Molly Grey Cozy Mystery Collection

by Donna Doyle

  Molly Gertrude wasn't about to give up. "But she has a safe, doesn't she?"

  Pasqualini' eyes darkened, although his lips kept smiling. "Possibly."

  "And it's empty," Molly Gertrude continued.

  "What do you mean, it's empty?" Pasqualini tilted his head.

  "Like I said. Empty as in bare, barren, hollow, without stuff…" Molly narrowed her eyes. "Except for your business card, and a few papers that have little value, there was nothing in it."

  Pasqualini visibly blushed and he began to chew on his lower lip. "How would you know, Miss Grey? Did you go in her house to snoop around? That's highly illegal."

  Molly Gertrude wasn't about to let Antonio Pasqualini put her on the defense. "I did not break in, Mr. Pasqualini. The gardener, a certain Gregory Goldenrod was most helpful. He let me in. And the safe, behind a painting in her bedroom, was opened. Anyone could have looked inside."

  "That's very strange," Pasqualini mumbled, and he began to pull on a string of his dark hair. "Empty huh?"

  "Yes, Mr. Pasqualini. Very empty."

  The man placed both of his hands on the desk before him, and Molly Gertrude noticed how his right hand moved ever so slightly towards one of the post-it notes next to his working area. "Dora," she said in an effort to distract the man, "do you have any questions for Mr. Pasqualini?"

  Dora had not expected the question and blushed. "No… eh… not really."

  Pasqualini's hand had now reached a pink post-it note. He pulled it off his desk and studied it for a few seconds, then crumpled it and cast it with a careless move into the wastebasket next to the desk.

  He missed.

  The crumpled paper rolled a few feet over the floor.

  "Dora?" Molly Gertrude asked. "Would you be a lady and pick that up for Mr. Pasqualini?"

  "No need," Pasqualini interrupted. He pushed his chair backwards and got up. "I can take care of my own mess." Before Molly Gertrude and Dora could answer he had already reached the crumpled post-it note, picked it up, and deposited it with a wide grin in the bin. He looked at his watch and shook his head. "Sorry, Miss Grey and Miss Brightside… I must ask you two to leave. I've got an important meeting coming up." He walked over to Molly Gertrude and offered her his hand. "It's been a real pleasure, meeting you both," he mumbled. "Hope I was a help in this important investigation. Poor Mrs. Blythe. She's always so nervous, and now she is… missing."

  "Do you mind helping me out of your chair," Molly Gertrude cast Pasqualini a helpless glance.

  "Sure, Miss Grey… Anytime."

  "Are you in for a bit more sleuthing, Dora?" Molly Gertrude cast Dora a curious glance after she had helped herself back into the Kia Rio.

  Dora cocked her brows. "Nothing dangerous I hope?"

  Molly Gertrude gave her a weak smile. "No, Dora… I was just hoping you could sort of keep an eye on Antonio Pasqualini a bit. If he leaves in his luxury car, maybe you can follow him inconspicuously. I would not even have the faith to send him out to buy a candy bar for his own mother."

  "He seems a bit dark," Dora agreed, "but what do you expect?"

  "Don't know," Molly shrugged. "But didn't you think he acted weird with that post-it note?"

  Dora frowned. "What do you mean? He just threw it in the bin, but missed."

  Molly Gertrude shook her head. "It was almost as if he didn't want us to ever read that note. But I could read the note upside down, just before he removed it."

  "You did? What did it say?"

  "Not much," Molly Gertrude repeated, "But just enough to arouse my suspicions. It said: 'Call Ba' "

  "Ba? What does that mean?"

  "I don't know," Molly Gertrude repeated. "It could be a lot of things… For example, BA stands for Bachelor Arts. And in the old Egyptian religion Ba is an aspect of the human soul, represented as a human-headed bird."

  "That's weird," Dora couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't think we should think in that direction."

  "That's right." Molly cast Dora a knowing glance. "But it does makes sense if he wrote down a name."

  "A name?"

  Molly Gertrude nodded. "Yes, a name. Of course, there are a lot of names starting with Ba. There's Barclay, or Bartholomew, Barbara, Baldwin—"

  "—Bardot or Baudelaire," Dora added, interrupting Molly's speech. "That doesn't help much."

  Molly Gertrude narrowed her eyes. "Or… Bambi."

  Dora's eyes widened. "You mean Bloomsteyn's ex-wife?"

  "That's right," Molly Gertrude affirmed. "I had the strangest feeling when we were talking about Marilyn Tucker. He fiercely denied that he knew her, but he did know she was out of prison, and that only happened a few days ago. I think he's lying, and he does know her. Maybe 'call Ba' stands for 'call Bambi.' " Molly Gertrude tilted her head and said barely audible, "It's a long shot, but sometimes we have to trust our hunches. That's the walk of faith."

  Dora let out a soft whistle. "You are a bright woman, Miss Molly. So, why don't we pressure him a bit, put him through the wringer?"

  Molly's eyes widened. "Ho-ho-ho, Miss Joan of Arc. Do you hear yourself talking?" She mimicked the conversation she expected to follow. "Hello, Pasqualini. I am a bit of a sleuth, and I found out you want to call Ba, which of course stands for Bambi, and that's Bloomsteyn's ex-wife. What's going on, Pasqualini?"

  Dora pressed her lips together and nodded. "Sorry. I just got carried away."

  "Don't worry," Molly Gertrude smiled, "it's nothing. But, because you are so fired up, there is something you can do."

  "Oh? What's that?"

  "Why don't you hang around Pasqualini's office, and see what he's up to? I have the feeling if we keep eyes on him, we still may discover more."

  "Can't we do this together," Dora mumbled, and she tapped nervously on the steering wheel.

  Molly Gertrude shook her head. "No, I still need to talk to somebody else."

  Dora frowned. "Who?"

  "Just let me figure this out," Molly Gertrude said. "If I am right, you are the first to know. Things are beginning to make sense to me… that is, if my hunches are right." She leaned back in her seat. "And they usually are."

  "So… I will stay here?" Dora asked in a small voice. "And what about you?"

  "I'll call me a cab. Buster's Safe Speeding seems fairly reliable." Molly Gertrude pointed to a nearby saloon. The broken neon sign on the roof carried the inspiring name Bar. "Surely these folks will have a working telephone."

  "Please, Miss Molly, don't be daft, use my cell phone." Dora said.

  "You know I hate those things," Molly Gertrude said with a scowl. "I told you many times before that cell-phones emit radio frequency energy, a form of non-ionizing radiation, from their antennas, and tissues nearest to the antenna can absorb this energy."

  Dora shook her head. "You don't even know what that means, Miss Molly."

  "Correct," Molly Gertrude said primly, "but I don't have to know. Whatever it is I just said, it's known to cause cancer, and I am planning to live for a good many years to come. I'll make the phone call over there in the Bar." She opened the door and stepped out with difficulty. "But, don't worry," she still said. "We'll have this soon figured out."

  Dora followed Molly Gertrude with her eyes as the old woman shuffled towards the Bar where she was hoping to make a phone call. Certainly not a place that was used to entertain ladies in the age class of Molly Gertrude, but then again, she only needed a phone.

  Minutes later, the door opened again and Molly Gertrude stepped outside. She waved with a grand smile at Dora and stuck up her thumb.

  Dora nodded. Soon Buster's Safe Speeding would show up.

  The old woman found a bench in the shade of the bar and sat down. Even sooner than Dora had expected, a yellow Mercedes showed up and halted right in front of the bench upon which Molly Gertrude was sitting.

  Dora's eyes widened as she saw an Indian looking fellow stepping out of the car who, for some strange reason seemed overjoyed at seeing Molly Gertrude. He slapped her on the back
and proceeded to hoist her into his cab.

  And that was it.

  Now all she was supposed to do was wait.

  And that is what Dora did.

  Luckily she had her crossword puzzles in the glove compartment. At least that gave her something to do, and while she occasionally glanced at the door of Pasqualini's office, she made good progress on one of her puzzles.

  And then, just when she was about to fill in the last word, things were happening. She was sucking the tip of her pencil and thought long and hard about the word she needed to fill in. 6 Letters, Shrewdness shown by keen insight… And it had to start with the letter A, and the fourth letter was an M.

  "Acumen, that's it. Acumen." But then, just as she wanted to write it down, the door to Pasqualini's office opened up and the men stepped outside. Dora got excited and she bit so hard in her pencil that she broke the thing. Never mind. Her heart began to pound, as this time Digby was not around to keep her safe.

  Pasqualini got into his Audi A6, and seconds later he roared off, casting a great cloud of dust over the parking lot. Dora revved the engine of her faithful Kia Rio and, trying to keep a respectable distance, followed after Pasqualini.

  Dora frowned. He wasn't going to Calmhaven, but he took the road towards Boulder Valley. Dora looked at her gasoline gauge. If Pasqualini would go all the way to Boulder Valley, she would just have enough gas. But maybe he would stop at the Golden Dipper… That prospect filled Dora with dread.

  At that instant the chime of Vivaldi's Four Seasons sounded through her car. Somebody was calling her cell phone. She looked at the screen. It said Digby.

  She slammed the brakes and stopped to answer.

  "Hello, Dora," his gentle voice entered Dora's ear. "What are you doing tonight?"

  "I-I don't know," Dora mumbled as she stared at the disappearing car of Pasqualini. "I must hurry Digby. I am on route 46 towards Boulder Valley."

  "Why in the world are you going to Boulder Valley?" Digby's voice was filled with concern.

  "Miss Grey asked me to follow Deborah's accountant. I think he's a crook, and Miss Grey thinks he knows Marilyn Tucker." She licked her lips. "I am scared Digby."

  "Help is on the way," Digby shouted through the phone. "We'll check this fellow out together. Just keep driving, and I'll jump in my squad car, put on my lights, and I'll catch up with you in a jiffy. Just stay on the highway, so I will find you" Before Dora could answer he had disconnected. Digby was on his way.

  A warm feeling welled up in Dora's heart as she pictured the smiling face of Digby. All fears were gone. Digby was coming and together they would check this out. She revved up her car in pursuit of Antonio Pasqualini.

  10

  Tightening the knot

  It didn't take long for Digby to catch up with Dora's Kia Rio. True to his words, he had put on his flashing blue lights and he pushed his gas pedal down to the bottom of his car, breaking the speed limit twice over. But Dora didn't mind. She was delighted to see him and when his squad car flashed by she rejoiced and gave him the brightest smile she'd ever given to a man.

  A mile further down the road was a small parking area, right near a rather ominous looking ravine. Not the place Dora would have chosen for a picnic, but at the given moment, it was the perfect place to stop. Digby motioned for Dora to follow him, and stopped the car as far away from the ravine as possible.

  When he got out, he had an equally great smile. "So glad to see you, Miss Brightside."

  "The pleasure is entirely mine," Dora said with obvious relief. "Your being here makes me feel safe and secure."

  Digby, clearly pleased with himself, nodded enthusiastically. "So, where is this fellow we are following?"

  "He's ahead," Dora answered. "I've been going rather fast myself, and the last time I saw him was about five minutes ago. The road was making a lot of hairpin curves, and I could see him way down near the river. I think he's just about to reach the Golden Dipper."

  "Then we don’t have a minute to lose," Digby said. He jumped back into the squad car, opened the passenger door for Dora to climb in, and while she was still fastening her seatbelt, he threw the car in gear and roared off.

  "If this Pasqualini fellow stopped at the Golden Dipper, we'll see his car. If not, we race on, until we see him." He chuckled, "This is exciting, and…" he turned to Dora, a longing look in his eyes, "… how about that cup of coffee on the way back?"

  "That sounds great," Dora replied, "…only, I'd rather skip the Golden Dipper."

  Digby grinned. "I know just the place in Calmhaven. Maybe we can even have a bite to eat. The treat is on me."

  A warm feeling gurgled up in Dora's belly. Digby really was quite the man.

  Just as Dora had calculated, they soon reached the Golden Dipper.

  The parking lot was empty.

  No Audi A6.

  "He's still ahead of us," Dora exclaimed. "Molly Gertrude is right. I am almost convinced now that he's going to Marquasy Quedell Avenue." She cautioned Digby not to go too fast. "At this speed we may overtake him any second."

  And she was right again.

  Soon they saw a car in the distance. At first it was nothing more than a black dot, but when they came closer on a long, rather straight part along the Kipland River, they could clearly see it was the Audi A6 they were looking for.

  Digby slowed down. "Gotcha."

  For some time they stayed on a respectable distance, knowing that once they would be in the city itself, it would be easy to follow closer. After all, seeing a police car in a busy city was only normal, and Pasqualini did not suspect anything.

  And thus, after they made several turns that led them to the famous Kipland River bridge, and finally way past the city center, it became clear Molly Gertrude had been right. Antonio Pasqualini was on his way to Marilyn Tucker. They knew each other.

  To Dora's surprise, Pasqualini parked his car right at Jack Beamer's Car Parts And;’ Audio Supplies, almost at the exact spot they themselves had parked before.

  "I bet you, he's not going to ask Jack Beamer if he can stay there," Digby grinned. He himself drove into a side street, and parked the car in an empty spot, where he wasn't really allowed to park, but he figured, the Boulder Valley police would have mercy on a colleague from Calmhaven.

  They both got out, and hurried to Marquasy Quedell Avenue, just in time to see Pasqualini disappearing in the apartment of Marilyn.

  "What do we do now?" Dora wondered out loud.

  "We wait," Digby suggested. "Maybe we'll still learn something else. At least, and if nothing else comes up, we now know Pasqualini clearly lied to you and Miss Grey. He's got some explaining to do."

  Dora nodded. "Couldn't you just go in and arrest them both," she mumbled.

  "Digby chuckled. "On what grounds do I arrest him? Lying to an old lady? And Mrs. Tucker… she just got out of jail. No, Dora, you must learn to be more patient."

  Having patience was hard. Dora recalled how Molly Gertrude had told her once that learning to have patience was just about one of the most difficult things to learn. Dora agreed, but to her joy and sweet relief, learning patience was apparently not on the curriculum today as almost instantly Pasqualini reappeared. Dora and Digby moved behind a tree and followed the man with their eyes. He just walked back to his car, and climbed in. Once he sat he just lit a cigarette, put on a bored expression, and waited.

  "What's he doing?" Dora whispered with a frown.

  "Don't know," Digby replied. Only minutes later the door to Marilyn's apartment opened again, and Marilyn appeared. She was still dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing before. As far as Dora was concerned, the woman's jeans belonged to the trash can, but then again, she wasn't altogether sure how she herself would look if she had been in prison only two or three days ago. She was carrying a suitcase, and had the deer painting clutched under her arm. She looked a bit like a scared rabbit as she glanced both ways, almost as if she expected there to be a hunter with a pack of ferocious dogs, rea
dy to attack.

  When she had at last decided that the coast was clear, she stepped out into the street and moved with speedy steps towards Pasqualini's Audi A6.

  "Look at that," Digby whispered, as Marilyn got into the car, "she's making a run for it."

  "You must stop them," Dora whispered in a high-pitched whisper. As she spoke she realized she must have sounded rather weird, and she cast a worried look at Digby. He didn't seem to have noticed.

  "I can't," Digby mumbled, the frustration clear in his voice. "Since when is it illegal to step into an Audi A6 with a suitcase?"

  Pasqualini started the engine and drove off the parking lot of Jack Beamer's Car Parts And Audio Supplies. They had to wait for a big city bus, and a blue Toyota van, but then the road was clear. Pasqualini stepped on the gas and turned into the street, only to disappear seconds later behind the corner.

  That was it. They were gone.

  Digby let out a sigh as he stepped out of their hiding place.

  "Well…" he said, "That's all we can do for right now. I reckon, it's time to go back to Calmhaven."

  Dora pressed her lips together and thought it over. "Sounds good, Digby. I'll talk to Miss Grey as well. She needs to hear this. Maybe this was just the puzzle piece that she needs to solve this mystery."

  "Good idea," Digby said, "and… eh…?"

  "What?"

  "Tonight… Dinner in the Blue Lobster?"

  Dora gasped. "The Blue Lobster? That's way too expensive, Digby."

  "Not for a girl like you," he said with a boyish grin. "I just got paid."

  Dora could hardly believe her ears. She had always wanted to eat there, but… well, she just never had.

  "There's only one condition." Digby's face carried a mischievous grin.

  Dora frowned. "What kind of condition?"

  "That you let me drive you home, and you dress just like you did the other day."

  Dora smiled. "Coming right up, Digby. Let's go home."