Free Major Crimes by Michele Lynn Seigfried Page A

my dinner break. I have to work tonight.” Bonnie raised an eyebrow.
    “Bonnie! I need your help. I think I’ve got trouble.”
    “No kidding? And to think I was going to ask if you got caught in the rain and if someone tried to dry you off with electric shock therapy.”
    Although nothing could be done about my frizz, I patted down my unruly hair anyway. It didn’t help. I hadn’t gotten my Keratin straightener for the summer yet. With a little conditioner and a straightening iron it was fine. But a swim in the lagoon set the stage for New Jersey humidity vs. blonde frizzy hair round one. New Jersey humidity won by a knockout.
    Before I could explain what kind of trouble I was in, Bonnie jumped to the conclusion I was asking for her assistance with a hair emergency.
    “No, I don’t need your hairdresser’s number, I…”
    “Why are your clothes all wrinkled? Wait, are you dripping?”
    “Well…”
    Bonnie glanced up at the Tahoe and saw Bryce. He gave her a two-finger wave.
    “Whose car is that? Oh Lord, don’t tell me…is that Bryce in the car?” Bonnie turned her attention back to me. “You told me you hadn’t heard from him in a long time. He’s the main suspect in Archie’s murder! Get in here fast. I’ll call the cops.”
    Bonnie reached out and snatched my arm in an attempt to drag me into the house but stopped suddenly. “No, wait, not on my rug. I don’t want you dripping on my Oriental. It cost a fortune.”
    “I don’t need to come in. Let me explain.”
    Bonnie crossed her arms over her chest. “You can be really naïve sometimes, Chelsey. Especially when it comes to men with pretty faces.”
    “Let me talk for five minutes and if you don’t agree with me, then I’ll be on my way.”
    “Fine! Wait here.” Bonnie walked away and returned to the door with two beach towels. She laid one on the floor and handed me the other to wrap around myself. She backed away from the door to let me in. I told her what I knew so far, which wasn’t much. Mainly that Bryce said he didn’t do it and that I believed him.
    Bonnie was never at a loss for words, but this time, it appeared I’d stumped her. After a long pause, my friend (if you could call her that) shared her infinite wisdom with me. “You’re stupider than I thought.”
    Imagine the look of shock that appeared on my face. “Some friend you are.”
    “Your priorities are screwed up. This has nothing to do with you, stay out of it. You have your own life to worry about. The last thing you or your daughter need is to throw yourself into the middle of a murder investigation.”
    Bonnie had gotten herself tangled up in her own murder investigation not too long ago. She almost ended up divorced over it. In fact, the murderer came after her, so she almost ended up dead too. Not to mention the fact that she was kidnapped in the middle of it all from nosing around too much. And to think I helped her when she asked for my help!
    “Like you should talk, Bonnie. I’ll remember this the next time you ask me to help you with something.”
    Bonnie’s look softened. “I’m in no state of mind to be supportive when I just went through what I went through. I’m simply trying to help you to learn from my own mistakes. Being curious or helping someone out who’s in that kind of trouble can lead to no good. You don’t want to go through the same hell I was in. You don’t want to risk your life or your family by butting in somewhere you don’t belong.”
    I turned to leave, but Bonnie grabbed my shoulder. “You know I love you like a sister, right? And I don’t want to see you get hurt…or killed…or jailed for aiding and abetting.” She embraced me. “Don’t go yet.”
    Bonnie led me to the bathroom and disappeared. She returned with a set of clothes for me and Bryce. I changed and met her in the kitchen. Bonnie rifled around in a kitchen drawer and pulled out a set of keys. She placed them in my hand. “Take these if you need a place to