Murder by Decay

by Suzanne Young

  Following her hostess through to the morning room, Edna wondered why she and Albert hadn’t been aware of their friends’ financial distress. She was still uncertain and nervous about broaching the topic of the Tucker misfortune when she and Tuck took seats at a glass-topped table in front of sunny windows overlooking a flagstone patio bordered by spring bulbs already sprouting green leaves.

  Tuck had prepared English Monkey “adding a dash of sherry,” she confessed with a twinkle in her eye. Consuming anything alcoholic before five in the afternoon was Tuck’s idea of risqué behavior. Edna sampled what was also known as Welsh Rarebit and raved about the cheesy sauce served over toasted English muffins as she stalled for time, mentally considering and rejecting several opening gambits.

  “This was one of Nip’s favorites,” Tuck said with a touch of sadness in her voice. “He’s the one who insisted that sherry enhanced the flavor of the cheddar. Always wanted me to use Vermont extra sharp, too.”

  Edna murmured appreciatively at Tuck’s memory as she swallowed a hot, savory bite. “How did you come to be called Nip and Tuck?” she asked, putting down her fork and reaching for her tea to cool the inside of her mouth.

  Tuck squinted at Edna as if she hadn’t heard correctly. After several seconds had passed, she said with obvious surprise, “All the years that we’ve known each other and you don’t know it was your husband’s doing.”

  “Albert?” Edna blurted in surprise, wondering why she’d never bothered to ask about his best friend’s nickname.

  Tuck nodded. “At our wedding.” She then looked stricken, as if she’d said something wrong. “I’ve always been sorry you weren’t there. We all missed you terribly, but of course we understood.”

  Edna nodded in turn. “Life’s main events are usually out of our control and often don’t fall at the best of times,” she said, remembering the dismal day she’d attended her father’s funeral instead of celebrating the Tucker nuptials. Wanting to get back to happier thoughts, she prompted, “What did Albert do?”

  Tuck gave a short laugh and blushed slightly. “Well, you know Nip and I were both business majors, and it seems we were always vying for top honors. Nobody else came close to us during our last two years at the university. When Albert gave his best man’s speech, he referred to us in competition as ‘Nip and Tuck’ and, much to my dismay, the names caught on.” Tuck made a face. “I think the main reason our nicknames stuck was because Nip hated ‘Bernard.’ He was named for his grandfather, but couldn’t stand the old reprobate. I’m used to ‘Tuck’ now, but back then, I did think about getting even with Albert at your wedding. Tried to get Nip to call you Bert and Ernie, but he wouldn’t do it. Said he wouldn’t make Muppets out of you.”

  Edna nearly choked on the sip of tea she’d just taken. She put down her cup and laughed along with Tuck before she sputtered. “I’m very glad he refused.” She paused for a second or two before she added, “Do you mind talking about Nip?”

  “Not at all,” Tuck said. “I may shed a tear or two while doing it, but remembering helps to hold on to his memory.”

  “I recently heard something that I’m hoping you can clarify for me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m curious about the death of Billy Rob Kailey. I understand that Nip had some unfortunate business dealings with the man and wondered what you knew about them.”

  “That man,” Tuck nearly shouted as she balled her napkin and hurled it to the floor. “After ten years, his name still makes my blood boil.”

  Edna had never seen Tuck so angry. Peppa’s information had not prepared Edna for the vehemence of her friend’s reaction. “I don’t want you to talk about it, if it upsets you so much,” she said, reaching across the table in a placating gesture.

  “If that man were alive, I swear, Edna, I’d drive a stake through his heart.”

  The words shocked Edna. “Tuck, really. I don’t want you to get so upset. Please …”

  Tuck made fists with her hands and raised them above her head, shaking them at the ceiling. “He made our lives miserable, and he destroyed my husband.”

  Edna couldn’t seem to stop the flood of emotion pouring out of Tuck. She rose and hurried around the table to put an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Calm down, please, Tuck. I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about it.”

  As quickly as her temper flared, Tuck stopped ranting. She took a deep breath and accepted the napkin Edna had retrieved, pressing it to her mouth for a few seconds. Shaking her head as if to clear her mind, she lowered the napkin to her lap. “I’m okay. I’m really okay.” She raised her eyebrows at Edna and a giggle escaped her throat.

  Is she going into hysterics? Edna thought in near panic. What have I done?

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” Tuck said, another giggle bubbling up. “It felt rather good to get it out. My therapist said I should scream my head off, whenever I feel pressure building inside me.”

  Not knowing how to respond to the confidence, Edna straightened and picked up the china pot from the table. Wanting to be certain Tuck wouldn’t fly off the handle again, she refilled Tuck’s cup, then her own before resuming her seat across the table. “Tell me more about your school days with Nip,” she said, hoping to switch to a happier subject for Tuck.

  “No. You wanted to know about that horrible man and I want to tell you.” Tuck twisted the napkin in her hands as she shifted slightly in her seat to stare steadily at Edna. “He ruined my husband.”

  Edna nodded. “That’s what I heard. Nip lost a lot of money to Billy Rob.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Tuck said.

  Edna thought of the man she’d known and shook her head. “Nip was a shrewd businessman. Like you said, you were both top of your class in the business school. How did he let someone like this Billy Rob Kailey bamboozle him?”

  Tuck’s eyes narrowed. “Ohhh, that man was a real con artist. He was as charming as a cobra swaying before you, hypnotizing you.”

  “So you knew him?”

  Tuck nodded. “He came to the house to talk to us about health insurance. He was smooth, convincing. I’m ashamed to admit that I liked the man. After a few first visits, Nip met with him and his partner in their office. Once we were married, Nip handled all our business affairs. The money had been inherited from his family, so I couldn’t really object, although I would have liked him to confide in me.” Tuck shrugged. “Guess that was the down side of being so competitive.” She looked at the twisted mess of a napkin in her lap and tossed it onto the table, apparently not wanting to crease the linen more than she had already.

  “So he bought more than just health insurance from Kailey?” Edna prompted.

  “Yes, he certainly did. Kailey and Baxter talked him into other investments that turned out to be either bogus or losers.”

  “George Baxter,” Edna said aloud as she recalled the name Mary had mentioned.

  Tuck nodded again. “Yes. Billy Rob’s partner. Their underhanded schemes all came out at the trial. Nip was called to testify, tell how he was swindled. He was humiliated, having to air his private affairs in front of all those people, many of them our friends and neighbors. He had his first heart attack later that night.” Tuck stopped talking and grabbed her wrinkled napkin to swipe tears from her eyes.

  “Tuck,” Edna began, “if this is too painful for you …”

  “No. I want to talk about it. The story in the paper this week … about Billy Rob being found dead … it’s brought everything back. Up to now, I thought I’d come to terms with my feelings, but that report …” Tuck paused, took a deep breath and set the napkin aside again. When she spoke again, it was to relive her memory. “I had to call nine-one-one. Nip was having chest pains and I wasn’t strong enough to help him downstairs and outside to the car. I was afraid if I tried, he’d fall.” Her voice rose with the emotion she was reliving. “I insisted on riding with him to the emergency room. I was so sure he would die if I left his side.”

>   Edna put out a hand and laid it gently on Tuck’s forearm, imagining the fear that must have gripped her that night.

  Tuck patted the hand before Edna drew back as her friend resumed the story. “They gave me papers to fill out at the hospital. A few days later, a woman from the accounting department phoned to tell me our insurance was no good.” She sighed and picked up the napkin to dab at the corners of her eyes before going on.

  “What did you do?” Edna was horrified at the thought of such a predicament.

  “We paid out of our own pocket, of course. And then I found out Nip had used his family estate as collateral to invest in Billy Rob’s schemes,” Tuck said, again crumpling the napkin in her hands. “For more than a year after that, I would notice things disappearing from this house. At first, it was a painting or two from some of the unused bedrooms. I didn’t realize how serious our financial situation was until a van pulled up to the house one day when Nip wasn’t home. Two men came to the door and said they were here to pick up a lady’s writing desk and matching chair.” Tuck bowed her head.

  Edna didn’t know how to comfort her friend. Words seemed inadequate, so she remained silent.

  After nearly a minute, Tuck looked up with unshed tears. “That desk belonged to his grandmother. I know he would never have parted with it if he hadn’t been desperate. When I finally insisted he talk to me, all he would say was that he decided the house and land were the most important to save, if he could.”

  Hoping to put a happier note into the gloom, Edna said, “And obviously, he succeeded.” When Tuck occupied herself with drying her tears, Edna went on, “Did he eventually let you in on your financial situation?”

  Tuck shook her head. “Nope. He never did. I only realized things were improving when the furniture stopped disappearing.” Her smile was weak, but she sounded as if the worst was over when she stared dry-eyed at Edna and said, “If he confided in anyone, it would have been another man, and there’s really only one man he would have opened up to.”

  The silence grew while Tuck kept staring as if waiting for Edna to speak. Confused, Edna finally asked, “Who?”

  Tuck looked surprised, as if the answer were obvious. “Albert.”

  Edna was startled, but then thought about it. “Of course. They’d been best friends since college.”

  Tuck nodded. “Right. If anyone knows what went on between Nip and Billy Rob Kailey, it would be Albert. You should ask him.”

  “Good idea,” Edna said, already knowing she had no intention of doing so.

  Chapter 10

  It was mid-afternoon by the time Edna left Tuck to return home. Nearing the house, she decided to take a short detour. Passing her own driveway on the left, she turned right a hundred yards farther to drive up a macadam slope. As she stopped behind Carol’s red Kia, she saw her young neighbor on the back deck with Gran and Codfish. They waved as she got out of the car and crossed to the redwood steps.

  “Hello, Edna,” Gran said from her green plastic patio chair near the back door. She wore a bulky tan cardigan over her house dress that caused her eyes to appear a darker hazel, more brown than gold. Her white hair was pulled back neatly into a bun at the nape of her neck.

  Dressed in a red plaid flannel shirt and worn denims, Codfish sat in a similar chair in the center of the deck. His steel-gray hair was more neatly trimmed than on previous occasions when Edna had seen the man, and his shirt had been pressed since the last washing. “Afta-noon,” he said, straightening up as she drew near. He had been leaning over, stroking a small white terrier.

  “Hey, Edna,” Carol greeted from the built-in bench along the porch railing. “Recognize our little lost friend?”

  As if the dog knew she’d been introduced, she wagged her tail at Edna and gave one short, sharp bark, but remained pressed against the old man’s leg.

  “She’s so clean,” Edna said, surprised to recognize the Westie. She bent to pat the dog’s soft coat. “Looks like she’s had a bath and a combing.”

  Carol chuckled. “Makes quite a difference, doesn’t it.” She clapped her hands softly. “Here, Annie.”

  After the dog scampered over to Carol and leapt onto her lap, Edna sat on the bench beside them. “Annie?” she asked. “Is that her name? Was she chipped? Did you find her owner?”

  Carol shook her head but didn’t look unhappy when she said, “No. She doesn’t have a chip, and we’re still trying to locate an owner. We have to call her something, so she’s ‘Orphan Annie’ for now. She seems to like the name.” Carol hugged the terrier before putting her down. Picking up a small, stuffed teddy bear from the plank beside her, she tossed it to the dog.

  “She’s a sweet little thing, isn’t she?” Gran spoke up. “And she’s taken quite a shine to Codfish.”

  “Never had a dog a’fore,” he said, watching the terrier catch the toy in her mouth. He had a twinkle in his eye when the dog brought it over and dropped it at his feet.

  “See what I mean,” Gran said to Edna.

  “I think she’s responding to the sound of a man’s voice,” Carol said. “What do you think, Edna?”

  Conversation revolved around the new companion for a minute or two longer until Edna suddenly realized who she was missing. “Where’s Mary?”

  “Said she had some errands to run before her volunteer shift at the hospital tonight,” Carol replied.

  At that moment, a piercing buzzer sounded. Edna hadn’t noticed the timer on the small wicker table next to Gran’s chair until it went off. “That’d be my maple walnut pie,” the octogenarian said, placing her hands flat on her knees to push herself up out of her seat.

  “Time for another tasting,” Codfish said, winking at the other females as he rose and strolled over to open the door for his lady love. Before Annie could scoot in after them, he shut the screen. “Sorry, Annie. You have to stay out.”

  “Callie isn’t used to a dog in the house,” Carol explained to Edna, mentioning the calico kitten that had been Carol’s present from Gran for Christmas. “She went a little crazy earlier. Climbed up the curtains and wouldn’t come down until Codfish brought Annie out here.” Carol bent to scratch between the terrier’s ears when Annie came over, seemingly to complain about her exclusion from the house.

  “What will you do with Annie, if you can’t find her owner?” Edna asked.

  “Until we can get Callie to accept this friendly little critter, Codfish is going to keep Annie at his rooming house. He took her over to meet his landlady, the wily old fisherman,” Carol said with a grin. “He knew she wouldn’t enforce her “no dog” rule once she met Annie.”

  Edna laughed and watched as the terrier brought the stuffed bear to Carol for another toss. Annie had obviously given up on Codfish and wasn’t the least hesitant about turning to another friend. “I suppose you haven’t had a chance to start your research into Billy Rob Kailey or the old murder trial,” Edna said after Carol flung the toy into the yard.

  The young woman brightened and swiveled on the bench to face Edna. “As a matter of fact, I have. While Annie was being bathed and checked over at the vet clinic, I spent some time on the Internet.” She leaned forward and placed a hand on Edna’s forearm as if imparting a secret. “I found someone named Kailey living here in town. There are two females and a male listed as living at the same address. They’ve got to be related to this Billy Rob. Right?”

  Edna patted the hand and said, “If one of the females is named Fran, then I believe you’ve found his family. I spoke with my friends Peppa and Tuck this morning and learned a few things. One is that Billy Rob’s wife’s name was Fran. He also had a son and a daughter, so that would fit what you’ve discovered.”

  “I bookmarked some information on the trial, too, but haven’t had time to read much of it. I also need to find out more about the man accused of the murder.”

  “George Baxter?” Edna asked, experiencing the same feeling of familiarity she’d had when Tuck mentioned him. At Carol’s nod, she said, almost to h
erself, “Where else have I heard the name Baxter?”

  “This morning,” Carol reminded her, bending to get the bear that Annie had just dropped at her feet. She spoke distractedly as she threw the toy into the yard again and watched Annie chase after it. “Vera Baxter. Isn’t she your dentist’s assistant or something? She brought over some insurance forms for you to fill out.”

  “That’s it,” Edna said and studied Carol for several seconds as thoughts whirled in her head. “Do you suppose she’s related to the partner? If she is, I think it’s strange that she’s working for the man who ID’d the victim at Baxter’s murder trial.”

  “I can find out if there’s a connection,” Carol said, turning back to look at Edna as she spoke with confidence. She was about to say something else when Annie returned, panting and wagging her tail expectantly. The bear was back on the deck near Carol’s shoe. “That’s enough, sweetie,” she said, picking up the small dog and settling both live and cloth animals on her lap. As she stroked the white head, she leaned back against the railing. “I’ve got a phone number for the Kaileys. I haven’t tried phoning yet, but I want to make an appointment to interview them.”

  “I’d like to go with you,” Edna said, then added, “If I won’t interfere with your research, that is. I’d enjoy sitting in on a professional interview.”

  Carol seemed pleased at the implied compliment. “I don’t see why you couldn’t come along.”

  “Good,” Edna said, remembering something else she needed from Carol. “Since you’re so experienced at finding people, I have a few more names on my list.” She proceeded to tell Carol what she’d learned about Kailey’s shady dealings, ending with the news that Gordon Jennings had been one of Billy Rob’s victims. “I’d like to track down those three employees Gordon had to let go. It may be a slim chance, but I’m wondering if one of them might have been angry enough to want to ruin him.”