by Lee Harris
“A little.”
“Jake, we found Val’s birth certificate in the safe deposit box in the bank. He was born in Connecticut.”
“If you tell me, I believe it. Maybe he left as a kid, and his memories were just of this area.”
“That must be it,” I said. “Did you ever meet any of his old girlfriends?”
“Dozens. Val went out a lot. When we first opened up, we shared a flat in a two-family house in Buffalo and commuted out here. Then about a year later, I got married and my wife and I got ourselves a place nearby. Val didn’t get married for a few years, and I used to meet his girlfriends when he took them out. Susie and I would go out with them once in awhile or meet them for a drink. Val always dated nice girls, pretty, smart. Once, I remember, he went out with a doctor.”
“So there was nothing out of the ordinary there.”
“Nothing I saw.”
“Were you at his wedding?”
“Sure. We flew out to Ohio.”
“Who was there?”
“Her family. That’s all.”
“And his friends?”
“Goes without saying. Matty and Clark were there with their wives. And some other people Val knew. But I don’t think there were any of his sisters or his cousins or his aunts,” he said, paraphrasing Gilbert and Sullivan.
“Carlotta told me that Val said his parents had returned to Europe, and he wasn’t in contact with them.”
“That’s new to me. Europe?”
“Germany. East Germany is the impression I got.”
“Interesting. Sounds a little wacky.”
“I know. And it doesn’t ring a bell with you?”
“Never heard it before in my life. Frankly, I figured he was orphaned or came from a split family and didn’t get along with either side. But that was his business. I never asked.”
“Does he have an office here?”
“Sure.” He got up and went to the door. “It’s across the hall.”
I followed him to a room exactly the size of his, but as different as a room could be. It was tidy, and you could see across it without moving boxes.
“Val’s neat,” Jake said superfluously. “And he preferred to do a lot of paperwork at home. I can’t stand working at home. It gets done here or it doesn’t get done.”
“Would you mind if I looked through Val’s desk?” I asked.
He looked troubled. “I don’t know.”
“I thought Carlotta said—”
“I know what Carlotta said. Carlotta’s not my partner. Legally, Val’s alive and missing.”
“Have the police been through his things?”
“They came over last week, when his body didn’t surface.”
“Did they take anything with them?” The Rolodex was on the desk.
“I don’t think so. This is all business stuff. OK, go ahead and look around. But don’t take anything.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
He walked out, leaving the door ajar. The office was windowless, one good reason, I thought, for Val preferring to work at home. I started with the Rolodex. It was a large one and had hundreds of filled-in cards. I read them quickly, learning nothing except that Val had a lot of contacts, all of which seemed to be businesses. Even the ones that began with a person’s name had a business name underneath. I gave up after awhile and looked under D for Dad and M for Mom, to no avail. But I did find Matty under F for Franklin and Clark under T for Thayer. Under K for Krassky there was nothing.
I went through the desk drawers and found only what looked like business-related papers. There was no gun permit, no old passport, no personal letters, no indication that Val was other than the co-owner of the computer business his wife had described to me.
I went out to the large front area where Jake was talking to a customer whose computer needed repair. Jake filled out a slip, tore off a copy, and they shook hands. When the customer had gone out, I said, “I didn’t ask you in so many words, but I don’t suppose you’ve heard from Val since February fourteenth.”
“Me? Heard from him?”
“He hasn’t called?”
“No, ma’am.”
“He didn’t show up on the morning of the fifteenth and then disappear?”
“Chris, I saw him on Valentine’s Day. He came in in the morning and left before noon. He was wearing a suit and had a small, gift-wrapped package with him.”
“Do you know what it was?”
“It was a gift for Carlotta. I never saw it.”
“Did he pick it up himself?”
“He picked it out, but I think he said it had to be sized, and he had it delivered here so she wouldn’t know about it.”
“When did he leave for lunch?”
“Maybe eleven-thirty.”
“Did he come back afterwards?”
“He was going to, but he didn’t. He had to take Carlotta to the airport in Buffalo. She had a business trip to make. He called in the afternoon and said he wouldn’t bother coming in, he could work at home.”
“Jake, did Val ever talk to you about making a will?”
“We never talked about things like that.”
“So you don’t know if he had one or not.”
“No idea. My wife and I just had ours done last year when we went away and left our kids behind for the first time. We never felt we needed one before that.”
“You have a business that must make a good living for two people. Didn’t you think it was necessary to spell out who gets what in case of your death?”
“That’s part of our partnership agreement.”
“I see. Would you mind telling me what happens to Val’s share if he dies?”
“It’s a little complicated, but I have the right to buy out his half. We’re equal partners. Essentially the value of his half passes to Carlotta, as mine does to Susie, but neither of the wives has any interest or knowledge in the business. We assumed they would want to sell and cash in on the investment. It requires an audit to see what the business is worth. Because of what’s happened, both Carlotta and I are in limbo. I can’t buy his half because legally he isn’t dead.”
“Your interests would be best served if he turned up dead.”
“I don’t like the way that sounds. It’s in Carlotta’s best interests, maybe. My best interests would be served if Val walked in that door and started to work again.”
“What are you doing in his absence?” I asked.
“It ain’t easy,” he said with a smile. “I’ve hired someone to help out because I can’t be here alone, but everything the business earns is divided into his half and my half.”
“So if he’s not declared dead for many years, you’re working for two people.”
“That’s about the size of it. And if Carlotta needs the money Val’s half would bring, she can’t have it.”
“You don’t think you could work out some agreement with her?”
“Sure I could. Then Val comes waltzing in with a girlfriend he’s been shacking up with, and he doesn’t have his income any more. The wife who wasn’t supposed to get it has it.”
He was right that it was a mess. Val’s disappearance didn’t help either of them. “Where were you the night of February fourteenth, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“At home with my family. Susie picked up a cute heart-shaped cake and we had a little party. I sent her flowers. I have to admit, it’s something I learned from Val. In the family I come from, if it wasn’t a birthday, it didn’t get any attention.”
“And when did you find out Val was missing?”
“The next day. He didn’t come in at his usual time, but there were no appointments so I didn’t think about it.”
“Was he usually on time?”
“Always. But the day before was his birthday, and I knew he’d gone out with the guys. If he was a little late, I could live with it.”
“How did you find out about the accident?” I persisted.
“Eventually, Carlotta
called.”
“You never called Val at home?”
“I figured he was sleeping off a late night. I didn’t want to wake him.”
“So the last time you saw him was walking out the door to meet his wife for lunch.”
“That was it.”
“And that night he disappeared.”
“Look, Chris,” he said, “Val didn’t disappear. He left his watch in the back of Matty’s four-by-four and walked across the lake to Canada. We both know where he is. His body’s at the bottom of Lake Erie.”
I couldn’t argue anymore. I was out of ammunition.
11
I went outside, walked down the path to the car, and started driving back toward the house, thinking about what Jake had said. His partner was always on time, and the one time he was very late, Jake hadn’t called to find out if anything was wrong. It didn’t sit well somehow. But the truth was, it wasn’t to Jake’s advantage to have Val missing. If he knew that Val was dead, he would be better off. But how could he know? How could anyone know unless there was a body buried somewhere on dry land? And if the watch was in Matty’s locked car, Val had to be at the bottom of the lake.
I was almost back to the house when something occurred to me, and I turned and found my way to the police station. Luckily for me, the desk sergeant said Detective Murdock was in, and he picked up a phone and called him.
“Ms. Bennett,” the big man’s deep voice boomed as he turned the corner and saw me. “What’s up?”
“I have a question.”
“Want to sit in the office?”
“No thanks. It’s just a quick one. Did you tell me Matty Franklin’s car was locked?”
“It sure was. We had to get Mrs. Franklin’s key to open it up.”
“Those four-wheel drive things, they have a hatchback, don’t they?”
“Yeah.”
“Was that locked, too?”
He looked at me as though I had said something startling. “I can’t say for sure,” he said finally. “I wasn’t there when they found the vehicle. Why do you ask?”
“Where did they find the watch?”
“In the backseat.”
“Was it in plain sight?”
“I don’t think it was hidden in any way.”
“Suppose Val was killed or grabbed on the beach and the killer opened the hatchback, crawled in, and tossed or dropped his watch on the backseat to make it look like he went across the lake with the others.”
“Where’s his body?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Who knew the men were going to the beach?”
“Someone who followed them from Giordano’s.”
“OK. It’s thin, but I’ll grant you it’s possible. But I need a body. Do you have a minute?” He seemed perturbed.
“Sure.”
“Come to my office.”
We went down the hall, and when we got to his office, he dispensed with formalities and went right to his desk, pressing the speakerphone key and dialing while I stood and waited.
“Detective Crannock, how can I help you?” a voice answered.
“This is Al Murdock from the sheriff’s office. About the lake accident, you have the file on the utility vehicle they found on the beach?”
“Right next to me. What do you want to know?”
“Was the hatchback locked, too?”
“Hold on.” There were sounds of papers rustling. “Here it is. All four doors locked.”
“It’s the fifth one I’m interested in, the hatchback. Was that door locked, too?”
“I don’t think they checked it at the scene, Al.”
“Well somebody must’ve checked it.” Murdock sounded angry. “Who took custody of the car?”
“Take it easy. Lemme look at the officer’s inventory sheet. What’re you so shook-up about?”
“Sloppy police work, that’s what. The guy who found the vehicle, didn’t he check the hatchback to see if it was open?”
“Doesn’t look like it. Here’s the sheet I’m looking for. By the time the car was inventoried, the doors were all open. Can I get back to you? I want to make a call.”
“I’m waiting.” Murdock hung up and turned to me. “Nothing bothers me more than sloppy police work.”
“It probably didn’t occur to the poor fellow who found the car that there was another way in or out,” I said, trying to explain the officer’s oversight.
“Poor fellow,” Murdock echoed derisively. Then the phone rang. “Murdock.”
“Al, I just talked to the guy who vouchered the vehicle. He says all five doors were unlocked, including the hatchback, when he got it. If you wanted me to take a guess, I’d say it was open the whole time, but I’ll follow up on this.”
“I wish you would.”
“You got something going?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a nagging question, and I hate nagging questions.”
“Almost as much as sloppy police work, right?”
“Right on the button.” Murdock disconnected. “I’ll let you know anything I hear, Ms. Bennett.”
“Thank you.”
“But even if your scenario is right, I need a body.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
“But who would do it?” Carlotta said, after I explained my conversation with the detective. “It can’t be Clark or Matty.”
“That’s the one thing I’m sure of. We need a motive, Carlotta. Let’s talk about Jake.”
“You think Jake killed Val?”
“I don’t know who killed Val. I don’t know if Val is dead. I’m just looking for anything that might give me a lead.”
“It isn’t Jake.”
“You seemed very reluctant for me to talk to him. Is there a reason?”
“I wasn’t reluctant,” she said with a frown. “Maybe I was a little uncomfortable. Jake and Val work so closely together. I don’t know.”
“Do you like him?”
“Very much.”
“And Susie?”
“I adore Susie. We’ve become friends.”
“More than your relationship with Bambi and Annie?”
“Much more. Susie’s a very interesting woman. I enjoy talking to her.” She stopped for a moment. “Chris, while you were out I called the lawyer who drew up the partnership agreement between Val and Jake. You were right. Val did have a will, and this lawyer drew it up.”
“What’s in it?” I asked.
“He won’t tell me. He said that I am, indeed, a beneficiary—that’s how he put it—which doesn’t surprise me; I’m the wife. But he says that until Val is officially declared dead, he can’t disclose the terms.”
“OK. I gather Jack didn’t call?”
“No one called.”
“Then let’s wait and see what Jack has to say. I think the next step is Connecticut.”
“Let’s have lunch. This is driving me crazy.”
I was starting to get the feeling that Carlotta’s beautiful kitchen was used only for breakfast, but I didn’t mind going out. We went to a new place this time, a small Chinese restaurant that was a longer drive than the nearby tearoom, and we ate a good lunch. When we got back to the house, there were two messages on her machine, one from Detective Murdock and one from Jack. I called Murdock first.
“Ms. Bennett, got a piece of news for you,” he said. “I talked to the officer who found the Franklin vehicle on the beach on February fifteenth. He’s sure he never tried the hatchback.”
“So it could have been open all night.”
“And probably was. When the sheriff’s people got to the scene, one of the deputies tried it and it was open.”
I had the call on the speakerphone, and I could see Carlotta’s eyes widen. “Thank you, Detective.”
“Thank you, Ms. Bennett. You really picked up a flaw in our procedure.”
“Let’s see where it leads us. That’s the important thing.”
Carlotta was standing beside the desk when I
hung up. “Tell me again. You think someone could have taken Val’s watch off his wrist and tossed it into Matty’s car.”
“That would be why it’s in the backseat, because whoever did it had to crawl through the hatchback, which isn’t very comfortable. Whoever it was didn’t want to make the effort to crawl over the backseat and into the front seat to open the glove compartment. He just leaned over the backseat and dropped it there.”
“And you think that means that someone killed Val and hid his body.”
“It’s possible. That’s all I’m saying. Let me call Jack and see what he’s come up with.”
Carlotta dropped into a chair while I dialed, keeping the call off the speakerphone. I still felt that a conversation with my husband deserved a certain amount of privacy. When I said, “Hello,” the same thing seemed to occur to her, too, and she left the room.
“How’s it going?” Jack said.
“I had morning sickness this morning,” I said, starting with the most important thing first.
“And I missed it. Was it bad?”
“Not really. Carlotta gave me some crackers and I felt better. I thought I had the flu.”
“Well I’m glad you didn’t. Got some stuff for you. There’s another Krassky, an Ivan, in the same phone book as Gregory.”
“Sounds like a relative. Got an address?”
He dictated and I wrote. “And I’ve got the names of some hospitals in the area.” He gave them to me, too.
We talked awhile, and I told him about Jake Halpern and about my discovery of the unlocked hatchback.
“Sloppy,” he commented, and I smiled.
“I think I’ll fly home tomorrow and drive to Connecticut,” I said.
“Right from the airport?”
“If I can get a plane that gives me time to get there by afternoon.”
“You know, if you’re not feeling well in the morning—”
“I hadn’t thought of that. OK, I’ll let you know what I decide, but I think there isn’t much more I can do here. I’ve talked to the wives and the detective and the partner. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow night for dinner.”
“That would be nice. Remind me I have a wife again.”
“I miss you.”
“But you’re busy.”
“Very busy.”
“Don’t forget to call.”
