The Japanese Masseuse – Chapter 32

   

Ivy Kim (Detective, Austin Police Department)

Valerie Tyson (Police officer, Austin Police Department)

Tiffany Kammer (Cile Cook’s friend)

     

Lou Tayler (Doctor, Seton Hospital)

Cile Cook (Model, D’Almagro Fashion and Talents)

Chad Randlett (Coroner, Austin Police Department)

     

Maury Lane (Forensic investigator, Austin Police Department)

Craig Alan Mooney (Ivy Kim’s ex-husband)

Leonard D’Almagro (CEO, D’Almagro Fashion and Talents)

     

Arturo (Cile Cook’s dog)

Derick James (Police officer, Austin Police Department)

Scott Miller (Captain, Austin Police Department)

     

Marianne Bondebjerg (Karsten Blok’s girlfriend)

Lilly Olesen (Karsten Blok’s ex-mother-in-law)

Karsten Blok (Boy Scout leader)

CHAPTER 32

A dog’s barking shattered the relative quiet of the coffee room. Not exactly a sound expected in a hospital. Ivy reached for the cell phone in her pocket.

“Ivy, this is Valerie. I wanted you to know that I have called the crime lab. Get over here as soon as possible. You won’t believe it.”

The tiny cell phone was almost hermetically pressed against Ivy’s ear to avoid their conversation revealing anything to the other person with her. Ivy was sitting on a chair in the coffee room opposite Tiffany Kammer.

As Doctor Taylor had mentioned, the young woman seemed spaced out or in some stage of shock. Her face was pale, almost white, and she kept staring away as if not recognizing the detective was present.

Ivy excused herself and walked to the windows at the other side of the room. Lowering her voice she said, “When will the crime lab be there?”

“They’re here already.”

“Okay, go ahead. Tell me about it.”

“Ivy, this is not an accident. Someone did this on purpose. The stuff the poor girl smeared all over her face was some kind of acid. I tell you, no face mask, not even if it’s expired, would do this. I have spent far too much time with forensics not to know. You should see the bathroom. It looks like some kind of research laboratory. There’s blood, skin, and this brown, nasty stuff all over.”

“Are Chad or Maury there?” The detective always felt so much better when they were on the case. They made such a great team.

“Yep, Chad is right here. He was called in, just in case any human remains would show up. He agrees this isn’t an accident, but they will need to do some tests.”

“What kind of face mask is it? We need to call the manufacturer.”

“I already did. It’s a promotional package from Cando Cosmetics. They haven’t received complaints from anybody else, but obviously they are going to double check everything right now to make sure they didn’t make any mistakes. The lady from Customer Service that I talked to practically freaked out and instantly transferred me directly to the CEO and Chairman. I guess, next time I have a complaint, I’ll just tell the customer service rep that it feels like acid. Can you just imagine what a mistake like this on their part would mean?”

“Sure can! This company’s customer service reps probably need to carry guns after this incident. Cando beauty products are definitely no longer on my wish list.”

She didn’t exactly spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. Her ex had on several occasions pointed out how nice it would be if she now and then spent a little time on her clothing and makeup. Showing up at his boss’s cocktail party dressed in blue jeans and a pink T-shirt hadn’t exactly endeared her to anyone there.

Unfortunately, the people badmouthing her because of this unfortunate incident altogether lacked a small piece of information: that she at the last minute had been called out to a homicide and then had come to the party. These were the same people who complained about the increasing violence in town. I just don’t understand those people.

”You know something, Ivy? The funny thing is that this promotional campaign didn’t include Miss Cook’s neighborhood. We need to figure out where she got this package from.”

“She told me. Somebody left it for her at D’Almagro Fashion and Talents. She’s a model.”

Valerie didn’t believe her own ears. “You’re kidding me! The guy who was slashed into pieces?”

“Yep, the very same one!”

The detective glanced at Miss Kammer, who still seemed to be in a different world.

“Find out what neighborhoods were included in this campaign. Anything else of interest?”

“Not really. The usual fingerprints, photos, etc. Besides the bathroom, everything seems to be untouched; and no indications that somebody else might have been here. The bed was nicely made. Dishwasher clean…oh, and her English bulldog had slept in a corner. Dressed in a tutu.”

“A tutu. Do they make them for turtles?”

“Oh, something else while I remember it,” Valerie continued. “You probably don’t wanna hear this. Derick called me. By the way, he’s doing okay. Miller wants him to take some vacation, but he won’t.” She paused. “Marianne Bondebjerg and Lilly Olesen have dropped their charges against Karsten Blok.“

The detective felt as if a cold gust chilled her body. “Bad joke! It isn’t April Fool’s Day. The freaking SWAT team came out. They’re not some kind of entertainment team you call when you feel like it.”

“I know! Only makes it worse, right?”

“Why did they do it?”

“They stated it had been one big misunderstanding. Blok had been drunk, overworked, and was totally out of character. He hadn’t really threatened them, and it was their mistake calling 911. He’s already been released.”

“He must have some damn good attorney.”

Like a confused mouse in a bucket, Ivy began to circle around in the small coffee room. It doesn’t make sense. If it were true that he was a pedophile and his ex-mother-in-law knew about it, then why would she let him go? And his girlfriend. Why? Did she know it, too?

“Are you there?” Valerie was following her colleagues as they checked every inch of Cile Cook’s condo.

“Do you know the difference between genius and stupidity?” Ivy stopped her pointless stride.

“Not sure…”

“Genius has its limits!” Ivy hung up. Waiting a few moments to give the newly gained information time to sink in, she then turned around to face Tiffany. “Now, where were we? Oh yes, you mentioned the high-school reunion.”

It appeared that Tiffany had regained some of her natural blush in her cheeks, and Ivy could tell that while she had been on the phone, the young woman had been crying.

“She was so pretty.” Tiffany said, staring into space. “She was so pretty,” she repeated, “so perfect.” All of a sudden, she burst into a loud cry. “Oh dear God! What are we to do?” A shiver ran through her body, which immediately brought her back to the cruel reality. She dried her running nose with the back of her hand and made a sniffing sound.

“You said that you and Miss Cook had planned to spend the afternoon together and then later in the evening attend your high-school reunion. What time were you meeting?”

She could tell that Tiffany still was somewhat in shock even if she had recovered a little. Her earlier answers had been vague and, to some extent, didn’t make sense.

“Well, we were to meet…meet at Cile’s place…We agreed to meet at…I’m sorry, but I don’t seem to remember. We talked about having breakfast, but then I’m not sure about that either. I know I originally had a massage scheduled for 2 that afternoon; but I had that changed, and instead I had one last Friday…”

“A massage?”

“Yeah! I have this wonderful Japanese massage therapist.”

The detective unintentionally spat out. “Jam-bam! You, too! What’s that therapist’s name?”

“Connie Ding.”

Ivy wrote the name down. What a coincidence. Or is it?

“Is she creepy?”

“Certainly not.” Tiffany had not expected that kind of question. “She’s…but I am so…I just seem to have forgotten…I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Miss Kammer, why don’t you just start from when you woke up this morning and until this very moment while you and I are sitting here.” I might have to bring her down to the station and have Valerie interview her. That way we will also have her statement on tape. If only I had an extra recorder in my car.

“I’m sorry, Detective Kim. I don’t remember much. I woke up. I showered. I had a bagel with cream cheese…and strawberry jam.” She paused. “Then I had a chocolate yogurt and a cup of coffee with milk and sugar.”

“Whole milk?”

“Yes! I always take whole milk,” she said. “It just tastes better.”

You don’t remember anything about what you did, but your entire meal you remember to the smallest detail. “So what happened after the bagel and the cream cheese?”

“I brushed my teeth.”

“Good. We gotta take care of our teeth.”

“Yes, that’s important, and I have nice teeth.” She pulled her lips back so her teeth showed.

“Very nice.”

“Thanks.”

“And after you had brushed your teeth, what did you do?” I hope she’s not having her period. I’m not in the mood to be lectured on the use of tampons.

“I left my apartment.”

“Good, now we’re getting somewhere,” she said, almost too excited. “So where did you go?

“I don’t remember.”

The Japanese Masseuse – Chapter 31

   

Ivy Kim (Detective, Austin Police Department)

Valerie Tyson (Police officer, Austin Police Department)

Derick James (Police officer, Austin Police Department)

       

Scott Miller (Captain, Austin police Department)

Cile Cook (Model, D’Almagro Fashion and Talents)

Lou Taylor (Doctor, Seton Hospital)

        

Victoria Mooney (Ivy Kim’s stepdaughter)

Maury Lane (Forensic investigator, Austin Police Department)

Tiffany Kammer ( Cile Cook’s friend)

     

Arturo (Cile Cook’s dog)

Kerry Gallagher (Receptionist, D’Almagro Talents and Fashions)

CHAPTER 31

Finally, Austin was getting some rain and with that, lightning and thunder. It was still mind-blowing to Detective Kim how dark it would be outside the second the weather changed. It’s almost as if someone turned off the light. Please, turn it on again, God. Let there be light!

It was a busy Monday morning at the Austin Police Department since most Austinites apparently turned into atrocious drivers as soon as the roads had a slight touch of water. Big Texan trucks with orange UT Longhorn stickers and decals would end up places where they were not supposed to be. When will they ever learn that trucks, especially without a heavy load, aren’t designed to drive 60 miles per hour in the rain?

“Wow! That’s something!” Valerie tried to sound casual, but her hand covering her mouth showed her surprise at seeing her colleague’s new hair color for the first time.

“It’s purple! I…I like it. Classy!” Valerie was standing next to Ivy’s desk and kept staring at the detective who already had received multiple comments this morning about the result of her late-Sunday-evening activity.

“They need you at the hospital, Ivy.”

“Again? I hate hospitals! I thought Derick had already been discharged. I’d rather visit him at home. I’ll do that. I promise.”

It was some challenge for Valerie to keep her eyes away from Ivy’s hair. A few times, she herself had played with the idea of changing her hair color. So far, she had only experimented with highlights.

“Some girl has been disfigured after using a facial mask,” Valerie continued, wondering how that could happen.

“A face mask? What on earth are you talking about? Since when have I been transferred to Nordstrom’s Customer Service?”

“Perhaps it’s your hair.” Valerie was about to explode with laughter. “I’m told that being in Customer Service isn’t any differnt than being a cop. Some customer service representatives claim that they should be allowed to carry guns.”

“Oh now wouldn’t that be just great!” Ivy said and changed her voice to approximate a lower, masculine register. “Ma’am, I don’t give a damn that your cat died when you stuffed him in the drier; and if you don’t shut up, then I’ll personally blow your head clean off.”

“Why would you stuff your cat in the dryer?” Valerie said.

“Why would you stuff your wife in the freezer?” Ivy countered.

“You’re right. Mystery solved. Anyway, Miller wants you to go there right now, and I’m to assist you.” Valerie looked excited, but she always did. There was just something about her appearance that gave her a natural glow of excitement.

“So what’s the story?”

“The EMS guys who brought her to the hospital Sunday noon? They said it looked pretty bad, as if she had been burned, but only her face. Apparently, a friend found her unconscious in the bathroom. All in all, it doesn’t sound right. She is conscious now; but doctors have given her a load of painkillers, and she can hardly speak.”

Something in the story piqued the detective’s interest. “Okay, let’s go! I wanna know what brand of face mask that is. You never know when that information will come in handy.” They both giggled, realizing that probably was inappropriate.

Seton Hospital was not that far away. A short ride, and they were facing the doctor who was taking care of Cile Cook.

Doctor Lou Taylor had been expecting a visit from the detective and was already waiting outside the hospital room where Cile rested. He didn’t wear the expected white outfit that always reminded Ivy of power and pressure. Doctor Taylor was dressed in a dark suit and red tie, as if he were getting ready for a party. He had a powerful but warm, caring manner.

The hallway was busy with people coming and going. Aside from that, Ivy mostly didn’t like the distinctive smells of disinfectant and medicine; they brought back some heavy memories.

Two long weeks had she and Victoria been in isolation from the world because Victoria had caught some wicked virus. For more than a week, they thought they were going to lose her; and then miraculously she had gained strength and conquered the unfair fight.

Those two weeks hadn’t passed by without leaving some unerasable scars on Ivy’s soul. A constant fear that something bad should happen to Victoria had ever since haunted her, making her motherly advice a nuisance for Victoria. Without doubt, she missed her daughter; but living every day with a teenage daughter would unquestionably have been a challenge for them both.

The detective and police officer approached the doctor.

“Detective Kim?” Doctor Taylor looked from one woman to the other, searching for some indication as to who was who.

Valerie smiled. It wasn’t the first time the two of them had made people wonder. Sure, several people knew that “Detective Kim” was a woman, but then two females showing up didn’t exactly provide easy identification about which was which. Especially when one had purple hair.

Ivy extended her hand to the doctor, followed by a smile. “Doctor Taylor. Pleased to meet you. I’m Detective Ivy Kim, and this is Police Officer Valerie Tyson.”

“Detective. Officer.” He nodded to each woman. “I am so relieved that you are here. This certainly looks suspicious to me.”

“How is she? Can we talk to her?” Ivy wanted to know.

“She’s in pain, and her face is totally disfigured. It’s so sad, such a pretty girl. She will never look the same again. A model, of all occupations. This is what she looked like. Pretty, isn’t she?” Doctor Taylor showed them a driver’s license picture of a nice-looking Cile Cook. “You can talk to her, but please make it short. She needs all the rest she can get.”

“How bad is it?”

“Bad. Really bad. At this point, there isn’t much we can do. Her skin is damaged, but we’re not going to do any transplantations of skin or anything. It will heal over time and with good care, but she will forever be disfigured. In best case, we will later be able to improve her looks with plastic surgery. As I said, it will never be the same pretty face again.” Doctor Taylor looked down for a moment as if he needed to regain his professional approach.

“Does she know?” Ivy wanted to know.

“No! Not at this point. We have to wait. She’s not ready for such a message. Her parents will arrive later today from New York, so we will discuss with them how to tell her.”

“What happened? Was it really a face mask?” Valerie could no longer keep quiet.

The doctor who solemnly had addressed the detective now looked at Valerie. “Yes, that is what she said. It looks like some kind of acid burn. Someone needs to make tests on what’s left of that product and make sure nobody else is harmed. You need to contact the company so they can recall that nasty stuff.”

Ivy turned to Valerie. “Why don’t you go check it out. Find what’s left of the face mask, and take it to Maury Lane. I’ll follow shortly.”

Valerie nodded and immediately headed towards the exit.

“Who found her?”

“Her friend Tiffany. Tiffany Kammer. She said they were going to a high-school reunion. She found Miss Cook unconscious in the bathroom, where she had been probably close to an hour.”

The doctor motioned towards a door a little farther down the corridor. “Miss Kammer is waiting in the coffee room. She’s been here since Miss Cook was brought in yesterday. I am a little concerned about her. She seems too distant. Almost as if she’s in shock or something, but our head psychiatrist says she is okay. Perhaps it will help if you talk to her.”

An impressive gold watch appeared from under a sleeve when the doctor checked the time.

“Sure! I’ll talk to her, but I would like to talk to Miss Cook first.”

Doctor Taylor opened the door to the room, and they stepped inside.

There was no way Ivy could tell that the woman in the hospital bed in fact was the Miss Cile Cook she had just seen a photo of. Her entire head was covered with gauze; the only recognizable part would be her eyes for people who knew her really well. Her eyes were closed but judging from her breathing she didn’t sleep.

Light green curtains covered the windows, and the room became awfully quiet and claustrophobic when they closed the door.

“Miss Cook.” Doctor Taylor’s voice was calm and low. “Miss Cile Cook. Detective Kim is here and would like to ask you a few questions.”

Little by little, she opened her eyes. They had an almost colorless, tired, abandoned appearance. No sparkle, no belief in the future as the very same eyes had expressed in the photo on her driver’s license. She moved her arm as if she intended to shake hands, but then she let her hand fall back onto the bed. She was connected to an intravenous drip, and the tube going from the bag to her hand was bothering her.

“I think…I recognize…you,” she suddenly whispered.

“Me?” Ivy was mystified.

“You’re the…woman…looking…for…horse…in Macy’s.” It was painful for her to talk. Moving any facial muscles at all was painful.

“Yeah. Guess that was me.”

Doctor Taylor’s surprised and perplexed expression increased the detective’s embarrassment.

She wanted to explain. “I wasn’t really looking for a horse…you see, my daughter…Never mind…not important. Sorry I didn’t recognize you. It’s hard to…I mean…Oh, so you were one of the…” Ivy checked the woman’s stature, what was not covered up by gauze or the fluffy duvet. “I remember you now. You must be the slim one…Well, not to say that…”

A slight cough from the doctor stopped this awkward dialogue.

“I think we need to move on to your questions, Detective Kim.” Doctor Taylor helped her get out of the mud hole she slowly but surely was sinking deeper and deeper into. He mumbled, “A horse in Macy’s?”

“Yes. Yes! We certainly need to move on,“ she answered, then addressed the young woman in the bed. “I’m so sorry about what has happened to you, Miss Cook, and I will try to make this as quick as possible.”

Ivy pushed a small chair closer to the bed, sat down, and opened her notebook.

“Who gave you this face mask?”

Cile’s struggled against the pain to answer Ivy. “The receptionist at…the D’Almagro Agency…gave it…to me. She said…someone had…left it…for me…she didn’t…know who.”

“Did you receive anything else at the same time?”

The young woman tried to recall the days before this devastating occurrence. The receptionist Kerry had, as usual, followed her. “I’m…not sure…think it was…day Artie peed…on Kerry’s…shoe. Wait…man left me…a note…inquiring…about me. Didn’t leave…a name…only a note for me.”

Doctor Taylor cleared his throat, suggesting that it was time to finish.

“It said…Beautiful.”

The Japanese Masseuse – Chapter 24

Ivy Kim (Detective, Austin Police Department)

Beast (Ivy Kim’s turtle)

Peter Tung (Forensic photographer, Austin Police Department)

       

Chad Randlett (Coroner, Austin Police Department)

Leonardo D’Almagro (CEO, D’Almagro Fashion and Talents)

Albert Ding (Poet and musician)

       

Waltraud Contratto (Housekeeper for Leonardo D’Almagro)

Maury Lane (Forensic investigator, Austin Police Department)

Karsten Blok (Boy Scout Leader, Dane)

       

Cile Cook (Model, D’Almagro Fashion and Talents)

Arturo (Cile Cook’s Dog)

Brianna Fleet (Model, independent business owner)

   

David J. Hernandez (Business partner, D’Almagro Fashion and Talents)

Kerry Gallagher (Receptionist, D’Almagro Fashion and Talents)

 

CHAPTER 24

The dinner plate in front of her showed leftovers of macaroni and cheese, and a glass of milk was still waiting to be emptied. Ivy was seated at the kitchen table in her small apartment. Next to her, on the table, a turtle was eating its way through a lettuce leaf twice its own size.

“Come on, Beast! I don’t have all the time in the world to devote to your slow eating habits. I know you may outlive me by 50 years; but how about a little respect for this shorter-lived creature?”

The turtle didn’t show any signs of sympathy but kept chewing.

“Okay, pal, time’s up!” Ivy picked Beast up, then placed him in a cardboard box on the floor with some grass and a small bowl of water. The leftovers from Beast’s meal she also put in the box.

The detective pushed her plate and glass out of her way to make room for a brown folder. Peter Tung really takes some good photos. Look at these details. Ivy studied some close-ups of the gory murder weapon that had almost decapitated Leonardo D’Almagro.

The blood on the dagger was identical to the victim’s, but no more evidence relating to the murderer had been found. However, Mrs. Contratto had verified that the knife was the same dagger she had seen this Albert Ding give to the victim. Nice! I have a present for you. The weapon that eventually will kill you.

The detective grabbed her cell phone from the kitchen counter. 8 o’clock. Chad always works late. I need to give him a call.

“Ah-aah…I mean…this is Chad.” He sounded like he was intensely occupied and not prepared for any interruptions.

“Did Maury Lane confirm that the dagger is Japanese? I mean, Mrs. Contratto, you know, the housekeeper, said the dagger was a gift from this Albert Ding; according to her, he looks Chinese. I really need to track him down and talk to him. And what about the paper in D’Almagro’s th…”

“How about a hello?” The coroner was still working and had a corpse on the cold, metal table in front of him.

“You know my voice.”

“Yes, but the gentleman in front of me, doesn’t.”

“Someone I know?”

“You’ve met.” Chad found it amusing. Making jokes about his bloody occupation was one way to emotionally survive. “Mr. D’Almagro.”

“Oh…Send him my love,” Ivy sniggered, not liking the picture the coroner’s scene put in her head at that moment. “So what’s new?”

An awkward silence left her hanging, unsure if Chad still was on the line. Then she heard a different voice.

“Detective? This is Maury. I would say it’s definitely a Japanese dagger, a tanto. They are more decorated than the larger swords, and the blade rarely exceeds 12 inches in length, which fits our object. The tanto was designed primarily as a stabbing instrument, but the edge can be used to slash as well. A collector’s item…The victim was certainly slashed.” Maury was staring at the sliced-up corpse on the metal table. “It’s not difficult to get one of these daggers, so it will probably be a needle in a haystack finding it’s owner.”

Ivy held up a photo of the tanto. “I know who owned it and who gave it to him…but that doesn’t tell me who killed Mr. D’Almagro…Say! The employment agreement you recovered from deep inside his throat. Any fingerprints?”

“Nope! Hey wait! Chad wants to get on the line again.”

Chad wasn’t going to waste a phone call with Ivy on somebody else. Impatiently, he had been waiting for Maury to finish.

Ivy continued without paying attention to the change in the recipient’s name or voice. “Okay, and all the prints we found in the house are, so far, from the victim himself and some other unidentified people. This guy had germophobia, so every week he had a special cleaning service de-germ the entire house. Certainly doesn’t make it easy for us. And how much longer did he live without those germs?”

Ivy was looking through the stack of photos when she stopped at one of a bloody footprint. “Jam-bam! I thought everybody agreed we didn’t have any footprints. Chad, I’m looking at a nice Peter Tung close-up of a footprint. How could we miss that? How the hell could we miss that?”

She kept staring at the photo. “This is a very unusual print, Chad. I’ll get Valerie on this. It doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen before.”

“What does it look like?”

“Not sure. A formal shoe of some kind. I would think size nine or ten. It could be a male or female.”

“What about the shower? Somebody took a shower there.” Chad wasn’t ready to finish this conversation.

“Yep…and his devoted housekeeper had all the towels in the washer before we arrived. Why? Because she didn’t want the bathroom to be messy when the police showed up.”

“Why are people so stupid?”

Ivy kept looking at the footprint. “Or clever?”

“You sound tired.” Chad moved away from the corpse. “Wanna meet for a quick drink?”

“Nay…I am tired. I feel like I cover multiple cases at the same time. People are crazy. I don’t think that’s what they mean with Keep Austin Weird. Officer James and I were interviewing this Danish woman today. Her boyfriend, apparently a child molester…”

“Child molester?” Chad interrupted her.

“Yeah, but never convicted.”

“What did he do? Where’s he from?”

Ivy was surprised at Chad’s sudden interest in this other case. “Kidnapped his girlfriend and ex-mother-in-law. He…”

“No! I mean, what did he do to the child?” Chad checked to see if his colleague Maury was listening. He wasn’t.

“I’m not sure yet. We’re looking into it. He’s originally from Denmark. Why this interest, Chad?”

“I hate child molesters!”

After they ended their conversation, Ivy still wondered why Chad had been so upset about this case with Karsten Blok.

She picked up the photo in front of her. Kept looking at the close-up photo of the footprint. Who are you?

***

Cile almost let her body fall into the armchair while Arturo comfortably found his spot on his mistress’s bed on top of the books she had been studying.

Cile loved being a model, but she also enjoyed her student world at the University of Texas where she was getting a degree in biology. This was an important commitment to her mother, who wanted her daughter to have something to fall back on.

The apartment was almost dark, only brightened by the glow of a streetlight that fell through the windows. It had been a long day, and having Brianna Fleet chasing her around the entire day had been too exhausting. I wonder when I’ll get rid of that annoying woman? I have to talk to David J. about it. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Him and me? Ha! In another world!

As if she expected someone to place a coin in her hand, she stretched her arm out, then turned a switch. A lamp above the coffee table came on.

The model’s hair was still elegantly put up, and a few butterflies from the photo shoot still playfully decorated her beautiful face.

For a moment Cile took in the peace, then rose from the chair to grab her Louis Vuitton purse. She reached in, searching for something. With a sigh, she turned the purse upside down, emptying its entire contents out on the table.

Among makeup, tampons, and wrapped mint candies from restaurants, she found what she was looking for. The envelope from this Albert Ding and the skin-care product someone had left for her.

Cile recalled the episode with the receptionist and found it amusing that Arturo had peed on her new shoes. That Kerry in reception. What’s up with her? She’s skipping around in those high heels, following me whenever she sees me. Why can’t she learn to walk correctly? She has a pretty face, but I don’t like the way she looks at me.

The white envelope didn’t have any name on it.

Puzzled, Cile shifted it between her fingers. Now, what can that be? She anticipated everything from invitations, money, fan letter, even threats, which she never had received any of.

She slit open the envelope and pulled out a small piece of paper.

Beautiful.

It didn’t say anything else.

Just another silly lovebird/admirer. She threw the paper on the table.

The little package with the new skin-care product called for her attention. That was really one of the many benefits of being a model. She got to know about all the new stuff before her friends. It was some kind of a new face mask. She really wanted to try it but was too tired.

A small purse mirror on the table reflected the light from the lamp. Elegantly, Cile moved her head above it, so she could admire her own reflection. She liked what she saw. She felt her soft skin and smiled contentedly.

More relaxed, she sank back into the chair.

The calm was broken by the sound of an excited Arturo munching through the contents of the garbage can.

“Artie! Damn it! Not again!”

***

Ivy was brushing her teeth when all of a sudden, she threw the toothbrush into the sink. She wiped her mouth with a towel and grabbed her cell phone from the small shelf under the mirror.

“Chad! Is Maury still there?”

“Are you sure you want Maury?”

“Come on, Chad. Put me on to Maury.”

“Detective…” Maury sounded tired.

“Maury, this business card from the Japanese masseuse. Did you find anything on that?”

“Well, a pretty good footprint,” Maury chuckled, “but we already know where that came from…Chad’s shoe. We found traces of almond oil, which could be the oil the massage therapist uses. Nothing unusual.”

“Thanks, Maury. Why don’t you get some sleep?” The detective hung up the phone.

The Japanese Masseuse – Chapter 13

     

Ivy Kim (Detective, Austin Police department)

Chad Randlett (Coroner, Austin Police Department)

Leonardo D’Almagro (CEO, D’Almagro Fashion and Talents)

     

Derick James (Police officer, Austin Police Department)

Waltraud Contratto (Housekeeper for Leonardo D’Almagro)

Scott Miller (Captain, Austin Police Department)

     

Valerie Tyson (Police officer, Austin police Department)

Victoria Mooney (Ivy Kim’s stepdaughter)

Maury Lane (Forensic investigator)

CHAPTER 13

“Any news, Chad? Did you manage to pull that paper from D’Almagro’s throat?”

A sense of excitement engulfed Chad when he recognized the caller’s voice. “Ivy?”

“How humiliating!” she burbled on. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to lay there on the coroner’s table, butt-naked, with a wide-open mouth while a total stranger pulls The New York Times out of your throat. Then again, when you’re dead, you probably don’t care….Chad? Hello?”

Ivy was driving the unbelievable survivor, her old silver-gray Honda Civic, which once had been her dream of a car. One more block, and she would be at the Austin Police Department.

She would be the one to deliver the startling news about Derick James and D’Almagro. Somehow, she had to find a way to buy some extra time for further investigation before the lions were let loose on Derick. Angry lions. That’s exactly what they are, and exactly how they will behave when the story comes out. Our boss, our colleagues, the press, the entire town will be on his neck. Poor Derick! He is such a great guy, and now all this.

“Ivy? Hey!…Ivy, is that you? You’re cutting out. Are you on your cell?”

“Yep, that’s me. The one with the boobs, you know.”

She stepped on the gas pedal since she was already late for her meeting with Mrs. Contratto. And before seeing her, she had to report to her boss, Scott Miller.

Perhaps she could convince Miller to assign Valerie Tyson to the case, too; she was such a great officer. It wasn’t that Ivy actually had any indication that this was going to be a complicated case, but her intuition and long years in this crazy world told her this wasn’t going to be an easy one either. A good officer like Valerie was priceless. She wasn’t sure what excuse or explanation she would present to Miller, but it had to be a good one.

“Ivy? Are you there?” Chad was still waiting for some kind of confirmation.

“Yep! Did you pull that paper out? What was it?” Then she unintentionally yelled into the phone, “Shit, you bastard!”

“Come on! You sound like a drunken sailor. What’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong. Some idiot almost hit my car!”

“You did it again, Ivy. Ran the red light, didn’t you?” Chad normally declined to ride with Ivy. “Too much excitement for one day” was his justification.

“Yellow! It was yellow! And I’m late. That paper. What was it?”

“Well, it’s not The New York Times. It’s a page from an employee contract. Looks like a standard one from D’Almagro Fashion and Talents. No signature, no name, nothing as far as I can see that will link it to a certain person, but you’re the expert in that area.”

“Eat that, your bastard,” she muttered to herself, now wondering if she already should have brought Rob Bonner, handcuffed, down to the station for questioning. She speculated as to whether D’Almagro had been forced to eat the page before he was killed or if it had been pushed down his throat after. Some way to show loathing for a contract. Or the business in general. Then again, it wasn’t signed, so it could be a coincidence.

“What? Did you just say ‘bastard’ again?” Chad was amused.

“Sorry, Chad. I just had an impulse. I’ll try to avoid that word.”

“You should! You know that, don’t you? It’s no way for a lady to speak.”

“I’m not a lady, but that’ll work.”

Chad’s advice was the same thing her mother always pointed out to her in an attempt to convert her daughter to the virtues of a refined and educated woman. Victoria is ladylike. Almost too perfect. But what else would she be in her attorney father’s New York home.

Detective Kim yanked her thoughts back to the case. “The dagger. Is it still in the lab?”

“Maury Lane is working on it,” Chad informed her. “So far, I believe he hasn’t found anything. Well, the blood type matches D’Almagro’s; but besides that, it’s clean…so to speak.”

“Yep, what I expected. I would like to get those photos. Close ups. As soon as possible. Will you let Peter Tung know? I’m hoping that I can put Officer Tyson on that, you know, tracing its origin and hopefully the owner. According to Mrs. Contratto, it didn’t belong to D’Almagro.”

“Maury is good, Ivy, really good. He can find an ant leg on a soccer field. And it so happens, he knows a little about Asian culture, too.”

“Well, so do you, Chad! If I’m not wrong, you lived there for a while. So tell me, does it look Asian or what?”

“Maury said Japanese.”

“What do you think?”

He desperately wanted to come up with the perfect answer to impress her; but the truth was, he had no idea. Most of his time in Asia had been in the company of corpses, not ancient culture and fine artifacts. Unfortunately, in almost every way he was a novice when it came to defining what made one culture different from another. If it weren’t for differences in physical appearance among the various branches of Homo sapiens, then he wouldn’t know where he was. All medical examiners’ rooms looked the same.

“Japanese, I would say.” He felt bad about his little lie.

“Hmm. I wonder if this Japanese masseuse’s business card and the dagger are connected. Anyway, I’ll talk to you later. Oh! Would you please have the employee agreement brought over to me when the lab is done with it. Let me know when you have finished your autopsy report, too. Thanks.”

She disconnected the call, parked her car right outside the APD building, and rushed inside.