2025-08-07 14:09:51As the elevator came to a stop, Alice held her breath. her heart was pumping like a turbine.
she was on 30. she was in. she was really doing this, the door had opened to a remote corner of the floor, she thanked God there wasn't a cop waiting in front of them. She heard a buzz of activity coming from the other end of the hall. All she had to do was to follow the noise. As she hurried down the hallway, the voices grew louder. two men in yellow jacket bearing "CSU" walked past her. At the end of the hall, a group of cops and investigators stood in front of an open double doorway marked "Mandarin Suite she wasn't only inside; she was right in the fucking middle of it.
Alice made her way toward the double doors. The cops weren't even looking in her direction; they were letting police staff who had come from the main elevators. she had made it all the way. The Mandrin Suite. she could see inside.it was huge, opulent, with lavish decor, roses were everywhere. then her heart almost stopped. She thought she might be sick. The groom, in a bloodstained tuxedo shirt, lay there on the floor.
Alice's leg buckled. She had never seen a murder victim before. She Wanted to lean forward, to let her eyes memorize every detail, but her body wouldn't move. who the hell are you? a brusque voice suddenly demanded. A large angry cop was staring directly at her face.
All of a sudden she was grabbed and pushed hard against the wall. it hurt.in panic, Alice pointed to her bag and wallet, in which a photo press credential was displayed. the angry cop began leafing through her IDs and credit cards as if they were junk mail.
Jesus.; the thick-necked patrolman scowled with a face like a slobbering Doberman."she's a reporter,"
“How in the hell did you get up here?" his partner came over and demanded.
Get her the hell," Doberman barked to him. And keep the ID. she won't get within a mile of a police briefing for the next year,"
His partner dragged her by the arm to the main elevator bank. over her shoulder, Alice got a final glimpse of the dead man's legs splayed near the door. it was awful, terrifying, and sad. she was shaking. show this reporter the door," he instructed a third cop Manning the elevator. He flicked her press ID as if it were a playing card. " Hope losing this was worth the ride u,"
As the doors closed a voice yelled, Hold it,"
A tall woman in a power blue T-shirt and brocade vest with a badge fastened on her waist stepped in. The cop was looking with sandy blond hair, but she was clearly upset. She let out a deep sigh as the doors closed. Rough in there inspector? the cop accompanying Alice inquried.
yeah," the woman said, not even turning her head. the word inspector went off like a flash in Alice's mind.
Alice couldn't believe it. The scene must be beyond awful for an inspector to be that upset.As the elevator descended, she rode the entire thirty floors just blinking her eyes and looking straight ahead.
When the doors opened to the lobby, the inspector rushed off.
you see the front door," the cop said to Alice." Go through it. Don't come back."
As soon as the elevator doors had closed, she spun around and scanned the vest lobby for a sight of the detective. she caught a flash of her going into the ladies room.
Alice hurriedly followed her in .Just the two of them in there. the detective stood in front of a mirror, she looked close to six feet tall, slender and impressive. to Alice's amazement,it was clear she had been crying.
“Jesus Jesus.She was back on the inside again. What had the inspector seen to get her so upset?
" you okay?" Alice finally inquried in a soft voice.
the detective tensed up when she realized she wasn't alone.But she had this look on her face, as if she were on the verge of letting it all out." you are that reporter aren't you? you are the one who got upstairs."
Alice nodded
" So how did you make it all the way up there?"
I don't know. luck, maybe,"
I didn't mean that," Alice said.' you sure you are all right?
the cop turned around. Her eyes shouted, I have got nothing to say to you.But they lied. It was as if she needed to do exactly that, talk to someone, more than anything in the world.
It was those strange moments when Alice knew there was something under the surface. If the roles just shifted, and she had the chance, the two of them might even become friends.
Alice reached into her pocket, pulled out a card, and placed it on the sink counter in front of the detective.’if you ever want to talk....
the color came back into the inspector’s pretty face. She hesitated, then gave Alice the slimmest,faintest edge of smile.
Alice smile in return.’’As long as I’m here...’’ she went up to the sink and took out her makeup kit, catching the policewoman’s eye in the mirror.
Nice vest,” she said.
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Chapter 20
Alice and I were already into our second margarita by the time Fatimah walked in, from ten feet away her smile seemed to brighten the entire room. I stood up and gave her a big hug.“Couldn’t wait for the old mom? She said eyeing the array of empty glasses.It’s been a long day,” I explained. “ say hey to Alice.”Pleasure,” said Fatimah brightly, grasping Alice’s hand. Though the day had been planned for just her and me, Alice was one of those pry who rolled easily with whatever came up.“Moo’s been telling me all about you,” Alive said over the din.“Most of it it’s true, unless she’s been saying I’m some kind of crackerjack forensic pathologist,” Alice said, grinning. “Actually all she’s been saying is that you are a real good friend.”Susie’s was bright, festive cafe with faux-painted walls and pretty good Caribbean food. They play a little reggae? A little jazz. It was a place where you could kick back, talk, shout, even shoot a rack of pool. Our regular waitress Sam, came up, and
Chapter 19
Either you have got the sharpest nose for a story I have ever seen,” I said to Alice Barry angrily,” or I may start to think of you as a murder suspect.” This was the second time she intruded in the middle of a possible crime scene. “Don’t tell me I’m stepping on some inter office romance?” She quipped. That made me steaming mad. We have a developing situation here. If it got into the news prematurely, it would hurt any chance the department had to control this case. I could just imagine the nightmare headline: BRIDE AND GROOM KILLER STRIKES AGAIN. And Kalistus would be livid. This would be a second time I called to control the crime scene with the same reporter. “Who’s you friend?” Gabriel asked. “Alice Barry,” she announced, extending her hand. And you?” “Alice’s with the chronicle,” I alerted him. Gebriel did a startled double take, left in the mid shake like a fired worker holding the hand of a replacement. “Listen very well, Ms Barry I said firmly.
Chapter 18: Inspector Moo’s POV
By the time I had called Fatimah to cancel, showered, put my wet hair under a turned back Giant cap, and thrown on some clothes, Gebriel’s white Explorer was beeping me from below.when I go downstairs, I couldn’t help but notice him looking me over- wet hair, Jean, black leather jacket. “ you look nice, Moo,” he said. He smiled as he put the car in gear.He was casually dressed, in crumpled khakis and a faded blue polo shirt. He looked nice, too, but i wasn’t going to say it.“This isn’t a date, Gabriel,” I told him.“You keep saying that,” he said with a shrug, then stepped on the gas.We pulled up to Napa Highlands Inn an hour and fifteen minutes later, the exact time, I noted, I was supposed to be pouring my heart to Fatimah.The inn turned out to be one of those fancy, high-end spas I always dreamed about going to. It was tucked into the mountains on stag’s leap Road. By the look of it, with it’s main lodge built of stacked giant redwoods and arcing window of tempered glass. The g
Chapter 17: Inspector Moo’s POV
That sunday morning, I woke for the first time all week with a sense of hopefulness, it’s the way I am...or was. It was clear and beautiful outside; the bay was shimmering as if it were thrilled, too. And it was the day of my brunch with Fatimah, myconfession to her. Sunday morning’s I had this place I always went to. My favorite place, I had told Gebriel. First I drove downtown, to the marina Green, in my tights and jogged in the shadow of the bridge. Morning like this, I felt infused with everything that was beautiful about living in San Francisco. The brown coast of Marin, the noises of the bay. Even Alcatraz, standing guard. I ran my usual three-plus miles south on the harbor, then up the two hundred and twelve stone stairs into fort Mason park. Even with Negli’s I could still do it. This morning it seemed to be letting me free. I jogged past yelping dogs running loose, lovers on a morning walk, gray-clad, bald-headed Chinese men bickering over mah-jongg. Always to the same spo
Chapter 16: Dorothy and Noah’s Murder
Dorothy Noah, in the bloom of her first full day as Elijah’s wife, walked out of the hotel lobby holding her husband’s hand. She breathed in a cool night air, the first dread hair she inhaled all day. In the brief span of their marriage, she and Elijah had made love several times and taken two steamy showers together. They poked their heads out of an obligatory but, at last a final brunch with the families. They had begged off the trip to opus one, scurried back upstairs, and popped a last bottle of champagne. Elijah had put on a sex video and as they watched the film they played out some unusual and exciting roles. He seemed to have several fantasies about wearing women’s cloths. Tomorrow, they will be off to mazatlan, for a heavenly week exploring all those sexy spots on his body she had yet to find. Maybe the will even come out once or twice to see the dolphins.So far, she decided, things were going very well, tonight they were headed to French laundry. The finest restaurant in N
Chapter 15: The Second Murder
When Dorothy Noah looked at herself in the full splendor of her wedding dress, she knew that she was no longer her mother’s little girl.You are my baby. She had heard those words from her first days on the planet.With three older brothers, it wasn’t so hard to imagine why. Her mother had always wanted a girl. Daddy, too; but as the years went on they had assumed their time passed. The oldest- Lucas the daredevil had been killed before she was born. Her parents were crushed. They couldn’t think of more children. Then, miraculously, Dorothy came.My baby,” she heard her mother exclaim from where she stood behind Dorothy.“Oh, mom,” Dorothy sighed, but also smiled.She continued to look at herself. She was beautiful. In her long, white, strapless dress, an avalanche of tulle, she shone like the most lovely and beautiful thing in the world. Elijah would be so happy with all the arrangements—in the hotel in Napa, the flowers, the last minute alteration to the dress, she thought the day w
