A Lover of Silver

ISBN: 9781483541174

A Lover of Silver

I’m not a morning person. So when Liz opened the curtains on the sliding glass doors at the Marriott Hotel, the light hit my eyes like a hammer. My first thought was to strangle her.

When she began singing a rap song called Big Pimpin I was sure strangulation was too good for her. I opened one eye and let the eye follow her gyrating around the room.

She was naked. I thought she looked much younger and prettier last night, but then that was after I had lost count of the scotch and sodas. Margret the third party to our tryst was gone. I made a mental note to check my wallet.

I pulled the 200 count Marriott sheets over my head and plopped a down pillow over that. Didn’t work. To make sure it didn’t, Liz sat on my side of the bed bouncing up and down while she rapped shushing sounds replicating I knew not what. The rocking motion didn’t bode well for my stomach.

It was no use. I had to get up to make sure I didn’t lose last night’s overpriced dinner.

I stumbled to the bathroom with a pillow over each ear, closing the door hoping it was soundproof, I dropped my pillows and emptied my bladder of last night’s liquor. After a sigh and the customary jiggle, I moved to the large mirror to see if I still had hair. I was happy to discover there was. Dropping my robe, I got in the shower and let the hot water ease my headache.

When I got out of the shower, I stood facing the mirror again. On the fogged up glass, I squinted at a cryptic message in bright red lipstick. Since I didn’t wear lipstick and Liz wore garish purple, this message, it struck me, had to be written by the third party to our party. It read, I want my share.

This perplexing message had a way of jogging me fully awake.

Someone had come into the bathroom while I showered. Was it possible that Margret was back and wanted to party again, or was it my little rapper playing tricks? When I heard the bedside radio loudly echoing Liz’s funky rap music, I thought it a good idea to question the girl about her age once more, and her choice of music. I brushed my teeth, pulled my bottom eyelid down to look at my bloodshot eye, and checked the lengthening hair in my nose. I shaved quickly, cutting myself, took the towel to continue drying my revived hair, and went to find answers.

What I discovered was that Liz could no longer give answers. She was quite dead. Her youngish body lay naked on the bed in a spreading pool of blood. A cloth napkin was on her breast with something underneath holding it upright. Like a fool, I removed the napkin to find a steak knife from last night’s room service meal protruding from the left side of her chest.

I consider myself a person with a strong constitution. My constitution came up in the form of bile from last night’s meal. When that exited through my nose it burned like hell. I blew my nose on the towel to clear the remnants, sat in a red upholstered chair, and stared at the girl, then the room now in tatters. For several moments my mind could not cope with what I was seeing. I felt I had come from the bathroom into someone else’s suite. I ran a trembling hand through my damp hair.

Was this Margret’s doing?

I didn’t think tiny Margret could hardly carry out such a deed, she was only a bit more of a woman than Liz. How could she do something like this without making noise? How could I have not heard a thing? I wiggled my finger in my ears to check for water in case the shower had impeded my hearing.

Apparently, after killing Liz, Margret or someone had tossed the room, emptying drawers ripping up the bed, and making a general mess. I presumed the radio, still making that horrible noise, cushioned the sounds of what had happened in the room. Why no one had tried for me in the bathroom, I found puzzling, but thinking about it, the steak knife was the only weapon in the room. If it had been Margret she might have felt my six foot frame would not be as easy to overcome. Dismissing that thought, I wondered if the way things appeared was exactly as intended.

Was this to emphasize the crude lipstick message?

Although puzzling, the message was clear that someone wanted a share of something. What that something was I had no idea. Had someone else been in the room intent on robbing us while I was in the bathroom? Or had Margret left the room and come back while I did my morning business?

Searching the room with my bloodshot eyes I found no clue as to Margret having been here at all. Not a trace. I turned off the bedside radio, went to my knees and crawled to Liz’s purse. The contents were scattered around the foot of the bed. I looked for aspirin. None.

There was a blue box containing Midol, which because of the severity of my throbbing headache I was tempted to try.

Rummaging through the other items scattered near the empty purse I found a purple lipstick in a long faux gold tube, nail polish, a key ring with several keys, a photo of a small freckled boy, and miscellaneous match books. No wallet, and no identification. This was not going to be easy to explain to the police.

I sat back in the same chair and considered calling my partner at Wilson & Ledbetter Communications. Henry would be on his way to the agency by now, but thinking about it, he would be of little help.

I tried instead to reach Mark my attorney and best friend. He answered his cell with, Can’t talk Bill I’m driving. He disconnected. Good old Mark wouldn’t break a law if a life depended on it. In this case it did.

I called my sister Mary. She was also driving but knowing Mary, she didn’t give a damn. Laws were for other people. Breathless, I said, Mary I need help.

"What’s new about that?’

This is serious.

So am I.

Listen, I mean this is really serious. I said with a whiny voice.

Ok, good lord now what.

I need you to come to room 1592 at the Marriott downtown.

I’m just on the five freeway out of La Jolla. What’s so important?

There’s a dead person in my room.

Yeah that sounds important. Now what’s the catch?

No I mean it, there’s a dead girl in my room.

You do it?

Dammit Mary hurry up. Oh, and stop by a store and get some bleach.

You can’t be serious.

Hurry. I closed my mobile.

+ + + +

While I waited, I tried to clear my mind enough to recall what sequence of last night’s events brought me here. There was the five o’clock happy hour at Marty’s Grill. The scotch and soda’s I recalled to a point. I had a fuzzy memory of meeting Liz at the bar, and wondered if I made a move on Liz. Or was it Margret who sat on the other side of me that suggested the threesome?

In a haze of memory, I recollected that we stopped at a Seven Eleven store, or a drug store to either check on something or buy something.

I vaguely remembered Liz paying for the room while I was just anxious to get to the room and get naked.

Now I was wondering why Liz paid for the room. Was I that special? I would like to think so, but come on. The girls were excited about something, but that drifted through the fog of my memory as did other events. I did remember that while I was in the bathroom last night someone had delivered room service. I recall that I was disappointed with a steak or whatever kind of animal I might have been eating.

I couldn’t remember being disappointed about the sex thing. Sadly, I don’t remember being pleased about it either. My recollection of the events of last night have disappeared like a wisp of smoke. That is until Liz woke me by opening the drapes.

While thinking about these things the room phone rang sending a rush of adrenalin surging up my chest. I hesitated about answering. Would it be Mary trying to remember my room number? It had to be Mary, who else would know I was here. I could never let a ringing phone alone. I picked up the room phone and said, Mary?

A muffled, and distorted male voice said, We want our share. You have two days to give us an answer. If not there will be dire consequences. We’ll call you then.

The phone went dead. Who the hell was that, and how would whoever it was call me? Did they have my phone numbers? I had no land line at my Condo. Never saw the need. Maybe they had my cell. The more I thought about it the more frustrating it became. Margret was the only one that knew I was here, and that didn’t sound like a woman’s voice unless she had bronchitis or sucked down to many Marlboro cigarettes.

And what share? Of what? Two days for an answer about what? The voice said we, so I could assume Margret was involved in trying to get this unknown share of this unknown something.

I got dressed, went to the bathroom gathered the towels I had used, and put them in a pile. With a fresh towel, I wiped the mirror. With another, I wiped down everything I could think of, phone, door handles, utensils, bathroom fixtures, everything.

I pulled the top sheet off the bed and put Liz’s purse and loose items in it. There was blood and who knows what on the bottom sheet so I pulled that from under Liz and added it to the first sheet. How I would get it all out of the room, I had no idea, but explaining this to the police was not an option.

There was a knock on the door. I stumbled over the bed sheets, and peeked through the security eye. It was my tiny sister Mary not looking happy, and holding a large white bottle of bleach. When I opened the door, she pushed past me. What have you got yourself into now?

When she saw the bed there was no need for an answer. At least not yet. Mary’s hand went to her mouth and she gasped, Damn Bill you really meant it. What have you done? Is she really dead?

I’ll explain later, but first I want you to know I didn’t do this.

Who, who, did?

I don’t know. Now I need your help. We need to bleach the room and get out of here.

Mary stood stock still looking me in the eyes. For a long moment, she said nothing giving me her infamous ‘are you crazy’ look. Her hand still on her face began to tremble. When she spoke, it was almost a whisper, Bill you have to call the police. Have you called the police?

How would I explain this? I don’t know this girl, she has no identification, and I slept with her last night. I would wait to tell her about Margret.

And so you’re going to wipe down the room and run? Have you been reading those detective stories again? What about DNA, did you use a condom?

Mary listen, I don’t remember much about last night so right now I have to get out of here, I’ll explain everything later.

You don’t care that you’re making me an accessory?

That gave me pause. Leave the bleach and go then.

The hell you say. I can’t escape being involved now even if I wanted to.

Ok then stay, but let’s get busy.

+ + + +

We made it out of the hotel without raising suspicion. Once in Mary’s car I breathed a sigh of relief and watched her out of the corner of my eye. I waited for the explosion. She sat silent. That could mean my browbeating was yet to come.

I must explain about Mary. Two years younger than me, I had always sought to be her big brother protector. Mary never saw it that way. Independent is not enough to describe her personality. She could be sweet when it suited her, and mean as hell when it didn’t. When at the ages of 21 and 19 we lost our parents in an accident on the five freeway, we became co-dependent and closer than we had ever been. I have always known that in today’s world this is an exception. Most siblings want to kill each other. Though we live separate lives it’s a custom for us to spend at least one or two nights a month at dinner or the theater. If either one of has a lover or something more serious we never let it interfere with our date night. If they complain about our being unusually close they would soon be history. I guess to sum it up Mary is my best friend.

I don’t know why I didn’t want to go to my downtown apartment. I suppose I thought the cops would be waiting for me there with red lights flashing and shotguns resting over the hood of their cars. Mary said nothing when I suggested we get rid of the evidence.

We dumped the bloody sheet and its contents, except for Liz’s purse, in a dumpster behind a downtown market. From there we started for San Diego’s North County.

Mary’s condominium was in Carlsbad. Her apartment almost fronted the l0l or Carlsbad Blvd across from the Pacific Ocean. It took forty minutes to get there.

On the way, questions flew at me like the long formation of Pelicans that soared along the beach route with us. I explained with considerable embarrassment last night’s situation. Mary tisk tisked in her usual manner of scolding as the story unfolded. She interrupted my story and said, So this Margret could explain all this?

I suspect she had something to do with Liz’s death, but it was a male voice that called.

Damn Bill I wish you would grow up and act your age. I can’t always get you out of trouble you know.

I hung my head hoping the mock humility would lessen the blistering I was due to receive. I turned my face away and regarded the Disney looking Mormon Temple off the five freeway.

Mary sighed, So I think you’re going to suggest that we need to find this Margret.

Exactly. I said to quickly.

Mary took her eyes off the road and gave me a long look. You think anyone at Marty’s could identify Margret, like maybe the bartender?

It’s the place I thought we could start.

"We? What’s with this WE?"

Looking into Mary’s blue eyes I said, Come on sis I need your help. What if I ran into Margret or her male cohort? I can’t be seen in there, and keep your eyes on the road.

Turning her attention back to dodging traffic she said, That’s a lame excuse for involving me while you stick your head in the sand.

I’m not sticking my head in the sand, and you didn’t answer me. Are you going to help?

Mary rarely swore, but while smacking the steering wheel with the palm of her hand she mumbled, Damn,..... shit,.... damn....damn.

In a whining childish little brother voice I said, Mary I’m your brother. You have an obligation.

Her stoic glare told me that the whining was not working. How about Arthur? I asked. After all he’ll soon be a part of the family.

Puffing a slow big breath through pouty cheeks she said, "My fiancé is smarter than that. I also think he would want to kick your butt or arrest you for this affair. He’s a detective sworn to