by Marja McGraw
“No offense taken since it’s coming from a beauty like you.”
“You’re quite the flirt.”
He chuckled. “I always was.”
He held out his hand and I took it. He held on just a bit too long and tried to pull me onto his lap, but I managed to extricate myself and shook my finger at him.
He shrugged. “Some things never change. Be sure to leave your hubby at home next time you come.”
I left him and found Pete and Marcus sitting out on the porch, drinking a glass of wine.
“Are you ready?” I asked, looking at Pete.
“What did my grandfather have to say?” Marcus asked.
“Not a lot. He gave me some names to look into, that’s all.”
“Well,” he said, standing, “don’t trust everything he tells you. The old coot loves to tell a good story.”
I nodded, but I had a feeling that Rusty knew exactly what he was talking about. He didn’t seem in the least confused. On the other hand, I didn’t know him, so could I truly trust him?
On the drive home, I asked Pete why he’d been antagonistic toward Rusty.
“Simple. He liked you and he didn’t want Marcus and me in the room. I knew he’d talk to you if we weren’t there.”
“I see. I think.”
We drove home, barely speaking to each other, each in our own world for the time being.
I’d turned my cell phone off during our visit and finally remembered to turn it back on. There was a message from Ollie, Edgar’s son, asking me to call him back.
I punched in his number. “Ollie? This is Sandi Webster. You called?”
“Yes.” His voice sounded off, like he was upset. “After you left and after he took a nap, my father started talking about the old days again. He was surprisingly alert, and he asked me to make a list of names for you.” His voice broke. “He fell asleep in his wheelchair again, and he never woke up.”
“I’m so very sorry, Ollie,” I said. “Is there anything we can do?”
“Thank you, no.” He paused. “I can’t explain it, but it seemed like talking about that time period gave him both happiness and peace. I guess it was a happy time in his life.”
We spoke for another moment and Ollie made a plan to drop the list of names off at our office.
Pete knew something was wrong. “Is it Edgar?”
“Yes. He’s gone.”
“What? He broke out of the assisted living home?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I mean he passed away.”
“He died?”
“Yes, honey, he died. He gave Ollie some information, though, and Ollie is going to drop off a list for us.”
Pete looked surprised. “He died, but we just saw him this morning. And yet he had time to make a list?”
“That’s the gist of it.”
“I guess you never know when it’s your time.”
“He seemed frailer than Rusty. Rusty made me feel like he might live to be in his hundreds.”
Pete thought this over. “When my time comes, I hope I go like Edgar. I hope I just fall asleep in my favorite chair and never wake up.”
I knew what he meant, but I thought we were too young to even be thinking about it.
Pete turned his attention back to the Windsor Estates. “Marcus said that Rusty ruled his wineries with an iron fist. He said now that he’s taking over, there are going to be some changes. He’s glad the old man retired. He said his sister is touring Europe because she doesn’t really want a hand in running the business.”
I thought about Marcus. “I was surprised when he called his grandfather an old coot. That seems out-of-character even though we don’t really know him.”
Pete raised an eyebrow. “You never know what’s on peoples’ minds. Maybe if the old man hadn’t retired, he might have met with an untimely accident.”
“You have a very suspicious mind.”
Chapter Sixteen
“I got the feeling from talking to Marcus that there’s no great love loss between him and his grandfather. He made me feel like the old man is an embarrassment to the family,” Pete said.
“It seemed that Marcus was more prim and proper than Rusty, who’s a what you see is what you get kind of guy. In a way I can understand, but if you think about it, Marcus wouldn’t have what he’s got if it weren’t for the old man. I mean, he’s the one who made all the money, regardless of his personality.”
“I guess the grandson takes it for granted that he has plenty of moola.”
I thought about the Windsor family and their wineries. “You know, we have a little money socked away. Maybe we should start a business.”
“We have a business, sweetie,” Pete reminded me. “We do what we know how to do.”
“Yeah, I guess that was kind of a Duh Moment on my part. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than detective work.”
We arrived home and as we walked to the front door, my cell phone rang. Caller ID told me it was Eloise.
“Hi,” I said. “What’s up?”
“This is Eloise.”
“I know.”
“Oh. Well, here’s something you don’t know. I ran some errands after I left you and Pete, and when I got home my house had been broken into.”
I stopped walking. “Was anything taken?”
“I’m still checking, but here’s the odd part. It seems that someone was very interested in the hidden room where we found Harley. It’s been ransacked.”
“Hold on a second. Let me tell Pete what’s going on.”
I lowered the phone and filled him in. Without a word, he turned and headed back to the car.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes, Eloise.” I pushed the button and ended the call.
Pete was already in the car and ready to go.
“Wait,” I said, opening the passenger side door. “Let’s take Bubba and Clem with us. I’m thinking that maybe we should leave them with Eloise for the night. If the person comes back and sees Bubba, he’ll leave. You get the dogs and I’ll put together some food.”
Pete nodded. Often a man of few words, he headed for the house again, where he went directly through and out to the back yard.
I watched him carry a squirming Clementine out to the car while Bubba followed in his tracks, and I packed up some food and one of their water dishes.
My big lug, Bubba, could be protective when he liked someone, and he liked Eloise. After all, she’d given him pizza.
I glanced at my watch and saw that it was getting late. In fact, the sun was down. A breeze had come up and the trees and bushes along the way swayed ever so slightly. There was a chill in the air.
Arriving at Eloise’s house, we found Randy’s patrol car just pulling away from the curb. He and Pete nodded at each other in greeting. I guess it wasn’t manly enough to just wave.
Eloise was at the door, watching him leave. She waved us in, and grinned when she saw us unload the dogs.
“Come see me, my pretties,” she said.
Bubba loped up the walkway with Clem running ahead of him. I laughed when the little pooch turned and backed up to Eloise, waiting to be picked up. Our client obliged the little girl after patting Bubba’s big head.
I entered the house with our troop while Pete studied the door.
“I see someone broke in at the front,” I said.
“I’ve already called a locksmith.” Eloise beat me to the punch.
“And you’ll be having a deadbolt installed?”
“Yes. I never felt the need for one until now.” She set Clem on the floor. “Follow me and I’ll show you what happened.”
Glancing around, I noticed that the broken window had been replaced.
We walked to the hidden room where a mess awaited us. The books I hadn’t taken had been pulled out of the bookcase and strewn around. Harley’s desk had been thoroughly searched, which was almost humorous because there hadn’t been much in it to begin with except a few pieces of paper and the list of peopl
e who owed the speakeasy money. Of course, that list of names could be what the intruder had been after, but Pete had it.
“Who could have known to search in here?” Eloise sounded confounded.
“The discovery of Harley’s body was in the newspaper,” I explained. “It was an unusual story, and after all these years who would have expected someone to follow up on it?”
Pete joined us. “Was anything else bothered or was anything taken?”
“My own desk was searched, but there was nothing to find. I had blank checks in the drawer, and a deposit book. They weren’t touched. I’d left some cash in the desk drawer, too, and that wasn’t taken. I can’t imagine what they were after.”
Pete and I looked at each other.
“We can,” he said. “It’s got to be that list of people who were running a tab at the bar. Someone really wants to know who was on that list.”
“But how would they know there was a list?” Eloise persisted.
“They wouldn’t, but someone seemed pretty sure there was something incriminating around.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” she said. “These people are old, too old to do something like this.”
Eloise seemed to be excited, and I took a step back since she tended to talk and spit when she was in that state of mind.
I smiled at her. “Old people have young relatives. We met Ollie this morning, and Pete and I met Marcus Windsor this afternoon. We still have to run down a few more names, too. There could be others. Maybe one of these seniors is pulling the strings, not wanting anyone to know what really happened.”
Pete followed my example and stepped back. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice.
Bubba and Clem came wandering in.
“Let’s put the dogs outside for now,” I suggested. “I want them to stay with you tonight, just in case.”
“In case of what?” she asked.
“I want them here on the off chance that someone could come back, hoping you know where whatever they’re looking for is located. If you’re going to be home all day, I’ll just leave them until after we finish taking care of business.”
“Oh. Good idea. Besides, sometimes it gets lonely around here. The dogs will be good company. In fact, thanks to them I’ve started thinking about getting a dog. Maybe one of those rescue dogs. Didn’t you say Clementine is a rescue dog? And look how adorable she is.”
I had a feeling she’d already made up her mind.
“Maybe you’d consider going to the rescue place with me.” She looked into my eyes, practically willing me to go with her.
“Of course, I will, but let’s get this business out of the way first.”
Pete studied the room. “Whoever broke in isn’t a professional, I can tell you that. He made such a mess of the door and lock that I’m surprised your neighbors didn’t hear him. I think he used a chisel and a hammer for part of his dirty work. Very sloppy job.”
“My neighbors all work. No one would have been here to hear him. I’ll warn them to be on the lookout when they’re home, though. Should I be scared?”
“Aren’t you?” I asked.
“Not really. I can take care of myself, and now that the dogs are here, there’s even less reason to be afraid.”
“You continue to amaze me,” I said. “I’d be afraid.”
“I don’t want to leave until the locksmith comes,” Pete said, “but I’m getting hungry. Why don’t we order another pizza?”
“How about spaghetti,” Eloise asked. “I have leftovers.”
“His favorite,” I said. “Thanks for the invitation.” I didn’t want to tell her we’d recently had spaghetti.
She left us alone while she headed for the kitchen to heat up the food and prepare some garlic bread.
“This one makes me scratch my head,” Pete said. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would someone start going to such lengths to keep things quiet? Obviously none of the younger people have anything to lose if the truth comes to light.”
“We’ve only spoken to two people, but like I mentioned to Eloise, the story was in the newspaper. I guess anyone could be a suspect. I think – “
My cell phone rang, interrupting me. It was Stanley.
“Yes?” I answered.
“Ollie dropped off a list of names,” he said. “A couple of them are on both lists. What’s next, Boss?”
I smiled because of him calling me Boss. “Are you still checking to see who’s alive? Right now I think that’s important. Someone broke into Eloise’s house today.”
“Righto. I’ll stay on my quest. Would you like Felicity and me to go over to her house and check on her?”
“No, we’re here now. I’m leaving the dogs with her overnight.”
“That’s a good idea. If I didn’t know him, I surely wouldn’t want to meet up with Bubba in the dark of night.”
“We’re heading home as soon as the locksmith gets here. By the way, I have a couple more people to research.” I gave him the names of the cop and the barmaid that Rusty had given me. “If you come up with anything, call us.”
“Will do.” He hung up.
I showed Eloise how much food to give each dog and set up their water dish while she heated the spaghetti. No microwave for her. She used a pot and the stovetop while the garlic bread was under the broiler.
“Did I hear you mention the name Estelle while you were on the phone? Not that I was eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help but hear you.”
“I did. Is the name familiar to you?”
“Yes, there was an Estelle Bachman in my father’s notes. She was a barmaid. She’s still living, you know.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Her picture was in the paper last week because she just celebrated her hundred and third birthday. The article commented on how sharp she is for her age.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Do you happen to remember where Estelle is living?” I asked.
“Wait here. I save newspapers for recycling and I’ve still got the article.”
She found the article quickly and cut it out of the paper for me.
I handed it to Pete. “Another possible lead?”
“Maybe. I’ve got to start asking these people what they attribute their long lives to.”
I laughed. “Maybe there was something in the water back in the thirties. Or the hooch they were drinking.”
“If that’s the case, I want some,” Eloise said, laughing with me.
Pete read the article while I helped our client set the table.
“She’s in an assisted living facility in Glendora. I’ll have Stan call to find out if we can see her.”
We sat down to dinner and before we could take a bite the doorbell rang.
Eloise stood, ready to answer it.
“No, I’ll take care of it,” Pete said.
He left the table and Eloise said, “He’s your knight in shining armor, isn’t he?”
“He has his moments,” I replied.
Surprisingly, the dogs never left our sides, only giving the door a quick glance. Apparently spaghetti was more important than a visitor.
Pete returned with the locksmith following him. “Why don’t you tell this gentleman exactly what you want,” he said.
“I don’t know,” Eloise replied. “Why don’t you tell him? You know more about this kind of thing than I do.”
Bubba had taken an interest in the man and turned away from the table to smile at him.
“Uh…,” the man said, nervously. “Why is that dog baring his teeth at me?”
“He’s not,” I said. “That’s his version of a smile.”
While we spoke, Clem threw herself on the floor and rolled over on her back, ready for some scratching. We ignored her so she stood and licked Eloise’s ankle.
Pete told him what kind of locks to install.
“While you’re at it,” I said, “do you have any of those peepholes that are a fake camera? It couldn’t hurt to put one of th
ose in. Anyone coming to the door would think they’re being watched.”
“Consider it done,” the locksmith replied.
Bubba’s gaze followed the man out of the room before he turned back to the table.
“Your dogs are well-trained. They’re not begging, just staring,” Eloise said.
“It comes naturally. We’ve never had to train Bubba, and Clem seems to follow his lead.”
Eloise started eating. In between bites she asked if we’d come up with anything useful yet.
Pete put down his fork. “We know that men used to fight over Loretta, including the brothers. She seemed to have some kind of charisma that made men find her irresistible.”
“Archie didn’t have too much to say about her in his notes. Maybe my father didn’t think she was that important.”
“I have a feeling she was,” I said, “since she was murdered, too.”
“Ya think?” Pete’s sarcasm didn’t escape me, but I ignored him.
“What did you think of Jeffrey Windsor?” Eloise took a bite of her garlic bread.
“You should have met him. I think he was a rowdy young man who turned into a dirty old man. Age doesn’t seem to have stopped him, even if he is in a wheelchair. He wanted me to sit on his lap, for crying out loud.”
“You would have broken the old man’s legs,” Pete said with a straight face.
I just rolled my eyes and ignored him. He was repeating himself, probably for Eloise’s benefit.
“Some men never change,” Eloise said. “What an old codger.”
The locksmith finished his work and left, including drilling a hole in the front door and installing the camera look-alike peep hole.
Pete glanced at his watch. “Time to head home. It’s been a long day.”
I nodded. “I’m ready.”
I turned to Eloise.
“If Bubba becomes restless, or if he starts barking, don’t hesitate to check it out and call the police. He’s not one of those dogs who barks at the air. If something’s going on, he’ll let you know.”
“That nice police officer said he’d watch my house as much as he can tonight, too.”
We drove home and went straight to bed. We needed some sleep. Who knew what tomorrow might hold? I had no idea what to expect. This case was one for the books.
