Ava Montez, Her Life and Death

  She was so deep in her thoughts that when the Chief called out her name, she was startled and almost jumped out of the chair.

  "Rae, it wasn't a heart attack. A woman was killed by a hit-and-run driver. No identification yet. I've just read the provisional report. Someone said the woman was thrown forty feet into the air, which means the driver was moving fast. The car didn't stop. There were no skid marks, and there's no reliable description of the driver yet. But police from this precinct are going round all the stores and houses, trying to find witnesses. In cases like this, people either don't want to get involved, or they think everyone else can give a better description, so they melt away and get on with their own lives. And even those who did see it clearly, or should have seen it clearly, are often so traumatized that their memory is either wiped or unreliable. All we know so far is that it was a dark car."

  Rae felt her breath being taken away, and for a second her mind was like a whirlwind. When she got her composure back, she said, "I know someone who may have seen the whole thing. I'm going back over to the Golden Towers and check it out."

  The Chief sighed. "Rae, I know your duty to Sam is as a reporter for the Reader, and of course he'll want to be the first paper with the news, but this is a murder investigation and whatever information you find out, you must also bring back to me. And please be careful. Remember, not too long ago you could have been the victim of a hit-and-run driver, although at the moment we have no indication that the dead woman is Martha Brown."

  "Then why didn't she turn up for the interview?" Rae demanded, sounding bolder than she felt.

  "Any number of reasons," said the Chief gently. "Maybe she missed her bus and got there after you left. She might be waiting for you now. Or maybe she was so shocked by the accident that she went straight home. Or maybe . . ."

  "Yes," Rae interrupted, "I hope you're right."

  Chief Edwards nodded. "But for the moment we're going to assume the body is Martha Brown's, and we already have a team doing the investigation with dental records and finger prints. Don't worry, Rae, we'll get to the bottom of this."

  With that, Rae left the office. She walked much faster then she had when she was going to meet Miss Brown for their appointment. She was hoping Charles would be there at the door on duty and not off for a break.

  When the Golden Towers was in sight she could see Charles standing under the large entrance canopy. He saw her, tipped his hat and gave only a brief smile. As Rae had suspected it would be, the park bench was empty

  "Hi, Charles, how are you?" She was relieved to see him.

  "I'm fine, Miss Rae, but we had a terrible accident on the other side of the park. Just about three hours ago, someone was killed by a speeding car. A woman, so I heard."

  "Yes, I know. I was supposed to meet a woman on that bench at two this afternoon." She pointed to the bench she knew so well. "Did you see anyone waiting there?"

  "I saw you sitting there soon after the accident, but no woman has sat there on her own since then."

  "I think the hit-and-run victim was the woman I was waiting for."

  "Oh, I'm so sorry. Was she a friend of yours?"

  "No, not really, I was meeting her to do an interview for a story I'm writing. I know it was the other side of the park, but I was hoping that perhaps you saw what happened and can help me out."

  "Yes, maybe. Being here at the door for most of the day I always look around at all the activity and the people going by. It keeps me from being bored. Don't get me wrong though, I love my job. That's how I noticed you so many years ago."

  Rae felt herself blush. "I know you love your job, Charles. It shows by the way you greet the people with your great smile."

  "The police want to talk to me about the accident. They came earlier, but I was on a break. They left a message to say they'd be back later. There was no point in me running across the park when it happened. The street over there was more or less deserted at the time, but a small crowd quickly gathered. There was nothing I could do to help."

  Rae drew a deep breath. "Can you tell me what you saw?"

  "I noticed a tall woman acting strangely on the far side of the main street across the park. It must be two hundred yards away, but she caught my attention because she kept turning around as if she thought someone was following her, even though the sidewalk was empty. I watched her starting to cross the street to the park. Then this car came from nowhere like a bullet. It hit her and kept on going. It never stopped, and the brakes were never put on. It was like the driver meant to run her over. It took my breath away for a moment, as she went flying through the air."

  Rae interrupted him, "Did you notice the driver of the car?"

  Charles shook his head. "Not at that distance, Miss Collins. Anyway, everything happened too fast. I was looking at what was happening to the lady, not at the driver."

  "Do you remember what make the car was, or even what color it was?"

  "I'm not sure of the exact color, but it was dark, not black, but dark. But I know the make. Another thing I do while standing here all day long is watch the different cars that pass Golden Towers. Some people think they all look the same, but not to me. Each car has its own symbol on the front and the back. I've memorized every make, and the shapes of the models they belong to."

  He looked proud of this accomplishment and had that great smile on his face as he continued. "This car's symbol always reminds me of a bird flying over the mountains in the middle of the moon. Except the moon isn't round. It's shaped a little different, but that's what it reminds me of. Of course, the symbol is the letter M, with the top part of the M making the wings of the bird. I may not be sure of the color, but I am sure that the car was a dark colored Mazda."

  CHAPTER 27

  Pier 9, No More

  Rae left the Golden Towers, crossed the park to the main street, and went straight to the office where she knew Max would be waiting for her. She could hardly wait to feel the protection of his loving arms around her.

  She dreaded going to the Chief with the information that Charles had given her about the car being dark and a Mazda. It was a perfect description of the car Kim Blakely Townsend drove.

  A thought had been going through her mind all the way back to the office, about the time she had spent with Kim when she interviewed her. She again was half speaking out loud. "Is Kim really a believer, or had she heard that I was, made a list of names, put it next to a Bible and left it open so I'd see it? Did she ask me to sit on the sofa so that I could clearly see the names? When I didn't ask about it, wasn't she the one who pointed my name out? Could she really be the one who killed that woman, and the one who's trying to kill me? The more I think about it, the more sure I am that the dead woman was Martha Brown. If it wasn't her, why hasn't she contacted me again? "

  Those chills again went through her entire body when she spoke the word kill. She didn't like thinking this way, but she was a reporter. As the Chief had said, "We have to look at all of the evidence." And more and more of the evidence pointed to Kim. But maybe tonight's interview with Mr. Joseph Morgan at Pier 9 would help put it all together.

  When Rae arrived at the office, Max and Sam were waiting for her. Someone else was there, sitting with his back toward her. As she got closer she recognized the tall thin frame.

  He stood up, and said. "Hi, Rae, I thought you might come here first. I've told Sam and Max about the hit-and-run. We don't have conclusive evidence yet, and we're waiting for her dentist to come back to us. But we're ninety percent sure the dead woman is Martha Brown."

  It was Chief Edwards.

  Rae walked over to Max and gave him a hug. She had promised herself that whatever happened she wasn't going to cry or get too emotional. It was difficult, for now it was finally sinking in that someone was really trying to kill her. And maybe, just maybe, it really was Kim Blakely Townsend.

  "Rae," the Chief asked, "I've got people interviewing everyone in and around the park area at this moment. But if you can tell me wha
t you've found out, it might help put me in the picture more quickly."

  "I've talked to Charles, the doorman at the Golden Towers. He saw the accident but he didn't notice the driver. He wasn't even sure of the car's color. All he knew was that it was dark."

  "And the make?" the Chief asked. "Did Charles recognize the make of the car?"

  Rae hesitated for a moment, aware that all three men were looking at her. "Yes, he said he knows for sure it was a Mazda."

  The Chief said, "That should settle it. Her car is bound to have considerable damage to the front." He got up and pulled out his cell phone.

  Before he could finish dialing his office number, Rae broke in and pleaded with the Chief. "Can you possibly wait until after I interview Mr. Morgan this evening? I have a feeling that whatever he says will tell us who killed Miss Brown and who's trying to . . . harm or scare me." She hated using the word kill. "I'm seeing him at seven-thirty."

  Chief Edwards scratched his chin. "I'm sorry, but Mrs. Townsend is my number-one suspect, even before you told me about the Mazda car. Anyway, I issued orders earlier to have her brought in immediately."

  "And supposing her car has no damage?" Rae asked.

  "She's still a major suspect, Rae. I made up my mind earlier that we need to question her urgently. We know her address and have her license plate number in our records. She's not at her home address right now, nor is her car. I have a plain clothes team outside her apartment, and all patrol cars are on the lookout for her car in case she's trying to leave the state."

  Chief Edwards started speaking into his cell phone.

  While he was doing this, Max asked Rae, "Where are you meeting Joseph Morgan?"

  "At a restaurant on the pier. It's called The Pier House"

  Sam said, "We know it well. It's our wives' favorite place to eat."

  Chief Edwards must have been listening. As he finished his call, he said, "Yes, they both love the whole lobster and the garlic bread. It'll be a pretty safe place to meet. In the meantime, Miss Blakely will be brought in as soon as we can find her."

  When they were through, Max and Rae went to the restaurant downstairs for a quick snack.

  Max was telling Rae, "I sure wish I could go with you tonight to see Mr. Morgan at The Pier House. I'd stay in the background while you did your interview. But tonight is my last meeting on the kidnapping story. Sam said I have to finish it off tonight, so I have to go. Praise the Lord, the young kidnapped boy has been found alive and well. Sam wants the complete story on his desk no later than ten tomorrow morning."

  Rae gave a sigh of relief at this news. "Don't worry any more about me, Max. I feel comfortable going alone, especially since both Sam and the Chief said it was a good place to meet. I've never been to Pier 9 before. In fact, I haven't been to any of the piers since I was a kid. Please, Max, don't worry so much. I'll be okay. Maybe it is Kim. Maybe she had me fooled. You know what though, Max? Even if they arrest her and find her guilty, it will still be hard for me to believe that she's the one who tried to kill me last night at the office. Either she's a good actress or she's innocent. I have a tendency to believe the latter."

  "For your sake, Rae, I hope you're right. You seem to like her a lot. I know you'll be devastated if she turns out to be the murderer. But don't let that cloud your judgment. Remember, you're a reporter."

  Rae started to say something, but then looked at her watch. "Sorry, Max, I have to go. I don't want to be late for my interview with Joseph Morgan at seven-thirty. As always, please be praying for me."

  "I always do, Rae, I always do."

  With that, they gave each other a kiss and Rae was off for what she hoped was her final interview.

  It was dark outside now, which made her feel just a little nervous. She hailed a taxi, got in, and said, "Pier 9, please."

  The taxi driver turned to her. "Pier 9, lady? Are you sure?"

  "Yes, I'm sure. There is a Pier 9 isn't there?"

  "Sort of lady, sort of."

  Rae was too busy looking in her bag to check that she had a pencil and note pad to notice the puzzled tone in his voice.

  When they drove up, people were strolling around the many brightly lit gift shops. And there were several standing in lines at the various restaurants. It was a busy night and the whole area was well lit. This made Rae feel more comfortable.

  As the taxi drove past the area, Rae could see the numbers on the piers: 13--12--11--10. Then the driver stopped.

  "This is as far as I can go lady. Pier 9 is straight ahead. The street is blocked off and no cars are allowed further than this."

  "That's all right. I can walk the rest of the way."

  Pier 9 was very dark. There were no lights except the glow coming from the full moon. She saw a sign with an arrow that read, The Pier House, and started walking toward it. Joseph Morgan had said it was a bit out of the way, but hopefully the good food made up for it's isolated position.

  As her eyes became more adjusted, she could see movement in the distance. And as she got closer she could tell they were street people. She thought of Ava and Kim bringing people like this in Hollywood food and providing them with the necessary medical care, and thought those two must have been very brave.

  With the moon shining, she could see bottles of beer and other bottles on the pier floor. The street people were cooking on an open fire. Her first thought was, "Is this legal?" She was pretty sure it wasn't, and wondered why no one was stopping them. Then she noticed there were no stores of any kind open. Everything had been closed down.

  There was a bend on the other side of the homeless people, which meant she couldn't see if The Pier House restaurant was over there, or if it was even still open. Well, of course it was open. Sam and the Chief ate there with their wives.

  She kept walking toward the people. Some looked at her and smiled, not a friendly smile, but one that seemed to say, "You have no business here, lady."

  The closer she got, the more uneasy she became. Then out of a shadow, in the darkness beyond the gathering of the homeless, she could see a figure of what looked like a well dressed person wearing a hat and carrying a cane. It was too dark to tell if the figure was a man or a woman. Rae thought: It could be Mr. Morgan. He's probably walking out to meet me to take me to the restaurant.

  She waved, but the person slipped into a building. She could see a sign that said, CONDEMNED, DO NOT ENTER.

  She called out, "Mr. Morgan, it's me, Rae Collins. Where are you?"

  No answer.

  She stopped, unwilling to walk through the group of homeless people who were now standing and looking at her. Her heart beat faster and faster by the moment. She decided to go back.

  She had a strong feeling that someone was behind her. She turned around quickly but couldn't see anyone. She was wishing Max was here with her. She needed to find a taxi.

  All of a sudden she thought she saw someone standing in a doorway. Then she heard a voice, quiet, almost a whisper, "I'm over here, Rae."

  She walked toward the voice and all she could see was a shadow. "Mr. Morgan, is that you?"

  She was aware of the cane being raised, and felt it smashing down on her head.

  THE MURDERER'S

  THOUGHTS

  CHAPTER 28

  The Murderer

  I've finally got you, Miss Collins. Dragging your body into the dilapidated building was easy. Making sure no one was watching us was a little more difficult. But even if the street people witnessed the attack, they won't say anything. They want no attention brought to them. They like their home here.

  Oh, the excitement of knowing that you were coming here to Pier 9. You've been a smart one, but not tonight. You obviously didn't know that this place has been condemned for almost a year. This is much easier than I expected. As soon as I learned you were digging up the dirt on that actress's murder, I knew I had to do something quickly.

  Miss Rae Interfering Collins. That's what I'm calling you. My first attempt on your life was a blunder. When you d
ropped your shoe in the rain, I thought it was going to be easy. Then that boyfriend of yours appeared. It startled me, and that's when I swerved the car. How stupid of me. I just should have run over both of you. It would have been like killing two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.

  And then the next day, finding your apartment door unlocked when you went downstairs with your laundry, and seeing the spare key hanging on the refrigerator. That sure was my lucky day. My plan was to do away with you that night. But where did you go? To church! I moved your chair and opened up your laptop to see what you had on me. You'd encrypted everything, you stupid woman. So I left it open just to scare you a little, so you'd know someone was watching you. I wish I could have been there to see your face. That was rather fun. Then the note on the inside of your door! I thought that was pretty clever of me. DROP STORY OR DROP DEAD. I got a big laugh out of that.

  But the most fun I've had so far was at the office, hearing your little screams. I almost caught you before you ran into the bathroom. I hadn't anticipated that. I was just inches away from putting the knife into you.

  As I was leaving, I saw one of the elevators coming up. I was pretty sure it was that boyfriend of yours. I was getting a little nervous as I watched the elevator getting closer and closer. As it reached the floor of the office, the other elevator door opened and I stepped in just in time. Luck again was with me that night. Wow, was that ever exciting. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I was enjoying every second of it. That was the most fun I've ever had. It was much more exciting than when I threw Ava off her balcony. It was easy enough to toss her over the railing, and she didn't even scream.

  And now, Miss Smarty Pants of The New York Reader, you're getting your reward for digging up things that should have stayed long buried and forgotten. Yes, Miss Collins, you will also be thrown over the railing. But for you it won't be a fall onto the sidewalk, it will be into the deep water with weights tied to your feet.

  CHAPTER 29