"No, I'm sorry. Abjectly so." But Ollie's eyes danced. "Tell me everything, be a dear. And of course I'll tell you all about Clarence. The man had enemies, let me tell you!"
Abe gave the short version of finding the body after the garden competition.
Then Ollie launched into a tale of small-time TV rivalries and bitter resentments, of a man who was all charm on camera, but lit into anyone he didn't think was important and made their lives a living hell.
"He needed me to edit the shots for him. He couldn't actually afford anyone at the start, so he relied on my charity, and a few others', but I wasn't blind. I saw the way he treated anyone he felt was competition or simply unimportant. He was a bully clear through."
Abe listened for a long time, soaking in the atmosphere Ollie conveyed, nodding and taking note of names using an app on his phone. A small moleskin might be more detective-like, but this was practical and at hand.
Perhaps I could install the Wallander ringtone on my phone to go along with it. Thoroughly modern detective... Although, really, I would hate for my life to turn into any sort of Wallander story.
"It sounds as though just about everyone he ever met had reason to hate him," observed Abe at one point.
Ollie tsked. "And a few he never met, I'll wager. So...tell me about yourself. How are you, really? Aside from this murder business?"
"It's pretty much all I think about right now," said Abe. Well, nearly. He could hardly stand Ollie's sympathetic expression.
"And have you found a new man yet? I know you; you need somebody in your life, and in a commitment sort of way."
Ollie wasn't particularly interested in long-term relationships, at least not that he'd ever admitted. But Abe, from a fairly young age, had been interested in finding his One and Only, life partner, husband material match. It hadn't worked, obviously. He wondered sometimes if it would have been better if he could just date casually, the way Ollie did. But he wasn't built that way.
"No, I'm really not ready to get back into the singles scene," said Abe, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Back to Clarence—"
"Well, you should try the hookup scene, at least," said Ollie. "There are a lot of options these days."
Abe pursed his lips, but decided to ignore it and go on. There was no use scolding Ollie; he meant well. "About Clarence. Do you know where he lived, and if he'd moved yet? And didn't he used to live out in the suburbs as well? Somewhere near where I ended up?"
"I think so. I'd have to look into it, but I'm sure I've got his old address in my contact book, along with his new one. It's at home, of course, but I could text you with it later. I wouldn't have gotten rid of it; I never update my contacts fast enough!" Ollie sighed, as though being a procrastinator was quite the trial to bear.
"What about your film?" Abe knew an opportunity when he saw one, and seized it, leaning forward. He really did think his friend had a lot of talent, but Ollie hadn't finished a film project since college, aside from his volunteer editing. "Any further along? You know I'm always here to bounce things off of if you want to brainstorm."
"I do love a good brainstorming session." Ollie smiled at Abe in a slightly sad, affectionate manner that said he was remembering college and all those old dreams, too.
"You were going to be the next hit indie director," Abe reminded him. "But you know, that doesn't really matter. I just hate to see you never make another film at all. You used to love it so much, and the world needs more good storytellers."
"You were always so encouraging. I'll pull out all my old material sometime. But you know, between one thing and another..." Ollie turned his coffee cup around between his hands, looking down at it.
"Of course." Abe put a hand over his and let the subject drop. He supposed they both had things they'd rather not discuss.
"Do you know anything about Clarence's love life? I assume he had one?"
Ollie shook his head. "No, he kept that all very secret. I always thought it was a bit odd. Now, you know I quite like the single life myself, and I don't flash my dates in front of everyone, but for a man like that? He'd have wanted to show off. Only he never did. I used to wonder if he was in the closet. I really couldn't tell. He may have had someone, or dated a lot but preferred to be private about it. I never found out. And, really, I didn't like the man enough to want to spend much time around him or inquire too closely. He might think I was interested! I suppose he was handsome enough, if it came to that, but...well...I just couldn't see him the same way, after the first time I overheard him lighting into someone who didn't deserve it. There was something reptilian about him, something almost—almost evil. Let's just say I really wasn't surprised when he was murdered."
He laughed self-consciously. "If I'm perfectly honest, my first thought was, 'I hope they don't catch the poor bastard who did it.' You see, I was absolutely sure it was someone he'd tortured in that particular way of his—perfectly aimed barbs, probably over a long period of time. I think he might've driven the soundman nearly to insanity with his little cruelties. Things like that stack up, you know."
"You really think the soundman would have...?" Abe leaned forward. It was another trail to follow, one that led away from the suburbs.
Ollie sobered. "No. I don't think it could have been him. He had to leave the station. This was—let's see, probably two years ago. He'd made some sort of...attempt on his life. I believe he had to be hospitalized for a while. You know." He waved a hand nervously, avoiding Abe's gaze. Talk about mental health, and mental hospitals especially, made Ollie unbearably nervous. He'd suffered with depression when he was younger, possibly compounded by his parents' refusal to accept that their son was gay. Mental health treatment had been something of a nightmare for him at that age, being more of the "maybe you should learn to like girls" type than anything really helpful. He wouldn't even go to the doctor for a checkup these days, if he could help it.
"It sounds as though he'd have had a perfect excuse to murder Clarence, then," Abe said. "I mean, a perfect motive. Being driven to such a state...well."
"Oh, no, it couldn't be him." Ollie looked down at the table, fiddling with his coffee cup, spilling a bit of the remaining liquid but barely noticing. "You see, his second attempt succeeded." He looked away quickly.
"Oh, dear. I'm sorry." Abe wiped up the coffee, biting his tongue. False platitudes would not help here. A man had died. It had clearly affected Ollie more than he liked to let on.
Ollie shrugged awkwardly, and when he could speak again, he said, "It's not that he was particularly a friend. But he was—nice, I suppose you'd say. Very straight. But in a sensitive sort of way, you know? There was this woman he had an absolutely painful crush on, and nothing ever came of it. But Clarence had figured it out, of course, and used to—to hurt him, you know? In that way he had. I felt terrible when I found out what happened. I used to think, I should have said something, done something. But it was always such little barbs, you know? Everyone was in a hurry, and nobody really wanted to take on Clarence, if you could even catch him in the act. It was just...he was a bully. And I wish I'd said something, or maybe visited the poor fellow in the hospital. Maybe he just needed to know that not everybody thought he was a pathetic loser."
"I doubt you could have fixed it." Abe felt terrible for pressing, but he needed to know more. "I don't suppose one of his family members or friends could have blamed Clarence and waited this long for revenge?"
Clarence shrugged. "I suppose anything's possible. I got the feeling he didn't really have anyone who cared very much. No close, living family. No girlfriend or wife. Very few friends. He was a loner—quiet, shy. He had a lot of feelings underneath, but I don't think he inspired much of them in anyone else. That's what made it all so very sad. Clarence liked to pick on anyone weak, especially if he could keep it from being obvious that's what he was doing. The soundman—Jim Joles—he was a big fellow, very sturdy-looking. Only he wasn't, inside."
"You almost make me glad Clarence is dead,"
said Abe. "And I know what you mean about him being terrible. He had a way with words. He really let me have it." He gave a self-conscious laugh. "I mean, for a little while there, I felt like the most worthless person alive. I got past it pretty quickly—my neighbor helped, and the community was supportive because we were all sort of feeling the same way about Clarence by that point—but I can see how it would be dangerous, especially to someone young or fragile." He shuddered inwardly at the thought of that cruel man and all the damage he must have wreaked. Maybe he shouldn't try to find out who'd killed Clarence. Maybe the person was finally getting some rest.
But if they were capable of killing, wouldn't they just do it again? It was something he'd never really understood. It probably varied from person to person. Even if he'd been angry enough and had gone off the deep end for long enough to kill Lenard, he didn't think it would have led to other crimes. But perhaps that was the thing about murder: it was such a deep violation of the acceptable and decent that it forever changed and warped a person, so that they were never the same again. So that they were capable of...anything.
I really have watched too many mysteries, he decided. It wasn't something he could know, armchair psychology or not. Nor was it probably the best thing to dwell on, unless he wanted nightmares.
Ollie almost visibly shook himself. "Well, I imagine the police will have a lot of suspects to work through. A lot! I don't imagine you'll be on their bad list for long, if you even are now." He gave Abe an affectionate look. "Let's not wait so long to catch up next time, okay? Or for a murder."
Abe agreed, taking it as the end of the conversation and deciding not to push for more information. Ollie had been generous and open; it was only fair to let him end the conversation before he had to dig any more of his soul out for display.
As they were getting ready to leave, Ollie twitched. "Don't look now, but there's a hot farmer behind you. Heading this way!"
"A—" Abe turned and looked, couldn't help it. His heart sank a little as he realized the "hot farmer" was actually Gregory, heading this way, his stride purposeful. He did look very rural and butch in his blue jeans and flannel shirt, his hair neatly combed, his muscular strength proclaiming he worked hard, and the weathered tan of his face showing he was an outdoorsy type.
Abe hadn't really wanted to introduce them, but Ollie was already smiling in a very welcoming sort of way, offering his long slim hand to Gregory and taking in every inch of him.
"Hi," said Gregory, giving him a strong, perfunctory shake. "You Ollie?"
"Er, that I am." He cast Abe an amazed look as if to say, 'You know this man?'
"Great. You guys about done, or should I order myself something?"
"Oh, we have time," said Ollie. "Why don't you sit down and tell me all about yourself?"
"We were just finishing," said Abe. "We can go any time."
"Oh, no you don't. How do you two know one another? I simply must know. There aren't many mysterious strangers in my life, you know."
Gregory laughed. "I'm not a stranger. We're neighbors."
"Oh!" said Ollie, looking at Abe with an understanding dawning in his eyes. "Neighbors!"
Abe gritted his teeth. "You needn't take that tone."
"Of course not, dear." He patted Abe's arm. "You two...neighbors...take care, now. I'll expect to hear from you soon, Abe." It sounded almost like a threat.
"Just remember those addresses," said Abe, resigning to having his complicated feelings about Gregory dug out of him at a future and not very far off date. Really, it might be nice to have someone to confide in about it...if only Gregory wouldn't act unbearably smug. Or try to win Gregory's affections for himself. He clearly liked what he saw!
Gregory sent Abe an inquiring look as they left together, but he didn't try to explain anything till after they'd eaten—a nice little meal at a restaurant Abe had always liked. Then he shared every morsel, and Gregory listened carefully.
"It sounds as though your friend could have a motive for murder."
"What? Feeling bad about that poor soundman? That was dreadful, of course, but Ollie doesn't strike me as the sort to avenge anyone." Even if he wanted to, he would probably procrastinate for years and then fail altogether because of poor planning. Abe didn't want to say any of that out loud, because it sounded less than generous. He cared about Ollie, of course he did, but he wasn't blind to the man's faults. Especially those that involved ogling one's neighbor.
"Yes, but he could have had more motive than he admitted. He said Clarence was nasty to everyone but him, but think about it. Would he admit it if the man had been horrible to him? You said he has a project he's never finished. Something about a film. If Clarence had gotten wind of that and wanted to hurt him, I'm sure he could've twisted the knife pretty deeply."
Abe sighed. "Yes, very well. I'm sure he could have."
"And..."
"But Ollie wouldn't kill anyone. I'm sure of it."
"You're not going to be a very good detective if you eliminate suspects on the basis of liking them too much." Gregory's tone was mild, but he seemed irritated.
Abe sighed again. "All right, look, you could very well be correct. Suppose Ollie had a huge motive for murder—though that seems to include most of the people who knew Clarence. He still wouldn't do it like this, now would he? Lurking around a small town in some garden show, getting Clarence into his car just as the man was leaving for home in the city? No, I don't think so. He'd be a stranger with no reason to be here. It's all too tenuous and last-minute to be some great plan. If he wanted to kill Clarence, surely he could find a better way."
"Maybe he meant to. Maybe it just worked out that way."
"If he'd been murdered at the TV studio, poison slipped in his coffee or something, I'll grant you that Ollie could be a suspect. Perhaps even a good one—though I don't think so—but for this? You place him even slightly near the scene, and I'll rethink it."
"Fair enough," said Gregory. "Don't you think it's about time we start going over more of the nuts and bolts, who had an alibi stuff?"
"How? We aren't the police. We don't have any way to fix alibis. Besides, it was nighttime. Most everyone was in bed. How do you alibi that?"
"Well, if Winnie was with the gardener fellow, Rick whatever his name is..."
"Do you suppose she'd tell us?"
"She'd tell you," said Gregory. "She likes showing off for you."
Especially about the gardener, thought Abe sourly. He might have a crush on Gregory now, but it still rankled a bit that she had gotten the gardener and enjoyed his jealousy on the matter.
"I really don't want to interrogate my friend."
"Fine. I'll ask Rick the next time I see him. Though he might not take it well. I'm probably risking a punch in the face." Gregory sighed dramatically, but Abe didn't rise to the bait.
"Either one of them could lie about it, and probably would. There's no point." He paused. "You see Rick?"
"Only around. At the feed store and such."
They probably compared muscles earned through honest toil, and how to handle weeds. Although maybe not. Gregory was pretty hardcore into natural stuff, while Rick had no problem spraying for dandelions. Abe himself was somewhere in the middle: he didn't want dandelions in his yard, but he didn't have anything personally against them, and spraying seemed a little harsh. He'd rather pull them up wearing sturdy gardening gloves.
"All right. Then the Lockwoods. I suppose there's no point talking to them, either?"
Abe shuddered. "You know there isn't. Besides, they're going to be each other's alibi no matter what. I'm sure even the police wouldn't get them to admit otherwise. And..." He hesitated. "And I think if they were involved, they would definitely be in it together. Say what you like about them, they're...together about things."
"What, the couple that murders together stays together?"
"Perhaps that's what my marriage needed," said Abe, sounding more bitter than he liked.
Gregory frowned a little.
"You know, when you told me you were divorced, I made an idiotic assumption."
"Oh? What's that?" Abe picked at the edge of a fingernail, an old and bad habit. He wasn't entirely paying attention as those old feelings of sadness and loss swirled around inside him. Murder? There had probably been a time once when he'd have nearly been willing to kill to stay with Lenard. Now he just felt empty when he remembered everything.
"I thought you meant from a woman. Isn't that ridiculous? I had no idea I was so old-fashioned."
"I think the tweed should be a giveaway." But Abe smiled at him, appreciating the effort to cheer him up.
"Probably." Gregory coughed. He seemed embarrassed for some reason.
Abe studied his profile. "You know, it's not really that terrible. But if you ever need to go suit shopping, say, for instance, buy something slightly more modern, take me along and I'll make sure you come home looking your best."
Gregory smiled. "You would, wouldn't you?"
"Of course. What are neighbors for?" Abe teased. He wanted to put his hand on Gregory's knee but managed to stop himself. He really shouldn't be acting like this, feeling things for Gregory. It was bound to end in pain.
"Neighbors." Gregory sighed and fiddled with his napkin. After a few moments he said, "This whole thing comes down to neighbors, doesn't it? I mean, unless someone really did follow Clarence from town and drive up just as he was getting ready to go back, it almost has to be someone local, doesn't it? Someone from the gardening competition, or someone he used to know around here. The two categories might not overlap."
"True, but it seems reasonable that—" Abe stopped and reached into his pocket awkwardly for his phone, which was chiming with a text alert. "Oh. It's—he's sent me the address I asked for. Where Clarence used to live, in our area." He read off the short message from Ollie, then read it again. "But I don't understand. This is my address!"
Chapter six
He was rather distracted by this shocking discovery, but pulled himself together enough to focus with Gregory on checking out the place where Clarence had lived in the city. Hoping they might find out a bit more about Clarence's personal life, they drove around in one of the wealthier parts of town till they eventually found a free parking meter. They walked the rest of the way, side by side.
The Body in the Backyard Page 9
