Ice Princess Ch. 08

"So you've not seen John in three days," Officer Dillon said again, making sure he'd heard the answer exactly.

"No officer," said Uncle Matt, "both the Mrs. and I have not." He wrote that information down on his papers and looked toward Danielle, as he ran his fingers through his coal black hair.

"Now Danielle," he started, "when was the last time you saw him." She looked at his fingers holding the 'headache' giving pen. She'd had just about enough of him. If she didn't get too close to him, he had no effect on her. She was finding it difficult to keep her space as he questioned them and kept stepping closer to her so that she was forced to take steps backwards or in other directions just to keep away from him.

"I saw him out the window," she pointed toward the one which looked out front the street. It was the same time my Aunt and Uncle told you they saw him. "He kept walking up and down the sidewalk, pacing. It was strange."

He made a few more notes and then smiled. "Thank you," he replied and shook hands with Aunt Marie and Uncle Matt. Danielle avoided the contact by picking up a cup and cradling it in her hands when he tried to shake hers.

"Thank you officer," she said instead and moved toward the kitchen pretending that she needed to put her empty cup in the sink.

"Boy, things have gotten ugly in this town lately, don't you know," said Aunt Marie as she sat down in her favorite chair and picked up her sewing. "Maybe we should move,"

Uncle Matt just looked at her and smiled, then walked into the kitchen. He needed to get back to work on his old truck.

Danielle put her cup down and looked out the window. "What now?" she wondered. Two deaths and a missing person was it time to move on?

"What are you going to do today, Danielle, my dear?"

Danielle jumped; she'd forgotten Aunt Marie was in the room.

"I'm going to do some shopping and then go to work," she replied, "would you like to join me?"

"Me in all those young ladies shops?" She smiled warmly and declined the invitation.

"Darlin, I'm just too old to be seen in those. What would the ladies say the next time at our group meeting?"

"Well," answered Danielle, "They'd say you're a liberal thinker." She snickered, because they both knew that statement wasn't true.

"Enjoy your afternoon, Aunty," said Danielle as she bent down and kissed her aunt's cheek.

"You just be careful darling, with all this nasty going on around here I don't want to see you get hurt." After Danielle disappeared out the door she quietly added the word "again."

Danielle began to drive. Shortly she arrived at work, only to find Josie. She frowned.

"Hey! Look who showed up at work an hour early," teased Josie as she walked out of Bill's office carrying a big tray of sample drinks.

Her long legs were beautified in purple knee high boots, today, with a matching purple top, in-of-course, the latest design.

"What do you want?" she asked in her best syrupy voice, "Bill has some prospective clients in his office, and I don't think he wants to be disturbed just now."

"I don't want anything, answered Danielle, "I just need to get ready for work." She turned away and walked towards her locker. This was shit she just didn't need today.

"Hey, Danielle," Yelled Kathy from the main floor, "have you heard that they are investigating Josie as one of the murder suspects?"

Danielle pulled out one of her favorite serving shirts and gave Kathy a funny look. "Which murder, you know, there's two now."

"Officer Ben. They found some red hairs on his shirt and started investigating all the red heads in town. You were right they did have something going. Did you know that Josie and Ben were lov..."

"What are you doing Kathy?" came Josie's voice from the doorway." Aren't you supposed to be serving?" Josie didn't look very happy and Danielle quietly smiled to herself as she walked into the bathroom to get ready for work. As the door closed behind her she make a mark in the air with her pointer finer and laughed.

About 45 minutes later Danielle began her shift.

"Officer Dillon," said Danielle somewhat surprised to see him on the floor in the club. What brings you around tonight?" She stepped back a few feet careful to avoid the alerts that suddenly went off in her head the moment she saw him dressed in plain clothing.

"Can't a man have some fun," he teased while trying to close the distance between them.

"Well," she said stepping behind things while trying to keep the space between them real. "I'm sure he can."

"Drink?" she asked, but didn't step closer to offer him any from her tray.

"What do you have?" he asked as he stepped closer.

"Hey, Snow White!" yelled a big bozo from across the room. "Where's my beer?"

"Excuse me," she said in a hurried voice, "that'd be for me."

"Hold your horses, Peter Pan, I'm on my way." She stepped quickly around several people and moved toward the customer.

Danielle felt the officer's eyes on her back as she virtually ran away. Had he came to watch her? Did he suspect she'd had something to do with all three incidents? Leaving now would surly make her look guilty.

"Ante up," she said to her customer, as she stepped in front of him with her tray of drinks. He laid a fiver on the tray and scooped up his beer, blowing the froth off in her direction.

"Hey," she said stepping away trying to avoid the foam. She laughed and said, "Now isn't that just rude."

"I'll tell you what's rude," said a voice over her shoulder. She froze, it was Officer Dillon again.

"What might that be," she asked taking several large steps around the customer she'd just served. This was getting old fast.

"I just received a call from headquarters. Your missing neighbor has been found."

Danielle stopped moving. Her face felt white...

"and?" she asked, waiting to hear what she already knew he'd say yet just a bit frightened that he wouldn't say it.

"He hung himself from a weeping willow tree that dangled over the river. He was completely nude." They found a lock of red hair in his hand.

Danielle's eyes looked toward Josie as she walked into the room. Officer Dillon followed the stare and moved away.

Now it was going to begin...