4 A Dead Mother

by Anna Celeste Burke

  “The diamond’s real. It’s a princess-cut in white gold, if I’m not mistaken,” I offered.

  The detective shook his head as he opened the tiny evidence envelope and dumped the earring into it. He was about to speak when I heard a ping on my phone. A text from Kim.

  “Ruth says, The Alpha Advantage is the name of the firm she couldn’t recall. You should have just received the same text.”

  “Wow! That was fast.”

  “Yes, Ruth and Kim have somehow bonded around this mess,” I shrugged, thinking once again about the fickleness of fate. Sometimes that fickleness delivers a strange dose of good along with the bad.

  “Why don’t we walk around the side of the house to my car,” Rikki suggested. “It would be a shame to track dirt into that amazing kitchen.”

  “Sure,” Leslie said leading the way around to a side gate that had a keypad lock.

  “This is one for the books,” Detective Hernandez remarked. “A thief wearing diamond earrings overlooks Contorniates—now that I know what those are—but steals a much less valuable brooch.”

  “A caper that will end up costing the thief money, Detective. The thief will pay a pretty penny to replace the lost diamond earring.”

  “It’s probably hoping for too much to believe there’s any DNA evidence on that stud,” Rikki opined. “A clue’s a clue, isn’t it?” She added trying to sound upbeat as we walked to her car.

  “If it is a clue. One of Beverly’s friends could have dropped that earring.”

  “Don’t rain on my parade,” Rikki said as George Hernandez, Leslie Windsor, and I followed her single file. “Let me hang on to the dream that we’re making progress in this case, okay?”

  “Sure, where there’s rain there are rainbows,” I said.

  “Yeah, I know and Leprechauns and pots of gold.” Detective Hernandez shook his head as he waved a hand and got back into Rikki’s car.

  I glanced around hoping Leslie wasn’t offended by the exchange of dark humor. No worry. Leslie was already in the courtyard near the front door to her mother’s house. She hadn’t said goodbye, so I said it for both of us.

  Rikki had highlighted another frustrating oddity of investigative work. More searching often leads to greater confusion rather than further clarity. You never can tell when a sudden bolt of light will brighten a corner of that darkness—like Ruth’s corroboration of that company’s name.

  Baby steps, but steps nevertheless, I thought as the detectives drove away and I went back into the house with Leslie.

  “Can I fix you a cup of tea?” I asked.

  “Would you? I’ll come with you and we can sit at the island in that beautiful kitchen that Mom’s never going to enjoy.” She moved toward the kitchen, and then sighed again.

  “Why do we do it?” She asked, standing near me while I filled Beverly’s tea kettle.

  “Do what?”

  “Put so much effort into making our surroundings so picture-perfect when life is so full of ugly and unpredictable events?”

  “For that very reason,” I responded instantly. “To shield ourselves from all that ugliness and create lovely moments instead. It’s the reason your dad gave your mother that brooch.”

  I reached out, still a bit awkward with the stupid cast on my arm, and hugged Leslie. Standing there, we both startled a little when someone knocked on the door.

  “That can’t be Peter yet. The detectives must have forgotten something,” I said. “I’ll get it.” When I opened the door, I got a whiff of the mysterious fragrance that had lingered in house the day before.

  20 A Neighborly Confession

  “Hello, Leslie. I heard the awful news about Beverly. I can’t believe it. She seemed so healthy. What do they mean on TV that it’s a suspicious death?” Barbara Stoddard asked, peppering Leslie with questions. Leslie stood aside so she could enter the foyer.

  “We’re still not sure what it means, but her death wasn’t from natural causes.”

  “Are you saying someone killed her? Who would want to do that to Beverly?” Tears had welled up in the woman’s eyes. She was shaking a little too.

  “We’re hoping her friends, like you, might help us figure that out,” I said inhaling another blast of that fragrance. “The police are bound to pay you a visit, and so will someone from my office since we’re questioning everyone close to her. She was my client and a friend. I don’t like the idea of losing anyone in such a bad way.”

  “The police are going to visit me?”

  “Yes, I’m surprised they haven’t spoken to you already since they’ve been out canvassing the neighborhood about the break-in here. Did you see anyone going in or out of here yesterday?”

  “Other than you and the police, you mean? Beverly and I agreed to keep an eye out for each other, but I don’t have time to sit around all day and watch what goes on at her house. Besides, there have been people coming and going for months with all the work she’s been doing.”

  “That’s what the police will want to hear from you. Do you know of anyone who had a grudge against her?”

  “Other than that miserable person, Tanya Wilkins, you mean? That’s who the police ought to speak to. I heard her say she wished Beverly would drop dead. It never occurred to me she might make that wish come true.” Barbara balled up her fists and then began to cry. “Should I have told someone?” She asked.

  “No. People use angry words like that all the time and don’t mean it.” I draped an arm around the sobbing woman. “When was that?”

  “I can’t recall exactly. It was at one of those holiday get-togethers at the clubhouse. She was fuming when Beverly showed up with Cedric. They used to be an item before he found Beverly. Can you blame him for preferring Beverly to that witch? Beverly was such a wonderful woman.” Barbara dissolved into tears again.

  “Yes, she was,” Leslie added as she took a turn consoling the bereft neighbor. Her eyes were filled with tears poised to slide down her cheeks.

  I ran and grabbed a couple of tissues for Barbara from a box Beverly kept on a side table near her desk in the den. When I handed tissues to Barbara, her perfume assailed me once again.

  “If Tanya hadn’t been such a stubborn cow as Chairwoman of the ARC, Beverly and Cedric might not have met. Funny how life happens, huh?” More sniffles as she blew her nose.

  “When you speak to the police, please be sure you tell them what you just told us. If you can remember exactly when you heard her make that comment, that would be helpful. Do you know if anyone else was within earshot at the time?”

  “Tanya was with Marcia Garrett, speaking of witches. She could scratch your eyes out with those long, pointy nails of hers.”

  “Red?” I asked. The question had popped out before I could stop myself. Barbara and Leslie both stared at me. “I’m sorry for not being clear. Was she wearing red nail polish? Was it a favorite color for her?” Barbara still appeared to be a bit perplexed as she pondered my questions.

  “Not black, like a Halloween witch, that’s for sure. I’m almost certain that was the holiday event we were attending when I overheard Tanya and Marcia talking. Red, yes. Sometimes. That day, I’m not sure. I can’t remember. I’m sorry.” She dabbed at her nose.

  “Okay, it’s no big deal.” I could tell that Leslie wasn’t buying that no-big-deal statement for a minute. Jerry was on the lookout for “women in red nails.” If she sported that color, in any shade, he’d make a note of it.

  “You didn’t happen to drop by yesterday, did you?” I asked as the perfume Barbara wore tingled in my nose. Her whole body stiffened in response to my question.

  “I didn’t break in, if that’s what you mean. Or steal anything. It’s just that…” Her unfinished sentence fizzled out into a new flood of tears.

  “I’m not accusing you of stealing anything. Whatever you heard in that news broadcast, Beverly wasn’t robbed here or at the site where she died.”

  “Except that a brooch is missing. You know that one she loved so mu
ch that Dad gave her?” Barbara nodded in response to Leslie’s question. “He told her the heart and crescent centerpiece was a down payment on the promise he’d made to give her the moon and stars when he asked her to marry him.”

  Leslie sniffled. Barbara broke out in loud sobs. I was misty-eyed and about to lose track of the point of the conversation. That declaration of love, made after so many years of marriage, now felt like hearing the end to a happily ever after fairytale. My Prince Charming had turned out to be a frog. An unkind comparison to frogs everywhere. Still, the story yanked at my heartstrings, even though the context in which it was being told to us was no fairytale. I cleared my throat before speaking gently to Barbara.

  “That perfume you’re wearing is very distinctive. I noticed the fragrance when I arrived at the house yesterday.” Tears streamed down her face as I spoke. Barbara said nothing, but reached into a pocket and pulled out Beverly’s brooch.

  “I didn’t steal it. I borrowed it.” Leslie took it from her without taking her eyes off the distraught woman. “Beverly said I could if I promised to take care of it and bring it back. I used my key to get in here yesterday. Then I went into her bedroom and got it out of her jewelry box. For some stupid reason, it didn’t dawn on me that the place was a mess—for Beverly, anyway. I live with lots more clutter.” She looked from me to Leslie and back again as if waiting for us to acknowledge or maybe wondering if we believed her.

  “I had the same reaction when I walked in.” Barbara nodded and relaxed a little before she continued.

  “When I heard Anastasia whining, it dawned on me that she was outside. That made me uneasy, but I hoped Steve Landis may have screwed up if he’d been in a hurry to get out of there. Anyway, I intended to let her back in, but when I saw stuff on the floor in the kitchen, and it hit me that someone had been in there. I panicked. What if whoever had done that was still in the house or the garage? At that point, I ran out the back, around to the side gate, and returned to my house as quickly as I could.”

  “Do you have an idea what time that was?” I asked.

  “I didn’t look at the clock. I was so upset, I poured myself a drink to settle my nerves. When I finished the drink, I’d decided to call the police, but then you showed up and it wasn’t long before the police arrived.”

  “That explains why I could still smell your perfume. You didn’t see anyone else coming or going before you let yourself into the house?”

  “Oh, I saw that blond who’s been here fairly regularly leave, and then Steve not two minutes later. That must have been three or little after because my original plan was to stop by when Beverly returned from her shift at Desert Park Preserve and borrow the brooch properly. She’s usually home by four, at the latest, to take care of Anastasia. I wanted to wear the pin to dinner last night, so when it was almost six, I decided to go ahead and help myself. I intended to leave a note before I got scared and left instead. What if whoever did that was still in the house?”

  “Is the blond you’re talking about a woman named Dee?” I asked.

  “Her real name is Diane Delacroix, but Beverly called her Dee. She’s a niece or another relative like that who works for Delacroix Interiors. They have her do filing and she orders materials and supplies for customers. She runs errands, too, like delivering swatches for Beverly to review or materials the design team’s going to need for a project. She’s had lots of pickups and drop-offs lately.” Barbara bit at the bottom of her lip as if hesitating to say more.

  “What are you saying? Do you suspect she’s the one who searched the house yesterday? Do you know why?”

  “No. I’m not saying that. Beverly suspected there was some hanky-panky going on when she wasn’t around. She never mentioned anyone was going through her belongings or searching for anything. ‘More fool’s play than foul play’ is what she told me. Anyway, that’s why she had the nanny cams put in. I’m not sure if she ever caught anyone on them or not.”

  “Nanny cams!” I exclaimed.

  “When? Are you sure?” Leslie asked.

  “Oh, yes, I’m sure. I don’t know where all of them are, but I can show you a couple of them.” We followed her into Beverly’s bedroom. “There,” Barbara said, pointing to what looked like an ordinary digital alarm clock on the dresser near Beverly’s jewelry box. Leslie reached for it, perhaps wanting to inspect if more closely since the clock disguise was an excellent one.

  “Don’t touch it,” I suggested. “We’ll have to tell the police about it and have them come back and collect the video evidence from it and others she’s put into place.”

  “There’s one more in the guest room just like this one, but I don’t know about others,” Barbara offered.

  “How will they know where to find them?” Leslie asked, weary to the bone. “Why didn’t she tell me if she was worried about someone being in her house without her permission?”

  “She’d been through so much trouble over nothing with the stupid HOA and the neighbors,” Barbara responded. “Beverly didn’t want to do that to someone else—accuse a neighbor or someone working for her without a reason. When she came home and found Steve leaving one day when he wasn’t scheduled to be here, he gave her a reasonable explanation. I’m the one who told her he hadn’t been here alone that day.” Another wave of guilt or sadness washed over Barbara.

  “Had Dee been here with him?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, yuck,” Leslie said. “Are you saying they were using Mom’s house as a place to hook up?”

  “That’s what she thought might be going on. I not only saw Dee leaving that day, but when I walked by with Betty and Veronica on their leashes—my yorkies, the courtyard gate was wide open. She and Steve were saying a very friendly goodbye on the doorstep.”

  “Did Steve or this Dee woman have any idea Beverly suspected them?” I asked. I’m not sure it mattered since the worst Beverly could have done was fire them. It was hardly a motive for murder, but maybe reason enough to search her house.

  “I’m not sure. The only thing your mom said when I told her what I’d seen was ‘What a cheapskate. Pop for a hotel room, Romeo!’ Isn’t that classic Beverly?” She asked.

  “It is,” I responded. “Did Beverly say anything about them stealing from her or being afraid Steve or Dee might harm her physically?”

  “No. In fact, she seemed relieved when I told her what I’d seen. Still, I doubt she would have said anything to Steve before she had proof from those videos.”

  “Hmm,” I wondered aloud. “Maybe she got it and the lovebirds were looking for photos or a sim card or something like that when they were in the house yesterday.”

  “He wouldn’t have left Anastasia outside—even if he put her out there, on occasion, while he and Dee were busy. That would have been an invitation for Mom to chew him out. Besides, if he knew there were cameras I don’t think he would have been sneaking around in here after that unless he figured out where the cameras were and put them out of commission first.”

  “Good point, Leslie,” I agreed.

  “Steve would have known better than to leave the alarm off, too. That should have been the tip-off right away that someone had been in the house when I let myself in,” Barbara added.

  “Do you know who installed the security cameras?” I asked.

  “No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same company that manages her security system for the doors and windows.”

  “I can check with them,” Leslie offered with dread and weariness in her voice.

  “Sure. Let’s give Peter a chance to go through the house first. If he can’t locate the equipment and figure out who set it up, you can call your mom’s security company. Unless you need to call them anyway, to change the passcode for the alarm system before we leave today.”

  “No. I can do that now.” I hardly heard Leslie since the gears in my mind clanked distractingly as they turned. Could Peter figure out how the data from those cameras was stored and make a copy for us
to review before turning this matter over to the police?

  “I guess I’m going to have to make a full confession to the police, aren’t I? Am I going to be in trouble?”

  “No, I don’t expect you to be in any trouble given that you had a key and a standing invitation to enter the house even in Beverly’s absence. That’s what I’m going to tell the lead investigator when I track her down tomorrow. It was late. Beverly wasn’t home yet. Checking on her dog would have been the neighborly thing to do given your arrangement with her. I’ll make sure they have that background before they interview you.” Making eye contact, I added, “You need to tell them everything you’ve told us, plus anything else that comes to mind. Like, have you ever seen Steve here with anyone else? A brunette, maybe?”

  “No brunette, but he’s in and out of here so much, I could have missed something,” she replied, squirming under my gaze. “Do I have to tell them about the brooch?”

  “Yes. Leslie reported the brooch was missing when she did the walk-through with them earlier today. I’m sure they’ll be happy to know it’s been found. We’ll vouch for the fact that giving you permission to borrow that brooch is exactly what a friend like Beverly would have done.”

  “It’ll be a relief to unload all of this. I could hardly sleep last night when I heard Beverly was dead. I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to the police already.”

  “There’s no need to worry about that, although you should be clear about where you were Tuesday morning. They’ll ask.” Barbara nodded, muttering “sorry” several more times before she left the house.

  As we waited for Peter to show up, Leslie piped up. “You want to tell me why you’re so interested in Marcia’s choice of fingernail polish and whether Steve Landis had a tryst here with a brunette?”

  “I wasn’t going to share this with you until we had a final report from the coroner, but here goes.” Leslie blanched as I gave her a few details about her mother’s death. We were standing in the kitchen where we had finally gone to make our tea. I thought she might keel over, as I reached out to steady her and usher her into the nearby family room.