The Lime Slice

The Lime Slice

This is a detective story with a subtle underlying romance

Piya was thinking as she sat in the office "Someone was pulling a cruel joke on her." A close friend of the family for years, Raj sat in front of her on his desk. He was waiting for her to clear her throat and dry her eyes and give him the answer he hoped he wouldn't hear.

As she blew her nose and looked at him asking, "You must be kidding Raj?" But she knew the answer was no, it wasn't the joke she had hoped it to be. It was April Fools Day, and she was being questioned, maybe arrested for murder.

Murder of one Dinesh her fiance, so everyone thought, especially her. But now he was dead, and she was the prime suspect. She looked at Raj straight in the eyes and said "You should know me better than that. Our family has been honest people for years. Good honest business people. You have been in Granny's store many times. You know she had a honest business, and she raised me right."

"Yes I know she did, and I've never known you to hurt a fly. But Dinesh is dead. I'm a Detective and I have to investigate all leads, no matter how close I am to someone. Now just where were you on last night Piya?" She thought about it for a few minutes and she knew he would believe her, after all they had been very close. Too close for comfort now.

She thought back over the past as Raj waited for an answer. She and Raj had been High School Sweethearts. The fact was they had been friends ever since kindergarten. They had followed each other through school. They both liked all the same things, except he wanted to be a cop and she hated the idea, that was what parted them. Raj had wanted to marry her, in fact she wanted that too. But she hated the idea of him being a cop and he wouldn't give up the idea so they par married of just being jealous of her attraction to Dinesh. He was just the opposite of what she always like about Raj. She trusted Dinesh if he didn't to her that was all that mattered. Raj didn't like him either, she always said "Better keep one eye opened with that one Piya." She always added "Men like him like to walk all over innocent good looking dolls. I met a man like him once in New Orleans on a buying trip. Child I could see right through him as well as I can see through Dinesh. He is a con man. Never trust a man who wears pink. He'll never buy you shoes and will give you many tears, Piya."

Raj had a way of mixing up proverbs, but she sure was wise about the world. But she was sure she was wrong about Dinesh, he was so different to her, he couldn't be like she was saying. But she never hesitated to caution her with her favorite saying. "Remember you can't unscramble your eggs." Even now she had to snicker at that thought. That was Raj's mixed up way of saying you can't undo a wrong, once it's done.

Raj interrupted her thoughts by handing her a glass of water. She sipped it and snarled her nose and set it aside asking. "Is this lime water?"

"No just bottled water."

"Sure tasted like lime and smells like it, don't you smell that?" Raj shook his head no, but she was sure she smelled it. She never missed that smell. It was the one thing she hated about her grandmother.

"Funny isn't it though, I smell it yet I hate the smell of limes. Raj sure liked it though, remember when we were kids Raj how she use to fix it and tell us it was lemonade?" Raj nodded his acknowledgment. "She loved the taste of limes. She drank lemonade with fresh limes all the time, and she sliced so many limes it was like she used it for her perfume. It sure is strong here."

Raj thought she was just imagining things, but then the fan blowed a fresh breeze toward him, and he thought he caught the scent of limes, then he thought it was the power of her suggestion working on him. She still moved him even after all these years now, he still cared about her. But he was married now and had two good kids and was happily married. But deep down he still regretted that he didn't make her stick it out and work it out between the two of them. And now here he was questioning her about a murder, he was sure she couldn't be capable of. Not the Piya he knew and use to love, she wasn't capable of hurting anything.

Piya crossed her legs and she continued. "Well as you know Dinesh swept me off my feet and we planned to marry next month. Although Raj refused to give her blessings, we were determined. Then she passed away two months ago she was eighty three you know. Spry though and didn't act a day over fifty. But she led a good life and raised me. Lord knows she now will rest. You know she wouldn't quit working in that old store, no matter how late it was. If a customer came in, she waited on him."

Raj paced the floor as she continued. "She left it all to me you know, the house. I begged her for years to sell that big old house and move into town. But she wouldn't give it up. She said too many memories would live on in that old house on the hill, where we were raised. I swear I didn't know what I would do with it anyway. The store well I did intend to keep running it. This town would pull up the sidewalks if Wilsons Antiques closed it's doors. Why even it's names brings in the tourist."

Raj said "Yep Wilson's Old and New Antiques. The Price that can't be beat. That was her motto all these years, and what kept customers coming back." She continued.

"Well since we were going to be married even I know that rightfully he should have gotten half of what I had. That was the way of the land. I know legally I didn't have to give him nothing. But dam Raj I trusted him."

She blew her nose again and took a believe he was cheating me out of what was rightfully mine." Raj picked up some papers on his desk and showed her a receipt from a boat rental at the docks.

"Well that was his idea, a romantic picnic he said, he was planning everything down to the picnic basket. We would go boat riding and he knew a secluded island. That was where we were going to have the picnic."

Raj looked over his notes and asked.

"Were you aware of a life insurance policy on yourself with Dinesh as the beneficiary?"

"Of course I had him listed as so last week and we took out a policy on him as well. That is natural for married couples as well."

"Well Sumit said Dinesh called him last week wanting to verify what the policy covered."

"I can understand that can't you?"

"Maybe explain why there were no life jackets on board the boat?'

"Well Raj I didn't arrange for the boat trip, but Dinesh was an expert seaman even said he was a navy merchant and I would assume, he felt there was no need for them."

"OK did you know he had a licensed gun on board as well?"

"No, but I do know he target practised a lot we both did."

"You weren't the least bit suspicious, that maybe he was going to harm you?"

"Not the least, not until last night." She took another drink, the asked. "Do you have some more water, this still smells like limes." He poured it out and got her a fresh drink from the cooler. "I went down to the dock to see the boat, just to get an idea of how it looked. I knew what slip it would be in so I found it and climbed aboard. I didn't think anything was out of the ordinary until I heard laughter coming from below, And music playing"

"When I went down into the lobby I saw them. That red head from the bar. What's her name, you know her."

"Pooja, Everybody knows her by Red. She's a slick one too. She had her eyes on Dinesh for a long time everyone said. Nights after he took you home, he was seen dancing with her until the bar closed up. Several say he took her home, and was seen leaving the next morning."

"Well I don't doubt that, not now anyway. Well they were laughing and drinking. Drinking up my money probably. She was all over him like wet spaghetti, on the wall. They were dancing to my Music for Romance CD he gave me on Anniversary. They didn't see me of course, I was careful not to let them know I was there. They were laughing about how naive I was, and how easy it was to make me believe he was going to marry me. When his plans were to marry her all the time. They were the ones going to Hawaii not the two of us."

"Then I heard how he planned to get me onto the boat near the island and make it look like I fell overboard. You know those waters are swift. Some say there's a whirlpool near there that would suck a Buick in."

"Yea I know there's been a few who drowned there through the years. So what did you do then?"

"After I calmed down my disbelief and ringing ears I sneaked back up top. But not before I heard him tell her she would have to leave the boat early in the morning before I came. Then I went home, honest I thought about a lot of things, but you know I couldn't hurt anyone. It all had to be a terrible accident. I am just sorry I trusted him, and now I lost everything. But I didn't kill anyone Raj you believe me don't you?"

He shook his head and mumbled something she couldn't understand. Then putting away the papers into a folder on his desk he said. "You're free to go for now, just don't leave town."

"Now where would I go, he got all my money."

"One more thing before you go Piya." She turned hand still on the doorknob and said "Yes Captain?"

"Did Dinesh like limes?"

"Pankaj was just finishing his lunch and Raj asked the same old question he always did at a time like this. "Geez Pankaj how can you sit there and eat with all this?" Pankaj's answer was the same.

"They don't want any of it. Scenery ain't much but at least it's quiet. What can I do you for? Looking for more unanswered questions are you?"

"Got anymore answers for me on the Dinesh case?"

"Not much. Looks like the guy had a heart attack to me."

"Too young ain't he?"

"Nah, see it all the time!" Then he laughed and said "Maybe Red was too much for either of them. She's been known to give a few a hard time."

"Not many ever die from sex Pankaj look further."

"Maybe Dinesh had a weak heart and the excitement of what he was up to, taking poor Piya for all she had got to him, along with Red's excitement."

"She ain't that good to kill a man after riding him."

"That come from experience does it?" Raj shook his head and said. "What killed her then?"

"Red's body has been worn out long ago. Liver's ate up from liquor. She is older than him, but she looked like she was scared by something."

He explained while Raj looked at his notes. "Pupils dilated eyes stretched in wonder. Just like she saw the devil himself. Dinesh on the other hand looks pleased like a man relieved, somewhat like maybe explained from orgasm, pleasure of getting the last laugh on Piya maybe. No murder here."

Raj thought he would never get over seeing dead people it always gave him a chill. He was staring at Dinesh hoping there was answers somewhere. "God Raj he ain't going to set up and tell you what happened, Ha-ha, I'd bet you'd wet yourself if he did."

"So would you, shut up will you. You know this place always gives me the creeps."

Staring at the face of the corpse he said. "He must have been eating something right?"

"I don't know why, hell I didn't look in the guys mouth."

"Well you are now, open it up there's something in there." With some forceps Pankaj opened up Dinesh mouth so he could insert the forceps in and both men turned their heads from the strong stench and coughed. Then Pankaj pulled out something green and slimy.

"Jesus! The guy croaked on a lime slice." There was a strong scent of lime in the room even though the slice Pankaj threw in the trash was partly rotting. Raj soon left the Morgue with a lot of questions still rambling in his head. There was a chill to the wind and a storm was brewing in the south. He knew he wouldn't rest until he could prove Piya didn't murder Dinesh. Better still he couldn't rest until he knew who did.

Driving back toward the office still not understanding why there would be limes all around the galley of the boat and inside Dinesh's mouth if he hated them. Well Red of course must have had them. It was probably some sick game of hers to entice him into putting it in his mouth. He stopped at the bar and questioned some of the other girls there and the bartender David, he knew well. Still confused when everyone assured him, Pooja never used limes in anything, she did use lemons though. There was a big difference in lemons and limes even when they were rotting.

Raj headed over to the Antique store hoping maybe he would catch Piya there. But the place was locked up, he searched the door jamb for the key he knew it would be there. It had been kept there ever since he was a kid. He unlocked the door and let himself in, and turned on the light.

The place still amazed him after all these years. He use to love coming here and listening to Old man talk about the good ole days as he called them. He and Piya would sit for hours listening to his tales as they watched the customers come align="justify">Even as long as she had been gone, the smell was still strong, just as if she had sliced some fresh ones. Looking around the room not even knowing what he was here for he spotted a few unopened boxes behind the counter. Thinking it was probably a new shipment that came in and Piya just hadn't gotten around to opening them.

Something drew him to them anyway, one box was addressed to the store itself. The other to Piya personally. He picked it up and shook it. Nothing rattled, it sure was light. Wondering what it held, probably a wedding gift maybe or clothes for her honeymoon. Before setting it down, he had a second thought. He sniffed the air and then the box, it had a strange strong smell. Almost like, that's it he thought, Limes.

Thinking well he was holding an investigation, so he really had the right, he took his knife and opened the top of the box. The scent was really strong inside the box, it nearly took his breath away. Moving some paper packing aside, the contents took his breath for sure.

Dumping out the box on the counter he searched through the contents among the packing. There were two plane tickets for Hawaii. The deed to the house on Hickory Hill, and the store. Inside a manila envelope he dumped out stacks of cash. Flipping through it he thought it must be nearly fifty thousand here, in cold hard cash. As he flipped the bills he scratched his nose as the scent of limes was so strong.

He boxed the contents back up with the thoughts that Piya was definitely a suspect now. She was smarter than he had given her credit for. She had actually managed to get the tickets and money back and package them up to herself. He still wasn't satisfied, it just wasn't like her, he had known her too long.

Going into the office the scent was much stronger there. He ruffled through old invoices on the desk and found a book of charges. Half the people in town owed money to the store, for many years now, they were long overdue bills. But that was just like Sarah Wilson, not to worry about what people owed her or what she owed. Everyone in town knew she would get around to paying her bills, sooner or later, even so she still made an honest living.

In the top drawer of the desk he found the usual desk accessaries. Pens stapler paperclips and rubber bands and receipts. Another drawer held some paid bills and some unpaid ones. Under them was a hard covered book. Curiosity made him pick it up. He read the title, From the Beyond. It was an old heavily read book. He wasn't familiar with the title or the author.

Inside the front page was a handwritten note, scribbled in a weak handwriting he read.

My darling Piya . You will always be a part of me wherever you go in life. I taught you well, and you were like my own daughter, your mother wholeft you to me. Wherever you go, whatever you do remember I loved you, and remember and you can not unscramble your eggs.

Raj ran his finger over the words and he felt a breeze, or a touch of some kind, almost like a pat on the shoulder. He held up his finger, scratching his head with the other hand he was staring at the wet smeared ink on the page and the ink on his finger. "Well I be dam." He said to himself. Lightning flashed and lit up the store, a breeze came out of nowhere. A fresh breeze like fresh rain, he sniffed the air and shook his head. The air was fresh he didn't smell any scent of limes.

Raj tucked the old book under his arm and walked back out into the shop. He was ready to go home and kiss his kids goodnight as they slept. He knew Piya wouldn't mind if he borrowed the book, he would return it later, when he could give Piya some answers.

Something caught his eye as he was about to leave the store. It was something he had possibly overlooked. There was a tag attached to the knob on the desk drawer. The drawer to the old oak desk he had hoped to buy. He wondered why he hadn't seen it before. Turning the tag he gasped in disbelief as he read. SOLD TO CAPTAIN Raj to be delivered.

Raj locked up the store and pulled his coat collar up around his neck and realized it was misting rain. He was anxious to get home and see his wife and start reading for some answers. But he wondered how he was going to close this case. Even more he wondered how he would explain to the DA who actually did murder Dinesh and Pooja. It wasn't going to be easy. But he somehow felt a relief and a sense of he was doing something right. He also felt that same touch, a light weight on his shoulder as if someone or something was patting him on the back. Raj headed home as the lighting lit up the dark dampened streets.

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