Chapter Seven: So Many Details

Jesse turned on a Bing Crosby Christmas CD and sat down at his kitchen table where several shopping bags, wrapping paper, name cards, and tape were already assembled. He had been busy at the hospital all day, and now that it was almost over, he decided to relax and wrap his presents. A new smile came to his face as he opened each bag and pulled out the gifts that he had chosen for his friends. This was one of his favorite times of the year. It used to be a chore to buy and send presents to members of his family who expected them because it was the polite, social thing to do. But since the year that the presents he'd purchased for his family had been stolen out of his car, he realized that gifts should come from the heart. That was the first year that BBQ Bob's had fed many of LA's homeless people, and he and Steve had felt so good about it, that now it was an annual tradition.

While humming "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," he busied himself with cutting the paper for and wrapping the two computer games he had bought for Dion and CJ. At the store, he had watched a boy about their age playing the demo game, and a look of absolute excitement had captured the lad. He could just picture that same look on the two faces of his 'nephews'. Plus, he inwardly hoped that the boys might let him have a turn or two with the games.

Jesse opened another package and pulled out the gift that he had chosen for Mark. It was a simple gift really, a picture of Amanda, Steve, Mark, and himself taken that summer on the beach. Jesse had just bought a new camera, and he was letting Dion and CJ try it out. Most of the pictures didn't turn out very well at all, heads were chopped off or they were miserably out of focus. But this one was perfect. Steve was on the left with his arm around Amanda's shoulders, and Mark was on her right, with Jesse on the end. For some reason, looking at the photo brought another picture to his mind, one he had seen at the wake for Fred Morganstern.

"Mark, are you sure I should go with you, I mean, they are your neighbors, I barely knew the man." Jesse had agreed to accompany the elder doctor to Fred Morganstern's wake, but was now voicing a few reservations.

"Yes, Jesse, it's just fine." Mark smiled at his young friend. "Alisha will be there, and I'm sure that she would appreciate company from people more her own age."

Jesse had always thought Alisha was very attractive, and if she were home and happened to be out on the beach, Jesse would often take a slow jog past her house. She had such a sweet vivacious personality, that she was always glad to see and talk with the young doctor.

"Well, if she does need a shoulder to cry on, then I wouldn't mind accommodating her, it's the least I could do." He grinned when he said it, and so did his older counterpart.

A man dressed in a black suit and tie, who thanked them for coming and showed them where they would find the members of the Morganstern family, let Mark and Jesse into the house. They followed his directions and entered a large room, which faced the beach. It was very bright and sunny and precisely as Jesse would have pictured, everything neat and in its proper place, except for a decorative throw that seemed out of place covering what looked like a pile of bricks on the fireplace.

Alexis Morganstern approached the two doctors to welcome them. "Mark, Dr. Travis, how good to see you."

Mark reached out his hand to her, "Alexis, please accept my deepest condolences."

"Thank you, Mark. I appreciate your concern."

"And mine, too, Mrs. Morganstern," Jesse offered.

The older woman smiled at him, a polite smile Jesse thought, and replied, "It was very kind of both of you to come."

Jesse noticed Alisha sitting alone across the room on a sofa and excused himself, while Mark and Alexis carried on a conversation of mostly small talk. He slowly approached the young coed with a kind smile on his face. It didn't appear that she had been crying, but she did look slightly upset. "Alisha," he waited until she looked at him. "I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle."

She returned his smile and said, "Thank you, Jesse. It is tragic."

Jesse sat down next to her on the couch, careful not to sit too close that it would give the wrong impression. "How are you doing?"

"Just fine, thank you." Her eyes showed their usual warm glow of love of life.

Jesse noticed a photograph sitting on table beside him, and he normally wouldn't have thought anything about it, but it was very obvious that someone had been cut out of the picture. The only thing that remained of the person was a heavily bandaged arm wrapped around the shoulder of another man. The two remaining men were both dressed in college football outfits, black jerseys with red and gold trim, and from what he could see of their faces, they looked like they could be twins. He couldn't help but ask, "Is this Bert and Fred?"

Alisha momentarily looked at the photo. "Yes, it was taken when my dad and Uncle Fred were in college at Colonial University in Baltimore. Their team was called the Ravens."

Jesse pointed to where the missing person would have been. "Was this one of their rivals?" he asked, trying to make a joke.

She snickered, "No, it was their older brother, Al."

"Older brother?!" Jesse's expression was that of surprise. "They had an older brother?"

Alisha indicated for him to quiet down a little. "Yes, they did, but I wouldn't say anything to Dad, because he and Fred had a disagreement with Al a long time ago and disowned him."

"Really? It must have been a big disagreement."

"Jesse, I really don't know much about it. It's one of those things we don't talk about. Oh, I see some other people that I really should say hello to. Again, thank you for coming by." She gave him a tiny peck on his cheek. "I really appreciate it."

"It wasn't a problem." Before he could say anything else, she stood and went to speak with a group of people who had just arrived.

Jesse also stood and slowly made his way across the room. He could see that Mark and Alexis were still talking and he caught a part of their conversation.

"The contractors were supposed to have been finished by the end of November." She was looking at the pile of bricks covered with the throw and didn't sound at all happy about the situation. "I can't believe I have to deal with them on top of everything else."

"I didn't mean to upset you, Alexis. I'm sorry for even asking."

She shook her head slightly, "No, Mark, I'm the one who should apologize. This has just been so upsetting."

"I'm sure it has," the older man said, trying to calm her. The room had become quite full, and Mark stated, "I think we'll be going."

Alexis held her hand out to him, "Again, thank you for coming by."

As he and Jesse walked the short distance back to the beach house, Jesse asked, "What was the story behind the fireplace?"

"The Morganstern's are doing some remodeling." For some reason, Jesse thought the way Mark worded his comment was odd. It was as if he were answering in a far away voice, because his mind was actually occupied with some other thought.

Not really wanting to interrupt, but yet really wanting to know, Jesse asked, "Where was Bert? I didn't see him."

"Alexis said that he was too upset to make an appearance."

Jesse's thoughts returned to the present, and he looked at the photo once more. These were his three best friends on the face of the earth. But they were more than friends, they were family. And he was lucky to have them.

OOO

Amanda had tucked CJ and Dion in bed for the night, and had plopped down on her couch, every bit as tired as they were. They had spent the day finishing Christmas shopping at the mall, and then had met the gang at Bob's for supper. It was rare that she had time to herself, especially during the busy holiday season, but tonight, she seemed to have a few spare minutes to just relax.

As she stretched her feet up on the coffee table, she had to smile. She never allowed the boys to use it as a footstool, and if they knew that she did it, she would be in big trouble. But they would never know because they were both asleep before their heads hit the pillows. She closed her eyes, and rubbed her head, beginning with her temples and working her way back into her hair. The Morganstern murder was still very much on her mind and she couldn't help but recall the conversation she'd had with Alexis Morganstern while they waited for her husband, Bert, to finish talking with Steve.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Morganstern." Amanda spoke in a comforting voice.

The older woman remained emotionless, as if it was uncouth to shed even a few tears over her brother-in-law's sudden death, or maybe, now that she was over the initial shock, she didn't care at all; Amanda wasn't sure. "Thank you, Dr. Bentley."

"Could I get you a cup of coffee or a soda?" Amanda had come by the station to drop off a file for Steve and had found Alexis Morganstern sitting by herself. She thought that the woman might like some company.

"No, thank you. I shouldn't think my husband would keep me waiting here very much longer. We need to make arrangements for Fred. There are just so many details to take care of." The woman was dressed fashionably, as always, but the make-up that covered her face didn't hide her real age.

"Yes, I'm sure there are. But the funeral director will help you with the paperwork and any correspondence with the insurance company." Amanda realized that she was perhaps being a bit too intrusive. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Morganstern; it's none of my business if Fred even had an insurance policy. I was just trying to be helpful."

The older woman smiled slightly, in a rare moment of showing even a minor amount of affection. "It's quite all right, Doctor. The insurance money," she added in a quiet voice, as if it were a distant thought. "I hadn't really even considered that."

Not wanting to appear too anxious, but also extremely curious, Amanda commented, "So, there will be some money to help with the expenses?"

"Yes, both Bert and Fred had identical policies, well close enough to identical. They made each other beneficiaries so that the money could be funneled back into the business if anything happened to either . . . "

Alexis Morganstern's voice trailed off. She had become a master at displaying in public only the emotions she wanted displayed, and if she finished her sentence, she might lose control.

Amanda placed her hand on the woman's arm and smiled a warm smile. She tried to change the subject. "What kind of a company is it?"

"They supply elegant stationery, office supplies, and equipment to several local businesses and studios. Bert and Fred generated most of the business themselves, wanting to serve only the proper clientele. They had a small staff and catered to the needs of those whom they served."

"I see," Amanda answered sweetly, knowing full well that even she herself might not be considered the 'proper clientele.'

Mrs. Morganstern continued, "It is an extremely successful business, they had both worked very hard to keep it that way, and it was prudent to take the life insurance policies out."

Amanda hadn't said a word in judgement, but the woman kept rambling. "The policies are for identical cash values, but Bert had to pay higher premiums because he is a smoker." She said the last words with such a tone of disdain, that Amanda didn't have to ask her opinion of the habit, but the woman continued, "I'm so glad that he finally gave it up."

"Mark mentioned to me that Bert had quit as a Christmas present for Alisha," Amanda said.

Alexis gave her what could only have been called a condescending smile. "He quit back in August," she said, "and not for Alisha, but to keep his premiums down. His term life insurance policy matures when he turns fifty. He'll need a different policy then, and he doesn't want to pay sixty percent more because he's a smoker. He just told Alisha he did it for her because he knew that would make her happy."

"Well, whatever the reason," Amanda said, trying to keep the conversation going now that Alexis was feeling talkative, "medically, it was a good decision."

Amanda opened her eyes. That was all she had been able to ask the woman, because her husband had suddenly appeared, finished with his interview, and the couple was on their way.

Amanda sighed. The Morganstern's were certainly elusive people, so it shouldn't be unexpected that the clues to Fred Morganstern's murder had turned out to be that way also. She glanced at the clock on her mantle, and decided that a hot bubble bath would be a suitable ending to her day.