Fatal Flip by M. E. Bakos

Author:M. E. Bakos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: M. E. Bakos
Published: 2022-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

Worn out by the events of the previous night, I dragged myself to the mall for surveys the next day. Boots needed chow. I needed chow. I put Ariel’s death in the back of my mind while I made money.

“We need men between the ages of forty and seventy with hemorrhoids, who want to give input on treatments they use. Work smart, not hard,” Jennifer warned, her intensity fairly seeping from her pores. “Focus on the proper age and gender demographic. I know you can do it!” She smiled, shoving a clipboard in my hands. The dreaded hemorrhoid studies. I’d done so well on the diaper survey; it was a no-brainer for Jennifer to challenge my skill set.

I tried to look professional when I approached a man with gray hair who appeared to be the right age group for the survey.

“You gotta be kidding,” the man exclaimed, as I explained the survey. “You people are like vultures in this mall; I gotta get a birthday gift for my wife or she’s gonna kill me.”

I yelled, “Thank you,” after him as he ran off. He twisted and scowled as he made a beeline towards a department store.

The next man was with a woman I guessed was his wife. Perhaps, it would be less creepy if I asked a couple.

The woman answered for the gentlemen, “Oh, Bertie doesn’t want to answer any questions about hemorrhoids. He wouldn’t say if he had them. Which he DOESN’T,” she emphasized, “do you, Bertie?”

Bertie grimaced, and shook his head “no.” They hurried off.

The night dragged on, and I was showing zilch for completed surveys. Jennifer would not be pleased. I retreated to a corner of the mall next to an electronics store. I wanted to study the crowd for my next victim, as I was beginning to think of those unfortunate enough to be singled out by market researchers.

While I collected myself, the prospect of Ariel’s death and the unsolved mystery of why bodies were being randomly left in empty houses crept into my thoughts. Wayne’s eagerness to get inside Ariel’s apartment hadn’t gone unnoticed. Uneasily, I considered how he might have known about the body left in the attic of the Bluebird Street house, and his presence at Ariel’s house the night of her death. Myra said she had called him, which is why he knew about the “stiff,” as he referred to Jimmy Woo. But, had he been a little too eager to get into Ariel’s house after her death?

A man jostled me as he passed, interrupting my thoughts. “Excuse me,” he said absently. About to leave the store, he closed his shopping bag and put his wallet in his back pants pocket.

“No problem,” I answered, my earlier thoughts vanished, and I reviewed the survey questions, considering how to ask them in the best possible light.

“Ahem,” the man cleared his throat.

I glanced up from the form and into the deep blue eyes of Sheriff Don Williams.

Staring, my stomach flipped as he held my gaze.

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