Murder at the Polo Club

by Dianne Harman

  After they’d given their order to the perky young barista in the red-striped uniform, he said, “Marty, what’s going on? Coming here for the second day in a row is completely unlike you. What couldn’t hold until tonight?”

  She took the plastic bag containing the toothbrush out of her purse and handed it to him. “Jeff, this is from Lupe’s apartment. I went there a little while ago. She has a room in it that’s covered with photos and articles about Jack. There was an empty space on one of the walls shaped like an L, and I’m sure that’s where the newspaper clipping came from that had Pia’s photograph with the red circle around it and the slash mark through it. The room was like a shrine to Jack. It even had what I’d call an altar in it.”

  “Marty, what made you take the toothbrush?”

  “I’m sure Lupe’s the one who killed Pia. It all makes sense. I was walking Duke this morning, and I saw Yolanda, and everything fit.”

  “Marty, I am definitely missing something here. What does Yolanda have to do with any of this?”

  “Well, she doesn’t really. See, I was talking to Duke, trying to sort out something in my mind.”

  “Wait a minute. You actually were talking to Duke? Don’t you think that’s a little unusual?”

  “Jeff, quit analyzing me and just listen. Anyway, when I saw Yolanda in her car coming to the compound, I thought of Lupe, because they’re both Mexican housekeepers. When I thought of Lupe I remembered what Taffy had said about her being in love with Jack, her headaches, and that Taffy thought Lupe had been acting stranger and stranger. I also thought about the feminine energy that Laura kept referring to. See it all fits. That is, unless you have a match with Gerta’s fingerprints. What happened with that?” she asked, picking up the cup of coffee the barista had placed in front of her and taking a sip.

  “It’s another dead end,” he said grimly. “The school district does fingerprint their teachers, and hers was on record. I sent the fingerprints from the piece of newspaper and the cigarette to the New Jersey State Police. They’re the agency that stores the fingerprints. Anyway it was a big fat no match. Maybe you’re onto something. Maybe it was Lupe. I’ll take this toothbrush over to the crime lab and see what they can come up with.”

  “Good. I’m glad I thought to do it, although I have to admit my heart was in my throat the whole time I was in her apartment. I kept thinking what would happen if she came back early.”

  “Marty, if you’re right about this and Lupe is the murderer, you could be in a great deal of danger. When you go back to the Polo House, I want you to act very normal and don’t give Lupe any reason to suspect you think she might be the murderer. Will you promise me that?”

  “I’ll do you one better, Jeff. Laura had one of her flashes from wherever in a dream last night and thought I could be in danger today. She wanted me to stay home and not go to the Polo House. I told her that was an impossibility, but she made me promise I’d take my gun with me.” She opened her purse and showed it to him. “See, I’ll be just fine. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m worried. If Laura said you could be in danger that really concerns me. I’ll be so glad when you’re finished with this appraisal, and you’re safely at home.” He put several dollar bills on the table and said, “Hate to run, but I want to see what the crime lab can find out from these prints. I’ll either call you or let you know tonight.”

  “I need to get back, too. Earl Mathers will be at the Polo House pretty soon to appraise some of the antique books in Jack’s library. I need to show him which ones, although since that’s his specialty I’m sure he’ll know what’s worth appraising and what isn’t. Even though his name will be on the book portion of the appraisal, my name is the final one on it. See you tonight.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Promptly at two that afternoon the doorbell rang at the Polo House. Marty heard Lupe’s voice ask someone in and assumed it was Earl. A moment later there was a knock on the doorframe of the library and Lupe said, “Mrs. Combs, your friend is here.”

  “Thanks, Lupe.” Marty noticed that Lupe’s right eye was twitching, and she wondered if she was having one of her headaches. Then she noticed that Lupe was grinning for no apparent reason. “Lupe, did I miss something? I can’t help but notice that big smile.”

  “No, Mrs. Combs. I’m just happy that things are getting back to normal around here. If either of you need anything, let me know. I think you finished with Mr. Rutledge’s office. He told me he was going to be in there most of the afternoon, trying to catch up on things.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Marty said. Things are getting back to normal around here? I haven’t been around Lupe very long, but I wonder if she’s all right. She seems a lot different today than she was when I first met her on Monday. I wonder if she has some type of mental disorder that’s associated with her headaches, and it’s getting worse.

  “Earl, the books I want you to appraise are here in the library. As I told you when I talked to you on the phone, there are a number of antique books as well as contemporary ones. Don’t bother with the contemporary ones. You’ll have your hands full just appraising the antique ones. I’m almost finished with Mr. Rutledge’s suite, and the only thing I have left to do is the other suite.”

  Marty didn’t know if Earl was aware a woman had recently been murdered on the premises, but decided there was no reason to bring it up, since it wasn’t relevant to his book appraisal. She walked back to Jack’s suite and picked up where she’d left off. An hour later she started to walk down the hall to what had been Pia’s suite. When she was in the hall she thought she heard raised voices coming from Jack’s office. She set her purse and the appraisal equipment down on the floor of the hall. Evidently she wasn’t the only one to hear the voices, because she almost collided with Taffy as she came out of the kitchen.

  “Taffy, what’s going on?” Marty whispered.

  “I have no idea,” she answered whispering back. “I turned off the television, because I didn’t like the program that was on, and I heard raised voices coming from Mr. Rutledge’s office.”

  They quietly walked in the direction of Jack’s office. They stopped just short of the open door leading to the office and as they got closer, heard Lupe say, “Mr. Rutledge, don’t tell me you don’t love me. I know you do. It’s a good thing I killed that Pia woman. You were too good for her. We can live here, and I promise I’ll make you happy. I know what you like. She didn’t know anything about you. I’ve been with you for ten years. We’re going to be so happy together,” she said in a voice that sounded maniacal.

  “Lupe, are you telling me you’re the one who murdered Pia? Is that what you’re saying?” Jack asked in a raised voice filled with both shock and anger.

  “Mr. Rutledge, it’s not as if I haven’t noticed the looks you give me when you think no one else is looking. I know you want to be with me as much as I want to be with you. I know that woman cast some kind of a spell on you, but I broke the spell when I killed her. I can tell you’re already becoming happier now that she’s gone. You’re free to be with me.”

  “You’re crazy,” Jack yelled as he stood up and walked around the desk toward Lupe. As he started to approach her, Lupe’s primal survival instinct kicked in, and she took two long strides and opened one of the drawers on Jack’s desk.

  Marty and Taffy were standing next to the open doorway and looked at each other with horrified expressions on their faces. Marty sensed some movement next to her, turned, and to her surprise realized that Jeff and another policeman were standing next to her, the two of them having quietly crept into the house. Both of them had their guns drawn.

  Lupe pulled a gun from the desk drawer and pointed it at Jack. “No, I’m not crazy, but if you won’t be with me, I won’t let you be with anyone else,” she said cocking the hammer on the pistol. “Remember how you insisted all of your employees know how to shoot a gun, because you were worried someone would try and break into the house and steal your art pottery collection? You probably never
thought your gun would be the thing that would kill you, did you?” she asked, laughing in a deranged way.

  Suddenly there was a gunshot, and Lupe fell to the floor screaming that she’d been shot. Her gun slid across the highly polished tile floor and came to a stop at Jack’s feet. Jeff and the other policeman ran into the room. “Police! Lie on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.” The other policeman placed handcuffs on Lupe as she lay on the floor, sobbing.

  Jack reached down and picked up the gun resting at his feet. “Detective, I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life. I guess she’s the murderer. She admitted it to me, and I see your wife and Taffy standing in the doorway. I imagine they heard it as well, is that right?”

  “Yes, we were standing outside your office when she admitted it. Jeff, I’m just glad you got here when you did, but how did you know to come?” Marty asked, while a very shaken Taffy sank down in the chair nearest the door.

  “First of all, the prints on the toothbrush matched those on the newspaper clipping and the cigarette. When the technician brought me the results I knew Laura had been right in asking you not to come today. The feminine energy wasn’t Gerta’s, it was Lupe’s. All we need to do is get fingerprints from Lupe and match them up to the others. That, along with witnesses hearing Lupe tell Jack she murdered Pia, will be more than enough to send her to prison for a very long time.”

  “Detective, I’m really confused. I know nothing about a newspaper clipping or a toothbrush. Want to fill me in?” Jack asked.

  “Yes, but first I need to call the paramedics and have them transport Lupe to the jail ward of the county hospital. She has a minor gunshot wound to her shoulder that needs to be treated by a doctor.”

  After the paramedics, accompanied by the policeman that had come to the Polo House with Jeff, had taken Lupe away, Jeff told Jack about the fingerprints, Marty’s “aha” moment in the desert, Laura’s extra-sensory abilities, and what she’d thought about the case. He told Jack that Marty had really been the one to solve the case, and both the police department and Jack owed her a big thank you. He also told him they would be searching Lupe’s computer to see if they could determine if she’d done any research on chloroform.

  Marty accepted Jack’s thanks with humility and credited Taffy for alerting Marty to Lupe’s deteriorating mental condition. Marty could tell that talk of extra-sensory things was beyond Jack’s comfort level, and he’d prefer to stick with the things that could be explained by the five senses.

  “Jack, I’ll be back tomorrow to take a statement from you. Right now I want to get down to the station and fill out the paperwork needed for the District Attorney to charge Lupe with murder and attempted murder.” He turned to Marty and said, “You showed me the gun in your purse when we met for coffee a couple of hours ago. Might I suggest in the future if you’re going to keep it in your purse that you actually have your purse with you.” Jeff said with a raised eyebrow, looking sternly at her.

  “Jeff, when I walked out of Jack’s suite to go to Pia’s suite, the last thing I thought I would need was my gun, so I put my purse and my appraisal equipment on the hall floor. Seriously, if I walked around everywhere in this house with my purse hanging over my shoulder, the staff and Jack would probably have had me committed.”

  “Marty, we’ll discuss this further at another time. I’m going to the station now.”

  “Okay, I’m pretty shaken up, but I can’t leave Earl here, so I might as well finish up the last of the appraisal. See you tonight.”

  Marty walked into the library to see how Earl was doing. He looked up from the book he was leafing through and said drily, “Marty, did I just hear a gunshot? I don’t feel very comfortable doing appraisals when there are gunshots.”

  “Yes, you did,” she said sitting down. “It’s over now, but it’s been a long week. “Why don’t you take a break, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  CHAPTER 27

  When Marty opened the gate to the compound that evening she was immediately surrounded by Laura, Les, John, Max, and of course Duke, who had been patiently waiting for her by the gate.

  “I’m so glad you’re all right. About three-thirty this afternoon I started feeling great, and I knew you were out of danger,” Laura said. “Les had the television on while he was painting, and he saw Jeff entering the police station. The commentator said a woman had been arrested and was being charged with the murder of Pia Marshall. So I was right about the feminine energy?”

  “Yes, you were. I’m sure all of you want to hear what happened, but I need to change clothes and walk Duke. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “We knew that’s what you’d say, so I walked Duke for you. Guess what? I got him to walk with me in the desert without his booties.” Les said.

  “Les, you walked him? You never do that, and without his booties? How did you get him to go with you?” Marty asked as she looked at him in amazement.

  “I’m the alpha male, and I think he realized it. I simply told him in no uncertain terms that we were going to take a walk in the desert, and he did.”

  “I can’t believe it. Does that mean you’re the only one who can walk him without his booties being on? I don’t think of myself as being much of an alpha male.”

  “That’s true, Marty, but now maybe you can get Jeff to walk him. I’m sure Duke will think he’s the alpha male.”

  “Enough of this alpha male stuff,” John said. “Marty, I’m dying to hear everything. Put your stuff down, and I’ll get you a glass of wine. Start talking,” he said as he poured her a glass of chardonnay. “By the way, Marty, that’s the good stuff. It’s Rombauer. I only pour it on special occasions, and I’m gathering this is one of those times.”

  “So it is, John, so it is. I’m alive. Jeff got there just in the nick of time, and presumably the murderer is now behind bars. Okay, here’s what happened…”

  She’d just gotten to the part where Jeff shot Lupe when he walked through the gate. Everyone applauded. Jeff leaned down and kissed Marty.

  “Since Marty has evidently filled you in on the day’s events, I’ll finish up by telling you Lupe has been charged with murder, and she’s in jail. She’ll be arraigned tomorrow. I have a sense she has some type of mental and/or emotional problem. Marty mentioned she had headaches, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a link between them and her current mental condition. If that’s true, and it can be proven she was mentally incapacitated, she won’t go to trial.”

  “Don’t quite seem fair,” Max said. “She murdered somebody, and she outta go to prison.”

  “Well, whatever anyone’s feelings are regarding that issue, the law is the law, and it clearly states that if someone is mentally incapacitated they can’t be tried for a crime they’ve committed, but I promise you that she will spend a long, long time in a state mental hospital.”

  “Guys, I’m going to change the subject and talk about food. One of my regular customers at The Red Pony just returned from a fishing trip to British Columbia and gave me a couple of big pieces of salmon he caught while he was there. I thought we’d have eggs benedict tonight only I’m going to use salmon that I’ll have Max barbecue instead of ham. Believe me, there is no comparison between farm raised salmon and wild salmon. Have another glass of wine, and we’ll be back shortly with dinner.”

  An hour later after they’d all agreed John had spoiled the traditional style of eggs benedict forever for them, Marty said, “I’m sorry to crash, but I think the events of the day coupled with the late nights I’ve had to spend researching, have finally caught up with me. I’m turning in. Love you all and see you tomorrow. Duke, why don’t you stay here with the alpha males and see which one of them is going to take you out for your walk tonight?” As she stood up, she winked at Les and Jeff, hoping they could convince Duke that he should be bootie free from now on.

  Recipes!

  NOT YOUR MAMA’S MAC AND CHEESE

  Ingredients:

  3 ½ tsps.
kosher salt (If you don’t have it, you can use table salt, although I definitely prefer kosher.)

  1 tbsp. vegetable oil

  3/4 lb. orecchiette pasta (Sounds exotic, but it’s easy to find in the pasta section of your supermarket.)

  1 cup whole milk

  1 cup cream

  3 tbsps. butter

  4 tbsps. all-purpose flour

  2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated

  1 cup extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

  ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

  ¼ tsp. cayenne

  ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (While I do think freshly grated is better, if you don’t have it, you can use nutmeg that’s already been grated.)

  ¾ lb. crab meat (Fresh is best, but pretty hard to find. I did find lump crab meat at a Costco store. You could always substitute another type of seafood, but I’m not a fan of the fake crab meat.)

  2 tbsps. fresh chives, finely chopped

  NOTE: I’ve been known to substitute other types of hard cheese if I happen to have some already on hand.

  Directions:

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add 3 tsps. kosher salt and vegetable oil to a large pot of water. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cooked per directions on package, usually around 8 minutes, but do taste it for doneness. Drain in a colander. (It’s a thicker pasta than say linguine or fettucine, so you don’t want to undercook it.)

  While the pasta is cooking, put the milk in a small saucepan and heat but don’t boil. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven type pan and add the flour. Whisk the flour and butter together for 2 minutes. Add the milk to the flour and butter and whisk for 2 more minutes or until smooth and slightly thickened. Turn the heat off.

  Add cheese, remaining ½ tsp. salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, seafood, and pasta. Stir to mix well. Transfer to individual gratin dishes or to an 8” x 8” glass baking dish. For gratin dishes, bake for approximately 35 minutes. If using a glass baking dish, bake for 50 minutes. Ovens vary, so check for a little browning on the top.