Authors: Sarah Biglow
Morning quickly turned to late afternoon and Kalina found herself organizing the game room for the third time in as many hours. Even on slow days she could usually occupy herself with more success. Out front the bell rang again and she straightened.
“It’s just me, Aunt K.,” AJ called.
She met him halfway between the front counter and the game room. “It’s pretty dead right now, kid. There’s not much for you to do.”
“Yeah, I know. I just wanted to ask you something. Before you say no, I’ve already cleared it with Mom.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“How would you feel about hiring me for like after school and weekends? Once I’m sixteen I mean. I could help with inventory or supervise the game room.”
“I don’t know, AJ.”
“Please. This was always supposed to be a family business, right? And I’ve helped out before over the summer.”
She nodded. “Yes.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “I’ll think about it.”
AJ pulled her into a hug and she returned the gesture. “You’re the best aunt ever.”
She laughed a little. “Thanks. You know, we could test it out right now if you want. I don’t expect anyone to come in but I have to run an errand.”
“I do know how to operate a cash register. I promise I won’t burn the place down.”
“Okay. Fine. Text me if there are any problems.” Kalina grabbed her keys from below the counter and headed for her car. She could easily walk to her destination but the heat was still too oppressive.
Twenty minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot at the police precinct, a bag of take-out Chinese in the passenger seat. She’d called the hospital while waiting for her order but the nurse on duty had said Nadine was still sedated. That worried her. Sure, Nadine had been upset at the scene but anyone would be. She tried to shake the feeling as she headed inside.
“Evening, Kal.” Jimmy greeted her from his post at the front desk.
She stopped and rested the bag on the desk. “Hey. So you’re back from the scene?”
The precinct was fairly deserted but he still leaned in close. “Yeah. Man I’m glad they covered the body before I got there. Just seeing what was left made me almost lose my breakfast. I never saw a dead body before.” He paled and swallowed loudly. “I mean I know we’re trained to deal with these things but it’s different thinking about it and doing it, you know?”
Kalina nodded. “I bet. Did you find anything … interesting?”
He smiled. He was young—maybe 25—and eager to please. She felt only a tiny twinge of guilt at playing on his insecurity. “Well, I’m just writing up my report now.” He looked down at the screen in front of him. “Oh, yeah the weird thing was the way he landed.”
“Really?”
“I think the medical examiner is going to do a test to see if he was pushed.”
Interesting, indeed.
She scanned the rest of the bull pen and spotted Chris bent over a file. “Well, good luck with the report, Jimmy.” She made a show of picking up the take-out. “I’d better get this over to Detective Harper.”
Jimmy beamed back at her. “You have a good night.”
Kalina waved goodbye and crossed the bull pen to Chris’s desk. He rubbed at the nape of his neck as he studied a file in front of him. Plopping down in the empty chair across from him she cleared her throat. “Hey.”
He jumped a little at her greeting but he smiled back at her. “I didn’t know you were coming down.”
“I thought I’d surprise you. And—” Kalina opened the bag and pulled out a container of pork fried rice “—I wanted to make sure you didn’t forget to eat.”
Chris chuckled and closed the file. “Thanks. That’s really sweet of you. I’ll go see if I can find some plates.”
While he disappeared into the small kitchen, Kalina unpacked the rest of the containers and plastic utensils. Casting a furtive glance around the rest of the bull pen, she reached over and opened the file he’d been reading: Nadine’s medical history. She’d been institutionalized for six months about five years ago. First thing in the morning she was making a trip back to the hospital to have a chat with her old friend.
“Found them!” Chris called.
Kalina quickly replaced the file and took a steadying breath as he returned. She dished out some Kung Pao Chicken onto her plate along with a teriyaki beef strip and some rice. Chris loaded his plate down and leaned back in his chair.
“So, how was the rest of your day?” he asked around a mouthful of food.
“Pretty slow. Andrew Chambers came by to try to chew me out about his son reading comics.”
“I hope he wasn’t rude.”
“Oh, he was but I told him he should actually parent the kid and talk to him if he didn’t like what his son was reading.”
“Good for you.”
“And I’m thinking of hiring AJ on to help out around the shop after school once he’s sixteen. He seems really excited.”
“I think he just likes hanging out with his cool aunt in nerd heaven.”
“Probably.” She briefly turned her attention back to the food on her plate. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Nadine’s mom… I had no idea she’d died.”
“Yeah. From what I heard it was pretty rough. Her dad was pretty broken up about it after she passed.”
“I can imagine. Did they ever figure out what happened? With the accident I mean.”
Chris’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Well, I read an article that said it might have been another driver’s fault. Or Mr. Larrabee might have been drunk.”
“I’m not really sure.”
“Don’t you think it might be important?”
“Maybe. But, Kal, that’s my job to figure out.”
“I know… Sorry. I was just trying to help.”
“Even if it means implicating a good friend in a murder?”
Kalina sniffled. “Yes.”
The conversation fizzled out and Kalina was grateful. She wanted to just enjoy her boyfriend’s company and pretend for a short while that everything was fine and the lives of the people around them weren’t falling apart at the seams. She was so absorbed in the moment that she didn’t hear the footsteps until Jimmy peered over Chris’s shoulder at the leftovers.
“They always give you an extra fortune cookie,” he said and snapped up a plastic-wrapped cookie without asking permission. “Oh, boss, here’s my report from earlier.”
Chris took the report and slid it on top of Nadine’s medical history without looking at it. He turned to the officer and gave him an expectant look. Jimmy blissfully ignored him as he fussed with opening the plastic and cracking open the cookie.
“Hmm—” Jimmy studied the fortune “—that’s not really a fortune. I mean everyone could have good luck this week, right?”
“Uh, Jimmy, you need to get back to the desk now,” Chris said.
“Oh right. Sorry! You guys are on a date. I’m such an idiot I should have realized.”
Kalina tried to give him an understanding smile but devolved into a fit of giggles as soon as he was out of earshot. “He’s like a lost puppy sometimes,” she said.
“I hate to admit it but you’re right. He means well, he’s just a little clueless sometimes.”
The tension over Nadine’s situation lifted for a moment and Kalina picked up one of the remaining fortune cookies. She popped the plastic and cracked the cookie. She studied the tiny slip of paper with mild amusement that quickly turned sour. ‘An old friend will come into your life in an unexpected way’.
“Get something good?” Chris leaned over to take the paper from her.
“Just hitting a little close to home. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.” She cleared her throat. “I should get going. I’m sure you have lots to get done before the end of your shift, too.”
She gathered up the empty food containers and tossed them in the trash nearby. Before Chris could say anything she was halfway to the front door. She gave Jimmy a hasty wave before she braved the evening heat. Footsteps pounded on the pavement behind her and she slowed down.
“Kal, wait a minute,” Chris said and spun her around to face him. “It’s just a fortune cookie. It’s not meant to be serious.”
She let out a huff of annoyance. “I know that. It’s just been a long day. That’s all.”
He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and leaned in for a kiss. “Good night.”
Kalina headed to the hospital just after eight the next morning. The shop remained closed with a sign indicating that the closure was due to inventory. It was an outright lie but she could handle a little lost business. Nadine was more important. As she waited to check in at the nurse’s station she wondered why, after all these years, she felt so compelled to be there for Nadine. As she headed down the east wing to a private room, she realized she felt guilty. She needed to apologize for letting them drift so far apart during college. Sure, Nadine could have reached out, too, but given her current situation, Kalina was more than willing to heap the extra blame on herself.
Taking a left turn at the next junction, Kalina finally found Nadine’s room. It was a single occupant room with a view of the distant shoreline. Nadine sat on the bed, staring out the window. She looked calmer than she’d been the day before and Kalina breathed a sigh of relief that her friend was awake and alert. She knocked on the doorframe and Nadine turned with a ghost of a smile on her lips.
“Can I come in?” Kalina asked, standing in the doorway.
“Sure.” Her voice was stronger than it had been the day before, too.
Kalina crossed the room in two big strides and she settled in a chair under the flat-screen TV mounted to the wall. Nadine tugged at a few curls and kept her gaze on the floor. Awkward silence filled the room. Kalina wasn’t sure what to say.
“How are you?”
Nadine shrugged one shoulder. “They are letting me leave today. I guess that’s good.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“I can’t go home. Not after… I just keep seeing him on driveway.”
Kalina reached out and took Nadine’s hand in hers. “You can stay with me if you want. I have a free futon.”
“You don’t have to do that. This isn’t your mess.”
“You’re my friend. At least I hope you still are and I want to help. And once the house isn’t a crime scene anymore I can go pick up some clothes and stuff for you.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course.”
Nadine squeezed Kalina’s hand. “Thanks, Kal.” She glanced over her shoulder towards the empty doorway. “The nurse said she’d be back with discharge papers but that was like twenty minutes ago.”
“I’m sure you’ll be out of here before you know it.” Footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing louder. “See, I bet that’s the nurse now.”
Her shoulders fell a little bit when Chris appeared in the doorway. He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. Nadine pulled her knees up to her chest in a protective posture and didn’t let go of Kalina’s hand.
“How are you feeling, Miss Larrabee?” he asked.
“You can call me Nadine. We all know each other,” Nadine said.
Chris cleared his throat. “All right, how are you doing, Nadine?”
“I’m okay. They’re discharging me now.”
“That’s good to hear.” He turned to Kalina. “I trust you’re here just as a friend.”
Kalina nodded. “Nothing more, I swear.”
“I need to ask you some questions about your father’s death, Nadine. I’d like you to come down to the station this afternoon.”
“Do I need a lawyer or something?”
“That’s up to you. But right now you are the only witness to what happened and we need to get your statement.”
“I’ll make sure she gets there.” Kalina released Nadine’s hand and stood up. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Detective?”
He gestured towards the hallway and they stepped out of the room. “What’s wrong, Kal?”
“So she’s a
witness
now?”
“She’s always been a witness. She might be a suspect, too, but right now there’s nothing to support charging her.”
Kalina studied his face for any sign that he was bluffing but she couldn’t find any. Maybe he really didn’t have anything. But Jimmy seemed certain the forensic team had been to the house so they had to have discovered something. Chris lifted her chin so they were eye to eye.
“I’m doing everything I can to figure this out. I just need you to be a little patient. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” She fought the urge to lean in for a kiss. “What time do you want her there for the interview?”
“Bring her by around three.”
Before she could reply, a nurse in pale pink scrubs approached with a clipboard and some paperwork. They moved out of her way and waited while Nadine signed the forms. The sound of a heart monitor went dead and Nadine appeared with the forms in hand.
“Can we get out of here?”
The three of them walked back to the main entrance of the hospital and out to the parking lot. Kalina and Nadine parted ways with Chris as he climbed into a marked police cruiser and pulled away. Kalina unlocked her car and they settled in.
“So, is there something going on with you and Chris?” Nadine asked as Kalina started the engine.
“We’ve been seeing each other since June.”
“I guess first loves do come back to you if you let them free.”
Kalina smiled a toothy grin. “I guess so.”
“Thanks again for doing this,” Nadine said, rubbing at her forehead.
Kalina reached over to pat the woman on the shoulder. They would get through this together. She did her best to squash her doubts about Nadine’s innocence in the whole mess. Nadine needed her support right now, not judgment.
“Do you mind if we stop by the shop for a bit?” Kalina asked as she eased to a stop at a stop sign. Geeks and Things sat half a block up on Main Street.
“Shop?”
“I took over my dad’s comic book shop after he died a few months back.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize. Sorry about your dad.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t know your mom had died, either. I’m sorry I wasn’t around for you back then.”
“It would have been nice to have my best friend there but … people drift apart after high school. And I could have made more of an effort.”
Kalina smiled at her friend. Kids had it so much easier these days with Facebook keeping everyone connected. The whole phenomenon had been just a little behind their college experience. “I want you to know I’m here for you now.” She accelerated through the intersection and pulled in behind the store. She’d spotted a few people on the sidewalk, lounging by the front door. The late opening wasn’t hurting business after all.
“So did you want to take over the store after your dad passed?” Nadine asked as they climbed out and Kalina pulled her keys out of her pocket.
“Yeah. I ended up going to grad school for business. It’s kind of a dream come true, honestly. I was always more into all the nerdy stuff than Jillian and I didn’t realize it until recently, but I love being able to keep the family business alive. It kind of feels like my dad’s still around a little bit.”
Nadine nodded wordlessly and waited while Kalina unlocked the back door. They made their way to the front of the store through the game room. Kalina moved with quick steps to the front door, unlocking it and pulling it open. “Come on in.”
Customers lined up in front of the counter and Nadine stood off to the side, watching intently. Kalina darted to the back to retrieve their waiting orders. Thank goodness none of them were waiting on Valiant Comics. She hadn’t had a chance to sort through the new inventory yet. She’d gotten through the first customer when the bell above the door rang and Andrew Chambers walked in. Kalina suppressed a groan and motioned Nadine to join her from where she was lurking in the back.
“Can you run a register?”
“Yeah. Why?”
She nodded toward Mr. Chambers. “I need to take care of something. Everything is written on the folders. Thanks so much.”
Kalina blew out a breath and motioned for Mr. Chambers to follow her into the game room. She braced herself for another confrontation but it seemed it might not come. He shuffled into the room behind her, hands in his pockets and his gaze cast downward.
He cleared his throat and said, “I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t been expecting an apology.
“It’s just”—he looked around the room—“Kevin’s grades weren’t that great this past school year and I thought maybe it was because of the comics. But I did like you said and talked to him. It wasn’t a fun talk, believe me. But he’s been having issues since his mom left.”
Kalina’s expression softened. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
He shrugged off her concern. “It was a long time coming. I guess I’m not so good at all the emotional stuff. Look, do you think maybe when school starts he could hang out here after school and do his homework? He’s promised he’ll do it.”
“He’s welcome to come by.”
Mr. Chambers smiled. “Thanks. And, again, I’m sorry I lost it on you.”
“I’m used to it.”
“Hey, Kal. I need some help,” Nadine called.
“I’ll let you get back to work.”
Kalina offered her hand to Mr. Chambers. He shook it and headed out of the shop. Kalina rejoined Nadine at the counter and helped her sort out a glitch with Square. Finally, the shop was quiet again. Kalina fiddled with the tablet for a few minutes before she set it aside and leaned on her elbows. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you remember the accident? I read what was in the paper yesterday but it seemed kind of vague.”
Nadine’s cheeks paled and she slumped onto the stool. She took several deep breaths. “We were at a Fourth of July party. I didn’t want to go but my mom made me. I don’t think she wanted to be alone with my dad. He’d been drinking but refused to give Mom the keys.”
“So he was drunk. There was no truck in the wrong lane.”
“There might have been. It was late and I was half-asleep when it happened.” She closed her eyes tight as if trying to remember that night. “I can still hear the tires and brakes squealing and the sound of the airbags deploying. The rest is kind of a blur though.”
“Did they test your dad’s blood alcohol level? I mean even if there was a truck he shouldn’t have been driving when he was drunk.”
“They probably did but I don’t know what happened. All I know is no one wanted to charge him with anything. He was buddies with the chief of police at the time and he just looked the other way.”
“Police corruption at its best.”
“Yeah. I heard about what happened with Dan Cahill. That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, it was. I was there when he was arrested.”
Nadine let out a nervous hiccup of laughter. “You were? Why?”
“I was sort of unofficially helping Chris out with the case. Not that he’d ever admit to that.”
“Do you think you could come with me to the police station?”
“Yeah, of course. I don’t think he’ll let me sit in with you on the interview but I could probably wait outside.”
“I need to call Adam.”
Kalina cocked her head in curiosity. “Who is Adam?”
“My boyfriend. He’s a lawyer. I think I need one.”
“Chris just wants your statement about what happened.”
“I think I might have done something, Kal. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not many people know but I was locked up in a psych ward for about six months. My father had them convinced I was bipolar. I’m not. I know I’m not but even without a law degree I know that looks suspicious. I don’t speak to my father for years after I’m committed and then we reconnect and he ends up dead. That doesn’t look good for me, Kal.”
“I’m sure you didn’t do anything.”
“The night’s kind of fuzzy to be honest. But what if I did do something?”
“But you said you aren’t bipolar.”
“No, but he drugged me before. What if he did it again and I blacked or something?”
“Could you really have pushed him out a window, even if you were drugged?”
“Maybe—” she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes “—I need to call Adam and let him know what’s happening.”
“You can borrow my phone if you want.” Kalina unlocked her phone and slid it across the counter.
Nadine picked it up and entered a number before hitting ‘Call’ and disappearing to the game room for some privacy. Kalina’s stomach lurched at Nadine’s revelation. She hadn’t wanted to believe her friend could be responsible for killing a man but Nadine was right. There was definitely some motive. And if they were the only two people in the house then she had no alibi and she’d been sedated with enough drugs at the hospital it could have messed up any toxicology test the doctors ran. Maybe eavesdropping on Chris’s interview would shed some more light on things.