Apples, Appaloosa and Alibis

by Maria Grazia Swan

  I frowned. “What the hell? Are you trying to scare me to death?”

  “No. I want to get my bike.”

  This must be important as he didn’t even try to come too close or mouth out some mean remark.

  “Your bike is in the garage. Go get it.”

  “Can you open the garage door?” Ah, there it was... he wanted something of course.

  “Tommy, don’t drag me into whatever this is. Ask Brenda.”

  “I would. As soon as the pig gets the f**k out of her house.”

  “Is that what you’re waiting for? You can’t tell when Bob Clarke leaves, not from here. He goes out the front door and usually walks across the street to visit the widow.” I shrugged, hoping he would march himself to Brenda’s. I wasn’t about to open my door while he hung around. I knew his tricks too well.

  “Why don’t you call her on the cell? If she says it’s ok, I’ll get the garage open for you.”

  He rubbed his hands on his jeans and avoided eye contact. “Well, uh, my phone is... I don’t have it on me at the moment.”

  Same old Tommy, flat broke and probably hiding from people he borrowed money from. I fished my phone from my bag and called Brenda. “Here, ask her.”

  He did. His back to me, I could hear him mumbling. Then he handed me back the cell. “She’s coming to let me in the garage.”

  “Good,” I said.

  Brenda opened her back door as Dior ran off, circling happily around Tommy. I picked that moment to let myself into my place and lock the door behind me. I was on the phone with Greg Coste when the unmistakable roaring of the Harley filled the calm of the early evening. Good riddance.

  The review of the inspection results went quick, Coste knew exactly what he wanted fixed or replaced and what he would let slide. He mentioned Brenda not once, not twice, but three times. Apparently, they really clicked. How about that? Maybe I could add Monica Baker, Matchmaker, to my resume.

  Finally, with duties out of the way, I could talk to Tristan. Somehow I had hoped he would be calling me. It had been so long since I slouched comfortably on the couch, in my robe, to chat on the phone without interruptions. Plus, knowing that Brenda and Dior were next door added to my sense of safety in general.

  “Fiat, how are you?” That’s all I needed, those few repetitive words I never tired of listening to as long as he spoke them.

  “Good, better now. What’s happening? Are you still staying at... you know... Dale’s house? I’m so confused. Alexander is your friend from back at UA, but you didn’t know he was married? Married to my new boss, no less.” Okay, I felt like a wretch the minute I said it. So much for my romantic opening.

  He laughed softly against my ear, and I no longer cared where he was staying or who married whom.

  “Sorry, it’s the old guilt, and I feel like it’s all my fault.” I paused. “What happened with Jessie? I didn’t mean to cause her trouble.” There I go again.

  “Fiat, sweetie, you didn’t. Turns out she’s sort of dating the Jeep guy. Probably the reason she doesn’t get followed; he’s one of the main instigators. They had no clue you were next to them. Well, they still don’t. One of their tires blew up and they ended up in a ditch. And I’m sure you didn’t have anything to do with the tire.” He paused and then he spoke in a much sweeter tone of voice. “When can I see you? What are you doing tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow? I don’t know. The only thing on my calendar is taking Dior for a walk. I miss bumping into you and Tache...” I swallowed, remembering our encounters on the trails. Then, whispering, “Do you still have the red bandana?”

  “You remember that? Oh, girl, I miss you. I haven’t worn it in maybe a year. It may have burned along with most of my clothes.” I had forgotten about the fire. “As a matter of fact I’m supposed to meet with the insurance adjusters tomorrow. The two detectives you call Adam and Eve will be there also. Why don’t you come over with Dior, he’d like running around Tache’s grassy field.” He knew about Adam and Eve? Luckily, he couldn’t see me, my cheeks were on fire.

  “You brought your horse back?”

  “No. That’s something I’d like to discuss with you tomorrow. I’m not moving back into the house. I’ll either stay at the Tucson ranch temporarily or find a place for Tache up here.” He lowered his voice, and I sensed he wanted to be more intimate—maybe he wasn’t alone. “But what I want most is be with you.”

  And just like that an overwhelming feeling of love taken and given coated my soul like frosted butterscotch on the red velvet of Tristan’s voice.

  Only after we said goodnight did it dawn on me that he never said a word about Angelique or her whereabouts. Like it or not, she was still his wife for all legal purposes, and her going missing didn’t make it any easier for him to get a divorce. Or at least that was my assumption.

  I tossed and turned a lot and couldn’t figure out why. By eight thirty I dragged myself out of bed, all bundled in my warm, Sherpa shaggy bathrobe, and headed to Brenda’s back door. The robe dragged a little because it was a size too big. A gift from my coworkers one Christmas when I was home with a bad cold. It felt like a big, soft hug.

  Thanks to my place being behind Brenda’s house, no one could see me from the street. That particular feature of my housing situation had come in handy on more than one occasion. Brenda was up, and so was Dior. I could smell the fresh-brewed coffee the minute I opened the back door and went straight to the coffee machine.

  “Well, good morning, sunshine. What happened?” Brenda asked without turning to look at me.

  “Nothing happened, why?”

  “Why? When was the last time that you showed up at my back door in your king-size robe and—”

  “Hey, I’m not a bed, and if I was, I would be size... is there a petite-size bed?”

  She snorted. Then laughed. I kept a straight face, stirred my coffee, and slurped loudly. “Hmm, good. What are you doing?”

  “Breakfast. Want some?’

  “It depends. What is it?”

  “Baked apple French toast.”

  I paused. “Have I eaten that before? Did I like it? And what’s with this apples everywhere thing? Did you invest in some orchard or something?”

  She laughed again. “I see you’re in top form. Dior, stop licking the floor. I only dropped a spoon, not a spoonful of something.”

  In response Dior plopped himself between me and the cook.

  “It has to bake for about thirty-five minutes, so if you’re in a hurry I’ll make you some plain French toast.”

  “I’m good. I can wait. Did you get the newspaper?”

  She nodded and pointed to the couch. The Arizona Republic, still rolled up, sat on the coffee table. I decided to check my horoscope. Best thing next to Kassandra’s daily tarot card reading. I never got to the page with the comics and the horoscope, a smiling photo of Angelique filled about one-eighth of the front page, under the dramatic headline, “Where in the world is the mysterious Angelique Dumont?” And next, in smaller font, “Is the jilted lover ready to talk?”

  “OMG!” It slipped out so loud even Dior stopped sniffing the kitchen floor and looked at me.

  “What? Did you burn your tongue? You know the coffee is hot...”

  “No, it’s not me. The paper has a big article about Angelique and—”

  “That piece of garbage who pretends to be human? Look at all the lives she messed up. What for? I bet she killed Tristan’s dad too. And the poor soul goes out of his way to help that—that—don’t get me started.” She shook her head. “His dad, Silvia De Aguilar, Lois, that poor, poor Lois...”

  “You think she killed Lois? Not the Avondo creep?”

  Brenda kept shaking her head. “I don’t want to talk about that monster. The sooner they catch her, the better this world will be. She may be hiding here in town. What do we know?”

  “Brenda, don’t say stuff like that. You scare me. With today’s technology she’ll be caught. You’ll see.”

  I sat and
read the whole article hoping to reassure myself, but instead it seemed to agree with Brenda. Something about Avondo claiming he met her when she asked him to provide her with a fake identity. “What? No way.”

  “No way what?” Brenda asked. I hadn’t realized I was talking out loud. Angelique was messing with my head in more ways than I had imagined.

  “According to Rogelio Avondo, her name is not Angelique Chervais. He said she paid him to provide her with fake documents. That’s crazy. Angelique was Tristan’s dad’s girlfriend from his past, certainly he would have known what she looked like. Avondo must have tired of waiting for her to come back and bail him out so he’s making up these stories.” I had to stop to breathe. “Do you think Tristan reads the newspaper?” I asked Brenda.

  “We eat in five minutes.” Was her answer. I didn’t care. Would the newspaper publish such an outlandish story without verifying it? Who could I ask?

  Chills ran down my spine. I wrapped my robe a little tighter. If she wasn’t who she said she was, then... who? I kept on reading. Oh, her first name was Pauline? “OMG.”

  “What now? Kid, when you get religious before nine a.m., I worry about you.”

  I must’ve said it out loud again.

  “Well? What is it? The cops nabbed Angelique?”

  “She isn’t Angelique,” I mumbled. “Her name is Pauline Chervais. She’s Angelique’s younger sister. That explain how she fooled Tristan’s dad. She probably knew all the old details. What a conniving bitch.”

  “Okay, that’s it. Put the paper down and sit at the table. No talking about depressing subjects until your belly is full. Everything will feel less scary. I promise.”

  I pointed to the front page.

  “No, no. no. Zip it.” Brenda put her hand to her lips and pretended to lock them. I got off the couch and sheepishly walked to the dining room table where she had served a large plate of delicious-smelling bumpy something. She must have seen my expression. “The mounds are the apple chunks. Do you want syrup or honey?”

  “I want Tristan.”

  I sobbed once.

  For a very long moment the dining room seemed like a frozen scene in an old 60s movie—Brenda with her apron, holding a plate of food, Dior on her heels, drooling and wagging his tail. And me, the family moody kid acting up instead of acting her age. I wiped my tears with the back of my fuzzy king-size robe before sitting at the table, like a good girl.

  “Thanks, Brenda,” I said. “After breakfast I’ll take Dior for a long walk.”

  “Excellent, some fresh air will do both of you good,” she said, and I felt like Judas after the kiss, as I fully intended to drag Dior to Tristan’s home.

  TWENTY-THREE

  IF BRENDA HAD seen me drive off with Dior in the car, she would have run after me. Right? I’m sure I mentioned something about 40th Street to her. Regardless. Here we were, heading toward the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and—oops—the Dumonts’ home.

  We reached the end of 40th Street and the parking lot of the trailhead south of Shea Boulevard. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been there with Dior. He must have recognized the place because he went nuts. I parked away from the bathrooms and the ramada in a quiet spot. Managed to get the leash on the super excited Dane, and after checking my lipstick and mascara in the side mirror, I locked the car, and we walked out of the parking lot toward Tristan’s home. It was a little after eleven a.m.

  Dior pulled so hard on the leash I had trouble keeping a normal pace. I couldn’t help wondering if he remembered that this was the road to Tache’s home. Would he be disappointed his playmate wasn’t there?

  Had I been on roller skates and let Dior pull me without restraint, we would have been flying down the narrow road that meandered through the large homes on acre lots and ended up smack in sight of the Dumonts’ residence. We had made it there in no time at all.

  A few cars were parked outside the open gate. I could see a vehicle up by the front door in the motor court.

  The closer we got, the higher the excitement, both for Dior and me. The Great Dane charged up the driveway like a freight train with faulty brakes, and I found myself at the wide-open front door, panting. I paused there, trying to compose myself and also hoping to see Tristan before anyone else noticed me. No such luck.

  “Hi, Monica, did you bring an escort?” Detective Eve laughed looking at Dior who wouldn’t stand still a minute. He now pulled toward the room that opened onto the patio and the large, fenced back yard—home and playground to Tache. Once inside the vestibule the smoke damage glared from walls once richly dressed in Venetian plaster but now covered by black smoke. An acrid smell lingered throughout the room.

  “Wow, somehow I thought the fire was only in some of the upstairs rooms.” I couldn’t divert my eyes.

  “Well, this is only smoke damage, but you’re right. The upstairs rooms suffered the worst,” the detective said. “Tristan is actually up there discussing the amount of the loss with the insurance people. And we are finishing up our third sweep of the house.”

  I nodded and resisted the temptation to ask what they were looking for.

  With an amused expression she watched Dior’s cavorting “Why is your dog so restless?”

  “Oh, he wants to go outside. He thinks he’ll get to play with Tache, Tristan’s appaloosa. They are good playmates.” I patted Dior’s back hoping to calm him down. “Will it be okay if I go out there with him while I wait for Tristan?”

  She gave me a knowing smile and nodded.

  The yard looked just the way I remembered it, minus the mare of course. I removed the leash and let Dior run. He headed straight for the barn. I sat on the wooden bench, my back to the house. Such a peaceful place—the winter grass freshly mowed, birds singing, and the blue sky above. February in the desert, paradise on Earth.

  Hard to believe so much drama had happened in such a short time.

  “I’m not moving back into the house,” Tristan had said.

  Part of me agreed and welcomed the change. Yet, it seemed like such a rushed decision. Maybe he could do some remodeling instead? From the bench, I watched Dior wandering around the empty stalls, sniffing and pawing. Then he barked, loudly. Doggie wasn’t happy. If he could talk just about now, he’d be asking me where his buddy Tache was.

  Hands stroked my shoulders. I jumped.

  Tristan bent to kiss the top of my head. “Sorry, Fiat, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Before I could answer, Dior came running. I guessed he assumed that if the owner showed up, the mare couldn’t be far behind.

  Tristan sat next to me. His hand found mine resting on the bench, and he intertwined our fingers. There was something in that silent gesture that felt solemn, like a promise, an oath.

  I scooted closer to him, my shoulder brushing against his. If only we could bottle this perfect moment and revisit it when we needed comfort, hope, and above all, love.

  An involuntary sigh escaped my lips. He squeezed my hand.

  “Such a peaceful place,” I whispered.

  “It’s an illusion,” Tristan said. “Only lasts until you leave.”

  Never had I experienced such a complete sense of warmth, love, and trust toward a man I hadn’t shared a bed with. For the first time in my adult life romantic clichés like, “I would die for you,” made perfect sense.

  A loud thump came from the stalls.

  “Dior.” I jumped to my feet.

  A bark. And I took off running, Tristan at my side. He headed straight for Tache’s empty stall. The bottom part of the Dutch door was ajar. Dior must have entered the stall attracted by Tache’s scent.

  Tristan unlatched the top part and pushed it open. The Great Dane stood in the middle of the small room, tail and ears at attention. What had him stirred up? The floor on half the room seemed swept and free of hay or anything else, but the corner farthest away from the small window not only had mounds of hay but a pile of something that looked like rags and some empty cans?

  “Wh
at happened?” Tristan said.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. Dior backed away from the pile and tiptoed toward the open door.

  “When I was last here to take Tache to the ranch, the only thing left in the stall was a stack of blankets we used for her bedding. Where did all this hay come from? And what’s under it? Something that made that loud sound. You think someone slept in the stall? Who?”

  All I could do was shake my head. “Maybe we should tell the detectives about it. Are they still in the house?”

  “I think so.” I felt his intense concentration and had the feeling he noticed more out of place stuff than he was letting me know.

  “Let’s not touch anything. Maybe you should put the leash on Dior, and I would rather you go back to the house with me.” He put his arm around my shoulders, and with Dior in tow, we walked back inside the home.

  The duo of detectives asked me to please stay put and keep my dog close. Tristan went to the barn with them, and I began to feel like a fifth wheel, of what I had no idea. Dior wasn’t happy either. Perhaps we had both worn out our welcome. The silence in the big rooms grew spookier.

  This romancing adventure was quickly becoming a he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not kind of game. Then again, with all the stuff going on this wasn’t the best time to visit. And only twenty minutes ago I was contemplating dying for him. Ah, the ephemeral power of love. Made for great movies. Except, this wasn’t a movie.

  I waited for what seemed like forever. Even Dior looked bored as he sat on the floor, staring at me with his Please, let’s go look. By the time I had decided to follow Dior’s suggestion and got up to leave, voices sounded from the patio, and Tristan was back along with Detective Ross.

  “Oh, sweetie, you must be so bored. I need to stay put and wait for the forensic investigator to get here so I can point out what I recognize and what’s been placed in the stall that I’ve never seen before. And Dior deserves a super special treat. I’ll make sure and get it for him.”

  I suppose he noticed the lack of enthusiasm in our reaction because poor Tristan began to apologize.