Grave Expectations on Dickens' Dune

by Anna Celeste Burke

  Be still my beating heart, I thought. I was eager to hear what she’d say next, so I spoke as calmly as I could.

  “Did Leonard tell you what kind of problems Mark Viceroy caused for Allen in Vietnam?” Marty and Neely had already been staring at me, and their eyes widened. They were as big as saucers now.

  “It had something to do with money and an operation that went south because Mark Viceroy became involved with a scheming civilian in Saigon. Apparently, Allen Rogow barely escaped with his life.” Boom! Bomb number one exploded.

  “It’s a good thing Allen warned your husband about Mark Viceroy nearly getting Allen killed in Vietnam,” I said.

  “That’s true. Even though Leonard tried to stay away from him, the guy still scared him. Mark had a hard time taking no for an answer even before Allen and Leonard were in The Men’s Colony together.” Boom! Went bomb number two.

  “That’s interesting. We took it for granted that Allen and Leonard met while they were inmates, but it sounds like you’re saying they were already acquainted.”

  “Oh, yes, they became friends in an AA group. Booze was another of Leonard’s weaknesses, but one he fought and eventually overcame. Leonard didn’t like Mark after Allen confided in him, but it wasn’t until they were in prison that Mark started to hound Leonard. Maybe Mark figured Allen couldn’t constrain him from behind bars. Until Leonard refused to see him again, Mark pressured him to find someone to launder money for him.” Boom! Boom! Boom! Bomb number three dropped.

  “That was nervy,” I commented.

  “Gutsy, yes, but nutso, too, if you ask me. I mean, if Leonard was as connected as Mark Viceroy believed him to be, he wasn’t a person you’d try to intimidate into doing something for you—especially when you barely know him. If Mark didn’t regard Leonard as a man with powerful connections, then why ask him to do something illegal since Leonard obviously hadn’t been clever enough to avoid prison? Even when Leonard got out of prison, the feds kept their eye on him. Like I said—nuts!”

  “Was it drug money that Mark asked Leonard to launder for him?” Those wide eyes were staring at me again. Neely and Marty’s mouths were hanging open now.

  “I don’t know how specific he got about where the money was coming from or how much there was, but he assured Leonard there’d be enough to make it worth his while. Leonard doubted Mark could have been making that kind of money from dealing. I agreed, especially given how much of his own product Mark appeared to be using.”

  “I understand what you’re saying.” I thought about what Wendy Ballard had told her brother, Nick, about the fact that Mark Viceroy was moving up in the drug dealing world. “Mark Viceroy must have had an inflated opinion of himself when it came to his role as a drug dealer, or he hoped Leonard could finance his aspirations to become a big wheel.”

  “He did throw some money my way trying to convince Leonard that he was a player. He showed up here with an envelope full of cash—thousands of dollars, I’m sure. Mark insisted that I accept it as seed money for a venture he was working on with my husband. I said no, thank you. He still wasn’t happy even after I explained that Leonard was no longer my husband, that I’d never been involved in any of his business deals, and wasn’t going to do so in the future. That only made him more insistent. It wasn’t until I explained that I was still under surveillance by federal authorities that Mark finally went away.”

  “That was quick thinking,” I said, wondering if I should have run a number like that on Jimmy Dunn. Federal agencies were involved in the aftermath of the Shakespeare Cottage affair, maybe I could have used that to make him go away. Not that it mattered anymore since he wasn’t going to hustle me or anyone else ever again. “Did Leonard ask Allen what money Mark Viceroy was referring to?”

  “Yes, and Allen was very upset when he heard about it, but his answer to Leonard was vague. Something like, ‘It’s blood money, and he’s never going to get his hands on it.’ Leonard and I figured he could have been talking about drug money or money related to the incident in Vietnam that nearly cost Allen his life.” Once again, I thought we were winding things up and went into ‘thank you’ mode.

  “This conversation has been eye-opening for me in so many ways. Helpful, too, so thank you. I hope I can call you back soon and tell you that the authorities have taken Mark Viceroy into custody.”

  “The sooner, the better and I hope they hang onto him. When we heard that they had Mark in jail and then let him get away, Leonard was beside himself for days. Leonard was out of prison by then, but what really irked him was when he learned that the young woman who visited Allen while they were in prison died not long before they arrested Mark. Leonard took her death hard because she’d approached him for money, hoping to get away from Mark. She was three sheets to the wind, but Leonard believed her when she said she intended to go to the police and tell them about Allen Rogow’s murder and where they could find his body. He was sure Mark Viceroy was responsible for her death, one way or another.” Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  “You must be talking about Wendy Ballard.”

  “Yes. That was her name. She had a fat lip at the time, so Leonard put her and that friend of hers on a bus to LA, along with cash for food and a place to stay.”

  “By friend, do you mean Nick Martinique?”

  “Nick sounds right. I don’t believe Leonard ever mentioned his last name. Leonard had to have been convinced Wendy was in imminent danger, or he wouldn’t have risked giving cash to an addict.”

  “It’s too bad he didn’t take her straight to the police station,” I muttered before I could stop myself.

  “I agree. I didn’t hear about it until after she died, but I told him that’s what he should have done. The thought of going to the police made him physically ill when I urged him to go to the authorities even though she was already dead. He said no one would believe an ex-convict even if she was still alive. He was scared, too, about Mark getting away from the police. Leonard wondered if Mark and Allen were involved with special ops in Vietnam and Mark had government help to get away. It wasn’t until they rearrested him years later and sent him to Calipatria, that Leonard gave up on his theory that Mark was in witness relocation or something like that. After the horror of that botched escape attempt in Calipatria, we both figured I was right when I’d pegged Mark as a cunning psychopath.” She was quiet for a moment, and I heard that tinkling sound again.

  How much can she be drinking this early in the day? I wondered. She didn’t sound drunk, so maybe it was soda or orange juice.

  “Miriam—you did say Miriam, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “My glass is empty, and I need to get a refill. Will you call me, please, the moment the police have arrested him?”

  “I will. Promise.”

  “Thank you.” When she’d gone, I worried all over again that I’d scared her unnecessarily. Then it occurred to me that if Mark was looking for a hideout, he might see older women, like Judith and Ginger, as people he could con or push around. I could imagine both women opening the door to him as a matter of decorum. In Judith’s case, she might not be the least bit wary of Elizabeth Stockton if she turned up on her doorstep without any advance warning from us. I was about to call Judith again when she called me.

  “Judith, thanks so much for calling me back so quickly. I wanted to make sure that you’re aware of what’s going on with Mark Viceroy.”

  “I know. He’s been released.”

  “And already into more trouble,” I added.

  “How can that be? I was told that one reason he was paroled is that in addition to the fact that he’s sixty-eight years old, he’s suffering from advanced kidney disease. He needs a kidney transplant and had better get one soon, or he’s not going to cause anyone any trouble ever again.” Tick! Tick! I recognized another bomb about to blow.

  “Is Mark Viceroy eligible for a kidney transplant?” When I asked that question, I wasn’t specifically addressing Judith. Marty g
ave me a thumbs down sign.

  “His status as a felon won’t cause him to be denied a transplant. With his history of substance abuse, along with what must be a serious character disorder, he’s a poor risk though. I’d bet the members of most transplant teams won’t see him as a viable candidate. The regimen required for the transplant to be a success means playing strictly by the rules, which is something he may not be able to do even if his life depends on it. Charly probably knows the law better than I do, and your friend Midge would have a better idea about his chances from a medical standpoint. What’s going on?”

  “There’s been an incident. We have reason to believe that Mark’s involved, but we don’t know that for certain. We think he’s on the run, and he might have Leonard’s nurse, Elizabeth Stockton, with him. We wanted you to know about it just in case he tries to look up old acquaintances in his search for a place to hide out. We don’t want to worry you needlessly, but it’s probably worth taking a few extra precautions for a day or two until the police catch up with him. I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a call from Charly, too, just to make sure you’re fully informed.”

  “I wonder why he went after Elizabeth Stockton, of all people. Maybe he’s afraid Leonard told her something before he died that could put him back in prison. What she told me wasn’t enough to do it. Do you suspect she withheld information about who killed Allen? How would Mark know about Leonard any of this?”

  How, indeed? I wondered. If Elizabeth Stockton was as flaky as Ginger claimed, could she have contacted Mark to sell him that key, or something else she picked up from Leonard? Then I considered another option that seemed more plausible.

  “Leonard’s obituary was a matter of public record, and he was a celebrity of sorts, so maybe something about his ‘deathbed confession’ was leaked to the press. I don’t believe we’ve come across anything like that.” Neely shook her head no. “We have learned that rumors run rampant at the hospital where he died, and they were well aware of his infamy. If that’s the case, Mark may have heard something that made him eager to speak to Elizabeth Stockton.”

  “I get it. I appreciate it, too. Thanks for emailing me the recipe, by the way. Maybe, I’ll try it out while I’m waiting for you to put that guy back behind bars where he belongs. Even with his age and health problems, I can’t believe they let him go.”

  “I promise to call you as soon as I have an update for you.”

  “Thanks. In the meantime, I agree that it’s better to be safe than sorry and I promise you that I’ll stay on my toes. I’ll see if I can find a photo taken when he was released and, give it to security personnel, so he doesn’t get into the front door here in the complex where I live.”

  “That’s a great idea. I have one I can send you that the DMV took when he got his driver’s license.”

  “How bad off can he be if they issued him a new license? Please send me the photo.”

  “I’ll send it to you the minute our call ends.”

  “Great! I’ll print out a copy for myself so I can throw darts at it now that he’s free and I’m under house arrest!” With that, we said goodbye. An instant later that photo was on its way to Judith.

  “Tell us everything, while it’s still fresh,” Marty insisted.

  “An excellent idea, since some of what I have to say ties into the discussion we still need to have about what happened to Wendy Ballard, according to hospital staff who still remember her.”

  15 On the Evidence

  “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule.” ~ Great Expectations

  ∞

  “That hospital thrives on gossip as if Alyssa Gardener, and the busybodies that hang out at her Potter Cottage worked there. All sorts of rumors were flying around that Wendy Ballard’s overdose was no accident. I agree with Midge that no matter how things look, or are rumored to be, it’s better to go with the evidence. Midge wasn’t talking about us, though. She believes the police should have investigated Wendy Ballard’s death more thoroughly than they did.”

  “Rumors won’t get them to take a closer look now. Heck, it’s hard enough to get them to act on the evidence when it’s jumping up at them like a horse on two feet!” Neely said emphatically.

  “Was there any evidence to back up the rumors?” I asked.

  “One of Midge’s nurse pals, who’s retired now, says she recalled the situation after all these years for two reasons. ‘Wendy was a pretty girl with a pretty name,’ as she put it. And when the results came back from blood tests run to determine what drug she’d taken, there were huge amounts of heroin and cocaine in her system. So much, in fact, that either drug could have killed her. They don’t typically find levels that high when someone dies from an accidental overdose.”

  “Does that mean they suspected suicide?” I asked. Before Marty could respond, Neely jumped into the discussion.

  “I hope not. Nick must blame himself since he told us he was leaning on Wendy to get off drugs.”

  “His sobbing was mixed in with tons of guilt,” I said and then elaborated on what I meant by that for Marty.

  “If she was caught between Mark Viceroy’s never-ending party and Nick’s newfound interest in sobriety, that could have been too much for her,” Marty suggested. “That wouldn’t have been her brother’s fault.”

  “She was obviously in a crisis of some kind when she asked Leonard Cohen for help,” I observed. “I don’t know why Nick didn’t tell us about that visit with Leonard, or about the fact that Mark Viceroy had assaulted her.”

  “True! If he wants to feel guilty about something, it ought to be about going with her to ask Leonard for money rather than insisting that she go to rehab or to the police. If they’d gone to the police, and Wendy told them Mark had murdered Allen, he could have been sent to prison long before he ended up there. A murder conviction might have kept him off the streets longer, too.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, Neely,” Marty said. “Nick and Wendy were kids. They had to be terrified and who knows if the police would have believed a couple of addicts. At that time, as far as the police were concerned, Mark was a vet who’d been honorably discharged after serving his country, right?” Marty asked.

  “Charly probably would have told us otherwise if his service record had said anything else. I don’t know when he had his first run-in with the law about his drug use, but Charly’s working on a timeline,” I replied. “They were right to be scared since it couldn’t have been too much longer before she turned up dead.”

  “That’s my point, though. Assuming she could have led the police to the body of one of his Army buddies, they might have picked him up and held him for questioning while they investigated the allegations. Mark couldn’t have killed Wendy while he was in police custody.”

  “If he remained there,” I said.

  “He was slippery as an eel, that’s for sure,” Neely commented. “I’d like to believe that the police would have kept a closer watch over a murder suspect than some guy they’d picked up for drug possession.” I nodded, agreeing with Neely as I spoke again.

  “I wonder if I should nudge Charly about getting the timeline to us. It would also help us to see how the timing of Wendy’s death jives with what Charly told us about Mark paying her fine and getting her out of jail before she’d served her entire sentence for a DUI. If he got wind of the fact that she was talking about turning him in to the police, he had to get her out of there.” Neely briefly explained what Charly had told us about the incident.

  “Okay, let’s say that’s what happened—Mark gets Wendy out of jail and injects her with enough drugs to kill her. Was there any evidence to suggest someone else administered the drugs?” I asked.

  “In Midge’s opinion, it would have been hard for her to remain conscious long enough to inject herself with that much dope. When she got to the ER, the needle wasn’t with her. That would have had fingerprints on it. There were only a couple of older injection sites in addition to
the one used to take the drugs that killed her. Midge says that was odd, too, for an addict binging on heroin and cocaine.”

  “The older injection sites make sense if she’d just spent a month in jail where she couldn’t have been injecting any drugs,” I argued.

  “I find it impossible to believe there wasn’t a police investigation. Why didn’t Nick ask for an autopsy? How did she get to the ER? Did he bring her in?”

  “Midge talked to half a dozen people who all said they didn’t know how she got to the hospital in her condition. Someone said some guy dropped her off and left before they could ask him questions about what drugs she’d taken.”

  “That doesn’t sound like something Nick would have done,” I said.

  “No, but it couldn’t have been Mark either. If he was intent on murdering her, why take her to the ER?” Marty asked. “Nick eventually turned up, although we didn’t know it was him. One of Midge’s contacts she spoke to at the hospital told her that Wendy’s brother showed up to claim her body and make burial arrangements for her. Midge and I didn’t make the connection to Nick since no one used his name and we didn’t know he was her brother. Most of the information that would have been useful as hard evidence, like the results of those blood tests, must be gone since she died so long ago.”

  “If anyone on the medical staff reported her death as suspicious or ordered an autopsy, wouldn’t she have been sent to the morgue? In that case, Nick would have gone there to claim her rather than to the hospital, right?” I asked.

  “Maybe that’s what the person Midge spoke to was trying to say. Let’s ask Midge if she can recall what the person said about Nick’s role when we see her. Midge must be close to wrapping it up with the police,” Marty said.

  “Or why not just Nick? That’s only one of the questions we have for him now that several of our conversations lead back to him,” I argued.