Free The Body on Ortega Highway by Louise Hathaway Page A

or remember what happened
the last time Clarissa was there, they act like it is none of their
business.
    While Clarissa and her cousin
are sitting in the Jacuzzi, Clarissa tells her that she’s thinking
of retiring and going to law school.
    “ Hooray!!” her cousin says.
“Do you realize how happy I am to hear this news! I’ve wanted you
to do it for years. I got scared every time I heard that men were
pointing guns at you. And that last time with John Smith, oh my
God. Don’t even get me started on him.”
    “Yes. What happened with him was
the last straw for me. He threatened Gumbo. I was a danger to my
family.”
    “ Oh, Clarissa I’m so happy.
Finally. It’s what your mother wanted for you.”
    “Yes. And she left me a lot of
money for law school which I haven’t touched. I’ve been feeling
guilty about that lately.”
    “What does Ron think?”
    “ It’s hard to say. He says
that law enforcement needs good people like me, but he’s afraid
from my safety, of course.”
    “ When are you going to tell
him that you’re retiring?”
    “After you leave tonight.”
    “He’s going to think it’s all my
fault.”
    “ No he won’t. I’ll make sure
to tell him that the decision is totally my own. Besides, I think
he already knows.”
     
     

Chapter Nineteen
     
     
    Two weeks later, Clarissa is at her
desk boxing up her belongings. The people in the department are
planning a big retirement party for her and they’ve been whispering
to each other all week.
    She thinks, ‘I hope they’re
not planning on having a Chippendale’s dancer jumping out of a cake
or anything lame like that.’ There is crepe paper strewn across the
ceiling of their conference room and she sees a keg of beer being
wheeled in.
    “Can they do that here?” she
wonders. Then she notices some cases of champagne being
unloaded.
    ‘Wow!’ she thinks. ‘People are
going to get hammered tonight.’
    Most of the people she works with know that she likes music from
the 1980’s, so a boom box is off in the distance playing Elvis
Costello.
    The party is supposed to
start at 5:00 PM. She’s still busy working at her desk, nowhere
near being finished with all of the final paperwork she has to go
through.
    “Lieutenant Harris peeks her head
into Clarissa’s office and says, “Come on. The natives are getting
restless.”
    “I’ll be right there. I
promise.”
    Fifteen minutes later, she’s
still busy at her desk, and can hear the volume of the music and
laughter from her colleagues going up a notch. She hears a tap on
her door and says, “I’m comin’.” When she looks up, she sees Ken
Tanaka, the intern from UCI who helped her with her investigation
of the priest who was murdered at the abbey.
    “Ken,” she says. “Hi. I wasn’t
expecting to see you here.”
    “Are you kidding? What kind of guy
would I be if I missed my mentor’s retirement party?”
    “Well, aren’t you sweet for coming!
I’m really touched. Sit down. How have you been?”
    “Good. I’m getting close to
graduating.”
    “Are you still going to UCI?”
    “ Yes. And I’m still studying
Criminal Justice.”
    “Great! What are your plans after
graduation?”
    “ I want to work in the D.A.’s
office.”
    “My husband works there.”
    “ I know.”
    “ I’ll be sure to give you a
letter of recommendation, Ken. I never would’ve solved that case
without your knowledge of the different types of Japanese
swords.”
    “Thanks!”
    Someone’s brought a Karaoke
Machine and Clarissa can hear Raylene singing, “Girls Just Want to
Have Fun.”
    “Wow! This is going to be a fun
party,” Ken says.
    “ I know. Go ahead: join the
party. I’ve got a few last minute details to take care of and I’ll
be there shortly.”
    “Awesome.”
    “Bye, Ken.”
    She ’s
still working fifteen minutes later when she hears, “Love Shack” by
the B52’s, and wonders who’s trying to sing it. She gathers up her
brief case and purse and tiptoes over to see