Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 02 - Bogey's Ace in the Hole (10 page)

Chapter Fifteen

We waited.  And we waited.  After over an hour, I walked into the mall and looked around for someone fitting John’s description.  Chris sat in the Jeep and watched in case I missed him.  Fortunately for me, it wasn’t a big mall.  I walked in and out of every store, but no
one fit John’s description.  I returned to the car.

“Any action out here?” I asked.

“Not a thing, other than a mall cop who wanted to know why I was sitting here.  I told him I was waiting for my wife, which is the truth.  We chatted.  He kept glancing over at the truck, so I finally asked him if there was something wrong.  He said that he was keeping an eye on the truck because it had been parked there since yesterday.”

“Really!  I wonder if John met someone here and left in the other vehicle.  I’d think he’d be coming back soon, if that’s the case.
Of course, he did drive by Victor’s house.”

Chri
s shrugged. I tend to roll my eyes, and Chris shrugs.  We all have our little habits.

“I don’t know, but if he’s not back soon, we’re going to have to give it up for today. 
I have business to take care of at the restaurant.”

“I’ve got a few things to finish, too, like paying bills,” I said.
  Glancing at the truck I took note that Addie had been right about the ladder.  I kind of hoped this guy was on it when it broke.

We waited
for another half hour and left, driving by Victor’s house before heading for the restaurant.  We didn’t see anything suspicious.

Arriving at
Bogey Nights
, we let ourselves in and began the process of making sure everything was in order.  Our chef, Luis, was already in the kitchen setting ingredients out, ready to prepare a repast for the evening crowd.  His sous chef would be in later.  Our restaurant was actually rather exclusive, only opening for dinner, and of course, we had the cocktail lounge.  Our prices were high, but people didn’t seem to mind paying for gourmet food and atmosphere, which included being around Chris and me.  Our amateur detective status had helped the business. 

“Chris, I’ve been thinking.  Maybe we should start opening for lunch, too.”

“I’ve had the same thing on my mind, babe.  We’d have to hire more help and give more hours to our staff, but I think we can do it.  Luis and I were talking about it the other day.  He can’t be here for both lunch and dinner, but he knows someone who’d probably be willing to take on the lunch crowd.  I’ll talk to him about it.”

“And I’ll speak to Phyllis and Gloria to see if they want more hours.  I’m pretty sure they’d be up for it.  Gloria has been talking about taking on a second job.”

Chris walked back to the kitchen with me.  He stopped to talk to Luis, and I kept walking.  My office is located behind the kitchen.

I sat down at my desk
, pulled the business checkbook out of a drawer, and began paying bills.   I knew I should start doing this online, on the computer, but I was stubborn.  I figured it was just a matter of time before someone figured out how to hack into everyone’s account.  My suspicious mind was always working double time.

After finish
ing my paperwork, I leaned back and thought about Victor.  At first he hadn’t seemed to believe us about someone being after him.  Fortunately, he’d had second thoughts about it and he seemed to feel it would be best to be more alert and careful.  I wondered why the killer hadn’t come after him yet.  The only explanation I could think of was that since Addie had overheard him, he was taking his time and being more careful.  He didn’t want to take unnecessary chances.  I figured he’d let things die down and then give it his best shot – unless we could find him first.

Chris walked into the office.  “I’ve been thinking about Victor.”

“Me, too.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t wait for the goon to make an appearance.  It bothers me that we know where his truck is, but we
had to leave.”

“Chris, why don’t you drive back over there?  I can cover things here.  I feel like we’re being way too blasé about this.  Not only is Victor in danger, but Addie
’s in danger, too, and she probably feels like a prisoner in Jasmine’s house since she’s not comfortable going out in public.”

“Good idea,” he said.  “If the truck is still there, I’ll wait.  If it’s gone, I’ll head home and change into my work clothes and come back here.”

I chuckled.  Chris’s work clothes consist of a forties-style suit with a vest, and sometimes a fedora.  “Okay.  If you don’t come back I’ll ask Phyllis to cover so I can go home and change.”

Chris glanced down at the floor and then back at me.  “I think I’ll bring the dogs back with me.  We’ve been hanging around Victor’s place a lot.  This guy may have seen us, and he could come after you, as well as Victor and Addie.”

“I think that’s a stretch, but you never know.  Mikey will be at Constance’s house, so we don’t have to worry about him.  I think we’ve got it all covered.”

“I’ll stop by Victor’s and see what his friend said, too.”  Chris leaned across the desk and gave me a kiss before leaving.

“Oh, what did Luis say?”

“He’ll call his friend, Nathaniel, this afternoon.  He says Nate is a retired chef who’s bored and wants to go back to work.”

“Cool,” I said.  “I had another thought, too.  I think I’ll call Donna, the waitress at that coffee shop, and see if she might be available.”

“Good idea.”

Chris took off and I called Phyllis and Gloria at home.  They both said they’d be happy to take on extra hours.

Next I called Donna.

“Oh, Mrs. Cross.  I was just about to call you.  The guy with the droopy mustache was in late yesterday afternoon.  He was asking a lot of questions about Addie.”

I was surprised, and yet I wasn’t.  He had to be worried about what Addie might know.  “What did you tell him?”

“I told him I didn’t know who he was talking about.  He pushed me about it, but I stuck to my story.  I didn’t let him know that she comes in here a lot.  The other ladies were in for lunch yesterday, but Addie wasn’t with them.  They bought some food to take home for her.  They told me she’s afraid to go anywhere because of that schmuck, and that really makes me mad.  Did I do the right thing?”

“You did.  I wish you’d have called us sooner, but no harm done.”

“I would have called but some things came up and…  Well, I hate to say it, but I forgot in all the confusion.”  Her next words sounded like she was close to tears.  “The owners of this coffee shop are retiring and they’ve sold the place.  It’s not going to be a coffee shop anymore and I’m out of a job in two weeks.”

“Great timing,” I said.

“
What?
”

“I’m calling to offer you a job.  How about it?  Would you come work for us at
Bogey Nights
?  Of course, you’ll have to wear a period costume for the job.  All of our waitresses dress like they did in the forties.”

“Oh, Mrs. Cross, you’re a lifesaver!  I can’t thank you enough. 
I’m a single parent and I was really worried about what my son and I would do.  My husband left right after my son was born.  And I sew, so I can make some costumes for the job.  This is going to be fun.”

“Please, call me Pamela.  And
you’ll
be a lifesaver for us.  We’re going to start opening for lunch soon.”

I told Donna that two weeks was perfect and she could move right from her old job to the new one.
  On a whim, I decided to have her work the dinner shift.  Tips would be better, and I could relate to her as a single parent.  I’d been there.

Most of our staff resembled past actors and actresses.  Phyllis and Gloria resembled Marilyn Monroe and Myrna Loy.  George Chandler looked very much like George Raft, and the female patrons loved him.  Susan French didn’t resemble anyone in particular, but she looked great in her forties costumes, and she’d been wishing she could work an earlier shift.  Donna would take over her spot and I’d move Susan to lunchtime.  I’d still need to find at least one more for the noontime shift, but that shouldn’t be a problem.

Phyllis came in early so I could head home and change clothes, and Gloria came with her.  Unfortunately, I’d forgotten that Chris took the car.  Gloria graciously offered to give me a ride home, and I took her up on it.

We pulled up to the curb and I saw that Chris was home, so Gloria headed back to the restaurant.

“Chris,” I called out, entering the house.  “Where are you?”

“Upstairs, changing clothes.”

Climbing up the stairs, I met him at the top.  “I didn’t expect you to be home so early.  Was the truck gone?”

“No, it was still there.  The mall cop recognized me and came over to flap his gums.  He said he didn’t like the truck sitting there for so long, so he put a warning on the windshield.  It told the owner to move it or it would be towed away.”

“I wonder what’s going on.  Maybe John decided the truck was too visible and found something else to drive.”

Chris shrugged.  “I told the mall cop you weren’t really shopping, and that we were watching the truck because it could be involved in a crime.  He just assumed I was a copper.  I gave him my cell phone number and he said he’d call me if there was any action with the truck.”

“I talked to Donna and offered her a job.  It turns out she’s losing the job she has anyway, and she was thrilled.”

Chris looked at me.  “Why is she losing her job?  Something wrong there?”

I pulled a dress out of the closet and began changing.  Chris whistled at me, and I grinned.  “No.  They’re closing down the coffee shop.  Anyway, she said John was there yesterday asking a lot of questions about Addie.”

Chris looked worried.  “What did she tell him?”

“Absolutely nothing.  She acted like she didn’t know who Addie was.”

Chris smiled and the worry lines disappeared. 
“Let’s give her a raise.”

“I think it’s a good thing we had Addie stay with Jasmine.  She
’ll be safe there.  I still think the police should be brought in on this though.”

“So do I, but we can’t force anyone to call them, and the only information
you and I have is hearsay.”

We fin
ished changing clothes, and I swept my hair up into a forties style.  We took separate cars back to the restaurant, with the dogs riding in the Jeep with me, just in case something came up and one of us had to leave.  I put them in their fenced area behind my office with their dinner and some water.  Before they ate they ran around the perimeter to make sure no one had invaded their space.  Satisfied, they ate their kibble while I went to work.

Phyllis met me at the front desk.  “A lady called to make a reservation for a party of
four.  I told her we were booked tonight and she said she was a very close personal friend of yours.”  She picked up the reservation book.  “We’ve got a party of twelve coming in for a birthday party, and another party of six coming in for a pre-wedding dinner.  The rest of the tables are full, too.  It’s going to be a busy night.  Anyway, I did some finagling and managed to fit them in.”

“Thank you, Phyllis. 
Good job.  What was the lady’s name?”  I had a feeling I probably knew who it was.

“
Jasmine Thorpe.  Was that okay?”

I sighed.  “You did the right thing.”  Was I ready for the Church Ladies tonight?  I wasn’t sure.  And if it was a party of four, then Addie was probably coming along.  I was sure she needed a night out and a break from her confinement at Jasmine’s house.  Everything would be okay.

I actually believed that until Chris and I were talking later and his cell phone rang.

“Yeah,” he said, answering it.  He listened and I saw his face harden.

“Have you called the police?” he asked.

Again, he listened.

“I’m on my way.”

Chapter Sixteen

“What is it?” I asked.

“That was the mall cop.  He said he was checking out the camper again and there’s a very nasty odor coming from inside.”

“What would that mean?”

“It could mean nothing, or it could mean somebody’s goin’ home feet first tonight.”

“Why would you think someone
’s dead?”

“He described the
odor.  I smelled something like that when I was a mailman.  An elderly man’s mailbox was filling up, so I stopped to do a check on him.  He’d been dead for a few days, and it was summertime.  I’ll never forget the stench as long as I live.”

“Oh, Chris, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but I’m bound to find out.”

“Call me as soon as you know anything,” I said.

Chris left and Phyllis and I opened the restaurant.  I checked the reservation book to see who was coming in.  Looking up, I saw two familiar faces.

“Mr.
and Mrs. Longworth,” I said.  “It’s so good to see you.  It’s been a while.”

Mrs. Longworth smiled.  “We’ve been on vacation in the Mediterranean.  What a wonderful trip.”

She filled me in as I showed them to their table.  Mrs. Longworth was involved in several charities and worked hard for her community.  She deserved a trip and time to enjoy herself.  I told her as much.  Mr. Longworth was a well-known criminal defense attorney.  If I were to do something illegal, I’d definitely want him in my corner.

“We’
ve been so fortunate.  This city has been good to us, and I like giving something back.”  She sat down on the chair I’d pulled out for her.

Mr. Longworth gave his wife a smile of approval.  “I have to admit that we didn’t find another restaurant to rival this one while we were gone.”

“Well, bless your heart,” I said.  “Thank you.”

I returned to the front desk after talking for a moment longer, and they were settled in with menus.  I placed their drink orders and glanced at my watch.  I hoped it didn’t take too long for Chris to call me.
  Patience isn’t my long suit.

The door opened and the party of twelve walked in.  They were happy and chattering and ready for a celebration.

“And which one of you is having a birthday?” I asked.

A gentleman stepped forward, slowly, and declared he was the culprit.  “I’m ninety-six today,” he said.

“Well, you don’t look a day over eighty-six,” I said.

They all laughed and Gloria showed them to their table.

The party of six came in and were seated by Phyllis.

And the party of four was right behind them.  “Pamela,
dear, God bless you and what’s your special tonight?” Jasmine looked different.  It took me a moment to figure out what had changed.

“Why, you’re the only thing special in this place.  You look wonderful in your forties dress.  All of you do,” I said, taking in each of their
outfits, all from the same era.  Jasmine was wearing a light blue shirtmaker dress with small red bows throughout the fabric.  She had her hands tucked into the front pockets and smiled at me.

“Oh, you,” Lila said
, patting the skirt of her grey day dress, the kind that homemakers wore while they cooked and cleaned.   At least it fell in soft folds.   Her tennis shoes definitely looked out of place.

May grinned and pushed Addie front and center.
  They each wore soft cotton dresses.  May’s was black with pink roses throughout the fabric.  Addie’s was off-white with a flower I couldn’t identify decorating the fabric.  Both dresses had shoulder pads and caplike sleeves, and a V neckline with a winged collar.  It almost seemed like they’d hit a two-for-the-price-of-one sale, but they looked adorable.

And all four
women wore hats.  Lila’s was big and floppy, and the rest were smaller and just covered the top of their hair.

“We’d like a fancy dinner tonight,” Addie said.

“Is it a special occasion?” I asked.

“Yes.  I’m out of the house and
I don’t believe that John person will see me here.  I can’t help wondering what went wrong in his life to turn him into a killer though.”

Hopefully
he’ll run his car off a cliff and never see you again
, I thought.  I glanced at the Church Ladies and chastised myself for having an unchristian thought.  They were getting to me.  Addie was beginning to think of him in terms of being a person with circumstances that had turned him into a potential murderer.  But we all have circumstances.  That doesn’t mean we plan to kill someone.  Victor might agree with me on that one.

Phyllis arrived and showed the ladies to their table.  I continued greeting people at the door, and a few made their way into the lounge. 
Monday Moonshine would start their music soon.

I carried my cell phone with me, waiting for Chris to call.  My patience was beginning to wear thin.  What had he found?

I was debating with myself about calling Chris, when he walked through the door.

“Chris, I didn’t expect you back this soon.  What happened?  What was in the back of the camper?”

“No dead bodies.  Let me check with Luis and make sure things are running smoothly in the kitchen and then I’ll tell you what happened.”

At least there were no dead bodies.  I could wait for the explanation
for a few more minutes.

I made the rounds and checked on the customers to be sure they didn’t feel neglected.  The birthday group had ordered a cake ahead of time and all of our employees
gathered and sang the birthday song to our honored guest.  He was absolutely glowing – until he grabbed his chest and fell off his chair taking silverware and several dishes with him. 

Bending over and leaning close, I briefly studied his face.  The initial glow had turned into
a pallor.  I dropped down and felt for a pulse.  Nothing.  I was preparing for CPR when his daughter put her hand on my shoulder.

“He left a Living Will.  He didn’t want to be resuscitated.  He knew he had a heart condition.  At his age, well, he said he’d just as soon go and be with my mother.  We lost her twenty years ago.”  Tears streamed down her face.  “He was a good man, but he was tired.”

So our birthday boy expired
– right there.  In
Bogey Nights
.  I was just about ready to start clutching at my own chest.

Chris ran out from the kitchen, Phyllis ran to call the paramedics, and when I looked up I saw the Church Ladies approaching.  My heart dropped to my feet when I considered what they might do or say. 
Would they preach at the family?  Drop on their knees and pray at the top of their lungs for the elderly man’s salvation?

Oh, ye of little faith.

The ladies comforted the family with loving words and kind gestures.  They were wonderful.

And people being people, the rest of the diners just kept eating
while throwing several curious glances over their shoulders at the unfolding drama.  After all, there was no blood and no screaming, so how bad could it be? Mr. and Mrs. Longworth were the exceptions and came to ask if they could help.  I thanked them and shook my head, indicating it was too late.

The paramedics arrived quickly, and the family left heartbroken
, but comforted by four wonderful little old ladies who understood their grief.

“Well,” May said.  “
That man’s daughter told me he was celebrating his ninety-sixth birthday.  At least he went out with a bang.”

“May!” Jasmine exclaimed.

“Well, she’s right,” Lila said.  “He was having fun with his family, and there was a lot of commotion when all the dishes broke.”

I turned my head away and rolled my eyes.  What next?

“Pamela,” Chris said, “I’m going back to the office to fill out some paperwork about this incident.”

“I’m right behind you,” I said.  “Phyllis can take care of things while you tell me what happened with the truck.”

“Truck?  Not
the
truck.”  Addie looked into Chris’s eyes and nodded her head.  “Yes, indeed, he’s talking about the black truck.  I can see it in his eyes.”

Three other heads turned to Chris and all bore questioning expressions.

“You might as well all come back to Pamela’s office.  That way I’ll only have to tell the story once.”

We followed him through the kitchen and back to the office.

“Are the dogs here tonight?” Lila asked.

“Yes, but I’ll leave them outside,” I said.

“No, it’s okay.  You can bring them in.  I need to lose my fear of dogs, and I’ve been praying about it.  Your pets can be my test case.  They’re so darned big – if I can get along with them, then I can get along with other dogs.”

“You have dogs?” Addie asked.

I nodded.  “Two Labrador retrievers.”

“Oh, my favorite breed.  I’ve had dogs over the years, and I had a Lab some years ago.  She was the best dog I ever
owned.  If I wasn’t so old, I’d buy me a couple.”  She glanced at me suspiciously, maybe having second thoughts.  “How old are your dogs?”

“About
two years,” I replied.  “Why?”

“I just wanted to make sure they’re past that puppy stage. 
They’re not, but… My Lab was hell on wheels as a puppy, but when she grew up?  She was the best companion a woman could ask for. Actually, they don’t mature until around four years old.”

Lila cringed when Addie said
hell on wheels
.

Jasmine reached over and patted her hand.  “It’s okay, Lila.  She didn’t mean to say that.”

“Yes, I did,” Addie said.  “That dog was an absolute terror until she grew out of the puppy stage.”

“Addie’s the wild one in our little group,” May explained.

“Do you ladies want to hear what happened or not?” Chris asked.  “I can wait if you want to talk about puppies some more.”  His frustration was showing again.  First he went looking for a dead body, and then he returned and found an unexpected body and a gaggle of Church Ladies.  He was probably wound pretty tight.

“Go ahead, Bogey Man.  Tell us what happened.”

I let the dogs in and told them to sit.  They looked at the ladies and sat, but their behinds barely touched the floor.  I figured they knew if they played their cards right they’d be in for some attention.

Chris cleared his throat after rolling his upper lip under and pulling on his ear lobe, a sure sign that the Bogey persona was about to put in an appearance.

“Okay,” he said.  “I had this pegged as a crime scene, with someone down for the count.  So I hightailed it over to the mall —”

“What mall?” May asked.  “And what crime scene
?”

“We found th
e black truck Addie told us about sitting in a mall near Victor’s house.  It appears to have possibly been abandoned.  The mall cop called Chris and told him about a nasty odor coming from the camper on the back of the truck.”

I glanced at Chris.  He was rolling his lip under again and rocking back and forth from heel to toe.

“So Chris drove over to see what was going on.  Chris?”  I pointed at him, indicating he could pick up the story.

He quit rocking. 
“Thanks, cookie.  Okay, so the mall cop meets me by the camper.  We walk around the truck and I take a sniff after eyeballing the whole thing.  The smell ain’t good, but I don’t picture a heavy inside and bleeding.  See?”

“Heavy?” Addie asked.

“A bad guy,” I interpreted.

“Oh.”

Chris pursed his lips before going on.  “Yeah, a bad guy.  The smell is putrid, but something ain’t right.  I remember that Addie climbed right into the camper, so maybe it could be unlocked.  See?  So the mall copper and me, we try the back door of the camper.  It opens like a charm.  He’s thinkin’ he better go call the Paddy Wagon.  I tell him, ‘Hold the phone, I don’t see no dead body in here.’  So he settles down and hands me his flashlight.”

Chris stopped and shook his head.

“I don’t know where that bozo went after you got out in Victorville, but somewhere along the way a raccoon climbed into the camper.  And it died.”

“A raccoon?” Jasmine asked.

“Dead as a doornail.”  Chris rolled his hand into a fist and pointed downward with his thumb.

“So that means the bad guy is still out there,” May said.

“It sure does,” Addie said, sadly.

“Uh oh,” Lila said.

Jasmine opened her mouth but I cut her off.  It seemed like these women
all
had to make a comment every time something happened.

“Okay, so Addie, you’re going to have to continue to lie low for a while.”  I watched her for a reaction.