Diana Orgain - Bundle of Trouble

I fingered a collection of handmade earrings as I waited. As soon as the customer left, Jennifer turned her attention to me.

“What’s up?” she asked, nervously tugging at her blond curls.

My visit was clearly annoying her. “Can you tell me again where you were on June fifteenth?”

“I was with my boyfriend, Winter. I already told you, and that fat cop, too. I mean, how many times do I need to answer the same stupid questions? I was with Winter.”

“Winter’s not really sure about that.”

Jennifer blinked. “Well, he’s just bitter. He’s upset because I met his stupid mother and she didn’t like me. She didn’t think I was good enough for her little boy, so he broke up with me. Can you believe it? He dumped me because his mommy said so! I was this close to getting engaged.” She made a gesture with her hands, bringing her fingers together.

I noticed the nail on her index finger was broken, making it the only short nail on either hand.

Could she have broken it in a fight with Michelle or Svetlana?

“What happened to your hand?”

“What?” Jennifer glanced down at her hand.

“Your nail. It’s broken.”

“My nails break all the time. I don’t think I’m getting enough protein. I’m a vegetarian, you know, so I have to eat beans and cheese and those kinds of things, but they’re very fattening, so I try to avoid them and my nails get brittle.”

She looked at me. I suppose she expected me to encourage her or applaud her choices. Instead, I sipped on my leftover Diet Coke and wondered what her opinion of McDonald’s was.

“Yeah, so you say you were at Winter’s but he can’t confirm it, so that kind of leaves you without an alibi.”

“Well, I was there.” She played with one of the silver rings around her thumb. “You can ask the neighbors, or whatever you guys do. I don’t know what to tell you. I was there.”

Should I mention the Brad sighting at her apartment?

“How about Thursday morning? Since she’s your boss, I presume you know Svetlana Avery was murdered.”

Jennifer looked genuinely confused. “I was working. Here. Like I always am. I told the cops that, too. Everyone here was shocked when we heard. But we were told to stay open. Business as usual.”

“Someone sure had it out for Brad’s whole family, huh? First him, then Michelle, now the ex-wife.” I eyed her carefully. “With odds like that, I’d hate to be his mistress.”

She grimaced. Our eyes locked. Was that fear in her eyes? She slipped past me and locked the store door, pocketing the key.

“What are you doing?” I said, the panic in my voice scaring even me.

Jennifer ignored me and rummaged through a shelf behind the counter.

Blood roared in my ears. I felt dizzy.

What was she getting, a gun?

If I moved now, I could take her. I was taller. I could push her against the wall, grab the gun, and call 9-1-1.

I rushed the counter and shoved hard against her shoulders. She jumped, dropping the object in her hands. A bong.

“Hey! What are you doing?” she demanded.

I stared at the bong. “When you locked me in here, I thought you had a gun. For Christ’s sake, I’m investigating three murders!”

Jennifer rubbed at her shoulders. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted a little something to take the edge off.” She pulled open a drawer. Inside were baggies filled with marijuana.

Who kept that kind of stash in a store?

She selected a bag from the drawer and squatted behind the counter, safely hidden from street view as she lit the bong and inhaled. “Maybe you need a hit, too.”

I exhaled and slumped down next to her. “I’ll pass. Want to tell me about you and Brad?”

After a moment she nodded. “We were working at the restaurant together and, you know, one thing led to another. We were staying out late, partying. . He was really cool and everything, but a little uptight. So, not totally my type, but, you know, he was so good lookin’.” She opened the baggie and loaded the bong. “Anyway, we were smoking and drinking, and what can I tell you? The sex was really hot, so we just kinda kept at it.”

“Were you seeing each other up until his death?”

“Oh, no! It went down kinda rough. Eventually, I had to tell him that he wasn’t my type. By then I’d started seeing Winter. We were much more alike, much more compatible. I thought he was my soul mate.” She sighed. “I had to tell Brad. He didn’t take it too good. . cuz, you know, I think he liked me a lot.”

“Why did Brad come to see you on June fifteenth?”

She played with the lighter in her hand. “To try and get back together.”

“You said no?”

“I told him no way in hell. He left really mad. If I had known that I was never gonna see him again, and that Winter was gonna dump me, well, hell, one final final wouldn’t have been too bad.”

“Do you have any idea who killed Brad, Michelle, and Svetlana?” I asked.

Jennifer took a hit and slowly shook her head. “Wish I did.”

Monday rolled around sooner than I would have liked. I hated the idea of Jim having to go to work.

“I wish you could take more time off to be with me and the baby. After all, I’m supposed to be back to the office next week.”

“What are we going to do about day care?” Jim asked.

My throat constricted. Leave my angel with strangers all day? “We won’t need day care.”

“Honey, we have to be realistic. I mean, even if you solve this homicide for Mrs. Avery, we still need a second income.”

“I could get another client.”

Jim looked at me, a cross of pity and love on his face.

“You think I’m kidding myself, don’t you?” I asked.

He wrapped his arms around me. “I totally believe in you and support you and love you.”

“You think I’m kidding myself.”

“How about I ask for a raise today?”

I pulled out of his embrace and looked into his eyes. “You certainly deserve one.”

“Yeah. I’ve been landing them new clients left and right. You should have seen the ad campaign I presented last week. Maybe I can squeeze a few more dollars out of them, or hell, even a promotion.”

Relief washed over me. Maybe I could stay home after all.

“You better get going then,” I said. “You don’t want to be late on the day you get promoted.”

To-Do List:

1. Find Brad and/or Michelle and Svetlana’s killer.

2. ✓

3. Get some sleep.

4. ✓

5. Figure out how to launch this PI business-need license?

6. Research day care for Jelly Bean-just in case.

7. Start diet.

8. Pick up some dental whitener.

9. Find time for manicure/pedicure.

I looked over my list. How could I prioritize that to-do list? Could I really find a killer?

Well, I had found George, hadn’t I?

Please don’t be one and the same , I prayed, unable to control the nausea that surfaced.

The phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.

“Kate. Nora Collins here. How are you and the baby?”

My boss from corporate hell.

“Fine. Fine. Everyone is good.”

“Great. Glad to hear it. Did you get the basket we sent?”