Rear-View Murder: A Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery Read online

“And that’s when I uncovered the...saw the...hand,” Gemma finally finished. “Please tell me you found out who she was?”

  Detective Temple smiled in a kindly, almost fatherly way. He touched the piece of paper on top. “The coroner did a brief autopsy on what was left of the body early this morning. The deceased was a female of short stature, probably in her mid-twenties. There really wasn’t much left to go on. She’s been in that car a while, at least six months.”

  “But you don’t know who she was?”

  He shook his head. “That takes a little time. It’s not like on TV.”

  Gemma nodded. “What happened to her?”

  “The only real damage he could see was to the back of her skull. It looked like she had taken a blow from a blunt instrument. But it wasn’t enough to kill her.”

  Gemma scooted forward in her seat and nodded. “Do you think she was murdered?”

  “I’m guessing she didn’t put herself in the trunk of that car and then cover up with coats and blankets,” Detective Temple said.

  “Unless she was hiding,” Gemma said.

  The detective continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “We’ve talked to Buddy. They had to hurry to get the car ready for you and when the kid couldn’t get the trunk open, he just left it. They figured it was empty anyway, that the repo company had cleaned out any valuables.”

  “So when will we find out more?” Gemma asked.

  Detective Temple shook his head slowly and picked up another sheet of paper. “Miss Stone, let me explain something to you. The Car-Fax report which was in the glove box tells us that at the time this girl was put in the trunk, this car was in Richmond.”

  “So that means someone in Richmond might be able to help us.”

  “What that means is this is really their baby. We’ve already shipped the car and the body to Richmond.”

  “But...”

  “We’re a small department without enough technology or man power to work on a case like this.”

  A strange silence hung in the air between them.

  “I’m sorry. I can see you’re disappointed, but I didn’t make that judgment call. The chief did. However, I have to agree.”

  “So, is there someone I can call in Richmond to find out what they discovered?” Gemma asked, feeling as if she was grabbing at straws.

  “It’s a big department. I wouldn’t know where to start,” Detective Temple said.

  “Homicide?”

  Detective Temple shrugged. “Missing persons?”

  Gemma continued to sit there, stunned at the news. She just assumed that they would use DNA or fingerprints or dental records, enter that information into some nationwide database of people and the young woman’s name would pop up. Now she was being told that both the body and her car were being shipped to some huge police department in a city two hours away.

  “Surely, someone is looking for her,” Gemma said.

  “I’m sure someone is and if that’s the case, Richmond will figure it out. They’ve got smart men down there with lots of experience in this kind of thing,” Detective Temple added with a chuckle. “I’m a dinosaur, due to retire in November. Me and the missus are moving to Florida.”

  “It could take weeks for them to get to the case,” Gemma said, hoping he would reassure her otherwise.

  “Again, I’m sorry, but it’s really out of our hands now.”

  Gemma was speechless. This was the one thing she had not counted on.

  “So that pretty much wraps it up here,” the detective said, standing. “I’ll get your statement typed up and fax that over to Richmond PD as well as this paperwork.”

  Gemma and Nick stood as well.

  “Will someone let me know what they found out?” Gemma asked as they left the room.

  “Your name and phone number will be attached to this report but it’s pretty doubtful. In fact, it could be months before they even get around to looking at it. Our capitol city has the fourth highest murder rate in the country as well as all the other violent crimes, including drugs and gangs. They’re pretty busy.”

  Gemma was more than disappointed. She was angry and appalled and sad all at the same time. Somewhere a family was looking for a missing daughter or a sister or an aunt. Who knows how long she had been missing, and they might have to wait months before they got the sad, sad news.

  “Are you okay?” Nick asked when they were back in his car. It was the first thing he’d said in a while and she guessed he was just giving her time to process the news.

  Gemma nodded. She wondered what Holly was doing for the next few days.

  Chapter Six

  “So, what do you think?” Gemma asked Holly as she paced around her living room, her cell phone pressed against her ear. She thought Nick would never leave and even pretended to want to take a nap to get him to go. Before he was even out of the driveway, she called Holly. “Will you help me?”

  “I know this is important to you...” Holly said.

  “Holly, somewhere a family is hurting, looking, waiting, and hoping to find a young woman who is dead. The detective said it could take months for the police in Richmond to even look at the case. If we go down there and talk to them, maybe we can convince them to move quicker.” Gemma held her breath, waiting for Holly to answer. She didn’t want to go to Richmond alone, but she’d do it if necessary.

  “You don’t think a phone call will do it?” Holly reasoned.

  Gemma shook her head and plopped down on the sofa. “I’m afraid I’d just get transferred around and around until I got cut off. I could go by myself but...”

  While talking to Holly, Gemma began gathering up her clothes for laundry. While she talked, she checked her pockets, just like she always did. Feeling something odd in her jeans pocket, she dug a little deeper and then pulled out the ring she had discovered in the trunk of her car. She picked it up, turning it carefully in her fingers. Again, she was struck by the beauty of the pale jade stone.

  “No, I don’t want you to go by your....”

  “Holly, please, can you come over here?” Gemma said, cutting her off.

  “Now? Are you okay?” Holly’s voice suddenly sounded far away.

  “Yes, I found something...something in the car and I want you to see it,” Gemma said, sinking into a nearby chair.

  “What did you find?”

  Gemma could hear the throaty sound of Holly’s vehicle starting up. She would be here in just a matter of minutes. This ring belonged to that poor dead girl and she didn’t think it was a piece of costume jewelry. It looked and felt expensive. It had to be a family heirloom, and that family needed it back.

  “A ring. That girl’s ring,” Gemma said.

  Holly burst into the kitchen door as if the house was on fire. Gemma was waiting. The ring was lying in front of her, on the wooden table where she’d had breakfast with Nick earlier.

  “And you didn’t give it to the police?” Holly asked.

  “I just found it in my pocket. I guess I forgot all about it in the confusion,” Gemma explained.

  They both stood there for a moment looking at the ring, neither of them touching it.

  “It’s a beautiful opal,” Holly said quietly.

  “It’s not jade?” Gemma asked, surprised even though she knew better than to question Holly’s knowledge of stones, or any type of jewelry for that matter.

  Holly finally picked it up and studied the stone in its delicate heart-shaped setting. She shook her head. “No, green opal. Look at the fire flashing inside when the light hits it.”

  Gemma could see it now. It looked like a rainbow on fire and even more exquisite than it had before

  Holly examined the ring even closer. “The little diamonds are clear and the setting is in perfect condition. It’s tiny but perfectly proportioned for the size. She must have been quite petite.”

  “Do you think it’s an heirloom?” Gemma asked, thinking of the dead girl’s family again.

  “Probably,” Holly said, continuing to s
tudy the ring. “There are no initials or identification inside. Not even a date. It’s definitely a one of a kind design and I’m sure it was quite expensive.”

  “Will you go with me to Richmond? I need to give this to...”

  “The police. It could be a clue as to why she died,” Holly told her.

  Gemma hadn’t thought of that. She simply hoped she could return it to the family. At least that might be some consolation for losing their daughter.

  “I say we go for a day, two at the most,” Holly said, giving the ring back to Gemma.

  “Maybe we can visit some of the jewelry stores there as well,” Gemma said. “Get some ideas for HealthGems and that kiosk I want to set up at the mall for Christmas.”

  “Good idea,” Holly said. “Then we can call it a business trip.”

  “So, it’s a win-win situation. We help give a family some peace and work on HealthGems at the same time.”

  The two friends spent the next few hours going over their business plans. Gemma threw out some marketing ideas and Holly showed her a few sketches of her newest designs. The longer they talked, the more excited they became about HealthGems. With Holly’s artistic flair for design and business head for numbers, Gemma concentrated on the social aspect - marketing, advertising, and public relations, making sure everyone knew about HealthGems and its impact on a healthy lifestyle.

  And for a while, Gemma forgot about the dead girl in the trunk of her car. Then she picked up the ring again, turning it this way and that in her fingers, loving the way the opal caught fire even in the evening sunlight.

  “Gemma, don’t get your hopes up,” Holly cautioned when she saw her with the ring again. “We don’t know if someone was looking for her. We don’t even know if she has a family,”

  At nine the following morning, Gemma and Holly were standing on the busy street in front of the Richmond, Virginia police department. It was an old building, just like the one in Gypsy Hill, but it was huge and solid looking with massive stone pillars in front. Inside it was much more modern with a police officer in uniform at the front desk busy answering one phone call after another.

  “May I help you?” he asked, after transferring a phone call. The look on his face and the tone of his voice told Gemma he didn’t really care whether he helped her or not, but he was doing his best to hide it. Mostly, he just sounded tired.

  “Yes, I need to speak to someone about a missing person,” Gemma explained.

  “You want to report someone missing?” he asked.

  The phone at his elbow buzzed angrily.

  “No, I want to...” Gemma struggled to explain. “Find someone.”

  “Then you need to talk to someone in missing persons,” he said, glancing at the ringing phone. There were about a thousand flashing lights on the big console and Gemma wondered how in the world he knew what he was doing.

  “No, she’s here but she’s dead,” Gemma said.

  “So you want to report a homicide?” he asked.

  The phone stopped ringing and then started back up again.

  “We found a body in a car,” Holly said, stepping up to the desk, taking charge of the situation. “We understand both are here. We need to speak to someone about it.

  “Just a minute,” he said and picked up the handset for yet another phone. After speaking into the phone for a moment, he hung up. “Just have a seat. Someone will be with you shortly.”

  Gemma followed Holly over to a row of wooden chairs that lined the wall just like the waiting room in Gypsy Hill but twice the size.

  “Thanks for stepping in there,” Gemma said to her best friend.

  “You’re a little bit close to the situation. I know how you get,” Holly said with a little smile and patted Gemma’s hand. Her cell chimed and Holly’s smile grew wider just as she answered it. “Hello, baby.”

  Gemma stood up and walked away, giving Holly some privacy. She and Mitch had such a special closeness that reminded her of her parents and their relationship. Gemma thought she shared that special bond with Nick until her parents died in that terrible car accident. That sent her into an emotional tailspin, leaving here unsure of her feelings about anything.

  “Ms. Stone?” a police officer said from a narrow doorway. She looked just as tired and harried as the man at the desk, but her dark uniform fit well and was neatly pressed.

  “Yes?” Gemma said and glanced over her shoulder to see Holly standing up and ending her call before she reached them.

  “Follow me, please,” the dark haired young woman said.

  Gemma and Holly followed her through a long room filled with cubicles. A police officer in uniform sat at each one, either on the phone scribbling notes or using the computer, sometimes both. One or two cubicles had several officers crowded together around a computer screen. The scent of burned coffee filled the room.

  “In here, please,” the officer said, pausing in front of an open door.

  Gemma and Holly entered a room much like the interrogation room where they had questioned her back in Gypsy Hill.

  “Someone will be right with you,” the officer said, and closed the door behind her as she left.

  Gemma paced nervously for a while, but when she realized she was getting on Holly’s nerves she forced herself to sit. She drummed her fingers on the speckled gray Formica table top. She checked her phone. No messages. She sent a text to Nick to let him know they had arrived safely. She checked the weather. It promised to be hotter here than in Gypsy Hill. She checked their hotel reservations because they’d already decided to make a little business trip out of this and spend the night.

  “You have the ring?” Holly asked, finally.

  “Yes,” Gemma said, checking her purse for the tenth time. The little gold box where she’d placed the ring was right there, tucked neatly in a side pocket. “Do you think they’ll be mad that I didn’t give it to them sooner?”

  “Doesn’t matter. In fact, it kind of gives us a reason to be here to make our request,” Holly said. There was that Holly logic again and Gemma had to agree with her.

  The door opened and a man in a brown suit stepped inside. He had kind gray eyes, dark hair thinning in the front and a mustache. Gemma guessed him to be in his mid-forties. He looked as tired as everyone else she’d seen that morning and remembered what Detective Temple had told her about the crime rate in Richmond.

  “Ms...?” he asked, looking from one of them to the other.

  “Yes, sir. I’m Gemma Stone,” Gemma said, standing up to shake his hand. “This is my best friend Holly Blake.”

  “I’m Detective Mike Patterson. What can I do for you ladies?” he asked, resting his hands on the table in front of him.

  “We’re from Gypsy Hill,” Gemma began.

  Detective Patterson nodded. “Nice little town.”

  “I bought a car a few days ago and I found a...a person...a body in the trunk,” Gemma wondered why she always stammered when she tried to describe what she’d found.

  The detective nodded again, obviously not understanding.

  “They sent it...her down here,” Gemma continued.

  “The car or the body?”

  “Both.”

  “Why?”

  “At the time of the...of her death, the car was in Richmond. It had been in Gypsy Hill less than a week,” Gemma told him.

  “And you want...?”

  “I’d like to know who she is, how she got there. Why she ended up in the trunk of a car,” Gemma told him.

  She glanced at Holly, who seemed to be content to let Gemma take the lead, at least until she talked herself into a corner again.

  The detective nodded and pulled a small notebook out of his pocket. “What’s your name again?”

  “Gemma Stone.”

  “And the car?”

  “A blue Honda.” Now they were getting somewhere.

  “Let me see what I can find out.” he said and left the room.

  “You forgot the ring again,” Holly said softly.
r />   “Oh, crap,” Gemma said, reaching into her purse for the little box. She placed it on the table in front of her so she wouldn’t forget again.

  It seemed an eternity before the detective returned. When he did, he carried a folder that looked just as thin as the one they’d had in Gypsy Hill.

  “Okay, here’s your statement,” he took a seat and read quickly through the first page. Then he picked it up and looked at the second. “It looks like a preliminary autopsy was done in Gypsy Hill.”

  “Yes.”

  “She took a blow to the head but it doesn’t look like that was what killed her,” he continued, almost as if talking to himself.

  “How did she...?”

  The detective shrugged broad shoulders. “No indication yet. When the toxicology report comes back, we’ll know more.”

  “Is there a way to find her name or...”

  “Oh, we know her name,” he said, pulling out a third sheet of paper. “She has an arrest record.”

  “Arrest?” Gemma held her breath.

  “Prostitution,” he told her, sliding the paper across the table. “You bought a car with a hooker in the trunk.”

  Chapter Seven

  Both Gemma and Holly read over the information. One arrest for prostitution. There were her fingerprints and her name. Opal Sparrow. She was originally from Louisa, Virginia, a tiny town about sixty miles from Richmond and she was just twenty years old. She looked much younger in her mug shot.

  “So, now you know where to start looking,” Gemma said, happy they’d found this information, but sad that this young woman was dead.

  “For what?”

  “For her killer,” Gemma said and her gaze landed on the box. “This might help.” She pushed it toward him. “I found it in the trunk, right before I found her - Opal.”

  Detective Patterson opened the box and studied the ring for a moment. “How could this help?”

  “It probably belonged to her. It might help you track down...”

  “Miss Stone, let me explain something to you,” he began speaking as slowly and carefully as Detective Temple had the day before. “First of all, you don’t know who this ring belonged to or how it got in your car. It looks expensive, so we know she didn’t purchase it, and I doubt any of her ‘customers’ bought it for her. Secondly, she was a hooker, a street person, nobody special. We don’t know that she was killed...”