Containment Of Secrets

Chapter 5

(Mallory's point of view)

The next morning, my wakeup call is Braxton banging his hand against my apartment door, he brought breakfast and coffee. He was up and ready for the day, while I was still in my finest pajamas. "Decker, get dressed. Something has come up."

"Do we have a new lead in the case?"

"Not technically, but we have a small piece for the bigger picture."

"Okay, give me ten minutes."

~~~

 "You dragged me out of bed at six in the morning for a clothes boutique?"

"Yes."

"Unless you plan to wine and dine me soon, you better have a good reason why this could not wait."

"I do. You know how Sadie and Rebekah were wearing party dresses?"

"Yes."

"Last night, I kept thinking about how I had seen the print Sadie had worn before. I called my sister up and came to find out, she has the same dress. It came from this exact boutique."

"Good call, Braxton."

~~~

 "Yes, they came here to buy dresses for some party." The owner says, as she looks over the pictures of Sadie and Rebekah.

"These dresses came from your boutique?" Braxton asks.

"Yes, they bought the last two of that kind last week." She replies.

"Did they tell you what kind of party they were attending?" I ask.

"No, they just said it involved masks."

I nod my head and let a customer pass by me to make a purchase. "Excuse us for a moment." I say, as I pull Braxton away from the purchase counter.

"Of course." She replies.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"I just thought of something."

"What's that?"

"If the party dealt with masks, it was more than likely a masquerade theme."

"Okay, go on."

"Well, why would Sadie wear a blush-pink dress with Aztec print?"

"It's a party dress." He replies.

I shake my head and show him the pictures of the women in the dresses. "Why would Rebekah wear a sky-blue dress?"

"She may have liked wearing it."

"You typically don't wear dresses of those styles and colors at a masquerade party. You would typically wear darker colors to appear more mystique." I replied.

"Ahh, I see where you are going with this. They were killed out of being discovered."

"Bingo."

"Now what?" He asks.

"Now, we go back to the pier and ask around to see if anyone attended or knew someone who attended the party on the night of their deaths."

We left the boutique soon after that. On the way back to the pier, I caught Braxton looking over at me every so often.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No. I just feel like there is something I don't know about you."

"What could that be?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders, as he drives. "That's for you to tell."

"Come on now, Foyay. I know there is something urgent you want to ask me. So, ask away."

"Okay, how do you know proper attire for masquerade parties?"

I look out the passenger window, leaning my head back against the headrest. "I know my way around certain events."

 "Really? Care to share?"

"Let's just say, I'm not an 'open book' as people deem me to be. I carry lots of baggage I can't seem to part with."

"If you ever need to vent, I am here. You are not alone."

"Thanks Brax."

"Anytime."