“I can do it,” Adele said, not wanting to give up her position as crochet companion. “I saw a book that should help.” She rushed off to get it.
The rest of us looked at each other with the same thought. Would Rory and Adele come through in time?
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Not so fast,” I said to Dinah as she pushed away from the table.
The Hookers were all scattering as the hour ended, and Adele had taken Rory into the kids’ department for a private crochet lesson using the information in the left-handed crafts book.
“You and Commander disappeared last night. You can’t leave without telling me what happened,” I said, pausing before I began my usual straightening up.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to leave without saying good-bye, but when I saw the door to your yarn room closed, I figured something was up. Then I looked out front and saw Barry’s Tahoe,” she said with a meaningful smile. “I can’t help but be your Dr. Watson even when we’re not playing Sherlock Holmes.”
“His Tahoe?” I repeated. “Of course.” I shook my head before continuing. “Some Sherlock Holmes I am. It didn’t even register that he wasn’t wearing a suit.”
“Then it was a social call?” There was a twinkle in Dinah’s eye.
“The clothes and SUV might have made it seem that way, but Barry is never not working, and it was all about trying to get information from me.”
“Whatever you say,” my friend teased. “Did you tell him about our find at the door?”
“No.” I stopped as I thought of my discovery about the phone call. “Oh, and I listened to the phone call again, and I heard something.”
Dinah put down her work and turned all her attention to me. “Tell me.”
“I’ll let you judge for yourself.” I used my cell to call my landline and handed Dinah the phone as I got the message to play. Her eyes bugged out as she heard the breathing and she pulled the phone away from her ear, but I told her to keep listening.
Finally, she looked at me. “I do hear something else, but what is it?”
“It’s a clock chiming the hour,” I said. “You didn’t hear the date and time stamp at the beginning, but it was actually already past the hour.”
“And,” Dinah said, encouraging me to go on.
“There’s an old clock at Marianne’s that chimes like that and is ten minutes slow.”
“Wow.” Dinah sat back, incredulous. “Marianne is the one behind the threats?”
“Not necessarily. All it means is that the call came from her house. I don’t want it to be her, but I am beginning to think there might be more sides to her than I realized. It could have been her brother Errol. I know he goes there a lot. But it also could have been his wife, Kelly.”
“Why would they be trying to scare you off?”
“I thought about that. Suppose Marianne was the intended victim. Errol or his wife could have set up the accident. They knew that Marianne always went for a walk at night. Errol certainly didn’t seem happy that I was spending time with Marianne, and he said something like that she shouldn’t talk to me. He could have been worried I’d figure out that Connie was just collateral damage.”
I went on to explain the reasons why Errol or his wife might have wanted Marianne out of the way: “Errol wants her to sell the property. It was their family home. I don’t know what their arrangement is, but Marianne seems to be in control of it. All that would change if she died. When Kelly came to the Hookers meeting with Marianne that time, it was pretty obvious that she was resentful that her husband had to drop everything to take care of his sister. That would all change if Marianne was dead.”
“Have you told any of that to Barry?” Dinah asked.
“We kind of discussed it, but he said he needed evidence to do anything,” I said.
“Well, Sherlock, do you have any plans?” Dinah asked.
“If Errol or Kelly tried to kill Marianne once, don’t you think they would try again?”
“You’re right.”
“That’s why we have to do something. I need to find out who made that call. Then I’d gladly tell Barry about it and let him take over.”
“Dr. Watson has an idea. Talk to Janine. She might not have been there when the call was made, but at least she would know if Errol was at the house. Maybe that would be enough for Barry.”
“Good thinking, but it’ll be a two-man operation. Somebody has to distract Marianne.”
Dinah laughed and raised her hand. “I love being your sidekick.”
* * *
We decided not to wait and to go ahead with the plan to talk to Janine right away. I was concerned that Marianne might object to us inviting ourselves over, but I had a secret weapon. I said we’d bring cake.
“I hope it’s chocolate,” she said. “It would be nice to have some company in the evening.” I made sure that Janine would be there to share in the treat.
Dinah and I went right to Bea’s Bakery to pick up a cake. The shop had been in Tarzana forever, and there was always a line.
“So, then you didn’t work things out with Commander?” I asked as we waited for our number to be called.
“Poor guy, he was so confused. He’d thought it was just about Cassandra’s mother’s things and that it was solved. I explained that when she brought over his late wife’s family, she was trying to push me out of the picture.”
Our number was called, and we picked out a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and then headed to the door.
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“Treat her like one of my students and tell it like it is. I suppose it won’t be exactly how I deal with my students. I never try to make friends with them.”
We took Dinah’s car and worked out the details of our plan as we drove. I had to direct her to the private street that went up the hill to Marianne’s. She pulled her Toyota to a stop near the spot where it had all happened.
It was Dinah’s first time at the house, and she was wowed by the size of the property. Before we got to the front door, I pointed out where Connie had died. “She was coming back from her day off and probably didn’t know what hit her,” I said.
“I wonder how Janine feels about walking back to the guesthouse,” Dinah said.
“I bet she makes sure the grass is dry,” I said.
We walked to the door, and before I could ring the bell, Marianne opened it. I was glad to see that Janine was standing behind her. We all went inside, and Marianne took us into the den. The fireplace was going this time, and it seemed very inviting. I didn’t sit but instead held up the cake box and spoke to Janine. “Why don’t we serve this and make some coffee?”
Janine looked to Marianne for an okay, and then the two of us went into the kitchen. I knew my time alone with her was limited, so I got right down to it. To break the ice, I asked her how she liked the job.
She let out a sigh. “It’s kind of dull,” she said. “She stays home most of the time, and it’s pretty quiet around here.” She went to put the coffee on.
“I suppose you have to handle any company that comes over,” I said. I glanced around the kitchen, trying to figure out where we were in the house. A doorway led to what I supposed was a service porch and then outside, probably near the garage. The counters were covered with old-style yellow tiles trimmed with black, and there were a lot of windows. There were no curtains on them, making it easy to look out at the darkness—and probably to look in just as well.
“You’re the only company she’s had since I’ve been working for her,” she said with a shrug. “She was so excited that you were coming over.”
She waited while I put the cake on the counter and then opened the box. I picked up a long knife out of the wood block and held it as we continued to talk.
“What about her brother and sister-in-law?” I asked.
“I don’t think he counts as company, but he comes over every evening. I think it’s to check on me. But I don’t think he trusts Marianne ei
ther. He told me that no matter what she says about me being free to go back to the guesthouse, I should stay in the house with her.”
“Does he come at the same time?” I asked. I was still holding the knife out and hadn’t made a move to start cutting the cake, hoping to have as much time to talk as possible.
“It’s always around seven o’clock.” She glanced up at the wall clock and got a puzzled look. “I’m surprised he isn’t here by now.” She’d no sooner said that when I heard a rustling noise. I looked toward the source just as Errol burst into the room from the service porch with an entourage behind him, and we both froze.
“She’s got a knife,” Errol yelled as he stepped aside, and I saw the two uniforms with Barry and Detective Heather right behind, all with their guns drawn. Barry’s eye went directly to me. His expression stayed grim cop, but there was a flare of surprise in his eyes.
“Drop the knife,” Detective Heather yelled.
“I was just going to cut the cake,” I protested. Detective Heather moved her arm so that her gun was a little closer, and I realized she probably wouldn’t mind shooting me, since she probably still blamed me for things not working out between her and Barry. Before I could let go of the knife, Barry stepped forward and took it away.
“She’s the intruder you called us about?” Barry said.
“I’m an invited guest,” I protested. “You can ask Marianne. She’s in the living room.”
Detective Heather, looking like a cop in a TV show with her heels, stylish suit, and perfectly coiffured champagne-blonde hair, hustled Janine and me into the living room with the uniforms and Barry close behind. Marianne and Dinah were sitting on the couch. Dinah and Marianne looked stunned as the group filled the room.
“What’s going on?” Marianne said, standing up.
“I saw a woman in the kitchen with a knife, threatening your companion, and I called the cops,” Errol said.
“I’ll tell you what’s really going on,” I said, looking at Errol. “Is this another attempt to scare me off? I know you were the one who left me the message with the Darth Vader breathing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Errol said. He turned to the cops. “She must be crazy.”
Undaunted, I continued. “You can hear the clock chiming the hour in the background, only the clock is ten minutes slow, so it was actually ten minutes after the hour, according to the time stamp on the message. And the other little gifts came from you, too.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would I do something like that?”
I put my hand on my hip and stared at him. “If it wasn’t you, let’s hear you breathe,” I said. “Then I’ll get the voicemail to play on my cell phone and they can all be the judge.” He had begun to look a little nervous. “You were worried because I was getting too close.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Barry closing his eyes in consternation.
“Whatever he did, my brother was just trying to protect me,” Marianne chimed in.
“Aha, I knew it was you,” Detective Heather said with a cocky stance.
“Don’t say anything else. Let me call the lawyer,” Errol said.
Marianne regarded her brother with shock. “Oh my God, Errol, you think I set up the accident that killed Connie Richards? Why would I do that?” Then she let out a breath. “I get it. You think I did it because I don’t like having to have a companion.”
“It’s not her fault,” Errol began. “With her mental state and all the meds she takes, I’m sure she didn’t know what she was doing.”
“Errol, really?” Marianne said. “Did you really think it through? I’m too out of it to know what I’m doing, but I’m sharp enough to figure out how to set up that bizarre accident? As if there’s any way I’d know how to electrify the grass.” She turned her attention to the assembled police. “If my brother did anything weird, it was just because he was trying to take care of me. He’s been doing the best he could since I had my breakdown.”
Errol appeared panicked. “I’ve got nothing else to say.”
One of the uniforms spoke up. “I’m not clear. Was there an intruder? Are we going to arrest anybody?”
“Really? We brought cake,” I said. “What intruders bring treats?” Marianne confirmed we were guests, and they all finally stood down. Detective Heather seemed uncomfortable that she had shown her hand when she made the comment about Marianne being the culprit. Janine’s face seemed locked in a stunned expression. I patted her hand and said, “You probably won’t be thinking this job is dull anymore.”
The uniforms left first, and then Heather and Barry got ready to leave. As they were walking to the door, Barry turned back and zeroed in on me. It seemed like he mouthed the word later.
Errol made a hasty exit without a word as soon as the cops had left. The purpose of our visit had fizzled, and I didn’t have to do any sleuthing now. Errol’s reaction had made it clear he was the breather and gift giver. The question was, had he really done it to protect his sister, or was he worried about himself? Too bad I hadn’t gotten to ask him about his meetings with the developers. Marianne made it clear our visit was over as she got up and herded Dinah and me to the door. It had stuck in my mind that Marianne had made a point of seeming not to know how to electrify the grass, as she put it, and yet I’d found a copy of The Grass Is Always Greener sitting on the coffee table as if it had been recently watched.
As we were about to go out the door, I brought up the movie.
“Oh, that,” she said, not missing a beat. “After I saw that Rory Graham had joined the crochet group, I was curious to see the movie again.”
“Then you must have seen how they used a boombox and the sprinklers to electrify the grass,” I said.
“Really? That was in there?” She seemed surprised. “I only watched it for a few minutes before I turned it off. I found it pretty boring.”
Her answer made sense but made me uneasy anyway.
* * *
Dinah dropped me off at my car and went to face the music at her house. I was pretty sure it was going to be the same for me. I pulled into the driveway and went across the flagstone patio to the kitchen door. The street in front of my house was empty, but for how long? I considered turning out all the lights and not answering the phone.
It turned out not to be an option. I didn’t even have time to let Cosmo and Felix out in the yard when I heard a loud knock at my front door.
I didn’t really have to look through the peephole to know who was there, but I did anyway. Barry was pacing across the small front porch and seemed pretty agitated.
I took a deep breath and pulled open the door. He shook his head and gave me a disparaging look as he asked if he could come in.
“Do I have a choice?” I said, trying to lighten the moment.
“No,” he said curtly, but still waited for me to open the door wider before he came in.
The dogs must have heard him, because the gray terrier mix and the black mutt roared through the kitchen and into the entrance hall. They started jumping at his pant leg with excited yips.
He looked down at them, and I could see he was trying to maintain his fierce expression, but they cut right through it and he gave each of their heads a pat. However, when he looked up at me to announce he was going to give them a treat, his lips were compressed in frustration.
I stepped aside, and he went to the kitchen with the dogs in tow. I followed along.
“Sorry you missed out on the cake, but I have some butter cookies and tea.”
“You don’t really think you’re going to buy me off with that?” he said.
“How about if I throw in a grilled cheese sandwich?”
He was shaking his head as he gave the dogs their treats. “It’s not the food item that’s the problem,” he said in a terse voice.
“C’mon, I know you’re hungry. So am I. I’m going to make the sandwiches anyway, and then you can yell at me.”
“I’m not waiting for the food to do that,” h
e said. “How could you?” He seemed almost too exasperated to talk. While he stood there, I pulled out bread, cheese, butter, and a tomato and began to assemble the sandwiches. I dropped some butter in a frying pan. “What was that business about a threatening phone call and some other gifts? You were supposed to tell me everything.”
“I thought the phone message was just a disgruntled telemarketer, at first, anyway. It was only when I listened to it later that I heard the clock and realized it was slow just like theirs is.”
“So you decided to take things in your own hands,” he said.
“I was going to tell you all about it once I was sure who had made the call.”
He shook his head with frustration. “That’s Molly logic, not police procedure. It was supposed to be me doing the investigating and you just providing some information.”
The sandwiches were browning in the frying pan, and the cheese was beginning to ooze over the side of the bread. The smell was making my mouth water and I figured the same was true for Barry, but he was doing a good job of hiding it.
“What about the gifts, as you called them, which I’m guessing were really threats?”
“Well, somebody left an old radio and an extension cord at the bookstore and implied I might get a nasty surprise if I didn’t back off, and then there was this.” I slid the sandwiches onto plates and then took him out into the yard. The shoe box was still sitting on the umbrella table. I pointed to it and he gave me a suspicious look.
“Is there some kind of booby trap in there?”
I shook my head, and he flipped open the lid and looked inside. In the semidarkness, I don’t think he could tell if it was a real dead animal or not, until his detective skills kicked in and he realized there was no smell. He asked for details on where I’d found it. I pointed to the mat in front of the door.
“How did it get from there to here?” he asked.
“By way of the pinchy winchy and a dust pan and broom,” I said. He started to smile and caught himself.
We went back inside and took our food into the living room and sat on different couches. Barry ate his sandwich in silence and then muttered a thank you before he put his plate on the coffee table. “You have no idea how upset Heather was about that comment of yours to Errol—about you getting too close.” He sat back on the couch. “She thought we should arrest you for interfering with an investigation. If she knew I’d been using you as a source…” He groaned.
Hooks Can Be Deceiving Page 21
