Elaine Viets & Victoria Laurie, Nancy Martin, Denise Swanson - Drop-Dead Blonde (v5.0) (pdf)

by Drop-Dead Blonde (epub)

  ``So now that we know, why don't you fill us in on the rest of it?'' Cat asked.

  ``Fine,'' Deirdre said with a sigh. ``You might as well know that it's also true that, due to my father's rather myo- pic view of the world, he left Celeste the bulk of his estate and guardianship of the trust he set up to entice the scien- 328 Victoria Laurie tific community to disprove the theory of psychic phenom- ena, even while he touted publicly that the money was an incentive to prove it existed. You see, he reasoned that if the scientific community set out to find proof and failed, then eventually people would come to the conclusion that no such proof existed, and reason that psychic phenomena was all bunk.''

  ``Sounds like a clever man,'' I said dryly.

  ``Oh, yes, that he was,'' Deirdre said with a bit of nostal- gia. ``But that's not what is truly funny here, ladies,'' she continued. ``The irony of ironies is that Celeste blew through all the money and was nearly as broke as I am the day she was murdered.''

  ``She blew it?'' Cat asked. ``How?''

  Deirdre sighed sadly and said, ``She gambled it away and lost just about every penny. The really tragic thing for her was that she was reduced to living off the interest from the trust, because even though my father put the limitation on the prize that it couldn't be awarded to any blood relative, he allowed for Celeste to benefit from the interest the trust earned. So you see, this woman had become accustomed to living on millions, and after she wasted every penny she was reduced to making ends meet on only one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year, which sounds easy enough unless you've got spending habits that calculate up to ten times that.''

  Although we were all listening to Deirdre intently, her point was still elusive, so I asked, ``What does this have to do with anything?''

  ``Don't you see?'' she said, her eyes willing me to under- stand. ``That's why she was here in the first place. That's why she had decided to come after me. Celeste figured she could dig up some dirt and build on my success to write a book about debunking psychics. My agent flat-out told me she was looking for a book deal, and I think someone must have bought into it, because about six weeks ago I heard she was out there fishing around some of my clients. So my theory is that someone knew she and I would get into it, and this same someone knew this would be the perfect opportunity to frame me for the murder.''

  ``So when we asked you earlier if you knew anyone who gambled, and you said no, this didn't ring any bells?'' BLIND SIGHTED 329

  Deirdre sighed heavily and lowered her chin. ``Well, yes, but I didn't think it was especially relevant.''

  ``Are you stupid, or just simpleminded, Pendleton?'' I said, my hands clenching into fists as my frustration mounted.

  ``Don't get snippy, Cooper. The reason I didn't tell you was because I had a similar problem about fifteen years ago. But unlike Celeste, I got help for my addiction. So when you asked me about a gambler, I didn't know if you meant me or Celeste. And I didn't want you to think I had something to do with the murder, so I just thought it would be better to focus on some of your other . . . uh . . . so- called `clues,' '' she finished, using finger quotes to finish her sentence.

  ``What the hell is that supposed to mean?'' I asked, grow- ing really angry now at having wasted so much time.

  ``Well, so far, Miss Cooper, your abilities on this case are failing to excite me.''

  ``Ohmigod, I'm gonna kill you!'' I said, jumping up and moving menacingly toward her.

  Cat jumped up too and got right in front of me, blocking my way. ``Abby! Abby, calm down! This isn't the way to handle this!''

  ``She's purposely trying to stonewall our investigation!'' I stormed.

  ``No, she's not, Abby,'' Cat said sensibly, with a pointed look over her shoulder at Deirdre. ``She's just jealous of your abilities, and even though she desperately needs your help she secretly doesn't want you to succeed, because that would mean she really is a failure. So you see? She's clearly not thinking it through, because if she were, Deirdre would understand how much you've sacrificed on her behalf; how all you wanted to do was come down here and enjoy a little time in the sun, and instead you've been working your tail off trying to keep her out of jail--''

  ``You know what, Cat?'' I said, my anger mounting with every breath. ``You're absolutely right, and I think it's high time I got back to my original plan. Deirdre?'' I said sweetly over Cat's shoulder.

  ``Yes?'' Deirdre answered, Cat's words clearly ringing in her ears as she looked at me nervously.

  ``I quit. Millicent, Cat,'' I said, looking determinedly at 330 Victoria Laurie both of them, ``if you need me I'll be up in my room order- ing room service and planning my day tomorrow at the beach.''

  As I turned to walk away I heard Deirdre call out des- perately, ``Abby! Please don't quit on me! If you leave now how will I clear my name?''

  ``Ask your guide, `Great Bag of Hot Air'! I'm sure he can help!''

  Later that night, just as I'd finished eating my lobster salad, Millicent and Cat came back to the room and sat down carefully next to me. ``How you feeling?'' Cat asked nervously.

  ``Me?'' I asked, looking at her like she'd asked a silly question. ``Why, I'm fine. I'm finally going to get a day to rest and enjoy the beach, which is the sole reason I came here in the first place.''

  ``Don't be mean,'' Cat said reproachfully.

  ``I'm not being mean, Cat, I'm just sick of this whole thing. We've been on this wild-goose chase for what feels like an eternity, and it's gotten us nowhere and for what?''

  ``A trip to Hawaii?'' Millicent asked meekly.

  I looked quickly at Millicent, and my mouth fell open a little. I'd completely forgotten about the deal we'd made with Deirdre. ``Shit,'' I said, ``I forgot about that, Millicent. I'm sorry.''

  ``It's all right, dear. I'm sure it's not as wonderful as everyone says it is.''

  Guilt, guilt, guilt. Double shit. ``Millicent,'' I tried, ``I'm out of leads here. I don't know what Celeste's gambling problem has to do with her murderer, and I don't know who to question next--''

  Just then there was a knock on the door, and the three of us looked a question mark at one another as Cat went to answer it. When the door opened we could see Zoe � Schmitt standing in the hallway, and Millicent and I stood up quickly.

  ``Hello,'' Zoe said sheepishly.

  �

  ``Zoe!'' Cat said excitedly. ``We thought Deirdre scared

  � you off.''

  ``Oh, her? No way. I normally wouldn't give her the time of day. Do you know that I tested her before the seminar, BLIND SIGHTED 331 and her results were actually worse than chance? Really, the woman's a total scam.''

  ``So we've heard,'' Cat said, letting her in.

  ``How did you find us?'' Millicent asked.

  ``Well, I went to the front desk and inquired about whether or not you had checked out yet, and the clerk said no, and then he asked if I wanted to buy your room number for fifty dollars.''

  ``Fifty?'' Cat gasped. ``He charges me a hundred!''

  ``What?'' Zoe asked, looking at Cat.

  �

  ``Nothing,'' I said quickly. ``Listen, Zoe, I'm glad you're

  � here. We have a couple of additional questions we'd like to ask you, if you have a minute.'' What can I say? I'd made a promise to Millicent, and I was having a hard time looking at her sweet face and feeling okay about letting her down.

  ``Sure, and after that can you sit down with me and take a few more tests?''

  ``Uh, sure,'' I said, ``that'll be fine. So,'' I said, searching for a place to begin. Just then my intuition buzzed, and the image of the calico cat came into my mind's eye very crisp and clear, so I decided to lead with that. ``Let me ask you something personal. Do you by any chance own a calico cat?''

  Zoe chuckled like I'd just asked her a joke and said,

  � ``That's a weird question. Why would you ask?''

  I chuckled myself and replied, ``Sometimes my intuition just homes in on something obscure, and every time I'm around you I see an image of a cal
ico cat coming out of an old school building.''

  ``Wow!'' Zoe said, her eyes widening in surprise. ``Abby,

  � that's pretty good!''

  ``So you do own a calico cat?'' I asked, getting excited.

  ``Uh, no, but I know what your intuition is referencing. The Institute for Metaphysical Studies is run by my boss, Kitty Lowenstein. She's actually the one who encouraged me to try for the Ballentine reward money. She thought it would do wonders for the school, and she's been so sup- portive through this whole process. Most people think I'm crazy to give all the money away to the school, but it's really important to me that our mission continue. I have so many students who benefit from our courses, and it would 332 Victoria Laurie be a shame if we had to shut our doors. The prize money would guarantee we could continue our mission for a long, long time.''

  All of the sudden my intuition went haywire, and I knew Kitty was a piece of this puzzle. Trying to hide my anxious- ness, I asked, ``Oh? Wow, that's great. Listen, is your boss, Kitty, back in Kansas?''

  ``No, actually. She's here for the retreat too. She thought she could do some recruiting of potential students identified by my research. She has the room next to mine, in fact.''

  I stole a glance at Cat, who was looking at me with eyes that were dancing with excitement. ``I would love to meet your boss!'' Cat said, and came forward to stand next to me. ``Listen, Abby, I know you said earlier you were pretty exhausted from all the goings-on at the hotel today, and I know how your antenna doesn't work as well when you're tired as when you're rested. Why don't you and Zoe get � together tomorrow morning, after you've had a chance to get a thorough night's sleep?''

  Zoe's shoulders slumped in disappointment, and she

  � looked at me with resignation. ``Would you rather get to- gether in the morning?'' she asked politely, even though I could tell she'd be crushed if I put her off again.

  ``Yes, Zoe, I think I would,'' I answered, lifting my arms

  � above my head for a gigantic stretch and throwing in a big, fat yawn for effect.

  ``Oh, all right. I guess it is getting kind of late,'' Zoe said,

  � lifting her watch up and noting the time. ``And I haven't had a chance to eat dinner yet.''

  ``Then it's settled,'' Cat said quickly, taking Zo by the shoulders and escorting her to the door. ``Abby will come down to your room promptly at nine A.M.--what room number did you say you were?''

  ``Number four fifty-seven,'' Zoe answered obediently,

  � ``second to last door on the left.''

  ``Perfect,'' Cat said, and squeezed her arm even as she began to shut the door. ``We'll see you then.''

  We waited fifteen anxious minutes after practically clos- ing the door in Zoe's face, and then filed quickly out the

  � door. A few minutes later, and after a very short debate on which side of room number 457 to knock on, we took a chance and tapped briskly on number 459. The door was BLIND SIGHTED 333 opened a little bit later by a rotund woman with short black hair streaked with several odd patches of white all about her head. The pattern was so unusual and fit so perfectly with the calico cat analogy that for a moment I was caught off guard, ``Uh, hello . . .'' I stuttered, smiling uncomfortably.

  ``Can I help you?'' she asked.

  It was then that I noticed she was wearing a bathrobe and quickly I apologized, ``I'm so sorry; I didn't realize I'd caught you at a bad time.''

  ``It's fine,'' she assured me. ``I was just getting ready to jump in the tub.''

  ``Uh-huh . . .'' I said, unsure how to proceed.

  ``Hello,'' Millicent said, moving in and nudging me out of the way. ``I'm Millicent Satchel, and I believe I'm psy- chic, but I don't know how to develop my intuition. We heard that you run a school for the gifted, and we'd like to find out some more information. Oh, and by the way, we're all rich, so money is no object.''

  I nearly blew it by laughing inappropriately, but caught myself just in time. Kitty hesitated in the doorway for a moment, weighing Millicent's statement, but then slowly let the door open and motioned for us to come in.

  The inside of Kitty's hotel room was comfortable and atypical. There were two queen beds, one unmade and very rumpled, and a television blared on top of a dresser. Televi- sion addict that I am, I couldn't help but check out the program, and noted with disappointment that the broadcast was covering an NBA game. In the background the sound of a bathtub filling with water could be heard. It appeared that Kitty was telling the truth about preparing to take a bath.

  Millicent took the lead again, asking Kitty about the school and the programs they offered, as my eyes wandered the room and my intuition buzzed for me to look closely because something felt out of place. Distracted, I homed in on the message and kept seeing the apple tree and its fruit dropping to the ground. I didn't understand the metaphor, so in frustration I shook my head again and tried to focus on Kitty and her answers to Millicent's questions.

  It was then that I noticed Kitty scratch at her arm, and when she did so she lifted the sleeve of her robe to reveal 334 Victoria Laurie a rash creeping up her arm, masked slightly by a light white cream.

  ``Ohmigod!'' I said, and pointed at her, the shock of each and every clue suddenly falling into place making me forget to be discreet.

  ``What?'' Kitty asked, turning to her left and right to see if I was pointing to something behind her.

  ``You!'' I said, still pointing, ``You've got poison ivy!''

  Cat and Millicent stood frozen in place, mute to my out- burst, confusion clouding their expressions.

  ``So?'' Kitty asked, already backing up a little and pulling down the sleeves of her robe.

  ``You've got the same rash as Gerald!'' I said, getting excited. ``It was the two of you, wasn't it? You two killed Celeste!''

  Millicent and Cat gasped, as they turned wide eyes on Kitty, waiting for her to say something. She, however, did not make a sound, but in the bathroom all four of us heard the sound of the bathtub faucet squeaking as it was turned off, and only a second later the bathroom door creaked open to reveal Gerald Ballentine, clad only in jeans, hold- ing a .45 and sporting a menacing grin.

  ``How'd you figure it out?'' he asked as he stepped into the room.

  ``The apple never falls far from the tree,'' I said, looking nervously at the gun.

  ``What's that supposed to mean?'' he asked.

  ``Your mother was a gambler, and so are you.'' I pointed at the blaring TV, which was tuned to ESPN. ``You bet on basketball, don't you, Gerald? That's why you were upset earlier today. You bet on a game and lost. You weren't upset about your mother at all, because you killed her.''

  ``Not bad,'' Gerald said, walking into the center of our group, aiming the gun in my general direction.

  Nervously, I eyed the gun and decided to keep talking and stall for time. ``And because your granduncle set up the trust so that the money couldn't go directly to a member of the family, you and Kitty, here, were working on getting the money from the trust by granting it to Zoe, because you

  � knew she'd give it to the Institute of Metaphysical Studies.''

  ``Yes, that was our plan--Miss Cooper, is it? At least, it was until you showed up with your good intentions and BLIND SIGHTED 335 informed me about Zoe's flawed research. All afternoon

  � I've been worrying how I could still get around to granting her the money after you'd exposed her, and now I don't have to worry about it anymore.''

  ``Why not?'' Millicent asked meekly.

  ``Because I'm going to kill you,'' Gerald said evilly. ``And with you out of the way, I can grant the money to Zoe, � and Kitty and I can retire to Mexico, right Kitty?''

  ``That's right, baby,'' Kitty purred, and the way the two of them looked at each other made the lobster salad I'd eaten earlier do a flip-flop in my tummy.

  ``Now, all of you, move over to the bed,'' he said, waving the gun at us.

  ``You'll never get away with it,'' I said as I felt my way along the bed, trying to make room for Cat
and Millicent but never taking my eyes off the gun. ``I mean, you might have gotten away with Celeste's murder, but three more added to the list, Gerald, is a little much to--''

  ``Shut up!'' Gerald yelled my way while pulling back the safety on the gun. He didn't have to tell me twice; I went instantly quiet. ``That's better,'' he said; then he looked at Kitty and said, ``Take the lamp cords and tie them up. We can put socks in their mouths until it's safe to move them.''

  Kitty jumped to do Gerald's bidding, and walked over to the nightstand, where she unplugged the lamp, then tugged the cord free and proceeded to head to the other lamp around the bed. Millicent, thinking fast, shoved her foot out, tripping Kitty, who went down like a big sack of calico potatoes.