Murder by Decay

by Suzanne Young

  “I can’t go,” Mary said, frowning. “I’m working in the morning for the friend who took my place tonight. And, I have another lead on Annie that I should follow up.”

  “Think you’ve found her owner?” Carol said, sounding more worried than pleased.

  “Won’t know ‘til tomorrow,” Mary said with typical vagueness.

  “It’s settled, then,” Edna said. She felt a little better, now that they had a plan. “Carol and I will visit Vera in the morning and meet you back here for lunch to compare notes.”

  Chapter 12

  The next morning, on her way to pick up Carol for their morning’s sojourn, Edna had second thoughts. The day was gray and overcast with a light rain misting the windshield as she pulled up in front of Carol’s garage. Turning up the collar of her London Fog, she crossed to the redwood deck. As she reached the Dutch door, she spotted Carol waving her inside. The warm kitchen held the lingering smell of cinnamon rolls, one of Gran’s specialties.

  Swapping morning greetings, Carol traded a steaming mug of coffee for Edna’s damp coat and motioned her to the table. When Carol took a chair opposite, she frowned at Edna. “Looks like you’ve got something on your mind. What’s up?”

  Edna took a slow sip and kept her eyes on the cup as she set it back down, wondering how receptive Carol would be to Edna’s latest idea. “I don’t think you should come with me to see Vera,” she said, finally lifting her eyes to Carol’s. She hurried on before the young woman could voice her objections. “I think she might talk more openly if I’m by myself. She may become angry at my questions, and then you’ll be guilty by association. You wouldn’t have a chance at another interview. Also, I’m thinking that the two of us showing up could be intimidating. She might feel as though we’re ganging up on her. That would put her off to begin with, don’t you think?” She posed the suggestion, stopped talking and hoped Carol would understand and agree.

  The young reporter frowned and chewed on her lower lip, as if mulling over the idea. Still without speaking, she swiveled in her chair to stare out at the wet deck. “Too messy to take my scooter out,” she said, turning back to Edna with a grimace. “I planned on riding into town with you, so Gran has the car. She and Codfish are helping with both the breakfast and lunch crowds at the restaurant today. They won’t be home until mid-afternoon.” She sighed as she looked out again at the bleak weather.

  “I didn’t mean you couldn’t come into town with me. I’m only saying you should stay out of Vera’s sight for now, so she won’t identify you with me.” Edna rushed to reassure her.

  “You’re probably right,” Carol said, and her lips slowly curved into a sly grin. “If I stay in the car while you talk to her, will you drive by the Kaileys’ address afterwards? The kids might be home and just not answering the phone. I bet once the news was out about their father, they’ve been inundated with calls from the press.” Edna raised her eyebrows at the comment, but Carol gave a short, embarrassed laugh and rushed on. “I know, I know, I’m one of the obnoxious media, but maybe they won’t mind talking about their father. What they thought of their dad. Was he a monster to them or a loving father?”

  Edna hesitated. Charlie had asked them not to question the Kaileys, and besides, she felt awkward intruding on the children in their time of grief. The thought made her wonder how many townsfolk would be calling with sincere condolences. Were the Kaileys considered pariahs by everyone or only by those who had been ruined by Billy Rob? Had time moderated tempers and resentment? When she remembered the mother’s absence, Edna’s determination not to disturb the kids melted away, and she felt a strong desire to see they were okay. Even if Billy Rob’s wife were shunned, Edna considered that the children might not have been held accountable for their father’s crimes, but she wanted to be certain.

  “Okay,” she said, suddenly resolved to visit the children and offer her condolences. If nothing else, she’d be relieved if she knew they lived fairly normal lives. Decision made, Edna was anxious to start. “Let’s go. First stop, Vera Baxter.”

  The mist had turned to a light rain by the time Edna parked her Buick in the office lot. Leaving Carol in the car, she hurried up the walk and into the building without meeting another soul. When she pushed open the door to Pieter Resnik’s outer office, Vera Baxter looked up from her desk with a frown. “Didn’t I lock that?” she demanded.

  Not off to a good start, Edna thought. Aloud, she said, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I came to drop off my insurance form.” She crossed the room and held the brown envelope out to the woman. “Please check to make sure I’ve given you all the information you need,” she said, wanting to distract Resnik’s assistant. Without waiting for the invitation Edna suspected wouldn’t be forthcoming, she sat in the chair beside the desk.

  Grudgingly, Vera drew out the paper and scanned it. As she did so, Edna noticed the clip that held her dark hair at the nape of her neck and wondered if the blue topaz in it and her matching bracelet were real. In a perfectly tailored charcoal-gray suit and white lacey blouse, Vera seemed overly dressed for a dental office. Surreptitiously studying the woman, Edna realized that Vera would be plain if it weren’t for her apparent expertise with cosmetics. As an accomplished portraitist, Edna thought the woman’s eyes were set too close together and her nose a little too long for the heart-shaped face.

  When Vera looked up after a brief appraisal of the form, her frown was gone, but the icy look in her blue eyes did not encourage friendly chatter. “Everything seems to be in order.” She stared at Edna with raised eyebrows, as if asking why she lingered.

  “I’ve been admiring your jewelry. Topaz, aren’t they?” Edna asked, ignoring the implied hint to leave. Unspoken were her thoughts about how a dentist’s assistant could afford such expensive clothes and accessories. If she didn’t need the money, why was Vera working for Pieter Resnik?

  Unaware of Edna’s mental speculations and responding to the compliment, Vera’s features softened slightly as she looked at the bracelet on her left wrist while raising her right hand to gently touch the hair clip. “Why, yes, they are. You know your crystals, I see.”

  Edna nodded noncommittedly. “They’re a lovely blue.” She nearly remarked how well they matched Vera’s eyes, but decided to refrain from overdoing the compliments. Instead, she thought she should get on with her intended purpose before Vera grew more impatient with her company. “You’re obviously knowledgeable and very professional,” Edna said, looking around the office. “Have you worked for Pieter long?”

  “Long enough.” Vera’s manner returned to that of someone whose time was being wasted.

  “I would like to speak with him.” Edna changed tactics. After all, she was the customer and should sound as if she were giving an order, not asking permission. The woman should be conciliatory, not dismissive.

  “He’s not in. Perhaps there is something I can do for you?”

  Drat, thought Edna, she’s going to make this difficult. “No, it’s nothing to do with you. He and I were talking the other morning, and I have some questions for him. When will he be back?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I’ll just bet. The silent thought flitted through Edna’s mind but aloud she said, “Then perhaps you can give me a phone number where I can reach him.”

  “I don’t give out personal information.” Returning her attention to the desktop, Vera picked up a stack of papers and gently bounced them on their bottom edges to straighten them. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must get on with my work.”

  Edna noted the woman wore several rings, but none was a wedding band. Mentally getting back to the subject, she thought fleetingly of bringing up the old trial, hoping to shock Vera into revealing Pieter Resnik’s whereabouts, but then discarded the idea. Carol could handle that subject better than she. Instead, Edna tried for sympathy as a last resort. “Won’t you please tell me how I can reach Pieter. I need to have him check my tooth. There’s still some pain.”

  Vera looked
skeptical, but her tone softened slightly. “I can refer you to another dentist.”

  Edna shook her head, trying to look as if her tooth was indeed causing her anguish. “No, but thank you. Pieter’s the one who did the work and I prefer to consult with him.” Being purposely vague but truthful, she added, “I have another reason for wanting to talk to him that’s personal. I’m sure he won’t mind if you tell me how to reach him.” She hoped to reassure Vera, thinking Resnik’s assistant might be jealously guarding her position in the office. Edna suddenly remembered Mary mentioning the change in Pieter’s personality after the car accident. Would he fire Vera if she disclosed his whereabouts?

  “If I hear from him, I’ll pass along your message.” Vera’s voice broke into Edna’s thoughts. Keeping her eyes on the papers in her hand, the woman reached for a stapler.

  “If you won’t tell me how to contact him, can you at least tell me when you expect him back in the office? I must see him.” Edna tried to put urgency into her tone.

  Seemingly unmoved, Vera shook her head without looking up from her task. “I really can’t say.”

  Can’t or won’t, Edna thought. After a brief pause, she switched her approach. “He didn’t mention being away this week. I hope he’s not ill or suffering any sort of emergency.”

  Vera rose abruptly and extended an arm toward the door. “Really, Mrs. Davies. I’m not at liberty to discuss Doctor Resnik with you or anyone else. What he’s doing is his own business. Now please, if you don’t mind, I do have quite a lot of work to do.”

  Mentally admitting temporary defeat, Edna stood. As she did so, Vera’s name plate caught her eye. At that moment, she nearly asked if the woman was related to George Baxter, the man Pieter Resnik helped convict of murder, but Edna held her tongue. If she brought up the past, Vera might clam up when Carol came to interview her.

  As Edna stepped into the hall, Vera said, “Thank you for completing the form. I’m sure your insurance company will send you a statement, so there should be no reason for you to visit our office again. Doctor Resnik is a specialist, a periodontist,” she emphasized the word before continuing, “I’m certain he’d want you to return to your regular dentist for any follow-up.” The snick of the deadbolt sounded loud in the quiet of the corridor as she closed and locked the door.

  Edna squeezed her shoulders inward to rid herself of the feeling of boney fingers walking up her spine that the woman inspired. Without a doubt, Resnik’s assistant was very protective of her boss. She was also cold and, Edna guessed, calculating. As these thoughts ran through her mind, she looked down the corridor toward Gordon’s office. Yellow crime scene tape barring the door stood out eerily in the dim light. She heard muffled hammering coming from behind the door to the suite opposite and remembered that the studio would be opening soon to provide classes on exercise and dance. Workmen keeping long hours?

  She recalled the young lawyer who had stopped her in the hall the morning after she’d found the body. Her thoughts about the building’s employees rekindled her desire to explore the offices and talk to whomever she could find. Someone must know or own the green Honda she’d seen in the lot. The idea of visiting each suite was instantly replaced by an image of Carol waiting in the car. Reluctantly, Edna turned toward the double glass front doors, but mentally vowed to return as soon as possible. She was certain someone else had been in the building Monday night and, somehow, she felt it was vital to find that person.

  Chapter 13

  “How’d it go?” Carol asked as Edna slid into the driver’s seat.

  “I’m a complete failure,” Edna moaned, dropping her head onto the backrest and rolling her eyes to the roof. “I hope I didn’t turn her off completely and ruin things for you.”

  “It can’t be that bad.” Carol protested.

  Edna barely heard the remark as she thought of another fly in the ointment. “What if she remembers meeting you in front of my house yesterday morning?”

  “She was so distracted by Annie that she barely noticed me.” Carol sounded more amused than concerned. “What happened in the office? I’d better know the worst,” she said in a teasing tone, then added quickly, “Come on, Edna, it can’t be that bad.”

  Edna swiveled her head to look at her passenger. When her eyes met the twinkling ones of her young neighbor, she felt the tension of the last several minutes slip away. She began to laugh with the release and Carol joined in. When laughter turned to giggles and wiping tears from their eyes, Carol raised the cell phone she’d been holding. “I may have had better luck than you.”

  “What have you been doing?”

  Studying the screen for a few seconds, Carol began tapping the display. “Besides contacting a couple more editors to pitch my story ideas, I found some additional information on the Kaileys.”

  “Oh?” Edna leaned over, touching shoulders with Carol in order to see what was on the screen. Gazing at the blur of images as Carol’s fingers flew across the mobile, she thought it was as frustrating as trying to watch television with Albert controlling the remote. She’d just begin to focus in on words or a picture when the display would change. Settling back into her own seat, she said, “When you’re finished, just tell me what you’ve found, please.”

  Carol slid her eyes toward Edna, still tapping, before returning her attention to the screen. “Sorry. Just a sec. I’m marking some of the pages I found before I lose them.” After a few more swipes, she lowered the phone, shifted to lean her back against the door and studied Edna with excitement lighting her face. “We already know that Kailey’s wife’s name is Fran and they had two children. The son, named William Robinson after his father, goes by ‘Rob’ and is graduating from the state university in a couple of weeks. The daughter’s ‘Karen.’ She graduates from high school a week later.”

  Edna frowned. “Interesting, but what does that do for your investigation?”

  Carol smirked. “I’m getting there. Just filling you in on some background. The more I know about the family, the better I can ask the right questions to get the information I’m looking for. And the more facts I have, the easier it is to write the story. Sometimes, if I’ve gathered enough material, an article will almost write itself.”

  “I see,” Edna said, although she wasn’t certain she really did. “Go on.”

  “Okay.” Carol wiggled her back against the door as if scratching an itch. “We also know after all the news came out about Kailey’s scams and the missing funds, Fran sold their house and other assets that would bring in money so she could begin to repay the company’s customers.” Carol shook her head. “She took on a hopeless task, but maybe some victims appreciated her efforts.”

  “Poor woman,” Edna murmured, trying to imagine how it would feel to suddenly lose everything she held dear, including the roof over her head.

  “’Poor woman’ is right,” Carol said, tightening her lips in anger. “Doubly sad, now that we know her loving husband was alive all this time, leaving her to clean up his mess.” She hugged herself and stared beyond Edna at the rain that was beginning to come down harder.

  Nearly half a minute went by before Edna broke the growing silence. “What are you thinking?”

  Carol shivered. “Just imagining people who disappear and the ones they leave behind. I wonder if it’s better never to hear from them or to meet up with them years later. I can’t even begin to comprehend the sense of betrayal I’d feel if someone I loved and thought dead just walked back into my life one day.” The outrage Carol felt was clear in her tone. “If Fran killed Billy Rob, I sympathize. If I were on her jury, I’d definitely vote for a ‘not guilty’ verdict.”

  “Fran and the children moved into an apartment over the hardware store in town, didn’t they?” Edna asked in an attempt to get Carol calmed down and back on the family’s current situation.

  She nodded. “They lived there for a year before moving to a small rental on River Street. That’s the last address I have for them, so I’m hoping they’re still th
ere. Landlord is a Tony Somner.” She frowned. “Info I got on him says he lives in Wyoming, but the phone number has a Rhode Island area code. He probably has a cell number so his tenants can reach him without paying for long distance.”

  Edna hesitated as she took in what Carol had just said, then she laughed. “I bet he’s in Wyoming, Rhode Island. Wyoming is a small village west of here. Not far, actually. Over where One-Thirty-Eight runs into Route Three.”

  Carol flushed and Edna realized the young woman was used to having all her facts aligned before revealing them to others. Apparently, she didn’t like being corrected on something she should have known as part of her research. Attempting to sooth ruffled feathers, Edna said, “It’s such a tiny village, many of the state’s natives don’t even know about it. I’m familiar with the place because I took my children on a history tour when the two youngest were old enough to enjoy it. Wyoming was added to the National Register of Historic Places in nineteen seventy-four.” When Carol lifted the phone to study its face, Edna realized she’d strayed too far off the subject. Trying to recapture her young neighbor’s attention, she asked, “Is it important to know the name of their landlord or where he lives?”

  Carol shrugged, lowering her mobile again. “Maybe. Maybe not. Like I said, I gather all the information I can and sort it out when I’m ready to begin writing an article.” Leaning away from the door and straightening in her seat, she dropped the cell phone into a side pocket of the backpack at her feet. “River Street isn’t far from here. Can we go see if the kids are home?”

  Despite her earlier resolve, Edna still wasn’t comfortable with intruding into the Kaileys’ lives. No matter how they felt about their father ten years ago, they must be grieving or in shock over the recent news. Perhaps both. Steeling herself with her earlier reasoning that they might need a genuine proffer of sympathy, she adjusted herself in the driver’s seat and was about to reach for the key to start the motor when she paused. Clutching the wheel with both hands, she looked at Carol for additional reassurance. “Why is this story important to you? Is it really necessary to bother the family?”