by Joanne Fluke
CHAPTER 18
A week had passed since their skiing trip, and Brad was gone again. This time he had meetings in Chicago that would last for five days.
Marcie had spent a restless night. Things weren’t the same when Brad wasn’t home. Just knowing that he was next door, behind the connecting door, made her feel safe and loved.
She had slept late, and she was just getting dressed when Rosa knocked on the door. “Miss Marcie? The head gardener’s here, and he says the crew can’t start unless you give him the money for last month.”
“Last month?” Marcie frowned as she slipped into a pair of jeans, and searched through the closet for a suitable blouse. “Brad’s handling all the household accounts, just like he did for Mercedes. Didn’t he pay the gardening bill?”
“I don’t think so, Miss Marcie. At least, he didn’t ask me to mail any checks.”
Marcie sighed. Since Brad was gone, she’d have to deal with it. Perhaps he’d just been too busy to make out the checks.
“All right, Rosa. Give the head gardener a cup of . . .” Marcie stopped in mid-sentence, remembering Brad’s caution about inviting people inside the house. “Do you know him? I mean, personally?”
“Not personally, Miss Marcie, but he’s been working for us for over six years.”
“Okay. Invite him in for a cup of coffee, and tell him I’m just getting dressed, and I’ll be down in a minute.”
Marcie pulled out a red blouse and was just preparing to put it on, when a line from one of the threatening letters flashed through her mind. Red is the color of blood. No one had heard from the crazy fan since Mercedes had died, but Marcie put it back on the hanger and pushed it to the very back of the closet. She’d wear the green blouse with the white collar. Everyone seemed sure that the crazy fan was gone, but she was still nervous about wearing red.
The head gardener was sitting at the table chatting with Rosa about his grandchildren when Marcie came down. He was an older Japanese man, and he seemed very nice when Rosa introduced them.
“Please sit down and finish your coffee.” Marcie smiled at him. “I’m sorry you didn’t get paid last month. My fiancé takes care of all the bills, and he’s out of town on business right now. If you wait just a moment, I’ll get the checkbook and write you a check.”
The gardener looked very distressed as he shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take a check, Miss Calder.”
“Why not? Isn’t that how we usually pay?”
“Yes.” The gardener nodded. “But the bank returned your last check. They said there were insufficient funds.”
Marcie frowned. “Oh, dear! I guess I’d better have a talk with the bank. I do have some cash, though. How much is the bill?”
The gardener handed her the bill, and Marcie frowned. She had enough cash to pay it, but that would leave her with very little money, and Brad would be gone until the end of the week. Unfortunately, she had no choice. The gardening had to be done, and that meant the bill had to be paid. When Brad got back, she’d have a talk with him about putting more money in the household account, so something like this wouldn’t happen again.
“Thank you, Miss Calder.” The gardener was all smiles as she counted out the cash. “I’ll tell my men to start now.”
After the gardener had left, Marcie sank down in a chair. “I think I need some coffee. And then I’d better call the bank.”
Rosa placed a cup of coffee and a tray of croissants on the table. “Here, Miss Marcie. Why don’t you have some breakfast? And then you can go down to the bank and straighten everything out. That’s what Miss Mercedes always did.”
“This has happened before?”
“Oh, yes. It used to drive Miss Mercedes crazy when Mr. Brad didn’t pay the bills. Everyone called her, and she didn’t want to be bothered.”
“All right then.” Marcie nodded. “I’ll go down to the bank right after I finish my breakfast. I need to get more cash anyway. And while I’m down there, it might be a good idea to transfer some funds and open another account in my name.”
Marcie smiled as she got out of the Mercedes and turned it over to the valet parker. Valet service at the bank! She could imagine what her friends in Minnesota would say if she told them about this!
Since Marcie had signed authorization cards in Sam’s office, there had been no need to actually go into the bank. Marcie assumed she’d have to show identification and introduce herself, but the young man who greeted her at the door seemed to know who she was.
“Miss Calder. How nice to see you! Please follow me.”
Marcie was surprised as he led her through the bank. There were no lines and no tellers, just a beautifully decorated waiting room with leather chairs and tables for writing.
“Could I get you some coffee?”
Marcie nodded. “Yes. That would be wonderful. But I need to talk to someone about my accounts.”
“Of course.” The young man smiled. “Please have a seat, and I’ll bring you your coffee. And then I’ll come to get you as soon as one of our account executives is free.”
A moment later, Marcie was sipping excellent coffee from a china cup. She could hardly wait to call Shirley Whitford and tell her how they did banking in Southern California! Coffee, leather chairs, and account executives. There were even telephones on every table, and she noticed a copier and several computers attached to a printer at a large workstation against the wall.
A few minutes passed as Marcie admired her surroundings. Then the young man came back into the room and motioned to her. “Please follow me, Miss Calder. Mrs. Marcusso is available now.”
Marcie smiled as the young man led her to a door. He opened it and motioned her inside. An older woman in a business suit waited behind a desk. A small gold sign on the desk identified her as Adrienne Marcusso.
Mrs. Marcusso stood up as Marcie entered. “I’m glad to meet you, Miss Calder. Please make yourself comfortable.”
Marcie sat down in another leather chair in front of the desk, and pulled out her checkbook. “Thank you. This is a beautiful bank. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s lovely, isn’t it?” Mrs. Marcusso smiled. “Let’s see . . . you’re from Minnesota, aren’t you?”
“Why, yes! How did you know?”
“Mr. Abrams mentioned it when he brought us your signature cards. It’s nice of you to drop by to see us, Miss Calder. We like to know all of our clients personally.”
Marcie nodded. “You knew my sister?”
“Yes, I did. We were very sorry to hear about her accident.” Mrs. Marcusso gave her a sympathetic smile. “Which account balance would you like to examine first?”
Marcie handed over her checkbook. “This one, I guess. The gardener mentioned that there was a problem with a check we sent him last month.”
“I’ll have the balance in just a moment.” Mrs. Marcusso typed a series of numbers on a computer keyboard. Then she jotted down a figure on a piece of paper and handed it to Marcie.
Marcie was shocked as she read the figure. “There’s only three hundred dollars in this account?”
“Yes. There was a substantial withdrawal last Friday. You’ll find that figure at the bottom of the paper.”
“Oh.” Marcie frowned slightly as she glanced at the paper. Brad had withdrawn five thousand dollars.
“There’s really no problem, Miss Calder.” Mrs. Marcusso smiled at her. “One of your sister’s treasury bonds just came due, and we’ll be happy to transfer the funds to this account.”
“You can do that?”
“Of course. We’ve done that many times in the past. Shall I make the transaction for you?”
Marcie frowned. “I’m not sure. I think I’d better check with Mr. Abrams. I wouldn’t want to do anything that could cause a problem later.”
“That’s always wise.” Mrs. Marcusso smiled. “Would you like me to get him on the phone for you?”
Marcie looked surprised. “That would be nice, but I can cal
l him from the other room. I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
“That’s no problem, Miss Calder. That’s why we’re here, to serve all your banking needs. I’ll place the call, and then I’ll make a trip to the main computer area to get a printout of all your account balances.”
Mrs. Marcusso picked up the phone and dialed. She obviously knew Sam’s number, because she had his secretary on the phone almost immediately. “This is Mrs. Marcusso from Trans-World Mercantile. Miss Calder is here with me, and she’d like to speak to Mr. Abrams on a matter of some urgency. Yes, certainly we’ll hold.”
Marcie took the phone and smiled at Mrs. Marcusso. “Thank you.”
“I’ll get those printouts now. Just press the buzzer on my desk if you need me.”
It took only a moment, and Sam came on the line. “Marcie? What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure if there’s anything wrong. But you told me to check with you before I made any decisions. Mrs. Marcusso says one of Mercedes’s treasury bonds just came due. Should I ask her to transfer the money to the household account?”
“Not unless the balance is low. That’s not an interest-bearing account.”
“It’s very low.” Marcie frowned as she glanced at the paper again. “The balance is only three hundred dollars, and I had to use all my cash to pay the gardener before he’d start work. He wouldn’t take a check, because the last one bounced.”
“That’s odd. There was a balance of over twelve thousand dollars in that account when I had you sign the signature card.”
“That’s what I thought.” Marcie’s frown deepened. “Our bills must have been enormous.”
“Have you made any large withdrawals?”
“No. But Brad took out five thousand before he left on his business trip.”
There was a long silence, and then Sam spoke again. “I’ll drive right over. Don’t do anything until I get there, Marcie. I want to check all the withdrawals before we transfer any funds.”
“Thanks, Sam. I’ll wait for you.”
Marcie hung up the phone and pressed the buzzer for Mrs. Marcusso. If Rosa was right and Brad hadn’t paid the bills, where had the money gone? She wished she could ask Brad, but he wouldn’t call her until tomorrow evening, and he hadn’t mentioned the name of his hotel. There was probably a very simple explanation, but she had no idea what it was. Thank goodness Sam was coming down to help her straighten everything out!
Marcie was still frowning as she drove back to the house. What Sam had discovered at the bank wasn’t good news. During the past month, sixty thousand dollars had been transferred to the joint household account, and now there was only three hundred left. Marcie had followed Sam’s advice and taken her name off the joint account. Then she’d opened another account in her name. No more treasury bills could be transferred without her approval, but that still didn’t solve the mystery of where the money had gone. Marcie was sure that Brad had used it to pay some of Mercedes’s bills, and Sam had agreed to meet her back at the house to go over the household ledger.
When Marcie pulled up the driveway, she spotted Sam’s car parked near the palm tree by the front door. The problem must be serious. He certainly hadn’t wasted any time getting here!
“What’s the matter, Miss Marcie?” Rosa looked worried when Marcie came into the house. “You’re as white as a sheet!”
Marcie gave her a reassuring smile. There was no sense in upsetting Rosa. “It’s just a little banking problem. Where’s Sam?”
“In the den. I fixed a tray of sandwiches. He said you’d be working through lunch. And George Williams called. He said he’d be joining you.”
“George is coming here?” Marcie was puzzled.
“Yes. Mr. Sam said he called him from his car phone, and I’m supposed to buzz him in when he gets here. I fixed enough lunch for all three of you.”
“Thank you, Rosa.” Marcie drew a deep breath. “I guess I’d better get in there and help Sam with the books.”
When Marcie opened the door to the den, Sam was sitting behind the desk, going through a ledger. He looked up and smiled. “Hi, Marcie. Is this the only household ledger?”
“I think so.” Marcie frowned slightly. “I know that’s the one Brad uses. I’ve seen him writing in it.”
” And you keep the unpaid bills here?” Sam motioned toward one of the pigeonholes in the desk.
“Yes. If a bill comes in the mail, I stick it in there. Then Brad writes the total in the ledger, and pays it at the beginning of the month.”
“Brad writes all the checks?”
Marcie nodded. “I asked him to keep on doing it. He paid all the bills for Mercedes, and he promised me he’d take care of everything after we were married. It seemed silly to switch back and forth for such a short time.”
“Of course. A perfectly rational decision, under the circumstances. But the bills haven’t been paid this month.”
“Are you sure?” Marcie glanced at the ledger. All the amounts were written in next to the creditors’ names.
“Look at this.” Sam flipped back to the previous month and showed her the little green check marks after the amounts. “When Brad paid a bill, he checked it off. These are paid.”
Marcie frowned as Sam turned the page to the current month. “There aren’t any check marks.”
“Right. That means he didn’t pay them.” Sam patted the stack of bank statements on the corner of the desk. “If he’d written the checks on the first of the month, some of them would have cleared by now.”
Marcie nodded. “But there may have been other bills that aren’t in the ledger. These are just running expenses, like the power bill, and the telephone, and things like that.”
“True. That’s why I’m looking for another ledger, or even a check register. Do you know if Brad took his checkbook with him?”
“If it’s not in his center desk drawer, he did. That’s where he keeps it.”
Sam pulled open the drawer, but there was no checkbook inside. “Can you think of any large expense you may have had last month? A one-time expenditure, like a decorator, or a big repair, or a catered party?”
“No. Nothing like that.” Marcie shook her head. “Sam? Why did you ask George to join us?”
“He asked me to notify him if I discovered anything unusual about Mercedes’s estate, and a withdrawal of over fifty-nine thousand dollars in less than two months is definitely unusual.”
“I guess it is.” Marcie sighed. “Fifty-nine thousand dollars is a lot of money, Sam. It’s my yearly salary as a teacher! But I’m sure there’s an explanation. Brad must have used it to pay off a very large bill.”
“Perhaps.” Sam didn’t look convinced. “You have the number of the hotel where Brad’s staying, don’t you?”
Marcie shook her head. “He said he’d call me tomorrow night, and I have no idea which hotel he’s using. I’m afraid our questions will have to wait until then.”
There was a knock at the door, and George came in. He looked very grim. “Hello, Marcie. Sam.”
“Hi, George.” Marcie put on a smile even though she was upset. “Coffee?”
“I’ll get it.” George went over to the tray on the credenza and poured himself a cup. Then he pulled up a chair to the desk and sat down. “Did you find anything yet?”
Sam shook his head. “Nothing. And Brad won’t call in until tomorrow night.”
“Okay.” George nodded, and then he turned to Marcie. “Are the twins home?”
“No. They’re spending the day with friends, but Rosa’s going to pick them up before dinner. We were planning on going out for pizza.”
“Good idea.” George nodded. “I think Sam and I should take you and the twins to Anna’s.”
Marcie smiled. “That would be nice. Where’s Anna’s?”
“It’s on Pico, a block past the Westwood Mall. Anna’s has the best pizza in town, and it’s also a very good place to have a private conversation. I need to ask the twins some question
s.”
Marcie began to feel nervous as she stared at George. He looked very serious. “Questions about what?”
“About Brad. And about his relationship with their mother. I have a hunch the twins know much more than they’re telling us.”
CHAPTER 19
Marcie had to admit that Anna’s was a fine Italian restaurant. It was everything that George had promised. The pizza was superb. She’d tasted a piece of the twins’ pizza and found it delicious. And she’d certainly enjoyed the gorgonzola and pasta dish the owner had prepared for her at tableside. If George hadn’t been planning to ask the twins questions, she would have thoroughly enjoyed their meal. But she knew that George’s probing might be painful, and she couldn’t help being terribly anxious.
“How about some chocolate gelato for dessert?” George turned to the twins. “Or some of those little pastries brushed with apricot?”
“Could we have some of each?” Rick spoke up. “That way we could split.”
George nodded and gave their order to the waiter. “And while we’re waiting, I’m working on a case and I need to ask you guys some questions.”
“A murder case?” Rick’s eyes widened as George nodded. “Wow! Trish and I watch every single . . .”
“. . . detective show on television.” Trish finished the sentence for him. “And we always know . . .”
“. . . the murderer before the detective does.” Rick nodded.
“That’s what I was counting on.” George smiled at them. “But this case is very unusual. We’re not even sure it was a murder.”
Rick nodded. “I bet it looked like an accident. That’s the way they do it on television. But there’s always a smart cop that gets . . .”
