“You got here early,” I said upon entering the café.
Nancy stopped adding creamer cartons to each table, and put her hands on her hips. “I figured you probably needed some rest. It’s been a crazy couple of days. You get some sleep?”
“A bit. Thanks. You’re being a real doll.” I poured myself a cup of the coffee she had been brewing, sat at one of the tables, and took a shallow sip. This brew was a mellow Columbian bean, no bitterness and plenty of aroma. “This is a good cup of coffee.”
Nancy pointed at the wall lined with jars of coffee beans. “Barney usually starts out there and works his way there. There’s really no secret to the ‘coffee of the day’.” She laughed and poured herself a cup as well. “So, what are you going to do now?”
I shrugged. The café was an empty chamber of echoes. “My uncle Barney opened this café when I was about nine. The first thing he taught me was how to grind the beans, and then how to serve the coffee without spilling it all over the customers. I was the part-time waitress every summer after that.” I winked. “Not anywhere as good as you though.”
“I’ve got this job down pat,” Nancy said happily. “And tomorrow is Thursday. Want me to drive to Eugene for some pastries?”
“People will have to wait until we find another baker. At least we know it won’t be busy.”
“It’ll give you more time for snooping,” Nancy replied.
I shook my head. “I’ve decided to quit that. Doing any more snooping will get Barney and me both in trouble.”
Nancy squinted. “I think you need some advice from the universe.” She got up, quickly found her purse, and returned to the table with an oversized deck of cards.
“I don’t know, Nance.”
“It’s tarot! The universe’s telegram. Come on.” She sorted the deck, pulling out what looked to me like picture cards. “I’ll use the Major Arcana,” she said, slapping a thin stack of cards down in front of me. “Shuffle them and, while you do that, ask a question like ‘should I try to solve Utta Podeski’s murder?’”
I felt foolish but did as I was told. Nancy took cards from the top of the deck one by one, and laid them out face down making a five-card cross. She turned the card in the middle over first, ticking her teeth with her fingernails as she thought.
“Okay. Your first card is the moon and it represents your current situation. Upside down like this it stands for confusion and fear. Right now you are confused and probably a little scared.”
I grimaced.
“The second card represents the past.” Once she’d turned it, Nancy gave a ‘hmmm’ as she stared at the card. It was the justice card, upside down. “You’ve run into a dishonest person or people. You feel like whatever has happened was unfair and that the person or persons involved haven’t taken responsibility for their actions. You have trouble trusting people now.”
I almost made her stop right there. She was saying things that could have applied to anyone.
“The third card represents the future as it relates to your question.”
I looked down and saw a card that sort of looked like a lion.
“That’s the strength card, hon. It means that in your future you have to rely on your inner strength to succeed. You will have to stay focused on your objective. You’ll have to overcome your trust issues.”
She turned over the second to the last. It was the emperor card. Nancy shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “This card represents the obstacles to your question. I’m not sure what it means. It could stand for fatherhood or a lover.” She patted the table with both palms. “Do you have father issues? Is Barney sort of a father to you? Do you already have a lover in Glacier I don’t know about?”
I nodded in shock. “My dad left us when I was a kid and Barney tried to fill in.”
“Oh. Well maybe it has to do with that.” Nancy was pensive. “Why do you think Barney might be an obstacle?”
“I don’t know.” I sighed heavily. “Barney tried hard but I never let him in. Besides a few hugs, I never showed him real love. Could that be it?”
“Let’s see what the last card says. It represents the potential outcome.” Nancy slowly turned the card and then smiled. The fool. “You should keep at it. With perseverance you’ll prove he’s innocent.”
I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t want to hurt Nancy’s feelings by telling her I thought the whole exercise was hogwash. Or is it? I frowned thoughtfully, feeling out of my depth and uncomfortable. How much did I want to discuss these issues with Nancy? I was still trying to come to terms with them myself. Finally, I asked, “So, the universe is telling me to be a snoop?”
“It says the potential is good if you do, and you’ll have a chance to overcome something in your past at the same time.”
My coffee had gotten cold, so I got up and refilled my cup. “I talked to Bill and think he’s telling the truth though he doesn’t have an alibi. Guess I need to make a trip to the dentist. Barney’s lawyer should be here today too.”
Nancy had baked some muffins and brought them to work. Since she’d already done all the morning prep in the café, she was eating one too. I picked at mine over the display counter, pulling at the small chunks of hardened crust I liked best.
“I wouldn’t count on Barney getting out,” Nancy said with a frown.
“Why not?”
Nancy shrugged. “Don’t get upset, okay? I’m sure it’s just a glitch, but Ron called me about the CSI guys from Eugene last night.”
My stomach muscles constricted.
“They came into the hospital and talked to Dr. Phillips. He’s acting as the coroner and he did the autopsy. Ron overheard them. He said they figure it was pretty well impossible for Mrs. Podeski to fall into the freezer and knock herself out. The doctor agreed. But somehow she ended up inside. The lid got closed and she suffocated.”
“What does that have to do with Uncle Barney?”
Nancy’s frown was almost a frozen grimace. “They found some skin under her nails,” she said softly. “They’re sending what they found to Eugene for tests and getting DNA samples.” Nancy traced her finger around the top of her cup. “Ron says Barney has scratches on his arm. If the skin is his they’ll have more reason to charge him with murder.”
I felt my heart stop.
9
The longer Barney stayed in my custody, the more I doubted his story. I had questioned him several times and got the same answers each time. Either he had been upset about fighting with Utta Podeski, or something had sent him over the edge. Whatever the reason, Barney had gone to the bar and got himself drunk and that had been completely out of character as far as I was concerned.
I was going over my notes of the crime scene when Melanie Willoughby came into the station. I didn’t have my own office. Our three-cell station had a small foyer, so I could see her from my desk as soon as she came in. She was wearing a light summer coat and her hair was draped on her shoulders like a feathery-looking shawl. It was obvious she was upset. Her face was drawn, pale, and tired, and she hadn’t put on lipstick. I watched her move to the front counter, put down her purse, and cross her fingers together beside it. Her pose wasn’t casual and relaxed. Her fingers were locked tight and looked strained.
“Hi there,” I said, climbing from behind my desk. “Mike took Barney to the showers so you’ll have to wait a few minutes.”
“I’m not here to see him right now,” she said. Her voice sounded pinched. She leaned across the counter towards me. “I need to report a crime.”
I was shocked. I liked Melanie and had done since she was a teenager. Maybe a little too much. The hair on my arms and neck rose. “What crime? Are you okay?”
Melanie nodded and tried to smile. “I’m fine. It’s our dog. Somebody poisoned Su-Jitzu yesterday.”
I reached out to put my mitt over her hands but she moved. I cleared my throat and asked, “Does that mean he’s okay?”
Melanie nodded again. “The vet says we caught it in tim
e. He says Su will be okay.”
I pulled my notebook from my shirt pocket and flipped it open. I asked her what had happened and she told me in an almost mechanical way. Poor kid has had to deal with a lot over the last couple of days. “There’s not much I can do Ms. Willoughby, unless you saw someone do it. You aren’t even sure when your dog was poisoned.”
“It had to be when we left the Grind for Nancy’s. I’m suspecting whoever did it was trying to hurt me. I think it was personal.” She fished in her purse and pulled out a small notebook of her own. As her fingers flipped the pages, I could tell she was anxious. “I’ve been trying to keep track of things. The only person I can figure who might be behind it is Allan Podeski. He threatened me and Su at The Grind the same day Bill pushed his mother.” She looked up into my eyes to make sure I’d heard her, and then went back to her notes. “At his house, Su got really angry when he saw him. Remember? He growled at Allan.”
I shook my head and gave her a weak smile. “That’s pretty normal behavior for a dog, isn’t it?”
“Su never acts that way. He doesn’t like Allan.”
“Not many folks do,” I said. “We’ve had other poisonings. Allan has been seen around when they happened but I could never prove he was involved.” I closed my notebook and put it away. “Look. I’ll ask him about his whereabouts last night. That’s about all I can do.”
Melanie looked disheartened. She scooped up her purse and turned away.
“You don’t want to stay a while and wait for Barney?”
She kept walking and didn’t say another word.
When I got to Dr. Santos’s dental office, I was feeling angry and frustrated. I didn’t really know what I’d expected the chief to do about Su-Jitzu, but nothing wasn’t it. I was a twisted bundle of nerves. With Uncle Barney maybe facing murder charges and Su sick, I was having trouble thinking straight. Dr. Santos was with a patient when I arrived, so I sat in the waiting room under the watchful eye of the receptionist and pulled out my notebook. I needed to settle myself down. I needed to meet Dr. Santos in a calm, self-assured manner, not like an upset woman looking to place blame. I made a few notes. Questions for him. Where was he around supper time? Doing that calmed me enough to allow me to smile when he appeared in the hallway with his patient and stood beside the reception desk.
“Do you have a problem?” he asked me when his patient left.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m Barney’s niece. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”
He looked at the appointment calendar, whispered to the receptionist, and then waved at me to follow him.
“It’s okay, Marie,” he said to his receptionist. “You can leave. I’ll meet the next patient myself.”
Looking relieved, the receptionist dug her purse from a drawer and quickly left for what appeared to be a pressing appointment. We went into a small office he had beside his examination rooms where empty dental chairs were waiting. I took a seat in the single chair beside his desk. He started to close his door, but left it open enough to hear if anyone else entered the office.
“I remember you from The Grind the other day,” he said, sitting in his chair. He seemed friendly enough, but I could sense that he was ill at ease about my visit. He sat across from me with his hands folded in his lap.
“That’s partly why I’m here. Do you know what happened to my uncle?”
“Sure.” His nod was stiff. “Everybody in town has heard about it.”
“You and Mrs. Podeski didn’t seem to get along.”
His stare was unnerving. He looked at me like he was about to leap away. “We had issues,” he said.
“And you came to The Grind looking for her the day…” I chose my words carefully, “the day it happened. You were upset and …”
“She was going around town telling people lies. She even went to the police!”
I watched him carefully. It was like he was trying to relax himself. He put his hands on the armrests of the chair and gripped them as he spoke. “I wanted to find her and get her to stop telling lies.”
“You scared my uncle enough that he went to her house to make sure she was alright.”
He shook his head. “I never found her. I went home and my wife made me stop. She calmed me down. I heard Utta was dead the next day when Chief McCaffrey came to ask me the same questions.”
I scribbled in my notebook, trying to make it look like I was taking down what he was saying. What is he hiding? Knowing he was lying about when he went home made me nervous and so flustered that I completely forgot to ask the one question I needed to ask. I finally put my notebook down and stared right at him. “Barney didn’t do anything, Dr. Santos. I’m trying to understand what happened.”
“Well, it’s a police matter.”
I nodded. “Why were you and Mrs. Podeski fighting at The Grind? It wasn’t really about the cake was it?” I thought I’d asked him gently, but my question seemed to reach out and strike him. I saw him actually wince and he abruptly stood up.
“My relationship with Utta Podeski is personal. That’s all I’ll say. Now you’ll have to excuse me. I have a patient coming in.” He moved to the door. “Please leave. I have work to do.”
“You’re sure you didn’t see Mrs. Podeski that night?”
“Please leave.” He waved an arm towards the hallway.
I felt a sudden surge of courage. I was slow to put my notebook into my purse and then I looked at him with the fiercest glare I could muster and pushed out my question. “When did you get home?”
He smiled. “I was home at supper time.” He gave me a sight bow. “Please leave. I have a patient coming in.”
I wanted to shock him with the fact I knew the truth, but suddenly decided not to test him. I sensed his anger was building and he was now barely under control. “Thanks,” I said, edging by him into the narrow hallway.
“Leave this to the police,” he continued. “Finding out what happened is their job. Butting your nose in won’t help.”
I nodded in a sheepish way and left. When I was outside I stood at the doorway a moment and took a deep breath to calm myself. From the corner of my eye I noticed a new Jeep in his small parking lot on the side of his building, alongside a cedar hedge. Must be his patient’s. I left feeling no wiser about anything.
“He didn’t tell me much but there was something about what was going on that has him really annoyed.” Nancy and I were stuffing serviettes into the tin napkin holders put on every table in The Grind. I’d decided to put up the ‘closed’ sign on the front door when I got back and Nancy didn’t disagree. The day had been slow anyway and the only thing still left to do in preparation for tomorrow was unloading the dishwasher.
“People said he caught her stealing, but that was just gossip. Nothing ever came of it,” Nancy said.
“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” I started putting the napkin holders on the tables. “Joan called it gossip gold.”
Nancy sat down and folded her arms. “What else did she say about it?”
“Nothing. We changed the subject.” I sat down with her and rested my head in my hands. “I’m getting nowhere, Nancy. Everybody seems to have a reason not to like Mrs. Podeski, but none of the reasons are bad enough to kill her. Apparently, the only person who saw her that night was Barney. I believe Bill was at home alone, and Dr. Santos’s wife is his alibi.”
“That’s too bad. For Barney, I mean.”
I rubbed my forehead. “But that alibi is a lie. He wasn’t home for supper and I can prove it.”
“What?” Nancy looked shocked.
“Carol’s daughter was babysitting that night and he didn’t show up for suppertime. In fact, his wife didn’t come home until around nine and she got upset because he wasn’t home yet.”
“Have you told the chief?”
I shook my head.
“You have to tell the chief, Mel. It could help take the suspicion off of Barney!”
“Promise you won’t t
ell him yet. Promise?”
Nancy leaned back into her chair and crossed her arms. “What kind of jam are you cooking, girl?”
I toyed with the serviette container as I spoke. “I asked Dr. Santos when he got home and he said supper time. His wife confirmed that for the chief, right? Which has got to mean he’s hiding something and it’s scary enough to make his wife tell lies too.” I looked into Nancy’s eyes. “Now I think he killed her.”
“But how can you prove it? That’s police business, Mel!”
“I need a little time. Maybe someone saw him in town around supper? He was looking for Mrs. Podeski, remember. And there’s still the question of Allan in all of this. I think he tried to poison Su. If you’re crazy enough to poison a dog…”
“You’re on thin ice, Mel. You said Allan has an alibi too and just because he may have poisoned Su, it doesn’t mean he’d be nuts enough to kill his mother!”
“I know.” I slowly exhaled. “I’m grasping at straws. I know.”
“Look. I’ll go along with you holding out for a little while, but you have to think about it. Dr. Santos had to know the truth would come out if the police talked to the babysitter, right? You have to tell the chief.”
“I will. But not until I ask around about where he was. And there’s still her husband and Allan.”
“Her husband was in Eugene.”
“I’ve been wondering about him. Where the heck has he been in all this? It’s like he’s hiding out. Don’t you think he’d be around asking the chief questions too? It’s like he doesn’t care that she’s dead. Chief McCaffrey says he’s staying at the Lee Hotel until after the investigation. I guess Allan is too.”
Cool Demise Page 9
