The Girl With the Dragonfly Tattoo: An Austin, Texas Art Mystery (The Michelle Hodge Series Book 4)

by Roslyn Woods

  “He may have a thing for you now,” Rhoda added, “but you’ll always play second fiddle to me. I could snap my fingers and he’d come running back. I’m just telling you this as a kindness.”

  “I don’t really know what you’re talking about,” said Tavy, “but you can rest assured your ex-husband has no interest in me.”

  “Really? Is that why I find you here with his dog, his vegetables, and his daughter?” she asked.

  “I’m just a neighbor.”

  “You’re young. What are you? Thirty? One day soon you’ll see why I found someone else.”

  “Goodnight,” Tavy said again, and this time she closed the door and turned the lock.

  Chapter 44

  Monday, August 10, 10:25 p.m.—Tavy

  It was almost ten-thirty when Gus called. Tavy had just finished washing up the dishes, and she was pondering about what had possessed Rhoda Carpenter to speak to her the way she had a few minutes earlier. It didn’t quite make sense. The woman seemed to think something was going on with Gus and herself, and Tavy found her extremely annoying.

  No wonder Gus divorced her! And poor little Maddie!

  Blue barked and wagged her tail, seemingly pleased that the phone was ringing.

  “I’m getting it,” she told the dog, wondering if Gus had finally decided to call. She picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

  “I hope I’m not calling too late,” he said.

  “No. I’m still up.”

  “I’m on the way home.”

  “What? Why? I thought you weren’t coming back till tomorrow night.”

  “I was supposed to stay, but I realized I wanted to be home.”

  Had Rhoda called and complained? This was going to be an awkward conversation.

  “Oh,” she answered. “You can do that?”

  “I had to do some rearranging. Is Blue being any trouble?”

  “No. She’s great.”

  “That’s good. Anyway, I’ll be there soon.”

  “You will?”

  “Is it too late to come by?”

  “Uh—I guess not. Sure. Come by if you like.”

  “Okay. I want to—well—just talk about a few things if it’s okay.”

  Rhoda had definitely complained.

  “I guess it’s fine. Where are you, anyway?”

  “Just past the Buda exit.”

  “Is that close?”

  “About twenty or twenty-five minutes if I don’t hit traffic.”

  “Come in the front, if you don’t mind. The back door makes me a little nervous after dark.”

  “All right,” he said. “Have you been okay?”

  “Yes. I’ve had a strange day. I suppose I can tell you about it.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you soon, then.”

  “Okay.”

  Tavy hung up the phone and rushed into the bathroom to look in the mirror. Still in t-shirt and jeans, she saw that her hair had dried in soft waves, and there wasn’t time to use the blow dryer. She ran a brush through a few times and decided it actually looked pretty good before she applied a light coat of mascara to her lashes and some gloss to her lips.

  Why am I doing this? she wondered as she went back into the living room to straighten up the pillows. It was rather upsetting to realize she definitely had developed an attraction for the neighbor who had made it ultimately clear that he had no interest in her, despite the impression his ex-wife seemed to have.

  And what did he want to talk about? She hoped there would be no embarrassing discussion involving Rhoda and Maddie, but it seemed inevitable that exactly that discussion was imminent. Why else would he want to come over this late? She could just imagine Gus’s ex calling and complaining to him about Maddie’s choice to come to the home of Ed Bishop’s daughter. She could almost hear her remarking on her living room full of vegetables, her appearance, and her behavior.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have shut the door in Rhoda Carpenter’s face, she thought. At the time it had seemed preferable to telling her she was crazy. But what if she took her anger out on Maddie?

  That woman is just like Minerva, Tavy thought. No wonder her daughter was acting out. She was terribly angry, and Tavy couldn’t help but identify with her.

  The doorbell rang, and she composed herself while Blue barked happily and wagged her tail. Somehow, the dog knew it was Gus.

  Here goes.

  He was standing on the porch with a bottle of red wine in one hand and a potted yellow orchid in the other. “Peace offering?” he said.

  Blue rushed forward to welcome her master while Tavy stifled her surprise and opened the door wider. “Come in. I didn’t expect a peace offering.”

  She knew she would have to maintain a distant attitude. In spite of his apparent change to nice, she wasn’t about to put herself in a weak position with him again. It had been too humiliating when he turned her dinner offer down, and she would have to remain mindful of his arrest record.

  He stepped into the living room and his eyes immediately fell on the crates of vegetables. He looked back at Tavy in astonishment. “You picked the vegetables?”

  “I found the schedule in my dad’s phone book and realized it was my turn.”

  “You didn’t have to do that!”

  “I want to do my part—my dad’s part.”

  “I didn’t expect you to help. Thanks. I almost can’t believe you did it.” He actually sounded grateful.

  “It’s no big deal. There was a lot that was ready to pick, though.”

  “You seem to know what you’re doing,” he said, walking over to the crates and looking at the produce, Blue inspecting beside him and whining happily. “Everything looks just right.”

  “My surrogate father grew a garden. Mia and I helped,” she said by way of explanation. “Do you put everything out in the early morning?”

  “Yes, or we could put it out in an hour or so. It doesn’t matter when people take it. They take it if they need it. It doesn’t matter when that happens.” He was looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. “Can we talk?” he asked.

  “I—I don’t know what we have to talk about—”

  “I need to apologize about last night. I should have—”

  “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

  “It was a normal reaction. You don’t know me. How can I expect you to trust me when people all around you are telling you I’m a criminal?”

  He was defending her to herself. She felt relieved and strangely pleased, but she couldn’t help wondering if he was just trying to be a good friend to her father. Maybe he thought of her as a pity case. Still, in her own mind she believed she had behaved badly, and she felt she owed him an explanation.

  “I was mad because—” she paused and bit her lip, not knowing what to say. I was mad because I’m so attracted to you, and you didn’t tell me about something I need to understand? No, that will never do. “I was mad because of my dad, everything, and I was too tired—I know I sort of lost it. Your history with the police is none of my business. My dad chose you for a friend. It should be good enough for me.”

  “Why should it? You had no relationship with him.”

  Tavy paused, looking at the vegetables. “I don’t know, but I should’ve trusted my instincts.”

  “You’re saying you instinctively feel I’m okay?”

  “I guess that’s right.” You’re an okay guy with a drinking problem.

  “I instinctively feel you’re okay, too.”

  “I’m okay, you’re okay,” she said with a slight smile.

  He smiled back. “Can we drink this?” he asked, lifting the bottle slightly.

  Is that a good idea? she wondered. Drink a bottle of wine with a handsome man who has an issue with alcohol? There was nothing to be done about it. If she said no she would seem awfully ungracious.

  And I’m so glad he hasn’t said a word about Rhoda!

  “Yes,” she said, taking it from him and carrying it into the kitchen
. He followed with Blue at his heels, the orchid still in his left hand.

  “I know there’s a corkscrew in here somewhere,” Tavy was saying, just to fill in the space as she pulled open one of the cabinet drawers by a hammered-copper dragonfly.

  Gus watched while she searched, and she could feel his eyes on her.

  “I’m not sure I should have brought the oncidium, but I thought it was nicer than cut flowers,” he said, placing the plant on the counter by the sink. “Maybe you don’t like orchids.”

  “Is that for me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you!” she said, looking back over her shoulder first at the plant, then at Gus. “I love oncidium. Tio grew several varieties in our greenhouse in Portland, and the little yellow orchids have always looked like butterflies to me.”

  “I’m glad, then. This ‘Tio’ sounds like an interesting man.”

  “He was. He was a wonderful father to me,” she said, tearing the tin away from the top of the bottle.

  “Yes, I know,” Gus agreed.

  “What?”

  “Your dad. He told me you had a governess who adored you and that her husband loved you as if you were his own daughter. He said they stayed in your life after you were grown.”

  “How did he know?” she asked, wondering if Gus knew anything about Tio and her father.

  “I’ve been thinking about it—trying to figure it out.”

  “And?” She stood with her back to him, one hand on the neck of the wine bottle, one holding the corkscrew.

  “And I think he must have maintained a friendship with your surrogate father, as you call him. Was his name Emilio?”

  “Yes.”

  Tavy’s hands were shaking as she tried to open the Syrah, and Gus stepped closer and put his hand over hers on the corkscrew.

  “Let me do that,” he said.

  She stepped away to let him open the bottle. “I’ll get some glasses,” she said. “Do you want some crackers or olives or something?”

  Her mind was awhirl. Gus was telling her something about her father having a friendship with Tio.

  “No, I grabbed a bite on the road,” Gus answered. “I just want to drink a glass of this and talk a little before I leave you.”

  She was getting the glasses down from a cupboard a few steps away from him, and she carried them automatically into the living room. She didn’t want to go to the dining room table to sit beside the liquor cabinet. She didn’t want to remind him—or herself—about the drinks Gus had mixed for her father.

  “I thought I was in trouble with you when you called,” she said, changing the subject from Tio and her father as Gus followed her with the bottle and Blue settled on the carpet in front of the sofa.

  “Because I acted like a jerk last night?”

  “Because of Madison.”

  “What?” he asked,

  “Rhoda didn’t call you?”

  “What? Is Maddie okay?”

  “Yes. She’s fine,” she hurried to reassure him. “But she and Rhoda were both here earlier.”

  Gus sank onto the couch beside Tavy, frowning at the glasses she had placed on the coffee table and setting the bottle beside them. “I don’t understand,” he said.

  “Madison went to a swim party at her friend Brenda’s tonight. She planned to spend the night there, but somehow or other they had a little disagreement, and she decided to walk home. She forgot you weren’t home, so she came over here. I kinda made her call her mom to tell her where she was.”

  Gus took a deep breath and sighed, relieved. “She’s fine?”

  “I think so. Her mom came and got her.”

  “Yeah?” he said. “I bet she took her sweet time. She always does.”

  Tavy smiled. “Maddie was here about—I don’t know—an hour and a half or so. Maybe a little longer.”

  “That’s quicker than usual for Rhoda.”

  “And apparently her mother had been at a party herself.”

  “Mad, was she?” he asked, smiling sardonically. He leaned forward and poured the wine, stopping to hand Tavy a glass.

  She took it and swirled it before answering, “I would have been glad for Maddie to stay with me, but her mom didn’t like the idea. I don’t blame her. She doesn’t know me.”

  “Maddie would have been a lot better off with you. She’s down since Ed died. She doesn’t talk about it much.”

  “She doesn’t know, does she? About the poison?”

  “I haven’t told her. I want to wait till we know more.”

  “She’s gotta wonder why I’ve got Blue.”

  “She thinks you’re dog sitting for me right now.”

  “But, Gus, she’s old enough to know, and when she finds out you weren’t telling her something this important about someone she loved, she’ll resent it.”

  “I guess I’ll have to tell her. I was hoping to wait, but, knowing her temper, I guess I’d better get on with it.”

  “I’m sure talking about it will be hard on both of you.”

  “But maybe not as hard as waiting. I’ll have to tell her about you, too.”

  “What about me?”

  “About someone trying to kill you.”

  “Yes. I guess so.”

  “She’ll worry. She likes you.”

  “She reminds me of myself,” Tavy said. “I went through a stage of being so angry! I got fairly defiant with my parents.”

  “Did it last long?”

  “Not with them. I was so afraid of losing them, you see. Going back to Minerva would have sent me on the road.”

  “You would have run away?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Well, thanks for handling the situation,” he said. “Maddie can be pretty headstrong.”

  “I like her.”

  “Me, too,” he said, his expression softening. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen the sweetness in her, but it’s there. She’s really a very good kid.”

  “I can tell,” Tavy answered. She wished he wouldn’t look at her like that, as if he were searching for something in her eyes. It was hard enough realizing he was just trying to be kind for her father’s sake—that he was just a good, charitable kind of person who maybe drank too much. She didn’t want his pity.

  “I suppose Rhoda saw that Blue was here?” he asked, changing the subject slightly.

  The dog lifted her head from where it rested on her front paws and looked at Gus, acknowledging her name with a single wag of her tail.

  “Yes,” Tavy answered.

  “Did she comment?”

  Tavy swallowed. She didn’t want to say any more. “She just said she noticed your dog.”

  “I hope she wasn’t rude.”

  Tavy smiled and bent down to run her hand over Blue’s soft head. “I hope I wasn’t rude.”

  “I hope you were. If you were, I’m sure she earned it!”

  “She asked me if I was thirty, so that was flattering!”

  “You do look younger than thirty-nine,” he said.

  “Forty in a few weeks.”

  “Much younger than forty.”

  “I’m thankful for bad lighting!” she said with a little chuckle. “I wish I’d had Maddie call you instead, though. You would have handled it differently.”

  “I started for home four and a half hours ago. She could have stayed at my house, but I wouldn’t have been able to talk to you if she stayed, would I? Anyway, she’ll be fine. She’s used to managing her mother.”

  “I bet she doesn’t like it much.”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head sadly and swirling his wine before looking back up at Tavy. “I can’t get custody.”

  “Because—”

  “Because of the arrests. Your dad warned me.”

  “I see. You’re sure? A simple arrest record for minor infractions wouldn’t—”

  “Sure it would. This is Texas. Unless Maddie tells a judge she doesn’t want to live with her mother anymore—and she won’t do that—there’s no way I
get custody. At least, I don’t think she will.”

  “Does Maddie know she can do that?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t pursued the matter, partly because I hate to hurt Rhoda any more than I already have.”

  “More than you already have?”

  Tavy immediately wished she hadn’t asked for clarification. Maybe he was referring to his drinking problem, but somehow it didn’t sound like it. Anyway, it was none of her business.

  Gus was looking into the glass again, and neither of them had tasted the wine. Tavy kept her eyes on the red liquid, watching the way the color clung to the walls of the glass as it moved, but her thoughts were on Gus.

  “The relationship was over for me long before we broke up. Even before Maddie was born, if I’m honest. Whatever feelings I had when I met her—just vanished. I didn’t mean for that to happen. It just did.”

  “You found someone else?” There I go again asking questions!

  “No, but—I guess you could say my distance drove her to find someone else. We were different. Extremely different. She was interested in society—grew up rich and expected me to toe the same line her father did. She always wanted me to become the president of the college district or run for office or something. I was interested in making a reasonable living and pursuing other things.”

  “Gardening?”

  “Yeah—and—just other things. Woodworking is an art form for me. She thought it was a waste of time and hated the sawdust in the garage, hated my interest in growing food, hated anything that kept me from pursuing money. Anyway, she met someone, and that was it.”

  “Someone with her values?”

  “I think so.”

  “So who hurt whom?” Tavy asked, confused.

  He looked up from the glass. “I didn’t care that there was another man. I cared that it meant I couldn’t live with Maddie. That hurt. It was horrible. But ending things between Rhoda and me? They’d been over for so long already, it was a relief when she announced her attachment to Manfred. I suppose I might have stayed in a bad marriage forever to stay with Maddie, but my relationship with Rhoda—I felt nothing for her, and she couldn’t be satisfied with my indifference or my values.”

  “So it’s perpetual joint custody?”

  “Maybe. Probably.”