Murder by Decay

by Suzanne Young

  “No more than I did.” Vera grimaced. “Pieter was clever. He put the file flat on the bottom of one of the drawers. There are so many files stuffed into each cabinet that anything beneath the hanging folders is lost to sight. I pulled one file at a time, examining the contents right there. That way, if Pieter walked in on me, I could simply put it back, as if I were filing patient information. Once Jason was in the building and able to help out, he’d take whole sections up to his office to look through at night.”

  “So in picking up a bunch of folders, Jason revealed the one hidden underneath,” Edna spoke almost to herself, imagining the discovery.

  “That’s right,” Vera said. “Now I’m sorry I gave him a set of keys. Wish I’d found that file first. He shouldn’t have turned it over to that law-school friend of his.”

  “Why didn’t Jason let you in on his discovery?” Edna wondered aloud.

  Vera’s flush deepened with her anger. “He said his friend worked for a big law firm with lots of special resources at their disposal. They were able to analyze the material and decide how significant it might be. My very-thoughtful nephew,” she continued with heavy sarcasm, “said he wanted confirmation before he raised my hopes.” She shook her head and pushed away the tea mug which must have grown cold. “Personally, I think he kept it from me because he wants all the credit for exonerating his uncle.”

  Edna wondered about the accusation. “How long has he kept this from you? When did you say he discovered the file?”

  Vera frowned. “Monday. Why does that matter?”

  Edna felt a sudden jolt, as if her body had been poked by a small electric shock. Monday was the evening she’d found Billy Rob’s body in Gordon’s office. Jason had told her he was with his aunt. Would she confirm her nephew’s alibi? Edna tried to speak calmly when she asked, “Did the two of you have dinner together that night?”

  Hardly had the question left her lips when she heard a commotion coming from the mudroom and a small, white terrier came scampering into the room, followed closely by Carol James and Mary Osbourne.

  Chapter 18

  Vera jumped to her feet and backed toward the doorway to the front hall. “Shoo,” she said half-heartedly, as if commanding the dog more sternly would antagonize the little canine. Annie simply came forward to greet Vera with a yip and a tail wag. Fisting her hands against her chest, Vera flicked her fingers at the terrier as she repeated in not-much-louder tones, “Shoo. Go ‘way.”

  “Come here, Annie,” Carol said, crouching down to hold out a hand for the dog. She sounded exasperated, and clearly thought Vera was acting foolishly.

  “You don’t have to leave.” Edna stood. Her neighbors’ entrance couldn’t have been more badly timed, she thought, frustrated at the interruption. She’d been so close to finally getting some answers about Monday evening. Had Jason been in the building that night? The image of Pieter standing outside his office door shot into her mind. Could Jason have been in the file room and been saved by the police presence on the scene that had prevented Pieter from entering the clinic? Was Jason the owner of the green Honda?

  “I must go,” Vera said, breaking into Edna’s thoughts as she took another careful step backward. With Carol’s hold on Annie’s collar, the dog had stopped barking, Vera slid her eyes toward Edna when she spoke. “I’m due at the station to meet with your detective friend and sign my statement.”

  Edna followed her out of the kitchen to fetch her coat from the hall closet. “Will you be in your office later?” She wanted to continue their conversation. She also wanted to confront Jason again. If he’d been hunting through Pieter’s files, he might very well have been in the building when Edna arrived to find Billy Rob. Had Jason run into Kailey? Could Jason have committed the crime of which his uncle had been accused ten years before?

  “Maybe,” Vera said. It took Edna a second or two to realize Vera had been answering the question Edna had asked aloud and not the one that had just popped into her head. As her mind returned to their conversation, Vera was saying, “Although I don’t know if I can bear to go back to the clinic so soon. Now that he’s gone, there’s not much rush to do anything but cancel appointments. I can do that from home.” She babbled, sounding like she was planning her next several hours aloud while she donned her camel hair coat, turned and left the house. Despite her words, she seemed in a hurry to reach her car.

  “What’d she want?” Mary’s voice sounded behind Edna before she could fully close the door on her departing guest.

  “Why was she here?” Carol spoke in unison with Mary and Annie gave a short, sharp bark as if also curious about the visitor.

  Edna spun to face her latest guests. “She was telling me about the dental records. Her nephew found a folder hidden in one of Pieter’s filing cabinets, apparently holding documents from the old trial when Pieter wrongfully identified Kailey’s body. I think the nephew was in the building Monday night during the crucial time, but you arrived and now she’s gone.” She was trying to keep the frustration out of her voice, but by the downcast looks on the faces of two culprits, Edna realized she was being too harsh. They weren’t to know what their interruption would mean. Trying to ease back on her exasperation, she bent to pat the terrier. At that moment, realization struck and Vera was momentarily forgotten. “What’s Annie doing here?” Puzzled, Edna straightened and frowned at Carol. “Didn’t you locate her owner.”

  “We did,” Carol replied. Her eyes lit up. “They saw how attached she is to us … well, particularly to Codfish, and they said we could keep her if we wanted.” Carol bent briefly to run a hand along Annie’s back and rub an ear.

  “Let’s go sit,” Mary cut in. “We’ll tell you about the students, but first I want to hear what Vera had to say. Did she actually find the old trial records?”

  “Her nephew,” Edna clarified, “and yes, it appears so.” She led the way to the kitchen where, over a fresh pot of tea, she told her neighbors what she’d learned, ending with her suspicion that Jason might be the owner of the green Honda she’d seen in the parking lot Monday night.

  “I heard you ask Vera if she was going to be in the office later. You thinkin’ of talking to Jason, too?” Mary asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Edna with suspicion. “Not a good idea,” she added before Edna had a chance to either concede or deny.

  “I promise not to do anything you wouldn’t do,” Edna said, not mentioning that the young attorney had driven to Providence. She didn’t know when he’d return to town, but she planned to find out and have another word with him as soon as possible. With a wink in Carol’s direction, she changed the subject. “Tell me what happened at the restaurant. I remember you mentioned some students owned her. Did they really say you could keep Annie?”

  “Yes. Isn’t it great?” Carol’s wide smile twisted in mock horror. “Would you believe? They called her Puddles,” she said, holding Annie in her lap and stroking the terrier. “Guess she took a while to get house-broken.”

  “They probably didn’t take the time to train her properly,” Mary insisted from across the table. She reached to tousle Benjamin’s head. He’d paid no attention to Vera’s departure or Annie’s arrival, but observed the activity from his cushioned chair. Under Mary’s gentle touch, he rolled onto his side, closed his eyes and purred.

  “I take it you’re going to keep calling her Annie,” Edna said. Sitting in the seat next to Carol, she gave the terrier’s head a pat.

  “You bet,” Carol said and continued her story. “The grad student who originally adopted her accepted a job in Washington, D.C., and left Annie to be cared for by anyone living in the house they all share.”

  “Four graduate students,” Mary interjected, “live in a rental over in Peacedale. I think they each assumed someone else was taking charge of Annie after her owner moved out. No wonder she ran away.” Mary leaned forward in her chair, looking across the table at the dog. “You were just looking for a good home, weren’t you?”

  As if in re
ply, the terrier gave a sharp yip. Edna chuckled at the seeming understanding of what was being said to her. Her eyes were still on the happy little canine when Carol spoke. “Actually, Edna, I came to ask a favor.”

  “What is it?” she prompted when the young woman hesitated a few seconds too long.

  “Would you watch Annie for us tonight?” She blushed and seemed embarrassed, as if the request were a great imposition. “Gran and Codfish are going to Westerly with Priscilla after they close the restaurant tonight. There’s some sort of reunion of classmates they went to school with, so Gran and Codfish are staying with Priscilla’s mother for the weekend.”

  Edna knew Priscilla managed the local restaurant for her mother who was herself a childhood friend of Gran’s. “And you?” Edna asked Carol.

  Her young neighbor’s eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement. “Carson phoned …” She stopped abruptly and slid her eyes quickly to Mary before pressing her lips tightly together.

  “Last name or first?” Mary asked, grinning at Carol.

  Edna laughed and Carol joined her after trying to hold back for several seconds. The true name of Carol’s boyfriend had been kept from Mary who was an incurable snoop. He worked undercover for a Federal agency, using various aliases, and teased Mary by not revealing his real name. Edna was in on the conspiracy, but she’d been sworn to secrecy.

  “His current alias,” Carol answered Mary’s question with a mischievous chuckle.

  “So you’re flying to Chicago tonight?” Edna said, enjoying the young woman’s ragging.

  Carol bobbled her head as she turned back to Edna who immediately eyed Mary. “What about you? Wouldn’t Annie rather play with Hank and the cats?”

  “I’m working tonight,” Mary said.

  “She doesn’t want to leave Annie alone with her pets until they all know each other better,” Carol hurried to explain. “I know I’m asking a lot but Benjamin doesn’t object to Annie like my cat Callie does, and I don’t know who else to ask on short notice.”

  “I’ll pick Annie up in the morning and keep her until Codfish can get her. He and Gran will be back Sunday night,” Mary said, filling Edna in on the rest of the plan the two neighbors had concocted.

  “What about your research and the article? I thought you wanted to interview the Kailey children,” Edna said. She didn’t mind the thought of Annie’s company for the night, but her questions gave her the chance to weigh any consequences, particularly Albert’s reaction if he came home that evening.

  “I’ll have my laptop.” Carol watched Edna with worried eyes. “I’ll put in some research hours while …” at this, she glanced over at Mary and her concern lifted, “Carson” she emphasized the name, “is at work.” Mary stuck out her tongue, but Carol had already shifted her attention back to Edna. “If you don’t want Annie to stay here, I’ll understand,” she said, although the sorrowful expression belied her words.

  Knowing it was time to stop teasing, Edna raised halfway out of her chair to look over the table at her contented feline. “What do you say, Benjamin?” she queried the ginger cat who half-opened his eyes at the sound of his name before closing them again and returning to his semi-comatose state of bliss at Mary’s touch. Unable to keep a straight face any longer, Edna ruffled the terrier’s head and told Carol that, of course, she’d be delighted to have Annie’s company. As the words left her lips, Edna wondered again if Albert would be as pleased when he returned home to discover a canine guest.

  When Mary and Carol left soon thereafter, Edna decided to check her e-mail and search online for some recipe ideas, thinking she’d make something different for supper to welcome Albert home. As she headed for her office, Benjamin jumped from his chair to beat her out the door and across the hall. Annie, not familiar with Edna’s routine or the habits of the house, trotted slightly behind and to the side of Edna’s left ankle but kept her eye on the cat. The old household pet would show the new kid what to do. In the office, Benjamin settled on his familiar chair and Annie cocked her head at Edna as if waiting for instruction.

  She laughed at the animals’ antics and commanded Annie to lie down. Apparently, it was a lesson the dog knew for she instantly curled up on the floor next to Benjamin’s perch as Edna sat in the desk chair and powered up the computer. Before the device came completely to life, the telephone rang.

  “I’m still getting sent to your voice mail,” Albert said without preamble. “Haven’t you charged that thing yet?”

  “Not yet,” she answered cheerfully, knowing her tone would disconcert him enough to forestall any further recriminations. Glancing at the display on her monitor, she noticed the time displayed only a few minutes past four. “Have you been dismissed? Are you coming home?”

  “Still don’t know.” His impatience with the delay told her he’d been suitably distracted.

  “What do you mean?” She heard what sounded like traffic noise in the background. “Where are you?”

  “Just leaving the courthouse,” he said. “They gave us a number. We’re supposed to call after nine tonight, and a recording will let us know if we’re to be here in the morning.” He paused briefly and seconds later the disturbance dimmed. When he spoke again, his voice was louder. She imagined he’d gotten into his car and closed the door. “I’m on my way to Matthew’s. I’ll have supper with them. Depending on what I learn later, I’ll either spend the night or drive home.”

  They chatted a few minutes longer, Albert bringing Edna up to date on their elder son’s family news. When the call ended, she looked down at Annie who stared back, head tilted with doggie curiosity. “Looks like just us for dinner tonight,” she said, turning back to her computer.

  Edna spent the next half hour reading and responding to her electronic messages. Finishing this task, she thought of Charlie and wondered how the investigation into Pieter Resnik’s death was proceeding. On the off chance the busy detective would be free for dinner, she picked up the phone and dialed his number. As usual, she reached his voice mail and left a message, ending with “If I don’t hear from you by six o’clock, I’ll assume you can’t get away this evening.”

  Charlie didn’t get back to her until after six-thirty. “Can’t talk long, Edna, but I wanted to check with you. Everything okay?”

  She assured him it was, gave him the uncertain news about Albert’s return, then asked, “Did Vera come to see you this afternoon?”

  “As a matter of fact, she’s waiting for me as we speak. Why?”

  “Just wondering,” Edna said vaguely, thinking it would take too much of his time to discuss her earlier conversation with the woman. Before he could demand a better answer, she quickly asked, “Is Gordon still being questioned?” She really wanted to know if her friend had been charged and arrested, but phrased her curiosity more diplomatically, in case Charlie’s professional ethics prevented him from disclosing the information. She never purposely put him on the spot.

  “Rita Nicholas drove him home a couple of hours ago. We’ve released his office. I think he plans to start seeing patients again on Monday.”

  Edna didn’t realize how tense she had been until she let out her breath and felt her shoulders relax on hearing some good news. “Does this mean you finally dropped him from your suspect list?” She might as well push for better news, she thought.

  She heard Charlie sigh before he answered. “We haven’t dropped anyone from our list. This latest death, considering the connection, has set us back somewhat. And, speaking of which, I have to chat with Vera and make a few more phone calls before I leave tonight. Thanks for the invitation to supper. I know I’m late getting back to you, but can I ask for a rain check?”

  After assuring him that he could indeed, Edna ended the conversation and only then remembered she’d meant to ask him if the police had found her mobile phone in Gordon’s office. A quick redial of his number sent her call directly to his voice mail. He was already back to work. Unenthusiastically, she turned off the computer and went to ea
t a solitary meal at the kitchen table. She hadn’t been hungry earlier, but she found her appetite improved a bit with the news that Gordon was not being held at the station, nor had he been charged with a crime.

  After washing her plate and teacup by hand, she wandered into the living room to read. Benjamin and Annie followed and curled up, one on the rug at Edna’s feet and the other in his bed by the cold hearth. She didn’t feel like lighting a fire, but sat in her favorite chair and picked up The Handmaid’s Tale that she’d rescued from Albert several nights before. She wasn’t certain if she liked this particular novel by Margaret Atwood, but she was determined to finish what she’d begun.

  Twenty minutes later, she realized she’d been staring at the same page while a myriad of thoughts twirled in her head. The clock on the mantelpiece told her it was barely seven-thirty. If Albert did get home that night, he wouldn’t be arriving for at least another two hours. She needed something physical to do, not just sit and watch the hands of the clock move around at a snail’s pace. Closing the book with a snap that startled both Benjamin and Annie awake, she said, “What say we go look for my mobile, Annie?”

  Having something positive to do, Edna rose with new energy, feeling certain her phone had fallen out of her tote in Gordon’s reception room. She’d stop by the office building first, since it was on her way to the police station. Charlie said that the clinic was no longer off limits as a crime scene, so there should be no objection to her beginning her search there. The other thought urging her on was that she needed to find the darn cell before she had to explain to Albert when and how she’d lost it.

  Chapter 19

  The parking lot was empty when Edna reached Gordon’s building. Before leaving her car, she attached a leash to Annie’s harness. She didn’t know how long she’d be, so didn’t want to leave the dog in the car nor did she want to chance that Annie might run away.