The Case of the Lipstick Killer

"So, what do you want?" asked Melissa.

"We'd like to know where you were last night," asked Wheeler.

"I was sitting where I'm sitting right now. I was watching Titanic on Netflix.

Why?"

"The Lipstick Killer just claimed another victim, who was one of our officers. That was a big mistake. Because now the whole department is pissed, and we're going to hunt this serial killer down like a rabid dog and throw her in a deep hole," said Wheeler.

"Her?" said Melissa. "What makes you think it's a woman? I thought they said in the news that it was a man."

"They never mentioned one way or the other. Most people just assume it's a man," continued Wheeler. "Just so you know, Melissa, you are a person of interest to us."

"Me? What the hell are you talking about? Why would you think it would be me, for Christ's sake?"

"I think you are getting revenge on people who are ending relationships with your daughter, Gwen, and breaking her heart. You're taking the protective mother thing to morbid heights."

"Are you nuts!? Why would you think it was me?"

"I don't feel like running down the list right now. There will be a time for that. What's the latest with your daughter? Has she had any problems with any of her girlfriends recently?" asked Wheeler.

"Well, she seemed to be doing fine. She told me she met someone new, and they hit it off very well. Last week, she told me that this new girlfriend decided that things were moving too quickly and decided to break it off for a while. As usual, Gwen was heartbroken and came running to me to console her. She's a rather fragile young woman. But she's my daughter, so what am I supposed to do? I can't tell her who to date. All I can do is be there to pick up the pieces each time one of her relationships comes crashing to an end."

"That must infuriate you when some young teaser breaks Gwen's heart. Doesn't that just make you want to go find them and hurt them back?" said Wheeler.

"Yeah, I'd like to slap some sense into these women's heads. Some women don't give it a second thought when they make someone fall in love with them and then decide they like someone else better and move on. It's just not right. I would never hurt anyone, but sometimes I feel like they got what they deserved," said Melissa.

"You're all heart, lady," said D'Agosta.

"Yeah, you come talk to me the first time you have to hold your daughter in your arms after someone has shattered her heart, and she's talking about committing suicide. You just see how you feel then."

"Do you know if Gwen talks to anyone besides you when something like this happens?" asked Wheeler.

"Gwen keeps pretty much to herself. She only talks to her cousins or me."

"Her cousins?" asked D'Agosta.

"Yeah. Gwen has been very close to them her whole life. They lived in Fresno when we did, and when Gwen and I relocated to this area, they eventually followed us here."

"Do you have their contact information, Melissa?" asked Detective Wheeler.

"The last time I talked to one of them was when Janice called me here on my landline. I don't have her number. Maybe you can get it from the phone company. Other than that, you're out of luck. Now, if you don't have any other questions for me, would you please leave."

"Do you have any plans to go anywhere out of town in the next month or so?" asked Wheeler.

"No, I have no plans. I have to be on call if my train wreck of a daughter goes off the rails again. Someone has to be there to prevent her from jumping off the nearest building over some other crazy lesbian."

"Such motherly concern," said Wheeler. "I'm touched."

"Don't let the door hit you--"

"We're leaving. I'm sure we'll be back. It's just a matter of time, Melissa."

"Yeah, I'm sure," replied Melissa as she walked over and slammed the door behind the two detectives.

NIKKI FONTAINE INVESTIGATIONS

GRAND AVENUE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

Monday, April 3, 2:45 p.m.

It was a relatively quiet day in the offices of Nikki Fontaine Investigations. No thugs from Chicago walking in the door. No men in ski masks storming the office, brandishing guns, and kidnapping me and my employees. And no tightly wound men dressed in black from the FBI walking in and drafting me. And then the front door swung open, and in walked two cases of fear and hope.

Sofia Martinez was holding Maya Nazari's hand, but neither one of them was smiling.

"Oh, shit. You found Maya," blurted out Nora when she saw the two 17-year-olds approaching her desk.

Nora immediately punched the button on her intercom.

"Hey, Nikki, get a load of this," said Nora.

I looked up and saw the two young ladies standing in front of Nora's desk.

"Jesus!" I exclaimed. I jumped up and ran out to Nora's desk.

"Maya, you're okay. How'd you find her, Sofia?" I asked.

"I didn't find Maya. She called me," she replied.

"Why don't you two come into my office," I said. "Hey, Max. Can you join us?" "Be right there," she replied.

Max closed her door behind her and sat on a chair she brought with her into my office.

"Okay, ladies. Why don't you start from the beginning? I can't wait to hear this." There was a pause, and then Maya started things off.

"I was scared to death," she started. "I heard my dad talking on the phone with someone at the mosque that he attends. They were talking in Arabic, but I understand enough that I knew what they were talking about. He found out that I was a lesbian after my mom told him she caught Sofia and me kissing. As you probably know, being gay is one of the worst sins in Islam. In some Islamic countries, religious zealots throw gay people off the top of tall buildings or bury them up to their necks and stone them to death. Or if it's a family member, it's common to perform honor killings."

"I know," I said. "I've heard about that. How barbaric."

"My dad and this guy on the other end of the line were talking about having someone come to our house perform female genital mutilation on me. Do you know what that is?" asked Maya.

"Yes, unfortunately, I do know what that is. I can't think of anything worse to do to a woman. Some Muslim men treat women as their personal property, and about one level beneath pets," I said.

"So they were talking about FGM--"

"And that's--"

"Yeah, female genital mutilation. My dad talked about that and asked this other guy's opinion about whether he should just skip that and kill me to protect my family's honor. Well, after I heard that, I wasn't going to wait around to find out what my dad was going to do to me. So I ran away. I went and hid at my aunt's house in Lafayette until today when I decided to call Sofia. I knew she was worried sick about me, and I missed her so much."

"I can imagine," I said. "Do you have any plans on what you're going to do next?"

"I don't know," replied Maya. "But I have to do something. If I stay here, my dad will (a) mutilate me or (b) kill me. I'm opting for (c): none of the above. I need to get away from here. I just don't know where to go. Can you help me?"

"When is your birthday, Maya?" I asked.

"What?"

"When were you born? When is your birthday?"

"Oh. My birthday is on October 15."

"So you'll be 18 on October 15, right?"

"Yes, I will be 18."

"That's good. Then you'll be a legal adult, and you can do as you please and go wherever you want, as far away as possible from your dad. But right now, since you're still underage, he has certain rights and can keep you at home if he wants."

"I'm not going back there. No way. Can the police make me go back?" asked Maya.

"It depends, Maya. If you can prove that your life is at risk if you go back home, that might be enough to keep you out of your parents' home. But you never know which way CPS will go on something like this. They are so politically correct that they make some very questionable decisions sometimes.

"I think we need to find you somewhere to stay for the next six months," I said.

"Do you have any friends or relatives anywhere that you could stay with and that you can trust?"

"All of my family either lives here in the states or back in Saudi Arabia. I was born here, and the last time I was in Saudi Arabia was when I was 12. I don't plan ever to go back there again. The way they treat women is appalling, not to mention how they treat gay people. No, thanks."

"If Maya goes somewhere, I'm going with her," said Sofia.

"I don't know if that would be a good idea, Sofia," replied Max.

"I don't care. I'll be 18 in September. If no one finds me by then, there's nothing they can do about it. We love each other, and we want to be together," exclaimed Sofia.

"Young love," said Max. "That's a powerful thing. Adults are always underestimating the reality of young love. It's every bit as strong as love at any other age."

"I just remembered. I have a grandmother that lives in Australia," said Maya.

"Australia?" I asked.

"Yeah, way the hell down under," said Maya with a chuckle.

"When's the last time you saw or talked to her?" I asked.

"She's my mom's mom, and she's not a fanatic like the rest of my crazy family. She came and visited us when I was 14. I get along great with her. She's not even Muslim. She's seen religions treat women as second-class citizens enough in her life. She no longer wants anything to do with any religion at all. She's done with it. But I don't have any money. And I know it costs a lot of money to fly to Australia," said Maya.

"Let's take things one step at a time. Do you have your grandmother's phone number, where you can give her a call and see if she'd be willing to have both of you go live with her for a while?"

"Yes, I have her cell number. She told me that if I ever needed anything, I could call her."

"Well, that's a great sign," I replied. "I'll tell you what. Max and I will leave the room and give you two some privacy. Why don't you call your grandmother and see if she wouldn't mind having some company for a while?"

"All right," said Maya.

Twenty minutes later, Maya stood up and opened the door, and signaled me they were ready.

"What did you find out, Maya?" I asked as Max and I reentered the room.

"She said we could both stay there for as long as we needed, and she wouldn't tell my parents anything. She said that if some men had to undergo male genital mutilation, things would change immediately. The only problem is, she doesn't have enough money to fly us both there, only me."

"Don't worry about that. I can help you out with that," I said. "You guys can stay at my place long enough to make flight reservations, and I'll take you to the airport myself and make sure you get off okay."

"That's very generous of you, Nikki," said Maya.

"Don't worry about it. You can pay it forward someday when you get the chance."

Maya ran around the desk and gave me a long hug.

"You're the best, Nikki," said Maya.

"Thank you so much, Nikki," said Sofia as she took her turn hugging me.

"Hey, Max?" I said. "You up for leaving early today?"

"Always, boss. What do you need?" replied Max.

"I'm taking the girls to my place, but my car is a two-seater. You know what I mean?"

"Got it. Okay, Sofia, you can come with me," said Max.

I wasn't crazy about giving up my privacy and having strangers staying at my house for a few days, but the two girls were very excellent guests, and everyone got along great.

Maya's grandmother lived in a small coastal town called Wynnum, which is not far from Brisbane, on Australia's east coast.

They would find a much healthier environment where they were going than in Oakland. Maybe they'd become surfers.

There was a good chance that the girls could live in Australia free from recrimination and retaliation just for loving each other.

NIKKI FONTAINE INVESTIGATIONS

GRAND AVENUE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

Wednesday, April 5, 10:45 a.m.

I closed the door to my office. I didn't want anyone hearing my phone call. I knew what I had to do to help Maya and Sofia, and I was going to make it happen. If the police or Child Protective Services found out that I had a hand in this, they would put me in jail.

"Hey, Donny, this is Nikki Fontaine. I have a job for you. Are you up for it?"

"Anything for you, Nikki. What do you have in mind?"

"I need the works for two clients of mine. I'm talking about passports, everything."

"No problem. How soon do you need your documents?"

"Not so soon that you can't do your best work, but probably sooner than you'd like. And this has to be your best work. Two lives depend on it."

"When can you get your clients in here so I can take some photos and get some vitals?"

"How about sometime this afternoon?" I asked.

"Okay. How about 2 o'clock?"

"Okay, Donny. See you then."

I grabbed my coat and walked over to Max's office.

"Hey, love, give me your car keys. I need to take the girls somewhere," I said. "Here are my keys in case you need to go somewhere," I said as I tossed the keys to my Tesla Roadster over to a smiling Max.

"Here's mine," said Max. "I think I'll need to go somewhere so I can drive your little hot rod."

"Just be careful, Max. That hot rod is hotter than just about anything on the road, and it can get away from you in no time at all. So please watch yourself. Okay?"

"Yes, mother, I'll be careful. Are you going to be back this afternoon?"

"I don't think I'll make it back. Why don't you come to my place after work if you don't have anything else going on?" I said.

"Nope, nothing is going on. I'll see you after work."

"You're a doll, Max. Talk to you later."

I hopped into Max's ride and drove home to pick up the girls. They were about to become new versions of themselves.

DONNY JACKSON'S OFFICE

TELEGRAPH AVENUE, OAKLAND

April 5, 2 o'clock

One of the first things I did when I opened my PI office in Oakland was to find a good paper man, someone who can create a new person on paper and forge all of the necessary documents. That would include passports, birth certificates, driver's licenses-- everything that someone would need to start a new life and leave their past behind.

I knew that I needed to get new identities for Maya and Sofia so that they could avoid detection from Maya's parents, who would surely try to find her.

After parking at a meter on the street, the two girls and I opened the door to Donny's office and walked up a long flight of stairs to get to his actual office. You could see out the windows and view Telegraph Avenue in all of its glory and splendor. There were little shops all up and down the street occupying the dirt-cheap office and retail space that was always available. You could see prostitutes ducking in and out of doorways, always smiling at passing cars that might become their next customer.

Telegraph Avenue used to be home to several adult video and sex toy stores. Those had faded away over the years with video porn being so available online, and replaced by little grocery stores, tobacco shops, and gift stores, mostly bearing Asian names that all looked the same.

"Hi, Donny. Nice to see you," I said.

"Same here, Nikki. Are these your clients?"

"Yes. This is Maya, and this is Sofia. They are ready to be reborn with your magic."

"What I need today are some photos of each of you, and I need you to write down your vitals on paper before you leave. You know, height, weight, the color of your eyes. I will do the rest. I'll have everything ready in about four days. Does that work for you, Nikki?" he asked.

"Well, four days makes it Sunday. Are you going to be here on Sunday, or would you rather I pick it up on Monday?" I replied.

"I'm leaving town for several days on Sunday afternoon, so, unless you want to wait till the end of next week, you should pick it up sometime Sunday morning before noon."

"That will work. I'll be here Sunday morning sometime between nine and noon. Does that work for you?" I asked.

"Like a charm," he responded.

The girls handed Donny their sheets of paper with the requested information written down.

"All right. Let me take a few photos, and then you can all be on your way," said

Donny.

It took Donny about ten minutes to get the photos he needed, and we were on our way.

NIKKI FONTAINE'S RESIDENCE

ST. CHARLES STREET, ALAMEDA

April 5, 4:40 p.m.

The Tesla was already parked in my driveway when I drove up with the two girls in Max's car and parked at the curb.

"Well, that's a good sign," I said.

"What's a good sign?" asked Sofia.

"My car is still in one piece and not wrapped around a pole somewhere."

"Why would you think that?" said Maya.

"Because that little car right there in the driveway is one of the fastest cars in the world," I exclaimed.

"In the world?" replied Sofia.

"That's right. And Max drove it home from the office today, and I know she's been dying to put her foot in it to see what it can do. Anyway, I'm glad my car and her are safe."

"Hey, guys," said Max as me and the girls walked in the door. "Here's one for you, Nikki."

"Wine. Just what the doctor ordered," I said.

"Sorry, girls. We have juice for you," said Max. "So how did whatever you did go?"

"Fine so far," I replied. "I'm having this guy I know make up some new identity papers for the girls so they can fly to Australia without having to worry about someone picking up their trail and following them there. Maya's dad sounds like one of those fanatics that would follow her to the end of the world just to kill her without worrying about being caught. So this will prevent that from happening."

"Good idea," said Max.

"Plus, their new documents will show them as 18 years old, which means they won't raise any red flags from being underaged minors traveling alone."

"Another good idea."

"I'm picking up their new papers on Sunday, and then we can book a flight and get them going sometime next week. You guys ready to learn how to surf?" I said.

Maya and Sofia looked at me like I had been eating some kind of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

"Learn how to surf?" said Maya.

"You'll be right by the ocean, and surfing is very popular all around Australia. Hey, just hanging around the beach ain't bad either. I'm sure you two will find something to do. It will be a new adventure.

"This is going to be so cool. We'll be like spies in the movies, traveling under assumed names with forged passports," said Sofia. "It will be like we're in the CIA, just like Annie in Covert Affairs on Netflix."

"Not quite," I said. "It won't be as glamorous as Annie."

"I've never even been on a plane before," said Sofia. "That's going to be so exciting."

"Oh, flying is so fun," said Maya. "You'll love it."

"Okay, guys. What would you like for dinner?" I asked.

As if singing a duet, the two girls sang out, "Pizza!"

"Pizza it is," I said. "I'll make the call," I said in a hushed tone like I was a spy about to make a clandestine phone call.

NIKKI FONTAINE INVESTIGATIONS

GRAND AVENUE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

April 7, 10:35 a.m.

It was Friday, and it had been a quiet day in the office. Me, Max, Jessie, and Barton were busy working on our cases while Nora sat there working on her nails. She had a client date tonight, and Jessie had been slightly aloof towards Nora all morning. Jessie understood that it was only a job to Nora, but it still bothered her knowing that Nora, her girlfriend and lover, would be wrapped in lovemaking with another woman as she sat at home dwelling on that fact.

She planned to distract herself by watching something on TV, but she knew that probably wouldn't work. It was Jessie's new reality, at least for the time being. She hoped that they would eventually move in together and live off two incomes so Nora could stop doing her escort job.

The man and woman that walked into the office did not look happy. They appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. Nora slipped her fingernail file into her drawer as they approached her desk.