Shampoo and a Stiff (2 page)

“
The honeymoon wasn't enough?” she asked with a soft laugh as she opened the box all the way. He met her eyes and studied her with a serious expression.

“
It will never be enough,” he murmured, drawing a blush to her cheeks. She tried to distract herself by looking through the contents of the box.

“
What's this?” she muttered as she fished a pen out from between a few of the shampoo bottles.

“
A pen?” Nick suggested as he peered at it as well.

“
Great detective work,” Bekki teased with a light wink. She looked more closely at the pen and saw the initials SZ. “I recognize this,” she said under her breath as she studied it. “I signed the paperwork to receive deliveries with one of these pens. I remember because I had lost mine, and Steven, Brad's brother, handed me this from his pocket. See, it has his initials?” she pointed out the SZ on the pen. “That's why I made sure to give it back. Personalized pens aren't cheap.”

“
Bekki, that might be evidence,” Nick frowned and grabbed a plastic bag from the storage room shelf. “Here,” he eased the pen into the bag and sealed it. “I'll take this down to the station.”

“
Maybe it'll help get Tom's name cleared,” Bekki said hopefully.

“
If Tom is innocent he'll be cleared,” Nick said with confidence. “But the important thing is to figure out who might have killed Brad. Obviously, the fact that the body ended up on your doorstep was a mistake. I don't think Tom had any idea that body was in there either.”

“
Good,” Bekki sighed with relief. She was glad to know that she and Nick were on the same page about Tom. “Well, I asked Tom if he packed and loaded the boxes on the truck this morning,” Bekki recalled with a frown. “He said he loaded them last night except for a few with changes that were loaded after he left. If Tom didn’t load the last of the boxes, who did?”

Nick held up the bag with the pen tucked inside.
“Maybe this will give us some idea.”

“
Yes,” Bekki nodded as she stared at it. “It might have slipped out of someone's pocket when they were packing the boxes.”

“
But why Steven's pen?” Nick pointed out.

“
Well, he was fine with handing one to me,” Bekki reminded him with a shake of her head. “If he has dozens of them then some of his employees might have one. Maybe it was even Tom’s.”

“
And even if it belongs to the person who packed the final boxes, that doesn't necessarily make the person our killer,” Nick pointed out with a frown.

“
Aw,” Bekki murmured as she studied his puzzled expression.

“
Aw?” he repeated with a quirk of his brow.

“
It's our first murder as a married couple,” Bekki chirped and hugged him.

“
Okay,” Nick shook his head with a half-smile. “It's a little odd that you find that sweet.”

“
I can't help it,” Bekki purred as she looked up at him. “I love it when you do that little detective squint.”

“
When I do what?” Nick demanded and tried not to laugh.

“
You know, like this,” Bekki explained as she furrowed her brow and drew her lips into a tight, thin line.

“
I do not do that,” Nick scoffed and shook his head.

“
If you say so,” Bekki replied and hugged him again. “I'm just glad we can figure this out together.”

“
Remember, I'm the cop in this relationship,” he pointed out and held up the bag again. He furrowed his brow and squinted his eyes. He drew his lips into a long, thin line. “Better get this to the station,” he said before kissing Bekki goodbye.

The next morning Bekki arrived at the salon to get things ready to reopen. The police had given her the go ahead to open the salon doors the next day and she wanted to schedule a few clients whose appointments she had been forced to cancel. As she went down the list she checked off each name with a blue plastic pen. When she finished she laid the pen on the desk in front of her.

Bekki
stared at the pen sitting on the desk. It was just an average pen, but it made her think of the pen she had found in the box of shampoo she had received. Nick had asked her to stay put and let him sort things out, but he had never even spoken to Steven before. She had a legitimate reason to meet with him, considering that she had contracted to receive several months of deliveries from him. She snatched the pen off the desk and tucked it into her purse. She locked the door of the salon on the way out and headed for her car. As she glanced up and down the quiet main street of the town she noticed that there were a few people strolling along the sidewalks. She recalled that she was supposed to meet with Sammy for lunch, so she would have to make this trip quick.

The factory was located two towns over. It took
Bekki about an hour to reach it because the traffic was thick. When she arrived at the factory she noticed that there were several cars in the employee parking lot. It was business as usual despite the fact that one of the owners of the company had been found dead the day before. As she walked up to the office she heard a voice coming from inside.

“
Just keep producing,” she heard a stern, cold voice state. “There's no reason for a slow down.”

“
Sir, the employees are a little afraid,” another voice rumbled in return. “They've heard about Brad's death and they know it wasn't an accident.”

“
And so what if it wasn't?” Steven demanded in return. “What does that have to do with production?”

“
Well, I guess they're afraid one of them might be next,” the other man, who Bekki guessed was likely the foreman, replied.

“
That's ridiculous,” Steven sighed. What he said next made Bekki cringe from the callousness of his words. “Tell them, they can either risk getting murdered or risk getting fired, because I have plenty of men chomping at the bit for these jobs. I won't tolerate any slacking off. If anyone doesn't show up for work, they're automatically fired. This is nonsense.”

“
And what about the funeral, sir?” the foreman asked.

“
What about it?” Steven snapped back. “It's for family only. I don't think any of them are related, are they?”

“
No sir,” the foreman replied. As the door of the office opened Bekki stepped back and pretended she was just walking up. “Excuse me, ma'am,” the burly foreman murmured as he moved past her. She could tell from the frown he wore that he didn't agree with Steven's responses, but she only smiled as if she hadn't heard a word.

“
Bekki,” Steven said as he stepped into the doorway. “What are you doing here?” he settled his icy blue gaze on her. Bekki noticed his arrogant manner. It was one of the first things she noticed about him. His brother Brad had been friendly enough and was quick to smile. But Steven had a look that made her wonder if there was something stuck in her teeth.

“
I just wanted to offer you my condolences,” Bekki explained sympathetically. “I know I could have called, but it seemed to be more appropriate to come in person.”

“
Thank you,” he replied grimly. “But I'm actually very busy.”

“
I noticed that you're still open for business,” Bekki said softly. “How are you handling all of this?”

“
If you're worried about your next delivery you will get it on time,” Steven responded gruffly.

“
Oh no, not at all,” Bekki narrowed her eyes sightly as she noticed one of his pens in his front pocket. “Oh, that reminds me!” she muttered with frustration.

“
What?” Steven asked inquisitively.

“
When I was going through my order, I found one of your pens in one of the boxes. I meant to bring it back to you,” Bekki sighed as if she was disappointed in herself.

“
I'm sure it wasn't mine,” Steven said quickly.

“
I'm sure it was,” Bekki countered, her voice hardening slightly.

“
Excuse me?” Steven asked the tension growing thick between them.

“
I mean, it had your name on it,” Bekki clarified and smiled to ease the scrutiny of her gaze. “At least, your initials,” she pointed to the pen in his pocket.

“
Oh,” Steven blinked a few times and then shrugged. “I often lend them to the customers and employees. One of the employees must have accidentally dropped it in there.”

“
I'm sure,” Bekki nodded a little. “So, do you think Brad was involved in something he shouldn't have been,” Bekki continued in a conspiratorial whisper.

“
I'm sorry?” Steven glared openly at her. “What are you implying?”

“
Well, I was just wondering if maybe he had some enemies, or some debt, that might have come back to haunt him,” Bekki explained with a slight shrug.

“
Listen Bekki, I appreciate your business,” Steven said sternly as he held her gaze with his own. “But I'm not about to discuss my brother's personal life with you. This isn't some murder mystery on television, my brother is dead, and I am grieving his loss.”

Bekki
glanced over at a forklift that was driving a stack of boxes through the warehouse.

“
I can see that,” she said quietly before looking back at him. “I'll be sure to get that pen back to you.”

“
Keep it,” Steven waved his hand dismissively. “I really do need to get back to work,” he added as he started to step back into his office.

“
Of course,” Bekki nodded. “But don't overdo it, Steven. You have to have time to heal,” she added. He glanced back over his shoulder and Bekki caught a glimpse of a shadow of emotion that crossed his features. She instantly regretted the way she had been toying with him. He had lost his brother after all, and if they had been in business together for so long, they must have been fairly close. As she walked away from the factory she wondered if she was wrong to suspect that Steven knew more than he was sharing.

***

Bekki's mind was spinning after her conversation with Steven. Even though he claimed to be so close to his brother, he didn't seem to be terribly devastated by his loss. The traffic was lighter on the way home, and she made it back into town just in time to meet Sammy for lunch.

“
Hey, I saw the salon was closed,” Sammy greeted her with a frown when she walked into the diner. “Is everything okay?”

“
Yes,” Bekki smiled as she hugged her friend and then sat down in the booth across from her. “I just wanted to check on something.”

“
Uh oh, getting involved in Brad's death, hmm?” Sammy asked as she took a sip of her soda.

“
Not involved exactly,” Bekki argued with a touch of defensiveness.

“
Well, don't look now if you don't want to get involved,” Sammy replied and tilted her head towards the entrance of the diner. “But Tom just walked in.”

Bekki
looked up to see Tom walking towards the diner counter. She could tell from the way he was carrying himself that he was still a little shocked. She had heard from Nick that Tom was going to be released that morning on bail. She was glad to see that he was out, but she knew that didn't mean he was out of the woods.

“
Tom!” she waved to him and gestured to their table. Sammy was surprised that Bekki was inviting him over but she slid in further on the vinyl seat of the booth so that Tom could sit beside her.

“
Hi,” Tom said quietly and kept his gaze lowered.

“How are you doing, Tom?” Bekki asked hesitantly. Tom glanced up briefly, only to look back down at the table again. His thin cheeks were burnt crimson.

“
I didn't do what they say I did, Bekki,” Tom murmured. “I swear I didn't.”

“
I know you didn't,” Bekki assured him and patted the back of his hand lightly. “Don't worry. Tom, we'll get all of this straightened out.”

“
I'm not sure how,” Tom confessed as he stared at the table. “I am not sure there is a way to prove my innocence.”

“
It's your guilt that has to be proven,” Bekki said with confidence in her voice. “Now, tell me again what happened yesterday morning.”

“
Well I,” Tom swallowed thickly and glanced up briefly at the waitress who brought the three of them glasses of ice water. Sammy was quietly observing the conversation. “I loaded the truck the night before like usual. Steven's supposed to check off the contents before I start the deliveries, but I needed to finish early. I had a doctor's appointment,” he explained with a slight shake of his head. “So, when he didn't show by seven thirty, I decided to just start the deliveries. I've done it before,” he added with a frown. “Brad and Steven never minded, they trusted me,” his voice broke slightly. “Just thinking that Steven might think I had something to do with this,” he groaned and ran his hand across his forehead with frustration. “I didn't. I swear I didn't.”

“
It's going to be okay,” Bekki assured him. “So you were waiting for Steven yesterday morning? Was he usually late?”

“
That was the strange thing,” Tom admitted. “He was never late. Sometimes Brad would be running behind, he had a thing with the ladies, so once in a while he would text me and tell me to go ahead with the delivery. But Steven was always right on time no matter what. He expected the same from his employees, too. He fired four drivers in a row before me because they were a few minutes late for their shift.”

Bekki
grimaced as she recalled the callous threat he had made to the foreman about firing anyone who didn't show up for work.

“
Had you noticed Steven and Brad having any problems lately?” Bekki asked as she looked more closely at Tom. “Anyone strange showing up at the factory?”

Tom was obviously uncomfortable as he tore at the edge of his napkin until it frayed.

“All I know is, they weren't exactly like brothers, you know,” he stated as he looked guiltily up at Bekki. “I mean, I don't want to talk out of turn, but even though they both owned the company, it was never like they were equals. When Steven barked Brad jumped, and Steven had the final say in all of the big decisions.”

“
So, they argued a lot?” Bekki suggested curiously.

“
No, just the opposite,” Tom insisted. “Brad seemed happier to just deal with the day-to-day stuff with the employees. He just wasn't really the businessman type.”

“
Not like Steven,” Bekki shook her head.

“
Definitely, not like Steven,” Tom laughed a little. “Steven can talk anyone out of their last penny. I remember once I had a dispute about one of my pay checks. I went into his office to straighten it out and came out offering to work a few extra hours for free. I still have no idea how that happened.”

“
Interesting,” Bekki said quietly. “Order anything you like, Tom, it's on me,” she smiled at him. Her phone beeped as the waitress was taking their order. She glanced down at it and saw a text from Nick.

'Outside please' was all it said.

Bekki glanced up at the large glass window of the diner. She saw Nick standing just beside the entrance. Bekki frowned as she excused herself from the table. When she met Nick outside he didn't look too pleased.

“
Is there a particular reason you and Sammy are having lunch with a murder suspect?” he asked as he regarded her with slightly narrowed eyes.

“
I told you Nick,” Bekki replied with some surprise. “We're old friends.”

“
Right, which is fine, but he's also our prime suspect in Brad's death, and you could be a witness. It's not a good idea to be sharing a table with him,” Nick frowned as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Besides, I know what you're up to. I spoke with Steven this morning and he said you'd been out to see him.”

“
Just to talk business,” Bekki began to say and then shook her head. “All right, the truth is, I just wanted to see him. After finding that pen I had a pretty strong hunch. I think Tom just confirmed it. Did you know that Steven was the one who was supposed to check off the deliveries yesterday morning? When he was late, Tom left without seeing him.”

“
So, you're thinking that Steven killed his own brother and stashed him in the back of the truck?” Nick asked in that cool tone that always left her feeling as if he knew a lot more than he was sharing.

“
Well, it makes sense doesn't it?” Bekki asked. “We found his pen in the box. He had access to the trucks after hours, and even though he's never late, he didn't show up that morning to look through the truck. If he had, then they would have seen Brad's body before Tom drove off.”