.’

‘Fine with us. Can I just clarify that you say you weren’t in Nadia’s apartment on the night of her death?’ Jordan replied.

‘That’s right.’

‘In fact you were around two hundred miles up the coast in a hotel.’

‘Right again.’

‘And you never even spoke to her on the phone? Phone records back you up there.’

‘Exactly, I never saw her, spoke to her, chatted to her on line, I had no contact with her whatsoever for over a week before her death.’

‘You’re certain you never had any contact whatsoever with Nadia on the day she died?’ Jordan checked theatrically.

‘Completely.’

‘Thanks for clearing that up,’ Jordan said. ‘Now if you don’t mind listening to a conversation the three of us had,’ he added and pulled his Dictaphone out of his pocket and pressed play:

‘You not being a contact in Nadia’s phone really does bother us though, can’t make sense of that.’

‘Plus you didn’t have any conscious company around the time of the murder and I think with your car you were within two and a half hours of Nadia’s apartment.’

‘Forget about me for a moment. Why are you so certain this girl didn’t kill herself? She owned and had read every book Sylvia Plath and Ernest Hemingway had every written, has posters of Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe and even Thich Quang Duc for Christ’s sake. Every day she dressed as if attending a funeral, she regularly went on a website dedicated to suicide and she had a tattoo of Cleopatra!’

‘That rant just makes us more suspicious.’

Jordan stopped the tape. ‘You remember that rant?’ He asked.

‘Remember it and still stand by it.’

‘That rant was your downfall.’

‘You’re dying to tell me why, so please do.’

Jordan pulled something else out of his pocket. ‘This is a receipt for a tattoo. Seen as Nadia only had the one tattoo it must be for the Cleopatra one. We even went to the tattoo place tonight to check with the guy who put the tattoo on. He remembers Nadia because she came to get a different tattoo but when she saw the Cleopatra design on the wall she changed her mind and opted for that one.’

‘Fascinating.’

‘Not really, until you notice the date on the receipt. It was the day she died,’ Jordan said then stared into Velma’s eyes. For the first time in any of their interactions, Velma looked unnerved.

‘You must see the problem Ma’am,’ Jordan continued. ‘There is no way, no way in the world that you could’ve known that she had a tattoo of Cleopatra, unless you had seen her the night she died. That’s the only way you could’ve known.’

Velma slowly lowered herself into an armchair. Her usual look of brash assuredness had been replaced by one of depressed defeatism.

‘I’m only sorry I got caught. That bitch effectively killed my daughter. I didn’t want to be as bad as her and kill a child. I had to know that the adult she went on to become was still guilty.’

‘Guilty in your eyes only,’ Sabine said.

THE END.