by J. R. Ripley
‘Trish,’ I whispered. Had this poor guy been wandering around in the wrong place at the wrong time and Trish had murdered him instead of me? The girl had said the two of them were tired and had no money. That meant probably no place to sleep. So they came back here, thinking maybe they could sleep in the deserted garage.
Looking for me, Trish had stumbled into him and …
A chill scurried up my arms like a pair of furry little brown mice.
Where was the girl? Where was Trish? What about Rob?
Was I next?
While all this was running around in my mind I didn’t hear who was creeping up behind me.
‘Oh, dear,’ said Ed. ‘What am I going to do with you?’
I spun around. I hoped he was talking about that naughty cat of his, but that gun in his hand told me he wasn’t.
THIRTY-FIVE
My eyes darted anxiously around the small garage. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. My gaze fell on the front of Ed’s car. There was a big ugly dent in the driver’s-side front fender and bumper. I didn’t remember seeing that there when I’d seen the car in the drive, and it was really too big to miss.
‘Stupid punk,’ spat Ed.
‘I don’t get it,’ I said, struggling to buy time. ‘That’s the boy that came to the door earlier. He was with a girl.’ My eyes whipped around the garage. There was, thankfully, no sign of a second victim. ‘What did he do? Try to break in?’
Ed laughed. ‘Punk wanted money.’ He aimed his pistol at the corpse. ‘Banged on the bedroom window and started whining for a handout. Like I’d give him anything. But he believed me. Followed me out here like the lowlife imbecile that he is.’ Ed grinned. ‘Was.’
‘What about the girl, Blaire? Did you kill her, too?’
‘Nah.’ He waved his free hand at me. ‘When she saw what was happening, she took off like a scared rabbit. But she’ll be back. She always comes back.’ There was a sick leer on his lips.
I was beginning to quake from head to toe, and it wasn’t just the chill night air and lack of sleep. This guy was beginning to scare me big time. Something told me I was going to be next on his hit parade if I didn’t come up with a plan soon.
Regrettably, I didn’t have a clue what that plan might be. I was alone, unarmed and in bare feet. ‘Wait,’ I said, inching further from Ed. Unfortunately, this also put me further and further from the side door. ‘You killed Mr Wilbur!’
‘Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?’
‘He was your friend! How could you do that? Why would you do that?’ Why had I agreed to spend the night in a murderer’s house?
Ed shrugged and scratched his beard with the barrel of his pistol. I prayed the darn thing would go off in his face.
No such luck as he lowered the weapon and held it loosely toward me. ‘Yeah, killing Rick was kind of a shame.’
Kind of?
‘I guess there’s no harm telling you,’ he said with a low chuckle. ‘Dead men tell no tales.’ He took a step closer, leveling the gun in my direction. ‘That goes for women, too.’
‘Now wait a minute, Ed,’ I said quickly. ‘You don’t have to do this!’
Ed ignored my plea. ‘Me and Rick went way back.’ He looked at me through watery eyes. ‘I’m gonna miss him, you know?’
‘Too bad you didn’t miss him with that rolling pin.’ I instantly shut my mouth. There I went, being a smart mouth again. And the look on Ed Teller’s face told me he didn’t appreciate my sense of sarcasm. Mom always said my mouth would get me in trouble one day. Why did that day have to be today?
‘You don’t understand, Miller.’ He paced the small cluttered floor. ‘I had no choice. Rick found out how I’d been stealing from the company. You see, I needed money and Wilbur Realty had it, and plenty of it.
‘I didn’t think they’d miss it if I helped myself to some. I was responsible for maintenance on all the properties. It was easy. I funneled the money that was supposed to be used to make repairs to my own account.’ He smiled. ‘It was simple, really.’
‘But Mr Wilbur found out?’ My brow furrowed in alarm. I needed to come up with some way out of this. How much longer could I stall him? How long would it be before I’d be joining Blaire’s companion on the garage floor?
Ed frowned. ‘Yeah. He confronted me about it. We were at your place and he was screaming about how he’d given me sufficient funds to fix the building’s AC and wondered why I’d barely done any work at all.’
Ed thrust his chest out, his voice growing strident. ‘He told me his sister-in-law, Natalie, had spotted me over in Reno a couple of times throwing money around with a young girl on my arm. Like it was any of his business.’ Ed lashed out and kicked the back tire of the Buick.
I swallowed hard. Carole Two tensed in the corner. ‘Let me guess,’ I said, ‘Blaire?’
‘That’s right. She and I met on the internet, one of those online dating sites, you know?’ He raised his eyebrows and looked at me rather sheepishly. ‘We started dating.’ He smiled. ‘Blaire’s got expensive taste.’ He shrugged. ‘I could live with that.’
He turned and faced the body on the floor. ‘But when I found out she’d been two-timing me, lying to me, keeping a younger boyfriend on the side—’
‘That must have made you furious.’ Did I care? No. But since I had nothing else to do – besides getting shot, that is – I was talking.
‘You bet. I told her we were through.’ He chuckled. ‘Can you believe the two of them had the nerve to show up in town today, looking for a handout from me?’ He shook his head. ‘Couple of jerks.’
‘Surely you must have explained all this to Rick?’
‘Oh, sure. Not that he’d cared that I’d been duped. Accused me of being an old fool who should have known better.’
Ed crossed his arms over his chest, the gun tilted my way. I inched up against the car. ‘He didn’t care at all about me – he just wanted his precious money back. The problem was,’ Ed said, with a slight jerk of his head, ‘I’d spent it all. I promised I’d make it up to him. You know, pay him back over time out of my wages. Out of my flips, like this one.’
‘But Rick wouldn’t listen?’ And I couldn’t blame him. Ed Teller was nothing more than a crook. And a killer. Must not forget that part.
‘We’d been friends all our lives and he said he was going to go to the police – can you believe it? He was all set to let me, his best friend, go to jail!’
I could but refrained from saying so.
Ed shook his head back and forth. ‘I begged him to let me make it right. But he said no.’ Ed’s eyes sort of glazed over. ‘I saw that rolling pin on the counter. And I hit him on the head with it. But then I wasn’t feeling so good. Started feeling kind of sick, kind of funny, you know?’
My mouth was as dry as the Sonoran. I nodded.
Ed chuckled. ‘I knew I couldn’t drag him outside in the condition I was in. So I emptied the chairs from one of those boxes in your storeroom and hid him inside, figuring I’d come back for him later.’
Ed looked over his shoulder toward the yard. ‘I expected I’d bury him out here somewhere. With all the renovating I’m going to be doing, who’d ever know?’
Who indeed? I listened in horror to Ed’s confession, partly because of what he’d done and partly because he was only telling me all this because he knew I’d never live to tell anyone.
‘Funny, ain’t it? All the exertion probably gave me a stroke. I drove myself to the ER.’ He smiled evilly. ‘Then I realized what a perfect alibi it would make. Nobody would ever suspect me of the murder. Plus, I could come and go as I pleased. Especially in the evening.’ He snickered. ‘I guess things have a way of working out for the best.’
At the moment, I was going to have to disagree with him there.
Ed sighed and spoke softly. ‘He left me no choice.’ He swiveled the gun at my head. ‘Like you leave me none now.’
THIRTY-SIX
The right leg of the body on the floor twi
tched and shot out.
Whoa!
I didn’t know if this guy was doing the dead man bounce or if he was still alive. All I know is that Ed flinched, Carole Two shot out the open door like a, well, scaredy-cat, and I followed – like a scaredy-human to the Nth power – taking advantage of Ed’s distraction.
I had the presence of mind to hit the light switch on my way through the door. The crack of a bullet over the transom let me know that Ed wasn’t fooling around.
Old Ed meant business.
I didn’t know where Carol Two was heading, but I was heading for the mudroom door that I’d come out of earlier. My purse was in the spare room and I needed to get to my cell phone and car keys.
Then I needed to get the heck out of there!
I half-ran, half-tumbled through the darkness toward the house. I could hear Ed cursing and running behind me. For a guy who’d just been released from the hospital, it sounded like he was making pretty good time.
I felt a hand grab at my hair and I screamed. The tug threw me off balance. I stumbled over the lip of the back porch and went crashing to the ground. My forehead cracked against a cement block and suddenly the stars I was seeing were far closer to the ground than they had been earlier.
Ed’s hands latched onto my foot. My hands fished around in the dark, grasping for anything. He was on top of me now, his weight pressing me down, taking my breath away. The cold metal of the gun pressed painfully against my cheek.
My fingers wrapped around a pine two-by-four and I swung with all my might. Ed wailed in pain and I hit him again. I heard a moan, then silence.
I lay there a moment, my heart racing, every bone in my body aching, being crushed by Ed. I arched my back, rolled the man off me and sat up.
Carol Two mrowled from the mudroom door. If she thought I was feeding her now, she was in for a surprise. I headed for the house, stopped midway, ran back and pried the pistol out of Ed’s hands. I darted back inside.
I didn’t know if Ed was alive or dead. Either way, I didn’t want him getting inside the house and coming after me. I raced to the guest room, tossed the warm gun on the bed and fished my cell phone from my handbag with shaking fingers.
I took a deep breath and dialed Information. Yeah, that’s right, Information. That might have been a mistake the first time, but not this time.
I took a deep breath as I heard the operator pick up. ‘Hi, could you give me the number for a Veronica Vargas, please?’ My fingernails clicked atop the dresser as I waited. I knew there was no way Mark Highsmith, Table Rock’s lone detective, would accept another call from me tonight. ‘And while I’m calling VV, would you mind calling the cops?’
I ignored the operator’s confused blubbering and gave him Ed Teller’s address. ‘Oh, and before you hang up, you might want to call her brother, that’s Daniel Vargas. That’s right. He’s a doctor. I think Ed’s gonna need one.’ The other guy I wasn’t so sure about.
THIRTY-SEVEN
I waved to Clive as he came through the door, a smile plastered on his face. ‘Good morning!’ Unfortunately, by default, my friendly wave also encompassed Johnny Wolfe, who came in the door with him.
Clive came to the counter, practically dragging his partner in tow. Watching the two of them, the phrase ‘kicking and screaming’ came to mind.
‘We heard all about it,’ Clive exclaimed, his voice filled with drama. ‘We came to see how you’re doing.’ He elbowed Johnny. ‘And to apologize.’
I wiped my forehead with the side of my arm and tossed an order of beignets in the deep fryer. ‘Apologize for what?’
‘See?’ Johnny hissed at Clive. Both men were sharply dressed in dark suits, obviously a working day at The Hitching Post.
‘Oh, stop,’ replied Clive. ‘Just give her the flowers.’
Johnny Wolfe was clutching a lovely bouquet of red roses with accents of white baby’s breath.
‘Capture first place at the Junior Olympics?’ I quipped.
‘Maggie,’ scolded Clive.
I lowered my chin. ‘Sorry.’ He sounded just like my mother. I reached out a free hand and accepted the bouquet. I stuck my nose in a cluster of petals and took a sniff. ‘They’re lovely. Thank you both.’ I made a point of looking at Johnny.
He squirmed. ‘You’re welcome.’ He looked like a doe ready to bolt.
‘The roses are totally, totally beautiful,’ cooed Aubrey. ‘I’ll get something to put them in.’ She retreated to the storeroom. I hoped she didn’t find any more bodies stuffed in boxes back there. I’d sort of had my fill of them.
Dead guys in boxes were definitely off my diet from here on out.
‘Maggie Miller!’ Mom burst through the door and stuck her hands on her hips. ‘What does a mother have to do to get her only daughter to—’
I couldn’t help grinning as I arched a brow her way. ‘You remember Donna?’ I said. ‘About so tall?’ I held a flat hand about eyebrow high.
‘Fine,’ huffed Mom, her lavender caftan swirling, ‘my only unmarried daughter – to pick up the phone and call her poor, dear mother when she’s almost been killed?’
I lifted the piano-hinged counter and gave Mom a hug. ‘Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.’ My hand went to my bandaged forehead. I knew exactly what I’d been thinking – how do I get out of here alive? Definitely not, gee, maybe I should give Mom a call.
‘Well.’ Clive grabbed hold of Johnny’s shoulder. ‘We really should be going.’
‘What? Nonsense,’ I replied. ‘Come on, sit. I’ll bring us all some coffee and beignets.’ I turned to my mother. She was still looking put out. I pouted.
‘Fine.’ She gave in and took a seat. I pushed a couple of tables together.
Dr Daniel Vargas came in while I was preparing the orders for them and a couple more customers. ‘Maggie!’ he cried, coming through the door. He wore dark trousers and a pale blue shirt. ‘I heard all about the attempt on your life last night.’
I smiled. Though I had specifically requested VV’s brother, another doctor had come to Ed Teller’s house with the paramedics. If you can’t count on the Information guy, who can you count on?
‘It was nothing,’ I said, waving my dripping tongs. ‘Oops.’ I wiped at his shirt with my rag. ‘That’ll wash right out.’ It was only cottonseed oil, how bad could it be?
‘Mr Teller is in intensive care.’
Good. He could stay there for all I cared. ‘Is that safe?’ Mesa Verde Medical Center had a tough, no-nonsense receptionist but it was hardly a secure facility. Look how easy it had been for Ed Teller to come and go unnoticed.
‘There’s a police officer on duty outside his room round the clock.’
I breathed easier. With luck, Ed Teller wouldn’t be wandering around loose anytime soon.
‘What about the young man he sledge-hammered?’
‘Also in the ICU.’
I nodded. One dead guy was enough. ‘Got time for coffee?’ I’d also learned that they’d picked up Blaire near his house and were holding her for questioning. My guess was that she’d be some sort of witness for the prosecution.
‘And an order of beignets?’ Daniel smiled.
‘Deal.’ I pointed to where Mom was sitting with Johnny and Clive. ‘Why don’t you join my mother and friends while I get everything together?’
I carried over two overloaded platefuls of fresh hot beignets sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar. Aubrey carried a tray of coffees.
Daniel rose and took my hand. ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ He inspected the bandage on my forehead. ‘They tell me you refused to stay overnight for observation.’
I nodded. ‘I’m fine. Really,’ I said, seeing the look of disbelief on the doctor’s face.
There was no chance I was going to spend the night under the same roof as Ed Teller, even if it was a hospital roof and separate rooms. I still got the willies thinking about how I’d agreed to spend the night in that killer’s house.
The rumble of throat clearing c
aught my attention and I swiveled my neck around. ‘Is this a private party?’ asked Detective Highsmith. ‘Or can anyone join?’ He looked meaningfully at Daniel’s hand over mine.
I pulled my hand free. And I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the way those dumb M&Ms of his were looking at me. Like there might be something more there than candy.
Highsmith tugged at his tie and cleared his throat once again. ‘I thought you’d like to know that Brad Smith has been released.’
‘He’s out of his coma?!’
Highsmith pointed out the window. The reporter sat on the front passenger seat of the detective’s sedan.
‘What’s he doing out there?’ I said. ‘Tell him to come in.’ I motioned for Brad to come inside.
‘He’s gonna need some help.’
Brad smiled and opened the car door. I still wasn’t too sure what to make of the guy. I’d definitely pegged him for a jerk when he’d come to the café practically accusing me of murder.
But then I’d discovered he’d been poking around on his own and almost lost his life trying to uncover the real killer. Brad had done some digging, starting with learning that Ed Teller had been cleared by the hospital days ago to leave. He’d had a minor stroke, nothing more.
It seems Ed had been sneaking out of Mesa Verde when it suited him – for instance, to sabotage my AC unit. Like Ed had confessed, what better cover than a hospital bed? No one suspected he was sneaking out and committing mischief. He’d managed to slip out several times, desperate to find the missing chairs and then later to shut me up. He’d tossed the chairs in the alley, but when he’d gone back they had disappeared. Knowing he might have left his fingerprints on them, he was desperate to find them.
That’s why when I’d gone to see him he looked so bad, so clammy. It was all that exertion from running around Table Rock as he tried to cover his tracks.
He’d even discovered Brad following him. Ed had turned the tables on Brad and had run him off the road and into a crevice. Fortunately, Brad had survived the attempt on his life.
As the reporter swung his limbs out the car door, I noticed the left leg of his blue jeans had been cut off at the knee to accommodate the cast on the lower half of his leg. I ran to help him. I retrieved his crutch from the backseat and helped him stand. ‘I’m glad to see you’re OK,’ I said.
