The Donut Shop Murder Read online

  Later in a cab with Allison, his hand went under her skirt and he pulled down her underpants, going down on her before they even reached the hotel. Oral sex was something Faith wouldn’t allow, and it felt so wonderfully perverse doing it to an almost stranger that Ken wanted to penetrate her right there in the back of the cab. Waiting until they were registered at the hotel, however, until they’d showered together, kissing passionately with the warm water flowing over their heads, by the time he actually climbed in between her legs, he was like a mad man.

  By three that morning, he was sober, and in love. In the bathroom alone, he showered again and dressed, and then sent Faith a text. I got drunk and slept it off in the car, but I’m leaving for home now. I’m so sorry.

  He wasn’t really sorry, but he wasn’t stupid either, he had too much at stake. Leaving the bathroom, he found Allison out cold. He left her all the cash he had and printed a message with his cell phone number on hotel stationary; Please send me a text message when you get up. I don’t even know your phone number.

  Looking at the stationary, he saw they were in Greektown. Having no memory of how they happened to end up in Greektown, when he stepped outside he remembered the cab ride, a smile stretching across his face. He’d have to walk back to his office garage on Jefferson where his car was parked.

  Starting an affair during the summer when his wife was off work from her teaching job had not been easy. A way around it was requesting to have Allison work on his cases; he was going to hire an assistant that summer anyway. Encouraging Faith to spend more time with her parents worked out beautifully; she even went on vacation to Alpena with them for a week in July. While she was gone, Ken spent the week at Allison’s apartment, arranging for them to have a long weekend off together and to work several days from home.

  The sailboat Ken brought with him into the marriage became Ken and Allison’s love nest. It was the place they could go daily during lunch and every Saturday, Allison leaving her personal items around at his encouragement because Faith hated it and never went there.

  In August, Ken made partner at the law firm, and in September, he gave Allison a three-carat diamond ring.

  That fall, Faith went back to work. Learning how to juggle both women, Ken made sure that he set aside special time each week for Faith, as well, and he didn’t think she suspected a thing. It was more difficult to keep Allison happy, however. During the first week in November, Allison had gotten testy with him.

  “I feel like we’re seeing less of each other,” she said. “I thought you’d be ready to ask her for a divorce.”

  “We’ll spend next weekend together, how’s that?” he asked, holding her tightly.

  “Really? The entire weekend?”

  “The whole thing,” he said.

  The mess of going through a divorce was the last thing on his mind. As long as he could continue with both women the way he’d been doing, he could have gone on forever. But then, the fateful weekend.

  “I’m going on a fall fishing trip with the guys this weekend,” he told Faith.

  Frowning, she couldn’t remember Ken ever fishing before.

  “That’s odd,” she replied. “What brought that on?”

  “Marvin wants to go up north,” he said, grasping at straws. “We’re leaving right after work on Friday. That is, unless you have a reason I shouldn’t go.”

  The fishing trip lie was spur of the moment. Faith had never questioned him before, and her interrogation caught him off guard. In retrospect, he should have picked someone from the office that she didn’t know rather than his partner, Marvin.

  “No, not at all,” she said. “I was going to go to the movies with some of the teachers on Saturday night anyway. I just didn’t know you fished.”

  Her fears coming true, Saturday night at the movie theater, Marvin and his wife walked passed Faith while she waited on the ticket line. Marvin didn’t live nearby; for them to be at that particular theater was a fluke. They must have come across town to see an art film which was showing there exclusively.

  Standing in line behind Faith, Margaret Pelham watched her look up from her ticket, following the couple with her eyes, losing what little color she normally had in her face.

  “Are you okay, Faith? You look like you saw a ghost.”

  Shocked, unable to speak, Faith nodded her head. The last thing she wanted to do now was to sit in a movie theater. She wanted to go home and think. Leaving, however, would mean having to make an apology to Margaret, who was a known gossip at school. She’d tough it out, staring at the screen, the movie passing right by her, unnoticed.

  Making excuses not to go bar-hopping afterward, Faith race-walked to her car alone, head down, trembling with anger. Where was Ken, if not with Marvin fishing? Never one to give in to suspicions, the fishing trip with the guys excuse was over the top. The moment the words were in the air, a chill went through her body, and she knew he was lying. They were standing in the kitchen, getting ready to leave for work, Faith adding to the grocery list with a cup of coffee in her hand and Ken at the table, shoving a file folder into his briefcase.

  Keeping her doubts to herself, she watched him the rest of the week, making a larger effort to inquire about his day, what cases he was working on. On Thursday night, she took extra time preparing for bed, shaving her legs, slipping a silky negligée over her body when it was cold enough to sleep in fleece.

  He was sitting up in bed, concentrating on a local entertainment magazine, another new endeavor she found odd but kept to herself. They rarely tried any new restaurants, and he claimed not to like movies or the theater. Ignoring her walking out of the bathroom wearing the sexy gown, she slipped into bed and waited for him to turn his light off before moving in. Turning to him, she decided to add something new to her repertoire of initiation and instead of kissing his neck to let him know she was in the mood, she put her hand on his knee and moved up to his crotch.

  “Whoa! What’s going on?” he gasped, pulling away from her.

  “I thought with you going away and everything, we could make love tonight. I don’t want you out there with any unsatisfied urges,” she said, uncharacteristically comedic.

  “I’ll be safe with Marvin and the boys,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it. “I’m pretty tired though, and I have to get up extra early to load the car.”

  With that, he flipped over and pulled the sheet up to his neck. It wasn’t unusual for Ken to reject her, but it felt like he’d been doing so more frequently. All the more reason now to be in travail worrying about his lies and his rejections; she’d be an idiot to make excuses for him, as she’d been doing all along.

  Driving up to the dark condominium, the sense of doom increased. The temptation to call him and ask how the fishing trip was going overwhelmed her but she resisted; if he didn’t answer it would just make her feel worse. Locking the car doors, she made her way up the stairs to her unit.

  The temperature had dropped, the sky inky black, dotted with bright stars and planets. Turning to gaze at their vastness gave her the first peace she’d had in the past two hours. The little problems she had in marriage couldn’t tarnish the beauty of the earth. Life would go on, no matter how many lies Ken told her. And she was devoted to him. Confrontation was uncomfortable for her, but if she could gather the courage, she’d force herself to address the issue with him Sunday night upon his return.

  Turning the key in the door and pushing it open, warmth whooshed out at her. Grateful for her home, right after she got her first job in the city, she decided she was staying in Birmingham to be close to her mom and dad. An only child, Faith was as devoted to her parents as they were to her. Buying the condo long before meeting Ken, she did so with her parents in mind.

  If Ken left her, she’d be fine in her house. Seeming content to leave things as he’d found them, he added little to the house. It was still hers. That would make digging through his belongings to find answers easier.

 
Hanging her coat up, she looked through the coat closet first, searching the pockets of his various jackets and forgotten sweatshirts hanging there for restaurant receipts or movie stubs, standing on tip toes to feel along the top shelf for anything stored out of sight. Bending down, she rifled through his neatly placed boots and extra shoes, discovering that he’d left his wellingtons home, a seemingly important item to take on a fishing trip.

  An idea sprouted like a bad seed; she’d text him and say, Oh my God, your wellies are here! Your feet must be soaking wet.

  As she expected, he didn’t answer, his phone was probably turned off. Sitting in the bay window of her dark kitchen, she poured a glass of wine and looked out onto the view. This unit was slightly higher than the buildings out in front and she could see over their rooftops, a few lights beyond giving an urban feeling to the vista.

  When the wine took affect, she was going to tear his office apart. Not caring if he knew she’d done it; he’d probably tell her Marvin canceled at the last minute. “So shoot me,” she said out loud.

  By three AM, she’d gone through every drawer, logged on to his computer and read through the trashed emails, perused his file cabinet and found nothing, until the last thing she did. As she shoved the last file folder back into place, she noticed a piece of yellow paper stuck behind and beneath everything in the frosted plastic drawer. Wrestling with it to get the files out, she saw that it was a copy receipt made of tissue-like paper.

  After all her work, she’d hit pay dirt; a yellow jeweler’s receipt for a jeweler in the city, not a local jeweler in Birmingham, where’d he go to buy something for her or for his mother. Angling her head so she could read it without touching it, it was a popular, commercial place, well known for its diamonds. Not a place where a man would go to buy his father a tie tack, or his boss a pair of cuff links.

  A place to take your lover for a special gift, or your fiancée for an engagement ring, where a couple would go to have their custom wedding rings made, they served champagne to their customers, offering a seat on a red velvet settee, a gauche place to make young people feel special, like they’d arrived.

  Afraid to touch the receipt, she pulled the drawer completely out of the unit and carried it down the stairs, back into the kitchen. She was going to pull an all-nighter if necessary; it was almost four in the morning anyway. Standard time was back in action, and if she looked east, she could see the faint beginning of dawn over that vista she admired a short time ago.

  Pouring another glass of wine, this one would do it for her; after she saw what the purchase was for; she’d drag herself back up the stairs and get into bed. When she awoke, she’d decide what she’d accomplish for the day.

  Carefully picking up the receipt, she could see that it wasn’t an old, forgotten relic from a relationship before their marriage. The date shocked her; she tried to remember what she’d been doing in September that Ken Cooper could go to Zen Diamond in the Fisher Building with someone else and purchase a three carat, emerald cut ring in a platinum setting. What? Was she with her mother, giving Daddy a bed bath? Or had she stayed in bed with menstrual cramps that day, letting him play tennis or golf or go out on their sailboat with Marvin?

  The sailboat was a bone of contention between the couple; she hated it, sailing wasn’t relaxing, you had to be on your toes every second, especially on the river, because of all the power craft zooming by. Continuing to go out every weekend as usual, he must have had a companion. This year was the first time he didn’t ask Faith’s help in preparing the boat to come out of the water for the winter.

  Then, the thought occurred to her that later that morning she might take a drive down to Belle Isle and climb a ladder to get onboard. The boat would be up on blocks, but that wasn’t a problem for her, body lithe and powerful from yoga. Who knew what she’d find in the boat?

  Placing the receipt back in the bottom of the drawer, she hauled it upstairs and replaced it in the unit. Climbing into bed with her movie clothes on, she pulled the covers up and fell right to sleep.

  At ten, the light coming in the window was bright enough to disturb her, although it wasn’t sunny out. Grabbing the clock, she saw she’d slept for five straight hours. Except for a slight wine induced headache, she felt good. Climbing out of bed, she went right to the window and looked out, cloud cover east blocked what little warmth the sun offered that time of year. Pressing her fingertips to the glass, the window was frozen. She’d dress warm for her trip to Belle Isle.

  Showering, she carefully applied makeup so it appeared she didn’t wear any. Ken had asked her in the past, “Why bother?”

  “I bother because I take time to look my best,” she now said out loud, justifying the application.

  Choosing her clothes carefully, today she would wear expensive designer blue jeans with a form-fitting white wool sweater, a short, slender-fitting, fur lined cashmere coat, and smart kid suede ankle boots. A short silk scarf around her throat, gold jewelry, including her own large, expensive diamond ring, and she was ready for Sunday in the city. Just in case, she grabbed a felt hat and leather gloves. It was often much colder on the river.

  The drive into the city was nice, the errand at the end of it forgotten for the time-being. Downtown, she ran into New Delhi Donut near her school and got a large, black coffee to go. Anticipation building, by the time she arrived at the marina, her heart was racing.

  The yardman didn’t remember her and she had to show him identification. If he looked at her with suspicion or pity, she didn’t catch it.

  “I’m going to get a little cleaning done,” she said.

  “Good day for it,” he replied, eyeing her fancy clothes suspiciously. “I’ll be right around with a ladder.”

  She thanked him and pulled into the yard. Spotting the boat right away, it was one of the larger sailboats. Clanging halyards echoed out, the sound of sea gulls, the wind whipping her hair into her eyes. The yardman brought a ladder around and held it for her while she climbed with coffee in hand. If he thought it odd that she didn’t have a bucket or cleaning supplies, he didn’t mention it. For all he knew, it was on board already.

  Lifting the canvas cover, she climbed over the side into the boat, having to crouch to get down below the canvas. The door was unlocked, gratefully, since she’d forgotten to bring a key to get inside. Forgetting that the power would be off, she reached for a large battery operated lantern and began her investigation.

  Climbing down into the freezing cabin, she was reminded how much she disliked a boat. Starting her search immediately, she found the galley was bare, but the stateroom and the head were full of the detritus of an affair.

  Searching the head first, the findings infuriated Faith. In the drawer she once used to store her makeup, she found cheap perfume from Victoria’s Secret, the kind a young girl would wear thinking it made her a femme fatale.

  Returning to the galley for a trash bag, Faith was numb, her eyes glassy, anger and the effect of the bottle of wine the night before finally affecting her.

  Disposing of contraceptive foam, a selection of jellies and lubricants meant to enhance sexual pleasure, even an item she would later discover was a sexual aid of sorts, Faith grimaced, placing her hand within the bag to act as a barrier as she sorted through the items before throwing them away. Who knew what deposits were left behind?

  In the stateroom, several sets of frilly, sexy underwear went into the trash. A bikini, a cover-up and lingerie meant for seduction, into the trash. No wonder he continuously rejected his wife.

  Then, the boat moved. She heard rustling, and then a voice calling her name. “Faith?”

  Shoving the trash bag to the side of the bed, she climbed two steps up into the salon. Holding a flashlight, shocked, was Ken.

  “Faith, what are you doing here?” he asked stupidly.

  “What are you doing here?” she replied. “Is Marvin waiting in the car?”

  “Faith, stop it,” he said, shining the light on
her face.

  Putting her hand up to shield her eyes, she sat on a bench. “Get that light out of my eyes,” she said.

  Waiting, Ken didn’t know what to say to her, so he just waited. But when she didn’t start accusing him, as he expected, he took one step down.

  Shaking her head, she put her hand up.

  “Don’t come near me,” she said.

  “When are you coming home?” he asked, softly.

  “Why do you ask?” she asked, looking up at him. “I think the question is when are you coming home?”

  “I’ll go now,” he answered. “Will I see you there soon?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  Then, bending down to retrieve the bag, she handed it to Ken. “Oh, by the way, give this to her,” she said. “Don’t bring her on this boat again.”

  Not responding to her demand, he did take the bag.

  “When are you leaving?” he asked.

  “As soon as you get out of here,” she answered. “And you left it unlocked.”

  He dug through his pocket and offered her the key. “Will you lock it up?”

  She took the key without answering, waiting for him to leave.

  Turning, he climbed out of the cabin and shut the door. Faith could hear him above, lifting the canvas and climbing over the side to reach the ladder. She ran back into the stateroom and looked out the window. He’d pulled his car up behind hers and she could see an occupant. It was female, but that’s all she could tell.

  Waiting until he pulled away before she locked up, the bed in the stateroom looked so comfortable, she climbed up on it and pulled the sheet protecting it from mice over her. She must have fallen asleep, because the yardman knocked on the side of the boat.