“If he was picked up that many times, he couldn’t have kept his involvement in drugs hidden.”
“That’s one reason I doubt his death was an accident.” Jack sighed heavily. He lumbered after me, brooding, as I picked up our coffee cups and carried them into the kitchen.
“Let’s hope we get a break once the CSIs have gone over the spot where Charlie’s body was found. They’re on the way now. Hank also has Tony and his other officers working overtime running background checks on everyone at Dave’s house on Sunday. He didn’t like it when I added more names for them to check, but I want them to check up on the Wolf Gang members we’ve identified so far. Tomorrow I’m going to see what I can find out by visiting City Club.”
“You do have your hands full, Detective Wheeler. I’m sure this case isn’t the only one in your portfolio of misdeeds, either. Why don’t I take a first crack at talking to the women while you continue to chase down the potential bad guys?”
“What did I just say about you being a person of interest to the wolfman or whoever has sent him after you if he’s not acting on his own?”
“I don’t mind being in protective custody while you’re around, darling.” I gave my worried husband a hug. “You can’t afford to babysit me 24/7. Besides, I’m a working woman and I’ve got mysteries to solve, too. It’s true the biggest one right now involves cake.” Jack said nothing as I stepped around to a cupboard where I’d stashed a takeout box. “Carol and I are meeting with the caterers to decide what to serve at the company memorial for Dave. I’d appreciate your help on my desperate dilemma. I brought samples home.”
“Is there no end to the demands of married life?” He asked. “It’ll have to be quick. I’m going to have to leave you unsupervised sooner than either of us would like.” I paused before the tiny sliver of cake I was transferring from the box reached the plate I’d placed in front of Jack.
“Uh-oh,” was all I could come up with reading the look in Jack’s eyes.
“Dave Rollins’ murder was outside my jurisdiction. They found Charlie’s body on a beach closer to home.”
“How close?” I asked as my wifely intuition told me there was more to what he was saying.
“At the northern end of Crystal Cove, a few miles up the road from here.” I sucked in a breath.
“That’s another message, isn’t it?” I asked and quickly set out the remaining cake samples for Jack.
“Maybe. It’s another reason to be careful.” In too short a time, Jack had picked his favorites.
“It’s likely to be a late night. Don’t wait up, okay?” I nodded, although I might as well wait up. No way was I going to sleep until he got home anyway. Once Jack had slipped back on his Detective Wheeler suit jacket, he gave me a kiss and then dashed toward the door leading out into the garage. Ella cut him off, crossing his path at a diagonal, from his right. Jack stopped, bent down and patted her.
“I’ll be back. Keep Mama company while I’m gone, okay?” She blinked at him with her stunning blue eyes. When batting her eyes at him like that didn’t work, and Jack took another step, she cut him off again. This time she got assistance from Miles who let out a mournful cry. In one fell swoop, Jack picked up both cats and deposited them on barstools at the kitchen island. “Treats!” He exclaimed. The cats looked at me expectantly.
“That won’t work. They know it’s too early for more treats.” Steely-eyed, their gazes didn’t waver as Jack gave me a wink and slipped out the door. “Oh, okay. More treats it is, you spoiled kitties.”
17 Cookie Interrogation
It was a restless night. Much of it spent in that twilight zone, not fully asleep or awake. My dreams were filled with images of people with powdery white bouffant hairdos. Some of them hung on the wall in ornate frames. Like a scene from one of Max Marley’s ghost story films—Witch Hazel’s Haunted Warren or Spirits of Wildflower Hollow. It wasn’t until Jack slipped into bed that I fell deep asleep. By the way I felt, and he looked, we were both in for a rugged day.
“What time did you get in last night?” I asked as I pulled coffee cups from the cupboard and filled one for my groggy husband and another for me.
“This morning you mean? It was after one o’clock. No more bodies at the beach, for a while, I hope. Tide and time wait for no man and with a steady breeze blowing in, I could add wind to that adage. There was a big push to document the scene and clean up before nature could take its course and damage the evidence.”
“Another body that might have vanished if someone hadn’t phoned in that tip.” I was speaking to myself as I leaned over and set Jack’s coffee in front of him. Jack responded as if I’d spoken to him. I sipped my coffee, relishing the boost the steamy brew gave me.
“Correct. Charlie’s body was closer to the water and without a bunch of rocks to block the wave action. I left a message for my colleagues to do what they can to find out where that call came from last night. If we’re lucky we’ll get a lead on the caller, but I’m not holding my breath. We’ll have to wait for the coroner’s report before we know for certain what killed Charlie. The CSIs don’t believe Charlie was killed where we found him. That’s another reason they were so keen to preserve his body and comb the area for anything in the vicinity that could give us a clue about where he was killed.”
“Or whodunit,” I added. I jumped a little when that comment was punctuated by the pinging of the toaster.
“That would be nice to learn, too, before someone else gets murdered.” A worried expression stole over Jack’s weary face. He sighed loudly as I handed him a toasted bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Miles and Ella went on alert. Both cats tilted their heads back sniffing the air, followed by a volley of enthusiastic vocalizations. They floated up onto the barstools on either side of Jack and he visibly relaxed as they purred loudly.
“Don’t let them con you into believing they need to be fed. They already scarfed down their morning treats while you were in the shower. If you give in and feed their fish addiction, it won’t be good for them. Lox have too much sodium for cats.” Just as I got those words out, Ella reached out and tried to pull Jack’s arm toward her, peering up at him with her big baby blues.
“Aw, look how much she loves me. Sorry, little girl. Mama says no.” Both cats looked straight at me. It broke my heart a little, but I didn’t yield. “I’ll bet your doting cat mama has something else special tucked away in the fridge just for the two of you. Right?” Jack asked, adding his now twinkling eyes to the stare down I faced.
“This is getting to be a very bad habit. Treats! More treats, you rascals.” I dug out a slice of turkey, broke it into bits, and dropped the pieces into their treat bowls. The cats were already at my feet, having flown from the barstools when they heard their favorite word. “Turkey addicts, too! Speaking of addictions, did Charlie die from a drug overdose?”
“On the face of it.” Jack winced. “I won’t go into the unsavory details over breakfast, but let’s just say someone tried to make it appear as if he died while using drugs. Totally staged. Pointless, too, since he’d also been hit on the back of the head.” I sucked in an audible gulp of air—loud enough that Miles and Ella stopped pigging out and glanced up at me. Only for a moment, however, before they resumed wolfing down turkey bits as though they were starving.
“Hit on the head just like Dave?”
“Not the same weapon, but the method’s similar. An angry impulsive act.”
“It was no small feat to move a dead man from one place to another. If it’s the same culprit who threw rocks at us, why not scream and run away like he did that day? Why take the extra risk of securing drugs to set the scene?”
“Those are great questions. The killer might have had no choice but to move Charlie if the location of his murder would have given away the killer’s identity.” Jack finished his breakfast and emptied his coffee cup. “Still, a clever killer would have dumped the body where it might never have been found rather than set up that hokey drug overdose
situation.”
“Whoever it is isn’t all there—not all the time anyway. Maybe the drugs belong to the killer and the impulsiveness is tied to getting high.”
“That’s as good an explanation as any. It doesn’t make me feel any better about the killer’s decision to choose a dump site this close to where we live.” Worry was on his face again. “Take Carol with you if you visit the Margarets or go talk to Connie Forsythe or her niece, okay?” My mouth popped open.
“You told me you were going to interrogate the women in your crusader role. Not that they’ll necessarily realize that’s what you’re up to since you’ll most likely drop in with cake or cookies!” Jack added, tilting his head back and bobbing his head as he sniffed the air just like those cats had done minutes earlier. “Which is it? I smelled dessert the minute I walked into the house at one a.m. If I hadn’t been exhausted, I would have conducted a thorough investigation and uncovered the concealed goods.”
“Cookies. What was I supposed to do to keep from worrying about my detective husband while he’s at a gruesome crime scene until late at night? I baked like a maniac! Your dessert’s ready for this evening. Since I got so carried away, your idea about using them to ply the truth from unsuspecting suspects is a great one. Cookie interrogation might just work.”
“My idea, huh? You’re not going to try out my innovation in investigative techniques without having me taste-test your secret weapon, are you?”
“You’re as big a con artist as those cats,” I harrumphed, caving in immediately. “Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies aren’t that bad for breakfast.”
“Oh, heck no! Chocolate’s heart healthy as you’ve taught me. You’re the perfect wife for an ‘eat dessert first’ guy like me.” Jack was laying it on thick.
“Aw, a wee bit of the blarney already this fine morning. What woman could resist a compliment like that one? How about a refill on your coffee to go with the cookies?” Jack nodded with the expectant look of a ten-year-old on his handsome face.
I laughed as I opened one of several plastic containers filled with cookies and placed a couple on a plate for Jack. The aroma of chocolate, spices, and sugar filled the air. I resisted the urge to do the head-bobbing Jack and the cats had done but failed to pass up a cookie.
“Yum!” Jack said once he’d downed a bite of cookie with a gulp of coffee. “What else have you got in those cookie boxes?” He eyed the stack I’d pulled out from a storage cabinet.
“You’ll find out soon enough. Not until lunchtime at your office, I hope. This box is for you to take with you to work. I don’t know how you and your colleagues do what you do every day. You can add cookie therapy to cookie interrogation as your wife’s innovations in investigative procedures.”
“You’re a clever sleuth. Not just because of the cookies, either. People trust you, as they should. I hope that means you have better luck than we have locating Emily Lombard. She’s not at her condo and her aunt Connie claims she doesn’t have a clue where she is, but suggested we contact her parents in Fresno. That didn’t work, either.”
The more Jack spoke, the more anxious I became about the young woman in that photo. I remembered the conversation Jack and I had about the reasons the woman with Dave the night hadn’t come forward.
“Are you saying no one has seen or heard from her since Friday night when she was at that gala?”
“No, I’m not saying that. No one’s reported her as a missing person. Neither her aunt nor her parents were as worried about her as you are at this moment. That tells me they know where she is but aren’t willing to help us locate her.”
“That’s more than a little suspicious if you’re right.”
“I could always be wrong, but yes, I’m more than a little suspicious. Good luck tracking her down. If anyone can do it, though, you can. Even with your faithful companion Carol at your side, promise you’ll be extra careful until we have this mess sorted out.”
“I will if you will.” The three-fingered Boy Scout salute was my reply. Coffee and sugar had worked wonders. Jack was humming as he left the house.
I felt enormous relief at how sure he was that Emily Lombard hadn’t become a third victim of the person or persons who’d killed Dave and Charlie. I could be wrong too, but I couldn’t picture Emily Lombard as Dave’s ruthless killer. Nor could I come up with any reason for her to want to murder poor Charlie.
Jack was right about one thing. I couldn’t wait to interrogate the women in Dave’s life. I wasn’t even going to wait until I got to work to try that phone number I had for Maggie Knight. It wasn’t even eight yet, so I showered and dressed. Then, I called her hoping to set up a time to meet today or tomorrow. Those cookies wouldn’t stay fresh forever, nor would they hang around for long with a chocoholic like me and an eat dessert first guy in the house.
“Maggie Knight speaking.” The voice that responded to my call was a pleasant one. I quickly apologized for calling before nine, explained who I was, and expressed my condolences for the loss of her grandfather. Before she could say much more than a tentative “thank you,” I continued speaking and made my pitch.
“We’re organizing an event at Marvelous Marley World to memorialize your grandfather’s life and work. Max Marley has asked us to make sure Dave’s closest friends and his family have a chance to give us input about how best to do that. I’d love to include you and your grandmother, Meg Landry, in the process if you’re willing to meet with me. I don’t mind doing that wherever it’s most comfortable and convenient for you and your grandmother.” After that bout of speed-talking, I shut up and took in a deep breath—holding it for what seemed like forever—until Maggie responded.
“This is kind of a tough time for both of us. My grandmother and I are still in shock. I barely had a chance to get to know him and he’s gone. It’s hard on grandma, too. After so many years learning to live without him, she lets him back into her life and suddenly he’s gone again.” Maggie sighed deeply. I thought I was going to lose her when she finally spoke again. “We need to meet soon though, don’t we?”
“If possible,” I replied, buoyed by the fact that she hadn’t told me to go away.
“I’m taking Grandma out this morning for a doctor visit. Then she has a hair appointment. I promised her lunch somewhere with a view of the ocean after that. Can you meet us for lunch or dessert?”
“I’d be happy to do that. Just say where and when.”
“Um, that’s a problem since I don’t exactly know how long her morning appointments will take. You know they can keep you waiting at the doctor’s office? We’re winging it at the salon, too. If you have a suggestion for a place she’d enjoy eating, I’d appreciate that, too. It’ll be tough to make a reservation, though, won’t it?” Maggie Knight sighed. “Maybe we should try later in the week. It can’t be tomorrow because I’m tied up all day. Let me pull up my calendar on my phone and check.”
I could feel the opportunity to speak to the two Margarets slipping away. Then two words popped into my head in big, bright letters: views and dessert. I had both.
“How about this? Why not have lunch with me at my house?” I explained where I lived and that the ocean views would be distant ones, but we wouldn’t need a reservation.
“Grandma would love it. Are you sure it’s not too much bother on such short notice?” Truthfully, I would have to hustle to make this work. Who knew what Carol would have to do to join us? I wanted her in the loop not just because I’d promised Jack to take her with me, but because she was handling so many of the details related to the memorial service for Dave. Still, it seemed like my best chance to corner these two women for a solid round of cookie interrogation. A homier, more private setting might make it easier to have the discussion I also hoped to have with them about Dave’s past.
“It’s no trouble at all,” I replied, crossing my fingers as I told that fib. “Let’s aim for lunch around one-thirty. Give me a ring if it’s going to be later than that.”
“Thanks so
much. This is such a relief. Grandma won’t admit it, but she has trouble hearing in noisy places like crowded restaurants.” Miles, who had been stretched out next to Ella in a pool of sunshine, decided to pick that moment to roar like the mini-lion that he is at heart.
“Hush, Miles. Sorry,” I said. “It’s not always quiet around here. I hope you and your grandmother are okay with cats. I should have mentioned that in case either of you have allergies. Not just to cats, but to particular foods.”
“We love cats. Neither of us can have them where we’re living. My housing situation is about to change and one of the first things I’m going to do is get a kitten. Maybe two!” The joy that prospect offered was apparent in her voice. Her entire mood picked up. “Wait until I tell Grandma—lunch with a view and cats. No food allergies, either. We grew up in Southern Louisiana where even if you had them you wouldn’t admit it. Food is a big deal and you don’t want to miss out on something delicious just because it might not agree with you.” When she mentioned Southern Louisiana, I could hear just a hint of an accent. A soft laugh followed, like the sound of piano keys being struck perfectly. I was going to enjoy meeting the two Margarets.
“What are some of your grandma’s favorite dishes?” Maggie’s enthusiasm for adventurous eating was contagious.
“Any kind of seafood—especially fish with meuniere sauce.”
“Isn’t that interesting? Sole Meunière was one of your grandfather’s favorites, too. We’ve included it on the menu at a Marvelous Marley World event more than once because he requested it.”
“Yes, my grandmother and grandfather really were soulmates. It’s too bad life got in the way of their happiness.” Her tone had turned wistful and a pause followed. Not a long one this time. “Please don’t go to any extra trouble. Whatever you’re planning for your lunch will be fine with us. It’s kind of you to invite us to your home. We’ll see you and Miles this afternoon.”
Murder of the Maestro Page 14
