And a Puzzle to Die On (29 page)

“Exactly,” Cora said, smugly.

“Great,” Aaron said. “Let’s go home and watch it.”

“If we don’t get stopped,” Sherry pointed out dryly, “with a stolen dog and a stolen tape.”

No one stopped them. They drove back to Bakerhaven without incident. Cora half expected to see a police car in their driveway, but there was no one there.

The poodle was out the back door of the car like a shot. He ran around the lawn, peeing on everything.

“Marking his territory,” Sherry said.

“Think he’ll come back?” Aaron said.

“He will if he gets hungry,” Cora said. “Bring that bag of food.”

They went inside, leaving the front door open. Aaron followed Cora into the kitchen and filled one bowl with kibble while she filled the other with water. They put them on the floor next to the sink. Almost before the bowls hit the floor, the little poodle darted in the door and began to eat.

Cora and Aaron went back in the living room, where Sherry had turned on the TV and the VCR.

“Should I take the Scotch tape off?” Sherry asked. “We don’t want to record over it.”

“Better not,” Cora advised.

Sherry shoved the videotape into the VCR.

“Shall I make popcorn?” Aaron asked.

“Very funny,” Cora said. “We’re speeding through this before I fall asleep. Go on, start it, Sherry.”

Sherry held up the remote control. “We’re speeding through this on the condition that you
promise
to go to sleep, no matter what we find on the tape.”

“Trust me, if I can sleep, I will.”

“That’s not exactly what I said.”

“So, sue me. If I can’t sleep, I can’t sleep.”

“Girls, can we watch this?” Aaron said.

Sherry hit
PLAY
. The warning label came on, followed by a host of previews. Sherry fast-forwarded through them all. The movie started. Actors of all shapes and sizes kept dancing across the screen, picking up and putting down dogs of all shapes and sizes.

“Hell of a way to watch a movie,” Aaron said.

The movie reached the part where Cora had fallen asleep. At least where she thought she’d fallen asleep. She really had no idea.

The movie continued through more and more dog gyrations. While it was going, the poodle came in from the kitchen, jumped on the couch, and snuggled up next to Cora.

“You’re going to let him on the couch?” Sherry said.

“How do you suggest I keep him off?”

“Pick him up and put him down.”

“You want me to train a dog? I’m not sure you can train an old dog.”

“That’s for sure,” Sherry muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. I—”

On the screen the image suddenly changed. It was readily apparent because the lighting was different. And because the date and time appeared in the lower right-hand corner.

And because the people on-screen were naked.

Sherry hit
PLAY
.

The video slowed to normal time.

It showed a man and woman in bed.

The woman was Ida Blaine.

The man was Warden Prufrock.

“Tell me about the tape.”

Warden Prufrock frowned at Cora. “What?”

“The blackmail tape. Tell me about the blackmail tape.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Cora smiled. “Yeah, you do. You must have seen it, because, otherwise, what’s the point? Who brought it to you?”

“You’re being impertinent, Miss Felton.”

“Not yet. I’m just warming up. You’ll know when I’m impertinent.”

“Last I heard, the police were looking for you. Suppose I make a little call.”

“Then they might catch me with the tape.”

“You keep talking about a tape.”

“Yeah. I figured you’d know what I meant. In case there’s any confusion, I’m talking about the blackmail tape. The pornographic blackmail tape. The pornographic blackmail tape in which you feature quite prominently. Does that refresh your recollection?”

“You’re trying to blackmail me?”

“Heaven forbid. I’m just trying to have a conversation. Were you trying to threaten me with the police?”

“Go on,” Prufrock growled.

“Okay,” Cora said. “I’m going to assume for the sake of argument that you’ve seen the blackmail tape. What I’m interested in is what sort of hoops you’ve been made to jump through.”

The warden glowered, said nothing.

“Let me take a wild guess. Would it have anything to do with the prisoner Darryl Daigue?”

“I think this conversation is over.”

“That’s practically a confirmation. Well, what an interesting situation. You’re the warden of a prison. You have a lifer with no possibility of parole. Yet he gets parole hearings. Am I getting warm?”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Not only does he get parole hearings, but the woman in the porno tape winds up on the parole board.” The warden’s face reddened.

“Didn’t handle that one too well,” Cora told him. “Probably not that much experience with lying. Never had to before. What was it? ‘No-nonsense warden.’ ‘The iron man.’ ‘Takes a stand, lets the chips fall where they may.’ ”

“Damn you.”

“So what happens next? A prison doctor winds up on the parole board. A young, impressionable prison doctor. Who is immediately hit on by the woman in the tape. Which is pretty ironic, since the doc’s the one who started it all, mentioning to the prisoner that a guy he used to know bought the farm in a traffic accident.”

Cora looked hard at the warden. “I know all these
things happened. I just don’t know why. I’d like you to tell me. I’d like that to happen before the police pick me up and force me to turn over any evidence I might have in my possession.”

“So this
is
blackmail.”

“What, you wearing a wire? You want me to incriminate myself? How many times do I have to tell you this is
not
blackmail. This is just me trying to get the facts. I have no reason to embarrass you. But I’d like to know who dropped the dead detective in my lap and slit the housewife’s throat. If you didn’t do it, I got no quarrel with you. But I need to know. Can you help me out?”

Warden Prufrock spread his hands helplessly. “I have no idea.”

“You know who was blackmailing you?”

“No.”

“Did they ask for money?”

“No.”

“How did they contact you?”

“Look here—”

“How did they contact you?”

“If I tell you, will you go away?”

“You can count on it. That doesn’t mean others won’t come. But I won’t send ’em.”

“It came in the mail. In a plain brown wrapper. To my office. Here at the prison. I didn’t know what it was. I almost took it home. Can you believe it? I almost brought it home.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No.” He pointed. “Luckily, I have a VCR. I took a look. Jesus Christ!”

“Was there a letter?”

“Yeah. Anonymous. Cut from headlines.”

“What did it say?”

“ ‘Get Daigue out of solitary.’ ”

“What?”

“Like I told you. Darryl Daigue’s a problem prisoner. He spent most of his time in solitary confinement.”

“So?”

“So I took him out, put him back in the general population. Which basically meant he got beat up more often.”

“What was the point?”

“I don’t know, but it was a real pain. Almost immediately an investigative journalist took the opportunity to do a series of uncomplimentary essays on the prison.”

“What do you mean, ‘took the opportunity’?”

“Oh. Daigue couldn’t have visitors in solitary. When he got transferred, this journalist interviewed him for his book.”

“What book?”

“I don’t know. Something about how inmates are treated. The guy managed to trash the prison.”

“Then what happened?”

“Nothing. I waited for demands, but that was it. I thought it was over. Then, out of the blue, another copy of the tape arrives. Just in case I’ve forgotten. This time it’s not ‘Get him out of solitary.’ This time they want Daigue out of jail.”

“They tell you how?”

“Sure. Schedule a parole hearing and sway the board.”

“Was the second tape the same as the first?”

“Essentially.”

“What was different?”

“I think the tapes were a different brand.”

“Aside from that?”

“It was the same footage, if that’s what you mean.”

“How about the letter?”

“That was different. The first one was cut from newspaper headlines. The second one was typed.”

“Really? Didn’t you think that was strange?”

“Strange? It’s a nightmare! I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. My wife thinks I’m having an affair.”

“Perceptive of her.”

“Don’t be dumb. That was over a long time ago. Anyway, I scheduled a parole hearing for Darryl Daigue. Naturally, they turned him down. Two days later I got another letter. ‘Rig the board,’ it said.”

“That’s when you put Ida Blaine on the board. And told her how to vote. She couldn’t swing it herself, so you had her go to work on the doctor. Or did you add him too?”

“Both. What could I do? I was in a terrible position.”

Cora snorted. “You don’t know from terrible positions. Two people died in the last forty-eight hours. Each one of them had a copy of your videotape.”

Warden Prufrock’s face went white. “Are you kidding me?”

Cora nodded approvingly. “Nice reaction. Just as if you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t.”

“Well, now you do. Next time someone tells you, you won’t have that nice reaction.”

Prufrock frowned.

“The worst of it is, the killer appears to have been looking for the tapes.”

“How do you know?”

“He got one of them.”

“He?”

“Or she. I don’t mean to be sexist. Though I hope a woman wouldn’t slice a man’s throat and heave him over a rail.”

“Do you have the other tape?”

“I certainly hope not. If I did, I can’t imagine how many laws I would have broken.”

“Oh, hell,” Warden Prufrock moaned. “What am I going to do?”

“Uh! Uh! Steady there. Remember. ‘Iron Man.’ ” Cora struck an Arnold Schwarzenegger pose, then ducked out the door.

“I’ve seen you naked.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You didn’t look bad. Of course, you were a year or two younger, but even so.”

Ida Blaine started to slam the door in Cora’s face.

Cora lowered her shoulder and pushed. “You don’t want to do that.”

“Get out of here!”

Cora shook her head. “You don’t know how bad a move that is. If someone told me they’d seen me naked, I’d want to know where. Just in case I’d married them accidentally when I was drinking.”

“You’ve been drinking? That explains it. Will you please leave?”

“The first time I came by you were wearing a mud pack. And the dead detective was watching your house.”

“Dead detective?”

“He wasn’t dead then. He died on my birthday. You know anything about that?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s funny. It’s been in all the papers. Not to mention on TV. Anyway, the dead detective has a videotape of you. That’s how I happened to see you naked. Which got me thinking. Why would a detective with a videotape of you still be watching you? Could it be he showed that tape to your husband to justify his employment?”

“You’re way off base.”

“I’m not surprised. This case has so many twists and turns I can’t even keep the players straight. Except the dead ones. They tend to stay put.”

“Lady, are you on something? You’re acting mighty weird.”

“I just had a nice talk with Warden Prufrock. Wanna know what he said?”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a good bluff. I wanted to know if the warden called you. Evidently he didn’t. Which is interesting. He doesn’t consider you a partner, just a pawn.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Did he tell you what he wanted
before
he put you on the parole board?”

Ida Blaine said nothing.

“That must have been a shock. Out of the blue the guy calls and says you’re in trouble. I mean the plural
you
, as in both X-rated video stars. Did you believe him? Did you ask to see the tape? Were you surprised to learn there was one?”

“I don’t believe you. I think you’re making this up.”