“Executor,” Deena corrected.
“Whatever. I should be able to stay here to take care of stuff.”
Guttman’s eyes darted around the room. “True enough, but you can understand why we want to be cautious until we know exactly what caused Mr. Cooper’s death.”
“Well, it wasn’t me.” She stuck out her chin.
“All right,” Guttman said. “What is it you want from the house right now?”
“Granddad kept a box of his important papers. I need it.”
Guttman nodded at the rookie. “Okay then. Officer Santos, help Miss Cooper retrieve the box, verify the contents, and then show her out.” He turned back. “You two are free to go.”
Lillian walked swiftly out the front door and got in her car to leave. Deena headed more slowly to the door, hoping the detective would follow her out. He did.
When they stepped outside onto the porch, Guttman stopped. “This case has taken a strange twist.”
“You mean other than another man dying?”
“Yes, actually.” He put his hands in his pockets. “Are we off the record?”
“There is no record anymore. Another reporter will likely be pestering you soon, though.”
“Okay then. Since you seem to know so much about this case, what do you make of this? It may not be related, but we got a tip about John Doe. He was staying at the Pine Tree Motel. The manager, who obviously doesn’t read the newspaper, hadn’t even noticed he was missing. Anyway, we searched his room and found an old Florida driver’s license. So now we have a name.”
Deena couldn’t believe the first mystery was solved. “Was his name Rocky something? I gave that tip to Officer Santos.”
“I know. But his real name was Richard Boxer. Rocky must have been a nickname.”
Deena floated the names in her head. Boxer. Rocky—makes sense.
“And another thing, the source said Rocky was picked up at the park last Thursday by a man and a woman.”
Deena wondered if the police had bribed Tiny for more information. Not wanting to give up too much of what she knew, Deena asked, “Did this source happen to be really tall with an ironic name?”
Guttman narrowed his eyes. “Not really. His name is Boles. Picked him up for petty theft, and he gave up the info for a shorter stay in the city lockup. Here’s my concern though. We found a note in Rocky’s room with a time and date that matched when he was supposedly picked up at the park. There was a name on it. Clay. Doesn’t Kitty Cooper have a boyfriend by that name?”
Deena just stared. At last the truth was going to come out about Kitty and Clay paying Rocky to go with them to the bank.
Guttman rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyway, we’re looking for the car the couple had been driving to see if we can ID them. Boles said it was a dark-red sports car. Beat up though. Not new.”
Deena’s head whipped around to see Kitty’s car parked in front of the house down from where they stood. Of course, it was the dark-red sports car the police were looking for. Again, Deena felt like she had to straddle the line between concerned neighbor, Kitty’s confidant, and newly unemployed reporter. She got Guttman’s attention and then cut her eyes toward the parked car.
Guttman frowned at her.
She did it again, this time letting her head nod a little in that same direction.
He shook his head. “What? Are you having a stroke?”
Deena pursed her lips and pointed.
Guttman followed her finger and suddenly realized what was happening. “Oh. The car. Whose is it?”
Deena motioned with her head toward Edwin’s house.
Guttman held up his hands and barked out, “Just tell me.”
“Kitty’s.” As soon as the word was out of her mouth, the door opened, and Kitty walked out with a shoebox in her hand. She didn’t speak to or make eye contact with either of them but instead headed straight to her car.
Guttman crossed his arms as he watched her drive away.
Chapter 22
By the time Gary got home, crime scene tape had been strung across the front porch of Edwin’s house and the CSI vehicle had arrived. Deena assumed that meant the poison in the glass had been confirmed. Although she’d been prepared for it, the confirmation was upsetting, nonetheless. Who could have been so diabolical as to poison an old man who was quietly living out his golden years in the suburbs?
Deena had called Gary to break the news of Edwin’s death so he wouldn’t be shocked when he drove past the house. She had spent the rest of the afternoon reorganizing her office and boxing up any files related to her work at the newspaper. Gary would have to find a place for them in the garage until she could talk to Dan and figure out a permanent solution.
She had peeked into the spare bedroom, which had become a catchall room for her antique booth purchases, winter clothes, and various whatnots. Although she was looking forward to working on her booth again, she really needed to go by Hidden Treasures and take stock of what had and hadn’t sold before adding more merchandise.
Gary greeted her with a warm hug. “Are you all right?”
“I suppose.” She held on to him a little longer than usual.
“After you told me about Edwin, I wondered if Dan was going to make you stay on the story. Did you talk to him?”
Deena let go of her husband’s embrace. In all that had happened, she’d forgotten to tell him her big news about quitting her job. She looked into his eyes and thought of all the elegant ways she could break it to him. At last she blurted out, “I quit.”
“What?” He took a step back, although his eyes gleamed and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Did Dan refuse to let you off the story?”
Deena explained the situation about talking to Dan and Kitty and Guttman and Hitchcock and Ian and Guttman again. Whew. No wonder she was so tired.
“Well, I can’t say that I blame you. Now you can be like one of those amateur sleuths in those cozy mysteries you are always reading.”
She chuckled. “You mean the nosy women who find a way to insert themselves into murder investigations they have no business getting involved in?”
“Exactly.” Gary kissed the top of her head. “We need to eat dinner soon so we can get to the meeting.”
“What meeting?” Deena was dog-tired and ready to curl up in bed with a book. Had she forgotten another commitment she’d promised Gary she would keep?
Gary headed to the kitchen and the refrigerator. “The one in the message.”
“What message?” She was too tired to play twenty questions with him.
“From the Friendly Neighbors app. I put it on your phone.” He pulled a package of chicken breasts out of the freezer.
Deena held up her hand. “Anything but chicken.”
He swapped the chicken out for a package of pork chops and unwrapped them to put in the microwave for defrosting. “Christy Ann has called an emergency meeting of the neighborhood watch.”
“Ugh. I deleted that app,” she said. “It kept dinging every time someone wanted to sell fundraiser candy or needed a recommendation for a housekeeper. Speaking of which, Lillian, Edwin’s housekeeper, is probably looking for a new job—unless she winds up in jail.”
Gary pushed the button on the microwave and leaned back against the counter. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve been thinking about who might have poisoned Edwin.” Deena swiveled around on the barstool. “Let’s assume it wasn’t Christy Ann. Who else had the opportunity?”
“The housekeeper?”
“Lillian said she was there this morning and Edwin was acting tipsy or something. Then she fixed him a plate of casserole and went to the market. But who’s to say she didn’t just make the whole story up?”
“Okay, but what would be her motive?”
“There’s not one that I know of, but everyone has secrets.”
The microwave dinged and Gary checked the chops. He added more time and pushed the button again. “Who else is on your list? K
itty is out, right?”
“I think so, unless she and her boyfriend, Clay, were working together. Obviously, their motive would be money. Kitty was apparently Edwin’s sole beneficiary, according to what he said the other day.” Deena couldn’t believe it was just two days earlier that she was at Edwin’s house and he was alive and well.
Gary rubbed his chin. “But why would she bother to steal a couple of hundred dollars and a ring to pawn and then turn around and kill her grandfather? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Which is why Clay is at the top of my list.” Hurley yapped at Deena’s feet, so she reached over the counter and got a dog biscuit out of his treat jar.
Gary wrinkled his face. “I thought we were going to cut down on the number of treats we were giving him.”
“I can’t help it. He’s just so cute.” Deena scratched the top of Hurley’s head. “Like I was saying, I think Clay could be the killer. Kitty said the plan to take Rocky to the bank was his idea. I believe her. I think she really loved her grandfather and felt bad for pulling the wool over his eyes. But Clay . . . I don’t know.”
The microwave dinged again, and they finished preparing supper.
A FULL BELLY, A GLASS of wine, and an emotional day had lulled Deena into a kind of stupor. The last thing she wanted to do was listen to Christy Ann gossip with the neighbors. Not that Deena didn’t enjoy gossip; she did. But she was emotionally spent, and her PJs were calling her name.
“Deena?”
That was Gary. “I see other people arriving across the street. We need to go.”
“Uh, do I have to? Can’t you represent us both?”
He got that same look on his face as he had the other day when she said she didn’t want to help out at his office.
“Never mind. I’ll go. I can see it’s important to you.” She slipped her feet back into her shoes and held his hand as they walked across the street.
Who knew what kind of nervous energy had propelled Christy Ann that afternoon? Her house was immaculate, and she had baked three kinds of cookies and set up a beverage station for the guests. Deena noticed lemonade was not among the drink offerings.
She and Gary milled around and made small talk with the neighbors. She recognized most of the faces, although some of the names eluded her. She turned around and saw Gary talking to Marcie from the bank. The chopsticks were gone from her bun, but she wore an Asian scarf around her neck that appeared to practically be choking her.
“Don’t think another thing about it,” Gary said. “It’s really no big deal.”
Obviously, she had been apologizing again for her uproar at the bank. She turned to address Deena. “Mrs. Sharpe, it’s good to see you on friendlier terms.”
“Call me Deena. I didn’t realize we were neighbors.”
“She lives on the block behind us a few doors down,” Gary said. He looked back at Marcie. “I’m not a stalker. I’ve seen you wrestling with your lawn mower a few times.”
Marcie scowled. “That darn old thing. It gives me fits. I think my ex-husband cursed it before he left me. Of course, that’s been a while. I should be able to buy a new one soon. Do you mow your own lawn?”
Deena spoke before Gary could answer. “Not anymore. It interferes with his sports watching. He’s a professional, you know.” Her eyes twinkled.
“Oh?” Marcie asked. “What kind? A player?”
“No. Watcher.” Deena grinned. “Apparently the announcers can’t do their jobs unless Gary is talking along with them, answering their questions, and offering his own analysis.”
Marcie got the joke and laughed. “You two live next door to Edwin, right?”
“Yes,” Gary said. “We’re just sick about what happened.”
“Poisoned?” Marcie shook her head. “Who would do such a thing? He and I were good friends. I used to take him to bingo every Friday night.”
“Really?” Deena remembered Tiny mentioning a crazy-looking lady with Edwin at bingo. He must have been talking about Marcie and her hair.
“Yes, he was lonely and, frankly, so was I.” She looked down at the floor. “Ever since my divorce, I’ve found it hard to open up to people. Edwin was kind and funny. I’m really going to miss him.”
Deena touched the woman’s arm. “If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where I am.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes seemed to grow dark then. “Do the police have any suspects?” She lowered her voice. “Rumor has it that it was his granddaughter.”
Deena whispered back, “It couldn’t have been her. She was in jail.”
Marcie’s jaw dropped just as Christy Ann tapped on a glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” she said. “I’m sure you all know the reason we are here. Our dear neighbor Mr. Cooper was murdered sometime this morning.”
There were a few gasps in the room. Apparently not everyone knew the circumstances after all.
“Until this despicable killer is caught, we need to be more vigilant than usual. I invited Officer Luis Santos here to speak to us about our role in keeping the neighborhood safe. He’s just joined the police force.” She waved him forward. “Officer Santos.”
The neighbors clapped to welcome him.
“Thank you, Mrs. Maples. First, I want to assure you that the Maycroft Police Department is doing everything possible to find whoever killed Mr. Cooper and to bring him to justice.”
“Excuse me, officer.” It was Charla Hicks, the real estate agent. “You said ‘him.’ Does this mean you have narrowed down the suspects to a male?”
“Uh, no, actually. It could be a male or female. Sorry for the confusion.”
“Do you think it was his granddaughter?”
Deena couldn’t see who asked the question.
“We are not speculating on any suspects at this time.”
Several more people started to ask questions and Santos held up his hands. “Folks, let me just remind you that we are here about your safety when you are on watch. First and foremost, never go out alone.”
“I’ve got that covered with my list,” Christy Ann said and held up a stack of papers.
“Good. Also, if you go out at night, always carry a flashlight and a whistle. And most importantly, never try to confront anyone on your own. Call the police so that we can handle it.”
“I got my dog, Choppers,” Mr. Wallingham said. “He’ll take care of anyone around here trying to break in and murder somebody.”
Santos shook his head. “No, no. That’s not what we want.” He continued with his list of dos and don’ts until he’d covered all the major points.
Deena stopped him on his way out the door. “Thanks for coming, and don’t worry, we aren’t a bunch of vigilantes looking to extract our own justice. I think people are just angry and upset over what happened. They’ll settle down.”
“I hope so.” He tipped his hat and left.
Christy Ann had the floor again. “I’ve made a list of partners to go out on watch in the evenings. I know mornings are just too hectic.” She passed out the papers. “If you can’t go at your assigned time, please call to make arrangements for someone to take your place.”
Deena looked at the list and raised her hand. “Christy Ann. You have Gary assigned to go out with Marcie. Why am I not on the list?”
“Oh, I thought you had a bad hip or knee or something. I thought that’s why you never exercise. And Marcie is single.”
“We’ll be a team,” Gary interjected quickly.
Marcie mouthed the words “thank you” to him.
Deena leaned in and whispered to Marcie, “I can’t believe I missed getting in my jammies early for this.”
Instead of joining her for a good giggle, Marcie knitted her brow. “What did you mean earlier when you said Kitty was in jail?”
“They took her in last night for elder abuse for stealing from her grandfather when she went to the bank last week. She’s out now.”
“Oh dear,”
Marcie said.
“I know. Hopefully the case will be dropped now that Edwin is . . . gone. That way no one else at the bank has to find out that Leslie let Kitty empty the safe deposit box.”
Christy Ann walked up. “Deena, would you mind taking a picture of the group before everyone leaves? I want to put it in the newsletter.”
“Okay. Do you want me to use a tripod so I can be in the picture? I can run across the street and get mine if you don’t have one.”
“That’s okay. I don’t want everyone to have to wait. You can just take it.” She called for attendees to gather in front of the fireplace.
When they were all ready, Deena held up her cell phone and asked everyone to say, “Cheese.” It wasn’t the foremost word on Deena’s mind, but she censored herself. She sent a copy of the picture to Christy Ann’s phone.
Afterward, Gary motioned to Deena that it was time to leave. She walked over and grabbed a handful of cookies first. “Might as well get something useful out of this evening.”
Chapter 23
Gary had let Deena sleep late and she was grateful. No commitments, no interviews, no worries.
And no job.
Deena lay in bed trying to decide how to spend the day. She could go to the antique mall, ask her sister-in-law Estelle to join her for a leisurely lunch, or go to the thrift store to visit her best friend. Maybe Sandra would have her baby with her there.
After her shower and coffee, Deena felt like a new person, although the same old worries crept back into her head. She went to the front window and looked out. All seemed quiet at Edwin’s house. Her phone rang in the kitchen, and a foreboding feeling came over her. Hopefully, it was someone asking her to buy more life insurance or something.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mrs. Sharpe. It’s Kitty Cooper.”
If it was possible to get double knots in the stomach, Deena did. All she could think to say was, “How are you?”
“Terrible. The police know we took that man to the bank with us. I’m not sure they believed me when I said we didn’t kill him. And I still can’t find Clay. That’s why I’m calling. Were you able to locate him?”
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