I walked home in a daze; I don’t even remember the walk. My aunt welcomed me without words and told me she was tired and needed sleep. I helped her get into bed and gave her a Bible and her glasses. When I’d chatted with her for a few minutes and issued her goodnight, I left her room and went back to the kitchen.
For the first time that day, I was aware of my growling stomach. Realizing I hadn’t had a proper meal that whole day, I took a pot out and boiled some water for a quick pasta dish. I’d survived on fluids the entire day; air and tea and coffee.
I called Lucas with my finger crossed for luck since I didn’t have any horseshoes or four-leaf clovers. My water boiled on the stove while I called him. He picked up on the third ring and said;
“Hello?” I did a little happy dance around the kitchen because I was thankful that he picked up. 80% of me thought he wouldn’t.
“Yes, detective. It’s me.” He would not understand who ‘me’ was, but I only remembered that after I’d said it. Luckily, he recognised me by my voice. That could have been a compliment to me or a disguised insult because it either meant I had a great and unforgettable voice. Or I had an annoying and unforgettable voice. I looked on the bright side of things and decided I have a sweet voice.
“Angela.” He had called me by my first name and not my last name. He loved calling me ‘miss Blackburn,’. “I hope this isn’t to interrogate me. I can’t give you any information on the case.”
“No. This time, I’m the one with the news. Well, sort of, but yes.” I stuttered. My mind was trying to come up with a plausible reason I could give if he asked how I’d found out what I had found out. I figure I’d cross that bridge when I came to it. “See, I spoke to Tanya today.”
“And?” He didn’t start by scolding me, that was good. I felt more confident continuing after that.
“She’s a pathological liar, that woman. She lies about pretty much everything.” I said, then immediately regretted it. I’d made a diagnosis from my couch with no qualification. “She lied about her husband. She tells me the reason he’s gone is that his father passed away, but she told you she didn’t know why he’d left remember?”
“Yes. But you said that before, what’s new?”
“Well, she lied about not knowing Celine Ramroth that day,” I said. “Today, she told me how she knew her that day because she was a famous businesswoman and she, Tanya, sometimes uses her scents. Like today. I could smell it in her house and I know this because when Celine wanted to hire me, she gifted me the exact scent. I don’t know why she keeps using the same scents every time like she never has new scents. That’s why I refused to work for her.” But that was only part of the reason.
“That’s an extreme allegation, Angela.” He said. “You’re accusing a known and liked member of the society of a crime… a murder.”
“I’m not saying she did anything, I’m just saying…” I started, well that was I saying? Was I insinuating she had committed the murder?
“She knows more than she’s letting on.” He finished my sentence for me. Yes, that’s exactly what I thought. And that’s what I was trying to say.
“Yes. Exactly!” I exclaimed.
My pasta water had boiled, and I stood up from the couch to make food. Pasta with store-bought pasta sauce was easy to make. I decided I’d do some cooking tomorrow since I enjoyed cooking and was good at it too.
“So, what do you suggest I do?” He asked, placing unnecessary emphasis on the ‘I’. Emphasizing it wouldn’t make me any less enthusiastic to get involved. I was now invested in this case there was no way some detective would stop me. Unless they had me sentenced to die tomorrow; which would be a disaster.
“Can you find out which plane Tanya’s husband took and where it went? She says they don’t have a car, and he flew.”
“But they do have a car.”
“Huh?”
“They had a car until like a week ago, something about it needing servicing or something. I mean, it’s a small town and everyone knows everything about everyone.”
“Or she meant they don’t have a car now,” I mumbled, my brain telling me how stupid that theory was.
“That’s possible and debatable.” He said.
“And now, because I have been of so much help… can I tag along tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Oh, come on!” We argued for a good ten minutes. The guy could stand his ground most of the time because, after that, he caved. Not only was I decent at arguing, but I was also persuasive. My mom enjoyed saying I was manipulative, I preferred using the word; ‘ persuasive’.
“Fine.” When he said that, I stood up and put my now empty pasta bowl in the sink, rinsed it and walked to my room. And he was still giving terms and conditions. “You should let me do all the talking and questioning. I’ll introduce you to people and keep an emotionless face as best you can, okay? I know you’re terrible at that. I’ve seen you talk to people and look exactly the way you’re feeling, you wear your mind on your face.”
“I do not.” I protested.
“Yes, you do.” The tone he used told me that this was an already closed conversation. “And for that reason, practice an emotionless face tonight, please.” I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“Okay.” I needed to be on his good side because one wrong move and the game was up; I wouldn’t be consulting at all.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
