A Short Time to Die

by Susan Alice Bickford

  Jack looked at Vanessa, and they both rose to their feet.

  “We’ll let you know if we plan to go that route,” Jack said.

  Vanessa thought she and Jack might be forced to leave through the side yard gate, but Marly made no objection as Charlene led the group back through the house. The kitchen was filled with laughter and the smells of cooking. Alison was setting the dining room table while Pammy prepared dinner. Seated at the kitchen island, Mark and Tony were playing some sort of card game.

  Tip of the hat, Marly. I’m sure your mother’s kitchen never felt like this.

  * * *

  “What was all that about Rosie?” Vanessa asked, as Jack started the car.

  “An itch I needed to scratch. Something Larry said.”

  “You certainly got her attention. Should we check airline flights?”

  “I think that would be wise, just in case.”

  “We can do that. Do you really think she slipped back to Charon Springs and took care of Rosie somehow? Even if it were true, it’s not our jurisdiction. I’m still not convinced Marly killed Louise and Troy.”

  “I don’t know, Vanessa. I’m just making sure we’ve ticked all the boxes. If it turns out she did travel and lied to us about it, we can use that to justify pulling her in for a real interrogation.”

  “But if Marly did kill Louise and Troy, we know that was self-defense, right?”

  “Could be, but that would be a call for the DA,” Jack said.

  “Here’s the thing. I keep wondering what I would have done if I were Marly and found out that Rosie had sent her hounds of hell after me.”

  “You would have done the right thing and gone to the police.”

  “I suppose. But I was brought up by great parents. Marly had to bring herself up.”

  “Vanessa, you know we could say that about almost every person we arrest. It’s sad but no excuse.”

  Vanessa pulled her gaze away from the bright windows of Marly’s house. “We could say that about a lot of victims, too.”

  Jack put the car in gear. “How about dinner? There are great places on Castro Street. I miss having dinner with you, and we don’t need extra padded clothing now.”

  Vanessa laughed to cover the spark of excitement that blossomed deep inside. She wondered if Jack could see her glow in the dark.

  28

  Vanessa: Promises

  March 11–12, 2013

  Jack and Vanessa spent a full day tracking down the garage where Louise and Troy had rented the van. The owner was unapologetic about his unlicensed side business. He wasn’t stealing business from Hertz, after all. His clients were people with bad credit who needed help.

  The owner remembered renting to Louise and Troy. He even ID’d their pictures. Louise had left a $3,000 cash deposit, but he hadn’t been around when she’d brought the van back and collected the balance. Yes, a middle-aged woman had returned the van, according to his guys. Sorry, the van was long gone. Lost in a wreck.

  It took longer to check airline records for any sign that Marly might have traveled to New York in June of 2009. When that investigation came up empty, Nick pulled the plug.

  “Vanessa, I’ve read your reports. Quite fascinating. Talk about sick people. Maybe this young woman, Marly, was involved, but you don’t have any evidence to justify further investigation on that front.”

  “We’ve still got Angela Rodriguez, sir,” Vanessa said. “We know Louise and Troy stayed with her and had a falling out. Someone returned that van. Angela was about the same size and age as Louise. She could be a fit.”

  “Too bad she’s dead. And you say her brother has an alibi. That’s inconvenient.”

  “He seems like a regular citizen, sir. Spotless record. Quite the opposite of his sister.”

  “That’s it then. We are done. Are you comfortable with processing this with exceptional clearance? Will Jack agree?”

  “Yes, sir. We believe we would have sufficient circumstantial evidence to have arrested Angela Rodriguez if she were alive.”

  “Done. I’ll call Carl Harris with that information.”

  Vanessa started to object, but Nick interrupted. “Nessa, I don’t want you in the middle of this bit. I grew up with guys like Carl in that part of New York. I’ll grant you that he’s better than what I hear of his predecessors, but he’s about as toothless as a rattlesnake. We know that he’s been tracking your progress. He’ll recognize my last name. No one messes with the Lebanese in Utica, and that’s just a stone’s throw away. This is a preventative measure. He’ll get the message that I’m watching out for you. Trust me.”

  Vanessa knew Jack would be disappointed, but she was also relieved to leave the specter of Charon Springs behind. She picked up her new cases and made plans to wrap things up.

  * * *

  The next morning, Vanessa left her parents’ house at seven thirty a.m. and parked outside Marly’s place.

  Tony was a surgeon. Vanessa guessed he would have left the house long ago. Just before eight, Alison left for school, driven by Charlene. A few minutes later, Pammy took off in a cute MINI Cooper. Mark would be back at Berkeley. Vanessa got out of her car.

  Marly opened the door, a tiny infant nestled into her neck. Her eyes were a bit dim but firm. The baby bump was gone now, and her lanky figure was starting to reappear.

  “I don’t like it when people stalk me, Detective Alba.”

  “I wasn’t stalking. I didn’t want to disrupt your routine with the family. I wasn’t sure on the timing.”

  Marly stood aside to let Vanessa pass, and they settled into the front sitting area in the bright sun. The baby squirmed and yawned on Marly’s lap.

  “There’s a coffee machine over there that makes individual cups. If you want coffee, I’d appreciate it if you’d make me some too. But it has to be decaf.”

  “Tired?”

  “Ooof. And I have help, so I shouldn’t be complaining. Our nanny will be here soon and I’ll get a little sleep. I swear he wants to eat every couple minutes, particularly at night.”

  Vanessa went to make coffee. By the time she returned, Marly had fallen asleep. Vanessa waited. She had time.

  The baby wiggled and gave a short, piercing squawk. Marly jerked awake.

  “Sorry about that. Now it’s time to eat again.” Despite her complaint, Marly’s tone was warm. She smiled and stroked her baby, lifted her T-shirt, and offered a breast as she reached for the coffee with the other hand.

  “Nice to have a nanny,” Vanessa said. “I assume you’re taking time off.”

  “A little bit, not counting a few critical meetings. I’ll be back soon but on a bit more relaxed schedule. A nanny is wonderful. It’s my guilty pleasure. I’d make do, but it’s great to be able to off-load. Charlene and the girls take care of the house, and Mark when he’s here. Even Tony chips in. We do have a house cleaner but that’s every couple of weeks and this place turns upside down every day.”

  “I’d have thought your mother would have come out.”

  Marly stroked the baby’s head. “My mother will come in a month or two, or three, I suppose. We aren’t close. I love her, but she was so passive and never really looked out for us. I find it hard to count on her. I guess that’s not very generous of me.”

  “I suppose she’d say that she had to figure out how to keep you fed.”

  “Yeah. Too bad that the only way she knew how to solve problems was to use charm and sex to get some guy to move in.”

  “Harris guys.”

  “I can’t believe she still lives there. You’d think she was tethered to the Springs by a chain.” Marly checked the baby’s diaper and moved him to her shoulder where he burped.

  “He is adorable. Look at that fuzz of red hair. What’s his name?”

  “James Bernard Rochford. James for Tony’s father, Bernard for mine. I call him Beanie in private. That’s probably not a good nickname for a kid. He’s not fussy. He just wants to be fed and kept dry. Dark, violet eyes. Tony says that m
eans they’ll be brown like his. Like my dad’s.”

  Marly put the baby in her lap with his head on her knees, and bicycled his legs.

  “Why are you here, Detective?”

  “We’re wrapping up the case.”

  “So I heard. Your boss called Carl. I gather they had a good talk. Carl was impressed that your boss came from Utica. He said that you had focused on someone named Angela who served time with Louise. She’s dead, right?”

  “We’ve taken this as far as we can. There’s no statute of limitations for homicide, but we have marked the case for exceptional clearance.”

  “Exceptional?”

  “It means that we have identified a suspect but can’t make an arrest. Of course, given what we know, it could well have been self-defense. Since our suspect is dead, it’s unlikely we’ll ever know.”

  Marly waggled her eyebrows. “Does that mean you’ll be able to date Detective Wong?”

  Vanessa sat back, startled.

  Marly grinned. “I have some contacts of my own, you know. I also had a report from my mother. She said you’d had some trouble in the Springs.”

  Seeing that Vanessa was speechless, Marly continued her half of the conversation. “Is that it? You came to tell me that the case is going on the shelf?”

  “I did come to tell you that,” Vanessa said. “But the real reason I came, is to tell you that I’ve got your back.”

  It was Marly’s turn to be confused. “Excuse me?”

  Vanessa kept her face neutral and her voice flat.

  “Don’t speak. Just listen. Del and Zeke set out to kill you. It couldn’t have been a random, spontaneous thing. Del had slept with your mother, screwed your sister, and finally was going to fuck you. Permanently.”

  Marly stared, her face guarded.

  Vanessa continued. “But you outwitted them. It was luck, of course—the kind of luck that comes from always being ready and on edge. You couldn’t go to anyone. No one would stand up for you. The police avoided the Springs, you couldn’t go to your mother, and Rosie was on your case. All those years later, when Louise and Troy came for revenge, it must have seemed like the same thing. Somehow you bested them, too. You’re not a killer. You’re a victim, but you have no trust in us. I can see that. I can see why that happened.”

  Marly raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth.

  “Don’t talk. I know what I need to know and I don’t want you to say anything. I don’t blame you and I’m not looking for confessions. However, I think about Carl and I worry about you. I worry about your kids. You’ve struck a deal, I’ll bet, but Carl’s not an honorable man. You know that. He’ll do what’s expedient. And who knows what other renegade Harris peons are out there with a grudge?”

  Vanessa slapped a business card down on the table.

  “My official contacts are on the front and my personal email and cell phone number are on the back. The next time you or yours get jumped or you even suspect that something’s going on, you think of me. I’m in your corner. I do have your back. You can count on me.”

  A brief grimace crossed Marly’s face. “Thank you, Detective. However misguided, I do deeply appreciate your offer and I will keep your number handy.”

  The two women locked eyes. Marly blinked first, picking up Vanessa’s card.

  “Did you kill Rosie?” Vanessa asked at last.

  Marly’s face was now impassive, her eyes hooded. “No, I didn’t kill Rosie. Rosie was very sick.”

  She closed her eyes. “It’s odd how fast people forget. Even I forget. Del was baby Jesus to Rosie and Zeke. He could be so charming when he wanted to be. He was also a nasty piece of work, but not all the time. He could be sweet and generous. There were people who admired him and looked up to him. He gave them jobs and money and bailed them out of jail and kept nasty husbands in line. Zeke was the same way when he was younger, or so I’m told. He was a bit more crotchety when I knew him. Of course, I also saw a different side of Del. When he got home, his facade would drop after a couple of drinks. For years I listened in on how he talked about people and what made him angry. Del was clever, but not very educated. That was the whole problem with the Harris bunch. Charon Springs had become a prison of their own making.”

  “And Del was very good-looking,” Vanessa said.

  Marly let a small laugh escape. “Yes. I knew that, but I never thought of him that way. Sometimes I’ll think back on a scene or see a photograph and that will strike me. Big, blond, broad shoulders, not fat like most of the Harris types. My mother once told me she felt so privileged that he wanted her. Privileged! And don’t gag, but my sister once confessed that he didn’t force her to have sex with him. He seduced her. She was twelve. God, it makes my skin crawl.”

  Marly frowned. “When he disappeared, nothing got easier. Rosie and the rest were thrashing around in a panic and that was dangerous. I got scooped up for a beating and I don’t know what would have happened if Carl hadn’t caught wind of it. He yanked me out of there, set them straight, and told me to get the hell out of Dodge. Which I did.”

  Marly wiped Beanie’s chin. “When Del died, the center gave way. In some ways, Louise and Troy dying was just the final nail in the coffin.”

  “The Harris clan doesn’t seem dead to me,” Vanessa said. “Carl seems to be well ensconced. Larry was killed in prison a few weeks ago. Did you know that?”

  “Probably because you went to see him,” Marly said. “Did you think of that? Not that you got much from him, I’ll bet.”

  Vanessa jerked as Marly’s statement registered.

  “I’m not particularly worried about myself, but Carl might still have you in his sights, Detective Alba,” Marly said. “You and Detective Wong. I have your backs, too.”

  Vanessa felt a prickle on the back of her neck.

  She looked out the window and noticed a young woman get out of a car. “Here’s your nanny. I’ll go. You won’t be seeing me again unless it’s in the Farmer’s Market or on Castro. Or if you need me.”

  Marly met Vanessa’s gaze. “I had a terrible childhood, but I know it was not as bad as a lot of others. I was lucky because I was just smart enough and timing was everything. Carl once asked me, what if I’d been the oldest, not Charlene? What if I hadn’t been a senior and ready to leave when Del died? What if the high-tech industry wasn’t so open and thriving? I can live with everything I’ve had to do to pull myself and the people I love into the light. I can assure you, I am no murderer. I hope that all my children—Charlene’s, mine—feel that unlike me, they have the wind at their backs and that includes the law.”

  Vanessa drained her coffee and put both their mugs into the sink. She left by the front door and made her way to the curb. Before she opened her car door, she turned to study Marly, watching from the sitting room window. Marly raised her right hand. Vanessa returned the salute.

  Perhaps Nick wasn’t overprotective after all. She hoped she’d seen the last of the Harris clan.

  29

  Marly: Aftermath

  March 12, 2013

  Marly contemplated her tiny, sleeping son. Should she do anything about Carl? Could she? Sometimes less was more. That was what Carl didn’t understand. Why the hell had he arranged for Larry to get killed now? Like Detective Alba, she saw Carl’s hand in that. The man had no sense of timing.

  What if Carl is thinking the same things about me? That gave her pause. It seemed unlikely, but not impossible.

  She would need to soothe him. He had to stay on her side. Take the long view. That’s what she was good at.

  She closed her eyes, but jerked awake as her head nodded forward. She could have sworn she heard Del’s voice calling her name. No, it was just a blue jay squabbling with a crow in the front yard.

  Helen stepped out of the guest bedroom closest to the kitchen.

  “Well. That was an interesting conversation.” Helen moved to clean up the cups. “Do you want more?”

  “Only if it’s not decaf.” Marly’s attempt a
t a jocular tone failed to materialize. She tilted her head back and allowed an audible sigh to escape.

  “Time to let sleeping dogs lie, don’t you think?” Helen asked, splashing in the sink. “I can’t see any benefit in pursuing things in the Springs.” Her voice rose at the end. It was a question.

  Marly sat up straight and stared at Helen. The woman is a mind reader.

  Helen turned, drying her hands. “Neutralize Carl. Keep him boxed in out there. That’s the best way forward. Creating a power vacuum would be problematic.”

  Marly gazed down at Beanie, her sight glazed by sudden tears. “I have to protect him,” she said. “He’s so tiny and I don’t have the energy to fight anymore. If Carl ends up exposing everything. . .”

  “Marly, that’s the sleep deprivation talking. It is time to look to the future, not the past. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Betty, and she’ll talk to Carl. You know she has your back just as much as that detective. And so do I.”

  Marly offered Helen a quavering smile. “Good. I’d hate to have to own up to anything. I’ve spent so long burying certain events.”

  Their eyes met. Helen blinked first and she turned to watch Marly’s nanny stroll up the walk to the front door. “The relief shift has arrived. You go take a shower and get some sleep. You have a brand-new life ahead of you.” She bent down, plucked Beanie from Marly’s lap, and tucked him into the crook of her right arm.

  Marly blinked and floated to her feet. As she headed for her backyard apartment, she felt as calm and at peace as she could remember. Time for a new dream.

  Acknowledgments

  I owe an enormous debt to the Sisters in Crime, their Northern California chapter, and especially the Guppy (Great UnPublished) chapter. Their unflagging enthusiasm and support were instrumental in providing advice, writing courses, feedback, and encouragement—all critical for a first-time writer. My local writers group—Susannah Carlson, Andrew MacRae, Karla Rogers, Scot Friesen, Jennifer Ripley, Danielle Berggren, Vishhal Moondhra, and Michele Gibson—provided unflinching feedback, as did my Guppy Manuscript Exchange partners: Andrew MacRae, Connie Berry, Vinnie Hansen, Karen Hutchinson, and Cheryl Hollon. Special mention goes to Ramona DeFelice Long, who showed me how to write, thanks to her excellent Guppy courses.