by Emmie Lyn
“The twin is banking on the fact that he can commit a crime and Rudy gets the blame? That’s quite some brotherly love going on.”
“Either that or Rudy has an elaborate scheme in place to add some valuable coins to his collection.”
“Is it connected to the murder?” Lily asked. She had started clearing away the dishes from our little tea party.
“Maybe. I want to talk to Rudy and pin him down about his brother.”
“Be careful,” Lily said. “Don’t put yourself in any danger.”
“We’re taking Alice home now. Later Sue Ellen and Rudy want to meet Rose in her office to talk about what he’s filmed so far.” I hefted my bag up. Pip ran in a circle after her tail. “Someone’s getting bored.”
Lily laughed. “You’d better get going before Rose leaves without you. You know she has the patience of a flea.
I hurried outside thinking through the information about Rudy having a twin.
I wondered about Rudy’s reaction when I asked him about that brother.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Just as I was about to get into Rose’s Cadillac, Sue Ellen pulled into the driveway of the Blueberry Bay Grapevine. With Rudy in the passenger seat.
I tapped on Rose’s driver side window. “What do you want to do about them?” I nodded toward Sue Ellen.
“They’re early. I said to meet us after lunch.” She opened her door. “I’d better see what’s going on. Can you drop Alice off and then come back here?”
“Sure.” Rose slipped out, Pip jumped in, and I sat in the driver seat, adjusting the seat for my shorter legs. I put my bag of brownies on the back seat so Pip wouldn’t be tempted.
“Rose didn’t sound too happy,” Alice said as I pulled onto Main Street.
“She doesn’t like to change her plans but don’t worry,” I patted Alice’s arm, “Sue Ellen is no match for Rose.”
“Not many people in town are. I’ve known your grandmother for decades, and I have to say, she’s about the only person I can count on to speak the truth one hundred percent of the time. She doesn’t care if it will hurt someone’s feelings. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Dani, she delivers her words tactfully.”
“Usually,” I muttered.
Alice laughed. “I guess I’m speaking to the choir. You live with her, so you know many more of her quirks than anyone else.”
“The good, the bad, and the ugly,” I joked. “Actually, she’s an amazing woman, and I can only hope to learn from her over time.”
“She’s proud of you, too, Dani. Rose and I don’t see so much of each other as we used to, but she always brags about you … but you didn’t hear that from me.”
That comment made me choke up to the point I didn’t dare say anything else. Alice kept her head turned to the view passing by. I kept my eyes on the road ahead and Pip, between us, kept her front feet on the dashboard. I guess that was her favorite position as a four-legged passenger.
I helped Alice inside, got her settled in her comfy window-watching seat, and made sure her bag of brownies was an easy reach for her.
“Could you do one thing for me before you leave?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Could you fill my teapot so I can enjoy tea with a brownie?”
I chuckled. “No problem.” I puttered in her kitchen, turning the teakettle on and searching until I found her stash of teabags. “Black tea?”
“Yes, dear. That would be lovely with a bit of sugar.”
When I returned with the teapot, Alice was looking out her window with her binoculars. “Anything interesting?” I asked.
“There’s always something interesting whether it’s a pretty bird singing his heart out or people walking or biking on the trail.” She put the binoculars down. “Thank you, Dani. I’m sure you’re eager to get back to find out what Sue Ellen wants.” She patted Pip before I let us out.
I scanned the area before I slipped back into Rose’s car. It seemed like a quiet street for the most part. If anything unusual happened, Alice was sure to see it.
It was a quick trip back to Rose. I opened the car door and when Pip jumped out, she ran straight to the Blueberry Bay Grapevine door.
With my bag slung over my shoulder, I followed Pip and opened Rose’s office door. Rudy’s booming voice and Rose’s angry response gave me pause. Maybe this wasn’t a good time to intrude.
My hesitation lasted for less than a second before I decided that Rose could use my support to balance Rudy’s ideas for the video. I hoped I could offer a fresh perspective to get the project back on track.
“Rose?” I said hoping to temper the argument.
“You’re just in time. Rudy is leaving.” Rose’s irritated voice bounced off the walls.
This didn’t bode well for Rose’s big plans for a video on her website.
“Don’t leave yet, Rudy. I brought some of Lily’s chocolate covered brownies. Don’t you want one?” I held out the open bag.
Rudy pushed the bag aside. “I hate chocolate.”
I tipped my head. “Really? Lily told me you came into the café and raved about these.” I pushed the bag closer and watched carefully, wondering how Rudy would cover over this problem.
Rudy’s eyes widened. He looked first at Rose and then me. “She must have been mistaken.”
“Come on Rudy. You have a distinctive appearance all dressed in black. Lily has a sharp eye for the Little Dog Diner customers and their preferences. There’s zero chance she got it wrong.” I sat on the arm of one of the upholstered chairs in Rose’s office and felt Rose’s eyes on me, but I didn’t take my own eyes off of Rudy.
Rudy looked away.
I waited, letting the awkward silence weigh on him.
“That fool,” he muttered.
“What fool, Rudy?”
“My twin brother. He always messes everything up. I didn’t even know he was in town.”
“But you suspected it didn’t you?”
Rudy’s silence hung in the air. A faucet dripped in the bathroom marking the seconds.
I waited.
Rudy squirmed.
Rose slapped her hand on her desk. “What is going on? When you come into my office, you’d better be prepared to give me the scoop and I mean both of you.”
I loved how Rose played the innocent bystander. It was the perfect foil to my aggressive questions.
Rudy let out a big exhale of air. He sat down drumming his fingers over and over on the wooden arm of his chair. “It’s not like I tried to keep the fact that I have a twin brother a secret. I came here to make a video. I never suspected he followed me to your house, Sue Ellen. Until your neighbor insisted she saw me knock on the door at three o’clock on Friday. It wasn’t me. But, you’re right, Dani, I suspected it was my brother, Robby, and I’ve had a knot in my stomach ever since.”
“Did you wonder what he was doing at Sue Ellen’s house?”
“At first I thought he was looking for me, but once the details of the theft and murder came out, I couldn’t help but worry that Robby might be involved.”
“And yet you remained silent.” I was filled with a wave of disgust. “Here the police were, searching for information about Judith’s murder, and you didn’t say a word.”
“He’s my brother! Wouldn’t you try to protect someone you love?” Rudy rubbed his neck and ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick out in a crazy mess. It was obvious that the whole ordeal challenged his loyalty.
Would I? I wondered. Probably. The big difference in my case was that I was confident that I’d never be in a situation to make a decision to hide criminal activity.
“What were you protecting him from, Rudy?” Sue Ellen asked, her voice calm and gentle, which was a huge surprise in this situation. Maybe she was in shock.
“He knew about your coins. Stupidly, I’d mentioned seeing the collection the first time I was at your house. I thought he might have come to try to steal them.”
“And something went wrong?” I asked. Th
is was important. Not just the who went to Sue Ellen’s house, but the why.
“Robby’s not a killer. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. He’s got a record for stealing but not anything even remotely connected to violence,” Rudy insisted.
“What if he didn’t know Judith was inside and she surprised him? It could have been an accident, he panicked, and he tried to hide her body.” I paused. “Does your brother like chocolate?”
Both Rudy and Sue Ellen wrinkled their eyebrows in confusion. “What kind of question is that?” he asked.
“Just tell me. You hate chocolate, what about your brother?”
“As a matter of fact, he loves chocolate.”
“Good. That gives you an alibi.”
“What do I need an alibi for? I never even went inside Sue Ellen’s house on Friday.”
“We found chocolate smeared on the rug used to hide Judith’s body. Someone that fits your description bought brownies at the Little Dog Diner on Friday. Since you hate chocolate, it had to be your brother. He was seen talking to Johnny, buying chocolate, and knocking on Sue Ellen’s door. He was up to something. Do you know where he is now?”
Rudy shook his head and sagged in defeat. “I try to protect him. I’m the older brother, even if only by minutes. But sometimes Robby is his own worst enemy.”
The office door opened, and AJ walked inside. “Dani? I found Pip waiting at the front door.” She made a beeline to the water bowl, slobbering more water on the floor than in her mouth.
AJ surveyed the room, his gaze stopping on Rudy. “My lucky day. I came to the right place,” he said. “You’re just the man I’m looking for.” With his feet spaced apart and his hands on his hips, he displayed all the authority of his badge. “Rudy, I’ve got a witness who described you as the mastermind behind the coin theft. Where were you at one o’clock Friday afternoon?”
Rudy’s eyes opened wide. “At one? That’s when I left Sea Breeze. I had just finished helping Rose with her video plans.”
“Is that right, Rose?”
“That it is, AJ,” she said.
“And Lily is positive that you were at the Little Dog Diner buying brownies on Friday.”
“It wasn’t me.”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
Rudy looked at me, his twitching eye and trembling lips told me all I need to know about his state of nerves. Maggie had already told AJ about Rudy’s brother and if he lied now, it would only make a bigger problem for him. Fortunately, he said the right thing. “It could have been my twin brother.”
“Twin brother? Sure.” AJ said sarcastically, sounding like he’d heard that excuse before.
“It’s true,” I said in Rudy’s defense. “Maggie confirmed it.”
AJ’s face transformed into a mix of shock and anger. “You didn’t think to share this earlier?” His jaw muscles clenched. “So, that’s how it appeared that you’ve been in two places at the same time. Your brother is the one who knocked on Sue Ellen’s door at three o’clock?”
“I think so, sir.”
AJ looked to the side for a moment, perhaps to calm himself down after Rudy’s blockbuster revelation. I’m sure he was counting all the man-hours he wasted searching for a phantom killer. “Where is this brother of yours? It sounds like an excuse, and I’m going to need some proof.”
“I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him.” Rudy slumped in the chair. He looked drained and worried. I suspected that his twin brother had put him in this position before, but I admired his loyalty to that brother who created problems for Rudy. And this problem was more like a nightmare.
AJ thought for a moment. “I’d like you to come to the police station with me. Knowing where you are, will make it easier to know it’s your brother when, and if, he shows his face somewhere. If he is the coin thief mastermind, don’t you think he’ll try to connect with Johnny and get what he came here for?”
“Probably.”
“You’d better hope he turns up so he can answer some questions, otherwise it leaves you in the hot seat.”
“But, Detective,” Sue Ellen sputtered, “Rudy and I have work to do at the library. Couldn’t you just leave him with me?”
I saw him roll his eyes before he said, “I’ll think about your suggestion, Sue Ellen.”
As Rudy followed AJ out, I heard Rudy insist again that his brother was not a violent person. “Even if he tried to find help to steal that coin, he would never hurt anyone. He can’t even kill a pesky mosquito.”
“People don’t always behave how we expect them to,” AJ replied before the door closed.
I had to agree with that comment. How well did you ever know what someone else would do in any given situation? Especially if that someone was staring at a body.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I left Rose in her office and drove to Sue Ellen’s house to make a quick pickup of the aprons I’d left on Friday when we delivered the desserts. It wasn’t a huge deal, but Sue Ellen certainly didn’t need them.
I wasn’t sure what to make of Rudy and his twin brother. Were they working together to steal from Sue Ellen or was Robby scheming on his own? AJ would have to sort that out.
So far, Johnny was the only person besides Sue Ellen, who admitted to being in the house around the time Judith was murdered.
The details were all jumbled, and I had the feeling that there was another clue just at the edge of all this information. Too many questions swirled in my head when I turned into Sue Ellen’s driveway, but at least there were no cars. I could pop inside, get my aprons, and head home.
As soon as my foot hit the crushed stone on Sue Ellen’s driveway, a creepy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. A memory from Friday? A movement at the corner of Sue Ellen’s house startled me, sending my heart racing. Or was it my imagination? “Come on Pip,” I patted my side. “Stay close to me.” The fearless terrier gave me extra confidence to continue.
My strong purposeful strides presented a sureness I didn’t feel as I followed the cobblestone walkway to the side door. Now that I was here, I realized I should have asked Sue Ellen to come with me before she left Rose’s office. Could I even get into the house?
I tried the doorknob. Locked. Before I turned back toward my car, Pip darted away from me, hair raised and barking to scare any intruder away that might be lurking somewhere. Another fleeting movement from around the back corner of the house caught my attention.
“Hello?” I yelled while my heart thumped out of control. Pip returned to my side, and I rested my hand on her head. What should I do? Leave or investigate?
That decision was made for me when a man dressed in black appeared from around the corner of the house. “Sue Ellen? Just who I was looking for,” he said.
Many thoughts flew through my brain, the first being that this person had no clue what Sue Ellen looked like. I made a decision to play along with that assumption and pretend I didn’t know Rudy was with the police. I hoped his twin brother wasn’t aware of that detail either. “Rudy, what can I do for you?”
Robby, who played the role of Rudy with casual confidence, moved toward me. Pip’s low growl warned the approaching man to keep his distance, and her weight against my leg let me know that she had my back no matter what.
Robby stopped. “What’s with the dog?”
I stroked Pip’s head to comfort her and to soothe myself. “She’s protective.” I grinned. “I’m sure I don’t have anything to worry about with you, right? I was just heading to the Little Dog Diner for some of those amazing chocolate-covered brownies. Want to join me?” What the heck was I thinking? The diner was closed.
Robby’s eyes lit up. “Sure. We can talk there about your coins. I’ll drive with you.”
That comment threw me off. It wasn’t what I expected. Or wanted. “Where is your car?” I asked. It only just occurred to me that there was no other car when I drove in. This guy was like a ghost.
Robby gave a vague wave in the general direction down the road.
“I parked on the street and walked over on a trail.”
“The bicycle trail?”
“Is that what it’s called? It looks well used and connects to the downtown. The best part is, it keeps me out of view of the neighbors.”
“Why do you want to stay out of view of the neighbors?”
He shrugged. “After what happened, I don’t need nosy neighbors following my moves. Besides, I saw some kids turn off the street and go that way. I decided to explore.” He let himself into the passenger side of the Cadillac, giving me no option but to give him a ride. “You can drop me off at my car and I’ll meet you at the diner. We can talk about your coins. I’ve got an offer you can’t refuse.”
I nodded. What the heck was going on? Robby knew about Sue Ellen’s coins. What else did he know and what was his real plan?
Pip draped her head over the front seat between us. Robby scooched as far away from her as possible. Good, I thought to myself.
“Which way?” I asked when I stopped at the bottom of Sue Ellen’s driveway.
Robby pointed to an older model sedan parked several hundred yards up the road. He laughed. “I guess I could have walked.”
I pulled behind Robby’s car. “See you at the diner?” he asked before he got out.
“Yes, but I forgot something at the house, so grab a coffee and I’ll be right there.”
Robby slammed the door, and I sighed with relief.
He’d be angry when he discovered that the diner was closed on Mondays.
Pip nudged my neck with her nose, jumped over the seat, and took up her usual position with her front paws on the dashboard.
“Thanks for keeping an eye on him. There’s something off with that guy.”
After Robby drove off, I turned around and drove back to Sue Ellen’s house. I parked and called AJ, leaving a message about where he could find Rudy’s twin brother. Next, I sent a message to Sue Ellen asking her to come and unlock her house so I could get my aprons. And last, I sent Rose a text telling her what was holding me up, so she didn’t think I’d stolen her car and gone joy riding with Pip.
