Page 19 of Fade Out

“Sure.”

Franklin Eggers, Brian’s boyfriend, came out of the kitchen. He was tall and thin and I’d never really liked him. The smell of dinner wafted after him. “Hi Nick. I’m making pork chops, there’s an extra one.”

“I just ate, thanks.”

Brian had poured me a glass of wine from the bottle on the dining room table. I set the files I was carrying down next to a brochure with 2100 N. LINCOLN on the front page in a bold font.

“So Nick, what is going on with the police?” Brian finally asked. “The guy who was here was pretty obnoxious and wouldn’t tell us anything.”

“Hamish Gardner?”

He shrugged.

“Likes to cuss?”

“Yeah, that was him.”

“I was arrested for murder.”

“What!? Oh my God, Nick!”

“Hold on. I need to get everything off the stove,” Franklin said. “Don’t say another word until I get back.”

He flew through the kitchen door. I looked at Brian and shrugged, sipped my wine and then Franklin was back. We sat down and I told them everything that had happened. They interspersed the occasional, “You’re kidding?” or “Holy shit.”

“So who do you think bailed you out?” Brian asked.

“It was a million-dollar bond. They had to put up a hundred thousand. And they’re not getting it back. I’m thinking Sugar.”

“I talked to her this morning. I told her about the police coming by and she seemed surprised.”

“I’ll go down and see her. Maybe tomorrow or the next—”

“You can’t. She’s in Charlevoix.”

Charlevoix? It took me a moment, then I remembered the last time I’d seen her there had a been a lot of luggage sitting around and they were getting ready to go to her summer place.

Of course, this raised the issue of how did Owen know where to find her? And how did she get the money to him—oh, that was easy. She had an accountant do it. But—

“So, who do you think the woman in the box is?” Franklin asked.

“Rita has a way of insinuating herself into people’s lives.”

“But killing someone just to frame you, that’s so—”

“Yeah.” I spun that around for a moment. It did seem extreme. Even for Rita. Not that even a simple murder isn’t extreme.

“Opportunity,” I said finally. “My guess is she had an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. She got something out of it. For one, she’s probably using this poor woman’s identity.”

“You know, I’ve never really understood, why she didn’t just leave Chicago after they arrested her boyfriend,” Brian wondered. “She could be on the other side of the world by now. Safe and sound.”

“And broke,” I said. “Her best chance to get more money is here. Not to mention she’s found places to hide out.”

“She’s always lived here, hasn’t she?” Franklin asked.

“Yeah, I think so.”

To Brian he said, “Familiarity. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but she feels safer here than she would somewhere else.”