Mr. P. shifted in his seat to look at me. “As Jess told you, he’s a massage therapist and he has several clients that he trains.”
“Leesa Cameron was one of them.”
“Yes,” Rose said.
“All of Mr. Vega’s clients are women,” Mr. P. added, “not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
“Anything”—I struggled to think of the best word to use—“improper happen with any of his clients?”
“Oh no,” Rose said. “Mr. Vega is by all accounts a gentleman.”
“No one has an ill word to say about the man,” Mr. P. said. “He’s so clean he squeaks.”
He and Rose exchanged a quick glance.
“But,” I said. I pointed my finger at them. “You found out something.”
“Maybe.” There was caution in Mr. P’s voice. “Michael Vega ordered a woman’s BodiBudi last month.”
I frowned. “A what?”
“A BodiBudi,” Rose said. “A fitness tracker.”
“You think he bought it for Leesa Cameron.”
“We know he did,” Mr. P. said. “The online account associated with that particular BodiBudi is registered to her.”
“How do you know all this never mind,” I said, running the words together. I pulled a hand over my neck. “Do you think they were involved?”
Mr. P. looked at Rose. “I think we need to talk to him.”
She nodded.
“Me, too,” I said. “Let me know when.”
* * *
Mac and I were looking at paint after lunch, trying to settle on a color for the rocker, when Avery stuck her head around the door. “Hey, Sarah, Nonna just called me. She wants you to call her. She tried your cell but you didn’t answer.”
“What does she want?” I asked.
Avery gave me a blank look. “I don’t know,” she said.
“Go call Liz,” Mac said. “We can figure this out later.”
I went up to my office and called Liz back. “Hi,” I said. “Avery said you called.”
“Nicole Cameron called me,” she said. “She wants to see us.”
“Us?” I said.
“Rose. You. Me.”
“Why?”
“Don’t have a clue,” Liz said. “I think it has to have something to do with her brother’s body being found, though.”
“It probably does.” I looked at my watch. “I could bring Rose and meet you there later this afternoon.
“Nicole suggested four o’clock. Will that work?” Liz asked.
“I can make it work.”
“Thank you, darling girl,” she said. Elvis had come upstairs and jumped onto my desk. I hung up the phone and reached over to stroke his fur. “Something’s up,” I said.
He wrinkled his nose and looked up at me.
“I don’t know, either,” I said.
* * *
Rose and I pulled to the curb in front of Nicole Cameron’s house about five minutes before four o’clock. The kids at the house across the street appeared to be making another movie. “Is the little boy wearing the two bath mats supposed to be Bigfoot?” I asked Rose.
“I think so,” she said, “although I think one of his feet just fell off.” She pointed at a large fuzzy slipper at the edge of the driveway. “Ask Alfred what they’re doing.”
“How does he know?”
Rose indicated a woman who looked to be in her late thirties sitting on the front steps of the house. “Because he talked to the mom to see if there was anything useful on their security camera. He wanted to confirm Leesa Cameron’s alibi.”
“You didn’t tell me that,” I said.
She shrugged. “There was nothing to tell, dear. The camera wasn’t aligned properly. All it recorded was some blurry footage of the peonies.”
Liz pulled in in front of us then and we got out of the car. “Let’s get this show on the road,” she said.
Nicole must have been watching for us because she opened the front door before we reached it. She was pale and serious in a gray T-shirt and black walking shorts. “Please come in,” she said, holding the door open.
“I’m so sorry about your brother,” I said.
“Thank you,” she said. She seemed a little nervous, rubbing her right wrist with the other hand.
“Is there anything we could do for you?” Liz asked.
Nicole shook her head. “No. Thank you for suggesting the funeral home to handle things on this end. I wouldn’t have known who to call. I . . . uh haven’t been able to get in touch with Leesa. I’m not even sure she’s still in North Harbor.”
“Why did you want to see us?” Rose asked.
Nicole stared down at the ground for a moment, then lifted her head. She glanced at Liz and me but focused her attention on Rose.
“I have to apologize to you,” she said.
Liz gave me a knowing look.
“I lied,” Nicole continued. She was still rubbing her wrist as though she was twisting a watch or a bracelet around her arm. “Leesa left earlier than I told you she did.” She swallowed hard. “The truth is, Jeff and I didn’t always get along, especially after our grandmother died, but the last six months things had been good. Then Leesa showed up here Wednesday night and said he was gone. She showed me the text he sent her and the statement she’d gone online and printed out from their investment account.”
She made a helpless gesture with both hands. “I know I shouldn’t have, but all I could think of was how he left me to deal with everything after Nana died and now here he was doing the same thing to Leesa. I was signed in to the hospital server, doing some in-service training. I just figured, who would know if I said she was here. Stupid, I know.”
Rose reached over and laid a hand on Nicole’s arm. “It’s understandable that you would feel that way,” she said. “Try not to be so hard on yourself.”
“That’s nice of you to say that when I protected the person who assaulted you,” Nicole said.
“You didn’t know that,” Rose said.
Nicole shook her head. “It doesn’t make what I did right.” She looked at me. “Leesa called me after you and the detective went to see her. I . . . I offered her an alibi because my first thought was that Jeff had cut out on her.” She swallowed hard. “My brother was dead and I was so quick to think the worst of him.”
“Rose is right,” I said. “You couldn’t have known that something had happened to your brother.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I should have given him the benefit of the doubt. He was my brother.” She looked at Rose again. “And I should have done the same to you. I am so sorry.”
“Thank you,” Rose said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Nicole Cameron got to her feet. “I wanted to apologize and explain to the three of you first. Now I’m going to call the police and explain what I did to them.”
She walked us to the door and Liz reminded her to call if there was anything we could do to help. Rose was quiet as we walked down the driveway, seemingly lost in thought. Finally she looked at Liz. “You said she wasn’t telling us everything. You were right.”
Liz raised an eyebrow. “It happens.” She looked at me. “At the risk of Rose swinging her purse at me, I think she should go home and maybe take it easy. This is a lot to digest.”
“I wouldn’t hit you with this bag,” Rose said, patting the wicker roll bag with tan leather handles she was carrying. “Alfred bought it for my birthday. Your big melon head would probably leave a big dent in it.”
“I agree with Liz,” I said. “Can you just humor us for once and take it easy?”
Rose glanced at Liz and then looked at me. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll go home and take it easy, but this is a onetime thing and should not be construed as setting a precedent.”
Liz rolled her eyes.
“Don’t give me that look just because I like to watch CNN,” Rose said.
“Go back to the store,” Liz said to me. “I’ll take Rose home.”
“Are you sure?” I said.
“Go.” She made a move-along gesture with one hand. “I’ll be there later to get Avery.”