Elizabeth C. Main - Jane Serrano 02 - No Rest for the Wicked (18 page)

I hoped Nick would return soon. Surely he could suggest a more brilliant approach than my idea of establishing a list of suspects based on a Shakespeare class twenty-some years ago?

Meanwhile, my next step was to
see
Alix.
I drove to
t
he Wedding Belle at well below the speed limit. She wasn’t going to like my report an
y
better than I did. Some detective I’d turned out to be.
Unless she could make some
thing
more than I had
from my conversations with Irene Cook and Desmond McCutcheon,
we
w
ere
at a dead end.

I chewed my lip in frustration.
Her
future
now
rested on the slender hope that Arnie wouldn’t uncover the connection between her finances and Irene’s. Arnie might be lazy in general, but
t
his was one time h
e’d be a bulldog
in
search
ing for proof of
Alix’s
guilt
.

Chapter 18

Alix
had
waved away my apology for failing to come up with any new leads.
I couldn’t read her calmness when I described my trip to Redmond. Either h
er nerves ha
d
steadied
considerably
since
that
morning or she was trying to
cheer
me
up
.

“
Hey, no news is good news. Let’s wait for developments.
”

Easier said than done.
Unable to think of where else to
ex
pend my restless energy, I decided to accompany Minn
i
e and Velda to the casino the next morning.
Alix
had
actually recommended the trip
.

“
It’ll make a good diversion for you. Nothing about traveling with that pair will bear the slightest resemblance to reality.
”

“
Want to come with us?
”

“
Can’t leave town, remember? What a shame.
”

Tyler was ringing up an early sale when I arrived at Thornton’s
.
T
he excited customers turned out to be Minnie and Velda. Their bright eyes and flushed cheeks signaled that they were in full battle mode and ready for our trip.

“
No camouflage handbags?
”
I asked.

“
Now you’re being silly,
”
Minnie said,
“
but we’re glad you’ve decided to com
e
. Still no word from Nick, I guess?
”

“
Not yet,
”
I answered,
“
but soon, I hope.
”

I tried not to think about how much I’d rather be
on my way
to the beach with him than going to a casino with Minnie and Velda today.

“
Look what we’re bringing.
”
Minnie held up two books:
Beat the System, Baby!
and
Everybody Wins!

“
These were on our shelves?
”
I was astonished that Laurence would allow them in his store.

“
No way.
”
Tyler was trying without much success to smother a smile.
“
Minnie put in a special order and caught the Ingram shipment from Roseburg just right.
”

“
We were lucky they arrived in time for us to study on the drive today,
”
Minnie said with satisfaction.
“
That is, if you’re willing to take your car, Jane, so Velda and I can read. We don’t want to look like novices. You know,
”
she confided,
“
this is new territory for us. We haven’t had much experience with … gambling.
”
She lowered her voice as though even speaking the word would contaminate the air, but her sparkling eyes betrayed her willingness to explore this sinful activity as soon as possible.

“
I’ll be glad to drive,
”
I said truthfully. I’d survived Minnie’s haphazard driving before, and I wasn’t anxious to tempt fate again.
“
However,
”
I went on, in an attempt to make today’s trip as painless as possible,
“
I have difficulty driving when people are talking, so could you read silently?
”

Velda spoke for the first time.
“
Could Minnie and I sit in back and quietly share notes? We don’t want to bother you, Jane, but if we whisper … ?
”
Her soft voice vibrated with an en
thusiasm that matched Minnie’s.

Hard to believe, but compared to Velda’s usual daily routine, I had to admit that going to a casino would probably be a real thrill.

“
Great idea,
”
I agreed. Alix had been right.

As Minnie reclaimed center stage, I prepared mentally to enter Fantasyland.
“
I have it all figured out. After Velda followed Alice the other day and turned up significant clues, I did some detective work of my own.
”
Minnie’s face glowed with pride in her protégée’s significant clues. Here we go, I thought, bracing myself for Minnie’s unique brand of detective work.

“
When I was picking up my Lipitor, I asked Sam Watson for counseling on its use. I’ve been taking it for years, but I asked for a consultation anyway. Once I had him trapped at the privacy window, I just winged it.
”
Minnie turned to Tyler and tapped her forehead to indicate clever thinking.
“
Sam lives next door to Phil and Eileen so it was easy enough to slip Eileen’s name into the same sentence as cholesterol.
”
She returned her attention to me.
“
I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry. I was subtle. The way Eileen went after my pound cake the other day, there’s a good chance she takes Lipitor, so I’m sure Sam didn’t suspect a thing. Anyway, we were talking about neighbors and garbage day and whatever … you know how conversations ramble . .
.
”

I nodded, fascinated. Having experienc
ed
Minnie’s conversational leaps of logic firsthand, I was well aware of her mental agility, though how she could get a busy pharmacist to chat about everything from cholesterol to garbage day stretched my imagination. By the time I focused on her explanation again, Minnie was several topics down the road, but I tuned in just in time for the punch line.

“
And all of a sudden, ‘Bingo!’ Phil had told Sam that he and Eileen were driving to Mystery River today. Now, what do you think of that?
”
Minnie stepped back from the counter,
spreading her arms in triumph.

“
And … ?
”
I felt like a particularly dull student.

Minnie eyed me over her glasses, reminding me of my sixth-grade teacher when I couldn’t locate Peru on the map. I shrugged helplessly, unable to grasp Minnie’s point. She and Velda exchanged looks before she took pity on me.

“
So, we’ll follow them.
”
She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned close.
“
If they spot us, we’ll pretend we didn’t know they were there. That way, they won’t be on guard.
”

“
Against what? What are we looking for?
”
I asked.
I still didn’t understand what valuable information they felt they’d unearthed when Velda shadowed Alice to the post office.

Minnie threw up her hands, stunned at my inability to grasp the big picture.
“
For
h
eaven’s sake, I don’t know yet. Th
at’s why we’re following them.
”

“
We’ll get clues, same as I did by following Alice.
”
Velda seemed to have no trouble with Minnie’s logic.

“
Clues about . .
.
”
I let my voice trail off, defeated.

Clearly,
I wouldn’t be able to divert
these two
from their
mission. Minnie had discovered last year that solving a murder was more exciting than baking chicken pot pies for the New Community Church. And Velda, who apparently had nothing more exciting to look forward to than an occasional SOS meeting, had now discovered the thrill of the chase as well. Might as well get this over with.

“
Tyler, you’re sure Laurence will be okay covering the store while you help with the wedding?
”

“
He’s fine with it. Seemed really good this morning. I’ll check in with him and—
”

“
—
call me if you hear anything from Alix or Nick,
”
I finished.

“
Yep.
”
Tyler’s grin told me what he thought of the wild goose chase I had before me.

I wanted to throw something at him, but contented myself with a shrug.
“
Okay, girls. Let’s go get clues
.
”

Minnie started for the door, with Velda trailing her.

M
agnanimous in victory, Minnie paused to offer an alternative plan, though her tone told me she considered it an inferior one.
“
You know, Jane, we could always talk to the sheriff again, though he hasn’t proved particularly receptive.
”

“
You threatened to throw gooey pastry at him last year.
”

“
He wasn’t any more cooperative yesterday.
Besides, my cinnamon pull-aparts are not gooey. That would suggest that they weren’t properly cooked.
”

Velda looked at Minnie, enchanted.
“
You did that?
”

Minnie pursed her lips.
“
Jane exaggerates. Throwing pastry at someone wouldn’t be a Christian thing to do, but … I certainly wanted to. ‘Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart . .
.
’ Deuteronomy 15:9. Hmm. Should I bake him some scones when we get back as a belated gesture of reconciliation?
”

I couldn’t resist.
“
Good idea. They’re lighter, wouldn’t hurt so much when they hit him.
”

“
Scones do have sharp points.
”
Velda looked worried. I couldn’t believe that anyone in town was less sensible than Minnie, but apparently I was wrong.

“
Jane is mocking us.
”
Minnie’s formal tone told me I’d teased her enough. She was looking at Velda as she finished her statement, but her words were for me.
“
She doesn’t think we are very good detectives, so she has now resorted to sarcasm. I notice, however, that she does not suggest any better ideas.
”

“
I’m sorry. You’re absolutely right. Following Phil and Eileen might be just the thing that breaks this case wide open.
”

I certainly didn’t want to hurt Minnie’s or Velda’s feelings. Besides,
she was right
.
I didn’t have any better ideas.

* * * * *

As I followed Velda’s ancient Dodge past the scattered houses on the outskirts of Juniper, I was hard pressed to avoid tailgating. Our first stop would be at her home to drop off the car. Good thing Velda wasn’t driving us to the casino, or we’d have been all day getting there. Though she was only about
forty-three
,
exactly my age,
she drove like the stereotypical senior citizen, signaling carefully long before a turn and keeping so far below the speed limit that our five-mile drive seemed like twenty.
By the time we reached her house, I was starting to think about lunch.

We jounced over the long driveway at a snail’s pace, with Velda weaving from side
-
to
-
side to find the least destructive route though the weeds and rocks.
I doubted that the Mary Kay lady came out here often nowadays, though the three-story house on its overgrown lawn must once have been rather grand. Velda’s aunt used to buy books from Thornton’s before her stroke a year ago, but I hadn’t seen her since then. Velda’s uncle, a Circuit Court judge, had died several years earlier. His funeral had brought mourners from all over Oregon, and the
Journal
obituary had listed a full column of his civic accomplishments. Sad to see the neglect of this once-illustrious family’s home, but Velda had intimated that her aunt’s staggering medical bills made it impossible to take proper care of both
the house and yard.

Velda pulled up in front of the graceful brick entry and motioned for me to park beside her.
“
I hope you didn’t hit that bad spot. I should have warned you. I automatically swing wide there.
”

“
No problem.
”
I followed Velda up the steps and into the house.

“
Maria,
d
ó
nde est
á
s
?
”
Velda called.

No answer. Her effortless accent reminded me that she had moved here from Florida, where she’d likely been surrounded by people speaking Spanish.